But I’m Chris Jericho! Trailer

WWE Superstar Chris Jericho — the best in the world at what he does — has an upcoming web series called But I’m Chris Jericho! The trailer, embedded below, shows a Curb Your Enthusiasm-type of comedy (but I’m guessing that the show won’t rely so heavily on improv). But I’m Chris Jericho! chronicles the ex-wrestler’s (fictitious) attempt at breaking into the acting world. It debuts on October 29, 2013 with new episodes every Tuesday. Behind-the-scenes footage will run on Mondays, while “bonus” episodes will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Basically, you’re getting four doses of Chris Jericho every week.

Here’s an excerpt from the official description:

But I’m Chris Jericho! is a web series starring WWE superstar and multi-faceted performer Chris Jericho as a fictionalized version of himself. In this tongue-in-cheek portrayal of his life, Chris is a former wrestler struggling to make it big as an actor.

The trailer seems entertaining enough. I have no doubt that Jericho will be funny and I’m definitely going to check out the first episode. It’s really up to the writers and supporting cast to bring me back. As most of you know, being the best in the world at what he does covers multiple disciplines — professional wrestling, music, dancing with stars, etc. I’m confident that Chris Jericho can be the best in the world at episodic Internet television too…if he has quality writers and funny comedians to play off of.

Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think of But I’m Chris Jericho! Are you going to watch the first episode? Do you think it will take off? Will the show be a flash-in-the-pan (like Kane’s WWE title reign)? Or will Jericho ensure that web television will never…ever…be the same…again.

Vaping Diaries #138: Vape Los Angeles Oni Mod Interview (Vapetoberfest 2013)

Vape Los Angeles is a new company that has been getting a lot of buzz for its Oni mod. At Vapetoberfest 2013, I caught up with company representative Harry Cometa. He told me about the company’s start and went over the features of the Oni mod. Purported to be made in the USA, the Oni mod is made from 316 stainless steel, comes with two firing pins (gold-plated brass and silver-plated copper), and has a magnetic switch. The first — and presumably only — run of the mod was limited to 500 pieces and each one comes with an authentication code that can be registered on the Vape Los Angeles web site.

Check out the video above to learn all about the Oni mod and stay tuned for my interview with model Claudia Alan, pictured below.

Special thanks to Activape for providing an Oni mod for filming.

Claudia Alan Vape Los Angeles Oni Mod

Vape Los Angeles Oni Mod

Vaping Diaries #137: Marie Alvarez Round II (Vapetoberfest 2013)

My favorite interview of Vapetoberfest 2013 was with my buddy Marie Alvarez. She’s done a bunch of modeling for vaping companies and is adored in the SoCal vaping community. Lots of people (I’m guessing dudes) enjoyed my Marie Alvarez interview from ECC 2013. For our second fight interview, we fought about Japanese Pumpkin Pudding Kit Kats, did some catching up, and talked about her new hairstyle.

Oh yeah, she was working at the Surefire Vapor booth at the show, where the company unveiled the new diamond-knurled version of its popular King Mod. (To be fair, I completely forgot we were at the Surefire booth during the interview, because…you know, Marie Alvarez.)

Check out the video below to see what’s new with Marie Alvarez and Surefire Vapor. When you’re done with that, be sure to follow her Facebook and Instagram pages. She’s a lovely young lady that absolutely deserves to have Japanese Pumpkin Pudding Kit Kats.

Photo by Ari Cox

Vaping Diaries #136: Envision Vapor Interview (Vapetoberfest 2013)

Envision Vapor is a San Diego company that makes gorgeous handblown glass drip tips and tanks. Out of all the interviews I filmed (technically, RPadholic N8R was filming) at Vapetoberfest 2013, this one was the most important to me. You see, Envision Vapor was started by my buddy Rob and his longtime friend Jason. Rob and I know each from the natural tobacco e-liquids thread on Electronic Cigarette Forum (ECF). He wanted to find a way to break into the vaping business, but wasn’t sure which direction to take. Another tobacco fan, the excellent ECF Mr. Mann, suggested the idea of handblown glass drip tips. Jason is an experienced glassblower, so the two got together and formed Voltron Envision Vapor.

It has been lots of fun for me to watch Envision Vapor boom. As Rob’s friend, of course I want him to succeed. As a vaper, I’ve always been big on glass drip tips. To me, they offer the best combination of mouthfeel and heat dissipation; they feel much better in your mouth than plastic tips and don’t retain heat like steel or aluminum tips do. While it would be easy to accuse me of bias, I can honestly say that Envision Vapor glass tips are some of the best I’ve ever used. They offer everything I love about glass drip tips, they’re sturdier than the competition’s offerings, and the designs are lovely.

The video above is longer than my other interviews from Vapetoberfest 2013, but I think it’s a fun watch. The origins of Envision Vapor are cool, you’ll get to learn what makes the company’s glass tips superior, you’ll see get to see the company’s relatively new tanks, and you’ll get to hear what’s coming next.

After you check out the video, please be sure to drop Envision Vapor a line and tell them how badly you want an RPad.TV-branded glass tank…or better yet, one with my face on it.

Envision Vapor Vapetoberfest 2013

Vaping Diaries #135: Jet Fuel E-Liquid Interview (Vapetoberfest 2013)

Jet Fuel E-Liquid is a family owned and operated business out of California. Yes, as a Filipino-owned vaping company in California, I’m predisposed to liking these guys. In Los Angeles vape shops, I often hear people raving about the company’s Papi Churro and Watermelon Sundae juices. At Vapetoberfest 2013, I met up with Jet Fuel E-Liquid vice president Jet Santomin. He told me how the company got its start, talked about some of Jet Fuel’s most popular flavors, and described the Kaptain Amerika juice the company released at the show.

Check out the interview above to hear the Jet Fuel E-Liquid story. When you’re done with that, be sure to hit up the company on Facebook and Instagram.

Jet Fuel E-Liquid Vapetoberfest 2013

Vaping Diaries #134: Bay City Vapor Interview (Vapetoberfest 2013)

At Vapetoberfest 2013, I had the pleasure of meeting Bay City Vapor founder James Livingston. He told me about the company’s upcoming mechanical mods, which are designed and made right here in California. James’ background is in manufacturing, so he’s particular about craftsmanship and conductivity. Bay City Vapor mods aim to offer high performance and an elegantly understated style. I was particularly enamored with the XXIX, which is a gorgeous copper mech. If copper isn’t your thing, Bay City Vapor has the SurfRider series, which is available in brass and steel. These mods feature a unique pinless design, which is one of the more novel features I’ve seen in a mechanical mod this year.

Be sure to check out the video above to see prototypes of the first round of Bay City Vapor mechanical mods, as well as to learn more about the company’s pinless design and the upcoming 26650 model. Also, Bay City Vapor has no affiliation with the Bay City Rollers.

Bay City Vapor XXIX

Vaping Diaries #133: Quick Thoughts on Vapetoberfest 2013

Rpadholic N8R and I wrapped up a fun and successful Vapetoberfest 2013. It was a good show, but very different from last month’s Electronic Cigarette Convention. I have a bunch of video interviews and some goofy video features to edit, and you’ll see those posted throughout the week. Before I get to that, I just wanted to jot down some random thoughts on my Vapetoberfest 2013 experience.

– As I mentioned in the intro, Vapetoberfest 2013 was very different from ECC 2013. That’s not meant in a positive or negative way; both shows were good, but felt very different. Professionally, Vapetoberfest wasn’t as productive for my purposes; ECC had more companies to interview, the conditions were much better for filming, the show was bigger, and the hotel costs were much lower. That said, I was going for work. As an attendee, Vapetoberfest had a more social vibe. There were lots of contests, product unveilings, DJ sets, giveaways,  and more. ECC was more professional, while Vapetoberfest seemed like more fun. I’m happy that both shows did well and also happy that they’re different.

– It was fun catching up with people I interviewed at ECC 2013 and seeing what was new with them. Stay tuned for my second interview with the Dr. Mike’s Rad Vapors crew. Those guys are cool and they make some really tasty e-liquids.

– It was excellent catching up with Brandon from Ovale USA. He was one of the first people to give me vaping coverage opportunities for RPad.TV and it has been fun getting to know him. As multifaceted nerds, we just clicked. It was also cool meeting Ovale USA Katie. She’s a very cool lady that’s also a little scary. You see, Katie has a vicious hammer-fist (true story). You don’t want to piss her off. Nate and I spent a lot of time hanging with Brandon and Katie during and after Vapetoberfest 2013. I’m sure they’re anxious to fly back to Florida to get away from those two California weirdos.

– My buddy Marie was mad at me for forgetting her Pumpkin Cream Kit Kats. See, I brought them for her on Friday, but didn’t know that she was only working for Surefire Vapor on Saturday. Her mom even scolded me for forgetting them. Ha! I maintain that it wasn’t my fault. Despite this misunderstanding, my clip with Marie was my favorite spot from Vapetoberfest. It reminded me of “working” with Zoe and Ruby back in my Yahoo! days, with working being defined as goofing off while the camera is rolling. Here’s a sneak peak. Also, follow Marie on Instagram!

– Interviewing Rob and Jason from Envision Vapor was really fun for me. I’ve been Internet friends with Rob for a long time because of our love of e-liquids made with naturally-extracted tobacco (we’re both marks for Ahlusion and Goodejuice). Earlier this year, he started a company that makes handblown glass tips and glass tanks. His company has been blowing up and I’m thrilled for his success.

– It was lovely meeting Claudia Alan at Vapetoberfest 2013. She was working for Vape Los Angeles at Vapetoberfest 2013. In addition to modeling for vaping nerds, she has also modeled for videogame nerds (for Namco) and comic-book nerds (Comic-Con 2013). Don’t confuse her for just a pretty face though. She studied broadcast journalism and is modeling for the fun of it before embarking on her BroJo career. Naturally, as a longtime journalist I inspired her. Oh wait, I haven’t been a journalist for years. I’m a verbal entertainer…and I’m not the least bit inspiring.

– Harry from IBTanked is always awesome to chat with and I enjoyed catching up with him at Vapetoberfest 2013. He’s a hilarious and interesting man. IBTanked is a family-operated business based in California. Many people know Harry as OCD, his wife as Mrs. OCD, and his daughter as Offspring. They make some beautiful glass tanks for vaping and have had a lot of success in a very short time. As a fellow Californian, I’m rooting for IBTanked’s success to continue.

– Another local company that I’m psyched for is Bay City Vapor (no affiliation with the Bay City Rollers). The company is working on some beautiful mods that offer high performance at fair prices. Plus, they’re offering copper mods! I love the way copper mods look and perform. It was cool meeting the owners, James and Stephanie at Vapetoberfest 2013.

– I could go on and on, but I better get cracking on those videos. In short, I had a lovely time at Vapetoberfest, met some cool people, caught up with some cool people I already know, got to hang out with Nate (always excellent), and lost my voice because it’s really, really difficult conducting interviews when a DJ’s speaker is blasting beside you. Congrats to the people at Vapor Craze for organizing a successful Vapetoberfest 2013!

Coffee Talk #603: Sports Jerseys, Bars, and Racism

After Vapetoberfest Saturday night, RPadholic N8R and I went to a bar to catch up with some pals from Vaping Ape LA. I was wearing a Yankee jersey for the day’s shoots and didn’t have time to change. The bouncer checked me out and asked the manager if it was okay to let me in. I had no idea what was going on. The manager scoffed at the bouncer and said, “This guy’s cool as sh*t. He’s probably never been in a fight in his entire life.” I still had no idea what was going on, until Nate explained it to me…continued

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, forgetting Japanese Kit Kats for a beautiful woman, people that have rats for service animals, or HTC claiming that its upcoming tablet will be disruptive, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

After Vapetoberfest Saturday night, RPadholic N8R and I went to a bar to catch up with some pals from Vaping Ape LA. I was wearing a Yankee jersey for the day’s shoots and didn’t have time to change. The bouncer checked me out and asked the manager if it was okay to let me in. I had no idea what was going on. The manager scoffed at the bouncer and said, “This guy’s cool as sh*t. He’s probably never been in a fight in his entire life.” I still had no idea what was going on, until Nate explained it to me.

Apparently it’s a thing that you can’t wear sports jerseys in bars — or at least nice bars in California. When I was a drunkard in New York, I spent most of my time in Irish pubs (dress code was never an issue). Since I’ve moved to California, most of my drinking has been at posh parties thrown by videogame publishers (wouldn’t wear a sports jersey to one of those) or dirty bars in San Francisco Chinatown (clothing optional). Nate explained that a bouncer friend of his said it was basically to keep certain African-American patrons out of bars. The thinking is that if an African-American wears a sports jersey to a nice bar then he must be some kind of gang banger. The manager essentially said to the bouncer, “He can wear a sports jersey in the bar because he’s Asian-American.”

While I was happy that I got into the bar so that I could see my friends, I couldn’t help thinking, “That’s f*cked up.”

I felt sheepishly ignorant that I’ve never heard of this sports jersey rule. Now that I’ve learned about it, I can’t stop thinking about how messed up it is. With that in mind, I wrote today’s column to see if you’ve encountered the “sports jersey deterrent.” Does it happen where you live? What do you think of the practice? Do you think it’s messed up? Or is it smart for bars to do this in order to keep out a certain element? Share your thoughts on sports jerseys, bars, and racism in the comments section (please!).

Vaping Diaries #132: Majestic Vapors Review

As a comic-book fanboy and Star Wars nerd, I was really looking forward to trying some of Majestic Vapors’ “Geek Line” of e-liquids. I recently vaped Majestic Vapors’ Vader’s Vengeance, Fant4stic Four, and Lantern’s Light. Before I get to the flavor breakdowns, let’s chat about the company for a bit.

Majestic Vapors is a retail shop in the Niagara Falls area. The company offers a wide variety of juices — some straightforward blends and some interesting mixes. The Geek Line uses playful references to comics, movies, videogames, and more. The 30ml bottles come in plastic and have a very reasonable price of $14.99. The company has a weekly buy-two-get-one-free “Tremendous Tuesday” promo on 15ml bottles. All three of these juices vape cleanly and are suitable for any type of juice delivery system. They’re good straight out of the mail, though I’d suggest a week or two of steeping for Vader’s Vengeance.

The three Majestic Vapors Geek Line juices I tried were good. The one I wanted to like the most ended up being my least favorite, while the other two were more enjoyable. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Vader’s Vengeance: This juice gets bonus points for a multifaceted nerd name. Darth Vader is a bad ass, the name is alliterative, and the name is also a play on the popular Boba’s Bounty e-liquid. Think of Vader’s Vengeance as Boba’s Bounty light. It’s a nice blend of a light tobacco, honey, and graham. I found it to be an enjoyable dessert vape. While I expect some Boba’s Bounty fans to scoff at this juice (it’s certainly not as distinct as the original and Boba’s Bounty fans can be…irrational), I recommend giving it a shot if you want a dessert vape with a touch of tobacco. Majestic Vapors did a solid job on this juice and it was my favorite of the bunch.

Fant4stic Four: Of course Fant4stic Four is an RY4, but it’s not a traditional one. Along with the typical ingredients of light tobacco, caramel, and vanilla, Majestic Vapors added some chocolate to the mix. In some ways, this juice reminded me of Black Cloud Vapor’s take on RY4, which didn’t quite work for me. I actually enjoyed this juice more than Black Cloud’s chocolatey RY4s, but more as a dessert vape than as an RY4. If you’re a fan of traditional Asian RY4s or sweeter Western RY4s, the chocolate might throw you off. If you approach this juice as a dessert vape then there’s a good chance that you’ll like it. Also, it’s hard not to vape this juice and not shout, “Flame on!!!”

Lantern’s Light: As a huge, huge mark for Green Lantern (the comics, not the extremely unfortunate Ryan Reynolds movie), I wanted to love this juice. Even though it’s awesomely green, it wasn’t really my thing. Lantern’s Light is a candy lime flavor, with some earthiness in the background. The end result is something like lime Skittles candy. I know a lot of vapers that would love this juice (candy flavors are hugely popular in SoCal), but I’m usually not into candy vapes. Still, I was intrigued by the idea of this juice, but wish it had a natural flavor instead of a candy one; a natural lime flavor with tobacco in the background sounds like something I’d enjoy. Lantern’s Light isn’t bad by any means. It’s simply not my thing.

(On a totally nerdy note, I mentioned to the juice maker that it’s too bad the company wasn’t around during the Blackest Night crossover. Majestic Vapors could’ve had all the spectrums covered. In my head, I’m whipping up recipes for the Blue Lantern Corps, Indigo Tribe, etc. Don’t judge me. I prefaced this tangent by saying it was a totally nerdy note.)

Steeping Notes
On the advice of Wlad from Ahlusion, I’ve been trying a new steeping method starting December 27, 2012. When the e-liquids arrive, I leave them uncapped for five minutes. Previously, I left them uncapped for about two days. After the liquids are given a few minutes to oxidize, the caps are put back on. The bottles are shaken every day for at least two weeks before vaping.

Vader’s Vengeance (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Fant4stic Four (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 2013

Lantern’s Light (Majestic Vapors)
House PG/VG ratio, 8mg nicotine
Uncapped: September 3, 2013 6:20PM
Vaped: October 9-16, 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) juice; since those are known to clog up cartomizers quickly, those are vaped in atomizers and clearomizers.