Let’s celebrate the release of George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons by listening to these three awesome performances of the intro to Game of Thrones. First up is a slick acoustic mix. Next is a classical performance using acoustic and electric violin sounds. Capping it off is a rock version featuring heavy drums and electric guitar.
If you have a chance to listen to all three tracks, please let me know which one is your favorite. Thanks to Joey and Parisi for sharing these on Google+!
I first watched it while I was still in Hawaii, but this K-Swiss viral marketing video starring Eastbound and Down’s Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) is too good not to discuss with y’all. This star-studded commercial features cameos by Michael Bay, Matt Cassel, Jillian Michaels, Jon Bones Jones, Rey Mysterio, Josh Cox, Mark Cuban, and Patrick Willis.
As a former tennis junkie, I’ve loved K-Swiss products since I was a teenager. However, the company always had this uppity Euro vibe. Using a character like Kenny Powers to make it cool and edgy is just awesome. What do you think of the video? What’s your favorite clip?
I’ve been using Google+ for about two weeks and I’m totally enamored with the service. I love that it combines facets of Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry Messenger. I love the control offered by its…
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, Spotify’s American launch, waiting for HSPA+ 42 phones, or naughty dreams about Ann Coulter, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’ve been using Google+ for about two weeks and I’m totally enamored with the service. I love that it combines facets of Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry Messenger. I love the control offered by its Circles feature. I love the excellent Android app for Google+. Certainly there’s a whole “shiny and new” aspect to my fascination with Google+, but there’s no denying that Google launched a strong product and has several excellent features in the works.
The reason I’m most excited about Google+ is that it allows me to easily write personal blog posts again. After seven years of consistent blogging, I haven’t really touched my personal blog in three years. I love that I can easily share some intimate thoughts through Google+ Circles, whether it’s with five super-close friends or 50 people I really like. I’m definitely going to start using Circles for personal writing. Of course the big fear is a security issue exposing all my thoughts to the world…and also writing drunk blog posts.
I know that several of you are using Google+ too. Please let me know what you like and don’t like about the service. If you’re not using the service yet and would like to, just leave a comment here. Several RPadholics and I can send you an invite.
Netflix recently announced some upcoming changes to its subscription rates. The old $19.99 plan that included unlimited streaming and DVD rentals will die. Unlimited streaming will continue for $7.99 a month, while unlimited DVD rentals will cost $15.99 per month. If you currently enjoy streaming and renting discs then your monthly cost will rise to $23.98 starting September 1, 2011.
I know that most of you are Netflix subscribers, but I don’t know if you’re all about streaming or if you also rent physical media. What do you think of the new Netflix plans? Kindly take today’s poll and explain your choice in the comments section!
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Hey you guys! I’ve missed you a bunch while I was in Hawaii. It was a fantastic vacation — one of the best and most relaxing that I’ve had in years. I just had an incredible time attending…
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, Derek Jeter’s incredible day, CM Punk’s awesomeness, or KiMO Bean extra fancy Kona, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Hey you guys! I’ve missed you a bunch while I was in Hawaii. It was a fantastic vacation — one of the best and most relaxing that I’ve had in years. I just had an incredible time attending my brother’s wedding, catching up with family, and seeing all sorts of stuff on Oahu.
Obviously seeing my brother get married and spending time with my parents were the best parts of my trip, but my favorite “quiet” moment was hanging out at Lanikai Beach in Kailua. It was amazing — clear water, less than 20 people at the beach, smooth sand, and a brilliant view.
Before I get to today’s question, I wanted to give major thanks to RPadholic smartguy for sending me Twitter messages when the site was down and when it went back up. It was annoying to deal with during my vacation, but I super appreciated the heads up. I was able to clear things up relatively quickly thanks to smartguy’s alerts (though I still want to punch my web host in the face).
As I settle back into mainland USA, I want to hear about some of your favorite vacations. My head is going to be floating to Lanikai several times today, but perhaps hearing about some of your awesome vacations will bring me back to Los Angeles.
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Here’s a simple poll for you today. I’d love to know which war-gaming franchise you prefer, Electronic Arts’ Battlefield or Activision’s Call of Duty. They’re both hugely popular franchises with lots of fans and plenty of detractors. Kindly vote in today’s poll and share your feelings about these games in the comments section.
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I recently downloaded every polka by “Weird” Al Yankovic to serve as my soundtrack for my trip to Hawaii. And really, nothing says tropical island fun or celebrating your brother’s wedding like…
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, Novak Djokovic’s Wimbledon victory, your favorite BBQ food, or looking forward to airplane movies, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I recently downloaded every polka medley by “Weird” Al Yankovic to serve as my soundtrack for my trip to Hawaii. And really, nothing says tropical island fun or celebrating your brother’s wedding like a “Weird” Al polka. I’ve always loved “Weird” Al. When I was a kid, I thought he was hilarious. As I grew older, I learned to appreciate his witty parodies and his clever polka arrangements. He’s just awesome.
“Weird” Al is so awesome that he inspired me to learn how to play the accordion in grade school. I defy you to think of three instruments lamer than the accordion. (You can’t.) That didn’t matter to me. The accordion was one of Al’s most potent weapons and I wanted to be more like him. Who doesn’t?!?
Today I have two questions for you. 1) Have you ever been inspired to do something silly or lame because of music, movies, or games? 2) Which “Weird” Al polka medley is best? Click on the links below for samples!
These polkas are fantastic. The arrangements are funny and expertly done. The song choices do a great job of reminding you of popular songs of a certain era. “Weird” Al 4 life!!!
I hope everyone is having an excellent Fourth of July weekend! I’m still scrambling from last week, trying to finish up a bunch of odds and ends before I take off to the airport in a little over four hours. I’m not sure what my schedule is going to be like in Hawaii, but I’ll try to post a few stories every day (barring any injuries caused by giant waves, erupting volcanoes, or Da Hui). Now onto the housekeeping items!
– The comment system appears to be working nicely. There are some little quirks every now and then, but I haven’t encountered anything too major. If you do, please let me know and I’ll ask support to look into it.
– Last week was actually a fantastic week to fight with different comment systems. Although comments and comment-related traffic were down while I experimented with Disqus and IntenseDebate, I got a lovely traffic spike from this Rosie Huntington-Whiteley article. Thank you Transformers 3!!!
– I’ve added a Google +1 button at the bottom of each article. If you like something you’ve read, please click on the button. It should help the site get a bit more search traffic and it’s much less effort than posting one of my articles on Facebook/Twitter (although I super appreciate those of you that do!). Actually, even if you have tepid feelings about one of my articles, you should click the Google +1 button. Ha!
Be good guys!!!
“The first one’s free!” said the friendly drug dealer. That’s how they get you hooked, you see. MMO publishers use a similar model, but Blizzard is taking it to a new level with World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Traditionally, MMOs have come with a trial measured in days — usually 14 to 30. Blizzard is now letting prospective customers play World of Warcraft for free up to level 20. Here’s a clip from the press email I received:
We’ve removed the previous 10- and 14-day trial time restrictions, and players who are interested in trying out World of Warcraft can now play the base game for free up to a maximum character level of 20, including draenei and blood elf characters — all they need is a Battle.net account and an Internet connection. To mark the occasion, we’ve also given the trial a new name: World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Players who had previously signed up for 10- or 14-day trials will be able to hop back into the Starter Edition right where they left off.
Already one of the most popular and successful MMOs in the business, World of Warcraft should attract legions of new players with this new model. It’s bold. It’s aggressive. It probably has other MMO publishers crying and/or banging their heads on brick walls.
What do you think of the new WoW model? Are you willing to give it a shot now that the free-to-play time is more generous?
EA Mobile is having an outstanding sale on games for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. There’s lots of great stuff available for 99 cents. Here’s the full list…
EA Mobile is having an outstanding sale on games for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. There’s lots of great stuff available for 99 cents. Here’s the full list:
iPhone / iPod Touch
Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2
Dead Space™
Dragon’s Lair II
FIFA 11 by EA SPORTS™
Fight Night Champion by EA SPORTS™
Madden NFL 11 by EA SPORTS™
NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™
NCAA® Football by EA SPORTS™
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed™ Shift
Need for Speed™ Undercover
RISK
SCRABBLE
TETRIS®
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12
The Sims™ 3
The Sims™ 3 Ambitions
The Sims™ 3 World Adventures
TRANSFORMERS:™ DARK OF THE MOONiPad
Battlefield: Bad Company ™ 2
BATTLESHIP
Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™
CLUE: Secrets & Spies
Coconut Dodge
Dead Space™
Draw Jump
The GAME OF LIFE™
Madden NFL 11 by EA SPORTS™
Max and the Magic Marker
Mirror’s Edge™
MONOPOLY™
NBA JAM by EA SPORTS™
Need for Speed™ Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed™ Shift
PICTUREKA!
Reckless Racing
RISK
SCRABBLE
SimCity™ Deluxe
SNOOD
TETRIS®
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12
TRANSFORMERS:™ DARK OF THE MOON
Ultimate Mortal Kombat™ 3
YAHTZEE™ Adventures
Any of you buying?!? I see about five games I want. This will be brilliant for the airplane ride to Hawaii!
