The Most Outrageous Before and After Photos You Have EVER Seen

Before and after photos are the best. They are ageless proofs of certain changes, and the bigger those changes are, the more excited we all get about them! The thing is, we all change, all the time. Even our cells are dying and being replaced all the time, which means that we change from the within too, even though these changes are not as visible. However, there are some changes that are more visible than others, and we’re not only speaking about people and their faces! These changes are actually so visible, and they happened so many times throughout the history, they are even shocking sometimes! That’s exactly why we decided to make a list of the most outrageous before and after photos you’ve ever seen.

1. Wow! Dubai has certainly gone a long way from being a small, desert city to being the most expensive city in the Middle East. By the 1960, Dubai’s economy was mostly based on trade. However, ever since oil was discovered, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates accelerated its development. Today, Dubai is the center of tourism, real estate, financial services and it is definitely iconic for its skyscrapers and infrastructure. Naturally, before and after photos of Dubai are fascinating.

Source: www.sacramento.cbslocal.com

2. For the last four years, California has been going through an extreme drought. The severe drought has left California’s valley fields and lakes bare and dry, and as farmers watch their crops die, the water supplies have been in shortage as well. Warnings have been issued and water-wasters are facing fines up to $10,000, but still, the environment has changed a lot, and residents of the most affected cities need to adjust their lifestyles to new conditions. One of the “victims” is Lake Oroville.

3. New York went through one of the biggest transformations in the history of the city from the early 1980’s until the 2000’s. The rebirth of Wall Street during the 1980’s made New York the center of the worldwide financial industry. This trend remained through the late 1990’s, when the city benefited from the success of the financial sectors, such as Silicon Alley. Naturally, the financial growth was followed by more buildings and generally, big changes in the city’s infrastructure. This before and after photo of Times Square shows the change that lasted for 30 years.

Source: www.imgur.com

4. Christian Bale is definitely one of the most popular, but also, iconic movie stars in Hollywood. He is also the living proof that actors sacrifice a lot if they want to show the world how serious they are about their career. Christian proved many times that he is physically ready to change himself for the role- and he did it successfully every single time. Over and over again, Christian shocked us with his incredible weight loss or weight gain and obviously, with his before and after photos.

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Supercomputers reach 100 petaflops

In 2013, China's Tianhe-2 became the fastest supercomputer in the world, achieving 33.8 petaflops, with a peak performance of 54.9 petaflops. It was nearly twice as powerful as its nearest competitor, the "Titan" machine at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, United States. Tianhe-2 showed great success in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), scramjet combustion and other aircraft simulations. Other research areas included genomics (population genetics) and biomedical applications. It continued to maintain the top spot for the next few years, with no other challengers, leading to concerns over a possible stagnation in the progress of supercomputing speeds. This was further compounded by trade restrictions – imposed by the United States government – which prevented China from using Intel's chip technology for upgrades. However, this actually boosted China's own processor development and production industry.

Tianhe-2. Credit: O01326 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons



In 2016, Tianhe-2 received an extra 45 petaflops, thanks to a novel system architecture developed within China. The machine was renamed Tianhe-2A and became the first supercomputer to demonstrate a peak performance of 100 petaflops, or 100 quadrillion floating point operations per second.* Alongside this upgraded version was a second machine, known as Shenwei-x. This too was capable of 100 petaflops. Both machines would reign at the top of the list for only a short while, however, as the United States was regaining its lead in supercomputer research. A project called "Aurora" was being developed at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (180 petaflops), along with IBM's "Summit" (150 petaflops), the latter having an optional upgrade to 300 petaflops. This would be followed by the first exascale computers (1,000 petaflops) towards the end of the decade.
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Updated: iPhone 7 release date, rumours, news, specs, price and everything you need to know

Forget the iPhone 6S, that's old hat now, it's all about the iPhone 7.

The first mutterings of a possible iPhone 7 release date have already reached our ears​. Yes, yes, we're fully aware that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are only a couple of months old, but the rumour mill has already started to churn – just don't shoot the messenger, alright.


Given the fickle, impatient nature of the tech industry and our insatiable need for something faster, thinner and with a new design – something the iPhone 6S lacked – the iPhone 7 is already being tipped as one of the most eagerly awaited additions to the 2016 smartphone roster. Despite being set to host increased storage and a new, super zoom camera, it might not appease everyone, with claims it will ditch the headphone port - yes, really.

So, what exactly can we expect from the iPhone 7 other than a potentially early launch? Well, read on to find out and bookmark this page as we'll continue to update it with all the latest iPhone 7 rumours, leaks and announcements moving forward.

iPhone 7 release date: When can we expect it?

iPhone 6S vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Which flagship phone is best?

If you're putting off that overdue upgrade until the iPhone 7 drops, we've some bad news for you; you've got one hell of a wait ahead. Probably the better part of a year. That's right, at least 9 more long months, more than 250 sleeps of waiting as rival handsets – such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 – come and go, tempting you along the way.

Although Apple is currently holding its iPhone 7 release date cards close to its chest – and will likely continue to do so right up until the brink of unveiling – the company's past smartphone launches can give us a sign of what's to come moving forward.

Over the past five years – ever since the iPhone 4S, Apple has unveiled its latest smartphone wares in early September, bringing the devices to retailers' shelves just a few weeks later. As such, there's little reason not to expect the iPhone 7 to formally enter the realms of reality in September 2016.

There have been claims from mooted supply chain sources that the iPhone 7 release date will be pushed forward to early summer, but we'd take these with a pinch of salt for now. This might be pure conjecture right now, but one thing we know for certain is that you're not going to have this device filling your pocket anytime soon, sorry, folks.

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Lady Gaga Announces Plans For New Album To Come Out This Year

Could this be the year of Gaga? It sure seems that way when she started the year off right at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

After the award show Lady Gaga briefly talked about a new album release sometime this year, but there is no word on when it will officially be released — for now.


Lady Gaga told reporters backstage at the Golden Globes on Sunday that, “I am putting out an album this year. I won’t tell you when, but it is coming out this year.”

Will it be like her 2013 'Applause' album, or more subdued to go along with her latest appearances. 2014 was Gaga’s last album that collaborated with Tony Bennett called ‘Cheek to Cheek', which featured more classical jazz duets.

Lady Gaga gives her first Golden Globe a kiss after the award show

via Mondo News

When asked about her new album and if it will reflect what Gaga is looking like lately she said: 

“That’s a difficult thing to say as I don’t know that you yet know what I will look like for my next album. I am still creating all those things. It is something that is a gradual change that is always with me.”

The 29-year-old singer took home her first Golden Globe Sunday as she has been venturing into the acting industry with her role on 'American Horror Story: Hotel.' Gaga got blinged in early 2015 after she said yes to her long-time partner Taylor Kinney.

Will 2016 be the comeback year for Gaga? It sure seems that way.

Lady Gaga and fiance Taylor Kinney at the Golden Globes 2016

via US Magazine | Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Main image via Instagram / @ladygaga 

Collage images via 1. Instagram / @ladygaga 2. Melty.it | EW 3. Instagram  / @ladygaga 

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The Best Time To Buy A Jeep Wrangler: Key Buying Points

When is the best time to buy a Jeep Wrangler?

Is it better to buy a 1-year-old vehicle or an 11-year-old vehicle?

This study calculates the buying points for a Jeep Wrangler — from new 2007 models back to model year 1990.

The Buying Points

There are 3 key buying points during this period that appear to provide the best value relative to the depreciation of a Jeep Wrangler.

So, what type of depreciation can expect you expect?

Let’s take a look at models that are less than 6 years old first.



Model Year 2006 – 1st Buying Point

The first buying point occurs when the Jeep is 12-18 months old. The reason for this is high first year depreciation on a new vehicle. The first year depreciation of a new Jeep is about 15%. This means that you will lose approximately 15% of whatever you invest into a new Jeep Wrangler within the first 12 months of purchase.

The depreciation is less than 7% on average over the next 4 years.

Therefore, the best buying point for newer Jeeps is about the time it is 12 months old. The average cost of a 1-year-old Jeep is $21,148.

The average cost per year (average depreciation) of a new Jeep over the first 4 years is $2,139/yr. The average cost of a 1-year-old Jeep over the next 4 years is only $1,303 per year.

That’s a savings of over $3,344 just buy purchasing a 1-year-old Jeep rather than a new one!

Jeep Tour Guides… How To Get Hired And What To Expect If You Pursue This Career Choice

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a Jeep tour guide?

Arguably, Sedona, Arizona is the Jeep tour capital of the world. With the great weather, gorgeous scenery, and easy access to a myriad of trails, no wonder there are so many tour companies.

I’m a Jeep tour guide in Sedona, and many people think that this would be a dream job. If you are one of those, read this first!



Here’s everything you want to know about Jeep tour guides, including how to get hired and what to expect your first days on the job.

Wanna Be A Jeep Tour Guide?
Many think it sounds like fun, and it is, for awhile. But, for most, the romance wears off quickly. The average career lifespan of a Jeep tour guide in Sedona is less than 2 years, but there are those who have been guiding for 5, 10, even 20 years.

I have been in the Jeep tour business since 1996, which makes me about 96 in Jeep years.

I have eaten enough red dust to be convicted of smuggling federal property.

I have ushered thousands of visitors into the backcountry.

I have grown tired of the sound of my own voice.

I have watched Jeeps go from the showroom floor… to tour status… to beyond reasonable maintenance and relegated to the Jeep retirement lot with 150,000 trail miles on them.

I have hosed off various types of excrement from Jeeps.

And I have seen guides in training, passed by them on the trail for awhile, then saw them eventually move on to a “real” job.

Let me give you some insight to the whole world of professional Jeep tour guiding, from start to — finish.

First of all, it takes a certain type of person to really be a guide, as an ongoing career. Most “career” guides are very serious nature and history lovers. They drive Jeeps all week, then spend their days off hiking, biking, or even Jeeping. They love to read. They have heated debates with their associates about the current scientific name of the javelina, the best way to eat agave, or the latest tour joke. They are clever, independent, resourceful, animated, and loud. They are very much people-people — they love to entertain and be the center of attention. And they can deal with a great deal of ups and downs, not just on the trail, but also in their schedules and bank accounts.

HATFIELD AND MCCOY TRAILS, WEST VIRGINIA

How can you go wrong following the trail of a good blood feud? As one of the most extensively mapped and marked systems on the East Coast, the Hatfield and McCoy trails cover over 700 miles of West Virginia mud, rock and woods. From the backwoods to the cities and towns, most of these trails are not for flatlanders. One of the great parts about these trails is the ability to drive right into town after a long days drive, grab a bite to eat, and then stay at a hotel or inn for the night.

Accessories Holiday Gift Guide

FabFours Jeep Wrangler JK Off-the-Door Tire Carrier
Fab Fours recently unveiled its new off-the-door tire carrier for the 2007-14 Jeep Wrangler JK. Fab Fours notes it is the first-ever “5-Point” system, as the dual rotating axis design allows the tire carrier to open with the JK’s door smoothly while still retaining durability on the trail. The tire carrier is equipped with accessory holes to accommodate attachments such as a Hi-Lift Jack, brake light attachments and a CB antenna. Constructed of 3/16-inch steel, the carrier is available with a two-stage powder coat or bare steel. The Fab Fours JK Tire Carrier is fully adjustable to accommodate up to a 40-inch tire. For more information.source

Bad News For All Game Of Thrones Fans

Sadly, winter might not be coming anytime soon.

#1 Bad news: George R. R. Martin is behind schedule.

The author said he missed the deadline for completion of his novel, The Winds of Winter, which was Dec. 31.

via http://www.newser.com/

#2 How this affects the show.

Season 6 will have to proceed before the book is even published. His lateness is affecting everyone who works on the show, and Martin himself is very disappointed.

via http://www.wow247.co.uk/

#3 Martin published this statement to his blog:

"You're disappointed, and you're not alone," wrote Martin. "My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed, but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me."

via https://en.wikipedia.org/

#4 Martin can't even give a solid estimate when his latest book will be finished.

"When delivery will be, I can't say. I'm not going to set another deadline for myself to trip over. The deadlines just stress me out," said Martin.

via https://www.youtube.com/

5 Reasons Why A Dog Will Make Your Life Better

The benefits to owning a dog are endless, here are 5 reasons your dog will make your life better!

#1 Help With Your Allergies

Do you have a specific allergy that tends to get in the way of everyday things? Certain dogs can be trained to detect allergens in food like nuts. Friendship & life saving, they really do it all.

via http://i.huffpost.com/

#2 They Will Make You Smile

Looking at your dog looking back at you is like looking into the face of the cutest baby in the world. If you don't smile, chances are you don't have a heart. So if you like smiling, get a dog and let them do their thing.

via http://www.kanpai.fr/

#3 Great With Kids!

Do you already have kids? If so, a dog is the absolute best "toy" they could have. If you want to provide your child with not only a friend, but a guardian as well, a dog is the way to go.

via http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/

#4 They'll Give You Someone to Love

Feeling lonely? Well you wouldn't if you had a dog. Not only do they provide companionship, but the chances that you'll love your dog are pretty high. And who doesn't want love???

via http://media3.giphy.com/

Get a Feel for Web Hosting Pricing & Value

Some people choose web hosting providers strictly based on price. That's not a great strategy, but you should definitely take pricing into consideration. The best providers offer options for every budget. In some cases, signing up for long subscriptions will qualify you for extra discounts.


Also, try to leave yourself room to grow. It's great to choose a web hosting plan that suits your site's current needs. With any luck, though, your site will grow and expand over time. Your needs could change. Switching to a new web hosting provider is a major hassle, so look for one that offers scalable plans. In other words, you should be able to upgrade to another plan easily if necessary. Low prices are always great, but if the low price comes with limits on space or bandwidth, you want to make sure the deal is really worth it.

In the same vein, you may want to note how many e-mail accounts are provided. Whether you think you'll need dozens of email addresses or not, it's nice to have the option to create as many as possible. In most instances, more expensive plans include larger numbers of email addresses. This feature isn't very important to some people, but it is critical to others.

Burglars Don’t Want You To Know These Top Home Security Tips

Did you know that approximately every 15 seconds there another home burglary in the United States alone?
#1
Did you know that approximately every 15 seconds there another home burglary in the United States alone?Or that around 33% of those burglaries occur because the thief came right through the front door? Being prepared for something like that doesn’t have to mean spending an arm and a leg, sometimes a combination of the simple things will be plenty!

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#2
Take this list from Household Hacker for example; it’s got plenty of ‘hacks’ you can use right at home to help prevent any would-be burglar from even attempting to enter your home. There’s even some tips in case they DO make it inside. Overall this is definitely something everyone needs to see, and there’s more than a couple tips in there that I’ll be using myself!

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#3 Check out all the tips here

Trading strategy

In finance, a trading strategy is a fixed plan that is designed to achieve a profitable return by going long or short in markets. The main reasons that a properly researched trading strategy helps are its verifiability, quantifiability, consistency, and objectivity. The development and application of a trading strategy follows eight steps:Formulation,  Specification in computer-testable form,  Preliminary testing, Optimization, Evaluation of performance and robustness, Trading of the strategy, Monitoring of trading performance, Refinement and evolution.


For every trading strategy one needs to define assets to trade, entry/exit points and money management rules. Bad money management can make a potentially profitable strategy unprofitable.

Trading strategies are based on fundamental or technical analysis, or engage them both. Technical strategies can be broadly divided into the mean-reversion and momentum groups. There are also specific strategies, like "Sell in May and go away but remember to get back in September". Trading strategies are usually verified by backtesting where the process should follow the scientific method.

Types of trading strategies
The term trading strategy can in brief be used by any fixed plan of trading a financial instrument, but the general use of the term is within computer assisted trading, where a trading strategy is implemented as computer program for automated trading.

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Leonardo DiCaprio Talks Corruption, ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Dance Moves at Variety Screening

ILYA S. SAVENOK/GETTY IMAGES

Ramin Setoodeh

Film Editor, New York@RaminSetoodeh
Leonardo DiCaprio  said it took him six years as an actor and  producer to get “The Wolf of Wall Street”  to the big screen. He spoke to a packed house of Academy voters on Tuesday night at a Variety screening series in New York’s Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas.

SEE MORE: Awards: The Contenders

“At the end of the day, this was a reaction to what we see in our culture,” DiCaprio said of the adaptation of Jordan Belfort’s memoirs about his years as a corrupt stockbroker. “It’s a timeless thing, the lust for wealth and money and power, but it’s done on such a massive scale nowadays, certainly after 2008.”
DiCaprio said that director  Martin Scorsese  was “constantly laughing” on set.
“The comedy came from the absurdity of it,” DiCaprio explained. “Some people have had a reaction to the humor in the film, because they think we’re glorifying the world. [Scorsese] said quite recently, ‘Why should I be polite in my filmmaking when these people were so impolite?’ We didn’t intend for this to be comedic. It came from the sheer audacity and absurdity of their life.”
He also addressed some of the criticisms that the film celebrates Belfort’s corrupt lifestyle that eventually led a 22-month-prison term for swindling $200 million from investors.
“There have been some reaction to why we don’t cut away to the victims and show the ramifications of their actions,” DiCaprio added. “And [Scorsese] said, ‘Look, I’m not here to make a didactic movie. I want to make a film that is reflective of who these people are.’ He has his own moral compass and feeling about who these people are, he doesn’t agree with the activity obviously, and it’s a cautionary tale.”
DiCaprio said that he worked closely with Belfort, who was released from federal prison in 2006, when preparing the role. “My relationship with Jordan from an actor’s perspective was great, because there’s nothing he wouldn’t tell me,” DiCaprio said. After Belfort saw the film in November, he told DiCaprio, “I’m ashamed to admit my favorite movie of all time happens to be about me.”
And DiCaprio said he’d also heard from one of his “Django Unchained” co-stars about his performance — specifically, his dance scenes.
“I ran into Jamie Foxx, who is a friend, he watched it with some female friends of his, and one of them turned to him and said, ‘Is Leo really doing that, or is that CGI?'” DiCaprio quipped.
DiCaprio, who has worked with Scorsese five times, said he grew up admiring the director. One of his early goals as an actor was to be in a Scorsese movie.
“As soon as I had the opportunity to really finance a movie based on my name, which was essentially after ‘Titanic,’ I pursued him,” DiCaprio said of 2002’s “Gangs of New York,” their first outing together. “I know the trust level has built over the years. [Scorsese] has taught me not only about being a better actor, but the history of cinema and the importance of cinema as an art form.”
“The Wolf of Wall Street” has so far grossed $227 million worldwide.

FILED UNDER:

 

• Jordan Belfort
• Leonardo Dicaprio
• Martin Scorsese
• The Wolf Of Wall Street
• 
  

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Guide to car loans

Buying a car is one of the most popular reasons people take out a loan. But if you are considering borrowing to fund your new set of wheels, make sure you find the best deal to suit your needs.
Few people can afford to stump up the full cost of a new motor without needing to borrow money, but before choosing a loan, it’s important to know exactly what’s involved so that you keep a lid on costs. Here, we explain how car loans work, and take a look at some of the pros and cons…

What is a car loan?
A car loan, as the name suggests, is a loan you take out to pay for a car. You decide how much you need to borrow and over what term you want to pay it back. Most car loans run for around three to five years, but longer or shorter terms might be available.
Interest rates are usually tiered depending on how much you want to borrow. As a general rule, rates are lower the greater the size of the loan, so if you are borrowing an amount that is just below the next tier up, it may actually be more cost-effective to borrow a bit more.
That said, don’t extend yourself too far – you should never borrow more than you can afford to repay.
Advantages and disadvantages of car loans?
The biggest advantage of taking out a car loan to pay for your motor is that once you’ve driven the car off the forecourt, you own it outright.
If, however you choose a hire purchase (HP) plan instead of a loan, you are effectively “hiring” the vehicle for the term of the agreement. You don’t own it until after the final payment has been made. That means if you run into financial difficulties, you cannot sell it to pay back what you owe.
One of the big disadvantages of car loans, however, is that because cars depreciate in value so quickly, by the time you finish paying off what you owe, your car may be worth a fraction of the price you paid for it initially. So this option won’t suit those who like to regularly update their vehicles.
It’s also worth considering gap insurance – this will pay the difference between what you paid for the car and what you receive in an insurance pay-out in the event of an accident or if the car is stolen.
Remember also that a car loan won’t always be the cheapest way to buy a car. September and March, when the new number plate registrations are released, often see particularly attractive forecourt finance deals offered, so it’s worth checking what’s available.source

Honest Titles For 2016's Oscar Nominated Movies

Spotlight

The Revenant 

The Martian 

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

Bridge of Spies 

Brooklyn 

Room 

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