![]() ![]() While some refuted the bogus claim and challenged the bona fides of the claimant, the majority kept silent. This was what happened when the fraudulent Thuvaraka claim was made too. Hence they remain quiet disbelievers when these false claims are made. However they find it difficult to contradict these bogus claims because they are reluctant to reiterate that Prabha and family members have died. When claims are made from time to time that the LTTE leader and family members are alive they know these are not true. It is a truth that many do not want to talk about. Most Sri Lankan Tamils know that Prabhakaran and his family are not among the living. She was also accused of pretending to be Prabhakaran’s daughter earlier and engaging in a racket to solicit cash donations from LTTE sympathisers and supporters for the medical expenses of her father. It was alleged by several people that the woman had been involved in many confidence tricks and had embezzled funds from gullible victims. Many Tamil residents of Switzerland recognised the woman posing as Prabha’s daughter to be none other than a woman named Mithuja Rajaratnam residing in Arbon Thurgau, Switzerland. But the biggest bombshell of all was the real identity of the woman posing as Prabhakaran’s daughter Thuvaraka. It was obvious that it had been compiled by excerpting paragraphs and lines from previous speeches by Prabhakaran. Moreover the text of the speech was bland and uninspiring. The visual image of the woman on YouTube indicated very clearly that she was an impostor. The exultant bang expected on 27 November ended as a pathetic whimper. The pro-LTTE world was torn asunder by the so-called return of the Tiger leader’s daughter. This was resisted by the elements promoting the “duplicate” daughter. While the silent majority of Tamils quietly watched this brazen attempt to bamboozle the community, several voices were raised in protest against what was obviously a fraudulent exercise. A sustained campaign of expectation was propagated. However in an unexpected twist this year, it was proclaimed that Thuvaraka Prabhakaran would deliver the Great Heroes Day speech on behalf of her father from an undisclosed location. Though Maaveerar Naal was observed every year in many parts of the world on 27 November there was no annual address by Prabhakaran as the LTTE leader was not among the living. ![]() In May 2009, the LTTE was militarily defeated and the hierarchy including Prabhakaran was no more. The last time the oration was made was on 27 November 2008. It had been the practice in earlier times for LTTE leader Prabhakaran to deliver a speech on that day. The campaign promoting the LTTE leader’s daughter described as the “Theasathin Puthalvi” (Nation’s daughter) reached its zenith on the LTTE’s “Maaveerar Naal” (Great Heroes Day) observed on 27 November 2023. In recent times there has been a concerted effort by Tigerish and pro-Tiger elements to make people believe that Prabhakaran, Madhivadhani and Thuvaraka are alive.įurthermore it was projected that the LTTE was going to be revived under the leadership of the Tiger supremo’s daughter Thuvaraka Prabhakaran (her name is being spelt by many as Duvaraka and Dwaraka but I am following the manner in which the name is pronounced by Sri Lankan Tamils). Subsequently it was claimed that some other family members too were alive. Though 14 years have passed since the war ended, there are many who claim that the LTTE supremo is yet alive and that the body found on the shores of Nandhikkadal lagoon was a lookalike of Prabhakaran. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran, his spouse Madhivadhani Erambu, daughter Thuvaraka and sons Charles Anthony and Balachandran along with thousands of other Tamils died in the final phase of the armed conflict at Mullivaaikkaal in the Karaithuriaipattru AGA division of Mullaitheevu district in May 2009. The biggest bombshell of all was the real identity of the woman posing as Prabhakaran’s daughter Thuvaraka ![]()
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![]() It keeps its eyes shut when swimming, using only its other senses, such as hearing, touch and changes in the electrical field. The platypus can sense electricity from other animals. Its nose can sense many things that other noses cannot. It digs these animals out of the bottom of the river with its beak, or catches them while swimming. It eats worms, insect larvae, shrimps and yabbies, which are a kind of freshwater crayfish. The tail and back feet help it to turn left or right, but does not make it faster. When it swims, it pushes itself along by moving the front two feet. It is a very good swimmer and spends much of its time in the water. The platypus sleeps during the day, and moves mostly at night. The amount of poison increases during the breeding season. It will not kill humans, but the poison has been known to kill small animals, such as dogs, and cause pain lasting as long as four months. The male platypus has a sharp spine on his two back ankles called spurs which contain a venom. Males are about one-third (1/3) larger than females. Its tail can be from 10 cm (4 in) to 15 cm (6 in) long. Its body can be from 30 cm (12 in) to 40 cm (16 in) long. Adults can be less than 1 kg (2 lb) or up to 3 kg (7 lb). The larger platypus live in Tasmania while the smaller ones live in Queensland. The platypus is sometimes called "duck billed platypus" because of this nose. When the platypus moves on land, it walks on its knuckles so the webs on its feet will not get in the way. Unlike a beaver, it has no feet (no toes), which are good for swimming. The platypus looks similar to a beaver with a brown, furry body and wide, flat tail. The later ( derived) mammals have the system where the rear has two openings. ![]() This is a primitive ( basal) feature of tetrapods, which monotremes, birds and reptiles have today. Through this opening faeces and urine are voided (put out), and sexual activity takes place. These mammals are called monotremes because they have a common rear opening, the cloaca. The platypus was first described in detail in the early 19th century, but it took a while before biologists in England believed what they were reading. The other is the Echidna, which has four species. ![]() It is one of only two families of mammals which lay eggs. The platypus lives in rivers and river banks. The plural of platypus is just 'platypus'. It lives in eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It is one of only two monotremes that survive today. The duck-billed platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a small mammal. ![]() ![]() ![]() The 3rd CLion Nova update with ClangFormat fixes, support for C23’s bool, builtins, C++20 std::source_location and std::bit_cast, and other enhancements.Until then, the Preview build will be free to use and can be installed in parallel with your usual CLion (Classic) installation. At some point in 2024, depending on the results of the feedback collected, CLion Nova will be merged into CLion. The Preview build is available via our dedicated Toolbox App feed. Feel free to take a look at some of our other tutorials on the Raspberry Pi for inspiration.Today, we’re announcing a free early preview of CLion, which uses the ReSharper C++/Rider C++ language engine instead of the CLion "legacy" engine. You should then see the LED on the Pico flashing on and off every second.Īnd viola, you have fully setup P圜harm with the Raspberry Pi Pico, now you can code to your hearts content. Now try Run ‘Flash main.py’ You will see some red text in the console window showing that the code has downloaded to the Pico. If you don’t see Flash Main.py then right click main.py and click on More Run/Debug > Modify Run Configuration then when the window opens, make sure it says Flash Main.py in the Name field and click OK. Right click on main.py and click on Run ‘Flash main.py’ This will make the on board LED Flash on and off every second. Delete the code that P圜harm puts in and write this in: from machine import Pin Here’s something to get you started and make sure everything is setup correctly. Now you can start doing some programming in MicroPython. If you are using Mac or Linux then open a Terminal and type in “ls /dev/tty.usbmodem*” and look for an entry with a load of numbers after it.Įnter COM# or /dev/tty.usbmodem000000000000# in the Device Path and click OK.īack in the main screen you should see a yellow notice that some packages are required, click on the blue link at the end and P圜harm will install the required packages. Select the Device type as “PyBoard” and enter the Device Path, On Windows you can get this by going to Device Manager and under Ports (COM & LPT) you should see USB Serial Device (COM#). Then click the Tick box “Enable MicroPython support”. Under Languages & Frameworks, click on MicroPython. Once you are in the main screen we need to tell P圜harm that we are programming in MicroPython so go to File > Settings. Give it a decent name and leave all the other settings as default. Go back to P圜harm and click on Projects, then click on New Project. Create a new project in P圜harm and configure it for MicroPython Drag the UF2 file you downloaded in to the Pico’s mass storage and it should transfer over and then automatically reboot the Pico.Ĥ. ![]() If you’ve got the right cable then it should make a nice bing bong bing sound (on a PC anyway), it should also open folder. Hold down the BOOTSEL button and plug in a Micro USB cable. Download the MicroPython UF2 file for the Pico and install it on to the Pico ( ) Then search for MicroPython in the search bar and click on Install.ģ. Once P圜harm opens you will be presented “Welcome to P圜harm” screen, we need to add the MicroPython plugin so click on Plugins. ![]() Once it’s downloaded, run the installer, all the default options are fine so click through them all. ![]() Visit the P圜harm website and download the community edition of P圜harm for your operating system. The ones we sell are ideal and are braided so they last longer ( ) Micro USB cable that can do power and data (a lot of cheap cables are power only, you’ll know if when you plug it into your PC, it makes the nice bing bong bing noise). ![]() ![]() Fixed an issue with the CORSAIR logo on the CORSAIR Graphite Series 380T (Black) case logo displaying at a lower than intended quality.Fixed an issue with the CORSAIR logo on the CORSAIR Carbide Series 175R RGB case logo displaying at a lower than intended quality.Fixed an issue with the CORSAIR logo on the CORSAIR Obsidian Series 750D case logo displaying at a lower than intended quality. ![]() Fixed an issue with the CORSAIR logo on the CORSAIR Obsidian Series 900D case logo displaying incorrectly.Fixed an issue with the CORSAIR logo on the CORSAIR Obsidian Series 1000D case logo displaying incorrectly.Fixed an issue causing emails headers in Chinese localisation from displaying incorrectly.Fixed an issue preventing Ryzen Threadripper 3990X specifications being correctly recognised.Fixed an issue preventing “Parts for this PC” checkbox from being clickable.GPU tuner will now correctly show “MHz” instead of “M”.Fixed a crash which occurred when leaving a PC in Career Mode.Fixed an issue which lead some users to experience corrupt save files after the 1.8.1 update.We’d like to thank the community taking the time to report bugs going and sharing their save files with us so we can troubleshoot, the fixes from which make up a sizable chunk of the list below: NVIDIA NVLINK bridge for RTX3000 seriesįinally both our programming and support teams have been hard at work reproducing and squashing bugs.CORSAIR GLAIVE RGB PRO Gaming Mouse - Aluminium.CORSAIR NIGHTSWORD RGB Tunable FPS/MOBA Gaming Mouse.CORSAIR M55 RGB PRO Ambidextrous Multi-Grip Gaming Mouse.Intel 10th generation (Comet Lake) CPUs for LGA1200 (Z490) motherboards.EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER FTW3 ULTRA+.EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER FTW3 HYDRO COPPER GAMING.EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC HYDRO COPPER GAMING.GIGABYTE Radeon™ RX 5600 XT GAMING OC 6G.GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon™ RX 5500 XT OC 8G.GIGABYTE Radeon™ RX 5600 XT WINDFORCE OC 6G.GIGABYTE Radeon™ RX 5700 XT GAMING OC 8G.COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2080 Advanced-V GPU.COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Advanced OC-V GPU.COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Vulcan X OC GPU.MSI GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER™ VENTUS GP OC.MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ VENTUS GP OC.MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER™ VENTUS XS OC.MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ GAMING X TRIO.MSI GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER™ GAMING X TRIO.MSI GeForce RTX™ 3090 GAMING X TRIO 24G.CORSAIR DOMINATOR® PLATINUM Special Edition CONTRAST 8GB DDR4 3466.MSI MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI / Intel 10th generation (Comet Lake)ĬORSAIR DOMINATOR® PLATINUM Special Edition CONTRAST 8GB DDR4 3466ĮVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC HYDRO COPPER GAMINGĬOLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER Advanced OC-V GPU Full parts list: Motherboards MSI PRESTIGE X570 CREATION / AMD Ryzen XT CPUs Onto the parts themselves, we’re excited to showcase some of our favourites along with a full list of goodies below. New parts:Īdditionally, in this update we’re bringing in over 60 extra parts along with another new feature for PC Building Simulator making it easier than ever to find the ones you want: Filters: We’ve also received additional input on our Chinese localisation, this has allowed us to ensure that the translated job objectives are significantly clearer and more understandable to players than ever before. Try them out and let us know what you think. ![]() These can be applied to both new and existing games – tweaking timers, revealing hidden objectives and more to customise your experience. Today we’re pushing a number of adjustments, including difficulty toggles. ![]() Initially we followed up with a number of bug fixes and pledged to address the concerns reported over the launch. Over the past few months we’ve heard significant feedback from the community around the Esports Expansion. Featuring a high tech aesthetic, plenty of space to build, and giving centre stage to the famed AORUS ROBOT mascot. Today we get to reveal the first NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 30 Series graphics cards in PC Building Simulator, with special thanks to team at MSI.Ĭreated in collaboration with AORUS powered by GIGABYTE we’re unleashing a brand new workshop space giving players an exciting change of scenery. But first, by popular demand… Introducing the MSI GeForce RTX™ 3090Īs many of you who reached out to us via social media, Discord, and the support email know we’re consistently working around the clock to bring the latest hardware to the game. Finally, thanks to all the community feedback we’re rolling out some new difficulty settings for the Esports Expansion DLC. In this update we’re announcing the AORUS Workshop DLC along with heaps of fresh hardware including Intel’s 10 th generation Comet Lake and AMD’s Ryzen XT CPUs. Today we’re inviting you to hop on and enjoy our latest patch, v1.9 which is one of our biggest yet. ![]() ![]() ![]() There are a total of 13 playable characters in the game, with 8 standard team captains, 4 sidekicks, and a special team made up of copies. By performing it, the player can take a high-powered shot at the goal if they score with a Super Strike, it counts as two goals instead of one. The Super Strike is a special ability of the team's captain. A player also gets an item each time a team member not currently holding the ball is tackled. To obtain an item, the player has to shoot the ball fiercely towards the goalposts. They serve a function similar to the items in the Mario Kart series. Items (also called Power-Ups) exist as a help to the player to score a goal. Players are given a variety of commands to kick or hit each other, which is a major part of the gameplay. As such, there is no offside position and fouls are not punished. One of the most notable changes is the non-existence of a referee. Thus, there are no throw-ins, goal kicks, or corner kicks, as seen in actual soccer. The fence is placed right on the touchlines, preventing the ball and players from leaving the pitch. ![]() The soccer fields are surrounded by an electric rail which electrocutes anybody who gets kicked against it by another player or by a power-up. Because of this, the goalies are immune to all attacks by enemies or power-ups, and save most goals easily. Players can only control the goalie for a short time when he has the ball in hand. If there are less than four players, they can switch their characters on the field, and the game switches control automatically to the next player when the ball is passed. Up to four players can control a single team. Every match of the game can be played in multiplayer. With this rule, no game ends as a draw.Įach team consists of a team captain and three sidekicks of the same type, as well as a goalkeeper. If time runs out when scores are level, a Sudden Death follows the regular game time where next goal wins. The match time can be manually set from 2 to 15 minutes, but is defined as 5 minutes by default. In comparison to actual soccer, the game features a smaller version of the soccer field, and each team has only five members, instead of the usual eleven-a-side rule. On random occasions, Bowser appears on the field. Afterwards, Mario's team celebrates their victory as fireworks are seen in the sky. Once he gets close enough, he jumps up high and unleashes his Super Strike, slamming the Kritter into the goal's net with the ball. Back to Mario and Wario's match, a Toad from Wario's team has the ball, but is hit by a Spiny Shell, allowing Mario to receive it. Bowser wreaks havoc and breathes fire during Luigi and Waluigi's match. Wario's team unleashes a Chain Chomp, which chases Mario. A Hammer Bro from Daisy's team slips from a banana peel and gets electrocuted from the electric fences, allowing a Toad from Peach's team to headbutt the ball. A Koopa Troopa from DK's team jumps and pulls off a bicycle kick. Waluigi is then paralyzed by a blue shell, allowing Luigi to kick the ball. Luigi attempts to steal the ball from Waluigi but misses. Donkey Kong receives the ball, which leads to Yoshi to steal the ball for him, only for Yoshi to be attacked by a Bob-omb. Then Mario begins the game with a kick-off.ĭuring the other matches, Peach steals the ball from Daisy, causing her to trip. Both of Mario and Wario's followers are seen on the bleachers. ![]() Wario tries to provoke Mario by shaking his rear and laughing. Mario's team and Wario's team make their entrances to the stadium. The opening begins with a bird's eye view of Pipeline Central with very excited spectators. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Johnny, her love interest, is an intriguing character and obviously has a complex past I am dying to know more about. Persephone wasn’t the most distinctive heroine of urban fantasy that I have read about, but she was unique enough to keep me interested. Persephone is an wonderful character she is very neighbor-next-door-like but is committed to protecting those she loves and has a streak of toughness when it comes to these people. Robertson does an excellent job of tying mythology and Wicca beliefs into everything. This is obviously a complex world where the interactions between witches, vampires, and werewolves are complicated. Robertson does an excellent job with world-building and characters. Persephone reluctantly agrees, but things get more complicated when she finds out that the suspect is a vampire and then one of her other friends almost gets killed while tracking down info on this elusive vampire. She gets a call from a woman named Vivian who wants Persephone to hunt down a man who is suspected of killing one of Persephone’s friends. Persephone is a practicing witch who makes her money doing tarot readings and kenneling werewolves during full moons. The world is intriguing and Persephone is a character that is very down to earth, yet caring and tough. It was a good book and I am glad that I read it. I have had this book on my shelf to read for awhile. Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Persephone Alchmedi series ![]() ![]() ![]() Unlike the KM360, however, the KM250 isn't shipping with genuine Cherry MX switches, instead it's using Kailh's version of those linear red switches. And honestly, I've experienced far worse stabilisers on expensive NZXT and Razer keyboards in the past. I will say up front that it is obviously lacking the high-end luxury of sound dampening and super-fancy stabilisers, but those are compromises I'm willing to make for such a supremely cheap keyboard. I'm honestly genuinely impressed with the package as a whole. And if you're looking to get into the enthusiast switch game it's a super cheap base to jam some quality switches into because it's entirely hot swappable. If you're after a good compact board you honestly don't need more. Right now you can pick up this compact 65% keyboard for just $40. Which is why the G.Skill KM250 has my attention, because it is bringing a host of those enthusiast keyboard features without the exorbitant price tag. In fact, it's nowhere close to costing a fortune, yet it still offers mechanical switches, per-key RGB, hot-swappable keys, and discrete media controls. The G.Skill KM250 RGB's best skill is that it doesn't. Mechanical gaming keyboards can cost a fortune. Read our full Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless review. Importantly, it's also great for gaming and doesn't cost anywhere near as much as its smaller, more premium sibling, the ROG Azoth. It focuses on nailing the actual mechanics of a mechanical gaming keyboard, and that appeals to the mech keyboard snob in me. Still, it's been a long time since I've been blown away by a new gaming keyboard-so many seemed carbon copies of what Corsair did 10 years ago-but the Scope II 96 has done just that. It takes some getting used to, but I've been tapping away on it for a couple of weeks now and I feel I've got typing on the Scope II 96 down to a fine art. As a result, the delete key is further away from your pinky than normal. The Scope II 96 is nearly a full-size board-it importantly retains a full numpad-though it's been squished down into a more compact chassis. However, if you don't replace them with lubed switches I will personally hunt you down. You are able to swap out any of the NX Snow switches on this keyboard for keys of your choosing. Lubed up, sturdy stabilisers also keep the larger keys, namely the spacebar, quiet. The sound of the linear switches reduced to a light pitter-patter by the sound dampening foam, sturdy PBT plastic keycaps, and switch pads. The Scope II 96 feels extremely responsive. Both actuate at 1.8mm, which is pretty snappy, though not quite as snappy as those aforementioned boards at their lowest adjustable actuations. There's also the tactile and moderately heavier option, however, the NX Storm. The ROG NX Snow switches are your pretty usual linear key switch with an actuation force of 45g. Every key drops lightly into place as you type and smoothly springs back with a satisfyingly light clack. The process of pulling out every key switch and dropping in some lube in order to make it thwomp good is not something many PC gamers will have bothered to do, but freshly lubed switches out of the factory means you don't have to worry about the messy details with the Scope II 96.Ī spot of lube makes all the difference. I'm so glad this has made the leap from enthusiast boards into more mainstream ones. That's, in part, thanks to lubed switches. There are faster, smarter, much cheaper boards that still deliver plenty of features-you'll find all of those recommendations below-but the best all-round gaming keyboard has to be the Scope II 96 Wireless. Additionally, we have explored the realm of affordable gaming keyboards, with the best cheap gaming keyboards for those who want performance for not a lot of cash. These keyboards have undergone rigorous testing in both our personal and professional lives. On the other hand, a full-sized keyboard tends to offer additional features like media controls and fun LED displays.īelow, we have carefully compiled a list of the best gaming keyboards for every type of PC gamer. Opting for a 60% gaming keyboard or a tenkeyless (TKL) variant can provide you with more space for larger mouse movements, especially if you're a competitive gamer, while also freeing up valuable desk real estate. One vital aspect to consider is the size of the keyboard. But if you want to go for something smaller, more modular, or cheaper, we've plenty of excellent options, all tested by us, listed below. It excels in every aspect, despite its ridiculously long name. Among all the options the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless stands out as the ultimate gaming keyboard. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Three and four cylinder rigid frame locomotives are fairly common in Europe, but few American railroads were ever sold on the idea. The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) sold the railroad on the idea of a three cylinder steam engine to improve power and efficiency. They wanted to move more freight, faster, and none of their engines were up to the task. In the 1920s, Union Pacific, like most American railroads, was experiencing a traffic boom. And, of course, I want it to be the most accurate model I think I can make.īefore I go on, a little background on the Union Pacific Type for those who may not know about it. I want this engine to be a showcase of what can be done if you are willing to not be a purist. I want to try out aftermarket electrical solutions for powering, controlling and augmenting my UP 9000 model. I want a UP 9000 I can do that with, too, but I also have other goals. I certainly think the new one looks better but, more importantly, it’s a really good runner, and I run it every chance I get. It may be clear from those two past projects, but I like weird wheel arrangements! Once again, not a great runner.Īnd the rebuild: The new Triplex is probably my favorite engine to date. Here is the circa 2009 original: My first Erie Triplex. It’s only because I have since built several successful steam locomotives that I am making another attempt at the 9000.Ī couple years ago I rebuilt another one of my early locomotive projects, the Erie P-1 “Triplex” locomotive. When I was just starting out, I was not up to the challenge, and might have been better off choosing something a little more straightforward to build. It’s also worth asking if you, the builder, are up to the challenge. ![]() While I conduct my research, I am not usually working with bricks, but I am thinking a lot about how I will attempt to build the various features of my prototype. So, in selecting a prototype to model, it is definitely worth asking yourself if it can be done with the tools available, in this case, LEGO bricks. Admittedly, a 4-12-2 steam locomotive pushes the boundaries of what is doable, but I wouldn’t try it now if I didn’t feel like I could succeed. Feasibility is certainly one important consideration in choosing what you want to build. ![]() I felt it was time to take on this project again because I think, this time, I can actually do it. It’s been many years since it’s been together. It sat on static display in PennLUG’s early train layouts for a while, but I need my engines to run and, if they don’t, I eventually take them apart. It’s unique 4-12-2 wheel arrangement posed an equally unique set of challenges that I wasn’t able to overcome. Out of all the engines I have built it was, by far, the worst runner of them all. In fact, it was one of my first attempts at a train MOC, completed in, I think, 2008: My original UP 9000 at least sort of looked the part, but ran terribly. I wanted to model the 9000 because I have actually done it before. For this series, I have chosen the Union Pacific’s 9000, or Union Pacific Type, locomotive. Knowing this, I try to do my best with each one, and choose them carefully. If you’re like me, you have way more half-baked build ideas than you will likely ever get around to. It was this project, more so than any I have previously built, that showed me how complex that process can actually be. The first step in building a LEGO steam locomotive is to decide which locomotive you want to build. Part I: “Before You Touch a Brick” – Research for a LEGO Locomotive Project I hope that this will help people who are struggling with what I think is a particularly difficult type of model to build or, at least, be of some interest to the readers of this site. Instead, I will lay out my approach to building a steam locomotive and why I think it is effective. At any rate, my designs are usually pretty fragile and don’t really lend themselves to redistribution via instructions. My intention is to share some experiences and techniques that I hope people can apply to any steam locomotive project, and perhaps other types of LEGO models as well. While I will focus on a specific locomotive project I am currently working on, this series will not include a full set of step-by-step instructions to that locomotive. I intend to cover a variety of topics in this series including research, the use of custom elements, aftermarket electrical devices, and building techniques. This will be the first in a series of articles about my process of building a LEGO steam locomotive. ![]() ![]() Pampas grass is very popular to decorate for parties and weddings because it creates such an easy and dramatic look.They look great in modern decor, a playroom, anywhere you want to add a pop of color. Select faux pampas grass from a virtual rainbow of colors to make a wow statement.Use long-stemmed faux pampas grass in a large floor vase to decorate an otherwise empty corner or hallway nook.Create a simple but eye-catching centerpiece like Jodie did in her dining room by adding a handful of dried plumes to a small vase.Once you select your color and your vase of choice, they make a HUGE statement. You can buy dyed pampas grass to match your decor or choose to go with natural hues. They come in a range of colors from white and creamy ivory to sandy pinks and darker browns and beiges. The Fun Part: Decorating with Pampas Grass They have just the right details to make every meal extraordinary. We love decorating our tables with Crown Linen Designs all year long, whether it’s napkins, chargers, napkin rings, tablecloths, runners, and more. They are from our friends at Follow them on Instagram and shop their gorgeous table selections. If you are a notorious plant killer, we may have found the solution for you.ĭo you love the gorgeous velvet chargers as much as we do? They turn Jodie’s regular place settings into something truly special. You can place them in a vase and forget about them. This is your plant! Unlike other plants, pampas grass is dried. You should check with your local area before planting. Note: It’s considered a weed because it self-seeds and spreads into dense colonies that are very invasive, with big fluffy grassy flowers opening August through February. It can even max out at up to 20 feet tall. If you are worried about allergies, you might choose artificial version just to be safe. If you have allergies to grasses it could cause allergies. This is certainly long enough to last until you are ready to change things up for a new look. Real pampas grass, if dried properly and sealed with hairspray, won’t shed, and should last well over 3 years. It isn’t poisonous if ingested, so there is no danger. Which to choose? It may come down to the look or the style you are going for.įrequently Asked Questions: Is Pampas Grass Toxic? In the end, it is a personal decision based on your priorities. You will find harsher colors and dyed colors.There aren’t subtleties in color variety.The plumes look more predictable, with straight, defined edges.Fake pampas grass doesn’t look as fluffy, airy, or wispy.Artificial pampas grass looks cleaner with sharper, crisper lines.Real dried pampas grass may have nuances of color within the same grass.Real pampas grass tends to be fluffier.Real Pampas Grass Which is Better? Deciding Between the Two What is the Best Time to Dry your Plumes?ĭry your plumes when they are fully emerged, but BEFORE they are mature and begin to shed. Coat each plume with a light coating of hairspray to protect. ![]()
![]() ![]() ![]() The small 1/2 DIN knockout that I described in the materials list is located in the exact same spot as the cup holders, but only on some models which have the cup holders in the console instead of the dash. All you have to do is depress these tabs with a small flat screwdriver and then just pull the whole cup holder assembly right out of the dash. ![]() You will notice a small metal tab on either side of the unit. To remove it, first, open the cup holders by pressing on the trim (they will magically emerge from the dash). If you don't own your own scrap Jetta or Golf, then it's time to take a trip to your local auto wreckers! Once you've found a scrap Golf or Jetta with the cup holder unit intact, remove it. You may not need any hardware depending on your car's dash). Various hardware (All cars will be different. The "City" versions of the Golf and Jetta at some point changed the location of the cup holders and just put a plastic trim knockout piece in the dash where the cup holders had previously been located. 1/2 DIN plastic knockout trim (Got mine from another Mk IV. I got mine for free from my local auto recyclers). Supplies: -Mk IV Golf or Jetta cup holder assembly (the kind that pops out of the dash above the stereo. Dremel with cutting and grinding bits (for cutting a slot in the cup holder bottom for a 30 pin connector, if you so choose). Screwdriver for radio removal (my car uses a #2 Phillips). Tools: -Flat tipped screwdriver or plastic trim removal tool. Of course these cup holders weren't designed for a Hyundai, so I needed to figure out a way to keep them secured in the dash so they don't fly out when I go over bumps in the road! Note: I can't guarantee that this mod will work on all cars, but it did work perfectly on my 2009 Accent, which leads me to believe that it will work on a variety of vehicles. Since my car has a double DIN area for the stereo but only uses one for the actual radio itself (the other just has a small tray for holding cds etc.), I thought that I could place the cup holders directly underneath my radio if I just removed the tray for the cds. I figured that I could probably make these cup holders fit in my dash since there is a standard size for the in-dash stereo on most cars and the cup holders from the VWs are the same width. I remembered that they were just above the radio and were exactly the same width as the radio/cd player. Sure, you could buy one of those vent clip or suction cup cell phone holders, but it's more fun to make your own! So I put my thinking cap on and figured out a solution! My mom used to drive a 2000 VW Jetta and I loved how the cup holders popped out of the dash at the push of a button, not to mention that they were a great utilization of otherwise wasted space. I drive a 2009 Hyundai Accent and there's no real place to put your cell phone or iPod where you can check it at a glance while driving. So I've been trying to think of a good way to integrate some sort of iPod holder into my car for a while now. ![]() |
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