Raymond Padilla

The Post-WrestleMania Raw Phenomenon

The Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania has always been a charged event. The audience has lots of hardcore wrestling fans from out of town and there’s a lot of residual energy from the biggest pro-wrestling event of the year. The last two post-WrestleMania Raws have been particularly noteworthy. In 2012, the crowd was absolutely nuts for Bryan Danielson, since many felt that he was shafted by only getting 18 seconds of WrestleMania wrestling time. This year, the smarks (smart marks) totally took over the show; they completely overshadowed the Sheamus vs. Randy Orton match with out-of-nowhere chants (Mike Chioda?!?), made Fandango’s theme song shockingly popular, and became a bigger part of the show than most of the in-ring action.

Some are calling the post-WrestleMania Raw “Smarkageddon,” while others are using the terms, “Monday Night Marks,” and (my personal favorite), “Smarks After Dark.” Whatever label you prefer, it’s a beautiful case of the inmates running the asylum. If you missed out on the shenanigans then check out the clips below.

It’s too bad the WWE didn’t post the entire Sheamus vs. Orton match. The crowd was so unruly that it caused Orton to forget a line and had both wrestlers distracted at various points in the match. It was one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever seen from a WWE crowd. I’m used to such behavior at smaller, smark-filled shows like those held by Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate, and Pro-Wrestling Guerilla, but I’ve never seen it happen with a crowd that big, sustained for the entire show.

Some dirt-sheet writers feel that the crowd response “sent a message” to WWE and will start a trend of the audience upstaging the talent. While I expect several chants of Fandango’s “ChaChaLaLa,” I sincerely doubt there will be another show with a crowd as boisterous as the last Smarkageddon…until next year’s Smarkageddon.

What did you make of this year’s post-WrestleMania Raw? Do you think there will be a crow like that again in the near future? Or do you not expect to see an audience like that until Smarkageddon 2014?

Verizon Wireless Changes Upgrade Terms

Verizon Wireless has announced several changes to how upgrades work for its postpaid customers. In the past, customers were able to get upgrade pricing 20 months into an existing contract in exchange for extending the contract by two years. That deal is over. Instead, customers will have to wait for the entire length of the contract to expire before being eligible for upgrade prices. Here’s an excerpt from a post by Verizon’s executive director of corporate communications Brenda Raney:

In alignment with the terms of the contract, customers on a two-year agreement will be eligible for an upgrade at 24 months vs. today’s early upgrade eligibility at 20 months. This change aligns the upgrade date with the contract end date and is consistent with how the majority of customers purchase new phones today.

In the immortal words of Lando Calrissian, “This deal is getting worse all the time!”

Some tech pundits have speculated that Verizon’s chief competitor, AT&T, will follow suit. Many also believe that the Sprint and T-Mobile, the (distant) third- and fourth-largest carriers in the U.S., will capitalize on the move and emphasize the more lenient terms each company offers.

For you Verizon customers out there, does this change your view on the company? Are you less likely to renew your contract because of the new terms? Or is it not a big deal to you?

Source via Droid-Life

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Unfortunately, that gnarly flu-like thing I had last week returned on Wednesday. Fortunately, I’m going to use that as an excuse to play more Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Mac OSX). I’ve finished two games (assassin, fighter-thief) and I think I’ll start two more. This time I’m going to go with a kensai, with the intent to get him to level 13 in Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhance Edition before dual-classing him into a kensai-thief. I think I’ll give the shadowdancer thief kit a shot too. I love playing as a thief and backstabbing, so this kit should be a good fit for me.

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

Kick-Ass 2 Trailers

Here are a pair of trailer for Kick-Ass 2. The first one gives all the major characters equal time, while the second focuses on Hit Girl. As a fan of the comics and the first movie, I’m super looking forward to this one. Also, Chloe Moretz is on the cusp of becoming a beautiful woman. It’s borderline inappropriate to even be talking about it…which is fun in that Hermione kind of way. Anyway, check out the clips when you get a chance and let me know what you think (of the movie and Chloe). Are you looking forward to Kick-Ass 2?

How To Make a Fandango Ringtone With iTunes

For smarks, the hottest thing in the WWE is Fandango’s theme song, “ChaChaLaLa.” There are several reasons why the song is over; it’s an intricate, interesting, and ironic issue (the three Is, get it?!?). I’m not going to get into it right now, but what I will get into is how to make your very own Fandango ringtone. The current version of iTunes makes it super-easy to create your very own “ChaChaLaLa” ringtone for your iPhone. Here’s the rundown. Continue reading “How To Make a Fandango Ringtone With iTunes”

Vaping Diaries #53: A Visit to Vaping Ape Los Angeles

Earlier today, I had a fun meeting with Mr. Xia from Innokin. Since we planned to connect in Hollywood, I thought I’d stop by Vaping Ape Los Angeles. It’s a new shop, close to the bustling intersection of Hollywood and Highland. The store had a soft opening last week and things are off to a promising start. Vaping Ape LA has a chill vibe and a cool staff, making it a great place to shop, hang out, and vape.

The company is still acquiring more hardware and e-liquid (remember, soft opening), but the initial selection is pretty good. On the hardware front I noticed ProVape, Ovale, Boge, and Vape Affinity products. E-liquid selection currently includes Villain Vapors, Vaping Monkey, E-Liq Cube, and Naughty by Vapor (the company’s house juice…which I sincerely hope is followed up by A Tribe Called Vape). In the near future, Vaping Ape LA will have several new hardware and juice selections from some of the top companies in vaping.

As far as lounging goes, there’s a couch and a few chairs inside. There are also tables and chairs just outside of the shop, which is great because the weather in Los Angeles is fantastic 80 percent of the year.

For e-liquid sampling, Vaping Ape LA has carto/tanks loaded with every juice offered in the store. The shop provides drip tips for you to use and you can sample away. I tried a pair of E-Liq Cube juices, as well as every flavor in the Naughty by Vapor Line (after being followed by A Tribe Called, Vape La Soul should be next).

I really enjoyed chatting with the Vaping Ape LA team. Everyone was friendly and knowledgable. Everyone was also Filipino-American and I happened to be wearing one of my Manny Pacquiao t-shirts. I’m pretty sure that it was kismet that I wore that shirt and chose to visit the shop on this day. I think it means that it’s my destiny to hang out at Vaping Ape LA more. Ha!

Stay tuned for a video interview on the shop in the near future. For now, check out the Vaping Ape LA photo gallery below.

[nggallery id=126]

Vader’s Little Princess Lands in April

I rarely buy physical books, but I couldn’t resist the utterly charming Darth Vader and Son. It’s a cute, cartoonish take on what it would have been like if Darth Vader raised Luke Skywalker. I’m totally psyched for the follow up, Vader’s Little Princess. As you’ve probably figured out, this book is a whimsical take on the father-daughter relationship between Darth Vader and Prince Leia. The images released totally have me sold. If you need more convincing then check out the video below.

Vader’s Little Princess is set for an April 23, 2013 release.

Coffee Talk #577: Cheating, Games, and You

As I’ve been rediscovering the joys of Baldur’s Gate, I realized something: I don’t really cheat in videogames anymore. This used to be a big — and fun — thing for me. Of course I’d play a game straight up, but I’d also play in god mode or use cheat consoles. Part of the fun I’m having with Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is with my one ridiculously overpowered character (Lord Ra Ra, husband and protector of Lady Ga Ga) that gets any item he wants, all the gold he wants, and extra experience points whenever he wants them. Blasting through The Forgotten Realms with this demigod brought back a kind of fun that…more

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, the beleaguered Boeing 787 being ready for FAA approval, wedding bells for Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry, or inconsiderate morons that ruin your filming sessions, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

One reason that I don’t really cheat in videogames anymore is that I’ve become much more of a console gamer than a PC gamer. In the late ’90s, my gaming was evenly split between consoles and PC. In addition to my Baldur’s Gate cheating, I recall that one of my favorite pastimes was blasting through Doom in god mode on my friend Wil’s PC. The hackable nature of Windows and the wondrous input device known as a keyboard made cheating on PC games much easier and more diverse than cheating on consoles. As I devoted more and more time to consoles, I simply had less opportunities to cheat.

That isn’t to say that you couldn’t cheat on console games. You certainly could (though it wasn’t nearly as fun). Devices like Game Shark made a killing by allowing console gamers to cheat. That was all well and good…until consoles became great online devices. In addition to ensuring balanced online play, achievements and trophies made it harder and less appealing to cheat. Sure, you could still do it if you really wanted to, but achievement whoring trumped the gratification of cheating. For most gamers, actually earning something is way more satisfying than just stealing it.

So yeah, here I am with Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, logging more hours on a PC game (feels weird calling an Mac game a PC game, btw) than I have in (probably) a decade. My time as Lord Ra Ra has been a blast in a way that I’d almost forgotten about.

I’d love to hear about some of your favorite cheating moments in games. What games did you enjoy cheating in? What amazing feats did you accomplish in god mode? Please regale me with your adventures in the comments section!

Vaping Diaries #52: Goody Vapes Review

While I was in the Philippines last month, I vaped three e-liquids from Goody Vapes — Caramel Apple, Horchata, and S’More Goody Juice. These liquids are made-to-order using “100% USP grade” ingredients. One pleasant surprise about these juices is how carefully they’re packaged; unlike most vendors that use plastic bottles, Goody Vapes wraps the bottles in bubble wrap, tapes them securely, and places them in a padded envelope with foam peanuts. This is common for vendors that ship e-liquids in glass, but I’ve never seen it with plastic bottles before. I love the extra care the company provides. As for the juices themselves, I liked one of them and really enjoyed the other two. Here are the breakdowns and steeping notes.

[Special thanks to RPadholic Big Blak for serving me up some fresh, new music!]

Caramel Apple: Caramel is the dominant flavor of this juice, which was totally fine with me. I really enjoyed the rich and creamy caramel flavor that’s accompanied by a touch of apple. Vapers that are looking for a stronger apple flavor won’t enjoy this one as much as I did. I don’t know about you, but when I buy a caramel apple, it’s for the caramel first and the apple second. So with that perspective in mind, I was very pleased with this juice.

Horchata: As a 13-year resident of California, I’ve had lots of delicious horchata, so I was really looking forward to this juice. It’s a lovely blend of a milky base, a strong cinnamon flavor, and a touch of vanilla. The interesting thing about this juice was that when I cranked up the wattage to 8.5, a pastry-like taste was added to the mix — almost like I was dipping a churro into some horchata. Bonus! This was definitely my favorite of the three.

S’More Goody Vapes: This juice is the classic campfire blend of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows. The chocolate dominates the flavor and the graham cracker is definitely noticeable, but I didn’t got much of marshmallow taste no matter what wattage or juice delivery system I tried. The marshmallow was too subtle for me and I wanted more of it. One surprise with juice was the throat hit; I usually don’t discuss this factor because it can be manipulated by nicotine content and PG percentage, but for a 0mg 50/50 juice, this had a surprisingly satisfying amount of throat hit, especially considering its flavor. While it’s definitely a good juice, I enjoyed the other two more.

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.

Caramel Apple
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Mix Date: February 7, 2013
Uncapped: February 11, 2013 7:22PM
Vaped: March 11-18, 2013

Horchata
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Mix Date: February 7, 2013
Uncapped: February 11, 2013 7:22PM
Vaped: March 11-18, 2013

S’More Goody Juice
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Mix Date: February 7, 2013
Uncapped: February 11, 2013 7:22PM
Vaped: March 11-18, 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.

The Beautiful Women of Captain America: The Winter Soldier

After reading those awesome rumors about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I had to do some…research on the beautiful women in the film. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) Above is Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), accompanied by Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), and Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter) below. This is a gorgeous cast, don’t you agree? Continue reading “The Beautiful Women of Captain America: The Winter Soldier”