Activity Relaxing Design

Andy Schultz. 

things which take a long time such as growing plants/a feather floating are very relaxing even when caught on a photograph as in our heads is slow traveling giving a sense of pace and there been no rush. 

White Sands by Ballisticvole

this is a Photo of dripping water which can be 

Activity Relaxing Design

Human Resources use grey again but its the photo for me which make the website feel relaxed. Space is a place of wantlessness no noise and it a place of clarity so i feel the picture is where the chilled vibe comes from here. 

Cade Martin Photography purely uses text in a very soft grey and with a soft bluring with makes it less formal and a calming text to read. The main word are in a darker grey which is still soft and the spacing between these words make you say them softly and slowly which is nice and inviting. 

Calm black and white colouring make Subtraction.com a easy viewing and simple website. The picture of the dog lying down also sends a message of relaxation and comfort. 

Offset Media. uses very neutral and calming colours which is easy on the eyes and nice to digest and look at.  i would say this is relaxing graphic design

Activity Relaxing

Questionnaire on Relaxing.

What things do you do to Relax?

Read a book,

Play Xbox/Playstation

Watch TV

Cup of tea

Listening to music

Nap

Go on Facebook

Chill with mates

Have a cigarette 

Play an instrument 

Have a drink

Do you enjoy relaxing?

Yes (19)

No (1)

If no why not?

Can't relax have to keep myself busy.

Activity Relaxing

Effect of Stress which can be cause of not relaxing/sleeping enough

Stress is difficult for scientists to define because it is a highly subjective phenomenon that differs for each of us. Things that are distressful for some individuals can be pleasurable for others. We also respond to stress differently. Some people blush, some eat more while others grow pale or eat less. There are numerous physical as well as emotional responses as illustrated by the following list of some 50 common signs and symptoms of stress.

1.  Frequent headaches, jaw clenching or      pain		26. Insomnia, nightmares, disturbing       dreams
2.  Gritting, grinding teeth		27. Difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts
3.  Stuttering or stammering		28. Trouble learning new information
4.  Tremors, trembling of lips, hands		29. Forgetfulness, disorganization,       confusion
5.  Neck ache, back pain, muscle spasms		30. Difficulty in making decisions.
6.  Light headedness, faintness, dizziness		31. Feeling overloaded or overwhelmed.
7.  Ringing, buzzing or "popping sounds		32. Frequent crying spells or suicidal       thoughts
8.  Frequent blushing, sweating		33. Feelings of loneliness or worthlessness
9.  Cold or sweaty hands, feet		34. Little interest in appearance,       punctuality
10. Dry mouth, problems swallowing		35. Nervous habits, fidgeting, feet tapping
11. Frequent colds, infections, herpes sores		36. Increased frustration, irritability,       edginess
12. Rashes, itching, hives, "goose bumps"		37. Overreaction to petty annoyances
13. Unexplained or frequent "allergy"       attacks		38. Increased number of minor accidents
14. Heartburn, stomach pain, nausea		39. Obsessive or compulsive behavior
15. Excess belching, flatulence		40. Reduced work efficiency or productivity
16. Constipation, diarrhea		41. Lies or excuses to cover up poor work
17. Difficulty breathing, sighing		42. Rapid or mumbled speech
18. Sudden attacks of panic		43. Excessive defensiveness or       suspiciousness
19. Chest pain, palpitations		44. Problems in communication, sharing
20. Frequent urination		45. Social withdrawal and isolation
21. Poor sexual desire or performance		46. Constant tiredness, weakness, fatigue
22. Excess anxiety, worry, guilt,       nervousness		47. Frequent use of over-the-counter drugs
23. Increased anger, frustration, hostility		48. Weight gain or loss without diet
24. Depression, frequent or wild mood       swings		49. Increased smoking, alcohol or drug use
25. Increased or decreased appetite		50. Excessive gambling or impulse buying

As demonstrated in the above list, stress can have wide ranging effects on emotions, mood and behavior. Equally important but often less appreciated are effects on various systems, organs and tissues all over the body, as illustrated by the following diagram.

There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In addition stress can have direct effects on the skin (rashes, hives, atopic dermatitis, the gastrointestinal system (GERD, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis) and can contribute to insomnia and degenerative neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease. In fact, it's hard to think of any disease in which stress cannot play an aggravating role or any part of the body that is not affected (see stress effects on the body stress diagram) or. 

Relaxing

Learning how to relax

Planned relaxation calms anxiety and helps your body and mind recover from everyday rush and stress. Music, a long soak in the bath, or a walk in the park do the trick for some people, but for others it's not so easy. If you feel you need help with learning to relax, try a relaxation or meditation class. Your GP and local library will have information about these.

• Choose a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
• Before you start, do a few gentle stretching exercises to relieve muscular tension.
• Make yourself comfortable, either sitting or lying down.
• Start to breathe slowly and deeply, in a calm and effortless way.
• Gently tense, then relax, each part of your body, starting with your feet and working your way up to your face and head.
• As you focus on each area, think of warmth, heaviness and relaxation.
• Push any distracting thoughts to the back of your mind; imagine them floating away.
• Don't try to relax; simply let go of the tension in your muscles and allow them to become relaxed.
• Let your mind go empty. Some people find it helpful to visualise a calm, beautiful place such as a garden or meadow.
• Stay like this for about 20 minutes, then take some deep breaths and open your eyes, but stay sitting or lying for a few moments before you get up.

Concept Reward Yourself

How to reward yourself without food:

1. Announce your accomplishment to others and allow yourself to hear and soak in the congratulations.
2. Buy yourself some new songs for your mp3 player. A few of my clients have created entire inspirational playlists made up of songs that each represent a specific accomplishment or milestone.
3. Get a pedicure or manicure or give yourself one.
4. Buy some incredible smelling lotion.
5. Give yourself the gift of browsing in a store you never feel you have time to visit. One client I know gives herself a tour of her favorite nursery and dreams about her garden. Another client gifts herself with a trip to the scrapbooking store.
6. Take a nap.
7. Stop in the middle of the day, put your feet up and read a book or a magazine.
8. See a movie.
9. Take a day off—really off. Only do things you truly want to do.
10. Subscribe to a magazine you want. You’ll be reminded of your reward at least once a month.
11. Give yourself a free pass to say “no” to something you wouldn’t normally say no to.
12. Keep a list of items you really want and purchase one when you have a win to celebrate.
13. Sleep in.
14. Get a massage
15. Take a bubble bath

Object Lava Lamps

Today with the creation of Giant Lava Lamps these lamps can be utilized for both decoration and for the lighting effects purposes. There’s an attractive rise and fall of wax in this new huge lamp which appears to be rather amazing. This particular wax converts in to fumes and provides a beautiful look by means of its movements within the water. Everyone wants that their house will look beautiful. Lava lamps were definitely developed keeping in view the interest of people. These kinds of lava lamps are combination of water and wax. The actual wax that is used is in solid form and is available in a number of colors.

The actual wax will likely be denser in comparison with water, but in warmer conditions it’s less dense as in comparison with water. So as they are warmed up the wax actually starts to move upwards within the giant lava lamp. This looks really beautiful. After using the lamp, when it’s turned off, the wax takes 1 hour to get settled down within the giant lava lamp.

So in these Giant Lava Lamps the wax exhibits a fantastic view through rise and fall in the water. The wax is given heat by the normal way that is by a filament as seen in light bulbs. After the usage the actual wax will go down and becomes solid again and the water remains there. And no color is seen again. It takes one hour to get the wax to turn solid and to settle down in the bottom of the glass container.

There’s a significant industry of these giant lava lamps in the world. Currently even people are also making these kind of lava lamps in house, so home manufacturing industry is also increasing. There is no risk involved with producing them and using them also. For the manufacturing of the lava lamp, water and isopropyl alcohol are mixed at the first stage after which mineral oil is also mixed. As the water as well as the mineral oil is to be denser and should have a specific gravity, consequently sodium chloride is also put in it.

If we see these types of Giant Lava Lamps every one can say that these lamps are super easy to make. If we make a in depth analysis regarding how these lamps have been manufactured, it can be seen that the law of conservation of energy has been utilized. It means that there is pure conversion of energy from one sort to another. In these lava lamps the heat energy is converted into kinetic energy.

The big problem currently is definitely the energy crises, most people would like to save hydro bills to save cash. Lava lamps are perfect innovations for this time period. These kinds of lamps can save energy, give maximum light plus add beauty to houses. They are wonderful items designed for decoration.

There are several benefits of these Giant Lava Lamps. We can’t say that there’s a downside of it, but these lamps ought to be made use of with proper care. While switched on, do not shake the lava lamp, this caution has to be kept in mind to save accidents

Object Gravy

Gravy (not to be confused with Italian tomato sauce gravy) is generally defined as a sauce made from meat juices, often combined with broth or milk, and thickened with a starch. It can also be the reduced juices left from cooking proteins such as meat, fish or poultry. Although it is fairly simple to make, many home cooks have a difficult time making flavorful, smooth gravy.

Understanding the process and learning a few tricks of the trade should help you make perfect gravy every time. First, you'll need to determine what type of gravy you want for your dish.

For a lighter touch, stick with a simple pan gravy. If you're looking for a heartier gravy to top a starch such as mashed potatoes, rice or pasta, you'll probably opt for a thickened gravy.

Simple Pan Gravy or Reduction Sauce

Most pan gravies are a simple reduction of the juices left in the pan after the food is cooked. Often a bit of wine or broth is added to the pan drippings, scraping up the cooked pieces from the bottom of the pan, then allowed to cook down and thicken on its own. A dab of butter is often added at the end to give added flavor and a glossy finish. This is the easiest gravy to make and virtually can't go wrong. However, often a more hearty gravy is desired, one that is thicker in texture and creamy in color.

Thickened Gravy

There are several popular thickeners for gravy including flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, and dairy products. The methods differ for different thickeners, but they all basically begin with the simple pan gravy described above. It's difficult to give an exact recipe, since it will depend on the amount of seasoning on the meat and its fat content. However, the measurements do not have to be extremely precise as in baking. You should be able to judge by eye. 

http://homecooking.about.com/od/specificdishe1/a/gravytypes.htm

Concept Reward yourself

Self-discipline is among the most valuable lessons a man can learn, right up there with unfastening a bra one-handed. Unfortunately, today’s demanding society insists that we pack more and more into our already grueling, borderline inhumane schedules. As a result, we have become masters of self-discipline by default, leaving our inept fingers to fumble with tricky clasps a while longer.

Despite adhering to strict budgets, onerous diets and nail-biting deadlines, we still hesitate to give ourselves a hearty pat on the back from time to time. But here’s an eye-opening truth: Even prisoners are rewarded for good behaviour. Rewarding yourself is rejuvenating, inspiring and as necessary as alcohol at a family reunion. If you’ve been spread thin lately, your much-deserved reward is overdue. Give your diligence proper recognition and reward yourself with these four steps.

1- Select A Reward That Applies

We’re familiar with the concept that “the punishment should fit the crime.” Well, the flip side of that is also true. Material or experiential, a reward that nourishes a healthy work ethic will feel less like a guilty pleasure and more like a complimentary breakfast. Here’s what we mean: If you’ve been exercising regularly, the seemingly logical reward would be a night or two of blissful sluggishness, maybe a marathon of reruns on the sofa in place of your usual iron-pumping regimen. However, we implore you not to do this.

Why throw away all those reps at the fitness club? Skip the self-destructive route and reward yourself with decent seats at  Twickenham the next time the rugby is on. As soon as you see a group of dedicated athletes at their physical peak, warming up on the pitch, you’ll be motivated to hit the gym like never before. Better yet, give Martin Johnson a ring and see if he’ll join you for a few rounds of golf at the park. Whatever you decide, giving your reward a positive spin ensures that the effort you’ve exerted will not be diminished by a moment of indulgence.

2- Set A Reasonable Budget

Imagine the expression on your friends’ faces when you tell them you’ve just booked a week-long stay at the Four Seasons in Florence. Now imagine the expression on your face when the mortgage company begins repossession proceedings on your home. Catch our drift? Money blown on something frivolous or grandiose sounds way better prior to moving into your parents’ basement. A reward that makes financial sense acts as a stress-reliever in itself and gives you the freedom to live more comfortably before and after you enjoy it.

Of course, it’s OK to splurge a little on your reward -- that’s the point -- but there are plenty of affordable ways to celebrate your achievements. Concerts, museums, galleries, and tourist attractions ignored by locals are popular for a reason, and not just among the deep-pocketed. They stay busy because their visitors can count on frugal thrills of the same calibre as the more expensive hot spots.

3- Commit To It

The completion of a difficult task is too commonly marked by nothing more than a quick sigh of relief, but your sense of accomplishment shouldn’t stop there. Once you’ve picked out a suitable reward, unglue your face from the storefront window and seal the deal. The simple act of committing via an irrevocable action (i.e., a deposit, reservation, etc.) makes you far less likely to postpone your reward indefinitely. Furthermore, a commitment functions much like a promise to yourself. Fulfilling this promise means you are allocating time to recharge your batteries, to appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made and to make an investment in your own happiness.

Sometimes, it’s easier to back out of an obligation if no one is holding you to it, which is why sharing your reward with another person is another solid form of commitment. Your best friend or girlfriend would be a good choice because if you stand them up, you’ll never hear the end of it. On top of that, someone who’s close to you will be supportive of your persistence and grateful for the opportunity to partake in the special occasion.

4- Get Back To Earning It

Once you’ve locked down your reward, get back to the matters at hand. It makes sense to use the reward as incentive to get you through the day-to-day grind, but listen to John Lennon on this one. He said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” and he’s right. If you’re too focused on payday, you won’t be able to concentrate on the here and now, which, let’s face it, is all you truly have. The last thing you want as you redeem your reward is the remorse of knowing you’ve half-arsed it to the finish line. Until the tape breaks, give it your all.

Rewards Keep You Going

If for no other reason, reward yourself in order to keep on keeping on. It's unreasonable to expect yourself to perform well indefinitely, and in order to keep your morale and your brain in top form, give yourself a break.


http://uk.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_200/233b_4-steps-reward-yourself.html

Activity Listening to Music

Many studies have been conducted to find the deeper benefits of listening to and playing music. From sci-fi notions of increased fetal development to everyday emotional healing, the growing field of music therapy is presenting increasing amounts of evidence that points toward the greater powers of music.

Emotional Benefits

The right song can put anybody in a better mood and soothe emotional turmoil. We all go through our phases, and most people will turn to certain songs to improve their moods. The main reason behind this phenomenon is that music has the ability to verbalize and express our feelings better than any other medium. Additionally, we have favorite songs for particular situations because we tune into the melodies that capture our vibe the best.

To enhance the relationship between your emotional state and music, try creating associations among songs and moods. This way, when you feel a certain way, you will know exactly which song or CD to listen to in order to give you the lift or the calm you need in any given moment.

Music And Exercise

Have you ever noticed how pumped you get when listening to an AC/DC song while doing a chest press at the gym? Now flip your iPod to Nana Mouskouri and take note of how much heavier those plates got. It has been suggested that stimulating music can actually increase muscle tension, while sedative music decreases the muscle tension.

It has also been documented that music can improve motor skills. An experiment conducted on a handful of elementary students proved that children learning basic motor skills such as throwing, catching and jumping while listening to music did better than those who practiced the same exercises with no music. Maybe if MLB players were given some headphones during a losing season, such as the Royals in 2006, they could turn that season around.

Chronic Pain Relief

Music has the ability to ease the perception of chronic pain. In fact, according to a paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, music can reduce chronic pain by up to 21%. The paper reports that 60 patients participated in a controlled clinical trial and were subdivided into two groups -- music and no music.

The results revealed that people who listened to music for an hour each day for a week had improved physical and psychological symptoms compared to those who were deprived of music.

As stated earlier, music can put you in a better mood, which can advance recovery time since a positive-thinking patient almost always recovers better and faster than a patient filled with negative energy. Music shouldn’t be considered a first-line treatment for your chronic pain, but once medical treatment is underway, a healthy dose of your favorite tracks can help ease the suffering.

Better Grades

According to the American Music Conference (AMC), music won’t rot your mind -- in fact, it’s actually good for your thinking-cap. The AMC has cited research that has shown that studying and creating music may help improve your capacity to learn other subjects and get better grades overall.

Apparently, the human brain works very much like musical note patterns. Whether or not the style and depth of the music plays a role has yet to be determined. All we know is that the thought patterns that arise while creating music help increase language learning, math skills and social skills -- among others.

Developed Interaction Within The Brain

Short of mentioning the cortex and the subcortical layers, some research shows that people who play music have a more developed interaction between their left and right sides of the brain.

The experts claim that music functions as an exercise for the transmission of signals in your noggin. These transmissions are used for the activation of other mental duties.

The “Mozart effect” is the most popularly known notion, in which it was demonstrated that listening to classical music, more specifically to a Mozart piano sonata, increased the measured results on the Stanford-Binet IQ test by eight to nine points.

In a similar exercise, rats were exposed to the same music and displayed an increase in their skill in a maze experiment.

Universal Language

An obscure band from Australia, The Cat Empire, once said that, "Music is the language of us all," but there has to be more to music than the simple grooves that accompany our drinking habits while we incessantly try to procreate. And there is: ask any American backpacker what subject comes up when they are at a conversational-standstill with an Argentinean that doesn't speak English -- invariably Led Zepplin, Metallica, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Pearl Jam will be discussed.

The one underlying fact throughout all of the research is that music plays a positive role in many areas of human development. Also, it is unknown exactly what the specific effects of different rhythmic patterns play in each of the areas discussed here. Let’s not forget pitch frequencies, harmonies and arrangements among numerous other variables that make music research difficult to pin point. The world of music is infinite, and establishing patterns in its effects might take a little longer than expected.

Coda

Whether it is fact or fiction, the great powers of music are undeniable. From trying to increase you’re learning ability to simply kicking back to your favorite song with a cold brew, music seems to have a positive effect on absolutely every individual who can hear a harmony.

Object Granny Smith Apples

Granny Smith Apple
Scientific Binomial Name: Malus domestica 
Selection Information

The Granny Smith apple gets its name from its founder, Mrs. Mary Ann (Granny) Smith. Granny Smith apples are crisp, juicy, and tart which makes them perfect for either baking in pies, stewed in sauces or eating out of hand. They're also great in salads because once cut, they keep their color longer than other apples.

Usage: Very good for eating fresh, cooking & salads. They're also the primary ingredient for a Granny Smith Apple pie.

Selection: A Good-quality Granny Smith apple will be firm with smooth and clean skin. Granny Smith apples are a deep green with an occasional pink blush of the cheeks. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. (Do not push with your thumb). It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light. These apples may be less attractive, but the flesh is still good to eat after cutting.

Storage: To store, keep apples as cold as possible in the refrigerator. Apples do not freeze until the temperature drops to 28.5°F.

Avoid: Avoid product with soft or dark spots. Also if the apple skin wrinkles when you rub your thumb across it, the apple has probably been in cold storage too long or has not been kept cool. Grannies occasionally show "russeting," a brownish network at the stem end.

Perhaps the most instantly recognisable of all apple varieties and one of the most widely known, Granny Smith is also one of Australia's most famous exports.

Granny Smith pre-dates the modern approach to apple development and marketing. Like all the best old varieties it has a bizarre history, being discovered in Austrialia in the 1860s as a seedling growing in the remains of a rubbish tip. The true parentage is still unknown but is possibly French Crab. The discoverer - a Mrs Maria Smith (sometimes referred to as Mary Smith but see note below) - found that the apple was versatile for cooking and eating, and was involved in spreading its popularity. In an inspired piece of marketing she called the new apple Granny Smith. By the 1960s Granny Smith was practically syonymous with 'apple' and the variety was used by the Beatles as the logo for their company 'Apple Records'.

Granny Smith was one of the original staple supermarket varieties, and one of the first international varieties, a role for which it was well suited. The tough skin and amazing keeping qualities meant it could easily be shipped around the world. It requires a warm climate to ripen properly, and performs well in the main apple-growing regions of the southern hemisphere.  In the northern hemisphere it is grown in France and the warmer zones of North America.  The trademark apple-green skin requires warm days and nights - we have seen Granny Smiths grown at a relatively high altitude in central France which develop a blush because of the cold night temperatures towards the end of the growing season.

There is only one word to describe the flavour of Granny Smith: acidic. It is an uncompromising crisp hard apple with a very sharp taste. However, served slightly chilled it can also be very refreshing, and works well in salads.  The flavor sweetens in storage. Nevertheless, its share of the international market is on the decline, with supermarkets preferring to sell bi-coloured varieties with a sweeter flavour.

Update: Granny Smiths in Central California, from Axel in Santa Cruz

Here in coastal Central California apples can remain on the tree well into February. Our nights get quite cool, mid 30's to mid 40's, but we rarely experience freezing temperatures. Daytimes are usually in the 50's to low 60's. In that climate, Granny Smiths go from being green to turning completely yellow and looking almost like Golden Delicious. What is more significant is how the fruit tastes. The acidity definitely mellows significantly, and it then takes on an amazing balanced flavor. I can't imagine anyone ever selecting such an apple and promoting it unless they got to taste it in this form, because when it's fully ripe, it's simply one of the best, crunchiest, most balanced table apple I've eaten.

We have several apples growing in this area that are very late ripening, e.g. January and February. Lady Williams, Pink Lady, Hoover, Hauer pippin and Granny Smith all come to mind. These are all essentially inedible in November, and don't become tasty until January, Some will also mellow on the tree, but the BRIX goes way up if left on the tree. Of course, in our climate, some apple trees retain their leaves all the way into January. I have one tree called 'Sweet Valentine' named for the fact that the fruit ripens on valentine's day. It was discovered locally as a rootstock seedling shoot in an abandoned orchard.

It is said that the best apples are the ones that ripen when the leaves begin to turn and fall off. The theory has it that the nutrients that went to the leaves go to to the apples. I've tasted Fujis left on the tree, and they develop an incredibly sweet water core, almost like eating pure honey - too sweet for my taste, but it is a fun experience.

For us, since our apples grow into January, it makes the late apples the best quality apples we can grow. Unfortunately, no one in commercial apple growing cares, because the entire fruit growing industry is bent on only one thing: getting the first fruit to market to get the highest possible price. The end result is that a lot of these amazing late varieties are simply forgotten, or they don't let them ripen properly, as is the case with the granny smith.

Further insight into the origins of Granny Smith from Steve Goard of Sydney, Australia

Granny Smith is my great,great,great,great,grandmother, and her name was not Mary! Her name was Maria Ann Smith, nee Sherwood, (pronounced the same way as diva Mariah Carey), 1800-1870, married to Thomas Smith, 1797-1876. The orchard was located in Eastwood, now in the City of Ryde, Sydney.  It is most probable that 'French Crab' apples were from wooden crates purchased at the Sydney Markets, after selling her produce, to facilitate transporting the next crop of fruit from her orchard (and I would say it was more likely the 'compost' heap rather than 'rubbish tip'!).  Technically it is called a 'sport' which means a reproducing hybrid; the original term dates back to the time of Jane Austen.  And 'YES' they are my favorite apples!!!

Granny Smith parentage - update

We have now had the opportunity to study a French Crab apple tree at the UK National Fruit Collections (thanks to FAST for faciliating this).  The similarity with Granny Smith is quite striking - not just that distinctive green color but also the way the fruits seem to be hidden within the depths of the tree canopy.  We can't comment on the exact relationship, but it seems clear it is very close.

Place Uni Housing (Rosehurst)

Opinion Motorstorm Apocalypse is the best racing game for ps3

MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a 2011 racing 3D video game by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fourth game in the series and the third for the PlayStation 3. It was announced shortly before the beginning of the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 on thePlayStation Blog by Evolution Studios on 10 June 2010.

MotorStorm: Apocalypse was released in Europe on 16 March 2011 but the UK release on 18 March was delayed by Sony Computer Entertainment UK following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The Australian launch went ahead as planned on 17 March, but Sony announced further shipments of the game to that country would be halted in the wake of the disaster. The planned North American release date of 12 April 2011 was delayed by Sony who later confirmed new releases dates of 31 March 2011 in the UK and 3 May 2011 in North America

New vehicles in the game include supercars, superbikes, hot hatches, muscle cars and choppers. Apocalypse is the first game in the MotorStorm series to focus on an urban setting as opposed to natural environments. The city that the Festival takes place in is enduring the throes of a massive natural disaster, causing the man-made structures in the city to visibly deteriorate. As players race through the tracks, the tracks can change in real-time; bridges can buckle and twist, buildings collapse and rifts open up beneath the vehicles as they drive. Players can also customize their vehicles with vinyls, vehicle parts, and modify the vehicle's handling, boosting and offensive abilities through perks. They are able to create and design their own game rules for online tournaments. A new gameplay element is the addition of "air cooling" one's boost. Similar to driving through cool water in Pacific Rift would speed up the rate of boost cooling, releasing the accelerator over a large jump will also cause the boost temperature gauge to drop quicker.


A new challenge in Apocalypse is the introduction of people who try to interfere in the event. The City houses two factions, known as the Crazies and Dusklite, who vie for survival. These groups try to impede the progress of the racers. They loot broken buildings, break into fights on the streets, steal cars and try to slam racers off the road, and attack racers with firearms. A private military company attempts to enforce order and their involvement creates additional hazards for racers to overcome such as an attack helicopter firing missiles onto the track

Review

The good

Cleverly designed tracks   

Destructive events make each race a thrilling experience   

Beautiful visuals   

Lots of multiplayer options.

The bad

Shallow storyline   

Boosting opponents feels weak.

The MotorStorm series has always eschewed simulation in favour of big thrills, chaotic racing, and exotic circuits. In MotorStorm: Apocalypse those elements have been refined to focus on what the series does best. The thrills are bigger, the racing is more intense, and the circuits are intricately designed and breathtakingly beautiful. They're also complete and utter anarchy. Earthquakes tear up roads, tornadoes hurl speeding trains at you, and helicopter gunners do everything they can to turn you into a fiery ball of twisted metal. By destroying the very ground you're racing on, Apocalypse throws up constant surprises that test the reflexes of even the most hardened racing fan, making each race an absolute delight from start to finish.

 don't know why I still do it, but I do: My car gets wrecked; tossed around; ran over; rear-ended out of the winning spot; taken down from a qualifying spot; squashed; or flattened against a highway divider by a monster truck. However the method, I must have watched my chassis explode one too many times on this same race. But after all that, I still hit the X button to respawn my ride in MotorStorm Apocalypse, and go diving back into the fray.In general this sums up a lot of what it feels like to play a MotorStorm game; a series where racing across visually impressive vistas -- and winning -- can come to a shattering halt with one wrong move; all in glorious high definition. Still, as a fun arcade-friendly racing franchise the series has a near excellent resume of finely-tuned roadways that utilize every earthy surface on the planet -- from muddy desert backdrops sparsely filled with Burning Man-esque art, to hot and steamy laps around magma rocks. Up till now, it almost feels like the series has seen it all.

This latest installment from developer Evolution Studios puts racers in the remnants of "The City," a devastated coastal city ravaged by earthquakes, hurricanes, rioters, and even private military companies. The single player campaign, called Festival Mode, builds up your driving skill by forcing you to tackle this backdrop from the perspectives of three different drivers: Mash (the Rookie), Tyler (Pro), and Big Dog (Veteran). All three are members of MotorStorm, a gang of pumped up super drivers looking for fast thrills in the evacuated confines of The City.
As laughable as the context for the story might seem, the apocalyptic vision of a destroyed city by the bay feels very real, and surprisingly, as a space for races, works very well. Each track is littered with half-wrecked buildings, broken highways, and other junk splattered across town (worry not, for there are still branching pathways and shortcuts to discover). And now there are natural disasters, which are the biggest highlights of the new MotorStorm.
Surprisingly, these occurrences make a majority of the environments feel alive and dynamic -- even though all of these same events are scripted. Most of them look and feel like something out of a big budget Hollywood movie; and they have a huge impact of how you race. On a three lap race, for example, laps one and two can be relatively simple with little to no change. But during the third lap, an earthquake can cause two buildings to collapse -- closing off part of a roadway or creating brand new land masses you'll have to dodge. A sequence like this is really fun the first time you experience it, but you'll expect it the second or third time you race the same track. Despite that, these occurrences surprisingly never get tiring even though they happen the same time every time. It's still fun to experiment and find new passages when others have been cut off.

Once you clear the rookie campaign, the kind of skills you'll need to reach a qualifying position for advancement to the next race can then border on omnipresence. And remember, that's just for a qualifying spot (which is usually third place on Pro difficulty). If you're in a race where everybody drives the same vehicle, then the races can be pretty easy. But take into account that MotorStorm tends to purposely pit you against bigger vehicles; so while you speed along on a tiny dirt bike, a Big Rig then comes along, and well, you know the rest. I swear, at one point I thought there was a monster truck with my name permanently printed on his bumper from how many times he ran me off the road.
Hopefully, you can now picture how one-sided some of these races can get; which in turn leads to "bombarded" serving as the best descriptor for the most common feeling you'll have in MotorStorm Apocalypse. You're assailed vigorously by the A.I. You're barraged deliberately by falling debris. But if you're up for the challenge, it's ultimately rewarding when you race that perfect line and survive the innumerable hazards. Carefully maneuvering through dense car crowds (up to 16 at one time) in competitive races, survivor events, and eliminator challenges has to be one of the most exhilarating experiences in a video game -- even if you start to feel like a glorified crash test dummy

Opinion Camo and Krooked are the best D&B Dj's

Camo and Krooked

Camo & Krooked are a Drum & Bass duo from Vienna, Austria consisting of Reinhard Rietsch (aka Camo, Born November 12, 1983 in Salzburg) and Markus Wagner (aka Krooked, Born July 31, 1989 in Lilienfeld)

Camo and Krooked "All falls down"

Year	Single / EP	Label
2008	Play It / Hidden Edge / Drop It!	Basswerk
	Don't Push Me / No More Running	Dirty Habit
	The Access / Close Ya Eyes	Finn People Productions
	Vision / Flash To Flash	Mainframe Recordings
2009	Blackmail / No Nerds Needed	Bezerk
	Blow	Have-A-Break Recordings
	Get Funky / The Fear	Viper Recordings
	Fatman / Toxic	Mainframe Recordings
	Nano / The Unseen	Sudden Def Recordings
	Oh My Dear! / Vampires	Mainframe Recrodings
	Global Warming / No Soul	Uprising Records
2010	Edge Of Mind EP	Beta Recordings
	The Big Rush / Brave New World	Nasca
	Climax / Reincarnation	Hospital Records
	History Of The Future / Verve	AudioPorn Records
	Can't Get Enough / Without You	Breakbeat Kaos
2011	Pulse Of Time EP	Viper Recordings
	All Fall Down / Breezeblock	Hospital Records
	Change Me	Hospital Records
	Make The Call / In The Future	Hospital Records

Both Rietsch and Wagner have been producing music since 2002. They met at one of Rietsch's gigs and collaborated to form Camo & Krooked in 2007. Their first release was in 2008 with Play It / Hidden Edge / Drop It!.

Due to Camo & Krooked success with Above & Beyond released in February 2010, they won Best Newcomer DJ's at the 2010 Drum & Bass: Arena Awards, and put out two mixes for BBC Radio 1‘s Annie Nightingale, Fabio & Grooverider. Grooverider later quoted that Camo & Krooked are “one of the biggest talents in Drum & Bass”. Both of these mixes bring to the table Camo & Krooked‘s usual varying sub-genres of Drum & Bass.

Camo & Krooked were signed by Hospital Records on the December 4th 2010 to join the likes of Netsky, High Contrast and Danny Byrd and are due to release a second album, later in 2011 which will be their first long play album on Hospital Records.

On 3 June 2011, Camo & Krooked released their first single from their upcoming album, "All Fall Down / Breezeblock" ventured into new genres for them into the realms of Dubstep, "All Fall Down" reached number 97 on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the UK Dance Chart.

During 2011, due to the success and the release of "All Fall Down" and there growing Discography of songs, they played live at Festivals throughout Europe. Some of these gigs were alongside big names of the genre like Chase & Status & Sub Focus, They performed at theRelentless's Nass festival and also at the Global Gathering festival, both in July 2011. In addition, they also headlined the Strongbow stage at the V Festival in August 2011.

The second single of Camo & Krooked's second album, "Make The Call" was released on 12 September 2011 with "In The Future" as the second track. "Make The Call" is due to be their last released single prior to the album's release in the latter months of 2011, which in August 2011 was revealed to be named "Cross The Line" yet a release date has not been announced. The Album will be available on 12″ Vinyl, CD and by Digital Download, the album will be available for pre-order on iTunes soon.

Having signed exclusively to Hospital Records earlier this year, Austrian duo Camo + Krooked step up with the first single in the build up to their debut long player, and in doing so secure their status as one of the hottest things in D+B / dubstep right now.
Renowned for their turbo charged DJ sets, high octane slammers and dense, energetic production style, Camo + Krooked a.k.a Reinhard Reitsch and Markus Wagner are undeniably a force to be reckoned with
on the dancefloor.
Dubstep reigns supreme on A-side All Fall Down - a searing 140bpm banger with a trancey intro, bellowing synths and glossy vocal input by John B collaborator Shaz Sparks. An anthem in the making, All Fall Down brings together the classic Hospital hands-in-the-air factor with huge hooks, crushing snares and murky bassline pressure to
enormous effect.
Encapsulating the Camo + Krooked sound in a nutshell, flipside Breezeblock brings the tempo back up to 175bpm with a concrete slab of electro-breakbeat madness full of switches, accelerating synths, textured SFX and white noise mayhem aimed squarely at the dancefloor.
Adding to the mounting anticipation surrounding their album release in the autumn, these are two tunes that cannot be missed!

Camo & Krooked - Make The Call 

After blasting onto the Hospital map with their first single – "All Fall Down / Breezeblock" – Camo & Krooked are back with another couple of brilliant balls-out belters in the run up to the release of their album – “Cross The Line" – later this autumn. 

This double A-side single shows the breadth and brilliance of Camo & Krooked’s sound as well as showcasing two of the UK’s hottest vocal talents.

Camo & Krooked's New album Cross the Line released soon. 

Above and beyond , a new LP by Camo and Krooked  recently released onMainframe recordings (February 2010) contains fabulous fast beats and sophisticated breakz. I was constantly listening the album yesterday and surprisingly  gave me what I needed it to have a good mood all day. The album contains 14 fresh tracks which  I rather believe you must listen carefully.

I was surfing on the internet , searching for other  immpressions and opinions , especially reading forums etc.. and I found out that the people are “divided” in two different groups : those people who love the album already  and the people who were not really immpressed. In any case it would be nice if you have a carefull “audition” . You can find a previous article of this blog concerning  Camo and Krooked here. You can buy this album as well as listen a preview frombreakbeat.co.uk