Holley’s 1974 Chevelle Wagon is a 10-Second Turbo Test Bed - Hot Rod Network

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/holleys-1974-chevelle-wagon-10-second-turbo-test-bed/

Holley's 1974 Chevelle Wagon is a 10-Second Turbo Test Bed

Written by Wes Duenkel on June 26, 2018

If you were born in the 70's, you likely observed the roadside world through the windows of a station wagon. Before minivans and sport utility vehicles, the people mover of choice was a rolling bench-seat bungalow with more square inches of glass around the occupants than cubic inches under the hood. These suburban family appliances were long, low…and boring.

Hollywood cemented the station wagon's place in American pop culture with cameo appearances carrying rambunctious rug rats, snarky teenagers, and peeved parents down the highway to visit theme parks, eccentric relatives, and inevitable mechanical and mental breakdowns.

Holley's low-milage wagon only needed a few subtle nips and tucks to give it a more muscular presence. A frame-off paint job in subtle brown and cream paint job was applied to the body. The bumpers were heavily modified and the suspension lowered.

Pop culture nostalgia aside, the utility of the wagon can't be overlooked. Their generous interior proportions and versatile seating configurations make them great for hauling lots of humans and gear. Since many rear-wheel-drive wagon platforms are shared with some of our favorite muscle cars, wagons are low-hanging fruit for hot rodding.

Enthusiasts run the most successful firms in the automotive aftermarket industry, and Holley Performance Products is no exception. To demonstrate the possibilities of their wares, Holley chooses project vehicles that not only scratch their hot rodding itch, but serve as rolling testing laboratories for product concepts and promotion.

You're looking at 905 rear-wheel horsepower from a junkyard 6.0L truck engine. The 76mm Bullseye turbo is fed by Hooker turbo manifolds and squeezes 19.5 PSI of boost down the Holley intake manifold. The only departure from the stock long block is a BTE Turbo Stage II camshaft and upgraded valve springs.

When Holley's Chief Gear Head, Tom Tomlinson, (OK, his official title is President and CEO) came across a 43,000-mile 1974 Chevelle wagon, he couldn't pass it up. "I love wagons and frequently search for them. This car from Colorado came up. It was super clean with low miles and had been decorated with some very hippy-style decals."

Where some overlooked the portly fuel-crises snoozer, squinting at the online auction photos, Tomlinson saw potential. Interest in GM's Gen III (LS) engines was catching fire, and Holley fueled the craze with swap-mined products to lower LS engine-swap barriers. The company needed a utilitarian, versatile test bed for products, and the A-body's quarry-sized engine compartment could accommodate virtually any engine combination. The Chevelle would make a great product development workhorse.

There's something about pulling a column shifter down into D before running a ten-second quarter mile. The 1974 Chevelle wagon's interior is completely stock, except for fresh carpet and a Holley EFI Digital Dash.

The original concept for the wagon was "Low Buck Long Roof." Planned as a budget-minded spit-shine with a mild drivetrain, the third-generation A-body needed a few subtle nips and tucks to give it a more muscular presence. Holley pulled the body off the frame and chucked the wheezy drivetrain. The frame and lowered suspension were powder coated, and a subtle brown and cream paint job was applied to the body. The bumpers were shortened to suck them tighter to the fenders, with the front piece gaining a lower opening.

Other than fresh carpet, the interior remains the same as when it lumbered off the assembly line. The straightforward theme continued under the hood, where a bone yard 6.0L LQ9 yanked from a wrecked truck replaced the Chevelle's smog-strangled small-block.

No lie: we found these time slips stuffed between the back seat cushions during our photo shoot.

Holley topped the engine with their newly-developed dual-quad carburetor setup and a set of big block-inspired coil covers to motivate the wagon in groovy fashion. A set of Hooker cast iron manifolds for modern LS engines kept the exhaust system 70's simple. While the electronics were separated from the hydrocarbons, Holley's Dominator ECU was used to run the ignition and transmission control for the 4L60E transmission.

The wagon was completed for the 2011 Hot Rod Power Tour, where it ran respectable 14-second quarter-mile times and sipped less than a gallon of gas every twenty miles.

Does this bring back memories? Before minivans and sport utility vehicles, the people mover of choice was a rolling bench-seat bungalow with more square inches of glass around the occupants than cubic inches under the hood.

However, as turbocharging started to trickle down to street-driven LS swaps, Holley's offerings for the hair dryer faction grew from EFI systems to hard parts, including the company's turbo exhaust manifolds.

Holley's Engineering Manager, Tim Grillot, filled us in on the details. "We launched our new Hooker turbo manifolds and wanted a test and marketing vehicle. We already had the wagon with the LS and we thought it would be cool to breathe some new life into the wagon as it had been in the same basic configuration for a few years. We wanted to showcase how easy our LS turbo manifolds make it for a consumer to add a turbo to their LS vehicle. Our goal with the manifolds was to offer an elegant, easy solution to turbocharging. Historically, fabricating the turbo headers is the most challenging part to a turbo system. We tackled that challenge with this very affordable and easy solution. These manifolds, when combined with our crossover tube, are a direct, bolt-on fit for most popular chassis."

On the street, the wagon rides on color-coordinated Circle Racing billet aluminum 18-inch wheels covered in 245/45 and 295/45 Nitto NT555 tires front and rear, respectively.

Grillot's recollection of workplace water cooler discussion led to a bench racing showdown. "Tom [Tomlinson] challenged me to make the wagon run high 11s at full weight with the stock 6.0 truck engine that was in the car." Grillot responded as only a logical drag racer could. Grillot scoffed and quickly stepped one lead foot confidently over Tomlinson's proverbial line in the sand, "Elevens? We'll run 10s with it."

While Grillot's ego confidently sauntered away to his office, a ticker tape of calculations trailed from the water cooler back to his desk. Reeling in the mental adding machine tape revealed a balance of red ink. Stock 6.0L engine…10:1 compression…4600 pounds. The horsepower side of the equation easily had four digits. Squeezing that kind of power out of a junkyard 6.0L engine—more than once—was a tall order. The odds of Grillot returning from the strip with a ten-second slip or a box of parts seemed about even.

In true turbo drag car fashion, spent exhaust from the 76mm turbo and 50mm Turbosmart waste gate exits in front of the wheel.

Bluster aside, Grillot wasn't completely out of his element. He had built two 4.6L Ford-powered turbo cars: a stick shift 1965 Mustang that ran 10.80s on 17-inch street tires, and his 1978 Fairmont that ran 8.60 with a TH400 trans. Clearly, Grillot knew the "soft speed" potential of turbocharging.

Even though they planned to use the existing junkyard 6.0L engine, Holley knew the stock camshaft and valve springs wouldn't keep the necessary boost from lifting the valves. A Brian Tooley Racing Turbo Stage II cam and PAC valve springs replaced the stock components. The car's existing dual quad setup was replaced with a single-plane EFI manifold and 95mm throttle body.

The modified bumpers, two-tone paint, and lowered stance have us rethinking third-generation A-bodies.

Holley hung a 76mm Bullseye turbocharger off the company's aforementioned turbo manifold system, and dumped the spent exhaust out the front right corner. A 50mm Turbosmart wastegate keeps boost under control, and an eBay-sourced air-to-air intercooler chills the intake charge. All the intake and exhaust pluming was fabricated in-house in Holley's R&D facility.

A brushless Holley VR1 fuel pump feeds a steady supply of fuel to the Holley EFI injectors, rails, and fuel pressure regulator, and a Hughes-built 4L80E trans replaced the previous 4L60 unit.  Grillot admits, "The torque converter is a little tight for an optimized drag vehicle, but this helps with street manors."

Hollywood cemented the station wagon's place in American pop culture with cameo appearances carrying rambunctious rug rats, snarky teenagers, and peeved parents down the highway to visit theme parks, eccentric relatives, and inevitable mechanical and mental breakdowns. Ten-second quarter-mile times probably weren't part of any scripts, however.

A 9-inch Ford axle with 3.70:1 gears rounds out the package. Holley uses two sets of wheels. On the street, the wagon rides on Circle Racing billet aluminum 18-inch wheels covered in 245/45 and 295/45 Nitto NT555 tires front and rear, respectively. The steelie lookalikes are swapped out for track duty with a set of Weld RT-S bead lock wheels measuring 15×10 holding 275/60-15 Mickey Thompson drag radials in the rear. The front rolls on Weld 17×4.5-inch Aluma Star 2.0 wheels and M/T Sportsman S/R 28 x 6 tires.

The Chevelle's 4,600-pound curb weight makes the car's ten-second performance even more mind-boggling.

When making the required power on a stock engine with 10:1 compression, careful tuning is critical. Holley's Matt Lunsford programmed the Dominator EFI system and squeezed out 905 rear wheel horsepower on Holley's in-house Dynojet Dynamometer with the turbo shoving 19.5 PSI down the stock motor's throat. Peak power was at 5,800 RPM, and a stump-yanking 862 lb-ft of torque peaked at 5,300 RPM.

Big numbers aside, Grillot speaks glowingly of the Chevelle's streetabilty: "The car feels exactly how it looks on the street: super comfortable, stylish, and plush. It is truly a treat to drive. The car has A/C, power steering, and stock brakes, so it really drives like a stock 70's cruiser. The engine is very mild and coupled with the tunability of the Holley Dominator EFI system—that manages the engine, transmission, and all of the boost control—everything is very smooth and easy to drive."

But enough about street manners—did it run the number? At Holley's 2017 LS Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky, it was time for Grillot to put up…or shut up. We were in attendance, and Grillot quipped: "Get your camera ready. I'm either going to run 10s in this thing or blow it up trying."

At the track, the street rubber is swapped out for a set of Weld RT-S bead lock wheels measuring 15×10 hold 275/60-15 Mickey Thompson drag radials in the rear. The front rolls on Weld 17" x 4.5" Aluma Star 2.0 wheels and M/T Sportsman S/R 28 x 6 tires.

After filling strapping on his helmet and pulling the column shifter down into drive, Grillot headed to the burnout box. "There is no trans brake so it is a little hard to build boost on the starting line. As soon as it rolls out 30-60 feet the boost comes in hard and fast and it quickly starts making lots of steam! Before you know it you are sitting in what feels like grandma's station wagon, getting slammed in the back and quickly approaching speeds that seem unreasonable for the stock bench seat!"

How fast is unreasonable? How about a 10.89 at 130 MPH? The sub-11-second pass gained Grillot essential water cooler bragging rights…and a friendly reminder from the track that cars shouldn't run 10s with a stock interior.

Besides proving out the company's electronic fuel injection and exhaust components, what else did Holley learn? Grillot explains, "Turbos are an easy way to make LOTS of power!"

According to Holley's Tim Grillot, "There is no trans brake, so it is a little hard to build boost on the starting line. As soon as it rolls out 30-60 feet the boost comes in hard and fast and it quickly starts making lots of steam! Before you know it you are sitting in what feels like grandma's station wagon, getting slammed in the back and quickly approaching speeds that seem unreasonable for the stock bench seat!"

Holley doesn't plan any major changes to the car in the near future. "We're just going to drive it and have fun with it," Grillot muses. "The car will be taken on Power Tour and other shows. We'll continue to use it to showcase and develop new products. Just like any hot rodding project, it is a never-ending evolution."

Even though Grillot wheeled the car to the magic number, he's quick to credit Holley engineering lab technicians Lucas Embry and Logan Duvall who did all of the wrenching and assembly of the current setup on the wagon including the camshaft, turbo, fuel system, transmission swap, and all associated wiring.

By launching this two-ton barge into the 10s, this project raises more than eyebrows and expectations. It raises questions about the perceived limits of hot rodding…and the bidding prices of mid-70's A-body wagons.

https://hbr.org/2018/03/why-people-lose-motivation-and-what-managers-can-do-to-help?utm_medium=social&utm_source=circ_newbusiness&utm_campaign=subscribetohbr_keywee_sub&hideIntromercial=true&kwp_0=849587&kwp_4=2900699&kwp_1=1227108

Why People Lose Motivation — and What Managers Can Do to Help

• Daniel M. Cable

Brandon Lyon/Getty Images

At some point, every leader has dealt with a person — or, worse, a group of people — who has lost motivation. It's frustrating, isn't it? As much as we've been there ourselves, sometimes it's hard to sympathize with others who are disengaged from work and unproductive as a result. Sometimes, we view their unhappiness as a bug in their mental makeup — and, therefore, we think they should be able to suck it up and snap out of it.

Although it's easy to fall into this mindset as a leader, this type of thinking is counterproductive and it ignores the underlying reasons why people lose their passion for what they do (or never find it to begin with).

In order to get at the crux of the problem, it's crucial to understand that as humans we want to feel motivated and to find meaning in the things that we do. It's part of our biology. In fact, there's a part of our brains called the seeking system that creates the natural impulses to learn new skills and take on challenging but meaningful tasks. When we follow these urges, we receive a jolt of dopamine — a neurotransmitter linked to motivation and pleasure — which make us want to engage in these activities even more. And, when our seeking systems are activated, we feel more motivated, purposeful, and zestful. We feel more alive.

Adapted from

Exploring, experimenting, learning — this is the way we're supposed to live and work. The problem is, too many workers aren't able to partake in these activities because the way our organizations are run is preventing them from doing so.

Take Tom, a website developer whom I met on a consulting assignment at an accounting firm. When Tom was hired, fresh out of college, he was excited because he had been told that there were opportunities for learning and growth. But the honeymoon didn't last long. "I soon found out my supervisor had no time or patience for experimenting," he told me. "He was more concerned with protocol than personal development. It's like he's afraid of me trying new things because it might not go exactly as planned. It doesn't leave me much room for learning."

At first, Tom wasn't deterred. He worked to improve some processes and tried to inject some personality into his work. But since Tom's boss was under pressure to meet a number of website metrics, she didn't have the flexibility to implement his ideas. As the weeks turned into months, Tom's work became routine and boring, and he shut off as a result.

We shouldn't blame Tom for his reaction — because he reacted the way we're all designed to react. Shutting down is our body's way of telling us that we were meant do better things. To keep exploring and learning. This is our biology — it is a part of our adaptive unconscious to know that our human potential is being wasted.

They key for leaders is to find ways to activate employee's seeking systems. But how do you do it? If you're like Tom's boss, there are likely organizational roadblocks in the way — many of which are probably beyond your control. It's not often possible to ignore performance metrics or overcome policies and bureaucratic red-tape.

Despite these difficulties, it is possible for leaders to activate their employees' seeking systems without a large overhaul to organization-wide policies and culture. And, in my experience working with leaders across the globe, you can reach business objectives while improving the lives of employees. There are three small but consequential nudges that trigger employees' seeking systems: encourage them to play to their strengths, creating opportunities to experiment, and helping them personalize the purpose of the work.

Self-Expression

Philosophers have been telling us for millennia that people have an innate drive to show others who they really are, yet somehow organizational life often runs afoul of the human desire for self-expression. Even today, when we extol the virtues of creativity and innovation, we still see bureaucratic job titles, inflexible roles, and standardized evaluation systems that generate anxiety instead of excitement and self-expression.

None of us wants to just perform pre-programmed behaviors again and again. We have a deep desire to use our unique skills and perspectives to make our own decisions about how to help our teams succeed. When people are prompted to think about their best traits, their seeking systems are activated. Research shows that when people identify and use their unique strengths, they feel more alive.

Leaders can help employees be their best selves without changing the frames of their jobs. For example, in a study I conducted with colleagues, we found that asking new hires to write down and share stories about times they were at their best made them feel more comfortable about being themselves around co-workers, and that their unique strengths were valued. Results showed that newcomers onboarded this way made customers happier and were much less likely to quit in the future.

Employees want to be valued for the unique skills and perspectives they bring to the table, and the more you can re-enforce this, and remind them of their role in the company at large, the better. And it doesn't take much. At both Make-A-Wish and Novant Health, for example, leaders encouraged employees to create their own job titles, a move which prompted people to highlight their unique contributions to their teams.

Experimentation

A second way to activate people's seeking systems is to create an experimental "safe zone" that includes play and supportive social bonding. Play not only stimulates the seeking system, it also pushes anxiety and fear back into its place.

Positive emotions are important in their own right, of course. But it's not just that play "feels good." Experimental safe zones create intrinsic motivations, which are much more powerful than extrinsic motivations because they unleash creativity. Firms are more agile when they encourage employees to think up new approaches and try them out, and then get feedback about how the environment responded to their ideas.

The research is clear that framing change and innovation as a chance to experiment and learn is better than framing it as a performance situation, which makes people anxious, risk-averse, and less willing to persist through difficulty. For example, employees in a white-goods manufacturing plant in Italy learned about lean manufacturing by playing with Legos rather than cooktops. They then experimented with transforming their own production line using the new techniques. In two weeks, the production team made lean manufacturing their own, reducing internal defects by 30% and improving productivity by 25%.

Purpose

The feeling of purpose doesn't only come from curing diseases and improving the world. The feeling of purpose also ignites when we can see the cause and effect between our inputs and our team's progress. For example, sense of purpose soars when we can offer insights to our team about the environment and what might work better. Likewise, we feel a sense of purpose when we can experience firsthand how our unique contributions help other people and allow the team to progress.

For example, when leaders brought scholarship students into a call center to thank the fundraisers for the money they raised, the fundraisers became more persistent and made a lot more calls on their shifts. And, because they were more personally connected to the why of their work, each call was substantially more effective — they raised an average of $9,704.58 versus $2,459.44 for fundraisers who did not talk to a scholarship student.

Keep in mind that instilling a sense of purpose doesn't work when it is a "one-off." It can't just be a speech by senior leaders who speak during town hall meetings about why their products help customers. Purpose works best when employees get to interact directly with the people they are affecting with their work. For example, employees at Microsoft are encouraged to spend time out with clients, understanding their problems and issues first hand. One account manager spent a week out on the street with police officers, for example, trying to understand when and where remote data could help them. Another account manager spent two days in a hospital to understand what it would really mean to become paperless.

It doesn't take much to light up our seeking systems. For leaders, the upshot is the potential is already flowing right under the surface. And it doesn't take charm, or motivational speeches to tap into that energy — all it takes is a concerted effort to infuse self-expression, experimentation, and personalized purpose into all that we do.

Private's Custom Grips – Privates Grips

Wooden grips for Ruger Single actions:
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What's the Difference Between Off-Roader and Overlander? - adventure journal

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You’ll Soon Be Able to Manufacture Anything You Want and Governments Will Be Powerless to Stop It - Reason.com

https://reason.com/archives/2018/06/12/you-can-soon-manufacture-anything/

You'll Soon Be Able to Manufacture Anything You Want and Governments Will Be Powerless to Stop It

From DIY guns to designer drugs, classic-car parts, and human livers, 3D printing promises a dynamic and uncontrollable world.

J.D. Tuccille

In the very near future, governments will lose the ability to keep guns, drones, and other forbidden goods out of the hands of their subjects. They'll also be rendered impotent to enforce trade and technology embargoes. Power is shifting from the state to individuals and small groups courtesy of additive manufacturing—aka 3D printing—technology.

Additive manufacturing is poised to revolutionize whole industries—destroying some jobs while creating new opportunities. That's according to a recent report from the prestigious RAND Corporation, and there's plenty of evidence to support the dynamic and "disruptive" view of the future that the report promises.

It's all pretty cool, if you look forward to a future that just won't fit under rulers' thumbs.

"The simplicity and low cost of [3D printing] machines, combined with the scope of their potential creations, could profoundly alter global and local economies and affect international security," write RAND's Trevor Johnston, Troy D. Smith, and J. Luke Irwin in "Additive Manufacturing in 2040."

To their credit, the authors see additive manufacturing not only as a "disruptive threat," but also as a "powerful enabler." They quote one industry expert who raves about the potential to "print electronics, insulators, conductors, plastic substrates all together without degradation." Likewise, a health expert tells them, "The medical field will be transformed dramatically … We will be able to print livers, or we can print pieces of arteries for heart surgery."

The authors also note that 3D printing represents a loss of control by government officials. Five years after the creation of the first 3D-printed firearm by Cody Wilson, the RAND authors see technology continuing to re-balance the power relationship between individuals and the state.

"At the domestic level, point-of-sale consumption will no longer be an opportunity for governmental control of risky goods, such as firearms and drones," they write. "State sovereignty is predicated on a monopoly of force and, at a minimum, the capacity to regulate arms. [Additive manufacturing] will further relax this control, giving private citizens greater access to lethal weapons and other tools of violence."

Not mentioned in the report, but noted in a related RAND article, is "the potential for new street drugs, custom-printed from chemicals."

Yes, this could mean—as the report foresees—more risk of crime and terrorism in the future. The authors pose scenarios in which terrorists penetrate targets unarmed and use existing 3D printers inside the defensive perimeter to create weapons.

OK. Maybe.

But criminals and terrorists are already pretty well supplied around the world, via black markets, state sponsors, and often their own manufacturing capability. Forget ISIS—it's the shopkeepers afraid of crime and denied the means of self-defense, or the deliberately disarmed and abused minority suffering under a hostile government, who are most likely to find the acquisition of arms easier courtesy of new technology.

Additive manufacturing also eases the availability of spare parts—especially in isolated settings and for old or unusual equipment. That's why the United States Marine Corps has embraced the technology for fabricating replacements in the field, and fanciers of classic cars see 3D printing as a great alternative to hunting for rare parts and paying through the nose for the privilege.

"When a product fails and certain replacement parts are unavailable or scarce, 3D printing offers a means for a quick and efficient repair," noted a paper presented at the 2015 Product Lifetime and the Environment Conference.

And the innovations that keep weapons functioning in the field and vintage cars cruising the roads will just as easily benefit an airline forbidden to make purchases on the world market. Subject to international sanctions, Iran's domestic airline "had become infamous for its crashes as the aging fleet struggled to fly using only 'smuggled or improvised parts,'" notes the RAND report. But the company is gaining the ability to make what it needs.

This "might reduce the number of accidents," sniffs the RAND report, yet "that benefit comes at the cost of weakening the effectiveness of sanctions, which represent a basic tool for managing geopolitical challenges." But many observers might think that it's a positive development when end users can create critical replacement parts on the fly, even if it deprives squabbling politicians of the ability to hold airline passengers as hostages.

A technology that can fabricate replacement parts at the point of use can create a lot more, too. Johnston, Smith, and Irwin cite estimates that 10 years from now, additive manufacturing will be responsible for between 5 and 50 percent of goods sold, and up to 90 percent two decades out.

That scale of industrial transformation is likely to mean big changes in where and when goods are produced—potentially creating (the authors say) new dangers. They open the paper with a hypothetical attack by terrorists radicalized by high unemployment in their country because "factories that once assembled more-specialized goods have been replaced by local [3D] printers in the markets to which those goods were once exported." But that's only looking at what's lost—considering the horse-drawn carriage makers, to use an old example, without also acknowledging the automobile manufacturing jobs that came to replace them.

Later in the paper, the authors concede that "business opportunities that do not even exist yet, such as the production of human organs, could emerge" as additive manufacturing progresses," and "thus, products and perhaps whole industries could move to different locations in the figure even as the frontier itself advances."

15 tech freebies you wish you knew about sooner | Komando.com

https://www.komando.com/tips/462925/tech-freebies-you-wish-you-knew-about-sooner

15 tech freebies you wish you knew about sooner

By Francis Navarro, Komando.com

When was the last time you bought a computer program? If it's been a while, you won't believe how expensive they can be.

Fortunately, there are free services out there that can fulfill a specific tech need. From online storage to office suites to free multimedia editing software, these are high-quality, well-developed and easy-to-use programs that you can use on a daily basis. And did I mention they're free?

Check out these 15 tech conveniences that won't cost you a cent.

1. Free online storage in the cloud

Cloud storage is a great way to access and share your computer's media library remotely. If you save documents, videos, and photos in the cloud, you'll be able to reach them at work, on your laptop while traveling, or on your phone or tablet wherever you are.

Google Drive is great if you're already a Google user. This free cloud storage system gives you 5 gigabytes of free online storage, and Google Drive users have the ability to buy even more storage as needed.

iCloud is the online storage program available to all Apple users. It comes pre-installed on all Apple products. This service makes it easy to transfer and view files across your iPhones, iPads and iMacs. You get an initial 5GB free and can purchase more space if and when you need it.

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can also get 5GB of Amazon Cloud Drive space for free and unlimited photo storage at no additional cost.

Dropbox is another trustworthy cloud storage site that puts an emphasis on keeping your documents protected. It gives you 2GB of space for free when you sign up and you can earn even more storage when you recommend others to sign up for a Dropbox account.

Click here for a comparison of all the popular cloud services.

Keep in mind that these cloud services can store your files, they are not true backup services that can completely restore all your files if disaster strikes. For these situations, you'll need a cloud backup service. We recommend our sponsor, IDrive.

IDrive's free backup service can store up to 5GB but you can upgrade to more storage to cover all your PCs, Macs and mobile devices with one account.

Click here to save 50% on all your backup needs and get 2TB of iDrive storage for less than $35!

 2. Free secure password manager

Do you practice good password hygiene on all your online accounts? In light of the frequent data breaches that seem to happen every day, it should be your number one priority when it comes to your online security.

But with the increasing number of online accounts we have - work, social media, shopping, banking, entertainment - keeping track of all our email addresses, usernames, and passwords can be difficult and confusing.

Thankfully, this freebie can help you organize, create and reliably track your usernames and passwords across all your accounts.

Our sponsor LastPass offers a simple and secure password manager you can use to easily create, manage and save complex and unique passwords for multiple sites and services then access them across multiple browsers and devices.

LastPass has a free version that you can use right away, but it gets better with a LastPass Premium account. Click here to learn more about password managers and get started with LastPass.

Learn more about how LastPass can help you at home and at a work. Click here to get a free LastPass 30-day trial!

3. Free office software

Microsoft Office remains the most popular productivity software around. It's not free, of course, and looking for compatible software to use to edit the occasional file can be challenging. Fortunately, you can get the same power and performance without the hefty price tag.

First, there's the free and open-source office suite LibreOffice.  This suite offers six programs that will feel instantly familiar to you if you've used Office before. Writer, Calc, and Impress are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Even better, it can open and edit the documents you made in Office and can save new files in Office formats. 

Another great free online option is Google Docs. In case you didn't know, Google Docs is more than just a word processor, it's an entire suite of productivity programs that have become steadily more powerful over years of development. Next time you need to start a spreadsheet, build a presentation, create a form, or make a digital drawing, try Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or others and see if it's something you can use.

4. Free photo editing software

If you know a professional photographer or a serious hobbyist, they're using Photoshop. For everyone else, GIMP is a powerful, top-quality, free alternative to Photoshop.

GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It has a lot of the same capabilities as Photoshop. There are filters, brush tools, gradients, smudging, cropping and erasing tools. You can add colors with a pencil, a paintbrush, or fill in whole areas of your image.

If you're comfortable exploring new software programs, plunge into GIMP. Open a photograph or image that you want to manipulate.

GIMP is useful in that it puts almost all its tools into pop-up boxes surrounding the image. If you want to touch up an image's shape, or angle, add text, erase parts of the image, or add on layers of texture, you'll find all the tools right in front of you.

5. Free stuff from Amazon.com

Did you know that you can get free samples from Amazon with its Sample Box program?

Amazon's Sample Box program lets you choose from among a dozen different options, including luxury beauty items, cat food samples, dog treats, skin care, nutrition, and men's grooming supplies.

The product page for each box gives you a good idea of what will be inside, but Amazon may substitute some of the products if necessary.

Amazon's Sample Box program gets better with a Prime account. Here are the top 20 perks you get with an Amazon Prime account.

6. Free internet speed test

We've all been there I'm sure. You're surfing the internet and it seems like webpages are taking forever to load. When this happens, the first thing that you need to check is the speed of your internet connection.

For that, these free internet speed tests can help you figure out if you're truly getting your advertised rates.

One of the most reliable free speed tests around is Speedtest.net. This site will measure various statistics like the ping time, download speed and upload speed of your internet connection.

If you're a streaming video buff, try Netflix's own free internet speed test, Fast.com. This site only measures download speeds but it will give you a pretty accurate measurement of your internet speed at any given time.

If your internet speed turns out to be lower than expected, there are ways to improve it. Click here to learn how to double your internet speed. 

7. Free VPN

You may have heard of something called a Virtual Private Network or VPN, for short, as a way to boost your online security, especially when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. It is also a good way to hide your internet tracks from would-be snoops.

There are many options for free VPN services including TunnelBear, Speedify and Windscribe. These services are fine but there's no guarantee that your identity is 100 percent secure with these services.

When choosing a VPN, you need to trust the provider to respect your privacy. This one thing helps set our sponsor FREEDOME VPN apart from all the rest. F-Secure is a publicly listed computer security company with a 30-year spotless track record of protecting its customers and respecting their privacy.

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8. Free incredible software and images courtesy of NASA

NASA has an impressive list of accomplishments over the years including the International Space Station, the Hubble Telescope and the Mars Rover to name a few. Now, you have the chance to explore its extensive portfolio of software, for free!

NASA's software catalog includes software products for a wide range of technical applications. The best part is that it's all free to the public, with no royalty or copyright fees. NASA scientists say that software has been critical to each of its mission successes and discoveries and over 30 percent of all NASA's reported innovations are software.

Not only that, NASA also opened its massive library of high-quality images. Browse and view historic archived photos from years past including the Mars Missions, New Horizons, and shots from the International Space Station.

9. Free sound editor

If you are looking for a free audio editing program, your search should probably start and end with Audacity.

Audacity is a free and easy-to-use open source audio editor. It can record live audio and computer playback, and even convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs. 

Part of what makes Audacity great is that it will allow you to do pretty much anything you could ever want or need with audio. Just recording something? It can do that. Need to edit, combine or enhance some sound? No problem.

If you are looking for a fun new hobby or just want to try your hand at editing together some music, I recommend that you try Audacity first.

10. Free firewalls

With all the online threats and security risks that seem to crawl out of the internet woodwork these days, it is important that you have all your system defenses set in place.

Aside from your antivirus or malware protection software, another essential tool that will protect your computer system from hackers and cyberattacks is a firewall.

Although newer Windows systems all have built-in software firewalls, there are plenty of free and more powerful third-party firewall options out there.

TinyWall, as its name proudly suggests, is a small, non-intrusive, almost invisible, free firewall program. Unlike other free firewalls that seem to announce everything they do, TinyWall does not use annoying pop-up messages and warnings to alert you that it's doing its job.

Another option is ZoneAlarm. ZoneAlarm is a free, downloadable firewall and antivirus system that is highly configurable and effective against many kinds of cyberattacks. It's popular for a reason - it's effective, powerful and feature-packed for something that's free.

11. Free product samples

Have you ever been disappointed after purchasing a new product you've never tried before? Not many things are worse than that experience, especially when the item you purchased was expensive.

Fortunately, there's a site that lets you sample a variety of products before you commit. It's called TheFreeSite.com and it offers free samples for everything from doughnuts to pain relief cream to books, and everything in between.

It is one of the top places on the web where you can find free stuff. We know, when you hear the word "free" it's easy to wonder if there's a catch. But the good news is, in this case, there isn't one. 

To use the site, you don't need to have a special membership or even a login. It's just a helpful resource that shares links to the current offers that are out there.

Do you want more free stuff? Click here for 3 websites that give away freebies.

12. Free disposable emails

There are millions of spam emails that get sent every day. Similar to robocalls, it's a tech problem that won't go away anytime soon.

One way to fend off these unsolicited messages is to use a disposable email address. You can use a free disposable email service like Mailinator or Maildrop. 

These services let you create a fake, temporary and disposable email address to ensure your personal security so you don't have to give away your personal and work email addresses all the time.

Need more email privacy tips? Click here for more ways to cut down on spam email.

13. Free video editors

Most free video editing programs like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are pretty good entry-level tools, but they are severely limited.

Unfortunately, more advanced software tools like Final Cut Pro can be expensive. However, there are some free advanced video editing software options out there that you can use.

First is this fully-featured video editing program from VSDC that is completely free. This program has most of the capabilities that are usually reserved for expensive professional software.

Another free professional video editing tool you can try is Lightworks. This program has been around since the 1990s and it's actually been used on major Hollywood films like "The King's Speech" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." It's hard to believe the software is free and available for anyone to download.

14. Free grammar and writing tools

Grammar can either set you up for success, or for ridicule. Understanding the fundamentals makes all the difference in the world when you're applying for jobs, handing in college papers or even posting a status update on Facebook.

To avoid embarrassing mistakes, here are websites that can help you check your grammar and spelling instantly.

For grammar checking, Grammarly has taken homes and offices by storm. You can simply paste a document and have it checked at the Grammarly site for grammar and spelling errors. You can also get Grammarly's browser extensions and have it check your writing as you type.

Another writing tool that can help you is Hemingway Editor. Copy and paste a few paragraphs into the site's text box, and the editor will outline problematic parts such as long sentences, obscure words, and confusing passages.

15. Free 3-D design software

Are you a budding 3-D designer looking for a free alternative to computer-aided design (CAD) software like AutoCAD? If you don't want to spend money on professional 3-D software, try these free alternatives instead.

For your occasional 3-D modeling needs, you can try SketchUp Make. This free tool lets you quickly create 3-D designs and models. With an intuitive push-and-pull system and a robust tutorial program, even beginners can start creating their own images in no time at all.

For budding homeowners, another fun but very useful 3-D web tool is EasyHome Homestyler. With this free tool, you can design a floor plan, populate it with doors, windows, furniture, appliances, and even people and then experience it in real time 3-D space.

So there you go. The next time you're looking for a specific program, search around for a bit. There may be some free hidden gems out there that you don't know about. And of course, if there is, we'll let you know about it. Because, really, who doesn't like free stuff?

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9 Cool Raspberry Pi Projects - Pi My Life Up

https://pimylifeup.com/cool-raspberry-pi-projects/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Raspberry-Pi-Osborne-1-Rebuild/

Raspberry Pi Osborne 1 Rebuild

koff1979May. 13, 2018

Hello

In this inscrutable I'm going to show how to create a working Osborne 1 Replicae using an raspberry Pi and Arduino some hot glue and little bit of wire and so solder

My motivation behind this is a passion for vintage computers and a little bit of mashup of new and old technology is always fun. And its also good way of experiencing how old computer worked like in the early days of computer but without having to deal with the old unreliable slow hardware.

A short video of the Osborne Pi Booting

Step 2: Setting Up the Software and Confining the PI

You will need a working copy of raspian install on your raspberry pi. If you need help getting an image on you pi click here

Once the pi you need to download the CP/M Emulator software

Open a terminal and Download the software

       $ git clone  https://github.com/jhallen/cpm.git  

Then Compile the software

       $ cd cpm   $ sudo make      

Run the software

       $ ./cpm      

You should get an a: promtto exit type bye

The software which we downloaded is a cp/m emulator you can read more about here

I downloaded some software from www.retroarchive.org/cpm/ and then copied into the cpm directory.

We need to set the PI to boot automatically in to the cpm emulator

Edit the bash file

       $ sudo nano /home/pi/.bashrc      

Add these to lines to the bottom of the file

      echo running at boot  sudo cpm/cpm      

Next Up is the screen it requires a custom display mode due to the resolution been non-standard

Edit the config.ini

      sudo nano /boot/config.ini      

Add these lines to the bottom for the file

    max_usb_current=1  hdmi_group=2  hdmi_mode=87  hdmi_cvt 800 480 60 6 0 0 0  hdmi_drive=1          

Also I edited the same file and changed the overscan so I got a 4:3 aspect ratio

    overscan_left=32  overscan_right=25          

Step 3: The Keyboard !!!

A big part of this project was getting the keyboard to work as a USB Hid device. To do this I have connected the keyboard up to a Arduino micro.

You can download the code from here.

I have taken and modified the code used to make the a ZX81 USB keyboard.

I add an 8 x 8 matrix to take account for all the extra keys. The code works by when a key is pressed it completes the circuit across the row and column, which it then looks up in the matrix table. I got the matrix table from oldpinouts

      #include <Keyboard.h>    // ZX81 USB Keyboard for Leonardo  // (c) Dave Curran  // 2013-04-27    // Modified with Function keys by Tony Smith  // 2014-02-15    // Modified for use with Osbone Computer Keyboard by Keith  // Added 8 by 8 matrix  // Changed DEBOUNCE value  // 2018-04-02  // The Numbers are Special ASCII characters<br>  #define NUM_ROWS 8  #define NUM_COLS 8    // Keymap for normal use  byte keyMap[NUM_ROWS][NUM_COLS] = {     //0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   {177,179,128,' ',129,176,178,'['}, //A0   {' ',' ',',',193,' ',' ',' ',' '}, // A7   {'1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8'}, //A1   {'q','w','e','r','t','y','u','i'}, //A2   {'a','s','d','f','g','h','j','k'}, //A3   {'z','x','c','v','b','n','m',','}, //A4   {215,217,'-','/',';','|','l','='}, //A6   {218,216,'0',' ','.','p','o','9'}, //A5   };    // Keymap if Shift is pressed  byte keyMapShifted[NUM_ROWS][NUM_COLS] = {     //0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   {177,179,128,' ',129,176,212,'['}, //A0   {' ',' ',',',193,' ',' ',' ',' '}, // A7   {'!','@','#',','%','^','&','*'}, //A1<br> {'Q','W','E','R','R','Y','U','I'}, //A2   {'A','S','D','F','G','H','J','K'}, //A3   {'Z','X','C','V','B','N','M','<'}, //A4   {215,217,'_','?',':','"','L','+'}, //A6   {218,216,')',' ','>','P','O','('}, //A5   };    // keymap if Shift is pressed plus New Line  // *Next* key read should be from this table  byte keyMapAlt[NUM_ROWS][NUM_COLS] = {     //0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   {177,179,128,' ',129,176,212,'['}, //A0   {' ',' ',',',193,' ',' ',' ',' '}, // A7   {'!','@','#',','%','^','&','*'}, //A1   {'Q','W','E','R','R','Y','U','I'}, //A2   {'A','S','D','F','G','H','J','K'}, //A3   {'Z','X','C','V','B','N','M','<'}, //A4   {215,217,'_','?',':','"','L','+'}, //A6   {218,216,')',' ','>','P','O','('}, //A5   };    // Global variables  int debounceCount[NUM_ROWS][NUM_COLS];  int altKeyFlag;  int ctrlKeyFlag;    // Define the row and column pins  byte colPins[NUM_COLS] = {8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, A0, A1};  byte rowPins[NUM_ROWS] = {A2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7};    // Where is the Shift key  #define SHIFT_COL 4  #define SHIFT_ROW 0    // How many times does a key need to register as pressed?  #define DEBOUNCE_VALUE 100  #define REPEAT_DELAY 300    void setup() {    // set all pins as inputs and activate pullups    for (byte c = 0 ; c < NUM_COLS ; c++) {      pinMode(colPins[c], INPUT);      digitalWrite(colPins[c], HIGH);        // Clear debounce counts      for (byte r = 0 ; r < NUM_ROWS ; r++) {        debounceCount[r][c] = 0;      }    }      // Set all pins as inputs    for (byte r = 0 ; r < NUM_ROWS ; r++) {      pinMode(rowPins[r], INPUT);    }      // Zero Function modifier flag    altKeyFlag = 0;    ctrlKeyFlag = 0;      // Initialize control over the keyboard    // This is an Arduino Leonardo routine    Keyboard.begin();  }    void loop() {    // Check for Shift    bool shifted = false;    bool keyPressed = false;        pinMode(rowPins[SHIFT_ROW], OUTPUT);      if (digitalRead(colPins[SHIFT_COL]) == LOW) {      shifted = true;    }      if (shifted == true && altKeyFlag == 255) {      // NOP in order to prevent Function selection from auto-repeating    } else {      pinMode(rowPins[SHIFT_ROW], INPUT);        // For each row      for (byte r = 0 ; r < NUM_ROWS ; r++) {        // Turn the row on        pinMode(rowPins[r], OUTPUT);        digitalWrite(rowPins[r], LOW);          for (byte c = 0 ; c < NUM_COLS ; c++) {          if (digitalRead(colPins[c]) == LOW) {            // Increase the debounce count            debounceCount[r][c]++;              // Has the switch been pressed continually for long enough?            int count = debounceCount[r][c];            if (count == DEBOUNCE_VALUE) {              // First press              keyPressed = true;                        pressKey(r, c, shifted);            } else if (count > DEBOUNCE_VALUE) {              // Check for repeats              count -= DEBOUNCE_VALUE;              if (count % REPEAT_DELAY == 0) {                // Send repeat press                keyPressed = true;                          pressKey(r, c, shifted);              }              }          } else {            // No key pressed, so reset debounce count            debounceCount[r][c] = 0;          }        }          // Turn the row back off        pinMode(rowPins[r], INPUT);      }        digitalWrite(rowPins[SHIFT_ROW], LOW);    }  }    // Send the keypress  void pressKey(byte r, byte c, bool shifted) {      byte key = shifted ? keyMapShifted[r][c] : keyMap[r][c];      if (altKeyFlag == 255) {      // Get the Alt key pressed after Function has been selected      key = keyMapAlt[r][c];      altKeyFlag = 0;    }      if (key == KEY_F5) {      // If the Function key pressed (Shift + New Line)      altKeyFlag = 255;      key = 0;      debounceCount[r][c] = 0;    }        if (key == KEY_F6) {      ctrlKeyFlag = 255;      key = 0;      debounceCount[r][c] = 0;    }      if (key > 0) {      // Send the key      if (ctrlKeyFlag == 255) {        ctrlKeyFlag = 0;        Keyboard.press(KEY_LEFT_CTRL);        Keyboard.press(key);        delay(100);        Keyboard.releaseAll();        return;      }            Keyboard.write(key);    }  }        

I made a 20 pin connector out of some perf board and some pin headers. Once done I solder some jumper wires and connected them to the Arduino. I then held it all in place with lots of hot glue. You've got to love hot glue.

Step 4: Putting It Together

The final step of the process is to fix all the comments to the front of the Osborne computer.

This is a simple job of hot glueing all the parts in place.

I then 3D printed out some planking plates to cover up all the ports which aren't been used. You could use some card it doesn't need to be 3D printed. I added an usb extension cable to the PI so I could use a mouse or copy files using a memory stick.

Step 5: Finished

So not much left to do but play a little Zork on the 1980's replicate computer

I would like to add an external HDMI port so it can be on a bigger screen.

It would also be nice to add battery to make this a true portable computer.