Google Now Available For iOS

Google has updated its Google Search app for iOS to include Google Now. For those of you not familiar with the product, Google Now is an intelligent search assistant that uses natural language input and a card-based system to serve you information. Many tech experts feel that Google Now is a much more powerful and effective alternative to Apple’s Siri product. While there are certainly similarities, I believe that the products are different enough that a direct comparison is somewhat inaccurate. In practical terms, I’ve gotten way more mileage out of Google Now on my Android devices than Siri on my iOS devices.

Here’s a clip from Google’s blog with additional info:

Google Now is about giving you just the right information at just the right time. It can show you the day’s weather as you get dressed in the morning, or alert you that there’s heavy traffic between you and your butterfly-inducing date—so you’d better leave now! It can also share news updates on a story you’ve been following, remind you to leave for the airport so you can make your flight and much more. There’s no digging required: cards appear at the moment you need them most—and the more you use Google Now, the more you get out of it.

Due to the way Apple manages notifications and background processes, Google Now for iOS is slightly less powerful than its Android counterpart. It currently lacks some of the cards found in the Android version too. That said, it’s still a very powerful information tool and I recommend giving it a go.

If you play around with Google Now of iOS on your iPhone or iPad, I’d love to hear about your experience with it in the comments section.

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Vaping Diaries #58: Cafe Ahlusion Opens This Week

Ahlusion is one of my favorite e-liquid vendors in the vaping business and I’m thrilled that the company is opening its cafe this week. In addition to being able to hang out and enjoy some of the best e-liquids around, you’ll be able to enjoy beverages made with the same ingredients as the juices. For example, the company has a sasparilla beverage based on its unique and delicious W&A Sasparilla e-liquid. The site also states, “Don’t be surprised to find some of our actual flavors on our site also avialable in coffee, tea, smoothie or juice form.”

As an added bonus, you’ll be able to watch some RPadTV Vaping Diaries video reviews starring Raina Lee and me. I’m sure that customers will enjoy staring at the super-cute Raina and I’m also sure that I’ll scare some customers away. Ha! Seriously though, I feel honored that Ahlusion’s Wlad and Alley are playing my videos at Cafe Ahlusion. Check out the two photos in the article featuring my reviews. Hopefully I’ll make it out to Swartz Creek, MI some time in 2013, enjoy Cafe Ahlusion, and interview Wlad. It sounds like a brilliant trip — exquisite e-liquids, a cool cafe, and chatting with a true master of vaping juices.

Coffee Talk #580: The Appeal of Videogame Live Streaming?

My friend Paul and I were talking about the popularity of videogame live streaming…and how we don’t get it. Since both of us are out of the target demographic (he’s Statler, I’m Waldorf), there’s a very real chance that it’s simply a generational thing that’s beyond our understanding. Hopefully, you guys and gals can help me understand why millions of people enjoy watching someone playing a single-player game, because I don’t see the appeal. Right now, I’m all Edwin Starr when it comes to live streaming: “What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”

Where’s the fun in…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, losing count of the number of injured Lakers, attempting (again) to master rebuildable dripping atomizers, or cheesecloth, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

My friend Paul and I were talking about the popularity of videogame live streaming…and how we don’t get it. Since both of us are out of the target demographic (he’s Statler, I’m Waldorf), there’s a very real chance that it’s simply a generational thing that’s beyond our understanding. Hopefully, you guys and gals can help me understand why millions of people enjoy watching someone playing a single-player game, because I don’t see the appeal. Right now, I’m all Edwin Starr when it comes to live streaming: “What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”

Where’s the fun in watching a person play through a single-player game? Wouldn’t you rather…oh, I dunno…play the game yourself? Do people use live streams to make purchasing decisions? That’s somewhat understandable. I could almost buy the argument that watching a live stream can give a gamer a more honest view of a game. However, I much rather read a review from a critic that I trust. That seems like a more efficient use of time.

It kind of bugs me that I feel like a crotchety old man that just doesn’t get it. That’s where you come in! Please help me understand the appeal of videogame live streaming in the context of single-player games. If you enjoy them, kindly list the reasons in the comments section. If you don’t, but understand why other people do, then please explain it to me. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After working on secret-project game, I’m itching to run around and beat the crap out of bad guys using a variety of superheroes. I’m also gearing up for the Iron Man 3 review screening on Monday. With all of that in mind, I think this weekend is going to be all about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. I love these kinds of action-RPGs — always have. From Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance to X-Men: Legends to Justice League Heroes, I’m always down to beat the crap out of minions, break objects to find power-ups, and occasionally tackle boss characters. For my tastes, it’s a tried and true formula that I can’t get enough of.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Vaping Diaries #57: Ahlusion Review IV

Ah, another Ahlusion review. These are always fun to do because the company is so good. My excellent friend Glenda was over this week and tried some of the Ahlusion goods I had. She had a moment that reminded me of one of Alan Rickman’s lines in Bottle Shock; she got quiet after vaping them and said, “All these Ahlusion juices…are…so good!”  Anyway, back to the review. This time around I vaped the company’s Boba Tea with Lychee, Honey Cured, and Peachy Criminal. Two of the e-liquids were outstanding — easily two of the best I’ve had in 2013. The other was good, but not what I was expecting. Here are the breakdowns and steeping notes.

Boba Tea with Lychee: Raina and I covered plain Boba Tea in January and enjoyed it. I had high hopes for this juice, since I often order boba with lychee in real life. As far as the lychee flavor goes, it’s spot on — very clean and flavorful. Unfortunately, there’s too much of it. It drowns out the milk tea flavor associated with boba. The milky sweetness that I like in plain Boba Tea is overpowered by the lychee, making this juice more like Lychee with Boba Tea than Boba Tea with Lychee. While this juice was definitely well made, the flavor wasn’t quite what I wanted or expected.

The good news is that Ahlusion has changed the formula from when I ordered the juice. The company says that it should be more balanced out now. Considering that the majority of my Ahlusion experiences have been fantastic, I’m willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt and will revisit the flavor in a future review.

Honey Cured: This juice is part of Ahlusion’s phenomenal aromatic line of tobacco e-liquids, which includes two of my favorite tobacco e-liquids: Blue Grass Burley and Vurley. Like those two fine juices, I absolutely love this one, but it’s a little bit different than its sisters. For people intimidated by the aromatic line, this is a great starter juice since it’s not as bold as the others. It’s still way more flavorful than the majority of tobacco e-liquids on the market, but the somewhat lighter tobacco combined with the sweet honey taste makes it more approachable than the other aromatics I’ve enjoyed.

As for the honey flavor itself, its very sweet and natural-tasting. Normally, I don’t enjoy e-liquids that are too sweet, but this one is amazingly well balanced. The strength and complexity of the tobacco combines with the bright honey sweetness perfectly. I’m often amazed by how masterful Ahlusion is with blending flavors. Honey Cured is another example of why the company is better than the vast majority of its competitors. Like the other aromatic juices, this one isn’t ideal for carto/tanks; it tastes great in a clearomizer and tastes divine in a dripping atomizer.

On a side note, I spilled some of this juice on my sleeve and a cute girl in an elevator thought it was “hot” cologne. This is the first e-liquid I’ve vaped that lead to a coffee date. Bonus! (Also, hi Kyung!)

Peachy Criminal: I love peach. I love tobacco. Ergo peach-tobacco e-liquids should be a homerun for me. As I learned with HHV’s Georgia Peach Tobacco, that’s not necessarily the case. Fortunately, this juice surprised me and exceeded my expectations. Some people feel that this juice has too much going on, but I completely disagree. I loved the blend of Smooth Criminal’s nutty and sweet tobacco combined with a fantastic peach flavoring. It comes together brilliantly. Whereas HHV’s juice tasted like the flavors were fighting for supremacy, the flavors in this e-liquid complemented each other marvelously, resulting in a blissful vape.

One caveat with this juice is that you should give it a long steep. For me, the juice started to “bloom” five weeks in and really started to change after two months. Some people like to steep their Smooth Criminal for as long as four months. In my experience, five weeks is good, but two months is better.

While I loved Honey Cured (as I thought I would), I’m going with Peachy Criminal as my favorite of this batch. I’ve had other full-bodied tobacco e-liquids that I’ve enjoyed as much or more than Honey Cured, but I’ve never had a better peach tobacco than Peachy Criminal.

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.

Boba Tea with Lychee
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 0mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: April 4-10, 2013

Honey Cured
70/30 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 12, 2013 2:50PM
Vaped: April 5-10, 2013

Peachy Criminal
50/50 PG/VG ratio, 6mg nicotine
Uncapped: January 1, 2013 2:12PM
Vaped: April 5-10, 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.

No Nintendo Press Conference at E3 2013

As Polygon reported yesterday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company will not have a traditional press conference at the E3 2013 trade show. Instead, the company will focus on smaller events. Whether this is a sound strategy or not remains to be seen. What’s certain is that is creates a perception problem for Nintendo. Its major competitors, Microsoft and Sony, are going large with events to promote upcoming console hardware. By not having a competing presser, many pundits believe that the company looks weak, whether that’s a fair judgement or not.

For my part, I couldn’t help but think of the last major console company not to have an E3 presser: Sega. Before it was Microsoft vs. Nintendo vs. Sony, it was Nintendo vs. Sega vs. Sony. I distinctly remember videogame journalists predicting the demise of Sega when the company announced that it wasn’t having an E3 press conference. Many of them had the knee-jerk reaction that it was a sign of the company’s impending doom as a console-hardware manufacturer. And that knee-jerk reaction was right.

Nintendo’s supporters are defending the move by saying that E3 doesn’t matter anymore, the trade show isn’t for the enthusiast press (and by extension, readers of enthusiast outlets) anymore, and that Nintendo plays a different game than the other console companies. I’m not going to argue any of those points because that’s not a debate that can be won. What’s undeniable is that by not having an E3 2013 press conference, Nintendo has created a perception problem that the company’s marketing and PR teams will have to fight.

Of course I want to hear your take on the issue too, because you guys and dolls are smart and awesome. RPadholic smartguy and I touched on it briefly in the RPad.TV live chat, but lets keep the conversation going. What do you think of Nintendo not having an E3 2013 presser?

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Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider Talks Ratchet & Clank Movie

Insomniac brand development director Ryan Schneider talks about the upcoming Ratchet & Clank movie in this GameSkinny interview. I was totally jazzed by the article, but I have a lot of biases here — I’m a mark for Insomniac, I’m quite fond of Ryan, and I’ve been friends with the interviewer for years. Naturally, I want to see if you guys and dolls are excited about a Ratchet & Clank movie as I am. Before we get to that, here’s a clip from the interview: Continue reading “Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider Talks Ratchet & Clank Movie”

Microsoft Xbox “Reveal” Event on May 21, 2013

Microsoft has sent out invites for a press event on May 21, 2013 and is flooding social media with the tag #XboxReveal. The event is months after Sony’s PlayStation 4 reveal and weeks before the E3 2013 trade show.

Since all of you know what’s coming, let’s have some goofy fun with this one. I will playfully ask, “What do you think Microsoft will reveal at the #XboxReveal event?” You will kindly provide facetious answers. For example, “Obviously Microsoft is putting out a new toaster that requires an always-on Internet connection.” Let’s do this!

Thor: The Dark World Trailer

As RPadholic tokz mentioned in the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group yesterday, the new trailer for Thor: The Dark World is pretty badass. It’s full of mystical action, otherworldly creatures, and beautiful people. The trailer lays the groundwork for the inevitable Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) vs. Sif (Jaimie Alexander) cat-fight fan-fiction that will flood the Internet later this year. Throw in the buxom Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and I’m totally down.

Seriously though, the trailer looks great. The tone of the movie seems more appropriate than the original. A few of you had problems with Thor’s ever-present smile and happy-go-lucky attitude while he was exiled in New Mexico during the first film. This film seems darker and less goofy.

Check out the trailer below and let me know you think (please!).

Random Thoughts on Pain & Gain

The maestro extraordinaire of big, dumb movies, Michael Bay, is with Pain & Gain. While it’s certainly not his biggest movie (hard to top space rocks and transforming robots), it’s definitely his dumbest…but in a good way. For a large portion of the flick, Bay’s manic directing style, hilarious performances, and sharp writing come together marvelously. The only problem is if you know about the real-life story Pain & Gain it based on. If you do, then having a blast with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can be uncomfortable and morally questionable. Here are some spoiler-free thoughts on the movie.

Celebrating Villains: For those of you not familiar with Pain & Gain’s plot, it’s based on a true story about a group of criminal bodybuilders in Florida. From what I’ve read about the “Sun Gym Gang,” some of the facts in the movie are accurate, many situations are embellished, and most of the characterizations are way off. In the movie, they’re portrayed as bumbling idiots. While they were somewhat inept in real life, a lot of what they did was cleverly sinister.

The problem some people have with this movie is that the Sun Gym Gang murdered, tortured, extorted, and more. The movie can be lots of fun when you forget that it’s based on actual people and events, but when you remember, it’s hard not to feel guilty and/or uncomfortable. An action-comedy based on people that killed and performed grisly acts can be tough to enjoy.

A Perfect Blend…For a While: The first half of Pain & Gain works so well. Bay’s style is what it is — a frenetic pace that can be exasperating. This time around, it’s complemented (covered up?) by witty writing by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. I loved the job those guys did with Captain America: The First Avenger and I’m looking forward to their work in the upcoming Cap/Thor movies. The three leads — Wahlberg, The Rock, and Anthony Mackie (Papa Doc from 8 Mile!) — handle the dialogue and Bay’s breakneck pace skillfully (more on them later).

After the villains’ first successful caper, the movie stalls out. When the tone gets more serious, the movie becomes less fun and somewhat tedious. It’s a strange case of the writing changing the feel of the movie. Throughout it all, the visual style is the same — lots of motion, dramatic cuts, fast pace, etc. When the writing focuses on comedy, like much of the first half, the flow is wonderful. When the second act develops and serious events happen later in the film, the blend isn’t as smooth.

Charming Idiots: The lead actors are so charming in their stupidity, but they’re also diverse in their idiocy. The Rock is particularly excellent as the moron that’s sensitive and religious…and also fond of snow (the snorting kind). The role was perfect form him; he got to show off his athletic and comedic chops, while showing a somewhat effeminate soft side. The character was in his wheelhouse and he knocked it out of the park.

I’ve been a fan of Mackie’s ever since 8 Mile and it was fun to watch him excel in this movie. The smartest idiot of the group, this character is loyal to his friends, has a predilection for plus-size women, and is suffering from…performance issues.

On paper, Wahlberg’s character is supposed to be the least likable, but Marky Mark’s boyish charm is tough to resist. His character is the idiot that doesn’t realize the full extent of his stupidity. There are times when Wahlberg is so charming that you find yourself rooting for him…and then you remember that he’s a murderous conman…and you feel guilty for rooting for him.

The Rock, Wahlberg, and Mackie were wonderfully entertaining idiots in this movie. It would have been easy to have them simply be a gang of fools, but thanks to good writing and great performances, each character displays a distinct form of idiocy.

Hey, Remember the ’90s?: I loved all the ’90s music and clothing used in the movie. It was a marvelously ridiculous decade and it’s no wonder that these marvelously ridiculous events happened back then. The Zubaz pants, Stryper references, and “Blaze of Glory” soundtrack brought me back that glorious time. Hmmmm, I wonder if Zubaz are ready an ironic comeback. That would be cool.

Bottom Line: I absolutely loved the first half of Pain & Gain. It was funny and thrilling. All three leads rocked, while Ken Jeong, Rebel Wilson, and Ed Harris were great in their smaller roles. Tony Shalhoub was fantastic as the unlikable victim. Bar Paly, I could stare at for hours (bonus photo below!). It all comes together so well…

…until the writing starts to flatten out and the tone becomes more serious. What starts out as a super-entertaining action-comedy becomes a mediocre and macabre movie in the second half. I definitely enjoyed Pain & Gain and it’s something I will definitely watch on cable. I’m certain that I’ll see it dozens of times on TV and I’m also certain that I’ll fall asleep or change the channel during the second half of the movie for the majority of those viewings.