Top 10 Lists
Luke’s Top 10 Police Cars
August 23rd, 2010 | Published under Cars, Top 10 Lists | No Comments
We’re all used to seeing the average Falcon or Commodore done up with a light bar, livery and all kinds of other gadgets to convert it from your regular family sedan into a car ready for police work. But both here and around the world the police occasionally add a car outside of the ordinary to their stable. You may remember a few from my Awesome Police Cars blog.
Over the years unique police cars have been an interest of mine, and out of the many I’ve found from around the world, there are 10 that are my favourites:
10 – BMW M3 (Netherlands)
With Germany next door you can’t blame the Dutch police for picking up a BMW M3 for police duties. With a 4-litre V8 putting out 309kW and 0-100km/h times of 4.8 seconds, this thing is sure to catch some crooks. It is electronically limited to a top speed of 249km/h but can reach around 290km/h delimited.
09 – Lexus IS-F (UK)
The police in the UK were recently using Subaru’s Impreza WRX as their high performance patrol car, but after issues with heat soak they decided to replace them with some V8 cruisers. Forget the Crown Victorias of the US or the Commodores of Australia – these guys get their V8s in style. The 5-litre V8 Lexus IS-F engines put out 311kW good for 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h.
08 – Carbon Motors E7 (USA)
The E7 by Carbon Motors sets itself apart from other police cars by being the world’s only vehicle that is custom built for police work. All the lights, gadgets and seating are designed for police work and police work only. Not only is it physically tough, it also has a BMW 3-litre turbo diesel power plant good for 220kW and 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds. It can reach a top speed of 250km/h. But the best thing is no clunky added on light bars or bull bars, it’s all integrated from the factory! It is expected to be released in 2012 and, no, it cannot be bought for private use.
07 – GeigerCars Hummer H2 (USA)
GeigerCars are one of Europe’s leading tuners of American vehicles. Through a request from a Texas sheriff, they built up this Hummer H2 in both the styling and engine compartment to make the world’s fastest police Hummer. The GeigerCars built supercharged 7-litre V8 engine puts out 515kW with a top speed of 250km/h (electronically limited). That’s enough power for 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds. All on 28-inch wheels!
06 – TechArt Porsche 911 Carerra S (Germany)
To promote safe tuning at the Essen Motor Show, TechArt joined with the German police and traffic authorities to develop this high-powered Porsche police car. With a 3.8-litre 6 cylinder boxer engine, the car is good for 273kW and 0-100km/h sprints of 4.5 seconds. It has a top speed of 300km/h.
Luke’s Top 10 Motorbikes
July 1st, 2010 | Published under Top 10 Lists | No Comments
I don’t know too much about motorbikes, but just like everything else with wheels and a motor, it’s something I love. Sure, they’re dangerous, but they’re also some of the sexiest-looking machines in the automotive world and come with power-to-weight figures that no care will ever match. Sexy, fast and fun – what more could you want? Here’s my top 10:
10 Kawasaki Ninja 250R
The Ninja 250R has always been a great place for beginning riders to get started, but modern sport bike technology means the littlest Ninja is a great choice for more experienced riders as well, especially ones experienced at getting the most for their motorcycle dollar.
09 Suzuki GSX-R600
Featuring technology developed and refined on racetracks around the world, the GSX-R600 features the most powerful, most efficient 600cc four-cylinder engine ever built by Suzuki. The result? Championship-winning performance to take you to the top of the podium.
08 Yamaha YZF-R6
The 2009 Daytona 200 winner is back and ready for the street and track. Light, powerful and bristling with knowledge gained from years of racing, the YZF-R6 is the most advanced production 600cc motorcycle Yamaha or anybody else has ever built.
07 KTM 1190 RC8
Thanks to innovative solutions and meticulous detail work, KTM has achieved unsurpassed rideability on the street and on the racetrack, in every situation of life or riding.
06 Aprillia RSV4 R
The Aprillia RSV4 R reaches the most incredible finishing lines with regards to emotions and performances, lap after lap. You can feel the adrenaline of speed going through the veins each time you take it for a ride.
Luke’s Top 10 Eminem Songs
June 27th, 2010 | Published under Music, Top 10 Lists | 2 Comments
Eminem has been in the hip-hop scene for over 15 years, having released seven albums plus countless compilations and collaborations. In total he has sold over 80 million records around the world. This makes him the best-selling hip-hop artist of all time, beating Tupac Shakur who sold just over 75 million records.
That’s a fair record for any artist, so it’s no surprise after all this time he’s still releasing new songs with a strong fan following. To celebrate the release of his latest album Recovery, here are my own Top 10 Eminem Songs:
10 Hailie’s Song
Hailie’s Song was released on the album The Eminem Show and received considerable airplay. A common theme in Eminem’s song is his daughter, Hailie. This song is directly for her, and one where Eminem takes a different approach by singing the chorus. It didn’t make the Billboard Hot 100, but came close peaking at 113.
09 Beautiful
Beautiful was released on the 2009 album Relapse, arguably one of the least popular Eminem albums released (not including the little known Infinite). The song received massive airplay on UK radio and peaked at #12 and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is slightly sad but also inspirational as it deals with loving who you are and not caring what others think. Despite this, Eminem hints at a depressed state of mind in the opening to this song.
08 Like Toy Soldiers
Like Toy Soldiers is from the 2005 album Encore, featuring a vocal sample of Toy Soldiers by Martika as the chorus. The song is sparked from the feud between Eminem and Ja Rule which started after a comment Ja Rule made about Eminem’s daughter, Hailie, in one of his songs. The song discusses feuds in the hip-hop industry and the effects they have on their personal lives. The song finishes with Eminem offering a truce to his enemies.
07 Lose Yourself
Lose Yourself was featured in the 2002 film 8 Mile, which starred and was loosely based on Eminem. The song was subsequently released on the film’s soundtrack and later as a single. It reached #1 in 24 charts worldwide, making it the most successful rap song of all time, spending a huge 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, two Grammy Awards and a further two nominations. VH1 ranked the song as 4th in the 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it as #166 in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Complex Magazine even rated it at the fourth best song of the decade. It is the seventh most successful song of the last decade in Australia. The song is based on Eminem’s 8 Mile character who takes part in local rap battles on his quest to get recognised and signed.
06 Superman
Superman featured on the 2002 album The Eminem Show and also released as its own single in 2003 in the US. It peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which featured R&B singer Dina Rae, was about past relationships Eminem has had and the complications of both his career as a star and his personal life introduce. The song is rumoured to be loosely based on his relationship with pop singer Mariah Carey.
Luke’s Top 10 Red Dwarf Episodes
June 13th, 2010 | Published under Top 10 Lists | No Comments
Red Dwarf is arguably one of the funniest and creative British comedies to air. It was written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor for the initial six of the eight seasons. Although each season has variations of the characters and locations, the premise is the few surviving members of the mining ship Red Dwarf three million years in the future, making them last surviving human beings in the universe. It’s a mix of laughter, wit and imaginative plots, and one I’ve enjoyed watching greatly.
Here’s my top 10:
10 Epideme
The crew comes across a frozen supply ship, the Leviathan, with one survivor: Caroline Carmen, one of Lister’s former crushes. She revives in the middle of the night, as a zombie; she has been dead for a long time, and infects Lister with the dreaded Epideme virus. Lister tries talking with the virus directly through a communication link (Epideme is a sentient, self-aware organism) but Epideme refuses to let Lister live. Drastic action must be taken if Lister is to survive.
09 Back In The Red
After crashing Starbug in the docking bay, the crew discover nanobots have also resurrected the original crew complement of Red Dwarf who was killed in the radioactive disaster three million years previously, and who now have no memory of the incident or events following it. Lister tries to persuade the newly resurrected Arnold Rimmer to help him escape so that he can track down the nanobots to corroborate his story. However the only way for Lister to convince Rimmer is by helping Rimmer get promoted using a disc of confidential files left in the crashed wreckage of Starbug.
08 Kryten
Red Dwarf intercepts an SOS distress call from the American Space cruiser Nova 5, which has crashed on an asteroid. Much to their disappointment, the crew (who are expecting to find female crew members) find the only survivor is Kryten, a service mechanoid with an overactive guilt chip. Lister wants to teach Kryten to be rebellious, whilst Rimmer wants to abuse Kryten’s servitude.
07 Beyond A Joke
Searching for a new head for Kryten, which exploded due to build-up of negative thought after an incident involving ketchup added to lobster, the crew encounters a rogue simulant on a deserted ship. The simulant kidnaps Kryten and commissions one of his own droids, Able, to fix him up. But Kryten and Able discover they’re brothers, the same model, and Able helps Kryten escape. Kryten then discovers from Able a disturbing secret about their creator.
06 Back To Earth
Lister’s day of annoying Rimmer is cut short after the discovery of a dimension-hopping leviathan in the ship’s water tank. This leads to the appearance (as a hard-light hologram) of deceased science officer Katerina Bartikovsky who begins to make plans to permanently remove Rimmer and to assist Lister in restoring the human race.
Luke’s Top 10 Best Looking Cars
April 17th, 2010 | Published under Cars, Top 10 Lists | No Comments
Cars can be fast, expensive, exclusive or technology-filled. But it seems that, above all else, people are always talking about the way a car looks. Whether its mega-luxury, nicely refined or tough and in-your-face, car designs are one of the things that can make or break the public’s impression of a car. Here’s my top 10.
10 – Jaguar XKR
The new Jaguar SKR has put the sexiness back into Jags with a simple yet effective coupe body and rounded front end. The coupe seems to adopt a bit of an Aston Martin design, with sleek coupe body and refined rear end. The Jaguar XKR sells here for around $255,000.
09 – Rolls-Royce Ghost
Rolls-Royce has always been known for classic, prestige and imposing designs. The Ghost is no different. Created as a lower-cost alternative to the Phantom, the Ghost tones down the huge grille and lights to make a design that is easier on the eyes, and doesn’t look like it’s going to run you down on the road. A Phantom will cost you around $1,000,000 in Australia.
08 – Bugatti Veyron
Not only is the Bugatti Veyron one of the fastest production cars in the world, it also has a design that is especially unique. The body takes on a circular and sectional look, with a two-color paint scheme separating an embossed bonnet and back end and inner side panels. Two cooling vents protrude from the back of the roofline to cool the 8-litre W16.
07 – Spyker C8 Aileron
The Spyker C8 Aileron is a low-production supercar that bases its design around a low stance and scooped body. The bonnet is fitted with several air gills as well as two circular scoops on the body. Sleeked back headlights suit the whole image. The Spyker C8 Aileron is made in Netherlands.
06 – Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB has a naturally smooth shape. Unlike a lot of supercars, it doesn’t use crazy lines or protruding panels to give it a tough look. Instead, it uses a refined and curvy look to give it a smooth sports car design. The Ferrari 599 GTB sells here for around $675,000.
Five Great Nokia 5800 Apps
April 7th, 2010 | Published under Top 10 Lists | No Comments
The newest trend among mobile phone owners is the downloading and use of apps, short for applications. Long gone are the days of ringtones and snap-on covers. The iPhone has made apps the primary discussion amongst all mobile phone owners. But the Symbian operating system still has the majority of users, and if you own a Nokia there are some great applications available. Here are five applications I love:
Nokia Ovi Maps
Nokia Ovi Maps V3 now allows you to receive free* voice-guided GPS and maps for the lifetime of your phone. No more licenses or unreliable third-party GPS applications. It’s easy to use and includes features such as safety camera alerts, speed alerts, map updates (via Nokia Ovi Suite) and walk/drive options.
YouTube
You know how those iPhone guys think they’re really cool just because their phone has YouTube? Well just let them know that Google offer the YouTube mobile application for a whole range of phones. It allows you to search and view your favorite YouTube clips easily.
Opera Mobile 10 Beta
Opera Mobile is probably my favorite application downloaded so far, despite it being in beta form. It offers an alternative to the 5800’s ‘Web’ web browser. The Opera browser offers a start page with up to nine pinned bookmarks, as well as tabbed browsing and faster browsing by compressing pages.
Airport Touch
Flight Control is a popular game for the Apple iPhone, where you have to control several planes coming in for landing and need to make sure that none collide. It’s very catchy and great fun. Airport Touch is a version made for the 5800, and although it’s a bit different, it still provides the same great fun.
BrightLight
BrightLight is a simple but useful application that allows you to use the 5800 camera’s twin LEDs as a torch. They’re mega bright and are perfect to lead you up the driveway after a late night, or find those keys you’ve just dropped on the ground somewhere at 3am.
*See Nokia for full conditions of Nokia Ovi Maps relating to charges and costs incurred.
Luke’s Top 10 Turbos
January 11th, 2010 | Published under Cars, Top 10 Lists | No Comments
Turbos are appearing everywhere. It seems now that every manufacturer, let alone nearly every model, has a turbocharged engine variant in its lineup. They have become popular thanks to their impressive power gains without the higher increase of fuel consumption that increasing engine capacity results in. Turbos are now a popular item for both performance cars and economical cars.
Although a look at the Bugatti Veyron may fool you at first with its quad turbochargers, turbos aren’t strictly limited to expensive cars. The Volkswagen Golf GTi has been a huge success, selling over a range of demographics, and is powered by a 2-litre turbo, good for 147kW. Other rally-bred road cars, like the famous Lancer Evolutions and Impreza WRXs, offer a cheaper alternative to a turbo performance car with figures just as fast, if not faster, then some of the $100k+ supercars. So which turbos do I fancy most? Check out my top 10 to find out.
Note this list is limited to current Australian production cars, as of January 2010.
10 Audi TTS quattro
The Audi TT has cut out its hair-dresser look and has turned itself into a mean machine. The sleek coupe retails for around $95,000 and comes with a smooth 2-litre inline 4 turbo good for 200kW. The car is also fitted with all-wheel-drive and can hit 100km/h from standstill in 5.6 seconds. A run down the quarter results in 13.8 second times. And boy, it is appealing on the eyes.
9 BMW 760Li
If you think a long wheelbase means a loss in performance, think again. The BMW 760Li has a 400kW 6-litre twin-turbo V12 but still carries brilliant handling from its rear-wheel-drive platform. The barge will still get itself up to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds.
8 Bentley Continental Supersports
A racetrack may be the last place you’d expect to see a Bentley, but if you were to own one of the $525,000 luxury supercars, you’d be crazy not to take it for at least one spin around the track. With twin turbos attached to a 6-litre W12, the all-wheel-drive helps grip the 463kW to the road, and is capable of reaching zero to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.
7 Subaru Impreza WRX STi Spec R
It may not be the toughest looking WRX made, but the newest STi Spec R is great value for money and a heap of fun, being capable of 0-100km/h in 5.4 seconds and a quarter mile of 13.6 seconds thanks to the flat-4 2.5-litre turbo Boxer engine. The engine outputs 221kW and carries Subaru’s usual all-wheel-drive system for some road-going rally fun.
6 FPV F6 E
It may be the only Aussie here, but don’t let that get you down. With a sticker price of $79,740 and a power output of 310kW, the F6 E gives you European performance at a fraction of the price. The F6 E runs a 4-litre flat 6 turbo good for sprints to 100km/h in just over 5 seconds and quarter miles of 13.4 seconds.
Luke’s Top 10 Free Programs
December 17th, 2009 | Published under Top 10 Lists | No Comments
With nearly every modern computer connected to the Internet these days, there’s a huge opportunity for independent developers to create and share their free software for the reasons of shareware, free personal use versions or ad-supported software. Despite the high prices asked for a lot of software out there, especially the big names, the fact is there’s a whole bunch of free software out there for nearly any type of application, with many being open-source and a lot of the time much more user-friendly and feature packed then the paid versions. Here’s my top 10:
10 – Notepad2
Notepad2 by Florian Balmer is a program that expands upon the age-old Windows Notepad application. It’s very simple (it runs straight off as an executable) and features syntax lightning for ASP, C, C++, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, Pearl, PHP. Python, SQP, VB, VBScript, XHTML and XML (as well as a few others). It also enables syntax lightning for editing the file formats BAT, DIFF, INF, INI and REG.
Some other free alternatives are XEmacs, KompoZer, SharpDeveloper, Notepad ++ and SciTE.
09 – Skype
Skype by Skype Limited is a program that allows you to make voice calls over the Internet. You can call other users of Skype for free, while other calls can be made by purchasing credits. Skype has great features for instant messaging, transferring files and video conferencing. It is a great program for travelers to communicate with family and friends back home.
08 – DVD Shrink
DVD Shrink by DVD Shrink is a discontinued program to backup DVD movies. DVD Shrink can be used to re-encode movies in reduced quality on discard content to fit on single layer DVDs.
Some other free alternatives are Media Coder and Handbrake.
07 – Google SketchUp
SketchUp by Google is a program for 3D modeling designed for use by architects, civil engineers, developers or a hobbyist. It is designed to be simple to use and can also be used to create models in Google Earth.
Another free alternative is Blender.
06 – TVU Player
TVU Player by TVU Networks is a program for watching free broadcasted television channels over the Internet. Although the channels are continuously changing, some examples of channels available presently and in the past are the Sci-Fi Channel, Spike TV, Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS and CW. The application uses P2PTV technology so the developer is not actually broadcasting any of the channels, but an individual who rebroadcasts themselves. A beta version has been released for Mac OS X.
Luke’s Top 10 Cat Stevens Songs
November 13th, 2009 | Published under Music, Top 10 Lists | No Comments
Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, is one of my favorite singer song-writers of all time. He started singing in the 1960s and experienced his career height in the 1970s with several albums released. Cat Stevens still performs to this day under his new name, with his latest album released in May this year, titled Roadsinger.
Below are my top ten songs out of the many songs I have by him. I’ve written a little bit about what I interpret the song to mean, what it means to me or the real meaning of the song. Enjoy.
10 – Two Fine People
From the single Two Fine People
Two Fine People is a quick and catchy song about two people who are attracted to teach other, and after the guy has proved himself to her and righted his wrongs they start their relationship. But I think it’s also about falling out of love after the initial excitement of the relationship, but still realizing the good times they had together.
09 – Just Another Night
From the album Back To Earth
Just Another Night is a song I really like because it seems like a deep narrative about a guy who’s with was with a girl, and despite their short time together he has fallen deeply in love with her and imagines their life together. But to her, he’s just another guy and a past event she’d rather not dwell on.
08 – The Wind
From the album Teaser and the Firecat
The Wind is a soothing song about having a simple but enjoyable life. It’s all about following your heart and looking toward the future. It’s living like the wind, peaceful and flowing through the world.
07 – Peace Train
From the album Teaser and the Firecat
Peace Train is a fantastic song that outlines Cat Stevens wish for this world. He wants everyone in the world to stop fighting and having wars, and instead jump on the peace train together and ride towards a new world.
06 – Father And Son
From the album Tea for the Tillerman
Father and Son is an emotional song about a conversation between a father and son. The son is unhappy and unsure with where his life is bringing him, and his father calms him down by explaining the same road he went down and the life opportunities in front of him.
Luke’s Top 10 Simon & Garfunkel Songs
October 31st, 2009 | Published under Music, Top 10 Lists | No Comments
Simon and Garfunkel are easily the best folk duos there has ever been. Their songs both when solo and together are a mix of fun, humour, emotion and story-telling. Both their musical styles complement each other and make them one of the most famous duos of the last century. Here’s my Top 10:
10 – The Boxer
The Boxer was written in 1968 and released in 1969. The song is about a person who is struggling with poverty and loneliness while living in New York City. Paul Simon has said the song is autobiographical and one he wrote when he felt he was being unfairly criticized. Rolling Stone ranked it 105 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Probably the best thing I like about this song is the very catchy “lie-la-lie” chorus.
09 – Homeward Bound
Homeward Bound was released in 1966 and is about longing to go home while on tour. This song is said to be written by Paul Simon when he was stranded overnight at Ditton Railway Station, and was longing to go home. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the charts for 12 weeks.
The reason why I liked this song is it has a bit of sadness in it about missing home, but at the same time you can also feel the enjoyment of being on tour despite the stress and tiring it causes. One thing I liked about this song is you can really imagine him sitting at an empty station waiting for the train to arrive with guitar in hand.
08 – My Little Town
My Little Town was released in 1975 and was originally written by Paul Simon for Art to use on his own album. The song has no solo vocals but instead the duo both sings all parts of the song together. The song itself is simply about someone who grew up in a little town, and reflecting back upon those younger days.
I like the song as it tells a great story about a kid who grew up in a little town and the things that seemed so great about it, even if those things were only simple or even just his imagination. One of the great things about this song is it reminds us of the happiness of being a child with no worries in the world.
07 – The Only Living Boy In New York
The Only Living Boy In New York was released in 1970. The lyrics are based around when Art Garfunkel went to Mexico to act in the film Catch-22. Paul Simon reflects on his time spent back in New York without Art, feeling like the ‘only living boy in New York’.
I like this song as it seems like a bit of a sad goodbye but not one that is a permanent goodbye. It’s a reflection of sitting around alone, with nothing to do and feeling like you’re the only person around because your friend is off elsewhere having fun. My favorite thing about this song as is how the tune continuously dies down and comes up again.
06 – The Dangling Conversation
The Dangling Conversation was written by Paul Simon and released in September 1966. The song reached 25 on the US charts. The song is about a couple with differing personalities and failed communication.
I really enjoy this song as it provides a simple look into the lives of this couple and deeply explains their personalities and how they are together, yet really so different; one reads Emily Dickinson and the other Robert Frost.
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