Alex Rodriguez Fans Are Stupid (Hispanics Across America)

I would like to congratulate Hispanics Across America for being one of the dumbest organizations in the United States. According to ESPN, the group is the driving force behind the candlelight vigil held for New York Yankees steroid abuser (and also third baseman) Alex Rodriguez. While the punishment handed down by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is arguably excessive, I hardly think A-Roid needs or deserves a candlelight vigil. He’s a known cheater that has made hundreds of millions of dollars playing a game. There are better causes and better people to support. In pro-wrestling terms, Hispanics Across America is doing this to get “the rub” from A-Fraud.

Already a delusional egomaniac, Rodriguez is being enabled byHispanics Across America. The group has gotten people to show love and support to an unrepentant cheater that doesn’t give a rat’s ass about them. This is a man that has kissed a mirror image of himself for a magazine cover, blasted his best friend in magazine, (allegedly) has a painting of himself as a centaur hanging in his mansion, has taken performance-enhancing drugs, said he was longer on performance-enhancing drugs, and has been caught taking them again.  Why the hell does A-Rod need a candlelight vigil?!?

There are people in America that don’t have enough food. There are people in America without homes. Due to the country’s for-profit healthcare system, there are many people that have had to declare bankruptcy because of medical costs. The unemployment rate is awful. Hispanics Across America should be helping people with those problems. Instead it’s trying to make a name for itself by supporting a millionaire cheater.

As someone that spent a lot of time and energy participating in and creating ethnic organizations, I’m embarrassed by Hispanics Across America. The group is headed up by a misguided idiot, Fernando Mateo, that’s making minorities look silly. Then again, perhaps I’m simply expecting too much from a group that has this logo on its front page.

Hispanics Accross America

Source

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

For the last 10 days or so, I’ve been playing a secret game for a secret job for a secret company. There have been some aspects of it that I’ve greatly enjoyed, but also some aspects that annoy the hell out of me. Based on the gameplay alone, I don’t think it’s something I’d keep playing. However, the license it uses holds my attention and there are definitely some addictive aspects to the game (at least for RPG nerds). All that aside, I’m enjoying the job a great deal. It’s certainly better than coal mining. With the biggest game of 2013 already released and several hot titles hitting this month, I’m curious to see what everyone is playing.

So how about it? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Vaping Diaries #126: Innokin iTaste VTR Preview

Arguably the most-wanted Innokin product of 2013, the iTaste VTR is a box mod positioned as a premium product. Out of the box, I was surprised by its heft. The iTaste VTR is a weighty vaping device that looks bolder and feels more luxurious than its sister product, the iTaste MVP 2. My initial impression is that a strong argument can be made that this is the best product Innokin has released, but some vapers will be put off by its weight. However, I definitely need to spend more time with the iTaste VTR before passing judgement.

The iTaste VTR comes in a decorative box, just like the iTaste 134. The kit includes the mod, an Innokin iClear 30s clearomizer, and an adapter tube. The unit was made with the iClear 30 and iClear 30s in mind. However, it can hold any clearomizer with similar dimensions (diameter less than 19mm, height around 78mm). For atomizers that won’t fit into the clearomizer cutout, the include adapter ensures that any 510-threaded part will work with the iTaste VTR.

Using the iTaste VTR is relatively easy. While it’s not quite as simple as using the iTaste MVP 2’s various functions, it’s still relatively straightforward. There’s a power button, a function button, and a scroll wheel. The power button turns the device on or off and fires the device. The function button pulls up atomizer resistance, voltage, wattage, and battery life. Voltage and wattage are adjusted using the scroll wheel. The voltage range is 3.0 to 6.0 volts adjustable in 0.1-volt increments, while the wattage range is 3.0 to 15.0 volts adjustable in 0.5-watt increments

So far I’ve used the iTaste VTR with an iClear 30 clearomizer and a Vapage dripping atomizer. The output has been consistent, but I haven’t tried many different settings yet. Most of the Innokin devices I’ve used have consistent output and I expect the same from the iTaste VTR.

Check out the video preview above to see different looks of the iTaste VTR, the iClear 30s, and the optional holster accessory. I’m going to use the device for at least 10 days before reviewing it. Stay tuned for the full review in the near future.

Innokin iTaste VTR Preview



Vaping Diaries #125: Win an Innokin iTaste MVP 2

This month I’m giving away an Innokin iTaste MVP 2, courtesy of my friends at Innokin. I reviewed the MVP 2 last month and was very impressed by its features and battery life. Now’s your chance to win one! All you have to do is:

  1. Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
  2. Leave a comment with your YouTube username (so I can verify your subscription) and your favorite feature of the iTaste MVP 2.

That’s all you have to do! As an added bonus, if I reach 1,000 subscribers by the end of the contest then I’ll have another October giveaway (probably a mechanical mod). Now here are the boring contest rules. Continue reading “Vaping Diaries #125: Win an Innokin iTaste MVP 2”

Marina Shifrin Quits Like a Boss

This video by Marina Shifrin is one of the best, most creative, and smartest ways to quit your job. The clip is funny, tells a story, and generates a ton of sympathy. Good on her! Hopefully she can take advantage of her Internet fame and leverage the exposure into lucrative work that she loves.

I wish I thought of something similar after my beloved GameSpy was acquired by IGN. I loved the company when I started there and hated the post-acquisition changes. Quitting via interpretive dance would have been awesome, especially set to a song that uses “Brother Numpsay” in the lyrics.

Anyway, check out Marina Shifrin’s video below and dream up your own “I Quit” video. What song and dance style would you use to quit your job?

And Now, A Message From Gabe Newell (Half-Life 3)

Dorkly posted an immensely entertaining (satirical) article called “A Message From Gabe Newell.” Valve recently made several announcements on products with enormous potential to disrupt the gaming business (Steam OS, Steam Machines, Steam Controller). While many gamers and pundits have reacted to these announcements with excitement, there are many longtime PC gamers that have can’t get Half-Life 3 out of their heads. The (satirical) message from Gabe Newell addresses all of that and more. Here’s an excerpt from the end of the letter Continue reading “And Now, A Message From Gabe Newell (Half-Life 3)”

Vaping Diaries #123: ECC 2013 Wrap Up

All my ECC 2013 videos (please watch them!) have been edited and all but one has been posted. Now that all the work is done, it’s time to reflect on the first annual Electronic Cigarette Convention. Before I get to that, I wanted to thank Dulce and Steve from ECC for making the show extremely media-friendly. Big-time thanks to RPadholic N8R for filming my interviews. Now onto the ECC 2013 wrap up.

In a nutshell, ECC 2013 greatly exceeded my expectations. From my perspective, the show was well organized and several exhibitors had impressive booth setups. I was expecting a basic room with simple vendor tables from local companies. Instead, some exhibitors had really elaborate booths and there were companies from all over the world (China, Finland, the Philippines). Of course the show wasn’t as elaborate or flashy as E3 or PAX, but for a relatively young business, ECC 2013 was vibrant and well attended. The show organizers and exhibitors did way more than I expected them to.

That’s not to say that everything was perfect. While the ECC web site was much better looking than the one for the competing Vapefest show, it didn’t have a lot of useful information. My coverage plans would have been a lot easier with an exhibitor list and a map of the show floor. Hell, I had to go to the ECC Facebook page to find out what time the convention started each day. There were a lot of products that debuted at ECC 2013 and some attendees had no idea that they were there. It would have been nice if the conference stage was used to unveil products and have the creators talk about them. (Dulce, I’m available for hosting duties if you want me to moderate panels or announcements. Use me!)

From the people I spoke with online and IRL, ECC 2013 reactions were largely positive. Most of them enjoyed the show and were happy to attend. Some complained about nothing new being at the show, which wasn’t true, but as I mentioned earlier, the show could have done a better job highlighting new products. Some people complained that there wasn’t enough free stuff. That complaint seemed whiny to me. If you pre-registered for ECC 2013 then you paid a grand total of $0. How much “free stuff” do you expect from a free show? Besides, lots of people posted photos of fairly hefty hauls of free juices and drip tips. I didn’t get too many freebies because I was busy working, but I got some and it looked like you could get a lot if you were aggressive about it.

For people that aren’t familiar with my work in tech and gaming, keep in mind that I’ve attended a lot of trade shows, expos, and conventions. E3, CES, Comdex, Comic-Con, NAMM, CEDIA, Anime Expo, Toy Fair, and BlizzCon are just some of shows that I’ve attended for work. I’ve attended impeccably organized shows and ones that were run horribly. Aside from an overzealous security staff (totally the Anaheim Convention Center’s fault), I was quite pleased with my ECC 2013 experience.

For a first effort, ECC 2013 was a great show and I’m sure it will be even better next year. There were lots of hardware and juice companies displaying goods for attendees to try. New items debuted at the show, as well as a few ECC exclusives. The vibe was fun and the work was productive. Congratulations to everyone that worked on ECC 2013. If any of you plan on going next year, I hope to see you!

RPad.TV ECC 2013 Videos

This Week’s Videogame Releases

With the Yankees 2013 season ending in failure, I’m ditching baseball and getting psyched for the 2013-2014 NBA season. NBA 2K14 should be a great help. I have no idea how this season will end, but when I play, the Miami Heat will not win another title. I know that many of you regular RPadholics aren’t big on the Nintendo 3DS platform, but there are a pair of lovely JRPGs hitting the Nintendo handheld this week: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl and Rune Factory 4. Lastly, Ubi Soft has a pair of trilogy bundles for those looking to maximize their gaming dollars: Assassin’s Creed Ezio Trilogy Edition and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Trilogy Edition.

So, any of you picking up new games this week?

Vaping Diaries #122: Grand Vapor Gab Villapana Interview

As a Filipino-American, I was thrilled that Grand Vapor owner Gabriel “Gab” Villapana came all the way from the Philippines to attend ECC 2013. I’m a big fan of Grand Vapor mods and atomizers (currently rocking a red Sentinel 3.5 and a gold-plated Trident). Gab had several goods on display at the show — the Prometheus Genesis-style atomizer, the Trident 2 dripping atomizer (ECC debut!), the limited edition gold-plated Sentinel, the limited edition sand-blasted Sentinel, the Sentinel v4, and more. Gab talks about the products he had on display, upcoming products, and the hot-button topic of Chinese clones in this ECC 2013 video interview.

Grand Vapor Sentinel gold plated ECC 2013