Sony Computer Entertainment America is holding a sale for the winners of the 2013 PlayStation Network Gamers’ Choice Awards. There are some fantastic games available at great prices, especially if you’re a PlayStation Plus member. Here’s a sampling of what can be nabbed by you bargain hunters out there.
Journey: Sale Price $10.49, PS+ Price $7.34
The Walking Dead Season Pass: Sale Price$13.99, PS+ Price $9.79
Assassin’s Creed III: Sale Price $49.99, PS+ Price $34.99
Gravity Rush: Sale Price $24.99, PS+ Price Free
Hit the source link below to see all the games that are on sale. If you happen to pick anything up, please let me know. I know that most of you don’t have Vitas, but if you do then you should definitely pick up Gravity Rush. It’s a sweet game and available for free!
A few people have asked me why I don’t vape on camera while reviewing e-liquids and e-cigarettes. I recently had a fun conversation on the matter with ECF user MLT910. It was a good question to ask and it was fun thinking about the answers, since they’re things that I take for granted. While one of the reasons I don’t vape on camera is aesthetic, there are several more that are technical. The short, catchall answer is this: it looks dumb and doesn’t tell the viewer anything. If you want a longer answer then here are four reasons why I don’t vape in my reviews.
1) It Looks Stupid — This is purely a matter of opinion, but I think that people look silly when they’re vaping in videos. Many people, myself include, make funny faces while vaping. They’re almost as bad as orgasm faces. It’s awkward and unnatural, and makes videos longer than they ought to be. To be fair, I have used coverage of Raina vaping in a few of my reviews. She’s super cute and most people enjoy looking at her. Most of the reviewers I’ve seen on YouTube…not so much.
2) Equipment and Setup — The main reason people want to see people vape on camera is to get an idea of an e-liquid’s vapor production, but I don’t think vaping on camera delivers that information. There are so many factors that determine vapor production: percentage of vegetable glycerol (VG), the device being used, the voltage or wattage setting, etc. You have to be using the same exact setup as the reviewer — hardware, e-liquid PG/VG ratio, voltage/wattage — to get an idea about the vapor production. Even then, there are technical reasons why this info isn’t conveyed.
3) Compression — Many e-liquid reviews on YouTube are simple webcam recordings that use low-quality video as the source material. My videos are filmed on a pretty good consumer-level HD camera. No matter the source, the videos are compressed when they’re edited. They’re compressed yet again when YouTube processes them. There’s so much detail lost that I don’t think it’s meaningful for an e-liquid reviewer to vape on camera and say it represents a juice’s vapor production. What the reviewer sees while filming is very different from what the viewer sees.
4) Lighting — This is the biggest issue to me and one that most viewers don’t think about. Lighting makes such a huge difference with video. Unless a reviewer’s videos are filmed in a studio under the same lighting conditions, showing vapor is largely meaningless. Again, many YouTube reviews are recorded on a webcam in a person’s room. Vapor in the same room can look very different when recorded under different conditions. The number of lights on, using different types of lightbulbs, the amount of sunlight, the reviewer wearing a white shirt that throws off the camera’s white balance, and more will alter the appearance of vapor. I would bet that most YouTube e-liquid reviewers don’t even think about this.
Additionally, light can be manipulated. Generally speaking, 100 percent VG juice has the most vapor production. With the right lighting, I can make vapor from 100 percent PG juice look just as cloudy.
Conclusion: Considering all the different factors and the way many YouTube e-liquid reviews are recorded, I don’t see a point of vaping on camera. I look silly enough as it is and don’t need to look sillier by vaping in videos. Most importantly, I don’t think it adds anything to reviews. It’s just a waste of seconds that does nothing to inform the viewer.
Thanks again to MLT910 for inspiring today’s Vaping Diary!
Hey guys! Sorry I’ve been MIA today. I’m working on a really complex video piece (and by complex, I mean that I don’t have the equipment that would make this project easy). For now, would you kindly play a game with me (in addition to ShufflePix)? Let’s create some RPad.TV-themed memes using the infamous panel of Batman slapping the bejeezus out of Robin. I’ve posted a really basic example above, but I’m sure you guys and gals will come up with funnier stuff. The meme creator is here. Game on!
My friend Tim posted a link to this sweet alteration to The Powerpuff Girls opening theme. It has Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup decked out as different Avengers! Watch cute versions of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor do battle with Powerpuffed versions of Galactus, Magneto, Thanos, and more. It’s an adorable clip that should being a smile to even the most jaded comic-book fanboy. Continue reading “Powerpuff Avengers Opening Theme”
My pal Scott Foe dropped me a line to tell me about ShufflePix for iPhone. It’s a simple iOS puzzle game that turns your pictures into jumble puzzles. The goal is to put the puzzles together as fast as possible. You can check out how your puzzle-solving abilities stack up on the leader boards. While playing with strangers and strangers’ pictures is fun, playing with friends is even better. You can challenge your friends and use your photos for a more social experience.
If you’re so inclined, please download ShufflePix when you have a chance. You can use Facebook to connect, but can also use the game’s account system if you’re averse to the social network. This could be a fun RPad.TV activity and bragging rights will be on the line. I only ask that we keep the RPad.TV ShufflePix games schlong-free.
For more info on the game, check out the video below.
Over the weekend, I caught up on a bunch of movies I’ve been meaning to see. All three featured protagonists that are old and washed up. I’m hoping that the choices were a coincidence, but I fear that these movies reflect my current state of mind. Ha! Anyway, here are a bunch of thoughts on Skyfall, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Here Comes the Boom.
Skyfall: I was supposed to attend a screening for this, but don’t remember why I missed it. That’s a regret. This movie has everything I want from a James Bond film — fantastic action, beautiful women, slick cars, and charmingly goofy lines. While I’ve been impressed with Daniel Craig’s run as Bond, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem rocked in this movie. Craig was very good, but his costars were great. Dench blended fierceness and vulnerability perfectly, while Bardem rocketed to the top of my list of favorite Bond villains. The only problem I had with the film was Ralph Fiennes. Whenever I saw him, I thought he was going to perform the cruciatus curse on Bond. That Voldemort hangup is totally on me and not the actor or the movie.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: I remember this movie getting tepid reviews, but I enjoyed it. It’s not as good as the first three Indiana Jones films, but it has some nice moments. Part of it was nostalgia; it was nice seeing Indy and Marion together again. Karen Allen is old, but her smile is still captivating and I dig her rapport with Harrison Ford (though I was hoping Starman would pop up to form a love triangle). Cate Blanchett makes a fetching Russian communist. I had visions of her sexily saying, “Stupid moose and squirrel,” as she stood over me in bed holding a riding crop. The action sequences — the bread-and-butter of these movies — were thrilling and laced with nice comedic moments. Normally, that Shawn LeBeef kid bugs me, but I didn’t mind him here. Yeah, the movie felt formulaic at times, but it’s a fun formula.
Here Comes the Boom: This was clearly the worst movie of the three, but I have the most to say about it. The premise seemed absurd to me and I wanted to see if Kevin James could make me believe he was an MMA fighter. He didn’t. BUT, the movie almost comes together for four reason.
Neil Diamond — “Holly Holy” plays an important of the movie. Lord Neil is one of the few deities walking among us mere mortals. The musical choices are rounded out by a scene featuring “Faithfully” by Journey.
Kevin James — As an overweight and charming comedian that writes, the guy is pretty much my role model. Seriously though, he has charisma and there are well-written lines of comedic dialogue sprinkled through this mess.
Henry Winkler — The Fonz is awesome at making mediocre and bad material hilarious. He definitely got the most out of this role. I can’t think of many people that would have been as good.
Bas Rutten — This was the huge surprise here. El Guapo was frickin’ hilarious. I had to tweet him after I saw the movie and the MMA legend wrote back! He had unexpectedly great timing and delivery. I hope he does more physical comedies in the future, because I think he’d do well (you know, before joining the cast The Expendables 6). Wait…I see my dream buddy movie featuring Bas Rutten and Russell Brand!
So yeah, this movie wasn’t very good, but it had some interesting elements and Rutten was a pleasant surprise.
If you’ve seen any of these movies, let’s talk about them in the comments section (please!).
Rumor has it that those evil Internet service providers will start using the Copyright Alert System six-strike anti-piracy policy today. The companies kicking it off are AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. The six strike part of the equation is easy enough to understand; your ISP will give you six warnings about downloading or sharing copyrighted material before punishing you. The consequences vary from provider to provider. They include bandwidth throttling, cutting off access to certain web sites, and temporary suspension of service.
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, 2013 Oscar snubs, wishing herpes on J.A. Happ for breaking Curtis Granderson’s arm, or revisiting the PlayStation 4 unveiling now that you’ve had a weekend to think it over, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Rumor has it that those evil Internet service providers will start using the Copyright Alert System six-strike anti-piracy policy today. The companies kicking it off are AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. The six strike part of the equation is easy enough to understand; your ISP will give you six warnings about downloading or sharing copyrighted material before punishing you. The consequences vary from provider to provider. They include bandwidth throttling, cutting off access to certain web sites, and temporary suspension of service.
There are some interesting pitfalls and potential loopholes. How will ISPs handle offenses detected in shared environments? If you’re getting heat at home, will you be able torrent at a coffeeshop or shared office space? Will virtual private networks (VPNs) see a surge in business from downloaders that want to mask their activity? Implementing the six-strike rule is going to be a nightmare and I hope every major ISP in America suffers. Those companies deserve an expensive venture for reaping huge profits and not spending the money on infrastructure. They’re inhibiting technology and limiting consumers.
More importantly, how are you going to deal with the six-strike world? Are you going to quit torrents? Are you going to purchase a VPN subscription? Or will you throw caution to the wind and deal with the consequences as they come?
Earlier in the month, I reviewed three e-liquids from Vape Dudes. I thought that two of them were good, but not great, while one was disappointing. This time around I checked out three e-liquids from Vape Dudes’ Naturals line, which uses 100 percent organic flavorings. The juices vaped were Spicy Chai, Bananas Foster, and RB Dude. While I definitely preferred the Naturals line over the standard e-liquids, the results were the same — two good, but not great, and one disappointing. Here are the breakdowns and steeping notes.
Spicy Chai: This is a sweet e-liquid that’s a nice choice for people that like mainstream chai drinks, like the ones served at Starbucks or Coffee Bean. The sweetness is high, but doesn’t drown out the tea flavor. While the chai taste is pretty accurate (again, in the mainstream sense), it doesn’t have the spicy edge that some chai beverages do. Calling it “Spicy Chai” is somewhat misleading because I didn’t find it the least bit spicy. That said, it was still an enjoyable juice, but it really should have a different name.
Bananas Foster: I was wary of this one going into the review, because I’ve had some gnarly banana e-liquids, but this juice ended up being my favorite of the bunch. It has an enjoyable banana flavor topped with caramelized sweetness. However, I’ve had other bananas foster e-liquids where you could taste the bananas, vanilla, caramelized sugar, cinnamon, and rum. This one isn’t that nuanced, but still a very enjoyable e-liquid.
RB Dude: This is Vape Dudes’ root beer float flavor. As a mark for root beer, I was really looking forward to this one, but ended up being disappointed by it. I picked up the root beer flavor, but it was overshadowed by whatever cream or vanilla flavorings the company used. The result was a somewhat nutty taste that I didn’t like. It didn’t taste like a root beer float to me at all. I’ve had better root beer float juices and much better root beer juices from other vendors. Oh well, two out of three ain’t bad, hey?
Steeping Notes
Spicy Chai
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: February 18-23, 2013
Bananas Foster
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: February 18-23, 2013
RB Dude
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: February 18-23, 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) juices; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.
Michael Bay has announced that Megan Fox will appear in the upcoming Ninja Turtles movie he’s producing. Many fans have speculated that Fox will play April O’Neil. While I’m totally down with seeing Fox in skimpy clothing, I’m a little bit scared of the movie. It has gone through some strange twists and turns, and I sincerely doubt it will be faithful to the source material. It’s suppose to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, but later transformed (get it?!?) into Alien Turtles and is now being referred to as Ninja Turtles. Rumor has it that Leonardo and the gang will not be the focus of the movie. Instead, it will allegedly star the turtles’ pal Casey Jones.
Hopefully the Fox rumor is true and the Casey Jones rumor doesn’t pan out. I loved the original Eastman and Laird comic books, so I’m hoping for something similarly grim and gritty. My fear is that Bay will make a big-budget version of that stupid TMNT cartoon. Oy.
Here’s a great video that starts off with a promo from WWE Superstars Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Shortly into the clip, the two break character and address the viewers as Jake Hager and Wayne Keown, the real people behind the characters. Political commentator Glenn Beck recently took issue with these characters and their anti-immigration stance against Mexican wrestlers like Alberto Del Rio. He referred to the WWE as, “Stupid wrestling people.” Hager and Keown do a phenomenal job shutting down the “controversy” Beck is trying to create.
While the WWE has done a lot of questionable things over the years, there are several instances of the company responding to the mainstream media’s (sometimes) stupid view on pro-wrestling. This is one of those instances. Of course the reality check is self-serving as well. WWE is wisely capitalizing on the media coverage it has been receiving as a result of Beck’s put-down. The company has even invited to Beck to appear on Monday Night Raw. Whatever comes of the situation, it’s nice to see the WWE turning something negative into something positive.
Check out the promo when you have a chance and let me know what you think (please!).
