WordPress Theme:
So where do we start. First of all you’re going to need a WordPress Theme. I personally use Suffusion on all of my WordPress Installations. It is free, very simple to use and easy to customize. I will admit one thing I do not like about the Suffusion Theme is the default button navigation menu is kind of janky looking. However you don’t have to use it. I use the widget area “widget under header” and completely turn of the header then import my own HTML and link to a custom stylesheet making whatever header I want in my own design with my own navigation menu. For this site I made it match all of my static HTML files seen in the links above. You can easily install it here.

Best WordPress Plugins:

These are in no particular order but I will try with most important up top to least important at the bottom.

Jetpack Lite:
First of all everyone loves stats! STATS STATS STATS! We want to know how many people are visiting our sites and what pages are getting the most views from what search terms. While Jetpack Lite may not be the BEST stat tracking it is the fastest easiest way to watch minute by minute. By default WordPress wants you to install Jetpack which comes with all sorts of extra junk that will just slow your site down so be sure to get Jetpack Lite made just for stats and remove the full clunky version.
This is a great way to check on the fly but for deeper further analysis you’re going to need Google Analytics.

WordPress SEO by Yoast:
This is a very important plugin because it helps you optmize for search engines like Google. SEO(Search Engine Optimization) plays a huge role in getting organic traffic to your site. Without high ranking SERPs(Search Engine Result Pages) you’re likely to only see a trickle of traffic from stragglers that made it many pages deep into Google. You really need to be on the first page or 2.
WordPress SEO can make it very easy to customize your SEO title tags, search result snippets and keywords. It also makes it easy to noindex pages such as your tags and categories to prevent duplicate content(bad for SEO) and analyze your on page SEO and keyword density. You can set a canonical URL or a 301 redirect with this as well.

Learn SEO

Highly recommended. While all this may be Greek to you now if you keep at blogging you’re going to learn the ins and outs of Search Engine Optimization over time. And you should, it’s the key to your success. I have linked this book to the right if you want to dive right in.

W3 Total Cache:
Page Speed is a huge factor with Google and other search engines a like. The better user experience your site provides the better rankings you get in Google. So one easy sure fire way to increase your page speed is to use W3 Total Cache. While this plugin can be a bit confusing to setup there are plenty of guides out there already with complete step by step details such as this one.
The basis is that your WordPress Blog is pumping out many dynamic strings from several plugins and different locations taking time to fetch from the SQL database on the server. W3 does that all ahead of time and serves it as a single static HTML file decreasing the load balance on your server and increasing page speed. You can also use it in conjunction with Amazon’s CDN Cloudfront. But you may not need to use a CDN until you start getting a bit of traffic.

ShareBar:
Today Social Media is very important for getting higher SERPs and creating a reader base. You want people to be able to easily share your content as well as be reminded to do so. Sharebar is a nifty little floating bar that pops up as your reader makes their way down the page. You can customize it to whatever social media sites you would like. I have mine set for Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Dig, Stumble Upon and Reddit. So not only does it make it easy for them to share, it sort of reminds them as it shows up. Don’t forget to share this article! Thanks =)

Nrelate:
Once you have a reader on your site you want them to stay on your site, explore more, look around. Not just come and go. Google looks at things like Bounce Rate and if they see people like your site and visit more than one page they see your site as more valuable. That can give you an added bonus when it comes to your rankings. Nrelate has 2 plugins that are both made just for that. Related content shows a number of post at the bottom of your article that readers will see and maybe click. The other one a flyout will pop out from the side as they make it down the page recommending another article increasing the chances of them visiting more than one page during their visit. The Popular Post one you don’t really need so just go with those two.

Facebook Comments:
For comments I go with Facebook Comments only because most people have Facebook already and don’t have o sign up for a random blog service to leave a comment. It’s easy to implement but may require a little reading on your behalf. You can see it below and leave a comment with it. Very straight forward.

Contact Form 7:
Chances are you’re going to have a Contact Me page and you’re going to need a way for people to email you. Contact Form 7 is a very customizable contact form that is easy to install on your blog. I do not have one on this site but I do on 3 of my other sites. It all depends if you need people to contact you. if you do, then this is the way to go.

All In One Adsense:
If you’re going to monetize your site you’re going to need to insert your Google Adsense into your post. Now honestly I have used this for years but have recently started pulling all my articles and manually inserting my adsense units where I want them with custom channels. This plugin makes it really easy but sometimes the hard way gives you more control.


These are my personal picks for the best WordPress plugins. As always this is just my personal opinion, what I use and I do not claim any of these to be fail proof and take no liability for any damages done.

If you have any plugins you think I am missing please do comment below.

What I like the most?
The fact that this digital camera has an HDR mode so that you don’t have to do it manually in Photoshop later. I’m also loving the fact that it is Eye-Fi capable as this saves all sorts of time on photo transferring and backing up. It also makes it easier to get pictures online and on Facebook sooner for all to see. And of course my favorite aspect of the G Series is the fact that it shoots in RAW mode. I once tried to stray away to a Panasonic Lumix with a Lieca lens and it did not shoot in RAW mode. I think they actually do now but the Canon Powershot G Series is still a favorite of mine.

Who is the G1 X Canon Powerhsot for?
Well it’s for everyone. However the advanced photographer is going to love it because it is pretty much like a DSLR in a compact point and shoot form. It has all the manual settings and control you need. At the same time it has all the automatic and mode select settings so it can be a great camera for the intermediate or even beginner. As an amateur photographer it can be a great digital camera to experiment and learn with.

How does the Canon G1 X feel?
The Canon G1 X feels solid! When you pick it up you do not feel cheap, you feel durability and power. You’re confident in this digital camera and what it’s going to do for you. Not only is it solid, it is smaller than a DSLR. You can stick it in your coat pocket and bring it with you. Which is why I have taken so many photos with the Canon Powershot G Series. I can easily bring the digital camera with me and leave my Nikon DSLR at home.

How is the Canon G1 X video?
Excellent! You can record at 1080p for HD and another great bonus to this cameras recording option is the fact that you can zoom in and out and it will auto focus. This function is silent! And it has a built in wind filter to reduce the noise of wind while recording outside. Really this is an amazing aspect and a great video camera.

Canon G1X Features

14 MegaPixel 1.5″ CMOS sensor
4x Optical Zoom
Image Stabilizer
28 – 112mm Ultra Wide Angle Lens F2.8-5.8
ISO 100 – 12800
3.0-inch Swivel LCD PureColor w/ 922.000 dots
14-bit Raw shooting
1080p HD-Video with Stereo Sound
Rechargeable Battery rated 250 pictures(CIPA standard)

G1X Modes:
Smart Auto(32 auto detect scenes), Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Custom(2 modes), SCN, Creative Filter and Movie.

Scene modes:
Fireworks, High Dynamic Range(HDR), Toy Camera, Miniature, Stitch Assist, Landscape, Portrait, Handheld Night Scene, Beach, Fish-Eye, Sports, Poster, Color Swap, Kids and Pets, Super Vivid, High Speed Burst, Snow, Color Accent, Foliage, Underwater, Smart Shutter, Monochromic, Nostalgic, Creative Filter and Movie Digest.

Powershot G1 X Cons:
The only problem it seems to have is the auto focus is a little slow but this is no problem really. It’s just about like any point and shoot would be. The viewfinder is also worthless. But with the large pop out swivel LCD I have never used the viewfinder on any of the G Models.

In Conclusion it is the highest end point and shoot camera you can buy and still feel the power of a DSLR. The G Line is the best I have ever owned and I will continue to buy Cannon if they keep this up.
If you really like this camera or past Canon G Powershots but can’t afford the G1X just yet the Canon G12 is still superior to most.

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Flashback Trojan Hits Mac Hard

In the past Mac has been known to be very virus resistant however with this buzz going around it is clear the game is changing. Most malware viruses target Microsoft Windows PC’s but this one is targeted at Apple computers running OS X. Yes you, you hip MacBook owner.

The Flashback virus is specifically targeted at Mac and is designed to steal users personal information such as passwords, account information, credit card numbers and so on. While most always thought Mac was impenetrable and immune to PC viruses the truth is it has been. But now that the times are changing, Macs are becoming more widespread meaning more targets. So of course hackers are designing viruses specifically to target Macs which is opening up a whole new can of worms. Before it was a waste of time to target a few Mac users when everyone else was on PC. But now it’s a lucrative target audience.

The virus originally disguised itself as an Adobe Flash Player Update but has since evolved into a server side injection via a JavaScript exploit. Meaning it installs itself without you having to press any thing.

Mac Antivirus

So if you have a Mac you are not immune and may be in a high target market for hackers unless you start running some sort of Norton AntiVirus for Mac asap. Norton is a long standing trusted antivirus software product.

Mac has released an update to try and stop the spread of the Flashback trojan but you still need antivirus. Don’t let your defenses down.

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The craze is here and now. The game is pretty awesome and a great idea for a free game app.
But it’s hard to draw on your smartphone touch screen because your finger is simply not a pen.

If you really want to impress your friends you’re going to need a stylus like the one right below.

Android iPhone Stylus

Best Stylus Pen

The Draw Something game itself is something like Pictionary for your smartphone and pretty addicting. It has even over taken Words With friends and Angry birds in the Google Play marketplace. Which must be why Zynga bought it for a reported $180 million from OMGPOP.

But since this free game has taken the over and you and everyone you know is playing Draw Something you might as well buy this a stylus so that your drawings can be better than all of your friends. It makes it so much easier with a pen.

The only real problem I think is that people break the rules! It’s no fair when they spell the word out.
I guess another thing is it would be nice to have a history or a way to save your photos as a snap shot.
Ok one more thing is a simple undo would be amazing instead of erasing line by line.
Ok maybe I was wrong and it has a lot of work to go but for now it’s awesome and I’m hooked.

Bringing The Stylus Back

Since the launch of Draw Something stylus sales are on the rise. The not so popular stylus wasn’t doing so well in a smart phone world because all of the touch screens are so perfect and designed for our fingers. However now with Draw Something and the iPad and other similar apps the not so popular stylus is become ever so popular.

There are many benefits to having a stylus pen.
You can use it for everything! Not just for Draw Something.
Your lines will be straight, precise and accurate.
You can write out words with ease.
You can draw with fine detail.

In conclusion buy one and have fun Drawing Things!

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Best Android Camera App

Well Really there are only two must have Camera Apps for the Android Phone. Luckily for you they are on the Android Marketplace and you can download them for free from the Android Market Place. Or Google Play? It looks like they changed the name a few days ago.

I'll be nice and include a few extra apps that can be handy for you Android camera phone photographers. While I'm at it I will tell you what did not work and what to avoid.

Best MicroSD Card

Just make sure your phone is ready for all of your images! You don't want to run out of memory and go through the image deletion game to free up space. I doesn't get much better than this amazing Amazon deal. ^^^

So with the iPhone becoming so popular and the Facebook Instagram phase going on you get flooded with pictures from your friends all containing the same effects but just another angle and another day.
With the Droid you can do that too but better! It takes a little more effort but it's you being creative and not just pressing the button.
Let's show those iPhone users! Instagram for Android! Or better.
Since I have released this article an Instagram version has come out for Android and I have downloaded and installed it. I am not a fan. I do not like being forced to crop my photos and I do not want to be part of some new online network. Facebook is enough.

Here is a sunrise photo taken with HDR Camera but no post editing.

This picture was taken with HDR Camera and edited with Pixlr-o-matic.

Here is the same picture from HDR Camera edited with Instagram for Android.
What I hate about Instagram is it forces you to crop your photos into a square cutting out the composition you originally had in mind.

One more Instagram photo.

I don't always Instagram my food, but when I do it's because my left arm is tingling.

Again all photos no mater what editing app were taken with HDR Camera for Android then processed with Pixlr-o-matic, BeFunky, Photoshop Express or Instagram.

HDR Android Camera

HDR Camera
Yup that's it, one simple app. This app takes some of my favorite camera phone pictures.
It's easy to use and never fails me.
This app takes HDR Photos. Yes, HDR Cell Phone Pics!
However the free app contains annoying ads and takes up your time. I suggest the Pro version HDR Camera+ since it's so cheap and very worth it. Best Photo App there is.

How HDR works:
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It takes 3 photos, one at normal exposure, one a stop under and one a stop above. So it takes the normal, under and over exposure and merges them together getting all the details from shadows to highlights making up an HDR Photo.
These photos are clear, sharp and crisp. The app itself lets you adjust the amount of exposure, color vividness, contrast and micro contrast on each photo before saving it so you can play around. It also comes with some handy presets. I think this may only be for Android Phones since it is in the Droid Marketplace under HDR Camera but I can't seem to find this app on iPhone.

Pros:
Sharp, vivid, high contrast photos.
Large file size.
Able to edit before saving.

Cons:
Takes 3 photos so you have to hold still.
Slower than taking a single flat photo.

Photos taken with HDR Camera:
Again I think this is the best camera app for Droid.
It's a great start for pictures and then if you want to get creative and edit keep on reading because I will post some other apps and edits below.

Problem with that is each photo takes 3 shots, time and holding still. If you just want a janky old flat image you can use the built in Android Camera App or what I use is FXCamera because I like the ToyCam option.
The following pictures were taken with FX Camera and Toycam.

HDR Camera and Photoshop Express
This next set of photos were all taken with HDR Camera and then edited in Photoshop. One thing to note about Photoshop it is has a huge lack of borders if you want to add a border. But Photoshop Mobile or Express is great for editing the saturation and contrast which I am a fan of as you can see.

Looking out from the Alameda Bridge over the Oakland Estuary.

Taken with HDR Camera and edited with Photoshop Express.
Downtown Oakland on May Day, May 1st 2012 during the Occupy Oakland General Strike.

HDR Camera and Pixlr-o-matic

Another HDR+ with editing in Photoshop Express then final touches with Pixlr-o-matic.

More HDR+ with Photoshop Express and Pixlr-o-matic.

This one may be just HDR Camera and Pixlr-o-matic. it has some neat effects.

Best Photo Editing Apps for Droid?
When it comes to photo editing you immediately think of Photoshop. PS Express is a great app and I may use it the most but the lack of borders is a bit disappointing.
However there are other apps out there that make editing even easier.
I personally use BeFunky Pro and Pixlr-o-matic.

This next set of photos was all taken in HDR Camera and then edited in Photoshop, Pixlr-o-matic and BeFunky Pro.
I can't decide which I like more. Can you?

Taken w/ HDR Camera and edited in Photoshop Express.
Good editing, saturation, contrast, hues, etc but a lack of border options.

Taken w/ HDR Camera and edited with Pixlr-o-matic.
I really like how this one came out and maybe looks most like an Instagram pic from an Android.

Taken w/ HDR Camera and edited with BeFunky Pro.

I suggest that if you only get one photo editing application you try Pixlr-o-matic. But I guess in all reality you should try all 3 of the free versions and see what you like the most. The best combo is taking the photo with HDR Camera then using Photoshop Express for editing and one of the other 2 for final touches and borders.

I'll let you vote on which you like the best.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Worst Android Camera Apps?
Camera 360:
A lot of people like Camera 360 but that thing has never worked for me. It just crashes almost every single time and I end up having to take my battery out and reinsert it in order to get my Droid Camera Phone to work again. If it works for you, great it looks like it could be a good camera app but as for me it is frustrating garbage.

Cartoon Camera:
Another crasher is Cartoon Camera. It's got some cool effects and ideas but if it's going to freeze my Droid every time then what is it worth? Nothing. Another uninstalled waste of time.

In conclusion you're just going to have to get down on it and play around.
I recommend HDR Camera, Photoshop Express and Pixlr-o-matic or BeFunky.

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The first step is to log into your wireless router. Open up your internet browser and go to http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 and it should bring up your Linksys login screen. If you’re not sure look on the bottom of your router for the correct address.
If you never changed anything the username and password should both be “admin”. You should change this NOW because anyone can log in using the defaults if you have not changed it.

Click on the Wireless link, and then select Basic Wireless Settings.
In this window, make changes the following options to configure your wireless security:
Wireless Network mode: Mixed.
Wireless Network Name (SSID): (enter a name here) This is the name you see when searching for Wireless networks. You can keep it the same or change it to anything you want. I suggest changing it so people do not know what router you have.
Wireless Channel: By default it is on channel 6. I tend to set mine higher to 11. You can try different channels to see which one gives your computer the strongest signal strength. If you have a Droid Phone there is a Free Wi-Fi Analyzer App that can show you what wireless signals are in your vicinity and what signal strength they are at. You can easily pick a lesser broadcasted channel with the free app. I recommend it.
Wireless SSID Broadcast: Enabled.
Now click Save Settings
After you save the changes you will click on the Wireless Security link. Change the following options:
Security mode: WPA Personal.
WPA Algorithms: TKIP
WPA Shared Key: (enter a pass phrase) This is your network password, Make it whatever you want. Just do not forget it!
Again Save Settings.
That’s it. You’re done.

Some say that the Linksys WRT54g is the best wireless router for home use simply because it dominates the market for home wireless networks. It is easy to use and setup wireless security and the login access is simple enough for most to understand. It’s also very fairly priced compared to many wireless routers. I would say it’s pretty cheap. I have owned a few but currently I have a Cisco-Linksys E1000 Wireless-N Router. Which is pretty much the same thing.
And since a lot of you seem to be finding this article while looking how to change the DNS settings in your e1000 I’ll tell you it’s very easy. Log into your router at http://192.168.1.1/ and a little down the page is DNS servers. You should know what you’re going to change them to before you do this.

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How does this happen? Who approves this stuff? What are they doing with the data?
People are upset about Google merging their privacy policies but no one is saying anything about Facebook reading our personal text messages?

I guess while we’re talking about Facebook spying on our private data I should remind you to never accept random friend request on Facebook. Especially those really hot girls you know you have never met.
Usually it’s just some sort of spam bot trying to spread links on your Timeline but it could be someone spying on you. Anyone can make an account, pose as someone and infiltrate your Facebook Profile.

But I guess that doesn’t even matter because the DHS is already accessing your data looking for many keywords. This article has a list of some of the words to watch out for.

I recommend you keep all of your post to Friends Only because when you have it on Friends of Friends you are opening up your profile to a whole lot of people you do not know. And your friends are accepting those random request left and right. You know it! So to go change your settings now to Friends Only
Go to http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy
From there it’s pretty clear you just click on the Friends option in the middle. However if you want to set it to Friends Only and still block certain list or people you can go to Custom and easily do that.

And one last important thing! Starting March 1st Google will associate all of your web history with your account and be able to access it for whatever reasons. You can go erase that all right NOW by following this link.

You’re welcome and please share this article because time is running out! Fix your Google Privacy settings ASAP.

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Before you read all this if you are in another country outside of the US you can try these DNS Servers If you’re just looking for DNS IP Address.
190.14.36.90
109.123.111.24

If you are in the United States you should follow these steps to get your XBOX 360 DNS Server Settings fixed.

Automatic Settings
The first step would to be to try Automatic Settings.
From the XBOX 360 Dashboard press the Guide Button on your controller.
Go all the way to the right to the Settings blade.
From there select System Settings.
Then go down to Network Settings.
You will select Wired or Wireless.
Next select Configure Network.
In this screen you will make sure both IP Settings and DNS Settings are on Automatic.

If Automatic DNS Settings do not work on your XBOX for Netflix and Hulu we will try manual settings.
Which you may need if you want your NAT Type to be open which I will explain in detail at the end.

Manual DNS Settings
First we have to get your routers DNS servers from your computer.
I’m assuming you have Windows XP, Vista or 7.
On your keyboard hold the Windows Key and press R key. The Windows Key is usually near the bottom left between ctrl and alt. It looks like a small flag.
This will pop up the Run Prompt, type in cmd and press Enter.
Now that a little black Command Prompt has opened up type in ipconfig /all (note the space).

You should see something like this:

These numbers will vary based on your router and settings.
But write them all down so we can go back to our XBOX.
We may only need the DNS Servers.

Now we have to enter DNS Servers in the XBOX 360.
Press the Guide Button.
Go to Settings.
Select System Settings.
Then Network Settings.
Choose Wired or Wireless then Configure Network.
Now go down to DNS Settings, Manual and enter the two DNS Addresses you wrote down from IPCONFIG /ALL under Primary DNS Server and Secondary DNS Server.

Try that out. Save the settings back out to Test Connection and see what happens.

If that doesn’t work we are going to assign your XBOX a Static IP which will also be helpful in opening up NAT type.

Static IP Settings

Now we go back to the Configure Network screen from above. You should know how to do this by now.
Now that you’re in the Configure Network Screen you’re going to select IP Settings and set it to Manual.
In here you’ll notice IP Address, Subnet Mask and Gateway.
The numbers you wrote down earlier covered the Subnet Mask and Gateway however the IP Address you found earlier was already assigned to your computer. So we’re going to need to choose an IP address to assign your XBOX 360.
In theory you should just be able to change the last digit up by one. So example if your IP Address was 192.168.1.2 you can make it 192.168.1.3. As long as it’s above .1 and below .254. However if you have an iPOd, cellphone and a laptop all connecting to your wireless router then chances are .2 is taken so to be safe and random let’s do 192.168.1.20
Ok, save those settings and one last thing while we’re in the Network Configuration. Go to the Additional Settings tab then go down to Advanced Settings and copy the MAC Address. This may help us when opening up your NAT type.

Save all the settings, back out and hit Test Connection. This should be working now.

Restricted or Moderate NAT Type

As for opening your NAT type I am going to be very brief and assume you have router navigation and login down or can figure it out from the link I provide below. I do have this information available on my site.

First you are going to need to assign your XBOX a Static IP unless your router supports MAC Address based Demilitarized Zone. If you want to check follow the next steps.

We must log in to the router. For simplicity I am assuming you have something like a Linksys e-1000 or other Cisco router with a very similar GUI.
Once in the router you click on Applications & Gaming then DMZ under the sub menu.
Check Enable and Any IP Address for the Source IP.
Under Destination if it gives you the option for MAC Address you should use the one you got from the XBOX.
If it does not you must enter the Static IP you assigned your XBOX. We did 192.168.1.20 but if you did not do that head back up and do it or else the DMZ settings will not go into effect on your XBOX and you will still have Restricted NAT Type when playing games like Call of Duty.

XBOX 360 Netflix

Are you getting the most out of your Microsoft XBOX 360 Home Entertainment Media Center? With it’s easy to navigate and manage user interface anyone can utilize it to it’s full capability.

With the XBOX 360 Media Center you can watch several sources of streaming media directly on your TV like movies, documentaries, TV Series, News, Youtube videos and more. No more sitting at your computer watching online media!

Here is a list of the current of the services.

Netlix
Youtube
MSNBC.com
Hulu Plus
ESPN.com
Syfy

Crackle
DailyMotion
EPIX
TMZ
The Today Show
Zune Marketplace

Now of course you have to pay for subscriptions like Netflix, Hulu Plus and such but as always Youtube will remain free and MSNBC News and such are free.
I use my Netflix almost daily for movies, TV shows and Documentaries. I like to throw on Youtube when I have a bunch guest over and let people take turns picking a video and they love it.
I skim through the MSNBC News every few days and pick out only the stories I want to watch saving me time of all the other BS that comes with the news on cable TV.

But, that’s not it. You can also stream video files(or pictures and mp3′s) that you download to your computer. I know a lot of people like to use Torrents and with a simple program by the name of TVersity you can stream downloads from your PC to your XBOX and watch them on your TV instead of your computer screen. I’m actually doing that right now as I type this. I’m sitting on my couch using my laptop to add this article but watching free How To Tutorials that I downloaded to my desktop in the other room. They are streaming from my PC to my XBOX and being played on my HDTV. Perfect.

Oh and if you want you can use Facebook and Twitter through your XBOX 360. Yay.

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Best Mini Rc Helicopter

Based on performance, price and ability to control there is no better mini RC. The Syma is the best mini remote control helicopter.

Anyways, I wanted to share with you the funny warning written on the blade. I mean this is so lost in translation it’s hard to believe.
Syma S109G Apache Mini Indoor Helicopter blade warning.

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