When Kobe Unfollowed Dwight on Twitter

There are many things that I love about social media. It’s awesome how it connects people. It’s great that it gives fans a way to interact with celebrities. It’s also amusing to see it used when friendships go sour. In the San Francisco Bay Area tech community, it was common for squabbling people to unfollow each other on Twitter or defriend each other on Facebook. It’s brilliant that professional athletes are doing the same thing.

As many of you know, Dwight Howard left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets. Shortly after the news broke, Laker legend Kobe Bryant unfollowed Howard on Twitter. That’s frickin’ awesome! It’s such a nerdy way to make a statement. I love it!!! There are many ways to read into the situation. Some are dismissing it as pettiness on Bryant’s part. Others believe that it’s a way for one of the most insanely competitive players in the NBA to tell another player that he doesn’t matter anymore.

What’s your take on Kobe Bryant unfollowing Dwight Howard on Twitter?

Awesome iOS Games For Free!

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of the App Store, a number of excellent apps are free for a limited time. The freebies include some incredible games for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Badland, Infinity Blade II, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Tiny Wings, Tiny Wings HD, and Where’s My Water can be had for a grand total of $0.00. Go download them now!

Notable non-gaming freebies include Barefoot World Atlas and Traktor DJ.

If you come across any other fine iOS freebies, kindly post them in the comments section.

Jay-Z Disses Scott Boras on Magna Carta Holy Grail

Rappers insulting other rappers is a hip-hop staple. The “dis track” has been used to emasculate rivals, create controversy, and increase record sales. Normally, the insults are between rival hip-hop artists or crews. Jay-Z is the first artist that I know of that has used one of his tracks to insult a sports agent. As many of you know, Jay-Z recently created Roc Nation Sports and has started representing athletes. His clients include Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the song “Crown” from his upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay-Z has a line for renowned super agent Scott Boras:

Scott Boras, you over baby.
Robinson Cano, you coming with me.

Yeah, it’s not the hardest hitting dis ever recorded, but it funny that Jay-Z went after Boras in a track…though I’m not sure it was necessary. Jay-Z already stole Cano from Boras as a client. Did he really need to rub it in or reinforce the point? Furthermore, Boras has a long list of clients and is responsible for some of the richest contracts in sports. I don’t think he’ll be hurting for business any time soon. All he has to do is point to the ridiculous contracts he’s gotten for Alex Rodriguez and new clients will sign.

Anyway, I hope this becomes a trend. Hip-hop artists dissing suits is funny. I heard the Nelly has beef with one of his accountants. Hopefully a dis track is in order.

Source

Vaping Diaries #75: Vapor Stands Pie Slice Review

A couple of months ago, I wrote about Vapor Stands, a new Californian company that makes handmade e-cigarette holders. For the last few weeks, I’ve been using the company’s Pie Slice stand. This is a custom job that can be made with your choice of cherrywood, oak, or walnut. It can hold up to six vaping devices, with holes cut for your specific mods. The Pie Slice covered in this review uses all three woods and has holes for five mods.

After the wood is cut, it’s sanded to a super-smooth finish. After that, it’s coated with three layers of polyurethane for glossiness, protection, and durability. The looks are gorgeous and the craftsmanship is fantastic. The Pie Slice looks great in an office, the living room, and anywhere else you vape. When people visit my office, it’s often the first thing that catches their eye. It’s an attractive piece of woodwork.

Four of the five holes on this particular Pie Slice were cut for fairly standard-sized mods. The other hole was cut specifically for an Alt Smoke Silver Bullet, which is larger than normal. Vapor Stands cut the holes perfectly and even contacted a few of the manufacturers to verify the proper size. The bottom of the holes are covered with felt, so that the mods have a soft base to sit on.

The Vapor Stands Pie Slice is a great American vaping product. It’s a gorgeous stand that’s extremely well made and backed by great customer service. $55 is a reasonable price for a custom handmade stand that’s crafted in the USA. If you appreciate woodwork and want a handsome stand for your vaping devices then I highly recommend this product.

Links: Vapor Stands Official Site

Motorola X Advertisement Boasts Assembled in the USA

While most of the products we buy are made in China, there has been a shift to make (or at least assemble) more goods in America. Apple’s Mac Pro (Texas), Nissan’s Leaf electric car (Tennessee), and a few Lenovo computers (North Carolina) are some of the products that are now being assembled in the USA. You can add Google’s Motorola X phone to the list. The company is on a media blitz that capitalizes on the Fourth of July holiday and proudly states that the Motorola X is, “Designed by you. Assembled in the USA.” Check out the spot below and share your feelings on the Motorola X and other products that are made in America.

In the past, I’ve mentioned that I’d love to buy more made-in-the-USA products. I’m hoping (probably naively) that the Motorola X ends up being an awesome product that’s made in the USA. I’d love to rock a phone like that. How about you?

ESPN Switching to Facebook Comments: Do You Care?

Starting July 17, 2013, ESPN.com will switching all of its articles to Facebook’s commenting system. The site previously used Facebook comments for some of its stories and an in-house system for the majority of its articles. With the new system, readers will be required to have a Facebook account if they want to comment on a story. I know that most of you RPadholics are sports fans and that most of you are on Facebook, so I’m curious to hear what you think about the change. I also know that at least one dear RPadholic (*cough* 1ceman *cough*) is a sports fan that’s averse to social media services. I wonder if this will be a problem (for him).

As for me, I’m looking forward to the change. While there are some great conversations to be had on ESPN.com, there are also a ton of idiots posting hateful and racist comments. One of the reasons web sites like Facebook’s commenting system is that there’s less anonymity; most people use their “real” Facebook account to post comments on web sites that use Facebook comments. Of course there are some people that set up fake Facebook identities so that they can post stupid comments on web sites that use Facebook’s commenting system…but I suppose if it means that much to them then they should get something for their efforts. *shrug*

Anyway, how do you feel about ESPN.com’s full-on switch to the Facebook commenting system? Is it a good move or a bad move? Are you more or less likely to comment on an ESPN.com article now that it uses Facebook comments?

Vaping Diaries #74: Best Vaping E-Liquids of 2013 (Thus Far)

Since half the year is over, I wanted to use this column to talk about some of the best e-liquids I’ve tried in 2013. While most of these juices aren’t new, they were all new to me. Most of them have been reviewed in previous Vaping Diaries columns, while a few of them will be reviewed in the near future. Given my love for NET (naturally extracted tobacco) e-liquids, it wasn’t surprising that most of my favorites used real tobacco. However, a few synthetics and one dessert flavor made the list. Janty’s DK RY4 is considered by many to be the original RY4 and I’ve yet to taste a synthetic RY4 that’s as good. Five Pawns’ Gambit is ridiculously complex. As for the rest, here’s my list:

  1. Peachy Criminal (Ahlusion) — A mild but complex tobacco accompanied by Ahlusion’s delicious, natural peach flavor
  2. Honey Cured (Ahlusion) — A striking blend of strong, authentic tobacco and a bright honey sweetness
  3. Vurley (Ahlusion) — A delicious burley tobacco complemented perfectly by sweet vanilla
  4. Gambit (Five Pawns) — Easily the most complex dessert vape I’ve ever had
  5. Louisville (Want2Vape) — A delicious burley tobacco with a slight, slight touch of sweetness
  6. Patriot (Goodejuice) — Burley boldness, distinct perique, and sweet cavendish make up this delightful tobacco blend
  7. GJ4 (Goodejuice) — The classic RY4 formula with an authentic tobacco “oomph”
  8. DK RY4 (Janty) — Often copied, but never duplicated, this is the best synthetic RY4 I’ve ever had
  9. Full Virginia Flake (Mountain Oak Vapors) — A NET RY4 that emphasizes sweetness, but with authentic tobacco in the background
  10. Organic RY4 (Orb Vapor) — An atypical RY4 that’s given a nice twist through hazelnut and French vanilla flavorings

Coffee Talk #594: Your Favorite Game of 2013 (Thus Far)

Half of 2013 is over and I want to hear about your favorite game of the year (thus far). Were you enthralled by BioShock Infinite? Were you captivated by Lara Croft’s return in Tomb Raider? Perhaps Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch brought you a slice of gaming heaven. I know that some of you are down on The Last of Us, but it has been getting rave reviews, so maybe the game is working for some of you? Please talk about the best game you’ve played this year in the comments section.

As for my choice…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, how The Rock satisfies his women, the Dwight Howard Greg Oden sweepstakes, or 4th of July sales like the excellent Bastion for iOS currently costing 99 cents, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Half of 2013 is over and I want to hear about your favorite game of the year (thus far). Were you enthralled by BioShock Infinite? Were you captivated by Lara Croft’s return in Tomb Raider? Perhaps Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch brought you a slice of gaming heaven. I know that some of you are down on The Last of Us, but it has been getting rave reviews, so maybe the game is working for some of you? Please talk about the best game you’ve played this year in the comments section.

As for my choice, it’s an oldie but a goodie. Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for OS X was old-school RPG bliss for me. The original is one of my all-time favorites (played through the frickin’ thing 18 times) and it was nice to experience it again with updated elements. The enhanced version of the game brought improved graphics, new characters, and gameplay improvements from the sequel (class kits!) to the mix. It was everything I loved from the first time around, with a few bells and whistled that improved the overall experience. I’ve played through the BGEE multiple times with multiple characters. So yeah, I kind of loved it and it was easily the most satisfying gaming experience I’ve had in 2013 (thus far).

Now it’s your turn! Kindly talk about your game of the (half) year in the comments section!

Vaping Diaries #73: Ahlusion Review V

Here’s a review of three dessert juices from one of my favorite e-liquid companies in the world, Ahlusion. In addition to making some of the best tobacco, fruit, beverage, and dessert e-liquids I’ve tried, Ahlusion’s customer service and packaging are top notch. While I really appreciate those aspects of the company, it all comes down to the juice and these three range from very good to great.

The flavors reviewed this time around are Pralines and Cream, Rick’s Request (rice pudding), and Maple Dream. All three are clean vapes that work fine with any juice delivery system. Two of them are very sweet, while one is moderately sweet. In general, I dislike overly sweet juices, unless they have complexity. These three juices definitely fit that bill. Here are the flavor breakdowns and steeping notes.

Pralines and Cream: This is a really sweet juice based on the classic New Orleans praline recipe of pecans, sugar, and cream. At the time I ordered this juice, an almond option was available for those that prefer French pralines. I found the juice to be very sweet, but some of my friends thought it wasn’t quite sweet enough for a true NOLA pralines taste. I really enjoyed the blend of nuttiness, creaminess, and sweetness in this juice. While it wasn’t one of the best Ahlusion juices I’ve had, it was very good and much better than most juices out there. Unfortunately, this juice has been taken off the menu. I’m hoping that Ahlusion brings it back with an even better formula.

Rick’s Request: This is a rice pudding e-liquid that was named after an Ahlusion customer. It’s a very rich and creamy juice that’s probably the most polarizing of the three in this review. Some of my friends loved it, while some thought it was too perfumey or had a taste reminiscent of potpourri. I really enjoyed this one. It didn’t quite taste like rice pudding to me — more like several elements of rice pudding. It’s a delicious blend of cream, cinnamon, and a moderately sweet raisin flavor. It’s definitely one of the more unique juices I’ve tried this year. One thing to keep in mind is that Rick’s Request should get a long steep. The smell started to change at the five-week mark and my dripping tests showed that the flavor started to bloom (for me) shortly after that. Some people I know let this juice steep for four months before enjoying it.

Maple Dream: Unsurprisingly, this was my favorite juice of the bunch. I’ve enjoyed Ahlusion’s maple flavoring in Maple House Blend and I’m currently enjoying it in Maple Burley. This is a sweet and bright juice, with a nice, creamy undertone. When a lot of people hear maple, they think of maple syrup. That’s not what you’re getting here. This is a natural and flavorful maple sugar flavor. For me, this wasn’t quite as sweet as Pralines and Cream, but sweeter than Rick’s Request. As I’m partial to Ahlusion’s unique maple flavor, I found this juice to be delicious.

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.

Pralines & Cream
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 2013

Rick’s Request
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 2013

Maple Dream
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: May 16-23, 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.