Gran Turismo 6: VW GTi Supersport Vision GT

Last year, Volkswagen wowed the GT6 players with the VW GTi Roadster VGT, which is part of the game's Vision Gran Turismo lineup of unorthodox concept cars built exclusively for this game, and now, they've introduced us their second chapter to Volkswagen's Vision Gran Turismo entry. Meet the VW GTi Supersport Vision Gran Turismo.



Their latest entry to the Vision Gran Turismo range is what everything a hyper hatch should be, possessing uncanny mobility and speed that only this V-dub can take advantage of.



For a start, this car looks a lot like the latest version of the VW Golf GTi but with all that enhanced aerodynamics, it's becoming to be more of a racecar rather than a hot hatch and like the GTi Roadster VGT from last year, it comes with the same 3.0L twin-turbo VR6 TSi engine which develops 503HP of power and 665Nm while mated with a 7-speed DSG.

Amazingly, the Supersport weighs exactly the same as the GTi Roadster by about 1200kg and when you handle both of these cars, you can't really tell, except by my further understanding that the hardtop version is the better handling one rather than the open-top one even though they both have aggressive aerodynamics and the clever four-wheel drive system.

To find out just how good the GTi Supersport really is, I took on the challenge at the Nurburgring GP/D and I have to aim for the gold target time of  1:28.000.



Hot hatches are great on the racetrack but because of their front-wheel drive layout, they tend to do understeer and no matter how hard you turn the wheel, it doesn't feel like they're responsive enough for your actions. Not so in this GTi Supersport because even when you have the hammer down, it will still do as you ask it to do. With the four-wheel drive layout, light bodywork, and race-inspired aerodynamics, the GTi Supersport can handle like a top-class racecar at ease and even a race-shy rookie can handle this machine at ease.

Thanks to its amazing handling, I managed to beat the gold target time at one go and I did it in 1:27.902. Not the quickest lap I ever made but it's a definitive proof that the GTi Supersport might just be GT6's best handling car you can try.



Expect new additions to the Vision Gran Turismo range soon!

Let's Do The News! (April 21, 2015)

- Onto the migrant tragedy, the Italian authorities have arrested the captain and a crew member of the submerged ship that killed hundreds of migrants off the Libyan coast. The two are among the 27 survivors of the submerged ship when they arrived in Sicily late Monday and they were held on suspicion of human trafficking.

- South Korean prime minister Lee Wan-koo has been offered to resign from his position after facing accusations of accepting bribes. He denies accepting 30 million won in illegal campaign funds two years ago. President Park Geun-hye didn't said if she will accept his resignation but has expressed sympathy for him.

- Senator Alan Cayetano threatens to block the proposed Land Transportation Office budget for 2016 if they didn't accept his call for a 30-day moratorium on the controversial "no plate, no travel" policy.

- The Metro Manila Development Authority apologized the public over their "sexist" advertisement which bans smoking on public place, only to find out they're promoting a dominant gender.

- A maglev train from the Central Japan Railway Company has set a new world record speed of 603kph at a 42.8km test track in Yamanashi Prefecture.

- Before leaving for Jakarta tomorrow evening, Japan PM Shinzo Abe has sent an offering to the infamous Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to mark the start of its spring festival. This shrine honors the fallen Japanese soldiers, including convicted war criminals after World War II. Last year, when Japan commemorates the end of World War II, Abe made a private cash offering to the shrine under his name as the leader of the governing Liberal Democratic Party.

- Car manufacturers warned numerous car owners to stop repairing cars at home because home repairs are "legally problematic" and they are seeking copyright restrictions that could prevent car owners from repairing and modifying their own vehicles.

- The kind folks from Good Smile Company have unveiled a Nendoroid of Maki Nishikino from Love Live! She'll be available this August for 3,241 Yen plus tax.

Nendoroid Maki Nishikino

- IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The YouTube app will be rendered useless on older-generation mobile gadgets built from 2012 and older, starting NOW; including older versions of the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Apple TV, blu-ray players, and many others. This is part of upgrading their Data API and if you have an older-generation mobile gadget using the YouTube app, sorry to say that it's no longer active and you may either use its web browser to continue using YouTube or buy a new gadget.

- Check out the latest production cars and concepts premiered at the recent Auto Shanghai 2015!

Land Rover Discovery Sport

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

The brand-new Discovery Sport is more than just the replacement to the ailing Ford car-based Freelander because this crossover heralded the new Discovery sub-brand, aimed squarely for leisure-seeking and family-oriented adventurers. Since this whole trend of crossovers is spreading like forest fires in the west side, looks like Land Rover really are in tune with the times to create a commoner's vehicle with some Land Rover stuff in it like the ability to go off-road or something.

Although it's made to be an affordable offroader, the pricing starts at around 32,395 Euros, which is somewhat two grand more expensive than the most affordable Range Rover money can buy, the Range Rover Evoque, but keep that in mind that the Discovery Sport has something that its cheap brother don't; seven seats. Well, usually a 5+2 seating configuration for the DS but this is more family-oriented than the Evoque, you can count on it.

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

While the car's design looks like it came from bits from every Range Rover model ever made, the only engine choice offered in the DS is not so Land Rover-ish, perhaps it's a Ford-derived 2.2L diesel engine producing 187HP of power and can be mated with either a 6-speed MT or a more heftier 9-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Although the engine feels so dated as people dressed as 80's people in the modern party, it's still goes very well because of its 44.8mpg fuel economy and 166g/km of CO2 emissions.

If you think this is the only engine offered for the DS, think again because you can expect new and fuel-efficient JLR's Ingenium engines first applied on the Jaguar XE saloon very soon. These new breed of engines will keep the DS more refreshed and rejuvenated.

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport interior

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport interior

On the road, the DS feels more as civilized as what every soccer mom's van should and since this is a family-oriented car, it's rather nice. It even comes with an available rear seat entertainment system so the kids seating at the second-row can watch so much cartoons while stuck on heavy traffic. Although quite a worrisome for the driver, this is much better than snooping on kids doing kinds of ridiculous stuff in the car. Stuff like "I Spy", tong-its, are we there yet, and whatever kids say the dumbest things. It's also the safest you can drive thanks to its new safety tech such as Pedestrian Airbag and Autonomous Emergency Braking System, which is rather kooky for this one.

Off the road, despite the lack of a low-range gearbox, it still has some Land Rover goodness in it even for a crossover of that size thanks to the very clever Terrain Response system which allows the driver to choose different settings that can adapt through every road surface, be it tarmac, gravel, snow, or anything. No matter how unforgiving the terrain you're facing with, the DS knows how to Play Rough. Get it? Play Rough! No wait that's too much of a fairy stuff to mention that word.

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

To evaluate the new Discovery Sport, the things I like the most is its off-road capability, its modern design fit for a crossover of that size, and it's as family oriented like any other vehicle a soccer mom can drive everyday. What I don't like about this car is its price that is more expensive than the more-expensive Range Rover Evoque, the third-row seating's not so spacious, and the diesel engine's too old for a new car but I'm sure the upcoming Ingenium engines will resolve that matter.

Available colors: Fuji White, Indus Silver, Corris Grey, Santorini Black, Loire Blue, Aintree Green, Kaikoura Stone, Firenze Red, Scotia Grey, Yulong White, Barolo Black, and Phoenix Orange.

Photo: Land Rover

F1 2015 - Bahrain GP

Image: Getty Images

The scorching hot weather in Sakhir, Bahrain, is no match for the heated Formula 1 battle where, once again, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton wins big this season while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen prevented Rosberg from gaining on Hamilton's rear, leaving Rosberg placed 3rd place. Before the race, McLaren's Jenson Button's F1 car did not start due to technical problems, probably an electrical fault.

In the driver's standings, Hamilton's in the lead by 93 points, with Rosberg 2nd place overall with 66 points, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel 3rd overall at 65 points.

The next race is at Spain on the 10th of May, 2015.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/4/second-bahrain-win-for-hamilton-as-raikkonen-splits-mercedes.html

Honda S660 gains app for fake engine noises

With the launch of the Honda S660 kei roadster, every car enthusiasts in Japan only have braced themselves for the rebirth of the legendary Honda Beat and this is one of the most affordable sports cars money can buy if you live in Japan because this car's Japan-only. Anyway, to further up the ante on the S660, Honda once made an app that fires away some "fake engine noises" onto the car's speakers.

Sound of Honda

The app is called Sound of Honda and it's applicable for the 6-speed manual variants of the new Honda S660. This app fires a synthesized versions of engine noises from famous Honda machines such as the legendary McLaren-Honda MP4/5 Formula One car, the NSX-R, and the EK9 Civic Type R. I know it sounds kooky but does a small kei roadster deserve some fake engine sounds on the interior?

So far, Honda hasn't point out a release schedule on the Sound of Honda app but they will plan to make it available soon.

Report: http://carview.yahoo.co.jp/news/newmodel/20150420-10222315-carview/

The Geekdom's Guide to Interrogating your Husband

If you remember a certain episode of Orphan Black, Alison Hendrix once interrogated her husband Donnie about what he did during her sleep or else a glue gun torture on her husband. Yes, a glue gun burn can be very painful but only the most desperate housewives can pull the same trick as Alison's when it comes to dealing with their backstabbing husbands who are doing suspicious behaviors.

Today's husbands tend to do suspicious activities, even after hours. For example, you didn't know that your husband had a number two while claiming he was working overtime or he once went to a beerhouse with his mates. You were expected to have your husband come home as scheduled but when several hours passed and your husband didn't come home as scheduled, consider this a wake-up call for the soccer moms.

First, find something that will knock him unconscious. If you were arguing with your husband about what he did last night, wait till he turns his back, then smack him hard with a hard object to knock him unconscious. Alison used a golf club on her husband's head but if you don't have a golf club, any long object would do. Your broomstick, baseball bat, a frying pan, anything will do.

When your husband's already knocked out, find a safe place no one will see. Either the pantry, the laundry room, the bathroom, or the garage, be sure no one will notice that you had a knocked-out husband tied up for interrogation. Because your husband weighs more than you, best to drag him on his legs. For health-and-safety purposes, wear him a helmet so he won't feel the knock while dragging him on a safe place at home.

If you found a safe place, sit him in the chair and tie him tightly. When he wakes up, he'll be freaked out when he sees you what you're doing. Time to make him pay. Interrogate him about what sort of suspicious activities he done after hours. If you think he's lying, find something that is worth painful. Alison used a glue gun on her husband and if you did have a glue gun, make him tell the truth or else, let a drip of hot glue burn his chest in agony. If you didn't have a glue gun, there are alternatives; a drip of wax from a lit candle or a boiling water. Wives, take note.

BEWARE: If you didn't expect that you had a get-together or a children's party or a potluck at your home, make sure he didn't expect that you had guests! You can make sure he didn't expect that by cover him with an ear muff, blindfold, and something to muffle his mouth. Also, be on the lookout for unsuspecting intruders, even those with a nail gun aiming at a drug addict.

You can thank the Clone Club as well as your sestras for this approach when it comes to dealing with your backstabbing husband, unless he accidentally killed an evil genius who runs an evil corporation and then asks you to bury his corpse under your home.

The Geekdom's Guide to Interrogating your Husband.

Let's Do The News! (April 20, 2015)

- A Magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan on Monday morning. It occurred at around 1043 hours Japan Time and its epicenter was located off Japan's Yonaguni Island, which is close to Taiwan. It registered an intensity of 4 on the scale of 7 at Yonaguni. There was a tsunami warning issued for the southwestern region of Okinawa but an hour later, the advisory has been lifted. So far, no reports of casualties has been given.

- There was a new footage shown by the Islamic State terrorists showing the brutal killings of about 30 Ethiopian Christians.

- The leader of Yemen's Houthi militia accused Saudi Arabia of plotting to seize Yemen in the midst of the Saudi-led air strikes happening for over three weeks.  He states that Saudi plans to invade Yemen, its occupation, and placing this country again under its feet and hegemony.

- Following the reports on the sinking of a boat, carrying 700 migrants, in the Mediterranean sea, with only 28 survivors rescued, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi led calls for the European Union to take action on the sea migration, stating that the trafficking of migrants amounts to a new slave trade.

- On his Pakistani visit, Chinese president Xi Jinping is expected to announce his 46 billion dollar investment by building a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, running from Gwadar to Xinjiang in the hopes for boosting Pakistan's economy and help end power shortages.

- McLaren unveils the less-powerful version of the 570S called the 540C. Part of the McLaren's Super Series range, this new model starts at 126,000 Pounds and the 3.8L V8 turbo engine that powers it develops 540PS of power output and the same number for torque, while mated with a 7-speed SSG.

2016 McLaren 540C

- Following Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, Dreamworks announced a new TV series based on the How to Train Your Dragon films called Dragons: Race to the Edge. It will be a Netflix-original series and it will be streaming on Netflix very soon.

TTFN!!!

Balitang Six Six for 4/17/15

Balitang Six Six from the April 17, 2015 episode of Banana Nite:

- A man got himself a hangover finds himself some difficulty getting up from bed!

- A cyclist tries to pull some stunts got smacked by the bench!

- A criminal who got arrested by police swallowed the entire evidence by himself!

- A man tries to lift a barbell tries to hold his breath because his dog's going to poo!

- A woman who dances non-stop didn't realize she ripped her pants!

- A woman tries to relax at the park got splashed by the river!

Opel/Vauxhall Corsa E

2015 Opel Corsa

2015 Vauxhall Corsa

The Corsa city car has spawned its fifth-generation model and this new version of the city car popular among those who got themselves a learner's permit from the driving school tries to be more of a matured hatchback when tackling on areas that are very metropolitan to the drivers' eyes.

In terms of design, it's kinda more of a mashup between the smaller Adam and the bigger Astra. You can notice the Adam-esque front face and the Astra-ish rear view on it but by the looks of it, it isn't half bad at all.

There are different kinds of Corsas to choose from, ranging from a three-door model for those who don't have friends and a five-door model for those who do have friends. Whichever Corsa you choose, you have a choice of either a 1.0L ECOTEC, 1.2L, a 1.4 ecoFlex, a 1.4 Turbo, or a 1.3 CDTi engine.

2015 Opel Corsa

2015 Vauxhall Corsa

The ideal Corsa will be the one with the 1.0L ECOTEC engine with the 115PS power output and the 170Nm torque output because this kind of engine will give its bigger counterparts some good kicking. With that kind of engine, you can get through 0-100kph in 10.3 seconds and flatout in 195kph. That sounds quick for a supermini equipped with a very small engine and looks like this will pose a bigger threat to the Ford Fiesta.

For those who are fuel-conscious should go for the more fuel efficient 1.3 CDTi engine with the 95PS power output because of its 29.4 to 30.3km/L fuel consumption as well as its 89 to 87g/km CO2 emissions. Not bad for a diesel-powered supermini, though.

Transmission choices, depending on the variant, include a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed automatic, or the 5-speed Easytronic gearbox.

The previous Corsa felt like you're trying to ride on a fire extinguisher-powered concierge trolley and although sounds cumbersome, the quality is worth betraying for the driver, especially those who got their driver's licenses. For the new model, the ride has been slightly improved as well as its handling despite the fact that some of the bodywork were derived from the previous generation. Although you may find it very cheap to handle like Postman Pat's but it is maneuverable and very accessible. As long as you satisfy its needs for a supermini, the Corsa will be as happy as a laughing baby.

2015 Opel Corsa interior

2015 Vauxhall Corsa interior

Apart from the "accessible" part, the interior is more likeable than the old one it replaces. It may be more of a ADAM lookalike but on high-end models, you get some nifty gadgets such as IntelliLink, which adds Bluetooth and iPod connectivity at your fingertips. It even comes with an optional app which allows the BringGo navigation app to work through the screen. Although I may find it to be a hassle than most sat-navs, it's money well spent.

The new Corsa starts at 11,980 Euros (9,175 Pounds in the UK) and it's still one of the not-so-bad cars money can buy, even for first-timers.

Photo: General Motors Europe

#BGSoapermanBatnaman

On the April 17, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...incomplete sentences!

- "Hindi ka pa handa" gags

- This salutatorian has something to say about her school's reputation but someone's stealing her show!

- Soaperman vs. Batnaman! The saddest superhero meets the complainable...

- The most unfair judge in the courtroom.

- A letter sender tells about his terrible bullying experience and the host extracts revenge on the bully.

- The Tolpu Bros. are addressing a complaint from firework vendors who are threatened by someone who didn't pay from them on T3 Nyo!

- Husband tries to address his wife's weight problems.

- Interview of a couple who experienced their worst train ride ever.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Couch potato cosplayers only. NO GAMERS ALLOWED!!!

Time to interrupt your laughter for a while because...it's time to get serious. I'd just received a letter from a certain anime otaku from a certain area I can't tell where he or she is. The letter told me that people can dress whoever and whatever they want and regarding about my sister's Serena cosplay last Easter, the letter sender told me that no other girl would want to dress in her new outfit and they could just stick to the original outfit especially the ones as seen in the XY video games. The letter sender told me not to order anyone to do whatever I want.



Well, to the letter sender who wrote this message from me via my Tumblr, I reply you with a really big "DAMN YOU" because let me ask you one thing. Have you ever seen some Pokemon fan attending in a convention dressed as Serena in her new outfit like in the anime series? The answer is a really big NO because even if she watched the anime several times, she thinks that she like the old one better than the new one and that's disgraceful. Call yourself an anime fan? How dare you. And why do you want to dress as a video game character?

On the subject of Best Wishes cosplay, watching someone dressed as a female character never appeared in the Pokemon Best Wishes anime in the likes of Hilda or Rosa rather than Iris not only sounds degrading to the anime community but also a disgrace to those who have a concept of race and ethnicity. Says what but damn them who never watched that BW anime years ago.

Here's a top tip about Pokemon cosplay: COSPLAY AS THE ONES YOU SAW ON THE ANIME SERIES, NOT ON THE VIDEO GAMES! Just do as I told to do. Although I won't force you to do this, I hope you'll join my cause because I want to show the world that dressing as characters you saw on TV is better than dressing as video game characters and who can blame it?

There's nothing bad about cosplaying as your favorite character because cosplaying is our way to pass the time if you got bored and it's part of keeping our lives running like...pinching on your sibling and be the first to say ouch, crying on a funeral of someone who isn't your relative, drinking some sleeping pills and fight it with exercise, and watching your pet goldfish swim.

What really grinds my gears right now is people dressed as video game characters in a convention specifically made for couch potatoes who spend the rest of the time watching TV shows (cartoons, anime, sci-fi, drama, action), movies, even web shows like Bee & PuppyCat, RWBY, or Bravest Warriors. Of course, you can call yourself a couch potato when you spend too much time playing video games but this is totally off course now. I am sick of seeing anyone dressed as video game characters because for them, they think TV is for wimps and they better off playing than flickering some channels with their remotes.

Yes, I don't mind bumping on people dressed as video game characters because seeing them just makes me furious, furious enough to throw a golden axe to their controllers, hand held consoles, or smartphones while playing some pointless app games. I just want to see people dressed as their favorite TV and movie heroes and villains, not the ones from video games!

I know that sounds very harsh but what about video games that do have TV shows or movies? There was the Super Mario Bros. that do have their own terrible TV show and a movie (I know, I saw them and they were horrifying), Street Fighter that does have a not-so-bad TV cartoon, a web series called Assassin's Fist, and some live-action movies with the latter called The Legend of Chun-Li (which doesn't look bad for me), Pac-Man did have two cartoons with the latter is the utterly brilliant Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Sonic The Hedgehog that spawns several cartoon shows with the latest Sonic cartoon called Sonic Boom, Resident Evil (Biohazard) that spawned numerous live-action films and they have big plans for the series' 20th anniversary next year, The iDOLM@STER which spawned some totally different anime shows as well as last year's movie...umm...there's too many to list but you know what, let's take it into consideration because this column is getting ugly right now.

As both a couch potato, a gamer, and a blogger who covers almost everything I saw, I respect people who dressed as their favorite characters. It's not that I'm upset or anything but seeing people who are into video games rather than those they've seen on their televisions at a convention is a strand too far and I'm starting to cross the line right now because gamers don't deserve to live in the community made by geeks and nerds for geeks and nerds. I know that geeks and nerds are different in every scientific way but if I see a gamer dressed as a video game character, I would really smash them to the ground, and by smashing them to the ground, I will LITERALLY smash them to the ground. FINISH HIM! Oops, there goes that video game line I wouldn't say that in this column.

Sadly, I wouldn't want to do such thing because I might disappoint someone who reads this, especially to a special buddy I met. That special buddy I met on the internet turns out to be a fan of The iDOLM@STER, just like me, and her favorite iM@S character is Haruka Amami, just like me. If you read this, I'm sorry. I've never meant to hurt your feelings because you were not just a good gamer but also a great anime otaku and an iM@S fan just like me. I'm very sorry for writing this because...I was just having fracas over the Serena cosplay from Pokemon.

Anyway, I guess I should end this column for now. Hope I don't get stressed by the time I wrote this and very sorry for those who got offended by this column. Please don't take it very seriously because I'm not taking it very seriously and I would never do that to a fellow nerd and geek like you.

How to dress as Bonnie

Bonnie is the little sister of Clemont, the Lumiose City Gym Leader, and although she’s too young to be a trainer just like her big brother, she has a very special friendship with a cute Electric-and-Fairy Pokemon named Dedenne. If she sees a very pretty lady, she would come approach to one and ask if she can take of her big brother. Sounds humorous but never mind because if you’re planning a Pokemon cosplay, here’s how to dress as Clemont’s little sister, Bonnie!




We’d recommend having a little girl from your family at a preschool age but in case you haven't got a little kid in your family, don’t worry because you can do this to yourself, unless if you’re a girl and if you have an adequate amount of budget to pull that off.

1) Start by finding a short-sleeved brown T-shirt but hopefully, the sleeves should not be too long or it will spoil it. If you got that kind of shirt, feel free to add a black ribbon on your shirt.

2) You need a white miniskirt for the outer part of your cosplay and for the inner part, some skin-tight cycling shorts (black, obviously).

3) Your hair needs to be blonde and short, although it’s difficult to match Bonnie’s hairstyle because of those round parts on it.

4) Although it’s difficult to find a yellow handbag similar to Bonnie’s, any handbag will do as long as it’s shoulder-carry and yellow.

5) Your shoes need to be pink. Any shoes will do as long as they’re pink and they’re not long-heeled. For a recommendation, why not find some pink clogs?

6) Optional: Bring a Dedenne plush with you

And there you have it. You can dress yourself as our favorite little sister who loves to ask out to take care of her big brother when she sees a pretty lady. That sounds comical but if you want to dress as Bonnie from Pokemon XY, follow these steps in no time.