Looking for some ASCII Art? Well, you have one example above. But what is ASCII Art? In layman’s terms, ASCII Art are pictures or images created using ASCII characters. What is ASCII or what are ASCII characters? ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange or in other words the characters you see on your keyboard (plus others that are not). Here is a sample of ASCII characters:

So in other words ASCII Art are just images that are created using those characters. It takes a lot of creative power to do so and if you have that, then feel free to play with this type of art.

You can find more ASCII Art here.

[image from http://pingmag.jp + http://upload.wikimedia.org]

When in need of quick cash, one of the most popular ways to raise money is by having a garage sale. Not only will you have money in no time, it would also have cleared your home of unnecessary clutter thus killing two birds with one stone. Using the same concept, the State of California has announced its own garage sale and what they call the Great California Garage Sale.

According to the Terminator, oh I meant Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, items will be sold for auction online on Craiglist and on eBay. Items for sale would range from cars to laptops and phones to pianos and many more. If you have the money, autographed cars will also be auctioned.

Images of items for sale can be found here, while the list of items for sale here.

[image from http://farm3.static.flickr.com]

Do you have a dog? Do you use wormshield to prevent heartworm disease and to treat and control ascarid and hookworm infections in dogs? Well there is news that some have their wormshield being recalled. Why?

The reason for the recall was there was a chance the medicine’s potency wouldn’t last to the expiration date. They also said that 51-100 pound tablets are being recalled and that it is not strong enough for dogs that are 75 pounds or more.

But don’t worry. You just have to bring your dog back into the Banfield you went to, be retested and new medicine will be given with no extra charge. You can call their main number 1-800-838-6738 ext. 1803.

[image from http://www.schuylerproducts.com]

Are you ready for the upcoming end of world events? Have you done your part to make sure you survive the end of the world on 2012? If not, then this is your chance (your only chance) of survival. The Institute for Human Continuity has it all planned for you (and a handful of human survivors). For what?

Come 2012, a drastic increase in electromagnetic activity will catalyze a devastating disruption of the Earth’s ecosystem causing annihilation of humanity. And as if adding insult to injury, on December 21, 2012, the Sun will be at the center of the Milky Way galaxy (or what they call the Galactic Alignment) and will amplify the Sun’s gravitational pull on the Earth causing increased instability within its core layers. Rapid core velocity will result in massive earthquake making the Earth disintegrate from within inside out. And if that’s not enough a rogue planet called Planet X will hit the Earth with such force creating another major global catastrophe.

The IHC has also taken the liberty to look for a leader as early as now so that once these catastrophes have striked the Earth, humanity will find its way from dark chaos to organized humanity. Sign up now and you might win a trip to the Mayan Ruins in Cancun or a Playstation 3 or a Sony Webbie camera.

If you believe everything that I have said above, don’t. The IHC was created as a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming 2012 movie. Watch the trailer below:

If you want to know more about the IHC, watch the 2 videos below:

[image from http://quovadisblog.com]

Looking for a Volkswagen Shirako? Well, from what I’ve heard the VW Shirako is also called the VW Scirocco and if you are looking for a photo or image of it, it is the one above.

The word shirako came from the Italian word sirocco, which means the wind. So I guess what they are trying to convey here is that this car is as fast as the wind!

The production of this model was announced by the company in June 2006 at its assembly plant in Auto Europe. In the Paris 2006 auto show, a concept car was displayed sampling this model. The main feature of the Shirako model is its one diesel and two petrol engines.

[image from http://cdn.volkswagen.co.uk]

Just when you thought you’ve heard it all comes another government program that you hope would help you in this down economy. Yes, welcome to the Cash for Refrigerators stimulus program! Well, not just refrigerators but other household appliances as well like washing machines, dishwashers, etc… Thus you might also want to call it the Cash for Appliances program.

This program is similar to the Cash for Clunkers program in that you get a discounted price for your appliance. However, the main difference would be there would be no trade-in required. Starting late this fall, you could get a rebate of $50 to $200 for buying a new, more energy-efficient appliance or more specifically, Energy Star-certified machines.

As before, not only is this program designed as an economic stimulus, it is also designed to help save the environment by replacing those old non-energy efficient appliances. Check out the benefits of having an Energy Star-certified refrigerator (this is just for starters, there are different benefits for each appliance…) as outlined in the energy-star website:

• Slash your energy bills.
  ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators are required by the U.S. Department of Energy to use 20% less energy than models not labeled with the ENERGY STAR logo. Choose a new qualified model rather than a non-qualified model and cut your energy bills by $165 over the lifetime of your fridge.
• Replace your old fridge for bigger savings.
  If you still have a fridge from the 1980s, replace it with an ENERGY STAR qualified model and save over $100 each year on your utility bills. Replace a fridge from the 1970s and save nearly $200 each year! Use the ENERGY STAR Savings Calculator to find out exactly how much money you’ll save by replacing your existing refrigerator.
• Get the latest features.
  You can find the ENERGY STAR label on the most advanced refrigerators in a variety of designs, including French-door, side-by-side, bottom-mount freezer, and top-mount freezer. Many ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators use innovative drawer designs and improved temperature controls to keep your food fresher, longer.
• Protect the environment.
  Nearly 70% of U.S. electricity is generated with coal and natural gas, which release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators use less energy and help us reduce our impact on the environment.

[image from http://www.subzerorepairlosangeles.com]