Author: RPadTV

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Vaping Diaries #132: Majestic Vapors Review

As a comic-book fanboy and Star Wars nerd, I was really looking forward to trying some of Majestic Vapors’ “Geek Line” of e-liquids. I recently vaped Majestic Vapors’ Vader’s Vengeance, Fant4stic Four, and Lantern’s Light. Before I get to the flavor breakdowns, let’s chat about the company for a bit.

Majestic Vapors is a retail shop in the Niagara Falls area. The company offers a wide variety of juices — some straightforward blends and some interesting mixes. The Geek Line uses playful references to comics, movies, videogames, and more. The 30ml bottles come in plastic and have a very reasonable price of $14.99. The company has a weekly buy-two-get-one-free “Tremendous Tuesday” promo on 15ml bottles. All three of these juices vape cleanly and are suitable for any type of juice delivery system. They’re good straight out of the mail, though I’d suggest a week or two of steeping for Vader’s Vengeance.

The three Majestic Vapors Geek Line juices I tried were good. The one I wanted to like the most ended up being my least favorite, while the other two were more enjoyable. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Vader’s Vengeance: This juice gets bonus points for a multifaceted nerd name. Darth Vader is a bad ass, the name is alliterative, and the name is also a play on the popular Boba’s Bounty e-liquid. Think of Vader’s Vengeance as Boba’s Bounty light. It’s a nice blend of a light tobacco, honey, and graham. I found it to be an enjoyable dessert vape. While I expect some Boba’s Bounty fans to scoff at this juice (it’s certainly not as distinct as the original and Boba’s Bounty fans can be…irrational), I recommend giving it a shot if you want a dessert vape with a touch of tobacco. Majestic Vapors did a solid job on this juice and it was my favorite of the bunch.

Fant4stic Four: Of course Fant4stic Four is an RY4, but it’s not a traditional one. Along with the typical ingredients of light tobacco, caramel, and vanilla, Majestic Vapors added some chocolate to the mix. In some ways, this juice reminded me of Black Cloud Vapor’s take on RY4, which didn’t quite work for me. I actually enjoyed this juice more than Black Cloud’s chocolatey RY4s, but more as a dessert vape than as an RY4. If you’re a fan of traditional Asian RY4s or sweeter Western RY4s, the chocolate might throw you off. If you approach this juice as a dessert vape then there’s a good chance that you’ll like it. Also, it’s hard not to vape this juice and not shout, “Flame on!!!”

Lantern’s Light: As a huge, huge mark for Green Lantern (the comics, not the extremely unfortunate Ryan Reynolds movie), I wanted to love this juice. Even though it’s awesomely green, it wasn’t really my thing. Lantern’s Light is a candy lime flavor, with some earthiness in the background. The end result is something like lime Skittles candy. I know a lot of vapers that would love this juice (candy flavors are hugely popular in SoCal), but I’m usually not into candy vapes. Still, I was intrigued by the idea of this juice, but wish it had a natural flavor instead of a candy one; a natural lime flavor with tobacco in the background sounds like something I’d enjoy. Lantern’s Light isn’t bad by any means. It’s simply not my thing.

(On a totally nerdy note, I mentioned to the juice maker that it’s too bad the company wasn’t around during the Blackest Night crossover. Majestic Vapors could’ve had all the spectrums covered. In my head, I’m whipping up recipes for the Blue Lantern Corps, Indigo Tribe, etc. Don’t judge me. I prefaced this tangent by saying it was a totally nerdy note.)

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting 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. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Vader’s Vengeance (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Fant4stic Four (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Lantern’s Light (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Review Process (Updated February 17, 2013)
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 an atomizer, a cartomizer/tank setup, and a clearomizer. The exception is naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.

Coffee Talk #602: First-World Nerd Problems

I’ve read several stories about people that have dropped their mobile phones in the toilet. A few of my friends have suffered this calamity. As mobile phones have become more powerful and apps have become more compelling, this epidemic seems to be spreading. It’s very much a case of a first-world nerd problem. While I don’t use my phone in the bathroom, several of you RPadholic revealed that you do (remember this poll?). Still, it puzzles me. Is it really that difficult to…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, being baffled by politicians supporting A-Rod, excited by your first potential Internet vaping stalker (and hoping that she’s a vampire), or Amazon’s rumored Prime mobile phone by HTC, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve read several stories about people that have dropped their mobile phones in the toilet. A few of my friends have suffered this calamity. As mobile phones have become more powerful and apps have become more compelling, this epidemic seems to be spreading. It’s very much a case of a first-world nerd problem. While I don’t use my phone in the bathroom, several of you RPadholics revealed that you do (remember this poll?). Still, it puzzles me. Is it really that difficult to avoid dropping your Android phone or iPhone in the toilet?!?

Then again, I shouldn’t judge. I’m guilty of another first-world nerd problem — one that involves tablets. I’ve always enjoyed reading in bed. Until recently, it was a fairly safe thing for me to do. Dozing off with a comic book or paperback in my hands was easy to deal with. Even hardcover books were relatively manageable. Then, the iPad (and Comixology) arrived. That’s when reading in bed became hazardous to my head. Over the last few years, there have been dozens of instances when I wanted to keep reading, but my eyes and brain were telling me to go the hell to sleep. I’d doze off and — boom! — my iPad would smack me in the face.

This first-world nerd problem is certainly embarrassing — I’d briefly wake up, feel stupid, and quickly fall back asleep — but at least I can own up to it. How about you guys and gals? Have dropped your iPhone in the toilet or smacked yourself in the face with your iPad? Are you guilty of any first-world nerd problems? Please share your stories in the comments section.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

RPadholic N8R and I are heading down to Long Beach later today to sip some gin and juice with Snoop Dogg cover Vapetoberfest. We had a great time at last month’s Electronic Cigarette Convention in Anaheim and snagged 18 video interviews. Hopefully Vapetoberfest will be similarly fun and productive.

While I’m at the show, I’ll be playing one of the secret games that I was consulting on. There are a few aspects of secret game that annoy the hell out of me, but I’m very much addicted. My excellent friend Paul (please read his web site!) gave me his copy of Beyond: Two Souls and I’m really looking forward to giving that game a whirl when I get back. Of course if Nate and I get some solid content from Vapetoberfest then I’ll be editing videos for at least a week, so I’ll just have to be content with staring at Beyond’s box. Ha!

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Vaping Diaries #131: The Vape Tree Review

The Vape Tree is a relatively new e-liquid company that focuses on complex juices that use several ingredients. I recently vaped three of the company’s e-liquids: Pinoy Punch, Banyan Tree, and Royal Tobacco. I liked one of them and loved two. The two Vape Tree e-liquids I loved were unique and complex — very distinct blends that stand out. The one I loved the most featured one of my favorite fruits — a fruit that’s very uncommon in the vaping world. I definitely recommend giving the two juices I loved a shot. You’ll see why in the tasting notes below, but first, a few more details.

As I mentioned in Vaping Diaries #87, The Vape Tree pre-steeps its e-liquids using an ultrasonic cleaner. The juices spend around three hours in an ultrasonic cleaner before being shipped. This is the rough equivalent of three weeks of steeping. With that in mind, it was no surprise that the juices were great to vape out of the mail. Additional steeping helps the flavors unify, but many vapers will find that these e-liquids are good to go straight away. As far as vapeability goes, these three Vape Tree juices are very clean and suitable for all types of juice delivery systems. Banyan Tree was slightly heavier than the others, but still quite clean.

The Vape Tree has an October promotion for Banyan Tree and Pinoy Punch. Using the coupon code “FightCancer” will give you 30 percent off of those juices, with The Vape Tree making a 10 percent donation to the Susan B. Komen foundation.

Now onto to the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes!

Pinoy Punch: As a Filipino-American, I’m a sucker for any juice that has the word “Pinoy” in it. Yes, it has a name that I love, but I also genuinely love this juice. It’s a tasty blend of tropical fruits. There are many, many juices out there that mix tropical fruit flavors, but there were two things that made this one stand out. First, it has a thick texture that I really enjoyed. Secondly, it has…mangosteen! This is one of my favorite fruits in the world and there aren’t many e-liquids that use it. The mangosteen flavor made this Vape Tree juice a total winner in my book.

Banyan Tree: To be completely honest, I probably enjoyed Banyan Tree as much as I did Pinoy Punch, but this juice doesn’t have the word “Pinoy” in it so it got the silver medal. This is another complex blend with several different flavors that mix together nicely. The end result is a moderately sweet juice with a bakery-type flavor that has an earthy tobacco undertone. It’s pleasantly unusual. In some ways, it reminded me of a Heather’s Heavenly Vapes NET e-liquid, but was still very distinct in its own right. Some vapers view Banyan Tree as The Vape Tree’s signature juice and it’s easy to understand why. It’s well done and stands out.

Royal Tobacco: This one I didn’t enjoy as much as the others. It’s a medium-bodied tobacco with mild-to-moderate sweetness. It wasn’t bad, by any means. It’s just that this category has a ton of competition. For medium-bodied tobacco e-liquids, Ahlusion’s non-aromatic juices and Goodejuice’s House Brewed Line are fantastic choices. This is “only” a good one.

The Vape Tree Pinoy Punch

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting 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. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Pinoy Punch (The Vape Tree)
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: July 31, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Banyan Tree (The Vape Tree)
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: July 31, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Royal Tobacco (The Vape Tree)
60/40 PG/VG ratio, 10mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 3, 2013 4:32PM
Vaped: September 24-30, 2013

Review Process (Updated February 17, 2013)
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 an atomizer, a cartomizer/tank setup, and a clearomizer. The exception is naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.

Vaping Diaries #130: Kebo Russian Atomizer Review

The Kebo Russian is a bottom-coil silica atomizer that offers fantastic flavor and high capacity. It’s a 1:1 copy of the Svoe Mesto Kayfun 3.1, which many vapers love for its strong performance. While other companies have tried to mimic the Kayfun 3.1, they’ve mostly offered an inferior experience. The Kebo Russian offers the same outstanding performance as the product it’s based on, but for a much lower price.

What’s in the Kit: The Kebo Russian comes with the atomizer, a clear tank, a stainless steel tank, a 510 drip-tip adapter, a plastic needle-tip e-liquid bottle, a screwdriver keychain, wick, wire, extra screws, and extra O-rings. Kebo calls the extra O-rings and screws “spear parts,” but they don’t fit on any of the spears I have at home.

The extra parts are certainly useful, but I wasn’t a fan of the refill bottle and screwdriver. Using the included bottle makes refilling a slow process and I don’t like metal-on-metal contact. I highly recommend going with syringes and plastic tips; using that combo makes refilling fast and you don’t have to worry about metal scraping on metal. The screwdriver is small and difficult to generate torque with. It’s okay for making on-the-go adjustments or for people that don’t have a set of computer tools. It’s nice that Kebo included these items in the kit, but I recommend replacing them straight away.

Build Quality: The build quality of Chinese clones is all over the place. Some products are well made and others are hot garbage. Then there’s the Kebo Russian. This is, without a doubt, the best vaping product from China that I’ve ever used. It’s primarily made from stainless steel, including a stainless steel valve from the USA (China outsourcing to America?!? That’s crazy!). The materials used for the Kebo Russian are top notch.

The Kebo Russian is shockingly well made and on par with the Kayfun 3.1. Some longtime Kayfun users will be able to spot small differences in build quality, but many vapers will find them identical. Given how complex this atomizer is and how many parts it uses, the excellent build quality is even more impressive.

Design: The Kebo Russian is a complex atomizer that holds roughly 4.5ml of e-liquid. With its numerous parts and high capacity, it’s quite large. It’s 60mm long, with a 22mm diameter. For many vapers, the combination of performance and capacity is totally worth it. Some vapers will find it cumbersome.

Aesthetically, the Kebo Russian is a handsome device. The stainless steel has a sandblasted finish that’s slightly darker than the one Svoe Mesto uses for the Kayfun 3.1 Beta model. As someone that greatly prefers brushed, matte, and sandblasted steel over polished steel, I was quite pleased with The Russian’s finish.

Performance: Thousands of vapers have been enamored with the performance of the Kayfun 3.1. The Keebo Russian offers the same great flavor, a satisfying draw, and decent vapor production. Airflow can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of vapers. The range is very good and should satisfy everyone, save for those that like extremely tight draws. As someone that prefers a firm draw, I enjoyed using the Kebo Russian.

While it’s not the best choice for cloud chasers, the Kebo Russian offers stellar flavor. Between the small air chamber and the tight drip tip, you get a deliciously concentrated vape. Naturally, a lot depends on your setup. My personal preference is flat ribbon and Twik Ekowool. In the Kebo Russian, this combo offers outstanding flavor that’s on par or better than any Genesis-style atomizers I’ve used.

Ease of Use: For such a complicated atomizer, the Kebo Russian is relatively easy to set up. It’s slightly more involved than using a rebuildable dripping atomizer and much easier than setting up a Genesis-style atomizer. Most vapers that can build a coil for an RDA will have no problem using the Kebo Russian. Building space is small, but still quite manageable. My rebuilding skills are average and I found the Kebo Russian easy to work with using a variety of wire and wick materials.

Maintenance is straightforward, though clumsy vapers will have to use extra care when washing the Kebo Russian. There are a lot of small parts that can be lost or washed down the drain.

Kebo Russian Review

Verdict: The Kebo Russian delivers everything that I love about the Kayfun 3.1, but is much easier to get and significantly cheaper to buy. It’s available for around $115, while the lowest I’ve seen the Kayfun 3.1 is $175. For juice delivery systems with high capacity, this type of atomizer is my favorite. It holds a lot of e-liquid and offers great flavor. While I’ve enjoyed products like the AMP Tank and GP Spheroid, I prefer the Kebo Russian over both of those high-capacity atomizers.

For some vapers, there is an ethical dilemma when it comes to the Kebo Russian. It’s pretty much an exact copy of Svoe Moesto’s work and some vapers have issues with companies making money by lifting another company’s design. Some vapers don’t care about that and are only concerned about their vaping budget. Both sides are understandable. I’m not judging — just throwing it out there for people to decide.

For vapers that have always wanted a Kayfun 3.1, but have been unable to nab one because of price or availability, the Kebo Russian is a fantastic alternative. It’s cheaper and easier to find, while delivering the same awesome performance. While I still enjoy using a good RDA, the Kebo Russian has become my top choice for when I need a juice delivery system with high capacity. It’s a well-built atomizer that offers high capacity and flavor on par with Genesis-style atomizers, but without the leaking issues inherent to Gennies. If you don’t have a problem with the copying issue then I highly, highly recommend picking one up.

Xbox One Friends App Walkthrough

Microsoft’s Larry the Marketing Guy (aka Major Nelson) hosted a video walkthrough of the Friends App for Xbox One. Social interactions on Xbox One are quite different from how they work on Xbox 360, with loads of new and potentially exciting features. The Friends App takes Xbox social interactions to new heights. Learn more about the Friends App for Xbox One and see it in action by watching the video below. When you’re done with that, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Are you excited to give the Friends App a whirl? Or does it look like something that will bother you? Or do you need to see more or try it out yourself before you can form an opinion? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

Source

PETA Still Hates Nintendo: Pokemon Red, White, & Blue

The morons at PETA have released another Pokemon parody to take advantage of the hype surrounding Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. The latest misguided attempt to raise awareness to the organization’s cause is Pokemon Red, White, & Blue. This time around, the group is challenging people to evolve (get it?!?) by urging them to become vegetarian or vegan. Here’s an excerpt from the campaign:

For generations, humans have loved Pokémon, but if Pokémon came to our world and saw how we treated animals, would they love us back? Be a hero for real-life animals by pledging to try vegan.

With the huge selection of delicious vegan meats and alternatives to dairy foods and eggs available, there’s no excuse not to give a vegan diet a try. We’ll send you delicious recipes and tips for living cruelty-free to help you along the way.

Some of you will recall that PETA has a history of picking on wholesome and harmless Nintendo games. In the past, it went after Super Mario Bros. 3D Land with Super Tanooki Skin 2D and attacked Pokemon with Pokemon Black & Blue.

While there are certainly several great reasons to become vegan or vegetarian — both for personal health and the good of the environment — it’s hard to take PETA seriously given its history with Nintendo. When you see mainstream media go after Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty, you can see how a violent videogame can be taken out of context to blame social disorders and further an agenda. Exploiting a Super Mario Bros. game or a Pokemon game is just dumb. At worse, those games aren’t the least bit offensive. At best, they’re quite positive. Twisting them in a negative way in order to push your message is pathetic.

Personally, I would love to be vegan or vegetarian. After thinking about PETA’s use of Pokemon to push a meat-free agenda, I want to devour a Smith & Wollensky ribeye.

Anyway, what do you think of PETA’s latest use of Nintendo characters to promote its agenda? Do you agree that it’s a bad way to push a good message? Would any of you like to join me for some all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ in PETA’s honor?

Source

Vaping Diaries #129: Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com Review

Earlier this year, Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com opened for business. As a huge fan of NET e-liquids, I was really excited to see what this vendor brought to the table (or atomizer, more accurately). When I learned about the company’s different extraction and bottling options (detailed in Vaping Diaries #96), I was even more excited. After vaping the company’s Bombay, Chris’ Blend, and Coventry e-liquids, I’m pleased to say that Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com is a very good choice for tobacco fans, with the potential to be a great one.

In broad terms, Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com’s e-liquids are on the strong side, though not quite as heavy as many of the Ahlusion aromatic and Want2Vape Signature Blend juices I’ve had. The three juices covered in this review are complex and feature a blend of different tobaccos. I noticed a significant difference between the heat-extracted and cold-maceration versions of each juice. With one exception, I preferred the cold-maceration version of the e-liquids, as they brought out the complexities of the tobacco mixes. However, for clearomizer users, I recommend heat extraction, because the subtleties I enjoyed with the cold macerations were mostly lost on clearos.

While these Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com juices aren’t quite as harsh on coils as Want2Vape’s notorious brews, they’re definitely on the heavy side (as pictured in the video review). As far as steeping goes, I enjoyed these straight out of the mail and only experienced slight changes with steeping. I’d classify these as “vape ’em if you got ’em” juices.

Now for the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes of these Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com e-liquids.

Bombay: This is the boldest blend of the bunch and my favorite Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com juice so far. It’s a mix of Georgian Virginia, black cavendish, Mexican burley, and smoked Cyprian latakia tobaccos. The latakia gives it a spicy kick, while the cavendish adds some sweetness on the backend. Mixed with the other tobaccos and you have a flavorful, rich, and layered vape. There’s a lot going on with this juice and I definitely recommend it to fans of complex pipe-tobacco vapes. One minor criticism I had with Bombay is that I wish it had more latakia and less cavendish. The thing I enjoyed most about this juice was its latakia kick and the cavendish overshadowed it a bit. Still, I very much enjoyed this one.

Chris’ Blend: I’ve made up plenty of stories in my head about this Chris person and how he came up with this blend of black Cavendish, golden Virginias, and Turkish tobaccos for Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com. I’d share them with you, but my tobacco fan-fiction sucks. Instead, I’ll tell you about this sweet and nutty tobacco blend. This was definitely the sweetest e-liquid of the bunch and almost fits into that “dessert tobacco” category. It’s not like a Heather’s Heavenly Vape juice where the tobacco is a supporting player; the tobacco is medium-strong here, but the sweetness is quite high. Unlike the other two juices in this review, I preferred the heat-extracted version of Chris’ Blend, as the sweetness was toned down compared to the cold-maceration version. It’s good choice if you’re a fan of dessert-tobacco vapes and want something with more of a tobacco kick, but it’s not quite what I enjoy for this style of e-liquid.

Coventry: This was the first Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com e-liquid to catch my eye, as I’m a big fan of burley tobacco. Also in this blend are cavendish and vanilla. The end result is a tasty melange where the tobaccos take center stage and the vanilla plays a complementary role. The cavendish also adds some sweetness, though it’s more subtle than the sweetness in Chris’ Blend. While I enjoyed this juice, I couldn’t help but think of Ahlusion’s Vurley, which is a mix of burley tobacco and vanilla. For this style of tobacco e-liquid, I think Vurley is phenomenal, while Coventry is very good. That said, I can see why someone would feel the opposite way. As my buddy ECF y cherry y likes to point out (gotcha buddy!), taste is subjective.

Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com Bombay

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting 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. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Bombay (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Chris’ Blend (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Coventry (Naturally-Extracted-Tobacco.com)
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: August 21, 2013 6:10PM
Vaped: October 1-8, 2013

Review Process (Updated February 17, 2013)
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 an atomizer, a cartomizer/tank setup, and a clearomizer. The exception is naturally-extracted tobacco (NET) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.

Friday Housekeeping: Happy Fourth Birthday RPad.TV!

Wow, where does that time go?!? Ha! Today is RPad.TV’s fourth birthday. It seems like yesterday when I was going through a bout of depression over G4tv and RPadholic N8R convinced me to start my own blog. The site has had lots of ups and a handful of downs. It has changed a lot (mostly for the better, I think) and the focus has shifted a bit. Obviously I’ve been posting a lot of vaping content for the last 11 months and I’ve been writing more general entertainment articles. The former is because I’ve been largely unsatisfied with the vaping content that’s out there and the latter is me just posting whatever is on my mind.

While I’ve met so many of you through videogames, I don’t post as much gaming content as I used to. Part of it is because that I often work as a consultant for publishers and can’t write about that stuff. Part of it is because I don’t get nearly as many content opportunities in gaming as I used to. That’s somewhat understandable since I’m one guy working on a very small blog. Still, it’s disheartening. I’ve been writing about games since 1996 and made tons of PR contacts over the years. While I expected many to completely forget about me since I’m no longer working for a large outlet, I hoped (rather naively in retrospect) that I’d get more support for RPad.TV. It’s incredibly frustrating when PR people that I’ve known for more than a decade won’t let me attend local events or attend local demos. Honestly, part of the reason that I don’t pursue gaming content as much as I used to is because I know I’ll end up getting pissed off and annoyed. Between the lingering effects of my 2012 surgery and my always-ready-to-flare-up skin, I’ve largely given up dealing with most videogame PR people because I don’t need all that noise.

Then there’s the mobile phone coverage. I’m just completely bored by the market. There are only two types of phones I’d buy — Apple iPhones and Google Nexus phones. Everything else bugs me, partially because of silly things the hardware manufacturers do and mostly because of the garbage American carriers pull. The mobile-phone space (hardware, anyway) hasn’t interested me in a few years.

Still, the four-year mark of RPad.TV has me missing all the gaming content that I used to post. I’m going to try to do more, whether I get support from PR people or not. I miss writing about games for the site and I miss talking about games with all of you. With that in mind, kindly join me in an RPad.TV birthday wish for the site’s videogame content to rise again!