Semi-trailer truck

A semi-trailer truck is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. It is variously known as a transport (truck) in Canada; semi or single in Australia; semi, tractor-trailer, big rig, or eighteen-wheeler in the United States; articulated lorry, abbreviated artic, in Britain and Ireland.

A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a fifth wheel hitch, with much of its weight borne by the tractor. The result is that both tractor and semi-trailer will have a distinctly different design than a rigid truck and trailer.

Regional configurations

North America

In North America, the combination vehicles made up of a powered truck and one or more detachable trailers, are known as semi-tractor-trailers, tractor-trailers, semis, big rigs, semi trucks or eighteen-wheelers.

Trucks

The tractors, or powered trucks, typically have two or three axles; those built for hauling heavy-duty commercial-construction machinery may have as many as four or five axles, some often being lift axles.

Gaming computer

A gaming computer (also gaming rig and sometimes called a gaming PC) is a personal computer designed for playing computationally demanding video games. Gaming computers are very similar to conventional PCs, with the main difference being the addition of gaming-oriented components such as one or more high-end video cards. Gaming computers are often associated with enthusiast computing due to an overlap in interests. However, while a gaming PC is built to achieve performance for actual gameplay, enthusiast PCs are built to maximize performance, using games as a benchmark. The difference between the two carries a large discrepancy in the cost of the system. Whereas enthusiast PCs are high-end by definition, gaming PCs can be subdivided into low-end, mid-range, and high-end segments. Contrary to the popular misconception that PC gaming is inextricably tied to high-priced enthusiast computing, video card manufacturers earn the bulk of their revenue from their low-end and mid-range offerings.

Mega Brands

Mega Brands, Inc., formerly Mega Bloks, Inc., is a Canadian children's toy company currently owned by Mattel. Mega Bloks is the name of their most popular product, a line of construction set toys, with other brands including Mega Puzzles, Board Dudes and Rose Art. Mega Brands, Inc. distributes a range of toys, puzzles, and craft-based products.

History

In 1967, Victor Bertrand and his wife Rita founded the company as Ritvik Toys, Inc. (a portmanteau word based on a combination of Rita and Victor). Ritvik was amalgamated with Ritvik Holdings Inc. on June 30, 1998. On March 19, 2002, the name was changed from Ritvik Holdings Inc. to Mega Bloks, Inc. Currently, the founders' sons Vic Bertrand Jr. and Marc Bertrand are CIO and CEO, respectively.

In 1991, the company decided to start producing LEGO compatible bricks under the brand Mega Bloks.

On June 15, 2006, following the acquisition of several brand names not associated with construction brick toys, the company again changed its name, this time from Mega Bloks, Inc. to Mega Brands, Inc.

Fast Tracks: The Computer Slot Car Construction Kit

Fast Tracks is a racing game released in 1986 for the Commodore 64. It was designed by Mark Turmell and published by Activision.

Summary

The game involves running into other cars on the track. Each time a player bumps another car off the track, the car returns to the start of the lap, and two seconds are removed from the final time. Of course, if the player leaves the track he will have to restart the lap.

A map editor is also available in the game, which can be saved onto the disc. Seven circuits are already built-in to the game's memory.

References

Truck racing

Truck racing is a form of motor racing which involves modified versions of heavy tractor units on racing circuits.

The sport started in the United States at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 17, 1979 and was the opening scene in the movie Smokey and the Bandit II. As a sanctioned sport it began as ATRA (American Truck Racing Association) in 1979 then was sold to N. Linn Henndershott in 1982 and it became the Great American Truck Racing circuit. The races were run on dirt and paved ovals mostly in the Eastern United States. The trucks used in the beginning were actually working trucks with tandem rear axles and used street tires yet still attained speeds of 150 mph (241 km/h) on the front straight at Pocono Raceway and set the closed course record of 132 mph (212 km/h) in qualifying at Texas World Speedway by Charlie Baker on March 21, 1982.

After 1986 when the series was bought by Glenn Donnelly of DIRT (Drivers Independent Race Tracks) the GATR trucks became highly modified with the bodies being cut and lowered, losing the tag axle and shedding more than 2,000 pounds in weight. The last sanctioned GATR race in the US was in July 1993 at Rolling Wheels NY.