The newest trailer for the Jessica Jones series on Netflix is exactly what I want from the show. It has the dark and moody tone that made the Alias comics so striking. Jessica Jones is not your typical idealistic superhero that always looks on the bright side of life. She’s flawed and damaged, running away from a career as a superhero and trying her luck as a private investigator (fueled by alcoholic beverages). The trailer, embedded below, shows all of that and more.
Featuring prominently in the clip is Luke Cage. The hero formerly known as Power Man, Cage becomes Jessica Jones’ confidante, lover, and husband. Underneath numerous super villain attacks and the occasional superhero civil war, the two have one of the most realistic relationships in comics. They clearly love each other deeply, but they also struggle. I’m curious to see how the relationship is portrayed in the Netflix series.
The best part of the trailer is Zebediah Killgrave. Known as Purple Man in the comics (I’m not sure if the Netflix series will use such a silly name), this villain uses mind control for some truly messed up activities. As in Alias, it appears that Killgrave used his powers to torment Jessica Jones in numerous ways. She’s still traumatized by the experience and she’s haunted by Killgrave every day of her life. When Killgrave was announced for the series, I wondered if the show would go as far with him as they did in the comics. The trailer strongly suggests that Netflix Killgrave is just as f*cked up as comics Killgrave.
As a fan of the character, I really enjoyed the Jessica Jones trailer. Some of my friends are down on Krysten Ritter, saying that she doesn’t have the right attitude or body type for Jess. After seeing the trailer, I couldn’t care less about that. The tone looks correct and I can’t wait to to binge-watch the messed up adventures of a super-powered PI when the series hits on November 20.
One of the highlights of my March trip to the Philippines was meeting Madz Modz owner Eddie Amado. He’s one of the pioneers of the Filipino vaping scene and has made some truly beautiful mechanical mods. Back in 2013, the Madz Modz Nzonic was one of the most sought after mechs in the game. It offered a brilliant combination of performance, versatility, and style (love the Filipino sun juice well!). In the interview below, Eddie talks a bit about Madz Modz’s history, as well as a few recent products.
Eddie spoke about the performance of the Nzonic. At the time, it was one of the hardest hitting mechs available. The performance was especially impressive when you consider that it’s a telescoping device (more connections lead to more opportunities for voltage loss). The stainless steel Nzonic outperformed many single-tube brass mods that were available at the time.
Inspired by his wife’s lipstick, the Madz Modz Arama has a unique locking mechanism that’s built into the switch. Whereas many mechanical mods leave an unsightly gap in the locking area, you won’t be able to tell whether the Arama is locked or unlocked with the naked eye. Similarly novel is the Madz Modz Royale. This mech has a firing switch that’s built into the mod, so there are less parts to clean. Since there are less parts to clean, the Royale will perform more consistently in the long run.
As for future products, Eddie has been toying with Yihi SX350 chips and is planning to make a box mod. With a glut of C-frame devices already available, he won’t be adding another one. Expect another uniquely stylish Madz Modz vaping product, but this time in box mod form. I hope that Eddie uses the Filipino flourishes that made the Nzonic so aesthetically appealing.
To get to know one of the true innovators in the vaping world, watch my chat with Madz Modz Eddie Amado below.
ProVape recently revealed the ProVari Radius box mod. This is a huge deal for several reasons. If you’ve been vaping for several years then you remember when ProVape’s ProVari tube mods were the best in the business. Since then, the company’s products have been surpassed by various mods that use Evolv DNA chips and Yihi SX chips. There are many vapers that feel that ProVape hasn’t kept up with the times and that its products aren’t what today’s vapers want. The ProVari Radius was meant to address any “ProVape has fallen behind” issues. On paper, it does and it doesn’t. Here are some random thoughts on ProVape’s ProVari Radius.
Since I’ve been in a great mood for the last month and want to keep things positive, I’ll start with the good. ProVape’s customer service and support are among the best in the business — far better than what most vaping companies offer. The form factor of the ProVari Radius looks great; it’s a relatively small box that should feel comfortable in most hands. As with previous ProVape mods, the ProVari Radius has a number of safety features that are great for beginners. The mod is made in the USA, which matters to vapers that want to support American products and jobs.
Aside from the modern form factor, the ProVari Radius seems more like a 2014 mod than a 2015 one. While the specs are fine for many vapers, others will find that the 0.3-ohm coil limit and 9.5 amp power limit are deal-breakers. ProVape’s chip also lacks temperature control, which is a feature that many vapers enjoy. Considering the 0.3-ohm limit and 40-watt range, the $199.95 price seems steep. Yes, you’re getting ProVape’s excellent customer support, but it’s for a box mod that has less capabilities and range than cheaper products.
So who is the ProVari Radius for? Certainly ProVape has thousands of fans that are eager to buy the latest mod the company has to offer. There are also many vapers that will be perfectly happy with the box’s ohm and power limits. If you’re the kind of vaper that sticks to pre-made coils with tanks or builds coils above 0.3-ohms then the ProVari Radius is worth a look if you vape under 40 watts. Otherwise, there are most interesting options that use Evolv’s DNA 200 or Yihi’s SX350-J chips. Those products offer more capabilities and versatility. While it’s nice to see an American vaping company like ProVape make progress, it’s disappointing that the ProVari Radius doesn’t appeal to a wider variety of vapers. ProVari tube mods were once desired all over the world. Today, there are several great choices out there and I don’t see the ProVari Radius having the same level of appeal.
The excellent people at Tether Studios have added Hell in a Cell 2015 content to the wonderful PickSix app for iOS. So in addition to virtually betting on NFL, MLB, and League of Legends games, you can bet on WWE PPV event results. If you’re not familiar with PickSix for iOS, here’s a brief writeup on the game. If you are familiar with PickSix then I triple-dog dare you to challenge me in a round of Hell in a Cell 2015 bets.
The bet questions are totally straightforward and easy to follow. You can choose individual match results by winner, pick how each match will end (pinfall, submission, DQ, etc.), make over/under bets on the length of each match, and more. There are even some wonky bets to place, like the number of tables that will be broken in the WWE Tag Team Championship match between New Day and The Dudley Boyz. There’s even a speculative bet on John Cena’s WWE United States Championship “open challenge” opponent (I’m hoping for Daniel Bryan or Samoa Joe, but would bet on something tame, like Dolph Ziggler). Since Hell in a Cell 2015 is in Los Angeles this year, there’s a chance that part-time wrestlers like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Jericho will show up. Think they’ll make an appearance? Put your virtually currency where your mouth is and bet on it in PickSix!
Check out the screenshots below for some example questions. I’ll be waiting for your bets, sucka!!! (Imagine that I said the last sentence as if I were Booker T.)
Yesterday I caught up with Ohm By EDM co-owner Mike Chang at Monster Vape Lounge. My excellent friend Mel introduced me to Mike at a recent OC Vape Meet, raving about the company’s Lychee e-liquid. I was intrigued, since lychee is one of my favorite fruits and my favorite lychee e-liquid gunks coils. I was happy to discover that Ohm By EDM’s lychee is delicious and, according to Mike, vapes cleanly. The juice serves up the lychee flavor that I love, with a clean vaping experience.
While I was busy enjoying Ohm By EDM’s Lychee, Monster Vape Lounge boss Carlos was vaping the company’s Strawberry Milk. There are a lot of strawberry milk and strawberries & cream e-liquids on the market. In the interview below, Mike explains how his juice differers from the competition’s. I vaped a tiny bit yesterday and enjoyed it, but need to vape more before passing judgement.
The last flavor in Ohm By EDM’s current lineup is Melon Breeze. This juice serves up the sweetness of melon with a refreshing icy breeze. Mike was quick to point out that this isn’t a fruit and menthol mix. This e-liquid has a cool and minty flavor, but without the harshness of menthol. As a fan of fruit and mint medleys (not menthol), I’m looking forward to trying out this e-liquid.
In addition to rounding out the Ohm By EDM line, the company has plans to launch another line of e-liquids in the future. Mike didn’t reveal much in the interview, but shared some of his plans in a post-interview chat. While I can’t share that information with you at this time, I’d keep an eye out for EDM’s future e-liquids. From what Mike told me and from his initial flavor descriptions, the upcoming EDM juices sound delicious. For now, kindly check out the interview below to learn more about Ohm By EDM.
Last night, millions of nerds cried out because they had to watch an American football game in order to catch the final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Since it’s the biggest nerd movie of 2015, I want to hear your thoughts on the trailer (embedded below, for your convenience). I’ve watched the clip thrice and will watch it lots more before the movie comes out on December 18. For now, here are some random thoughts on the final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
00:08: The trailer kicks of with Rey (Daisy Ridley) dressed as an albino teenage mutant ninja turtle. Her outfit is useful in the arid environment of Tatooine…because, you know, sand. As Anakin Skywalker once said about sand, “It’s coarse and irritating and it gets everywhere.”
00:39: Finn (John Boyega) takes off his stormtrooper helmet. Some longtime Star Wars fans have a problem with Finn (presumably) becoming a Jedi. In Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Yoda said that a six-year old Anakin Skywalker was too old to become a Jedi. Finn appears to be in his 20s, so some hardcore nerds have an issue with him being the next “chosen one,” while Fox News has an issue with a…melanin-enhanced person becoming a Jedi. Also, Finn appears to suck at piloting his T.I.E. fighter. So yeah, an old (for Jedi training) stormtrooper reject is your new hero!
00:50: There be lens flare. You really didn’t think JJ Abrams would drop it, did you?
00:53: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has a bad-ass name and a bad-ass voice. Too bad his helmet makes him look like an evil aardvark. The good news is that he’s a fan of Transformers: The Movie and quotes a song from the soundtrack to Darth Vader’s helmet.
01:05: The Millennium Falcon appears, in all of its shabby glory. You’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon? This part of the trailer made me mark out and become a kid again.
01:15: Han Solo (Harrison Ford), looking as leathery as a worn out saddle bag, appears and tells the kids, “It’s true.” Apparently news dissemination sucks in their world, making it so that tank girl and a stormtrooper reject are ignorant of recent history. Clearly they have the technology, but apparently there weren’t any bloggers a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
01:17: The first warp lines appear. JJ Abrams did an excellent job modernizing warp lines in the recent Star Trek movies. These old-school warp effects look like stick figures. I guess they have nostalgic value. *shrug*
01:24: Kylo Ren is flanked by what appears to be imperial guards. Some people say they’re his Sith followers, but that would have him breaking the Sith rule of two. Either way, having a gang makes him look like a bit of a pussy. Darth Vader didn’t need any backup.
01:25: I love the X-Wing, but am disappointed that it hasn’t made any significant advancements (to the naked eye) in 30 years. Hell, Airbus and Boeing move at a glacial pace and even their birds look considerably sleeker than ones from 30 years ago.
01:40: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is whining to R2-D2 about not being in the official movie poster. That’s what he gets for going to Toshi Station to pick up some power converters, which apparently constitutes playing with your friends in Tatooine.
01:46: Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), what a wookiee. Finn, Chewie, and Han appear to be getting arrested. Some things never change for scoundrels.
01:57: Princess Leia (Carrie Fischer) cries on Han’s shoulder, sad about what a hottie she was in the late 70s and early 80s. Hopefully they don’t show old Leia in a metal bikini.
01:58: Finn starts a lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren. He leads with a strong stance, but looks inept after that. This has lead some people to believe that Finn isn’t Force sensitive. I’m not sure about any of that. Swordsmanship is a fine art that’s difficult to master. When you add in laser swords and the fact that Finn sucked as a stormtrooper, of course he’s not going to be the best dualist. On a side note, my favorite lightsaber form is Soresu. What’s yours?
Anyway, that’s what I observed from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens final trailer. I’m sure that you guys and gals noticed many things that I did not and that certain bits meant much more to you than they did to me. With that in mind, kindly use the Force, let go, and share your thoughts on the trailer in the comments section.
Earlier in the week, The Late Show With Stephen Colbertfeatured music from The Legend of Zelda played by The Symphony of the Goddesses. Colbert has had several nerdy guests on his show, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. As a nerd, I absolutely love that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has had tech and gaming segments. Considering that many of his viewers grew up as gamers and technology is more mainstream than ever, it makes sense for his audience. Still, I was surprised (pleasantly) that his show’s guests have been so nerd-friendly.
Changing the channel to NBC, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has been a disappointment in terms of nerd content. When the comedian hosted Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, guests from gaming and tech were common. Off the top of my head, I recall Kudo Tsunodo giving a demo of Xbox Kinect, Cliff Bleszinski showing off Gears of War 3, and journalist Josh Topolsky talking tech gear on the show. For whatever reason, these types of guests have largely been absent from The Tonight Show. Perhaps the producers felt that gaming and tech content weren’t appropriate for the “big” show. Perhaps some hack executive mandated that Fallon go with traditional guests that have movies, music, and TV shows to promote. Whatever the reason, it’s disappointing that Fallon has mostly abandoned nerdy programming.
The unfortunate programming choices on The Tonight Show, have made me appreciate the guests on The Late Show. Hearing the wonderful music from Zelda on a late night talk show was brilliant. Watching CEOs of the companies that make products and offer services that I love (or in Tesla’s case, dream about) was outstanding. It’s fantastic that these types of segments are mixed in with the overly polished “artists” promoting their latest movie, album, tour, TV show season, etc. When Colbert debuted on Comedy Central, I was delightfully surprised by his mix of comedy, intelligence, and satire. With The Late Show, he has delightfully surprised me with his nerdy guests. Keep ’em coming, Mr. Colbert!
I recently received my first Amazon Prime Now order and was mostly delighted by the experience. For those of you not familiar with the service (only available in select cities), Prime Now is a mobile shopping service that offers delivery in two hours or less. The company claims that tens of thousands of goods are available though the service, including groceries, electronics, media, household supplies, and more. The products in my initial order were priced comparably to what they’d cost at Target or my local grocery store. With a stellar combination of speed and convenience, Amazon Prime Now is the future of shopping.
The Prime Now experience starts with an app, available for Android and iOS. Shopping with the app is okay — easily the weakest part of the Prime Now experience. The search features and grouping weren’t the best. The challenge of making thousands of items easy to find in an elegant app is tough and Amazon hasn’t quite figured it out. I would have preferred being able to shop on a full-featured site on my laptop and have my order sync with the app.
My first Prime Now order was for five six-packs of Zevia soda, three boxes of protein bars, and two large containers of yogurt. As I mentioned earlier, the prices were inline with local brick-and-mortar stores. In addition to the price of the goods, you have the option to tip the driver.The cool and nerdy part about Prime Now is that you’re able to track the progress of your order via GPS. The app notifies you when your order has left and you can see the driver’s progress on the in-app map. It’s similar to tracking an Uber driver or a friend that has given you an ETA via Waze.
As expected, Amazon’s packaging was very good. The soda and protein bars arrived in brown paper bags, while the driver kept the yogurt in an insulated bag while the order was en route. Everything arrived in great condition and the driver was very cheerful (he was geeking out about Prime Now too).
While the pricing was great for the products I ordered, it does pay to do some comparison shopping. Coupon cutters and shoppers that revere weekly grocery circulars will, of course, still want to hit up the local market to take advantage of sales. That said, I hate most brick-and-mortar retail experiences and love the convenience of Prime Now.
Hopefully the service continues to grow. I remember being enamored with online grocery services like Kozmo and Webvan when I was living in San Francisco…and having my heart broken when those companies went out of business. Amazon, of course, has much more money than those two companies and can afford to ride out any growing pains. Amazon also offers a much wider variety of goods, which should help Prime Now appeal to more shoppers.
I was very, very impressed by my first Prime Now experience. After some minor annoyances with the app’s search functions and sorting, it was a smooth experience. The speed and convenience were fantastic for me personally, while I love the disruptive nature of the service on a macro level. Certainly there are things that I still have to go to a proper grocery for (though Amazon is working with grocery chains in select regions), but Amazon Prime Now has everything else, as well as thousands of products that the grocery doesn’t have. I am absolutely sold on Prime Now.
Have any of you tried Amazon Prime Now? I’d love to hear about your experience with the service. If it’s not available to you yet, do you see yourself shopping this way when it does arrive to your area? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).
One of my favorite companies in the vaping business, Convict Vapor recently released the Lockdown RDA. Company owner and product designer Brian Grow isn’t a fan of constantly re-dripping, so he made the Lockdown RDA to hold a lot of juice. The atomizer also has a unique airflow design, allowing for excellent combinations of flavor and vapor production. I recently caught up with Brian at Monster Vape Lounge to get the skinny on his latest product.
The most striking feature of the Lockdown RDA is its L-shaped air holes. I was surprised to learn that airflow can be adjusted to accommodate cloud chasers and flavor fiends alike. The air holes have distinct looks, while being quite practical. Under the hood, the Lockdown RDA has a somewhat small building area and extremely deep juice wells. The post holes are very large, able to fit Clapton coils, parallel coils, etc. All told, this is a very versatile atomizer.
I’m also a fan of the Lockdown RDA’s clean and simple design. I loathe outlandish designs with overdone lines and knurling, so the atomizer’s looks fit right into my aesthetic wheelhouse. The Lockdown RDA is available in brushed and polished stainless steel. For vapers that prefer extremely hot builds, white and black Delrin caps are available for the atomizer.
On top of its great features, the Lockdown is backed by an outstanding one-year warranty. Convict Vapor is one of the most generous companies in the business when it comes to support and I really appreciate how well it treats its customers. In addition to getting a great vaping product backed by phenomenal customer service, the Lockdown RDA has a relatively low price — around $70 at most vape shops.
To learn more about the Lockdown RDA and to see its various finishes, check out my chat with Brian below.
The followup to the highly influential Ultima Underworld games from the early ’90s, Underworld Ascendant aims to dazzle gamers with an atypical style of fantasy role-playing. The original games were lauded for their sense of immersion; they are considered the first RPGs to offer first-person action in a true 3D environment. While many modern RPGs bombard players with millions of words of text, Underworld Ascendant will attempt to captivate gamers with environmental immersion and unscripted player-driven narrative. In many ways, the game is a throwback in the sense that the developer wants the player to put himself or herself in the game, as opposed to following the adventures of a heavily scripted character.
Underworld Ascendant will give players all kinds of choices, whether it’s character development or puzzle solving. As far as character creation goes, there are three types of skill sets that players can draw from: fighter, rogue, and mage. The skills can be mixed and mashed, accommodating a wide variety of player styles. Similarly, encounters with monsters and environmental puzzles can be handled in drastically different ways. Again, the emphasis is on player choice. You’ll be able to play Underworld Ascendant with the character you want to be, adventuring in the way you want to adventure.
Occupying the Stygian Abyss are three rival factions. There are dark elves, dwarves, and shamblers to encounter. The developer was quick to note that these races don’t fit into typical RPG trappings. For example, the dwarves in Underworld Ascendant will not have Scottish accents. The shamblers are particularly interesting — fungus-like creatures with mushroom heads that operate in a hive-mind society. The way you interact with and help (or not) these factions will alter how you experience Underworld Ascendant.
The interview below was lots of fun for me on several levels. First off, Otherside Entertainment founder & CEO Paul Neurath is a frickin’ legend. The man founded Looking Glass Studios, one of the all-time great game developers. Looking at the list of games Paul has worked on is mind blowing. He should be put on exhibit at The Smithsonian. Also in the chat below is design director Joe Fielder. I met Joe in the late ’90s when I was a corporate hack at Ziff-Davis and he was heading up GameSpot. He was one of the first videogame journalists I met and it’s awesome watching his career in game development burgeon.
Anyway, check out my chat with Paul and Joe below for more details on Underworld Ascendant, as well as lots of gameplay footage.
