Raymond Padilla

Watch Me on Tower of Vape (Please)!

Embedded below is my Tower of Vape appearance from a few weeks ago. Host Rich Gavina and I covered a bunch of vaping products and issues in our long chat. We talked about how I started vaping, e-cig hardware, what makes a great vape shop, what I’m trying to do with the vaping section of RPadTV, and lots more. It was lots of fun being on Tower of Vape and I hope to make another appearance this year. Also, I’m happy I got to name drop a bunch of people/companies that have been instrumental in my vaping journey — Seth Killian, Matt from Vape Star, Ahlusion, and others get the rub from me. Lastly, to all the people that have emailed me to complain about me not vaping on camera, I vaped plenty on Rich’s show. Ha!

Heat vs. Spurs: Your 2014 NBA Finals Predictions

The 2014 NBA Finals look like an outstanding matchup on paper. There are so many great plots and subplots permeating the contest between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. You have the old “Big Three” of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili vs. the current, dominant “Big Three” of James, Wade, and Bosh. You have the best coach in the league (Gregg Popovich) vs. the young half-Filipino mastermind (Erik Spoelstra). The Spurs are still scarred by having the 2013 NBA Championship in their hands and watching it slip away, anxious for redemption in the 2014 NBA Finals. You also have the awesome possibility of Greg Oden winning a championship ring before Kevin Durant, which would be funny just so you can say, “See, that’s exactly what you want in a #1 draft pick.” There are several more stories that make the 2014 NBA Championship so much fun and (in the immortal words from The Goonies) it all starts here.

I’d love to hear your predictions for the 2014 NBA Finals. Who will win and in how many games? Will Tony Parker’s ankle and hamstring hold up longer than Dwyane Wade’s knees? Which players will rise to the occasion? Which ones will flounder? Kindly leave your predictions in the comments section.

As for me, I’m hoping for the San Antonio Spurs in six games. Even though I don’t trust Tony Parker, I’m a big fan of Gregg Popovich’s sense of humor, Tim Duncan’s stoic excellence, Manu Ginobili’s receding hairline, and Marco Belinelli’s uncanny resemblance to a Final Fantasy Tactics supporting character. That said, LeBron James is at the height of his powers and Wade’s knees are healthier than they ought to be. While I’d like to see the 2014 NBA Finals end with the Spurs in six, the Heat in six seems like a more reasonable outcome.

Now it’s your turn. Predictions please!

Vaping Diaries #216: River Bottom Fog Sauce Review I

Vapers that love authentic tobacco are in for a real treat with River Bottom Fog Sauce. This relatively new e-liquid company specializes in juices made with naturally-extracted tobaccos (NETs). While River Bottom Fog Sauce is one of the newest NET e-liquid companies in the business, it has already established itself as a top-tier juice maker, as far as NETs go. I’ve been vaping three of the company’s juices for the last few months: Fabulous & Burley, St. James Parish, and Poet & Scholar. I was very, very impressed by these juices and surprised by the quality.

River Bottom Fog Sauce juices are available through VapingWatch for $22 for a 30ml bottle. While the price is more expensive than competing online NET vendors, the prices are inline with retail offerings. The juices come in glass bottles, but don’t have a dripper. If you’re into NET juices or are looking for an authentic tobacco taste then I highly recommend checking out River Bottom Fog Sauce’s offerings and giving the company a shot. As for the three flavors I’ve vaped, here are my tasting notes.

Fabulous & Burley: This is a mix of burley tobacco and a light vanilla flavor. Burley is one of my favorite tobaccos for vaping e-liquids and I really enjoyed River Bottom Fog Sauce’s burley extraction. It’s flavorful and smooth — a great tobacco choice for an all-day vape. The vanilla was good for me too, but not great. There are some fantastic burley and vanilla blends on the market, such as Vurley from Ahlusion and Vita Bella from Goodejuice. While I really enjoyed Fabulous & Burley, I like the two aforementioned juices a bit more. That said, this juice is certainly in the same league and I would totally understand someone that prefers Fabulous & Burley over Vurley and Vita Bella.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

St. James Parish: This is River Bottom Fog Sauce’s perique offering and my favorite juice covered in this review. I love perique tobacco, but juices made with it can have a certain “funk” that turns off some vapers. (Some equate the funk to a wet sock…but in a good way.) Even as a perique lover, most perique e-liquids aren’t something I can enjoy as an all-day vape. St. James Parish surprised me with its approachability. It has the rich, strong, and distinct flavor of perique, without the funk. That’s pretty remarkable. If I met someone that was interested in the type of flavor that perique offers, St. James Parish would be my first recommendation. It’s wonderfully flavorful, but much more approachable than other perique e-liquids on the market and, unlike many of its competitors, it’s a juice I can vape all day.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

Poet & Scholar: Out of the three juices in this review, this is the one that needed the most steeping. Initially, I wasn’t high on this honey-cigar blend; out of the mail, it had a floral quality about it that I didn’t enjoy. After a month of steeping, the floral taste backs off and the earthy cigar comes to the forefront. From that point on, the juice was much tastier to me and became something I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s a nice blend of earthiness and light sweetness. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other two juices in this review (I prefer pipe tobaccos over cigar tobaccos), it’s very well done and certainly a juice I’d recommend to vapers looking for an authentic, high-quality cigar e-liquid.

Juice Specs: 6mg nicotine, Custom PG/VG

Steeping and Review Notes (Updated December 29, 2013)
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method as of December 27, 2012. When the e-liquids arrive, I leave them uncapped for five minutes. Previously, I left them uncapped for about two days. After the liquids are given a few minutes to oxidize, the caps are put back on.

RPad.TV e-liquid reviews focus on the flavor of the e-liquids, since throat hit and vapor production can be altered by the PG/VG ratio and nicotine level selected. Each juice is vaped over a period of days in a bottom-coil silica atomizer (The Russian and Aqua), various rebuildable dripping atomizers, and a clearomizer.

Coffee Talk #628: What You Want From E3 2014

E3 2014 is just around the corner. Honestly, I’ve been avoiding thinking much about it. My June is pretty nuts — E3, The Vape Summit, hosting a pair of store grand openings, family visits, and more. Obviously E3 shows are something that I always look forward to; they’re wondrous events that are unlike any other trade show I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a ton of ’em). It’s always awesome seeing new games, seeing how other games are coming along, watching the press conference spectacles, watching the publisher pissing contests, and (most of all) catching up with longtime colleagues in the gaming business. Still, I’m so detached from the industry at the moment that I don’t…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, 50 Cent’s new album, the rumor that Marvel will cancel the Fantastic Four comics to spite Fox’s FF movie, or weeping that AJ Lee is off the market, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

That’s not to say that I won’t be busy. I’ll be spending the bulk of my E3 2014 days working for EGM and a couple of minutes each day doing daily video recaps for a foreign outlet (they love me in Singapore). While I won’t have much “free” time, I’ll be using it to check out a few indie games that I’m high on and checking out stuff for you guys.

So how about it? What are you looking forward to at E3 2014? Are there any games that you’d like me to check out on your behalf? Is there an aspect of the console war that you’d like me to keep tabs on? Is there an executive you’d like me to throw a drink at? Share your E3 2014 hopes, wishes, dreams, and requests in the comments section (please!).

Vaping Diaries #215: 4Kast Vapor Drip Tip Interview

Several weeks ago I met Justin Kelley, co-owner of 4Kast Vapor, and was surprised by his drip tips. 4Kast Vapor has launched with drip tips made from bullet shells, with a pressed delrin core. Drip tips made from 9mm and Smith & Wesson 40 caliber bullet shells are obviously cool, but the pressed delrin core makes these drip tips unique. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are fantastic for sub-ohm vapers; the delrin core is great at dissipating heat and also features wide bores for maximum airflow.

4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available in brass and nickel finishes. In the interview above, Justin details an upcoming drip tip called The Gambler. It also features a pressed delrin core, but has a copper shell. The outside features the four suits of playing cards, as opposed to a laser etching of Kenny Rogers’ face.

Check out the interview above to learn how 4Kast Vapor got started, the labor-intensive process of making the company’s drip tips, and other details. 4Kast Vapor drip tips are currently available at Vape Citi and other fine stores. Special thanks to Vape Star Koreatown for letting Justin and me film at the shop!

Coffee Talk #627: Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, and Cat Stevens in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on HBO. It was a wonderful celebration of some fantastic and entertaining musical artists. Bands like Kiss, Nirvana, and The E Street Band absolutely deserve to be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Game for their legendary careers. As much as I enjoyed the show, the incongruity of the ceremony was striking. Personally, I loved seeing Cat Stevens and Hall & Oates perform, but some of my friends had a problem with those artists being part of the show. What do you think of talents like Peter Gabriel, Linda Ronstadt, and Cat Stevens being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, David Villa being the first NYC FC signing, remembering Alice from The Brady Bunch, or what you’re hoping to see at Apple WWDC 2014, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Some of my friends feel that only rock and roll artists should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They view Peter Gabriel as a pop act, Cat Stevens as pop/folk, Linda Ronstadt as country, and Hall & Oates as pop. My pals agreed that all of the aforementioned acts had legendary careers, but disagreed with their enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To their point, there’s nothing really “rock and roll” about Art Garfunkel giving a speech about Cat Stevens.

My stance is much more flexible. Rock and roll doesn’t have a static definition and it doesn’t want one. What was considered rock and roll in the ’50s is very different from what it was in the ’80s, and both are quite different from what rock and roll is today. The genre is constantly changing and evolving. While some of the acts might not be considered “pure” rock and roll, at the very least they’ve influenced numerous rock and roll artists, including some bands that are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Take an act like Hall & Oates, for example. Many consider the dynamic duo to be a pop band, while others classify them as rock or new wave. Those with a little more musical education can pick up the R&B and soul hooks found in many of the band’s songs. Is it fair for anyone to judge Hall & Oates as not being rock and roll? In my book, Hall & Oates deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and every other Hall of Fame solely for the joy of “Rich Girl.”

What do you guys and dolls think? Are you cool with Lind Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Public Enemy (inducted last year), etc. being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Or do you have an issue with those artists being in it?

Vaping Diaries #214: Vapour Art GP Paps X Lux Preview

Vapour Art is one of my favorite mod makers in the world. The company uses top-quality metals like 316 stainless steel and aluminum bronze. Vapour Art’s craftsmanship is some of the finest in all of vaping; the threads on its mods are exceptionally smooth and the overall workmanship is brilliant. The Vapour Art GP Paps X was my favorite mod of 2013. As you can imagine, I was incredibly psyched to receive the GP Paps X Lux. This mod has everything I love about the GP Paps X, but with heavy use of aluminum bronze.

While many vapers are familiar with brass and copper mechanical mods, some are unfamiliar with aluminum bronze. According to Vapour Art, aluminum bronze is “four times more expensive than the 316 SS with high percentage of copper, ” and, “Admiralty brass has 71% Cu and naval brass has 60% Cu, while the aluminium bronze goes to 91% Cu plus 7% Al.” Some vapers I know love aluminum bronze because it offers higher performance, while others love it because it’s uncommon. Whatever the case, the aluminum bronze GP Paps X is a more luxurious and, on paper, a harder hitting version of it stainless steel counterpart.

To see why I was so impressed by the 316 stainless steel GP Paps X, be sure to check out my review. I have a strong feeling that the GP Paps X Lux will be one of my favorite mods of 2014, with a great chance of being my favorite mod released all year. Of course I’m going to have to spend more time with it before writing and filming a full review. For now, please check out the preview video above and the packing list below to see everything that comes with the Vapour Art GP Paps X Lux.

1x Main body OD 23 mm with two male threads made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x Long eXtension OD 23 mm with one male and one female thread made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x Short eXtension OD 23 mm with one male and one female thread made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x X ring made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x AFC ring made from Aluminium bronze in polished finish.
1x button made from EU certified 316 SS in polished finish.
1x top cap made from EU certified 316 SS in polished finish.
1x locking square nut made from EU certified 316 SS.
3x brass springs of different hardness.
2x food grade plastic insulators.
1x silver plated brass negative post screw with 15+ micron silver coating.
1x silver plated brass GPin with 15+ micron silver coating.
2x food grade O-ring 19×1,2mm for the AFC ring.
1 GP® Fork
1x short silver plated brass pin with 15+ micron silver coating for 18650 IMR batteries with 64,48 mm length (out of specs).
1x 15+ micron thickness silver plated spring.
1x double GP® Holster from cordura fabric 1000 den manufactured in EU by a company specialised in weapon holsters, made exclusively for Vapourart.

Coffee Talk #626: Movies You’ve Erased From Your Memory

While discussing X-Men: Days of Future Past in the lovely RPadTV Google+ Hangout, RPadholic smartguy mentioned that he erased X-Men: Last Stand from his memory. This is a common — and often completely necessary — self-defense mechanism for moviegoers. Sometimes a film is just so traumatic that you have no choice but to deactivate the part of your brain where the movie lives. Under several layers of psychic defenses, you know that the movie exists, but for ~~all intensive purposes~~ all intents and purposes, it never happened. My question for you on this fine day is this: Which movies were so bad that you’ve…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, rocking a V. Stiviano visor, super-hot Emma Watson graduating from Brown, or Roy Hibbert’s donut, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you have probably guessed, Green Lantern is one of my “never happened” movies. As a huge fan of the comics, I was really excited for the movie…and incredibly disappointed by the piece of crap that was served up. Most of the casting choices were bad, a lot of the writing sucked, and the movie did a horrendous job of showing why Hal Jordan is such a compelling superhero. For general comics fanboys, the movie was awful. For Green Lantern fans, it was a soul-crushing experience.

Another movie that had to be erased from my brain is Rocky V. The series started off as a surprisingly strong boxing drama. The second movie was a little cheesier, but still true to the spirit of the original. The third and fourth films were ridiculous, but entertainingly so. Adding Survivor songs to the mix, featuring larger-than-life actors like Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, playing on Cold War fear, and making the fights insanely unrealistic totally worked — especially for teenage moviegoers and younger. My first reaction to Rocky V was, “What the *&%^ was that?!?” It ignored everything that was great about the first four films and amplified all of the weaknesses. It was the cinematic equivalent of a boxer hanging on for one fight too many. You’ll always remember the greatness, but the end was so bad that you try to forget that it ever happened (see Muhammad Ali vs. Trevor Berbick).

Now it’s your turn! Kindly name some movies that were so bad that you erased them from your memory.

Vaping Diaries #213: Beyond Vape/Aria Interview

Last week I dropped by Beyond Vape to chat with company co-founder Billy Chen. In addition to running several successful stores around the country, the company has a number of products under the Beyond Vape and Aria brands. In the interview above, Billy talks about some of the company’s upcoming vaping devices and accessories. From mechanical mods, DNA 30 devices, and protective cases, Beyond Vape has a ton going on. Prototypes of the upcoming Oros, Hyperion, Sage, and Luna vaping devices are discussed and shown in the video. Here are some of the highlights:

Neptune (Beyond Vape) — This hybrid dripper features strong performance and solid build quality at a relatively inexpensive price.
Sage (Beyond Vape) — This mechanical mod retails for $85 and is aimed towards vapers that want high performance without a high price.
Luna (Beyond Vape) — A sleek DNA30 vaping device, the Luna should retail under $200, making it less expensive than competing DNA30 devices. One cool and practical features is its MicroUSB port, which lights up to let you know when the battery is being charged.
Oros (Aria) — This copper mechanical mod is made-in-the-USA and offers killer performance. A well-known gentleman from the popular CaliVapers forums tested the Oros and found that it had extremely low voltage drop.
Hyperion (Aria) — A hybrid dripper, the Hyperion is like the Neptune’s more luxurious cousin. If the Neptune is a great Honda then the Hyperion is a slick Acura. The Hyperion’s tube, atomizer cap, and drip tip are plated in 24-karat gold.

Beyond Vape and Aria have a wide range of products in its 2014 lineup, aimed towards novice and veteran vapers alike. Whether you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, a mod with unmatched performance, or a hybrid the screams luxury, the company has you covered. Be sure to check out the interview above and when you have a chance, please let me know which Beyond Vape/Aria product you’re most excited for.

Random Thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past

As a huge fan of the X-Men: Days of Future Past comics, I was excited for and scared of the X-Men: Days of Future Past movie. Obviously the movie was going to change the source material — some of the changes were for Hollywood reasons, some of the changes worked, and some of them will make millions of fanboys cry out in terror. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It certainly has problems, but it’s fun enough that I can see myself watching it dozens of times on cable. Here are some random thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past. (Turn on your spoiler shields, please.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes: Going into the movie, I knew that things were going to be rearranged to feature Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence. They’re the two biggest stars in the X-Men movie franchise, so naturally the plot was altered to give them as much screen time as possible. Some purists will be annoyed that Wolverine was sent back in time instead of Kitty Pryde. While I love me some Ellen Page, I knew that wasn’t going to happen in Days of Future Past. The kids (and ladies) love Hugh Jackman.

One major change that bothered me was Kitty Pryde’s newfound TiVo powers. For some reason, Days of Future Past Kitty has the incredibly convenient superpower to transfer someone’s consciousness to the past. The scene where the future X-Men’s TiVo tactics are explained is pretty bad, topped of by the even worse idea that Wolverine can survive a multi-decade rewind because of his ~~copout~~ vaunted healing factor.

The ’70s Ruled: The movie alternates between a Dystopian 2023 and a completely awesome 1973. It was fun seeing bell bottoms, afros, garish polyester patterns, waterbeds, analog meters, reel-to-reel audio, etc. I’m pretty sure that the making of Days of Future Past caused a temporary shortage of polyester. As someone that has always been fascinated by the ’70s (disco, drugs, casual sex!), I loved the past scenes of this movie.

The Future Sucks: All nerd movies portray the future as dark and awful. Days of Future Past carries on that fine tradition. The bad news is that the future sucks for the X-Men and humanity in general. The good news is that the fight scenes are pretty sweet. Bishop, Storm, Colossus, Warpath, Sunspot, Iceman, and Blink don’t have a lot to do as far as advancing the narrative, but they’re featured in some awesome action sequences.

On a side note, I was totally embarrassed that I immediately recognized the actor that played Warpath as one of the werewolves from the Twilight movies. Oh well, at least I can admit it.

Hot X-Chicks: I’m always down with watching Jennifer Lawrence in body paint. In fact, one of my dream jobs is to work as the guy that applies her body paint and prosthetics. She’s a beautiful woman, but you already knew that.

I was pleasantly surprised by how cool Fan Bingbing looked as Blink. I’ve always loved this character. I don’t recall if Bingbing had any lines, but she made for an adorable real-life Blink and Days of Future Past made fun use of her powers.

Anna Paquin is in the movie for like 32 seconds and I would have loved more Ellen Page, but I’m totally not going to complain about hot Jennifer Lawrence and sexy Fan Bingbing. Whether it’s the past or the future, the X-Men have some hot chicks.

Excellent Use of Music: This movie will definitely win Academy Awards for “Best Use of Roberta Flack,” “Best Use of Jim Croce,” and “Best Use of the Theme From Sanford & Son.” I’m not sure if these awards actually exist, but they should.

Quicksilver Didn’t Suck: Going into Days of Future past, lots of fanboys were hating on the movie’s version of Quicksilver. Based off of stills from the set, he looked like crap. While he reminded me more of DC Comics’ Impulse than Marvel’s Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver had a great scene that will make many moviegoers happy. Yeah, I could have done without the flippant line about his parentage, but his fight scene was very, very cool.

Tyrion Hates Mutants: Although I loved Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent before Game of Thrones came out, it’s hard to see him as anyone else but Tyrion Lannister. In Days of Future Past, he plays Bolivar Trask, creator of the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. While I kept waiting for him to bust out an overly affected British accent, I appreciated his performance. The writing he had to work with was poor; the character was written as a paper-thin antagonist (i.e. science dick), but Dinklage manages to give Trask some depth.

Magneto’s a Dick: In the comics, many writers have portrayed Professor X and Magneto as the mutant equivalents of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively. In X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past, I’m pretty sure that being the master of magnetism is Magneto’s secondary mutation. It seems like his answer to everything is, “I know, I’ll be a dick!” While it’s clear that he cares about his fellow mutants more than anything else, his actions lack thought and his plans generally suck. Then again, I’m happy that he did what he did to RFK Stadium. That place is a toilet.

About a Beast: Adult Nicholas Hoult weirds me out. He’ll always be the kid from About a Boy to me.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed X-Men: Days of Future Past, despite its problems. I wouldn’t say it’s a great superhero film, but it’s good fun. Compared to the comics, it’s a bit dumber and not quite as grim, though it certainly has some dark moments. As far as 2014 superhero movies go, it’s better than Spider-Man 2 and not as good as Captain America 2. It’s one of those flawed movies that I’ll happily watch several times when it’s in rotation on cable.

Having said that, I can see some comics purists hating this movie. Some of the flaws are dismissible, but there are some comics fans that won’t stand for the drastic changes to the source material. When you combine those changes with the movie’s other problems, the film won’t stand a chance with some hardcore comics fans. Those guys and gals can complain all they want and I get it, but I’ll happily watching Days of Future Past again and again in the hopefully-not-Sentinel-dominated future.