Vaping Diaries #34: Vape Dudes Review

Here’s a review of three of the most popular flavors from Vape Dudes: Buttery Nipple, Mocha Java Drizzle, and Orange Cream. Vape Dudes’ e-liquids are made-to-order and come in plastic drip-tip bottles. This is a great company for new vapers or people looking to experiment with flavors, since the company offers a 40-percent discount to new customers. As for these particular flavors, I totally see why two of them are popular, but was disappointed in one. Here’s the breakdown.

Buttery Nipple: This is a great e-liquid for vapers with a sweet tooth. The butterscotch flavor is very strong and is complemented with a touch of cream. Although the web site shows a picture of the popular buttery nipple shot, I didn’t get any alcohol from this juice at all. If that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, I suggest Pink Spot Vapor’s Butter Rum Lifesaver. Out of the three juices covered in this review, this was easily my favorite — very sweet and very delicious.

Mocha Java Drizzle: This is a great choice for fans of sweet coffee drinks, like those popular Frappuccino and Macchiato drinks at Starbucks. If you’re a fan of “real” coffee then this might be too sweet for you. The coffee taste is definitely there, but the chocolate and caramel flavors are more pronounced. As some of you know, I’m a total coffee nerd, but I understand why those Starbucks drinks are so popular. This juice is a nice approximation of those popular beverages.

Orange Cream: Here’s Vape Dudes’ take on the popular creamsicle flavor. I’ve had quite a few creamsicle e-liquids from other vendors and this wasn’t one of the better ones. The cream flavor is good, but the orange was a bit artificial and the flavors didn’t quite blend together. Some people describe this juice as having a “tinny” taste and I see what that mean. To me, it has an aftertaste reminiscent of children’s aspirin. It’s not a horrible juice, but there are much better creamsicle choices out there.

Steeping Notes

Buttery Nipple
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: January 15-31, 2013

Mocha Java Drizzle
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: January 15-31, 2013

Orange Cream
50/50 PG/VG Ratio, 6mg nictone
Uncapped: December 3, 2012 6:08PM
Recapped: December 5, 2012 6:56PM
Vaped: January 15-31, 2013

Your Super Bowl XLVII Predictions

Super Bowl XLVII is nearly here! From the birthplace of jazz, Gambit’s old stomping grounds, and the place where RPadholic smartguy terrorizes his fellow accountants, millions of people are expecting a great game. How do you think it’ll go down? Kindly share your predictions, spreads, and all that good stuff in the comments section. Also, please let me know what commercials you’re looking forward to. Anyone else find it strange that several companies have released teaser trailers for their Super Bowl commercials? Have these things become so big that they need to be teased? Jeez.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After a fun week at NAMM 2013, it’s good to be home and settled. Unfortunately, I’m way behind on my vaping e-liquid reviews. The juices have been vaped, but I need to film and edit a bunch of reviews. More hardware and juices are on the way, so I need clear out my backlog. So I’ll be spending a large chunk of the weekend doing that. Of course I’ll be gaming, but it’ll mostly be tablet stuff like Civilization Revolution on my iPad and Tai Pan on my Nexus 7.

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

PlayStation 4 Being Announced on February 20?

Sony Computer Entertainment America released a teaser video for an event on February 20, 2013. Most pundits expect the company to unveil the first details on the PlayStation 4 console. What do you think? What do you want from Sony and its next console? In honor of those silly flame wars we used to enjoy together on G4tv’s The Feed, “Fore!!!” Continue reading “PlayStation 4 Being Announced on February 20?”

Superman Unbound Trailer

Here’s the trailer for Superman Unbound, DC’s upcoming animated film based on Geoff Johns’ acclaimed Superman: Brainiac run. In addition to Superman and Brainiac, Kal-El’s cousin Kara Zor-El is a prominent player in the story. This makes me happy, because Supergirl is totally hot. More seriously, I really enjoy Superman storylines that cover Kryptonian history. Hearing about Kandor, Zod, and the like fleshes out Superman’s Kryptonian heritage. A lot of writers focus on his wholesome upbringing in Smallville, but dude is an alien and it’s fun to explore that side of him.

Kindly check out the trailer when you have a chance and let me know if you’re interested in Superman Unbound. How do you think it’ll measure up against DC’s other excellent animated features like Batman: Under the Red Hood and The Dark Knight Returns?

Coffee Talk #561: Hating A-Roid

I’ve never liked Alex Rodriguez. Originally it was because of my duty as a Yankee homer; as a Derek Jeter fan, I had to hate rival shortstops like Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra. When A-Rod signed that ridiculous contract with the Texas Rangers, I still hated him. When he came to the Yankees…oy. Yankee fans are usually good about welcoming formerly-hated rivals. Look at Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, and Johnny Damon, for example. Fans never really warmed up to Rodriguez. With A-Rod, many fans felt 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, whether BlackBerry 10 will change RIM’s fortunes, David Beckham playing football in Paris, or Lindsay Lohan’s mysterious triangle tattoo, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve never liked Alex Rodriguez. Originally it was because of my duty as a Yankee homer; as a Derek Jeter fan, I had to hate rival shortstops like Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra. When A-Rod signed that ridiculous contract with the Texas Rangers, I still hated him. When he came to the Yankees…oy. Yankee fans are usually good about welcoming formerly-hated rivals. Look at Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, and Johnny Damon, for example. Fans never really warmed up to Rodriguez. With A-Rod, many fans felt that he wasn’t a “true Yankee.”

Rodriguez has had numerous incidents that prevented fans from accepting him. His bat has gone impotent during many playoff series. There was that time he cheaply tried to swat a caught ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove. Last year, he allegedly tried to score a woman’s phone number during a crucial playoff game. The Miami New Times’ report of A-Rod being tied to a performance-enhancing drug dealer has raised the bar. Rodriguez admitted to using PEDs during his Rangers days, but has repeatedly said that he has been clean ever since. If the recent news is true then he’s a liar, a cheat, and a fraud.

Things have gotten so bad that the Yankees are allegedly trying to void Rodriguez’s contract. The crazy thing is, most Yankee fans would love that. (I’d be one of them.) Yankee fans are usually great homers that make good excuses for players’ character flaws. We lauded Mike Mussina’s Stanford education and didn’t mind that he clearly thought he was the smartest man in the league. We described Paul O’Neill’s childish dugout tantrums as “fiery competitiveness.” We dismissed Bernie Williams’ idiotic base running by saying that he was a great clubhouse guy that played a mean guitar. Excuses were never made for A-Rod. He was always an overpaid embarrassment.

A-Roid. A-Fraud.

I’ve never seen anything like him. In my lifetime, I don’t recall a Yankee that was so reviled by Yankee fans. Well done, Alex.

NAMM 2013: Bad Seed Titanium and Steel Guitars

Continuing my NAMM 2013 quest for traditional musical instruments made out of unusual materials, I interviewed Bad Seed Ltd. owner Sheldon Currington about his company’s titanium and aircraft-grade steel guitars. Bad Seed guitars use wooden necks and metal bodies, with a neck-through process that allows for killer sustain. I’ve tried a few metal electrics in the past and they had an artificial tonal quality. Bad Seed’s guitars have a more vibrant sound that’s also unique. In addition to a more natural sound, titanium is just a cool material.

You know how a lot of fantasy nerds believe that everyone in New Zealand is tied to The Lord of the Rings in some way? In Bad Seed’s case, that’s actually true. Currington worked on some special effects for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. One of the company’s guitars features control knobs and tuners that look like skulls. The skulls were designed by a person that worked on the miniatures for the films.

Currington also has a background making race cars and hot rods. Bad Seed combines his passion for metal working and music. So yeah, this guy makes cool guitars, worked on The Hobbit, and makes race cars. He’s pretty much the coolest person I’ve met in the last year…and makes me feel bad about making goofy videos and writing goofy articles.

Anyway, check out the video above. It’s a fun talk about some of the coolest electric guitars I saw at NAMM 2013.

Vaping Diaries #33: Innokin iTaste SVD Enroute

Here’s the new Innokin iTaste SVD. This is a variable-voltage and variable-wattage tube mod made from stainless steel. The company’s iTaste MVP was a big hit in 2012, thanks to its combination of great battery life and accurate performance at a relatively low price. I believe that it’s still one of the best values in vaping today. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to Innokin’s entry into the highly competitive VV/VW tube-mod scene.

Here are some specs from the manufacturer.

Basic Parameter
Dimension: (109.7-139.7) *23.5
Material: Stainless Steel
Maximum Current Output: 5.0 Amperage
Operating Voltage: 3.3V-6.0V
Operating Wattage: 3.0W-15.0W

Brief Features
Variable Voltage: voltage can be adjusted from 3.3 – 6.0 volts in .1 volt increments.
Variable Wattage: Wattage can be adjusted from 3.0 – 15.0 W in .5 watts increments.
Short Circuit Protection.
Reverse Battery Protection Circuit
Battery Voltage Detection
Resistive Load Detection ( Ohms meter )
ON/OFF battery switch
LED Battery Power Display
Low Voltage Warning
Overtime Vaping Warning
Telescopic Tube supports 18350, 18500 or 18650 batteries
Battery safety protection
Myriad compatible ( Thread fit iClear10 ,iClear16, iClear30,CE4,CE5 ,eGo, T2,T3 , VIVI NOVA and 510 etc )
Change battery and switch VV or VW have parameter memory function
Built-in 3 digit display ( Ohms meter , Volts /Watts , Atomizer voltage output )

I should be getting the SVD next week. Stay tuned for the review!

Noobz Available Now

The videogame movie Noobz is now available through iTunes and Google Play. If you want to check out the movie and support this site then kindly pick up the digital or physical version through Amazon (using the links in this sentence). Directed by and starring Blake Freeman, Noobz is a road-trip movie about a group of friends competing in a Gears of War tournament. The movie also stars the excellent Jason Mewes and the sexy Zelda Williams, with cameos by Adam Sessler and the legendary Casper Van Dien.

I’m a fan of Freeman and a total mark for Mewes. From my time on the set and chatting with Freeman, I appreciate that he treated gaming in a respectful and realistic way in Noobz. There are too many movies that have faked gaming and/or looked down on it. For several reasons, I hope this movie does well.

I’ll be watching the movie later this week. For now, check out the Noobz interviews below.

NAMM 2013: Vibrato Sax Polycarbonate Saxophones

One of my missions at NAMM 2013 was to find traditional musical instruments made out of non-traditional materials. Vibrato Sax’s polycarbonate alto saxophones certainly fit the bill. I interviewed company president Piyapat Thanyakij to learn more about these instruments. To get an idea of how they sound, my brother — jazz musician Reggie Padilla — put them through their paces.

Vibrato’s altos weigh about 1/3 of what a typical brass saxophone weighs, and they’re waterproof to boot. To attract younger players, Vibrato offers parts in various colors, allowing for bright personalization. These altos are also a compelling choice for older players looking for a travel saxophone. My brother was impressed by the sound, saying that it was very close to the output of a brass saxophone. He’s looking forward to the company’s upcoming tenor model.

This was easily my favorite NAMM 2013 video. It was fun working with my brother on a project and I was genuinely impressed by Vibrato. The company is based in Thailand, so hopefully I’ll get to stop by and see where they’re made the next time I visit my second home. Check out the video above and listen to my brother play a Vibrato Sax polycarbonate saxophone (please!).