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Changing Your Car To Electric Can Save The Environment

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There are a lot of reasons why you should have your car run on alternative fuel. The main reason is to preserve the planet from greenhouse gases. Another reason is to not have to pay the high cost of gas. There is now a way for you to convert your gasoline-powered auto into one that uses electricity. While it is not simple, there are conversion kits you can buy that will help you accomplish that.

You will need to hire an expert mechanic to help you in doing the conversion. To make it into an electric vehicle, you will need to alter some components of your vehicle. Certain components of your auto must be changed to electrical versions. To state once more, unless you are a mechanic, you will not be able to perform this all by yourself. However, before you convert, you can think about the advantages of converting.

When your vehicle becomes electric, the power will come from the batteries. The batteries are what power the whole automobile with electric power. Each night you are recharging the batteries, so you are full of electricity the next morning. When you use an electric car, since you have converted over, you will know that you are not anymore damaging the environment, because you are no longer putting detrimental toxins into the atmosphere. Roughly 80% of the pollution on the planet is the result of automobiles and it is worsening global warming and a hole in the ozone layer.

You will see that having an electric-powered auto does not restrict you to what you could do previously. In fact, you will probably acquiring a lot more than you are giving up. One concern, though, is that you can drive up to one hundred miles on one charge. That shouldn’t be a worry for majority of individuals, since they don’t drive that far in an typical day, just keep your eye on the electricity gauge.

Instead of switching to a complete electric automobile, you can also make it into a hybrid. With a hybrid vehicle, you can have a car that runs mainly on electrical energy but can kick in with gas if necessary. While it won’t be zero-emission, it is still a better choice than your regular gasoline-powered automobile. You shouldn’t be worried that you will run out of electricity. There are many alternatives now, so you can make your car into whatever you want it to be.

Going to enjoy the Great Outdoors?
Make sure to pack a backpacking tent or you may just regret it.
Mother Nature is no one to trick around with, and she can be quite unpredictable!
Thus, even if it is just a relatively short hike of at least half a day’s travel time, be sure to shoulder a lightweight backpacking tent, just in case (of storm or a whole lot worse).
This way, you will at least have shelter and not be completely subject to the elements.

Appears like sound judgment, doesn’t it?
Yet many hikers take to the trails without so much as a thought to the chance of disaster.
Of course, lots of people who enjoy the wild do so without schlepping along a backpacking tent, nevertheless light, and manage to survive perfectly.
Without a doubt, many such folks may be experienced survivalists!
But because it’s better to be safe than sorry, even at the tariff of some inconvenience, it is more than a good idea that one is carried.

It’s just good sense.

Besides, you weren’t going to go off entirely empty-handed, were you?
After all, what’s a hike with a corresponding picnic at some point!
And if you’re going to schlepp something along, why not one of the most important items of gear when it comes to anything outdoors-y.

You’re going to need your food and water in any care for sure.
It’s only just one more step to carrying a full-fledged tent, only designed to be as light as possible for urgent overnight stays.
The possible inconvenience is slight and pales in comparison next to the satisfaction that comes from being totally prepared.

So enjoy Mother Nature and her bounty – try not to tempt fate!
Do the right thing and stay pro-active, not merely reactive: don’t leave home without your tent!

Desire a get-away? don’t we all! but we’ll admit it a getaway can be high priced. I know in these very difficult economic times many individuals do not have the additional cash sitting around to find the money for a trip. But let us not overlook that a vacation doesn’t always need to be a big cost. There are scaled-down trips one can take to continue to keep their sanity while still enjoying themselves on a remarkable vacation. One of the main travel sites to provide great bargains and discounts is Travelocity. They have great deals and bargains and you can even find Travelocity Discount Coupons to make the cost even better. So the next time you’re about to pull your hair out, halt and think of taking a great vacation, even if the funding is constrained.

If you are like many individuals you understand that vacationing is critical for retaining your sanity. You work extremely hard therefore you are worthy of the occasional travel time to ensure you get your sanity again. But a trip doesn’t always have to be really highly-priced. Actually you will discover numerous online resources fully commited to uncovering the very best deals to suit your needs and providing them to you in an uncomplicated understandable structure. Travel web sites will often also offer coupons or promotions. One example is the rather well known website Travelocity will quite often have particular promotions or Travelocity Coupons which will be able to save you lots more money on their presently very low prices. So preserve your sanity and take that getaway you’ve always hoped for.

If you enjoy fishing, the same as I do, well then you need to consider Kayak Fishing. It is a totally new adventure in fishing. In my adventure I was fishing with a colleague of mine when he questioned if I had ever gone Kayak Fishing, I exclaimed no and he swiftly pulled out the kayak which was kept away on his fishing boat. I started from right there and had the time of my life. I seriously advise any and all other fishermen give it a go. I believe you will discover it to be very enjoyable and will want to continue telling your pals about Kayak Fishing!

A camping tent is a vital piece of equipment, even for mere day hikers, for there is no telling when conditions change and shelter becomes imperative! Mother Nature is notorious for being quite temperamental, after all; any forest ranger can share stories of stranded hikers who expected to spend only a few hours in the woods getting lost for a few days due to such surprises as unexpected inclement weather or inaccurate GPS routes.

But a camping tent that is carried along for “insurance purposes” doesn’t have to be bulky, either. Today’s market features a wide selection of ultra-portable designs which are low on weight while still providing a good list of features. But of course, how can one argue over portability where safety’s concerned? Should it be noted that modern tents also come in a large assortment of styles?

Definitely there can be no compromise with regards to personal safety. So always carry a camping tent when heading into the woods! It’s a proven fact that many people overestimate their ability with regards to orienteering. Our modern lifestyles have sheltered us from much of nature’s power, however in the wilds we have been completely at her mercy.

At the very least take a sleeping bag. Yes, technically speaking, you do not need a tent if you have a sleeping bag, and many people prefer to just take along a sleeping bag instead as it somehow feels much more beneficial in comparison. In general, a tent should offer more protection, but it’s better to possess some than none whatsoever so do take one or the other (or both, ideally) with you when venturing forth into the wild. You really don’t want to wind up as being a forest ranger’s latest story! Many lost hikers don’t end up a statistic, there is no reason to take such a chance simply on account of laziness.

A backpacking tent is really a necessity even when you expect to do only a simple hike. I learned this lesson the hard way, personally, and it would’ve been at a great cost were I not lucky enough to have been rescued by volunteer forest rangers who dutifully answered to a midnight call.

My friends and I hadn’t taken any gear at all, never mind a backpacking tent. It was supposed to be nothing more than a quick enough romp up and down a straightforward mountain of modest height, some two thousand feet above ground level and the tallest point in all the region. It was Mount Buck, near Lake George in upstate New York, the busiest tourist attraction around for miles. Yet as luck would have it, it turned out to be a cloudy, then rainy, day (note to self: check weather forecast day-of).

Nevertheless with no backpacking tent, we decided to proceed anyway. After all, we’d traveled up from New York City hundreds of miles, way over three hours by car; we really needed to stretch our legs! But soon it got dark – just like in the movies, fading to black in mere seconds – and we’d thought we were done for. It was literally black, and we made the decision to remain in place so that we do not worsen our predicament.

Luckily, that fateful decision proved to be the right one, as it was through remaining on the trail that volunteer forest rangers, hiking up the trail hours later, were able to fairly easily rescue us. But until that hopeful time, at one or two in the morning, we had to endure the cold – how cold it gets, and how rapidly, in a forest! And so in no way leave home without portable shelter: always take your tent along, no matter what.

The NEMO Equipment tent is the flagship product category of NEMO Equipment, an outdoors business specializing in high-level design and engineering. The business was started by Cam Brensinger while still in school, and was moved after his graduation to its present location between New Hampshire’s gorgeous White Mountains and RISD and MIT, the Rhode Island School of Design and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From the very beginning, the NEMO Equipment tent was destined to put the new company on the map, targeted as it was to bring significant innovation to the market. Early concepts researched the possibility of creating an entire tent from one compound beam rather than sewing them together.

Once successfully developed, the business began hiring its first employees. Its expertise in the field even allowed it to offer consultation on human habitats for lunar and martian exploration! And so, with its credibility thus established, the company branched out beyond the original NEMO Equipment tent to research other designs for an increasingly diverse market of outdoorsmen and women.

The spirit of extreme sports had by then taken hold of campers, hikers, climbers, and trekkers alike, and so the AST range of products designed for extreme conditions was unveiled. Industry accolades poured in right alongside increased sales, and no less than U.S. Navy Seals have endorsed NEMO products for real-world use that’s reliable like no other.

Most recently, NEMO Equipment has been exploring greener products, work that has resulted in the first-ever nearly hundred percent recycled tent, with poles made of bamboo. Product lines have expanded to offer tent accessories and even fan gear, in response to the company’s dedicated following!

Actually, the business is staffed with individuals whose pastimes often incorporate company products. Being avid outdoorsmen and women themselves has surely lent the business invaluable marketing insight.

Bring up marble sculpture and most people will think about some thing like Italian marble statues, such as as Michelangelo’s David or Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. But some of the greatest works of marble are complete buildings themselves, for instance India’s Taj Mahal in Agra, an ancient bustling city on the banks of the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh.

First mentioned in the old Hindu epic the Mahabharata, where it was referred to as Agrevana, or “the border of the forest,” today’s Agra is most famous for the Taj Mahal, Urdu for “crown of buildings.” It’s a marble mausoleum constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtza Mahal.

It’s most likely the most breathtakingly beautiful piece of marble sculpture anywhere, an entire complex constructed to symbolize eternal love. It’s not for nothing that the Taj Mahal is generally found on lists of the seven wonders of the modern world, including one made by polling a hundred million people.

Thus the Taj Mahal attracts anywhere from two to four million visitors each year, of whome about two hundred thousand are from outside the country. This is a significant fact, as admissions are substantially lower for Indian citizens than for foreigners.

The very best time to see this stunning work of marble is during the cooler months of October and November, which are important considerations since a lot of walking can be expected (the entire complex comprises of several buildings and sweeping gardens) on account of the strict pollution controls in place that ban all traffic, except for some electric busses. Polluting the environment is also a serious matter in the area around the Taj Mahal.

Its storied white marble had turned yellow, and now there’s a four thousand and fifteen-square mile area around this UNESCO World Heritage Site where pollution levels are subjected to the strictest standards.

Here’s a novel thing to do in New York as a tourist: personal training. Forget the tourist traps like Zalman Silber’s Skyride; if you want true heart-thumping excitement, how about hiring one of the many attractive personal fitness trainers available for a jog, swim, stretch, or bike-ride around town? Really, there’s no better way to take in the sights than in the same way a native might.

Thousands – no, hundreds of thousands – of New Yorkers exercise each day, whether specifically working out or otherwise enjoying a physically rigorous leisure activity. Why not you? It will be a lot less expensive than the above mentioned Zalman Silber affair. Instead of helicopter flyovers on film (which is all that his Skyride is – and not even “all” at that, but only “some,” to be exact), why not jog past the West Side heliport near the downtown nabe of Chelsea? Or just take a bicycle ride past the USS Intrepid a mile uptown, along the same waterfront, with its fighter jets and other military aircraft permanently parked above deck.

You want excitement? There’s no thrill more visceral than working out with an attractive able-bodied trainer when new in town! Not only will you enjoy the company of someone that’s good-looking, but you’ll also be able to stay healthy. Even if you’re not exercising at all, picking it up for the first time (or after a long while) when in a new unfamiliar environment can be really fun. In fact, it can be so exhilarating that you need to be mindful of checking your own enthusiasm so as to not get hurt, especially as a beginner!

Indeed, organizations like the 50 States Marathon Club were founded to serve people who already have, all on their own, combined fitness and traveling into one unbeatable vacation package. And for many who are retirees, exercise and travel go hand-in-hand every day! It’s a great idea with which almost anyone can participate along.

Obviously, many people have long traveled just to do certain things at, specifically, certain places. Climbing and hiking come to mind immediately; they are probably the pastimes most associated with travel. But there are many sports and otherwise physically demanding activities that can be intimately tied to a certain place. Bicyclists and kayakers are as similarly enamored of particular places as climbers. Surfers and hangliders, too, as these sports depend on conditions that are often most dependable at specific spots.

And so when in New York one may bike, swim, run, kayak, and of course simply walk all over the place. Indeed, it is one of the most versatile cities in the world in this regard, with very free open space in most cases: row or paddle where you will; run or pedal as long as you can. This isn’t news for natives, to be sure, but tourists may be surprised that New York truly has it all, including outdoors life!

The Australian film industry is famous throughout the world for creating some of the most fascinating of cinema anywhere, as well as supplying Hollywood with talent on both sides of the lens. Now we’re not talking Aussie entertainment of the sort that Zalman Silber provides with his Oztrek, mildly entertaining but nothing anyone’s not seen before. No, we’re talking stuff like the Skywalk in Sydney or The Edge in Melbourne – also Zalman Silber affairs – stuff that grabs you.

And so it is that not everything out of the Australian film business is a great piece of art or entertainment, but they are unique when they’re good. Take “Gallipoli” and “The Road Warrior,” or “Crocodile Dundee” or “Romper Stomper.” Now can you imagine films like this coming from Hollywood? Or Bavaria? Or England? Or Hong Kong? Or Beijing? Or Bollywood? Or France or Italy…no.

No, these are Australian all the way through. Not simply because of the cultural sensibilities, but that those cultural sensibilities inform an imagination unlike that anywhere else in its details. On the face of things, with the benefit of hindsight, it seems obvious enough that post-apocalyptic car chases and gun fights must be an entertaining hit with moviegoers. What is it, after all, but the American Western, as transplanted to the Outback and updated for the new millennium? Yet it’s more than that, though an action film through and through with no aspirations toward art’s redeeming values.

Something like “Romper Stomper” is almost uniquely Australian. While Hollywood and Europe have offered its share of serious films, this entry is an art house flick like no other. To be fair, “Gallipoli” does somewhat seem like rather common European art house literary fare, but within the context of Australian cinema at the time it was judged “non-commercial.” (It took three years to find funding for the film as a result, though upon release it was enthusiastically received at home and abroad, resulting in a financial success that helped elevate the reputation of Aussie cinema.)

After such successes, successes which defined the Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival), the film industry on the island continent today is experiencing the most robust period of growth in several decades. Government largess continues, while private companies such as Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Brothers have created state-of-the-art facilities that rival any in the United States. Coupled with much lower production costs compared to Hollywood, it’s no wonder that blockbusters such as “The Matrix” and some of the “Star Wars” installments were made in Sydney. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Tinsel Town’s big bucks continue to poach the most successful Australian talent, on both sides of the lens, creating a never-ending void for the Australian film industry that is depleted almost as soon as it is filled up!

Racing isn’t on the minds of most bicycle commuters, unless they happen to be messengers or deliverymen who, normally, ride to work! And in such cases, it would not be too surprising to find them employing what could pass for ad hoc racing strategies of the sort found in informal alleycat contests.

It may seem surprising that people who have to ride all day, every day, would also ride so fast, especially when not actually on the job but merely commuting there. Wouldn’t such individuals rather take a little break from any type of racing for a while? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to slowly ease oneself into one’s day rather than rushing, rushing, rushing all the time?

Most folks would agree. But for the speedsters, it is all about the speed. For such individuals, it is like how fish need to swim and birds have to fly. It is not so much a conscious choice as an inborn need. If anything, it’s how they warm up for the day ahead.

Of course, the majority of people commuting by bicycle would like to get there as fast as possible, as well. But for them, what’s possible is a lot more limited, in all likelihood, than for the racers who tend to make their living from bicycling all day.

Such individuals have a lot practice, and they’ll have accumulated so much experience. They are almost fearless – and though fear usually lend wings to feet, fear when bicycling, particularly in an urban environment, can be an impediment to speed.

Actually, habitually slow riders tend to be those with no confidence. They’re afraid – and understandably so. But the fear slows them down – not that speed is an absolute necessity for them anyway. The point is that it isn’t a matter of some being fast so much as others being slow.

Unless you have one of them portable Coleman Roadtrip grills, camping food will probably mean something like an MRE, or Meal, Ready-to-Eat. Originally designed for the U.S. military, MREs are self-contained lightweight rations available in a wide variety of flavors. They are also made by other countries for their own militaries, with all the familiar flavors a local would expect!

For instance, MREs for South Korean troops feature such regional delicacies as kimchi, while Italians enjoy beef tortellini; Swedes and Norwegians get cod stew with sour cream and potato, and Poles make do with bogracz (beef goulash). And though soldiers in the field can’t use camping grills for obvious security reasons, thanks to the marvels of modern science MREs now offer hot food flamelessly!

Modern day MREs contain a Flameless Ration Heater, or FRH, that will increase the temperature of an eight-ounce entree by a hundred degrees Fahrenheit in no more than twelve minutes. FRHs use a simple chemical reaction to provide heat sufficient to warm up the precooked contents of an MRE.

The idea is to use the natural oxidation of a metal to generate heat. MREs now reach boiling point within seconds, steaming and bubbling! In ten minutes or so, dinner is ready. As can be imagined, they aren’t anywhere near the power of your least expensive Coleman Roadtrip grills, but they ain’t any person spending the night outdoors.

No, combat cuisine does not compare to camping fare, but it’s not actually that bad, and, frankly, isn’t roughing it part of the overall experience, whether in the military or living out of doors?

Of course, you could just opt to go totally authentic and hunt game and roast it over a campfire spit! But an MRE is really a nice compromise between that and a Coleman grill.

Many will call it dangerous, but there’s no doubt that riding fast, almost racing, in New York City traffic is quite the adrenaline rush. It is one thing to go against another bicyclist – and they are out there, too – but quite another to go against cars and trucks and buses and motorcycles.

Obviously, one doesn’t exactly go against motorized vehicles. You will find no racing strategies for that. It isn’t even a contest. But part from the thrill of riding in heavy traffic comes from the illusion of passing them by. For in heavy traffic, cars can’t go too fast, relatively speaking – relative not only to their true potential but in addition, more importantly, to their true customary practice.

And so the daring cyclist (for it still demands quite a set of nerves) will be able to keep up with them, oftentimes, and taking advantage of lights to bypass car after car after car when cross-traffic allows it. It’s not actually real racing, but it sure feels like it to the cyclist! It’s about the only time anyone will ever be able to pass car after car after car….

You’ll even be able to weave in and out of traffic, too, if your handling skills are good. Situational awareness is also a must. And because it’s rush hour, drivers are arguably all the more attentive: so many cars, so many witnesses….

Needless to say, the streets of Manhattan are fun without cars, too, for instance early on a Sunday morning or, even, late at night when even the revelers have gone home to bed. New York being New York, there will still be motorized traffic on the streets, however at these kinds of times, while you cannot exactly “race” cars, there’s still just the sheer joy in having the streets seemingly all to yourself, relatively speaking.

The Sea Eagle 435ps PaddleSki inflatable catamaran-kayak. Yes, that’s a mouthful – and the boat is quite an eyeful, too! But the included boat seats, even in the “pro” and “ultimate” packages, leave much to be desired. They definitely look cool, all sleek and hi-tech in black, but they do not offer much in the way of comfort, barely supporting a kayaker up!

Indeed, the boat seats included in the cheaper packages, which are standard inflatables, seem to be a whole lot more comfy. Every thing else provided by Sea Eagle makes a excellent impression, however. To be fair, the black high-back seats are supposed to be more performance oriented, and that means comfort was a deliberate second-place consideration. Being closer to the water offers far better stability and much more paddling power.

In the final analysis, it’s performance in the water that really matters, and in this regard the PaddleSki is very great. It tracks well and is very fast, thanks to its length and catamaran-style pontoons, respectively. The pontoons keep most of the boat above the surface of the water, making for less drag.

Stability and speed. Sea Eagle’s PaddleSki offers both crucial characteristics in spades. It is a very friendly craft only marred, perhaps, by the boat seats available for it. Otherwise, it’s a extremely sturdy animal, with excellent handling suitable for fishing or camping trips along the river. By being an inflatable, the PaddleSki is easily stowed away. Regrettably, it weights a whopping fifty or sixty pounds when packed, but seems really light, if a bit unwieldy, when fully inflated.

Accessories consist of such useful items as a side motor mount for electric or gasoline engines and a sliding seat and frame for rowing. Sailing is also possible thanks to Sea Eagle’s sailing rig. They all cost lots of money, however – anywhere from a third to a full half of the price of the most inexpensive PaddleSki package available!

Tourist traps. Designed to wring every last dollar out of you. It’s as if they were thought up to ruin your vacation. And sightseeing rides rank right up there.

Take Zalman Silber’s Skyride in New York’s Empire State Building. With a name like that, you’d think it was up there at the top, where it’s located. Instead, it’s only on the second floor. Moreover, express access to the top – for which you pay an additional fifty percent of the ticket price – is just a matter of skipping a few lines. It’s not as if you go straight to the top. You’ll still have to wait on lines, only perhaps one or two less.

And so what is the Skyride? A movie. A half-hour film. That’s it! Definitely a case where the sizzle sounds better than how the steak tastes.

But Zalman Silber redeems himself with his other attractions, the Skywalk and The Edge. The first amusement is aptly named for sure, essentially a catwalk a thousand feet above street level outside the top of the Sydney Tower in Sydney, Australia. It’s an exhilarating experience where, unlike traditional observation decks enclosed behind glass, visitors walk out onto a metal plank that juts out of the building, creating the breath-taking feeling of being suspended in mid-air!

As can be imagined, wind gusts are quite strong at such a height, and special “skysuits” cable-tethered to support structures are used to ensure guest safety. But the Skywalk is open in most kinds of weather, and available practically the whole year.

A similar attraction is The Edge at the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia. This time, visitors are in a fully enclosed cube that sticks out of the building near the very top, with fully transparent glass all around – even underneath one’s feet! A really cool feature of this amusement is how everything is initially opaque, and only suddenly transparent to create an exciting sense of unexpected suspension almost a thousand feet above ground!

These two are great fun and a must for any to-do list when in Sydney or Melbourne. These are the kinds of experiences that really make vacations memorable. After all, vacations are about more than simple relaxation and getting away from work. They are about experiences – ideally, new experiences, positive experiences, unique experiences. And while such attractions as the Skywalk exist elsewhere, such as over the Grand Canyon in the State of Arizona, there’s only one such thing in Sydney and one such thing in Melbourne, offering stunning vistas outdone only by a helicopter flyover.

So beware the tourist traps and spend your hard-earned dollars instead where it would go the furthest. Patronize only those rides which offer true value for the money!

Being an “agent” generally refers to commissioned sales, and selling is one of the toughest jobs to be found anywhere – and anytime – but what about as a career? Most peopel would really burn out, but the successful ones tend to move into more managerial sorts of positions, which explains how they are able to make an actual career out of sales. After all, it’s tough living on commission-only your whole life, particularly at the lower end of things where one is doing showroom sales of items less than ten grand apiece!

Then there are people like Zalman Silber that are able to parlay their talent for sales into serial entrepreneurship. In fact, selling is the lifeblood of any business, so in a way it’s no surprise that successful salesmen and women should be able to combine that skill with more managerial ones to create their own companies.

But what is this mysterious art of selling that’s so crucial to any enterprise? Is it only a matter of horse-feathering one’s way through a potential customer’s defenses? Do successful salesmen and women lie better than most? What’s the fine line between representing your product or service positively and doing whatever it takes to make your monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly quota?

Believe it or not, it’s basically a lot like the dating game, and it’s no secret that successful sellers – “agents,” if you prefer – also tend to be quite the Casanovas (and whatever is the equivalent term for females). After all, successful selling is nothing more than successful seduction.

Not the way a Zalman Silber would put it, in all likelihood, but it’s possible for people to be very good at something and yet not know exactly why. And the truth is that the same thing which makes one successful at sales is precisely what makes one successful at finding lovers.

It’s all about getting enough information. Think about it. If you absolutely knew that someone wasn’t interested in you – that there would be no chance in hell – would you still waste your time? Obviously not. So the key, whether at dating or selling a product or service, is to get as much information as possible. It is, in other words, a matter of intelligence (pun intended!)….

But we are not telepathic or clairvoyant, however, so the only way to find out is to observe. To really listen. And to ask the right questions – or use the right pick-up lines.

By “right pick-up lines” it isn’t meant some magical quip that will easily open the lady’s heart (and legs!) but questions – or even non-interrogative statements – that allow you to plumb her mind, her soul. The goal is to find out what she wants, and what she’s willing to settle for – to find out what her needs are, and how much she’s willing to pay.

Just like with a prospective customer.

During those bygone halcyon times of console gaming, when a system failed, the oft reaction was to raise one’s hands toward the sky and curse the God’s of each and every pantheon for having smote your system. There was little in the way of diagnostic options leaving most to wonder vainly what affliction had stricken their beloved console, snatching it from this mortal coil. The power would be activated and nothing would occur and there’d be little choice beyond cursing nefarious fortune and her ambiguous design, frequently plunging into a void of existential woe. Nonetheless, with the most recent generation of consoles, there is at least some onboard indicator of what evils have befallen your system, most infamously the X-box 360 and the Red Ring of Death.

One can’t help but wonder if this knowledge has been of greater use to mankind, or if the question of console demise is one best left unanswered, for where tragedy once came like a breath of wind and left as little trace, it now bears a face and a name to be loathed by mortals. Four times divided, each of the ring’s quadrants on the face of the X-box 360 displays a vibrant green hue when in good health. However, when hardware failure or pestilence or an ancient curse has marked a console with its wicked taint, the four lights will glow a hellish fiery red to indicate the source of its ailment. The configurations of these cursed runes are telling of the particular affliction and are interpreted as follows.

When the ring is solely aflame in its southeastern most quadrant, facing the exact same direction as the flight of the migratory birds, the X-box 360 is then victim of hardware failure, the exact nature of which is alluded to only by the apocryphal two-digit sequence of symbols that appear upon the linked display. When the ring is cleft in twain from scalp to groin by the red hue, a excellent fever has taken your console causing its components to overheat.

When cloaked entirely in the Masque of the Red Death, you most likely just forgot to plug the AV cables in, jackass. Or some greater malevolence has seized some vital aspect to your console, for which you may seek the guidance of a soothsayer, an apothecary, or even… Microsoft. But seriously, just check to make sure it’s plugged in. Most feared, nevertheless, among we mere puppets on this earthly stage are the red lights that seize the ring in all quadrants save for that between north and east.

Glance but for only a moment to confirm your sickly apprehensions, then avert thine eyes for what stares back is the eye of the devil whose red gaze will indelibly sear the soul. General Hardware Failure, plight of men and Gods alike and bane of all things good and sacred, has corrupted your X-box. Abandon all hope, for even among sorcerer’s alchemy and mystic’s incantations there is naught that men of earthly constitution can summon.

But one option remains, to turn over your console to the ethereal high court of Microsoft or maybe a trusted third party hardware technician whose tangible connection to the divine can provide the steel of nerve, the authority of conviction, the edge of wit, the fortitude of soul required to perform the ritual exorcism that will rid your X-box of its demons. Please allow two to three weeks for repairs.