We miss the SVT Lightning, the most entertaining pickup ever to bolt off an assembly line. Ford offered the hot truck in two generations: Model years 1993 through ’95, and ’99 through 2004. A cool concept for a third-generation edition was presented at the 2003 North American International (Detroit) Auto Show, but for a variety of reasons Ford never followed through with production.

The first-gen Lightning was powered by a 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Cleveland V-8 tuned to 240 horsepower and mated to a four-speed automatic. While it wasn’t as quick as GMC’s turbocharged Syclone compact pickup, Ford SVT’s first production effort did drive well while maintaining full F-150 towing and hauling capabilities. Since only 11,563 Lightnings were sold over three model years, this truck is on the verge of being highly collectible.

After a three-year break, SVT launched a larger and more potent Lightning for the 1999 model year based on the 10th-generation F-150 pickup. A supercharged 5.4-liter Triton V-8 delivered 360 horsepower, later increased to 380 hp, again delivered via a four-speed automatic. While chassis upgrades even further upped handling capabilities, this truck’s claim to fame was all-out speed. Guinness confirmed its 147-mph top end, making this Lightning the planet’s fastest pickup. While the six-model-year production volume of 28,124 Lightnings dented the second generation’s exclusivity a bit, these trucks are still highly sought after.

At the 2003 Detroit auto show, Ford celebrated its 100th anniversary with an all-new 11th generation F-150 pickup for the 2004 model year. The tantalizing sideshow was a new SVT Lightning concept boasting several amazing touches. An independent rear suspension borrowed from the Ford Expedition was tuned for ultimate on-road handling. Huge Brembo-vented and cross-drilled disc brakes smiled through 22-inch six-spoke aluminum wheels. Under a scooped hood, a 5.4-liter V-8 was endowed with 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque, thanks to an Eaton supercharger. A Tremec T56 stick-shaft tranny contained six forward gears.

The most interesting feature Ford previewed was a device called Super Cooler using the truck’s A/C system to lower the temperature in a coolant tank to 30 degrees F. On demand, the chilled fluid would be routed through the supercharger’s intercooler to remove 20-percent additional heat from the incoming air. SVT boss O.J. Coletti was granted U.S. patent 6006540A for this clever invention in 1999. Naturally, it was nicknamed ‘Cool-etti.’

Unfortunately, Lightning never struck three. Coletti offers insight why: “The new F-150 platform was several hundred pounds heavier than its predecessor. To fulfill our internal requirement to make each new SVT better and more capable than the outgoing model, we would have needed another 100 horsepower. While the Super Cooler helped meet the power requirement, the automatic transmission we had in mind lacked sufficient torque capacity. We presented the concept vehicle with a manual transmission, but SVT’s consensus was that the stick was less than ideal for a production model so we placed the program on hold. I am glad that FCA confirmed the Super Cooler’s worth by adding a version it calls Power Chiller to their 840-hp Challenger SRT Demon.”

By the time FCA took advantage of the technology in 2017, Ford’s patent had expired.

After Coletti left Ford, his successors reopened the Lightning portfolio. Ford engineer Eric Zinkosky told a Motor Authority journalist, “In 2006, we started looking at a performance truck built on the new F-150 chassis. It would have required ample power, huge tires, and monstrous brakes. All that posed a huge challenge. To stop a fast-moving truck on a road course, six-piston Brembo calipers would have been required. This drove us to the conclusion that a big, heavy performance truck made little sense.”

Ford’s Global Performance Vehicle Chief Engineer Jamal Hameedi then stepped in to steer the effort in a more fruitful direction. Zinkosky explained, “None of the original equipment makers were offering a high-performance truck aimed at off-roading. Ford seized that opportunity, resulting in the SVT Raptor which arrived in the 2010 model year to high acclaim.”

So, in the world of performance car and truck engineering, when one concept stumbles, there must always be another clever idea to take its place.

Be sure to check out the new 'Forum' link at the top of the page. It leads to a new integrated BBS that I think will be a good addition to the site.
[Submitted by Helladamnleet]

( I don't condone the use of these methods, this is for education purposes to expose several flaws in the fast-food industry that are prevalent not only in my location, but at other locations and other chains.)



Kind of funny, I'm typing this while getting ready to go work at Taco Bell.

Ok, here I'm gonna talk about how to get free shit from taco bell, some of these might apply to other fast-food places, but others might not. I know all of these methods from working there, and, at least at my location, they all work.
NOTE: pulling ANY of these tricks during rush hour (when the restaurant is busiest.) will greatly heighten your chance of success. for taco bell, rush hours are usually 5-8 pm and 12-3 pm, it can vary, however.

I'M LISTING THESE IN ORDER OF MOST TO LEAST RELIABLE

1: Counterfeit Caper

For our coupons, employees don't scan them or anything, we just rip them and put them in our drop-box. you can either snag some coupons and run (they'll probably be behind the register.) and then go to another location and use them, or you can make your own,
NOTE: for our coupons we use a special paper right now, not sure if it changes, but if you can snag a stack of these, you can go to another location and use coupons for 15$ of free food!
NOTE 2: Don't use more than 10 at once, it will make you look suspicious.


2: Ring-Ding-Ding!

Ok, this is easily the 2nd most reliable method, as it doesn't involve face-to-face interaction for the tricky parts. All you have to do is call-in to the restaurant and say that you had hair in your food or something along those lines (Don't call in saying that they missed something, sometimes they remember the food they make really well ngl.) The person on the phone will probably tell you that they are "sorry" and that you can get you're order redone or something like that. they will tell you their name and that when you come back to let the order-taker know that you spoke to (Employee's name). they will just tell you to pull around to the window, and presto! free food!
NOTE: Try to sound disgusted and disappointed
NOTE 2:don't directly ask for coupons or a remake or anything, their response will be to tell you how they will make up for their, "mistake".


3: The "Oops" method

Ok, for this method, all you need is an empty taco bell bag (get a 1$ item idk.) after you get the bag, wait a minute or 2 and then go back into the restaurant. walk up to the counter CONFIDENTLY and look the cashier straight in the eyes. tell them that you are missing an article of food, whether it be a cheese roll or a crunch wrap. they will probably make it for you.
NOTE: if they ask to see the receipt, bolt.
NOTE 2: if you walk in with a receipt for the food you just ordered, you can bluff with it. sometimes, the cashier won't even bother to read the receipt to see if you actually ordered the food you claim to be missing, they just assume that you are telling the truth and that the receipt is proof.
NOTE 3: you can order something, take it outside, plant a hair in it, and take it back in complaining that there was hair in your food. bam. this is much easier, but sometimes managers won't give.


4: Get the fuck out of my drive-thru!

This will vary depending on location and who's working, but what I am going to say next is the foundation for alot of these methods: THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU SPEND IN THE DRIVE-THRU IS TIMED. THE SHORTER THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO GET SOMEONE OUT OF THE DRIVE-THRU, THE MORE MONEY THE MANAGERS GET.
For this method, you only need yourself (in a car works better.) come through the drive-through and only order a fountain drink(NOT A COFFEE NOT A FREEZIE NOT FOOD ONLY A SINGULAR FOUNTAIN DRINK.) they will probably tell you to pull around, and, if they need their average time to go down, they will give you it for free. This helps both parties, you get a free drink, and they get their Average car time at a lower number!
NOTE: the best chance you have for this to work is during rush hour.
NOTE 2: A SINGULAR FOUNTAIN DRINK.
NOTE: This can work if you are ordering inside, too. They'd have to be really busy though.

5: Dumpster Diving.
You won't find much doing this, unless you get in the dumpsters when they close, so probably around 1-3 AM. even then, what you get will be old or mushed in garbage bags.


Alright. laddies, i leave for work in 5, so Ill see you next time! :evil:
( REMEMBER THAT ALL OF THESE METHODS ARE NOT 100% FOOLPROOF, ALL OF THEM ARE GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE STATE OF THE RESTAURANT AND IT'S EMPLOYEES.)

The computerized voice coming from the parked white motor home loudly asked people to evacuate and warned that the vehicle would explode in minutes.

Then at 6:30 a.m. local time, it did just that.
The RV's explosion in downtown Nashville early Friday morning left at least three people injured, set several other vehicles on fire, destroyed a number of buildings on the block and knocked out wireless service in much of the region.
The how and why of the explosion remain a mystery on Saturday, but officials said they are confident the explosion was "intentional." Still, the Christmas date, the early morning timing and the unusual warnings broadcast on loudspeaker prior to the explosion indicate that this was no attempt at mass murder.
"It was clearly done when nobody was going to be around," Nashville Mayor John Cooper said Friday.
No bystanders died from the blast. However, investigators found tissue that they believe could be human remains near the site of the explosion, Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake said.
The blast tore into at least 41 businesses on 2nd Avenue in Nashville, a street full of historic buildings. Concerned about the structural integrity of the affected buildings, the city cordoned the area off and won't allow anyone in until Sunday afternoon.
"It will be some time before 2nd Ave is back to normal," Cooper said.

Several local residents told CNN they woke to the sound of gunfire early Friday morning. Police said they were called to the location after a report of shots fired around 5:30 a.m.
Once on scene, police found a white RV parked in front of an AT&T transmission building at 166 2nd Avenue North. The RV was repeatedly broadcasting a message warning of an explosion set to occur in 15 minutes, police said.
"This vehicle will explode in 15 minutes," the voice said, according to Betsy Williams, who was staying at an apartment on 2nd Avenue. After repeating that message for a minute, the voice then said the vehicle will explode in 14 minutes, and continued counting down from there.

Six uniformed police officers who heard the message, immediately began knocking on doors and evacuating residents. Mayor Cooper praised them as heroes and said their swift action saved lives.
As the countdown grew closer to its end, the message from the RV changed, according to surveillance video taken from a building across the street.
"If you can hear this message, evacuate now," the voice said at about 6:30 a.m. "If you can hear this message, evacuate now."
The vehicle then exploded in a bright flash of light.
Three civilians were hospitalized and are in stable condition, officials said. The force of the explosion knocked down one officer, police spokesman Don Aaron said, and caused hearing loss in another. But no officers suffered serious injuries.
Officials have no information about whether anyone was inside the RV when it exploded. Police also tweeted a photo of the RV as it was driven into the area at 1:22 a.m. Friday.


Williams, the eyewitness, told CNN she was in her car with her family when the RV exploded into a fireball.
"Everything just, I mean, everything shook. It was quite the blast," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
'This vehicle will explode in 15 minutes.' Witnesses describe surviving the Nashville explosion
'This vehicle will explode in 15 minutes.' Witnesses describe surviving the Nashville explosion
Three cars were set afire. Trees were down. Bricks and glass were everywhere. Another resident said the scene of destruction was like an apocalyptic movie.
AT&T spokesman Jim Greer told CNN that the company's network hub in the city was damaged in the explosion and service in the Nashville area was affected. AT&T is the parent company of CNN.
The street is on the edge of Nashville's hospitality and tourist district in a historic part of town.
Technical experts from the FBI lab and evidence response teams have been brought in from around the country to "help process this massive crime scene," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt Foster.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Mickey French said his agency had activated its national response teams and was working alongside the FBI and Nashville police. The agency has explosive specialists, chemists and engineers involved in the evidence recovery process.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from everyone at New Totse.

Recently users have been reporting ads appearing on YouTube videos despite the use of adblocking softwares. In addition to these ads being visible, they are also unable to be skipped, and in some cased the videos are unable to be watched at all.


Personally I feel like this could be the final nail in their coffin, or at least the beginning of the end.
[Submitted by Helladamnleet]

More details here: https://www.libretro.com/index.php/hacker-vandalised-our-buildbot-and-github-organization/

The short version is that the file hosts for all the core updates & the netplay servers are down thanks to some hackers. Helluva time to have a hankering for new cores :/

Imahara died on July 13, 2020, at the age of 49 after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm . He shall be truly missed by many.

Jailhouse Burritos are a staple in any half-decent jail, because they are easy to make with simple to find ingredients. All you need is a Ramen noodle for a base, and your favorite chip.

Crush up the ramen and your chip of choice. It's important that if you are in jail to not puncture the chip bag, as you'll need it to make the burrito. Most people use cheetos because they swell. Add just enough hot water to stir everything up. Wrap it in a towel, let it set for as long as you can stand to wait, and enjoy. You'll know it's done when it's compressed like the contents of a burrito, hence the name.

Revision 1: Make sure you add 1 noodle per chip used, or the chips will overpower the noodle and make it taste like garbage.

Things I've done that have worked:
- Instant coffee packets will make it spicy
- Cheetos
- Corn chips
- Sour cream and onion chips
- Cheddar chips (they take on a real good sour cream taste

Ever think to yourself, man I wish I had a skeleton without all that pesky meat on it. Well now you can! Introducing the Dermestid. You've probably seen these little flesh eating beetles around and never given them much thought. And why would you? They don't bother anyone, they don't eat living or wet meat, and are generally harmless. They can do some damage to leather and carpet if they are left unchecked. These little buggers are use by museums and taxidermists to efficiently clean the meat off a skeleton. This skeleton can be anything, human or animal. Some people think bleaching the bones is a good idea and while that creates white bones, it also makes them brittle. Some people like to boil the meat off the bones and while that works, it often creates yellow bones that aren't pleasing to look at.

What you want to do is get a Dermestid colony and set them up. There are charts to see what size colony you need for the size of skeletons you want to clean and how long it will take. A skull for example.

Requires you to remove all the heavy meats such as the tongue, eyes, and brain. Then you have to let the meat dry for a time to get a nice jerky consistency. You can do this artificially with drying rooms or you can just leave it in a warm, dry place. Be warned though, you will attract flies and that's not the kind of crowd you want doing your taxidermy work. After the meat is dry, you just toss it in the colony making sure you don't crush any of your workers. They will go to town on it and within a few days, depending on the size of the object, it will be clean. After that you clean any bits that the bugs didn't and dunk it in peroxide. Leave it there for a few days and it will whiten the skull without making it brittle.

The bigger the carcass, the more bugs you need. The bugs themselves need a few small bones here and there to live in along with some sort of substrate type material. Your best bet is to do this outside away from your home and to lock it down tight. The smell of dead animals will attract all sorts of scavengers to your box.

Side note:

You can feed a lot of chickens cheaply with maggots. Take a bucket and drill a bunch of holes in it and then fill it up with rotten animals. Flies get in and lay eggs and maggots are born. Then dump the maggots out for the chickens.

By Das Troll