raymond padilla, Author at RPad.TV

Vaping Diaries #293: VapeHead Origins Chinen Aguna Interview (VapeCon Manila)

VapeHead Origins had a pair of awesome products on display at VapeCon Manila 2015 — the VHO Quad Box Mod and Mini Haze atomizer. In the interview below, VapeHead Origins’ Chinen Aguna walked me through both products. First, let’s talk about the Quad Box, which is one of the slickest box mods I’ve ever seen. Available in black and silver, the Quad is made from hard aluminum and features copper contacts. Compared to most box mods on the market, VHO’s device is svelte and sleek. On paper, the materials the Quad is made from should translate to fantastic performance if the workmanship is point. I’m anxious to get one in my hands so that I can find out for myself.

On the atomizer side, VapeHead Origins was showing off the Mini Haze RDA. The original Haze was prized by cloud blowers. The newer and smaller model offers better flavor, but can still produce some sizable clouds. VapeHead Origins also implemented some improvements from the original, which Chinen detailed in the interview. Also available in black and silver, the Mini Haze comes with a standard cap for flavor chasers and a competition cap for cloud blowers.

Looking back at my VapeCon Manila 2015 experience, the VapeHead Origins booth was the first one I hit up. I was excited to see the Quad Box and Mini Haze in person. After checking them out, I was sold. Unfortunately, I got so busy with interviews that I became really tired and forgot to pick these products up. I’m still kicking myself for not taking advantage of the great prices at VapeCon Manila.

Anyway, check out my chat with Chinen to learn more about these sweet VapeHead Origins products.

New Fantastic Four Trailer is Surprisingly Cool

I know that many of you are down on the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, but the latest trailer just might get you interested. It’s very cool — surprisingly so. The tone seems correct, the special effects look great, Kate Mara (the sugar mama of my dreams) is hot, and Dr. Doom looks bad-ass. Yes, it’s only a trailer and Fox has botched this franchise before, but the latest Fantastic Four trailer has me slightly hopeful.

For me, the movie hinges on Dr. Doom. I absolutely hated how he was portrayed in the previous movies. Dr. Doom is absolutely not an evil businessman, as played by Julian McMahon. The comics have him as a really unique mix of science and sorcery (and mommy issues). Even though the trailer was better than I was expecting, I was dismayed to find out that the upcoming Dr. Doom is Victor Domashev, an evil programmer, rather than Victor Von Doom, the megalomaniacal scientist/sorcerer we’ve known and loved for decades.

That said, my expectations for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie were so low that the new trailer was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps that’s the best way to approach the movie — expect mediocrity (or worse) and be happy if the movie is above average (or better). Yeah…that’s probably the way to go.

If you missed the first trailer, give it a look here. After you’ve watched the new trailer, kindly share your thoughts on it in the comments section. Are you hopeful that the third time will be a charm for the Fantastic Four? Or do you think it’ll be another hot mess from Fox?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Two

As part of the “Star Wars Celebration” event in Anaheim, Disney has released the second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Naturally (for nerds), this is a monumental occasion that requires abundant introspection and discussion. The trailer features several characters new to the Star Wars saga, as well as some old fan favorites (I’m talking original trilogy!). I’ve watched it once and I’m totally geeked out, but need to watch it a few dozen times throughout the day in order to temper my excitement.

More importantly, I want to know what you gungans, wookiees, and ewoks think of Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer two. Check out the clip below and let’s talk about it in the comments section (please!).

Vaping #292: Influx E-Juice Jason “JJ” Joves Interview

One of the coolest people I’ve met in the vaping industry, Jason “JJ” Joves is the mastermind behind Influx E-Juice. Recently, I chatted with JJ at Vape Star Los Angeles. He spoke about his culinary background at Le Cordon Bleu, his three launch flavors, upcoming flavors, and more. Influx E-Juice’s Manilla Thrilla is really popular in the Southern California area and the company’s best seller at Vape Star. Maeberry is JJ’s all-day vape and one of the few fruit blends that I really enjoy. Vapers looking for refreshing complexity will enjoy Chill Pill, a delightful summer blend.

I’m really excited to try Influx E-Juice’s upcoming liquids. During our chat, JJ teased some upcoming flavors, including a dessert mix, a whiskey e-liquid, and a champagne e-liquid. As you can tell from my videos, I’m a big fan of dessert, champagne, and whiskey, so I’m looking forward to checking out these juices, which should debut at the upcoming Vape Summit trade show.

In a short time, Influx E-Juice has become a very popular e-liquid company. With tasty products and creative mind like JJ at the helm, it’s no wonder why. Check out the clip below to learn more about the company and it’s delicious e-liquids.

Vaping Diaries #291: Ghetto Inc Customs Christopher Malolos Interview (Vapecon Manila)

At Vapecon Manila 2015, I caught up with Ghetto Inc Customs owner Chrisopher Malolos to talk about the Supremo 26650 mod, APO v2 atomizer, Buhawi atomizer, and more. A lot of people know Malalos as the designer for the original APO atomizer. The new and upcoming Ghetto Inc Customs products he showed me will certainly take the company to new heights.

As a Filipino-American, the Supremo 26650 has become my favorite mod of its size. The tri-tone copper, brass, and steel look makes it easy to match the Supremo with other hardware, while the Filipino map engraving is totally boss. The contacts are silver plated for optimum performance. The mod looks great and hits hard — I couldn’t ask for anything more (except, perhaps, a special edition model with my face and logo on it).

As a flavor chaser, I was greatly interested in Ghetto Inc Custom’s Buhawi atomizer. This atty handles airflow in a unique manner, with top airflow holes that channel the air to the side of the body. In its default mode, it’s a compelling option for vapers that prefer flavor over vapor. That said, if you’re looking for more vapor, it comes with a competition-style cap with much larger air holes.

Lastly, Malolos showed me Ghetto Inc Custom’s APO v2 atomizer. It looks like a very versatile atomizer that should be available at an affordable price. During the interview, Malolos said that when you see the price of the APO v2, you won’t want to buy a clone. I can’t wait to see what the final price will be.

For more details on these products and to see them, be sure to watch the video interview below.

Hearthstone Available For Android and iOS Phones Now

Blizzard has announced that Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is now available for Android and iOS phones. The collectible card game (CCG) was initially released for Mac OS and Windows PCs, which was followed shortly by an iPad release. In late 2014, Hearthstone came to Android tablets. Today’s release gives Blizzard an even bigger reach with Hearthstone, hitting millions of people that play games on their phones (or as they say in England, mo-biles). You can download the game through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft was one of my favorite games of 2014 and is still something I’ve played most days this year. It’s easy to learn and incredibly addictive, while offering numerous gameplay styles. I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing it on my iPad and MacBook. I’m positive that I’ll spend hundreds of hours in 2015 playing it on my iPhone 6 Plus. It’s great fun and I hope that several of you RPadholics download the game on your phone, so that we can play against each other. Maybe we’ll get a tournament or something going and I’ll send a prize to the winner. Yeah! Let’s bring back the RPadTV Invitationals!

Having said all the praise for Hearthstone, the game can be frustrating. There’s certainly a pay-to-win element to it, in that players that sink lots of money into the game will have access to better cards. As a free player, it’s annoying when I run up against a guy or gal with multiple legendary cards in his or her deck. Blizzard is an amazing videogame company — easily one of the best in the history of the business — but the matchmaking in Hearthstone can suck. While I hope that all of you guys and dolls play the game, please be prepared to run into some trust-fund kid that will beat the pants off of you, simply because he bought his way into a killer deck.

Now that Hearthstone is available for phones, will any of you be giving it a shot? Please let me know in the comments section. Do it for the RPadTV Invitational!

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Olivia Munn Cast as Psylocke: Worst News of 2015

RPadholic Tokz was kind enough tell me that Olivia Munn has been cast as Psylocke in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie. Director Bryan Singer made the announcement on an Instagram post. As a fan of the Marvel Comics character and someone that thinks Olivia Munn is dreadful on multiple levels, this is the worst news I’ve heard all year.

For those of you unfamiliar with the character, Psylocke was born a British mutant and later possessed the body of a Japanese assassin. Her most popular and longest lasting incarnation portrays her as a mashup of the two. She has the British upbringing, psychic powers, and kick-ass ninja skills. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense, but neither does Olivia Munn getting cast in a major comic-book movie (half-kidding). On the plus side, Psylocke gets around and has had dalliances with several Marvel superheroes, so maybe casting a trollop like Munn was an inspired choice (again, half-kidding).

While I admit (rather painfully) that Munn was good in The Newsroom and I begrudgingly enjoyed her performances, I’ve pretty much hated everything else she’s done (in life). Psylocke is arguably the coolest female X-Men member of all time. She kicks ass, physically and mentally. She wears a uniform that’s completely inappropriate for combat, but easy on the eyes. Her psychic daggers are immensely wicked. Her backstory is so ridiculous that it became ironically entertaining. And there’s something funny about a strong and powerful woman named…(wait for it) Betsy. While a few of you RPadholics mentioned me boycotting X-Men: Apocalypse, I just can’t do it. As terrible as Olivia Munn is as a person, I’m too much of a nerd to not see an X-Men movie.

On the plus side, the movie is full of beautiful women that aren’t dreadful people (afaik). Hopefully the likes of Sophie Turner, Rose Byrne, Fan Bingbing, and Jennifer Lawrence will counteract the awfulness of Olivia Munn playing Psylocke.

Of course, this post is just one man’s opinion. I’d love to hear your thoughts on (the terrible) Olivia Munn playing (the awesome) Psylocke in X-Men Apocalypse. Kindly share your feelings (like a Care Bear) in the comments section.

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Coffee Talk #651: Cutting the Cord With HBO Now

Last week, I made the decision to cut the cord and cancel my AT&T U-Verse TV service. The recent launch of HBO Now and the fairly recent launch of Sling TV precipitated the change. With those two streaming television services, I have access to Game of Thrones, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, ESPN, and the first few rounds of the NBA playoffs — vital parts of my TV consumption. My existing Netflix (comp account) and Amazon Prime subscriptions already provide a great selection of movie and television content. HBO Now and Sling TV give me even more to choose from — certainly more than I need. When you add up all the subs, it’s still cheaper than my monthly U-Verse TV package.

One week in and I’m a happy camper. The Game of Thrones premiere streamed without a hitch, I’ve got my weekly dose of John Oliver, my lunchtime break of Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption continues, and I get to watch NBA games. While people had problems with Sling TV during March Madness and some people had issues with Game of Thrones on HBO Now last night, those services have been working flawlessly for me. I’m getting almost all the content I want and saving money!

Of course there are things that I’ll miss. Chief among them is live boxing. Unfortunately, HBO Now doesn’t feature the network’s live sports broadcasts. Showtime also has a bunch of live fights that I’d like to see. Since I’m no longer a U-Verse subscriber, I won’t have access to boxing pay-per-view events. Hopefully a solution will present itself in the future. For now, I’ll just have to go to bars or make drop-in visits to friends with cable in order to enjoy boxing. Keep in mind that all of this was expected. Being a hardcore boxing fan is really expensive. You need a cable or satellite subscription, premium networks, and pay-per-view to follow the sport live.

Cutting the cord has been liberating. It’s cheaper and (for the way I like to watch television) better. Yeah, I’ll be lumped in with those Silver Lake hipsters that love to brag about how they cut the cord years ago, but it only made sense for me now. Game of Thrones has been my favorite TV show for the last four years and there’s a bunch of other HBO content that I love (despite the presence of the wretched Olivia Munn). HBO Now gives me all of that. With baseball kicking off and the NBA playoffs starting, this is my favorite time of the year for sports. Sling TV has me covered. Watching TV solely through streaming services is less expensive and kind of cool in that “Hey, look at me! I’m a futurist!” way. For my television habits, Netflix and Amazon Prime were a great start, but HBO Now and Sling TV sealed the deal.

I know that RPadholic Smartguy has cut the cord. Care to give an update on how your experience is going? For you other guys and dolls, what would it take for you to cancel your traditional cable service and go full streaming? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

All-New, All-Different RPadTV!

Welcome to the latest iteration of RPadTV! After taking care of some personal matters, getting rid of my old web host, and dealing with various tech issues with my new web host, the site is ready to get rolling again (I hope). The latest version of RPadTV introduces several changes and I’m confident that they’ll be changes you like (I mean that in an honest way, not a Jeff Smisek BS “changes you’ll like” way). Some of the changes are big and some of them are small. The front page is going to look a little funky until it’s populated with new content. The good news is that I have a ton of video to edit and articles to write. Expect a bunch of new content in the coming week. Now let’s go through some of the changes. Continue reading “All-New, All-Different RPadTV!”