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Logo Removal Service takes discarded gimme shirts bedecked with sponsor logos, and carefully patches over them with new fabric, transforming them into amazing and abstract new one-of-a-kind garments. (more…)

 Last year, Google launched Maps Engine Pro, a service that aims to make it easier for businesses to create, manage and share maps to visualize their data. Until now, this offering was purely about map creation, but today, Google is adding Maps Coordinate into the $5 per month and user Maps Pro subscription service and is building it right into the existing Maps Engine Android app. Read More

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By TJ Freeborn, Discover Home Loans

Buying a home will likely be one of the largest financial decisions you make. You may have done your research and read everything carefully but still have unanswered questions about the process. I know I did!

I get asked a lot of questions from both new and previous buyers who sometimes feel unsure about the process. To help you navigate with confidence, I’ve compiled a list of common questions about mortgage basics, along with the answers:

Q: How long does the mortgage loan process take?

A: Processing a mortgage loan typically takes between 30 and 45 days, although timing may vary depending on circumstances. Your lender can provide an estimate of the time it will take to close your loan, which will allow you to plan accordingly.

Q: What are interest rate and APR?

A: The interest rate is the cost of borrowing money and is used to calculate the monthly payment to your lender. The lower the interest rate, the lower your monthly payment. The APR (annual percentage rate) is the interest rate plus other fees associated with your loan, including certain processing and closing fees. Because the APR includes other fees, it gives you a better idea of the true cost of the loan. Compare the APR when you’re deciding among multiple lenders, but be sure to compare the actual interest rate, as well.

Q:  What are the most common types of mortgages?

A: The two most common types are fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages.

The main features of a fixed-rate mortgage are:

• The interest rate doesn’t change on your loan.
• Your monthly mortgage payment (principal and interest) will always be the same amount throughout the entire term of your loan.

The main features of an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) are:

• The interest rate changes over time. The initial interest rate term can be from one to 10 years, and that rate is generally lower than the rate on a fixed-rate loan.
• The rate adjusts annually after the fixed-rate term, and your monthly mortgage payment may increase or decrease depending on each rate adjustment.

Q: For an ARM, what will an increase in the interest rate do to my monthly payments?

A: An adjustable-rate loan has a fixed interest rate for a predetermined length of time. Once that time is up, the rate will adjust to reflect current rates. If the rate goes up, so will your monthly payment amount. If you are interested in an ARM, there are additional questions you should ask your lender:

• How frequently will the interest rate change?
• What’s the maximum amount the interest rate can increase in a year?
• Are there limits to how high interest rates can rise during the life of the loan?
• Can interest rates ever decrease during the life of the loan?
• What’s my monthly mortgage payment if my rates go up between 1 and 5 percent?
• Can you share an amortization table with me that includes different scenarios?

Q: What are discount and origination points?

A: Discount points represent cash you pay upfront to lower your loan interest rate. Origination points are administrative fees your lender charges to process your loan, but they do not lower your interest rate. Both fees add to the overall cost of your loan and increase the APR. Make sure you know which kinds of “points” are included in your particular loan.

Q: What are ALL of the itemized costs associated with a home loan?

A: The multiple services required to process your loan all come with their own costs, such as:

• Title insurance
• Home appraisal
• Escrow
• Credit report
• Recording fees
• Legal fees

You may think that many of these associated services are free or already included, but you may be surprised, as I was, to learn that these services have their own costs. Be sure to ask your lender to itemize each service that will be required along with an estimate of the amount you will be charged to process your home loan.

Q: What do I need to know about a prepayment penalty?

A: Prepayment penalties vary by lender. Some lenders may offer lower interest rates if you accept their prepayment penalty as part of your terms. If you do accept the offer, be sure to ask under which conditions the penalties apply and the potential costs.

Q: Is there a fee to lock in an interest rate?

A: Since interest rates can fluctuate during the time it takes to process and close your loan, it makes sense to lock in your rate during that time so you don’t end up with a higher rate by the time the loan closes. Ask your lender if there’s a fee to lock in the rate and how long you can keep it locked (most rate locks are for 60 days).

Make sure you understand all the information provided to you by the lender and don’t be afraid to follow up with additional questions. The more you know about the process, the more confident you will feel about the loan that fits your needs.

About TJ Freeborn and Discover Home Loans

TJ Freeborn is a mortgage professional at Discover Home Loans, where she confers with mortgage bankers and consumers to understand current industry trends and consumer-facing lending issues. Discover Home Loans, a subsidiary of Discover Financial Services, is a source for consumers seeking prime variable- and fixed-rate conventional, FHA and HARP home loans from a trusted name in the financial services industry.

Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.

The post Mortgage Basics Q&A appeared first on Redfin Real Estate Blog.

This is the first underwater launch of the BrahMos, the world's fastest cruise missile in operation capable of flying at Mach 3.0. I just like to see it pausing and changing direction in mid-air, like a scene from Robotech. The BrahMos is one of the reasons why aircraft carriers are obsolete.

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Produced by filmmaker Sam Raimi. Written by The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) possibly in talks to be Ellie. (But don't count on that one until it's actually finalized.)

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Robin Sloan:

There are dangerous creatures lurking in this world, including but not limited to giant spiders and skeleton archers. But they only venture out at night, and they can be deterred by walls. The sun (a bright cube) sets fast, so your first task is always the same: Build a shelter.

The genius of Minecraft is that the game does not specify how this is done.

It’s almost impossible to overstate just how big a deal Minecraft is for my son and his friends.

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Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Aston Martin, Middle East, Luxury

Ask anyone who's anyone about Aston Martin and they'll tell you about exclusive and highly desirable two-door luxury GTs - the kind James Bond would drive - but it would be all too easy to forget about the other side of the equation. The company's full name is, after all, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., but while the latter name is seldom used, it's about to make a rare comeback.

The British automaker has just confirmed "strictly limited series production" of a new Lagonda saloon, previewed by the two teaser images you see here. The super sedan will be built in the same facility that previously produced the One-77 supercar at the Aston Martin factory in Gaydon and will be available in strictly limited quantities by invitation to select customers exclusively in the Middle East.

Aston Martin has revealed precious few technical details of the new project, but the design clearly pays tribute to the iconically wedge-shaped 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda sedan designed by William Towns, with elements from the recent Zagato-designed Centennial editions evident as well. It will be based on Aston's ubiquitous VH platform that underpins just about everything it currently makes, and given the proliferation of the company's long-serving 6.0-liter V12 engine, we figure it's safe to say that'll provide the motivation as well, with at least the same 565-horsepower output as the Vanquish and the new V12 Vantage S Roadster, if not more.

The announcement, of course, hardly comes as a surprise. Just a few months ago we spotted a disguised prototype for this very vehicle undergoing testing, and Aston has been toying with the idea of a Lagonda revival since the debut of the rather controversial Lagonda crossover concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show to mixed reviews. There was since talk of partnering with Mercedes-Benz to revive the Lagonda line along with Maybach, but that ultimately fell through - although the two are still collaborating in other areas, including the provision of a new line of engines and other technologies.

Lagonda was originally founded independently in 1906, was acquired by legendary Aston chief David Brown in 1947 and has popped on and off the radar screen ever since. It remains unclear whether the new sedan will revive the Lagonda handle as a nameplate or as a separate brand, but you can delve into the press release below to read what Aston has confirmed thus far.

Continue reading Aston Martin Lagonda super sedan officially teased

Aston Martin Lagonda super sedan officially teased originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Voice is now providing the option to make calls with Hangouts. Alex Wiesen divulged the update through the company's social networking platform, noting that the new functionality does not require a G+ account and works "even if you aren't using Hangouts in Gmail." The feature can be accessed by selecting Hangouts from a drop-down menu labeled "Phone to call with." The website will then launch a separate Hangouts window, allowing conversation to take place as normal.

Hangouts is seen as Google''s solution to its fractured messaging systems, and even offers the ability to place phone calls. But while the new platform has been heralded as "the future of Google Voice," little has been done to merge the two services. Nonetheless, the...

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Despite being criticized for being too easy, a typical play-through of any given Pokémon game might take around 8-25 hours. The world record for Pokémon Red as of July 2014, though? One hour and fifty minutes—and you can watch the incredible run here.

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Respawn Entertainment added a new in-game market to Titanfall known as the "Black Market," which allows players to redeem credits in the game for burn card packs and insignias. For instance, the game's standard burn card pack costs 5,000 credits and...

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Aged for 26 years — get it?

Homer Simpson once flirted with Outsider Art, but the doughnut-scarfing dad probably never gave much thought to Mondrian. Nonetheless, those are the high- and lowbrow influences united here in one super-sleek Simpsons homage by Russian designer Constantin Bolimond. On the back label of this design project, the designer warns of the contents, "May be it is wine, may be not." Whatever's inside, the 1987 vintage is a nice nod to the year The Simpsons debuted as a "bumper" on The Tracey Ullman Show. [Behance via Kinja]

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Filed Under: food art, constantin bolimond, homer, marge, piet mondrian, the simpsons, wine, wine bottles

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was the third Mario RPG released after Legend of the Seven Stars and Paper Mario. But what made it stand out? What was missing from the first two? ReallyFreakinClever's opinion is that it was none other than Luigi.

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Farhad Manjoo:

Other instances of Dynamic Perspective are downright annoying. Take Auto Scroll, which moves the text on your screen as you tilt the phone back and forth. Because Auto Scroll calibrates its scrolling speed according to how you’re holding the device when you first load up an article, your brain will struggle to find a set rule about how much to tilt to get the right speed. Often I’d scroll too fast or too slow.

Worse, if you put your phone down on a table while you’re in the middle of an article, the scrolling goes haywire and you lose your place. The best thing about Auto Scroll is that you can turn it off.

If Mayday is the phone’s best feature, they have a problem.

A plane crossing Northern Africa crashed overnight with 116 people on board, Reuters reports that an Algerian official has said. The flight, AH5017 operated by Air Algerie, was headed from the capital of Burkina Faso to the capital of Algeria and disappeared about 50 minutes after takeoff, according to the BBC. Contact was lost just before 2AM GMT (10PM ET), shortly after the aircraft is reported to have requested permission to change course to avoid a storm. The plane was reported missing many hours later, with officials only confirming the crash after 1PM GMT. Almost half of the people on board were French citizens.

There are not yet details on where the plane crashed or what caused it to crash. The Washington Post notes that the...

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Video game buttons size comparison by Matthew Kenyon.

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"Hey, stop looking at my screen!" is a pretty common refrain when people are playing competitive multiplayer games in the same room. In Screencheat, it's the only way to win.

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Uncharted hero Nathan Drake will officially make his silver screen debut on June 10, 2016, according to Sony Pictures. According to Deadline, that release date was originally earmarked for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but the studio has decided to...

Apple's OS X Yosemite is coming this fall, so it should be no surprise that the company is readying new hardware to go along with it. 9to5Mac reports Apple's current projects include a 12-inch MacBook featuring a pixel-dense Retina display and "a much thinner and slightly lighter aluminum body." The report says it's unclear whether the upcoming laptop will fall under the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro branding; there's a chance it may earn a new name altogether. Rumors about such a device are nothing new, as the MacBook Air's display is perhaps the only weak point in a laptop that Apple recently put back in the spotlight with a new ad campaign.

Cupertino hasn't forgotten about desktop users, either. 9to5Mac claims Apple is working on a 4K...

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Great piece from Craig Mod about how to survive air travel.

Authorities recommend arriving two hours before international flights. I say four. Get there four hours before your flight. You are a hundred and fifty years old. Your friends laugh at you. Have patience.

Arrive early and move through the airport like the Dalai Lama. You are in no rush. All obstacles are taken in stride, patiently, with a smile. Approach the nearly empty check-in counter. Walk up and say, I'm a bit early but I'm here to check in to ... Marvel at their surprise and then their generosity. Suddenly you are always able to get an exit row or bulkhead seat. Suddenly, sure, they can slip you into Business. Suddenly tickets that are supposedly unchangeable, cannot be modified, are, after a few calls, some frowns, upbeat goodbyes, specially modifiable for you. This is what happens when there is no one behind you in line to check in.

What Mod fails to mention here in regard to supposedly unchangeable tickets and the like is that he's one of the most disarmingly charming motherfuckers in the entire world. And here is the crux of the whole piece:

You are hacking the airport by arriving early, knowing that all the work you could have done at home -- the emails or writing or photo editing -- can be done at the airport.

I don't travel much anymore, but I've begun to arrive at the airport earlier than I need to because I got tired of rushing and I can work from pretty much anywhere with wifi. That mask shit though? That's too much.

Tags: Craig Mod   flying   travel

When Stephen Colbert takes over the Late Show from David Letterman next year, it will remain in New York City. Which means we get to keep around 200 jobs based here, and remain on top of the entertainment world. [ more › ]

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Europe, Videos, Supercars, Ferrari

We'd find it hard to feel bad for someone who "has to" choose between the latest crop of hybrid hypercars. After all, the Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari are each awesome in their own right. But for one buyer, the choice was a no-brainer: it was the Prancing Horse all along. Not because he couldn't get his hands on the Porsche or the McLaren - though we're sure each is in higher demand than there will be supply - but because he's already bought each of its predecessors.

That very fortunate buyer is one Jon Hunt. His collection already includes a 288 GTO, an F40, an F50 and an Enzo - each in red, naturally - so when it came time to pick up his new LaFerrari, he drove down from London to Maranello, bringing his sons, a few friends and each of his F-cars (as the tifosi call them) along for the ride.

The result, as you can see for yourself from the photos above and the video below, is one very compelling and drool-inducing family photo. It's not every day, after all, that you see any of these cars on the road - let alone together in one place.

Continue reading LaFerrari buyer drives dream collection back to Maranello [w/video]

LaFerrari buyer drives dream collection back to Maranello [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jul 2014 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is this a joke? This is a joke, right?

Hello? What.

CineFix has cooked up a list showing off the top 10 movie stunts of all time. They're all fantastic and involve groundbreaking scenes where actors fight and jump off buildings, stuntmen fly, cars flip over and everyone defies death.

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Parts of Yumen, a city in northwestern China, have been sealed off after a local died of bubonic plague last week, reports Reuters. The 38-year-old man is said to have contracted the bacterial disease, also known as "the black death," after coming into contact with a type of rodent called a marmot.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that his company will amalgamate all major versions of Windows into one operating system. Speaking on the company's quarterly earnings call today, Nadella told analysts Microsoft will "streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system." Describing the implications of the change, Nadella said "this means one operating system that covers all screen sizes."

Previously, under the management of Steve Ballmer, Microsoft had multiple teams producing different versions of Windows working separately from each other. "Now," Nadella said, "we have one team with a common architecture." The Microsoft boss didn't clarify exactly how Windows, Windows...

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Hey, you just won a Counterstrike: Global Offensive match! Time to shell out a few bucks, unlock that weapon case and see what's inside, right? Not so fast! You might be better off just buying that ultra-rare knife on the Steam store. Here's proof.

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