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creative advertisement ever

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:58:15 PDT

Advertisement has become an integral part in today’s marketing scenario. In earlier times, advertisement was not given as much emphasis as it is being given today. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising defines the term as: “advertising presents the most persuasive possible selling message to the right prospects for the product or service at the lowest possible cost”. Here we have a combination of creativity, marketing research & economic media buying. Advertising may cost a lot of money but that cost is justified if it works effectively and economicall

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The Collection of Must See Modified Bikes

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:00:09 PST

Awesome modification

Only in Asia Network World

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:44:49 PST

The Worst Parenting Fails Ever ; FAIL

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:32:38 PST

Soon my Pretties, you will be mine

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:47:33 PST

Woww.. The Cutest Thing You’ll Ever See

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:58:38 PST

haha.. inilah definis kucing menurut wikipedia, maksud saya .. biar kita semua paham dengan kucing.. lucu..

The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or housecat[5] to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small furry domesticated carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years,[6] and are currently the most popular pet in the world.[7] Owing to their close association with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere on Earth.

Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felids, with strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey. As nocturnal predators, cats use their acute hearing and ability to see in near darkness to locate prey. Not only can cats hear sounds too faint for human ears, they can also hear sounds higher in frequency than humans can perceive. This is because cats' usual prey (particularly rodents such as mice) make high frequency noises, so cats' hearing has evolved to pinpoint these faint high-pitched sounds. Cats rely more on smell than taste, and have a vastly better sense of smell than humans.

Despite being solitary hunters, cats are a social species and use a variety of vocalizations, pheromones and types of body language for communication. These include meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting.[8]

Cats have a rapid breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats by spaying and neutering and the abandonment of former household pets has resulted in problems caused by large numbers of feral cats worldwide, with a population of up to 60 million of these animals in the United States alone.[9]

As The New York Times wrote in 2007, "Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal",[10] but a study that year revealed that the lines of descent of all house cats probably run through as few as five self-domesticating African Wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) circa 8000 BC, in the Near East.[4] The earliest direct evidence of cat domestication is a kitten that was buried alongside a human 9,500 years ago in Cyprus.[11]

10 Coolest Desks

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:59:00 PST

Victorian Steampunk Desk

This is the ‘Victorian Organ Command Desk‘. It's made from bits and pieces of Victorian detritus that Bruce had collected including the carcass of a 19th century pump organ. It took 6 months to build using four different crafts persons to design the desk, restore and modify the antiques, and later install the computer systems. Included in this all-in-one workstation desk are fully integrated electronics including 3 monitors, computer, printer, scanner and webcam. The horn speakers on either side are installed in cast iron stanchions and modified with modern acoustic suspension drivers.

(Link)

Han Solo Carbonite Desk

Who wouldn't want a desk with Han Solo encased in carbonite? This desk was designed and assembled by artists Tom Spina and Richard Riley of Tom Spina Designs, a NY-based company specializing in custom sculpture. (Link | Via)

Chaise Lounger Desk

Teens,like, want to do everything at once, right? Designed for teenagers in a competition, Roberta Ramme's chaise lounger contains a desk, flat screen and media storage. Their blurb makes it "perfect to watch TV, listen to CDs, read, talk on the phone, take a nap or surf the internet, or even study." Go figure, like, whatever. (Link)

Retractable Hooded Desk

Do you live in a crowded house and suffer from lack of privacy while working? Your lucky day today! Sophie Kirkpatrick has the perfect solution for your plight; a desk with a hood! Pull it up when you want to shut out the world and concentrate on the task; pull it down when you are ready to mingle. The Duplex Workspace is a one off prototype but the inventor is looking into developing the concept and is currently on the lookout for the funding and facilities to do so. (Link | Via)

Corvette Desk

This desk is absolutely beautiful. Hand Built from the back of a wrecked C5 Corvette. The only ugly part of this desk is its tag price of $2590.

(Link)

Treadmill Desk

The Sit-to-Walkstation ($4,899) is an adjustable desk with a treadmill mounted to its base. With the push of a few buttons, the user can go from standing there crunching numbers to burning off a few calories while doing the same. A monitor mounted to the desk shows the treadmill's speed (.3 mph to 2 mph), how many calories have been burned, and the duration and distance of the walk. According to Steelcase, the treadmill is so quiet it will not disturb your neighboring co-workers. However, we imagine the slap of our feet and our heavy breathing would be enough to drive them insane. (Link | Via)

Mobile School Desk

IDEO and steelcase teamed up to design Node, a school desk that combines storage, a chair and a writing surface all in one mobile unit. Research showed that many teachers are using multiple modes of teaching to help students with different learning styles. Despite this shift, most student furnishings are still designed for a single mode. Node allows students to easily shift from one teaching mode to another using a single piece of furniture. The seat is mounted on a rolling platform that has storage for their belongings underneath and a large writing surface with a hook for hanging a bag. The seat is a single shell and the table is large enough for writing and laptop use. (Link | Via)

Space saving Desk

Talk about space saving. No one knows exactly if it's in production or just a design but regardless, a cool idea. (Link | Via)

UnsTable Desk

By surrounding its thin (and hopefully sturdy) steel legs with movable blocks, the somewhat cleverly named UnsTable creates the illusion that it's on the verge of collapsing. The novelty would probably wear off pretty quickly, and the table doesn't have a great deal of mileage as a prank device. I mean, you've got to lure someone to your weird yellow desk, sit them down and have them scatter important, delicate items across its surface, just so you can sort of kick one of the legs to the side and make them think, for just a second, that their stuff would be broken. In any case, it's an attractive desk. (Link | Via)

Vision One Computer Desk

Look at this desk and tell me if you're not thinking of banging on those pads like Larry Mullen of U2. Well, budding skin-banger, this is not for that purpose. The Vision One Computer Desk is for working or gaming. It has a luxurious, adjustable leather seat and comes in original, flagship and corner variations and is available in a range of colors including red, orange and blue.
It took the designers three years to bring this video game-style station to the market. The Vision One Computer Workstation is the ultimate home entertainment computer desk. The V1 computer desk can be used as a computer gaming chair, flight simulator, racing simulator, cad workstation, video editing workstation, sound editing workstation, personal movie theater, surround sound music environment and more. They are hand-made in the USA and it has guy thang all over it. (Link)

Amazing Photo Manipulation

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:28:51 PST

Sometimes you look at a picture so vivid that it feels as if the scene could just pop right out of the photo. Today I’m showing you some really cool examples of “Out of Bounds”(OoB) images, sometimes also called an “out of frame”. The concept of OoB picture is fascinating that, I’m sure, you’ve seen many times online and in magazines and think how it was done. Amazing photos like these can attain threw photoshop, sharpening photos, cloning, resizing and working with layers. Let’s view now cool images below. I hope you like them.

40 Weirdest Technological Inventions Ever

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:15:46 PST

nventing new gadgets is a tough business. Though, sometimes inventors easily get carried away in trying to make the next technological breakthrough and invent some weird technological inventions. Here are 40 weirdest examples of such technological inventions.

Funny and creative bus advertisement from all over the world, ( Creative Bus Ads. 35 Pics )

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:46:17 PST

Wedding Photos That Will Never Be in Your Wedding Album

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:19:29 PST

Some wedding photos were simply never meant to end up in the wedding photo album…The wedding photographers that took these pictures deserve to be punished for keeping some of these. But than, we wouldn’t be able to laugh at this funny photos, wouldn’t we?

Ikan Lele Bermutasi Jadi Pemangsa Manusia

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:15:42 PST

VIVAnews - Sejak tahun 1998 hingga 2007, tiga orang lenyap tenggelam mendadak di Great Kali River, sungai yang melintang di perbatasan antara Nepal dan India utara. Hal ini sangat aneh karena kawasan itu bukanlah habitat buaya dan predator air lain.

Terakhir, dari saksi mata yang melihat kejadian, seorang anak terlihat diseret ke dalam air oleh sesuatu yang tampak seperti babi berukuran panjang. Setelah itu, korban tidak pernah terlihat lagi, hidup atau mati. Demikian pula sisa-sisa tubuh ataupun pakaiannya.

Kasus-kasus itu memicu Jeremy Wade, biolog asal Inggris untuk mengamati apa yang ada di dalam sungai tersebut. Pasalnya, serangan hanya terjadi di kawasan tertentu, sepanjang sekitar 6 sampai 8 kilometer. Kawasan itu, menurut keterangan penduduk, merupakan kawasan di mana mereka biasa melarungkan jasad saudara-saudara mereka yang telah meninggal setelah dibakar.

Setelah meneliti menggunakan alat pengukur kedalaman, ia memastikan tidak ada lubang ditemukan, artinya serangan tidak diakibatkan oleh turbulensi yang terjadi di air.

Benar saja, tak lama setelah itu, dari jarak sekitar 1 kilometer dari serangan terakhir, seekor kerbau yang sedang minum di sungai yang hanya memiliki kedalaman 1 meter diserang dan diseret oleh sesuatu dari dalam air.

“Apapun yang mampu menyeret kerbau sebesar itu pasti memiliki ukuran dan bobot seberat 90 sampai 140 kilogram,” ucap Wade, seperti dikutip dari Discovery, 29 Desember 2010.

Dalam penelitian bawah air, Wade menemukan goonch catfish, serupa ikan lele yang memiliki panjang satu meter. Namun ikan itu gagal ditangkap. Penelitian lebih lanjut, diketahui bahwa terdapat beberapa kelompok goonch dan enam di antaranya berukuran sebesar manusia.

Setelah gagal menangkap ikan itu dengan alat pemancing, Wade coba memancing pemunculan ikan itu menggunakan seonggok kayu bakar dan disusun seolah-olah merupakan bekas kremasi jasad orang meninggal. Ternyata sukses.

Seekor goonch berukuran panjang 1,8 meter dan berbobot 75,5 kilogram, atau 3 kali lebih berat dibanding goonch lainnya berhasil ditangkap. Ikan ini diperkirakan cukup besar dan kuat untuk memakan seorang anak kecil, namun tak cukup besar untuk menyeret dan menyantap seekor kerbau.

Dari keterangan penduduk, Wade menyimpulkan bahwa ‘ikan lele’ itu telah bermutasi menjadi berselera terhadap daging manusia. Ikan juga tumbuh menjadi raksasa setelah terus mengonsumsi daging setengah matang sisa-sisa jasad manusia yang dilarungkan dan tenggelam di dasar sungai.

Still at work?

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 01:49:46 PST

Work Vs Not Work - The funniest bloopers are right here

next poser

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:03:51 PST

Heat's road streak Clipped at 13

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:56:16 PST

Entering Wednesday, the Miami Heat boasted a 12-0 record when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined to score at least 71 percent of the team’s points. Against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Big Three combined for 84 of the team’s 105 points (80 percent), but it was not enough as the Heat fell and snapped their 13-game road win streak (tied for fourth-longest in NBA history).

Although the Big Three contributed 80 percent of the offense (their highest percentage in a loss), it was the Heat’s team defense that let them down. The Clippers scored 44 points in the first quarter, which is the most against the Heat in any quarter this season. The Heat's 18-point deficit after one quarter (44-26) was the highest of the season. It was also just the fourth time this season that the Heat allowed an opponent to shoot at least 50 percent from the field. Oh and the 111 points allowed were the fourth-most in a single game by the Heat this season.

Most Consecutive Road Games Won
Single Season in NBA History
1971-72     Lakers     16
1994-95     Jazz     15
1996-97     Heat     14
>>2010-11 Heat’s 13-game streak snapped Wed.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have now won eight of the last 10 versus the Heat at home. Blake Griffin extended his double-double streak to 24 consecutive games, one behind Kevin Love for longest this season. Griffin also notched his league-high 23rd game of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. It was his 13th-straight 20-10 game and since the 1996-97 season, only Shaquille O'Neal has a longer streak (18).

Speaking of streaks, there were a few that were extended and few more that ended on Wednesday.

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points and extended his streak of games with at least 20 points to 23 straight (fifth longest streak in New York Knicks history).

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors and have now won 12 straight meetings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Lakers-Warriors rivalry dates back to 1948 when the teams were located in Minneapolis and Philadelphia, respectively. The Lakers 12-game win streak matches the longest winning streak for either team in the rivalry's history. The Minneapolis Lakers defeated the Philadelphia Warriors 12 straight times from 1952 to 1954.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets to snap an 11-game road losing streak and got its first win in Houston since February 2005, when the team was still based in Seattle.

And finally, the Orlando Magic lost to the New Orleans Hornets and snapped its 9-game win streak (tied for the longest in team history).

reference : espn

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The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and are a member of the NBA Western Conference's Pacific Division. The club's home games are played at the Staples Center, an arena that it shares with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks, and the Los Angeles Kings. The team has only six winning seasons in its entire history, and only two since moving to Los Angeles.

Franchise history- Buffalo years (1970–78)

The Clippers began in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves. It was one of three franchises that joined the NBA in the 1970–71 season; the others were the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Braves played its home games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, sharing the arena with another new franchise, the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, which also debuted in 1970. The team's first head coach was Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes and the franchise's first star players were Bob Kauffman and Don May, who were acquired in the 1970 NBA Expansion Draft. However, in the NBA Draft of 1970, Buffalo passed on hometown hero Calvin Murphy, a 5 foot 9 point guard from Niagara University. Murphy would eventually be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. As typical of first-year expansion teams, the Braves finished with a dismal record, going 22–60, seven games ahead of expansion-mate Cleveland, which finished its season at 15–67. Kauffman, who averaged 4.3 points per game the previous year with the Chicago Bulls, led Buffalo in scoring with 20.4 points per game and earned a spot on the 1971 NBA Eastern Conference All-Star team.
The Braves repeated its 22–60 record in the following 1971–72 season, but did make good acquisitions that would make the club better. Buffalo drafted center Elmore Smith from Kentucky State University, and local favorite Randy Smith, from Buffalo State College. Schayes was replaced one game into the season with John McCarthy as the team's head coach. The team did not do much better in the 1972–73 season, as it went 21–61 under new head coach, Dr. Jack Ramsay. The Braves' big move that season was drafting forward/center Bob McAdoo, from North Carolina. The team finally made its first playoff appearance in 1973–74, in which it faced the Boston Celtics in the first round and lost in six games. That season McAdoo posted averages of 15.1 rebounds and 30.6 points and is the last time anyone surpassed both 30 points and 15 rebounds in the same NBA season.
In 1974–75, Bob McAdoo was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds and 2.12 blocks per game, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 80.5 percent from the free-throw line. The Braves made a trip to the playoffs in the 1974–75 season and again during the 1975–76 season, which would be one of its last in Buffalo.
From 1971–75, the Braves played a total of 16 home games in Toronto, Ontario at Maple Leaf Gardens in the hopes of expanding its fan base from Western New York to also include the Greater Toronto Area.^[1]
By the summer of 1976, the team's founding owner Paul Snyder was doing all he could to sell the team. The June 15, 1976 issue of Buffalo's Courier-Express blasted the headline "Braves Go to Florida, Leaving 'Hockey Town'." Snyder had a handshake deal to sell the team to Mr. and Mrs. Irving Cowan, who would move the Braves to Hollywood, Florida, yet the City of Buffalo filed a $10 million damage suit to block the move. The sale eventually fell through and the Braves and the city signed a new 15 year Memorial Auditorium lease in July with a provision that the lease could be voided if the team did not sell 5,000 season tickets in any season. Later that summer Snyder finally sold 50 percent of the franchise to businessman John Y. Brown, Jr., who had previously owned the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. Brown later acquired the remaining half from Snyder sometime in the 1976–77 season. Brown, in turn, sold a percentage of the team to another businessman, Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.. However, a provision in the transaction stipulated that if Brown sold the contract of any Braves player, then the money would go to Snyder and the purchase price would be reduced. This subsequently occurred when the Braves sent McAdoo to the New York Knicks for players and cash midway through the 1976–77 season.
Before the first game in the 1976-77 season the Braves also managed to acquire eventual Hall-Of-Fame center Moses Malone from Portland. However after just 2 games in which he played a total of just 6 minutes he was traded to Houston for two draft picks. He would finish the season averaging 13 points & 13 rebounds while only 2 years later winning his first of 3 MVP awards.
Because of the team's poor play in its final two years (30–52 in 1976–77 and 27–55 in 1977–78), along with rumors of the franchise relocating because of low season ticket sales, John Y. Brown met with the Celtics' then-owner, Irv Levin and negotiated a deal in which the owners would swap franchises, with Brown taking control of the Celtics while Levin would get the Braves. Levin was a California businessman, and wanted to own an NBA team in his native state. The deal was brokered by David Stern, the general counsel for the NBA who would go on to later become the league's current commissioner. Following what would be the final season in western New York, the NBA owners voted 21–1 to let the Braves relocate. As Levin wanted, the Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego, California after the 1977–78 season, and became the San Diego Clippers.
San Diego years (1978–84)

In the team's first season in San Diego, the Clippers posted a winning record, going 43–39, under new head coach Gene Shue. However, that record was not good enough to advance it to the post-season, finishing two games out of the final playoff spot. As it turned out, it would be the Clippers' last winning season for 13 years. It was also in that first season in Southern California that long-time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. Randy Smith had another solid season, averaging 20.5 points per game, finishing second behind World B. Free, who was acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers. Free finished second overall in NBA scoring average, with 28.8 per game, while George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs had a 29.6 average.
The 1979–80 season was not much better, as the Clippers began to struggle, but not before it brought in San Diego native, center Bill Walton, who was two years removed from an NBA championship with the Trail Blazers. Walton was not much of an impact unfortunately, due to missing 68 games because of foot injuries (which he also suffered in his final years in Portland, and ultimately shortened his career). San Diego managed to finish with a record of 35–47, despite the fact that many of its key players missed games due to injuries. Free continued his great scoring, again finishing second in league scoring, with 30.2 PPG. Paul Silas replaced Shue the following season, and the Clippers finished with a 36–46 record, once again missing the postseason. Walton missed the entire season once again due to chronic foot injuries. Free was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Phil Smith.
The 1981–82 season brought more changes to the Clipper franchise as Irv Levin sold the team to Los Angeles-area real estate developer and attorney Donald Sterling for $20 million. The Clippers' poor play in its final years in San Diego resulted in poor attendance with the team averaging only 4,500 fans per game. Sterling subsequently lobbied the NBA to relocate the team to his native Los Angeles.

1984–2001: Los Angeles years

The Clippers were hapless for the next seven seasons, including a 12–70 record in the 1986–87 season that was the second-worst single-season record in NBA history at that time. Marques Johnson and guard Norm Nixon were both injured. That same season also saw Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor join the team as the general manager and vice president of basketball operations.
In the 1989–90 season, Baylor made a trade with the Cavaliers that brought Ron Harper in exchange for forward Danny Ferry and swingman Reggie Williams. That move, along with the 1987 NBA Draft of Ken Norman from the University of Illinois, the 1988 draftings of Kansas forward Danny Manning and Charles Smith of Pitt (Smith was acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for the draft rights to guard Hersey Hawkins), and the 1990 NBA Draft of Loy Vaught from Michigan, formed a nucleus that made the franchise a playoff contender.
Midway through the 1991–92 season, the Clippers made yet another coaching change. Larry Brown, who was fired by the Spurs earlier, was hired as the team's head coach in late January 1992. He replaced Mike Schuler, who had led the team to a 22–25 record before his firing. Brown finished the season with a 23–12 mark, for an overall record of 45–37. It was the franchise's first winning season in 13 years. The team also achieved a first that season: for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, the Clippers finished with a better record than the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years (since the franchise's Buffalo heyday), but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz, 3–2. Due to the late April 1992 Los Angeles riots, Anaheim Convention Center was the site of Game 4 of the series, which the Clippers won. The team made the playoffs again in the 1992–93 season with a 41–41 regular season record, but lost again in five games in the first round, this time to the Houston Rockets.
Brown left the Clippers to become the Indiana Pacers head coach, and Bob Weiss was brought into the fold to replace him. That 1993–94 season proved to be one of the worst seasons in Los Angeles NBA history, with both the Clippers and Lakers going a combined 60–104 in the regular season. After one year on the job, Weiss was fired, and veteran head coach Bill Fitch was brought in to guide a roster of young and inexperienced players. The Clippers continued to make frequent roster and coaching changes throughout the next several years with only one playoff appearance in 1997, under Fitch. That team made the playoffs with a losing record (36–46) and were swept in the first round by the eventual Western Conference champion Jazz, 3 games to none.
From 1994 to 1999, the Clippers played several games at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, sharing the venue with the NHL's Mighty Ducks and the Splash indoor soccer team. In 1999, the Clippers joined the Lakers and Los Angeles Kings to christen the new Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. It was in that first season at Staples Center that the Clippers drafted the highly-touted star forward Lamar Odom from the University of Rhode Island. The Clippers finished with a dismal 15–67 record. The team hired former All-Star (and Los Angeles native) Dennis Johnson as an assistant coach, as well as Hall of Fame former Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to help tutor second-year center Michael Olowokandi. Johnson remained an assistant coach until the middle of the 2002–03 season, when he took over as head coach. Abdul-Jabbar remained for only one season on the job.
The 2000–01 season brought more changes. Reserve forward Derek Strong was sent to the Orlando Magic in exchange for second-year forward Corey Maggette and the draft rights to guard Keyon Dooling from Missouri. The Clippers' two draft picks that year were childhood friends from Illinois: high schooler Darius Miles from East St. Louis (3rd overall pick) and Quentin Richardson, a guard/forward from DePaul University (18th overall pick). The team became popular among fans with its high-flying style of basketball and the Clippers did improve a bit with a 31–51 record, leading the NBA in bench-scoring with 37 points per game.

[edit] 2001–2005: Rebuilding

To improve upon the previous season, the Clippers acquired high-scoring and rebounding power forward Elton Brand from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Los Angeles-area native and high schooler Tyson Chandler. At this point of his career, Brand had career averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in just two seasons. Brand's hard work and accomplishments earned him a spot on the 2002 NBA Western Conference All-Star team as an injury replacement for center Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers. The Clippers contended for most of the season, but won only 3 out of their last 13 games and finished 39–43, five games out of the final playoff position.
The 2002 offseason brought more changes, as Miles was traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for point guard Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in 2001–02 with 11 per game. Suddenly, with a good point guard in Miller, the playmaker Lamar Odom at small forward, one of the league's best power forwards, Elton Brand, the emerging center Michael Olowokandi, and a very good supporting cast off the bench, the Clippers could actually make a serious run for the playoffs. However, with poor team chemistry and injuries (the Clippers lost 293 man-games to injury), the Clippers finished with a very disappointing 27–55 record. Head coach Alvin Gentry was replaced by Dennis Johnson midway through the 2002–03 season.
In the 2003–04 season, the Clippers lost many of their core players to free agency (Miller, Odom, Olowokandi, and forward Eric Piatkowski--one of the longest-tenured players in Clippers history^[2]), while opting to retain Brand and Maggette with long-term contracts. They, along with Richardson, made up one of the NBA best high-scoring trios, with a combined 58 points per game. With new head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr., the Clippers finished at 28–54, much of it due to inexperience and injuries.
The 2004–05 season saw the Clippers, although also missing the playoffs, finish with a better record than the Lakers for the first time since 1993 and have great hope for the future, with young rising stars such as Brand, Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston. Bobby Simmons won the 2004–05 NBA Most Improved Player award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. As a result of that, Simmons cashed in on his newfound fame, and signed a 5-year, $47 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in July 2005, playing closer to his hometown of Chicago.
To counter Simmons' defection to Milwaukee, the Clippers announced days later that they would sign guard Cuttino Mobley to a contract similar in years (5) but less in money ($42 million) to what Simmons received from the Bucks. Mobley was the first significant free agent signing from outside the organization since Bill Walton in late 1970s. Mobley officially signed his contract on August 3, 2005.
More deals were made, most notably on August 12, 2005, where the Clippers traded guards Marko Jaric (in a sign and trade transaction) and Lionel Chalmers to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for guard Sam Cassell and a lottery-protected 1st round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. In relation to the lottery-protected pick, in order for the Clippers to acquire the pick, the Timberwolves would have to make the playoffs, or else Minnesota retains its draft pick.
During the summer of 2005, the Clippers announced that they would build a state-of-the-art practice facility (the first NBA practice facility within the four corners of the City of Los Angeles) in the Playa Vista development. Several current players on the Clippers' lineup live in the planned community.^[3]

2005–06: Back to the Playoffs

The 2005–06 season was a turning point for the team's overall image; a hot start marked by several wins over top teams caught the attention of many fans^{[according to whom?]}. Before the 2005–06 season, the Clippers drafted Yaroslav Korolev. Elton Brand was chosen as a reserve power forward for the All-Star Game and articles have been run in many sports magazines giving recognition to the much improved team.^{[citation needed]} Just before the NBA trading deadline, the Clippers traded power forward Chris Wilcox to the Seattle SuperSonics for forward Vladimir Radmanović. The Clippers had been lacking consistent outside shooting, which is what they were looking for in the trade.
While the Clippers had a few stretches of poor play this season, resulting in some frustrating losses, they nonetheless were able to maintain a solid record, including posting several winning streaks. The Clippers achieved their first winning record in 14 seasons and clinched their first playoff spot since 1997. The Clippers also finished with a better record than the Lakers for the second straight year.
On April 12, 2006, the Clippers were #5 seed and would have played against the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, but the Clippers lost five of their next seven games and the Memphis Grizzlies gained the #5 position instead.
By finishing sixth in the Western Conference, with a record of 47–35 (their highest finish since the team left Buffalo), the Clippers benefited from the current NBA playoff format of regular season records taking precedence over winning the division, and secured home court advantage over the Denver Nuggets instead of traveling to Denver for four games as a #6 seed would usually be expected to do.
On April 22, 2006, the Clippers won their first NBA playoff game in 13 years. Two days later, they won their second playoff game, going 2–0 against an opponent for the first time in franchise history. Although they won the first two games, they lost Game 3, but won Game 4. On Monday, May 1, 2006, they won Game 5 in Los Angeles and, as a result, their first playoff series since they moved from Buffalo.
The team faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semi-finals. After losing in game one (130–123 in Phoenix), the Clippers beat the Suns in a 122–97 victory in Game 2. The series shifted to Staples Center for game 3, and the Suns beat the Clippers, 94–91, as Suns forward Shawn Marion scored 32 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. In game four, Elton Brand posted 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists as the Clippers evened the series on May 14, 2006, with a 114–107 victory over the Suns. In game five, Suns guard/forward Raja Bell made a key 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the first overtime to send the game into a second overtime. Phoenix beat Los Angeles in this double-overtime game, 125–118.
The double-overtime loss, to say the least, did not favor the Clippers, but they bounced back with a series-saving 118–106 Game 6 win over the Suns. Second-year defensive specialist Quinton Ross had a timely offensive game, scoring a then career-high 18 points. Elton Brand had a contribution of 30 points (his scoring average in this particular series), 12 rebounds, three assists, and five blocks. Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 25 points, with 7–8 shooting from the field, and 9–9 from the free throw line. Chris Kaman and Sam Cassell each scored 15 points apiece. Marion once again led Phoenix in scoring, with 34 points, with reserve guard Leandro Barbosa scoring 25 points off the bench for the Suns. The Clippers lost the seventh game to Phoenix 127–107. General Manager (and Basketball Hall of Fame member) Elgin Baylor won the NBA Executive of the Year award for his leading the Clippers to the playoffs.

2006–07: Another period of struggle

The 2006 off-season started as the team drafted center Paul Davis from Michigan State University in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, as the 34th overall pick. The pick was acquired by the Clippers by way of a 2004 trade with the Charlotte Bobcats for center/forward Melvin Ely. The team also drafted guard Guillermo Diaz from the University of Miami as the 52nd overall pick. While Davis signed with the team in July, Diaz was not signed, and decided to play overseas. However, the team still holds his draft rights. The Clippers did not have a pick in the 2006 draft's first round.
Meanwhile in free agency, on July 13, 2006, the Clippers scored a major coup, by signing forward Tim Thomas away from divisional rival Phoenix, in a four-year, $24 million deal. That was to counter the defection of forward Vladimir Radmanović to the crosshall Lakers in a somewhat similar deal to what Thomas got from the Clippers, except Radmanovic signed for an extra year, but both players would make the same amount of money annually, which would be $6 million.
Also on July 13, guard Sam Cassell (widely credited as the biggest reason for the Clippers' recent success) signed a two-year, $13 million deal. Cassell stated in interviews that once he retires, which would be likely after this contract runs out, he would like to join the Clippers' coaching staff under Mike Dunleavy, Sr. Also, on August 1, the team signed veteran forward/center Aaron Williams (previously with the then-New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets) to an undisclosed deal. Williams played for Dunleavy with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1994–95 season.
To further their television commitment to their local fans, on August 11, the Clippers and KTLA-TV announced a three-year contract extension, which would increase KTLA's annual 25-game commitment to 30 games a year, plus selected playoff games not airing exclusively on ABC or TNT. Just like during the last two seasons, KTLA will air all of its Staples Center-based Clippers telecasts in high definition. Until recently, they were the only local team to currently air its over-the-air broadcasts in HDTV; KCAL-TV aired its first HDTV Lakers broadcast on February 2, 2007, versus the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fifteen of the 30 annual KTLA telecasts air on KSWB-TV in San Diego, KTLA's sister station; although KTLA is already available on cable in the San Diego market.
The increased demand for Clippers games has also led to the scheduling of twelve true nationally-televised Clippers games on TNT and ESPN. The team will also have eight additional games on NBA TV; NBA TV normally uses the home team telecast's video feed and announcers, while using its own on-screen score and graphics, therefore, their presentations are not considered true, self-produced national broadcasts, such as the case with ESPN, TNT, and ABC. This brings the total of nationally-televised games to 20, the most ever in franchise history.
On September 7, the Clippers announced a radio broadcast deal with KSPN-AM, the local ESPN Radio-operated outlet. The team, though, did not fully perform to expectations, in comparison to the previous season. A lot of this has been attributed to lack of a team chemistry and injuries to several key players, including Cassell, Thomas, Livingston, and Kaman. Players such as Luke Jackson, Alvin Williams, and Doug Christie were signed to 10-day contracts to help solidify the team's bench. Jackson and Alvin Williams only lasted through portions of the January schedule and each had limited playing time, while Christie signed with the team on January 31. Christie was not retained, and was suspended on the final day of his second 10-day contract with the team, due to Christie's desire to not return to the team, because of the team's lack of on-court direction. Christie was released from the team on February 21.
Adding to the woes of the disappointing 2006–07 season, guard Shaun Livingston suffered a dislocated left knee in which he tore every ligament in his knee. This was one of the most devastating injuries this season that consequently left him a player that would never be the same.^[4] This occurred with 8:10 left in the first quarter of a home game versus the Charlotte Bobcats on February 26, 2007 at Staples Center, as Livingston was driving to the basket, where he missed the lay-up, and came down awkwardly on his left knee. The extent of the injury was so severe, local news outlets such as KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV and KNBC-TV elected not to air the clip of Livingston's injury on their sports reports. According to the team's lead physican, Dr. Tony Daly, Livingston's prognosis for him to return to basketball activity from the point in time of his injury is eight months (which would put it at around the first week of the upcoming season) to a full calendar year.^[5] The Clippers, which were expected by many to make the playoffs again after their surprise appearance the season before, finished the season 40–42, 2 games behind the 8th-seeded Warriors. The Lakers finished with a better record than the Clippers for the first time since the 2003–04 NBA season. On May 22, the Clippers received the fourteenth draft pick from the NBA lottery. The draft was on June 28 in New York. The Clippers selected Al Thornton a combo forward from Florida State University. The Clippers used their second-round pick to draft a point guard Jared Jordan with their 45th pick.
The 2007–08 season started off on a negative note, with Elton Brand on the disabled list because of a ruptured left Achilles tendon, and Shaun Livingston still out with the injury he sustained from the previous year. Brand missed most of the 2007–08 year, and the Clippers struggled to stay competitive in the Western Conference. Chris Kaman was one of the lone bright spots for the Clippers, and took advantage of a depleted roster by averaging 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game throughout the season, but was limited to playing 56 games due to various injuries. The Clippers ended the season with a record of 23–59, 12th in the Western Conference and last in the Pacific Division.
The Clippers saw the departure of several players for the 2008–09 season, including Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, and acquisitions of ten players either by draft, free agency or trades. On July 1, 2008, Baron Davis, a Los Angeles native and formerly of the Golden State Warriors, verbally agreed to and signed (on July 10) a five-year contract with the Clippers, worth an estimated $65 million.^[6]
After a disappointing 2007–08 season, the Clippers obtained the 7th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, and selected Eric Gordon out of Indiana University.^[7] The team also selected DeAndre Jordan from Texas A&M University in the second round (35th overall pick). Another second-round pick, Mike Taylor from the NBA D-League's Idaho Stampede and Iowa State University (55th overall pick), was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future second-round pick. Gordon officially signed with the team on July 7, while Jordan and Taylor both signed on July 15.
Also on July 15, the Clippers acquired forward–center Marcus Camby from the Denver Nuggets in return for a $10 million trade exception and the choice to exchange second round picks with the Clippers in 2010.^[8] On July 23, the Clippers also acquired guard Jason Hart from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Brevin Knight.^[9] On July 28, the Clippers signed guard Ricky Davis to a one-year deal, with a player option for a second year.^[10] The Clippers continued their active offseason with signing reserve forward–center (and one-time Clipper) Brian Skinner on July 31, and traded for reserve forward Steve Novak on August 6 for future second-round pick considerations, in a deal similar to the Camby trade.
On August 7, the team signed guard Jason Williams from the Miami Heat to a one-year deal.^[11] Recently, the Los Angeles Clippers re-signed forward Paul Davis. The Clippers signed three Davis' (Baron, Ricky, and Paul) in their "rebuilding offseason" in which they obtained key players such as Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, and Jason Williams. However, just prior to the start of training camp, Williams announced his retirement on September 26.
On October 7, according to reports from various sources including the Los Angeles Times,^[12]^[13] Orange County Register,^[14] and the team's own web site (Clippers.com), Elgin Baylor ended his 22-year reign as vice president and general manager of basketball operations. It was one of the longest such tenures in professional sports history. The Clippers have indicated that Baylor had retired from his post,^[15] and as a result, head coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. will also assume the role as general manager, while director of player personnel Neil Oshley is promoted to assistant general manager.
In many of those same reports, including a related article in the October 8 edition of the Times,^[16] it was also indicated that Baylor had either been fired, resigned, or retired, depending on the source. According to similar reports, Baylor had been offered a different position in the organization, with the same salary, but with little to none decision-making power; Baylor refused. In fact, when pressed about his stauts with the franchise, Baylor had been advised by his attorneys not to say anything, indicating that the team and Baylor are in negotiations to work out a settlement agreement based on his departure. According to the above-mentioned article, Baylor had been working without a formal contract since the early 1990s.
On November 21, 2008, the Clippers and New York Knicks completed a trade, in which Los Angeles sent forward Tim Thomas and guard Cuttino Mobley to New York, in exchange for forward Zach Randolph and reserve guard Mardy Collins.^[17] With the trade of Mobley, only one member of their 2005–06 playoff team remains on the roster—starting center Chris Kaman. On December 11, Mobley announced his retirement due to the heart condition known as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy discovering during his physical; although he was never to play a game for the Knicks, they completed the trade anyway for salary cap reasons.
On January 6, 2009, the Los Angeles Clippers waived Fred Jones & Paul Davis to open a roster spot for Center from Senegal Cheikh Samb^[18] (the Clippers have since re-signed Jones). The Clippers ended the 2008-09 season with another disappointing finish - 14th in the Western Conference - with a record of 19-63.^[19]

[edit] 2009–present: Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon duo

On May 19, 2009 the Los Angeles Clippers were awarded the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Clippers had a 17.7% chance of being awarded the first pick. With the 1st selection in the draft, they selected forward Blake Griffin from Oklahoma. To open up a spot in the starting lineup for Griffin, Los Angeles traded Zach Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson on July 1. Richardson was then traded on July 20 to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Mark Madsen.^[20]
Although Griffin immediately impressed in training camp and the preseason, his rookie season was short-lived. On October 23, he broke his kneecap during the Clippers' final exhibition game against New Orleans, most likely after a dunk that left him wincing in pain. Initially, the Clippers' stated that Griffin only had a sore left knee which would make him questionable for the season opener the following Tuesday night before revealing the break. The injury ultimately sidelined Griffin for the entire season.^[21]
On February 4, 2010, head coach Mike Dunleavy resigned his position as head coach, and Kim Hughes was named interim coach.^[22] Dunleavy retained his front-office title and duties for just over a month, but on March 10, 2010 he was fired as General Manager of the Clippers, being replaced by Neil Olshey. Dunleavy received the news of his dismissal from the internet, as well as friends and reporters calling his cell phone.^[23] The Los Angeles Times reported on April 20, 2010 that Dunleavy has filed for arbitration and that the Clippers have cut off his salary, even though his guaranteed contract does not end until after the 2010-2011 season.^[24] Although the Clippers did see some minor improvement, finishing with ten more wins at 29-53, Hughes was fired as head coach at the end of the season.
On July 6, 2010, multiple sources close to the team confirmed that Vinny Del Negro would become the Clippers' next head coach.^[25] On August 16, the team introduced new uniform designs at a photo shoot, at the team's practice facility. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan modeled the new uniforms, which were re-designed for the first time since the 2000–01 season.^[26] The Clippers' primary and secondary logos, which are modifications of the previous ones, were introduced to the public weeks earlier, on the night of the 2010 NBA Draft.
With an improving Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman, a new energetic forward in Al-Farouq Aminu, a still great Baron Davis, and the debut of #1 pick Blake Griffin, the Clippers had high hopes going into the season. However, they got off to a weak start, losing ten of their first eleven games with their stars Baron Davis and Chris Kaman out with injuries. However, the Clippers showed strength when 3 of their first 4 wins came from the top teams in the Western Conference (the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New Orleans Hornets, and the San Antonio Spurs).

40+ Mind-blowing Photorealistic Paintings

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:29:40 PST

Have you ever seen paintings that are so real and precise that you thought they were photographs or think twice before you decide it is a painting? Photorealism has strive its way through many obstacles to justify its existence however critics sternly suggest that, there is no valid reason why photorealistic should be appreciated because it has no difference to the original photograph.

While the critics only recognize the technique and skills of photorealism painters, photorealism painters has got different point of view. For the painters, this genre of drawing display much more than photograph because they insert and touch up the subject with full discretion, creating a whole new piece of work with different impact compare to the original photographs. As per Bert Monroy "To me, it is not the destination that is important‚ it is the journey."

Today we have collected more than 40+ photorealistic paintings with more under Reference section. Full list after jump.

Wayne Forrest

Wayne is a photographer and artist. His work ethic comes from 21 years of Service in the Canadian Military. No messing around and getting the job done. He uses Adobe Illustrator to create his drawings which also known as vector graphics.

Dru Blair

Dru is an aviation airbrush artist who mostly paints realistic aircrafts. Painting below is one of Dru’s top paintings. It took him a total of 65-75 hours to complete the painting. Painting is very detailed and well made and it is almost impossible to tell that if its a real photograph.

Linda Huber

Linda has been drawing with pencil for over 40 years. She loves to draw in the style of realism and you can see that in her works are really impressive.

Rob Hefferan

Rob is talented figurative artist. Paintings below are painted by using oil colors. Rob’s every painting shows different emotions which is the style of his work.

Krzysztof Lukasiewicz

Krzysztof is very talented pencil artist from Poland.

Juan Francisco Casas Ruiz

Juan is a Spanish artist who draws reallistic portraits by using just a BIC pen. Juan also have some really cool paintings.

Halim Ghodbane

Jeremy Geddas

Alyssa Monks

Dan Witz

A Few More…

Harry by Michael Gaskell

Tim II by David Eichenberg

Girl Looking Left with Tussin by Adam Stennett

Reference

Thuy Dung-as Miss Vietnam (unpublish photo)

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:36:56 PST

Thuy Dung (born February 8, 1990) was crowned as Miss Vietnam 2008 on August 31 in Hoi An. Miss Vietnam 2008 Tran Thi Thuy Dung was the tallest contestant (1,78m) with body measurements 86 - 62- 91. However, Thuy Dung was not allowed to represent her country in Miss World 2008, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on December 13 due to her illegal high school graduate certificate.

Check out these smoking hot pictures of this Vietnamese babe and post your comments....

The winner of the pageant receives VND150 million (US$9,041) in cash, an overseas trip and the right to compete in the Miss World pageant in South Africa later this year.^[2]

She will also serve as the country’s ambassador for the “social security for the poor” program initiated by the Vietnam Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV).

Miss Vietnam 2008

Miss Vietnam 2008: Tran Thi Thuy Dung
First runner-up: Phan Hoang Minh Thu
Second runner-up: Nguyen Thuy Van
Miss Photo: Thach Thi Hong Nhung
Miss Sea: Lam Thu Hang
Miss Friendly: Dau Thi Hong Phuc
Best in Ao dai: Le Thi May
The Audience’s Prize: Vu Thi Hoang Diep
Best Answer: Nguyen Thuy Van

The top 10 beauties were chosen after 30 contestants performed in aodai, swimwear and night gowns including: Tran Thi Thuy Dung, Phan Hoang Minh Thu, Nguyen Thuy Van, Lam Thu Hang, Dau thi Hong Phuc, Phan Thi Diem Chau, Trinh Thi Minh Hue, Nguyen Linh Chi, Vo Thi Le Thu and Nguyen Hong Nhung.

References

^ "No winners of Miss Vietnam 2008 picked for Miss World". VietNamNet. 2008-09-22. Archived from the original on 2010-12-19. http://www.ifacca.org/international_news/2008/09/22/no-winners-miss-vietnam-2008-picked-miss-world/.
^ ^a ^b "Tran Thi Thuy Dung crowned at Miss Vietnam 2008 pageant". VOV News (Voice of Vietnam). 2008-09-01. http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Tran-Thi-Thuy-Dung-crowned-at-Miss-Vietnam-2008-pageant/20089/13946.vov. Retrieved 2010-12-19.

20 Awesome Business Card Designs

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:39:42 PST

Our style of life is based, to a great extent, on impressions. Although it is not suggested to use the first impression as basis of an opinion, in fact this happens very often. In this way of thinking, it’s plain to see that a good first impression is crucial for everyone. A seeming question that could arise from this syllogism is ‘how to make a good first impression?’.

In business, a determinative fact in creating a first impression is a business card. It could be considered as a small piece of paper; but sometimes, a cool business card makes a big difference.
A business card is an item which tells a lot without the use of words. Just by examining a business card, a person can establish the strong and weak points of a potential client, as well as the profile of activity, the importance of it, and so on.

Here is a list where you can find some of the most interesting business cards. This list does not only feature the beauty of the business cards, but also multiple concepts and the originality of each creator. A few may look weird for some readers, just as some are super interesting for others; however, comments are highly appreciated.

Scrabble Business Cards

Do you like Scrabble? If so, then for sure you’d like these business cards. These don’t really impress by the font used on it or its unusual shape; but the material it’s made of is an original idea which is really similar to a scrabble piece.

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Silk Screened Business Card

This business card has a similar story with the previous one: try to be original with conventional ways of creation. The silk-screen style is a pretty neat idea.

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Open Bottle Business Card

You may have liked the scrabble or the silk-screen business cards, but with the previous concepts you won’t be able to open up a bottle… and all is in vain! This business card resolves the stringent problem of opening a bottle. The business card features an oilfield waste management provider, so make sure you throw those bottle caps properly.

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Transparent Business Card

A business card that combines very well the power of a simple design, white color, and plastic material. The result is… Awesome.

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Table Business Card

This is another original concept, a business card in the shape of a table. The originality of any card should be linked to its domain of activity, otherwise it could be interpreted as a mistake. Take for example this business card. It was created for a restaurant that encourages communication between people by the simple and minimalist design of the interior of the restaurant. Usually the clients enjoy their meals by sitting at a long table, so you can understand why the designers emphasized so much the idea of table.

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Blade Business Card

An unusual shape for a business card could represent an advantage because most people are certainly over-familiarized with a rectangular piece of paper. A business card presented in the shape of a blade surely isn’t common!

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Strong Contrast Business Card

The designer noticed that an unusual shape is a good thing to take into consideration when it comes to the making of a business card. The strong contrast of red and black is also impressive.

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Cotton-Cloth Business Card

This is more original… this business card is not the usual piece of paper; it is a piece of cotton-cloth.

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Match Box Business Card

Here is a business card that has two advantages: first, it gives us all the information we need to contact the owner; and second, we can use it to light a cigarette. (However, it is for the best to use only the first advantage!)

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Wooden Business Card

Having a business card that is made from wood is more than unusual, but if you are targeting people in this domain, it can be a wise decision.

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Futuristic Business Card

Surely, nobody can ignore the futuristic design; it was designed for a co-founder of a great company that operates in the field of technology and computers; a unique design that surely helps a lot in developing a very good first opinion.

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Black and White Business Card

The creator emphasizes the most important elements with the power of contrast. The colors used are black and white, and only few red letters with the purpose of avoiding a plain construction.

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Strange Business Card

A simple message is sometimes more relevant than a complex one. The creator totally agrees with this.

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“?” Business Card

When you come across a mysterious business card, at first glance, it might seem that it doesn’t offer enough information; but in fact, it allows you to easily contact the owner.

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Modern Business Card

A clean and to-the-point business card is a step further in someone’s business. The beauty of such a business card comes from the perfect combination of fonts and colors.

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“Old” Business Card

This business card looks like one that has been used extensively, being made from poor quality paper. However, what really matters is the fact that the contact details are really easy to notice.

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Colorful Business Card

If you want to attract potential clients the right way, then you will surely consider using a joy of colors. Nevertheless, you have to consider the consequences of using inappropriate palette of colors in certain situations (this is not the case here).

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Facebook Business Card

Created by artist Jean-Baptiste Gouraud, these simple business cards present your Facebook profile picture, and a little snippet of your account page. The photo albums, wall messages, pokes, applications and the rest of the things making Facebook an actual social network will still have to remain on your computer or iPhone, but it is a cool design nonetheless.

Meat Business Card

The cards come with all your information laser-etched in a unique process that leaves your business card looking more delicious and less redundant. If you ever thought a person’s card is not of any use anymore, you may just eat up the card, and feel good about nourishing yourself with protein.

Interactive Business Card

The actual card is made of a sleeve, vertical lines, and small openings between them. The inside of the card has a special picture, and the vertical lines cover only part of the special picture. When a person slightly moves the inside of the card, there is an animation.

Impossible Objects in Real Life

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:07:42 PST

You thought those impossbile objects I posted week ago were just nice delusional images. Think again; now you can see them constructed in real life! Hehe, kiddin’ it’s about shooting angle ;)

Facebook

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:46:57 PST

21 Worst Logo Fails Ever

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:49:58 PST

Marketing experts say that one of the most important marketing tools is a good logo design. It not only provides an easy to recognize identity for your business but also communicates who you are.
That’s why every company considering creating or buying a logo design should know the criteria that make for an effective logo. The first feature of a good and effective logo is that it can immediately “grab” viewer’s attention. Your logo should have an immediate impact and hold the viewer’s attention. However, if you did manage to catch the viewer’s eye – that doesn’t necessary mean you are doing good. There might always be a hidden catch you may not see at first sight.

Celebrities Mug Shots

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:53:01 PST

Photoshop on pictures of celebrities are mostly used to make them look prettier, younger and more attractive. What if the pictures were photoshopped in a different way so they would look awful, scary and even criminal?

That’s what happened on these celebrity photos. Even funny Mr. Bean and big-hearted Shrek look dangerous, not to mention what the women have turned into.

Ultimate Fighting Girls

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:26:22 PST

As mixed martial arts (MMA) continues to gain momentum as the fastest growing sport in history, the action is heating up nowadays with the ladies pounding it out alongside the men. No longer considered to be just another “guy’s sport,” MMA is attracting both male and female fight fans from all around the world, with both parties joining in on the action inside the cage. Sure, watching two guys go toe-to-toe is a real treat, but seeing a couple of lovely ladies battle it out is equally impressive. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Top 10 of today’s top female fighters.

# 10 Kerry Vera

The wife of UFC light heavyweight fighter Brandon “The Truth” Vera, Kerry Vera is moving her way up the ranks in the fight world, with a recent victory over Kim Couture.

Currently signed to Strikeforce, Vera made a name for herself in MMA by emerging victorious on Fight Girls, a reality show that appeared on the Oxygen television network back in 2007. Training out of the Alliance Training Center in San Diego, California, Vera is a southpaw striker who’s honing her skills as a Muay Thai fighter inside the cage.

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# 9 Jessica Aguilar

A product of American Top Team, one of the world’s most highly regarded MMA academies, Jessica Aguilar is a rising star on the female fight scene, being recognized as one of today’s top female flyweight competitors. A recent addition to Bellator Fighting Championship’s Season Three Women’s Tournament, Aguilar boasts a professional record of 8-4, with a recent first round knockout victory over Catia Vitoria. In preparation for the upcoming Bellator tournament, Aguilar has been honing her fight skills while training with some of the world’s best male fighters at American Top Team, raising her stock as an elite competitor in women’s MMA.

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# 8 Miesha Tate

Fighting out of Olympia, Washington, Miesha Tate is the current Freestyle Cage Fighting women’s bantamweight champion. Recognized as one of the finest-looking fighters in women’s MMA, Tate has battled it out in a variety of fight promotions, including Strikeforce, Freestyle Cage Fighting and ShoMMA, racking up a professional record of 9-2. Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Miesha has squared off against some of the best in the business, including a three-round war against undefeated Canadian fighter Sarah Kaufman in 2009.

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# 7 Erin Toughill

A product of Randy Couture’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, Erin Toughill is a rising star in the world of women’s MMA. As a professional boxer, Toughill duked it out with some of the toughest females inside the ring, including a notable match against Laila Ali, the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Thus far in her mixed martial arts career, Erin has earned a record of 13-2, fighting for promotions including Smackgirl and Palace Fighting Championships. Along with her boxing and MMA career, Toughill also appeared as “Steel” on American Gladiators. Not impressed yet? This Xtreme Couture team member also serves as one of Randy Couture’s primary grappling coaches, having cornered “The Natural” in a few of his fights.

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# 6 Roxanne Modafferi

Scheduled to face Sarah Kaufman for the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship on July 23, 2010, Roxanne Modafferi is an American mixed martial artist who’s racked up a pro record of 15-5, having fought for a variety of organizations including Strikeforce, Moosin, King of the Cage, bodogFight, and more. With notable battles against Tara LaRosa and Marloes Coenen under her belt, Modafferi has climbed her way to the top of the women’s bantamweight heap while racking up a string of impressive victories over some of the toughest female competitors out there.

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Holding bragging rights as the first and final BodogFIGHT women’s bantamweight champion, Tara LaRosa’s professional record includes a total of 20 fights, with 18 wins and just 2 losses. With an arsenal that includes a combination of Muay Thai, karate, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, LaRosa has made her mark on the women’s MMA scene with noteworthy victories over top fighters including Amanda Buckner and Kelly Kobold.

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# 4 Sarah Kaufman

An undefeated knockout artist who also happens to be the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion, Sarah Kaufman is one of the fiercest female fighters in the 135-pound division. Holding an impressive record of 11-0, this Canadian fighter won her first seven pro fights by way of knockout and has competed in several promotions including ShoMMA, Palace Fighting Championships and Hardcore Fighting Championships. With her undefeated win streak, it comes as no surprise that Kaufman is currently ranked as one of the best female bantamweight fighters in the world.

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# 3 Megumi Fujii

Regarded as the top women’s mixed martial artist in Japan, as well as one of the pound-for-pound best female fighters on the planet, Megumi Fujii is a force to be reckoned with in women’s MMA. A popular fighter in promotions including Smackgirl and Shooto, Fujii was recently added to the Bellator roster, as a competitor in the season three women’s tournament. Currently undefeated in her pro career, Megumi has earned a reputation in the ring as an elite submission specialist known for her quick takedowns and brutal submissions.

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# 2 Gina Carano

Often referred to as the “face of women’s MMA,” Gina Carano possesses a killer combination of talent and natural beauty. In addition to being one of the world’s elite female fighters, Carano is an aspiring model and actress who’s been crushing ladies in the ring with a professional record of 8-1. Originally starting her fight career as a Muay Thai specialist, Carano delivered multiple beat-downs as “Crush” on American Gladiators prior to kicking her professional MMA fight career into overdrive. Her only loss inside the cage comes at the hands of the current Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

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# 1 Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos

Holding the crown as the most lethal fighter in women’s MMA, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos is widely considered to be the pound-for-pound best female fighter in the world. Currently the Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion, this Brazilian wrecking machine has demolished all competition inside the cage, including a notable victory over former champ Gina Carano. Most recently, Santos defended her title for the second time with an impressive victory over Jan Finney at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, winning by knockout in the event, further solidifying her status as one of the top fighters in the world.

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Are You Creating Meaningful Content?

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:55:10 PST

Everyone’s creating all this online content, but does it matter?

More importantly, are you accomplishing your goals with the content you deliver, or are you simply spinning your wheels?

Well, if you’re doing it right, your content is highly effective and tightly tied to your ultimate objectives. Otherwise, you’re just filling up space on an ignored web page.

Content marketing is the most effective and lucrative form of online marketing, because it not only works, it also builds a media asset at the same time. So it makes sense to understand exactly what makes content effective, right?

The key is meaning.

Effective Content is Meaningful

The simple definition of content marketing is to give away valuable information in order to sell something related. The word in that definition we’re focusing on today is value.

Value is a function of perception. So, you want the people you’re trying to reach to perceive your content as valuable, even if people you’re not trying to reach perceive it as worthless.

This is an important point, even though it seems simplistic.

The snarling enemy of meaningful content is the urge to water it down for the lowest-common denominator in the hopes of either (a) reaching an unreasonably mass audience, or (b) not offending anyone.

The result of that approach is content that means very little to anyone.

Meaningful Content is an Experience

Yesterday, Sonia showed you that content (what you say) without copywriting (how you say it) can be a complete waste of otherwise valuable information. But no matter how you say it, what you say has to have meaning to the right people.

Meaning is a function of what people believe before you find them. As we’ve discussed before, what people believe is how they view the world, and your content has to frame that view appropriately to be effective.

As a function of belief, meaning is derived from the context in which your desired audience views your content. From there, your content has to provoke a desirable reaction.

For example:

Content – 10 Tips for More Productive Writing
Context – Your ideal prospect believes productive writing is important
Reaction – Your ideal prospect believes he can now write more efficiently

While everything we perceive is technically an experience, experiences begin to become meaningful at the reaction stage. It’s at that point that your content is good.

But is it great (meaning highly effective)?

No.

Meaningful Experiences Involve Action

A higher grade of experience involves active participation from that ideal prospect. So, beyond the belief that your advice is beneficial, your ideal prospect actually acts on your advice.

Content – 10 Tips for More Productive Writing
Context – Your ideal prospect believes productive writing is important
Reaction – Your ideal prospect believes he can now write more efficiently
Action – Your ideal prospect implements your productivity tips

The action taken can vary. It can be acting directly on your advice, spreading your content, buying your software that helps implement the advice, buying your book for more detail, or hiring you as a personal productivity coach.

At this point your content is truly meaningful, and truly aligned with your objectives. There’s only one level that’s better.

The Content Holy Grail: Results

What’s better than action? It’s action that leads to beneficial results.

Now, this won’t happen with every piece of content. In fact, it’s safer to say that reader (or viewer or listener) results happen thanks to the totality of the story you tell over time.

But let’s look at it in its simplest form:

Content – 10 Tips for More Productive Writing
Context – Your ideal prospect believes productive writing is important
Reaction – Your ideal prospect believes he can now write more efficiently
Action – Your ideal prospect implements your productivity tips
Result – Your ideal prospect is a more productive writer

Whether you know about these results or not, it doesn’t matter – you’ve now earned a true fan. But odds are, a true fan is going to tell someone.

And that’s the fantastic last part of a cycle that repeats itself over and over in social media, all thanks to content marketing. And all the while, you’re building a media asset on your own domain that has independent value beyond the cash flow you pull every month.

You are building that asset, right?

reference : http://www.copyblogger.com/meaningful-content/

Bring out the baby in you

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:56:47 PST

These new set of t-shirts are a part of an ad campaign by Evian. These t-shirts have gained humongous success and have left an impact on people. The ads have been shot by renowned photographer Nathanial Goldberg. The significance of the campaign is to encourage people to bring out the child within themselves.

The t-shirts are designed to look like a baby version of yourself with the body of a baby drawn out from the neck down, giving it a laughable portrait of your grown up self as a baby. The t-shirts have been printed in a wide range to cover people of all skins. The ad has been shot using fair skinned and dark skinned people to promote harmony among all cultures and races. The ad really bring out the message to unleash the child within you and to take have fun like you used to in your childhood.