Archive for August, 2007

How to Make $15,000 From a Flash Game

Friday, August 31st, 2007

No, this article is not a get rich quick scheme. And it doesn’t involve stealing other people’s work. It is intended as a resource for someone who has made a great original Flash game and wants to make some money from it. The good news is your game doesn’t have to be an Internet phenomenon like Line Rider, flOw, or Desktop Tower Defence to make you some cash.

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Ramps

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

How to Make a Concrete Ramp

Learn how to build a concrete ramp to make your home more attractive and accessible.

article image

by AdobeStock/mrcmos
Guide to Concrete (Creative Publishing International, 2008) takes readers through some of the most popular home concrete and masonry projects. Endorsed by Quikrete, this book includes tips and expert advice that can help readers save hundreds or thousands of dollars in their DIY home projects. The following excerpt is from “Walkways, Patios and Steps” is a great resource on how to build a concrete ramp.


a concrete ramp
Image courtesy of Creative Publishing International

Concrete is a great material for small ramps. It’s strong enough to support heavy equipment and can be made with non-slip surface for sure footing in wet weather. Get the best deals from this small load concrete delivery.

Tools
• Form-building tools
• Concrete mixing tools
• Shovel
• Concrete float
• Concrete edger
• Fine-bristled broom or wood concrete float

Materials
• Compactible gravel
• 3/4 inch exterior-grade plywood
• 2 x 4 lumber
• Wood screws
• Stakes
• Isolation board (if required)
• Vegetable oil or form release agent
• Concrete mix

A simple concrete ramp can be the perfect solution for moving heavy equipment in and out of a backyard shed or for easing the transition between a walkway and a raised patio, driveway, or stoop. Constructing a ramp is much like building a poured concrete walkway or a small slab: you build a wood form over a compacted gravel base, then place the concrete, and finish the surface so it’s level with the top of the form. To create the slope of the ramp, build the sides of the form with pieces of plywood cut at an angle along the top.

The key to shaping the concrete into a slope is to use a stiff mixture; if the concrete is too wet, it will slump down to the bottom of the ramp, seeking its own level. As you fill the form, flatten and smooth the concrete with a float, working from the bottom up. Determining the length of the ramp — and thus the slope — is up to you (the longer the ramp, the gentler the slope). However, if you’re building the ramp for wheelchair access, make sure its dimensions, slope, and nonslip finish meet the requirements of the local building code.

 

 illustration showing measurements for a concrete ramp

Instructions for Building a Concrete Ramp

1. Prepare a subbase for the ramp with 4 inches of compacted gravel. Build the ramp form using 3/4 inch plywood and 2 x 4 lumber. Make sure the side pieces are identical and will sit level with each other across the top.

man using an electric drill to screw together a frame for a concrete ramp
Image courtesy of Creative Publishing International

2. Stake and brace the form securely, checking it for level. If either end of the ramp will meet a walkway, slab, or other permanent structure, attach a piece of isolation board at the juncture.

man using an electric drill to attach braces to a concrete ramp frame

3. Mix the concrete so it’s just wet enough to be workable. Fill the form, and use a float to pat and smooth the concrete as you go, working from the bottom up. Use a shovel to settle the concrete as you place it, and rap the form sides to help create a smooth finish on the sides of the ramp.

man smoothing out the top of concrete in a ramp frame
Image courtesy of Creative Publishing International

4. Round over the edges of the ramp using an edger. Texture the ramp surface for slip resistance by brooming it or using a wood float for the final finishing. Moist cure the concrete for five to seven days. The form can be removed after three days.

man using a broom to texture the top of concrete in a ramp frame

Sling Fire – First Screenshots Released

Thursday, August 30th, 2007

Sling Fire Title ScreenHere’s a sneak peek at our red hot sequel to Sling — Sling Fire! It will have all the fun of the original plus 50 brand new levels of slinging action and new grabs like fiery, lava bugs, fire cannons, rockets, balloons, and more. And you’ll also be able to play as either Sling, or his sister Slingette.

Hosting Companies

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Is important to know that web hosting maintain, configure, and run physical servers that house websites. These host websites and provide internet access to individuals and businesses. For instance, a company like Quicken Loans that provides internet access to its customers may operate a web hosting business, so is great for people that is unemployed and want to create a website, as unemployment in this country have grew so having the right tools is always useful.
These hosting companies have a service agreement with you, but the most common service agreements that are offered are on a per domain basis. For example, let’s say that you purchase a domain name like http://blog.example.com. For most people, this means you will be responsible for the cost of the hosting for the entire domain, and there are options you can find as a wordpress web hosting company are great for wordpress sites. Let’s say that the amount of your hosting costs is $20 a month. If you pay that hosting cost, you will then have $20 per month for your blogging site to spend on marketing.
Some providers will even provide hosting for individual domains, but it’s usually on a per user or monthly billing basis. For instance, if you purchase a domain with all lowercase characters in the name, the hosting company may charge you a monthly fee of $10 a month. So for each of your lowercase letters you spend on your domain name, the company gets $10 a month from you.
However, there is another approach to hosting costs. It’s called hourly billing. You can purchase hourly hosting packages from web hosts who typically offer discounts or free packages for those who purchase hourly hosting. You would pay for hosting on a per hour basis. So if you spend $20 a month on a monthly hosting plan, you would pay an hourly price of $20 for hosting on your domain. Therefore, if you rent your domain name for one hour per month, you could pay $20 for hosting.
However, hourly billing can come with some drawbacks. First, it takes up to 2 weeks for your domain to go live if you choose hourly billing. Secondly, it comes with other drawbacks like the difficulty of upgrading a domain due to increased bandwidth costs. Although hourly billing is less expensive than single domain based pricing, it’s still a small price to pay for having full control over your website.
New hosting companies that offer hourly billing include sitebox.com, Npro.com, cloud.com, and others. These companies typically offer hourly pricing for domains from $0.95 to $99 per hour. For example, you could use Npro.com’s hosting and the company will provide your domain for you for a 1 hour session By choosing this option, you’ll pay only $20 for each hour of hosting or you can start Comparing business broadband to have the best option. That’s a savings of more than a third off a single domain based plan! To find out if a web host offers hourly pricing for your domain, go to their website, click on their name, and then click the Add a New Hosting Account button. In addition, make sure to follow the links on the right side of the page to learn more about their pricing policies.
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