Elisabeth Shue

Elisabeth Shue, coverbrowser.com

While today's earlier entry had a post on smelly shoes, I remember another Shue I would love to smell, and that's Elisabeth Shue. Ok, ok, so I tried to roll a pun in there, so shue me! LOL, sorry, couldn't help it.

This is an old GQ magazine cover of her. It's from 1995 I think. There's just something about her during this stage of her career that made her really attractive without having to resort to trashiness. I still have this magazine somewhere I think. I think my Mom or Dad was bored waiting somewhere like the DMV and bought this to read.

I think around this time was when I watched a movie she was in, Leaving Las Vegas with Nicholas Cage. She was a prostitute that started caring for Cage's character, and all he wanted to do was die by drinking everyday and having a prostitute around him. Pretty good drama movie. A recommended watch even if you aren't a Nicholas Cage fan.

Smelly Shoes - How To Get Rid Of Odors

If your feet tend to sweat often, your shoes are probably pretty stinky after just a few weeks or months of use. It's the perfect environment for bacteria to grow in with the moist, humid and dark environment that is your shoe. As you know it's the waste the bacteria gives off that makes you and your shoe smell.

You can spray your shoes with odor eater powder, but I don't think it eliminates the bacteria, but rather helps eliminates the odor. The bacteria population is pretty much still there ready to stink it up again.

I've heard about people putting their shoes in a air sealed bag like a big Ziplock bag and putting their shoes in the freezer overnight. It supposedly kills the bateria. However, I think the bacteria waste is still there. If you aren't careful, some moisture might seep in and make your shoes more damp, thereby creating more stench. Only benefit I think it can provide is to keep your shoes fresh for a day, and on the second day, it's back to stinky toes!

You've heard that UV light can kill germs and bacteria. So it would make sense to put it in a shoe tree and stick it in your shoe to kill the bacteria that is causing the offending odor.

From Amazon on the SteriShoe product:

• The SteriShoe ultraviolet shoe sanitizer is a new, advanced shoe tree. In addition to preserving the shape of your shoes this product also safely and effectively sanitizes the inside of shoes by using germicidal ultraviolet (UVC) light. With this product you always put your feet into a clean shoe.
  
• Clean shoes smell nice and fresh. Shoe odor is caused by bacteria and SteriShoe uses UV light to kill 99.9% of the bacteria in your shoes. Providing a clean environment for your feet is also important when trying to prevent infections with fungus and other harmful microorganisms.
  
• The product is already recommended by hundreds of doctors. The American Podiatric Medical Association awarded the SteriShoe shoe sanitizer its Seal of Acceptance. The product is very easy to use and turns off automatically after 45 minutes.
  
• It comes in sizes L, M, S, XS. Size XS corresponds to women's shoe sizes 5-7.5 and men's shoe sizes 4-6.
  
• Each order includes: A pair of SteriShoe shoe sanitizers, 2 shoe bags, 2 UVC lamps, and a power cord.

Amazon - SteriShoe

Hulu Plus $10 A Month

The first time I remember seeing Hulu commercials was on TV with Alec Baldwin. For the half a brain cell that is active while watching TV, I didn't know what the commercial was about and thought it was stupid. It took a few times to see the commercial did I finally realize it was the Hulu streaming programing that I would sometimes use when I miss a program on TV.

I really loved the service, just didn't like they didn't always host all the episodes. Hulu can be one of those things like a DVR or TiVo. You can really live without it, but once you start using it and enjoy the convenience of being able to watch it anytime and at almost anywhere with an internet connection, it starts becoming one of those things you have a hard time living without. Then you start getting getting mad at Hulu for making you a bigger (and most likely fatter) couch potato.

Now you can still be a potato, but be a fatter potato anywhere.

Hulu Plus can now stream directly to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, TVs, Blu-Ray players, Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.

But why would you want to pay $10? On top of being able to view it practically anywhere, you can now watch the entire season's episodes. Oh the horrible thought of re-watching an entire season of Lost during one entire day!

Hulu Plus

iPhone For Verizon Wireless In January

AT&T has taken a beating for it's horrible service. But the allure of the iPhone makes people put up with it. When Verizon Wireless came out with the Droid, it just added to AT&T's bad reputation. The "There's a map for that" ad campaign made it even worse. I remember many of my friends would mention if Verizon would only offer the iPhone they would gladly pay the AT&T termination fee with a smile.

Well, wait no longer, according to Bloomberg, the iPhone is finally coming to Verizon in January!

From Bloomberg:

Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will start selling Apple Inc.’s iPhone next year, ending AT&T Inc.’s exclusive hold on the smartphone in the U.S., two people familiar with the plans said.

The device will be available to customers in January, according to the people, who declined to be named because the information isn’t public. Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokeswoman, and Jeffrey Nelson, a Verizon Wireless spokesman, declined to comment.

The iPhone, which has been the sole domain of rival AT&T in the U.S. since June 2007, will give Verizon a boost in its competition for smartphone customers, UBS AG analyst John Hodulik said in an interview. Verizon customers, who numbered 92.8 million at the end of the first quarter, may buy 3 million iPhones a quarter, he estimates.

“Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the U.S. when exclusivity at AT&T ends,” said Hodulik, who is based in New York and rates Verizon shares “neutral.” “It’s hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.”

Verizon Wireless, which is building a high-speed fourth- generation network, plans to unveil several devices that will run on the new technology in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam has said.

IPhone Gains

Verizon Communications Inc., which co-owns the wireless company with Vodafone Group Plc, slid 9 cents to $28.62 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4 p.m. AT&T fell 49 cents to $24.46. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, dropped $12.13 to $256.17 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Peter Thonis, a spokesman for Verizon Communications, and Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman, declined to comment. Tenille Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Research in Motion Ltd., didn’t return a call seeking comment.

The iPhone has helped AT&T add subscribers even as the U.S. mobile-phone market nears saturation. There are enough wireless devices for more than nine out of 10 people, according to the CTIA wireless industry association.

In the first three months of this year, about a third of AT&T’s iPhone activations came from customers who were new to the carrier. Without those 900,000 new subscribers, the company may have posted a loss in contract customers that quarter, analysts said.

Still, Dallas-based AT&T has battled customer complaints about its wireless service, especially in New York and San Francisco, and dedicated an extra $2 billion to upgrading its network this year.

continue to Bloomberg for the rest of the story

His Nose Hairs Are Waving At Me

So we're standing there in front of a taco truck, aka roach coach, or whatever you want to call those mobile food trucks. Me and my buddy John, talking about the Dodgers and Yankees game the other night, and how the Dodgers blew a lead going into the 9th inning. He rolls his eyes to the sky and shakes his head, and that's when I noticed the nose hairs!

As we're talking some more, waiting for the lady to finish grilling our food, I'm mesmerized by his nose hairs. John is talking and talking and rambling about something, and I'm stuck there staring at his nose hairs as they wave around as if they are saying "hi" to me.

John stops mid-sentence as he notices I'm not paying attention to the subject he's talking about, but I'm staring at his nose! Aww, damn it, I'm caught!

What are you staring at?

Nothing I said. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts.

"One burrito and one pastrami plate ready!"

Whew, saved by the food truck lady. I know what to get John for his Christmas gift. Hope he doesn't get mad.

From Brookstone:

Our Nose and Ear Trimmer cuts hairs close without the blades ever touching your skin—for exact, comfortable grooming. With its smooth, powerful motor and "ouch-free" design, our trimmer ensures quick, easy cutting of stray nose and ear hairs without tugging. The user-friendly design with ergonomic, rubber grip gives you complete control while trimming. Hypoallergenic stainless steel blades rinse clean with plain tap water.

Ouch-free design.
With hypoallergenic stainless steel blades, the precision head trims extra-close without the blades ever touching your skin. And the powerful, smooth motor allows the trimmer to cut hairs without tugging. User-friendly ergonomic design features rubber grip, easy-off cap and a stable, wobble-free base. Uses one AA battery (not included).

Brookstone - Nose and ear hair trimmer $35

Bridgitte Bardot

Photograph © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis

Alyssa Milano - Weird Looking At Her

photo by London Entertainment/Splash News - June 27, 2010

I get kind of a weird feeling when looking at Alyssa Milano. One one hand, she's still cute, on the other hand, I still remember her as the kid on the old 80's sitcom "Who's The Boss?" with Tony Danza.

When seeing her as an attractive woman, I kind of feel like the dirty old man looking at a younger woman. She's roughly my age I think, but still remember her as Tony Danza's tomboy daughter from the show. Gawd, I sound like a pervert now, but some of you know what I mean.

When I was in my early 20's I worked with some guys that were heavy metal headbangers. I'm talking about the long haired, favorite band t-shirt and stoned voiced stereotypes. One of them was in love with her and would always mention her in his lust fantasies. I'm feeling gross hearing it of course, remember, I still remember her as the kid on the show. Not the grown women she was around that time.

My wife was watching the new programmings on the WB channel (remember the singing frog?) and one of the top shows was Charmed. The teen witch show with former Beverly Hills 90210 bitch, Shannen Doherty and some other girl I don't remember. That's when I saw the grown up version of Alyssa Milano. Wow! She's grown! She's really pretty too!

Now I didn't feel so weird anymore being that we were both around our 20's. Actually I think she's older than me. I'm going to have to check up on that. But still, when you grew up with some of these actors, you tend to remember them when you were a kid.

It's funny now that I think of it, why did I watch the show Who's The Boss? in the first place?

Sam Adams Beer - Summer Styles Variety Pack

Friday, I stopped by my local Albertson's grocery store to pick up some ground beef and other hamburger fixings to enjoy for the weekend. This bored but enthusiastic girl that represented Smirnoff new flavored beverages yelled out to me "Hey, come try this, free samples!"

I'm thinking yeah, so you're handing out free samples of beer? Coming over right now! As I turned the aisle and went towards her, behind the tall stack of Bud and Miller large packs, I saw Smirnoff and then groaned. Poor girl, I felt bad for her. She's in the cold refrigerated aisle, trying to stay active and warm, and then sees my utter disappointment when I notice the Smirnoff flavored wine coolers (I think that's what they were). I think the product line is a new line of low calorie drinks.

But being as bored as she was, she still tried to stay enthusiastic and walked with me as we discussed all the different beers along the aisle. I tell her I enjoy trying something new, especially some of these micro-brews, and I've probably had about 3/4 of what's displayed here. She kept pointing out the light beers and seemed really fond of the Red Stripe Light beer.

I walked up and down the aisle looking for something, saw the Sam Adams 12 pack, but kept looking around. Grabbed the Sapporo and a micro-brew with some dog on it. As I started walking, I looked at the Sam Adams again, and that's when I noticed the Sam Adams Summer Styles variety 12 pack. Put the two other packs back and walked out with my case.

The Sam Adams Summer Styles has 2 bottles of 6 different beers. Their flagship Boston Lager, Boston Lager Light, the seasonal Summer Ale, Pale Ale, Blackberry Witbier, and new Latitude 48 IPA. These are definitely Summer beers and nothing heavy flavored. The heaviest or strongest flavored is the regular Boston Lager.

I find myself finishing the beers rather quickly because it goes down pretty smoothly when drinking the Pale Ale or IPA. Honestly when I think of it, it's not very memorable as I don't recall much of the flavors. Maybe those two beers are meant to be just easy and smooth drinking, and that's why it's included in the Summer pack. Unfortunately I can't try anymore because I was watching the World Cup soccer and drinking the last of the Pale Ale and IPA. Oh well, guess I have to go back and get another Summer Styles pack.

Their Summer Ale is well brewed, and it's either a love it or hate it type of beer. There is a notable citrus and spice flavor with a clean zest finish. If you are looking for more of a punch of zest, I'd recommend Shock Top White Belgian Ale. It's a stronger flavor, but not a favorite of mine, as it reminds me of pouring foamy orange juice into my beer. Again, I only mention that if you are looking for a stronger similar flavor, otherwise the Sam Adams Summer Ale is flavorful and subtle. It's only out during the summer so grab it if you like this flavor.

The final beer is the Blueberry Witbier. It's got a fruity dark berry essence in the fore and mid taste and after finishing your sip/gulp, if you smack your mouth together like your tasting, you can still taste the hint of the blueberry. The beer isn't smooth tasting and kind of complex that doesn't seem to really ever come together. It's an interesting beer, maybe nothing I would go out of my way to get, but definitely worth trying.

Check it out in your local beer aisle. If not, you can order it from BevMo

Lady Gaga Has Caught My Eye

I don't really pay much attention to Lady Gaga. I hear her name mentioned all the time in the news and she seems to always be used when the entertainment news have nothing to report about. If you asked me to name a song of hers, I honestly couldn't tell you. I don't even know what kind of music she makes other than I think it's club and dance type songs.

So what made me finally pay a little attention? I was walking by the newstand and saw the cover of Rolling Stones. Pretty clever with her guns pointing in the direction I guess her nipples would be pointing. Sex sells and damn it, it worked on me, as much as I hate to admit it.

So I looked around and read a quick interview of her. All I can think of is she's a marketing machine. Create controversies and make up rumors to get people talking. As long as people are talking about her, we are effectively marketing her for free! Kind of like what I'm doing now with this post. *does a facepalm*

Derek Poundstone - Stronger Than You And Me

When your last name is Poundstone, you're probably going to be one bad ass mofo! I was flipping the channels and saw an old episode of World's Strongest Man competition. I usually just keep flipping because, unlike how I was as a teenager, I don't care about being the strongest and buffest man anymore. When I saw Derek Poundstone racing with a big boulder and passing everyone up, I stopped and watch in amazement. This is one guy I wouldn't want to start a fight with!

If Derek ever calls someone "a puny human" it's probably correct.

http://www.poundstonepower.com/

Videogames: Steam Summer Sale

My friend Eric called me up and said he finally got Left 4 Dead 2 on pc and wanted me to play multiplayer with him. I haven't played recently and when I launched the Steam client, I was greeted with their wonderful Summer Sale!

Some games were 50-80% off. In addition to the discounted prices, they also have the Daily Deals where the prices of a select group of games are drastically reduced for an entire day.

The sale runs from June 24 - July 4.

Go check it out:

store.steampowered.com

Using 15 Minutes To Make Life Easier And Organized

I hate waiting around and doing nothing. So when I have to be somewhere at 8:00, I'm there at 8:00. Yeah, I'm one of those types of people. I do something when I have to do something, instead of taking a little bit of time to prepare.

I'm always rushing to do something or get somewhere. There's the problem.

I don't remember where I read it or how I started using the 15 minutes rule. It's basically giving yourself 15 minutes to start your day, end your day, time to prepare or amount of time spent tackling a large task.

In the morning, I use to get my clothes ready, iron, prep and then get ready to go to work. While at work, I would work up until the very end of the day. When I come in the next morning, I'm lounging around for about an hour before I even start working trying to figure out how to plan my day.

When I started the 15 minutes rule, I would take 15 minutes every night to get my clothes ready for tomorrow. I'll tell you that it's worked very well for me on leaving to work on time and getting to work on time. I'm not scrambling to try to get ready in the morning, or find that the shirt I wanted to wear has a stain that didn't come out.

At the end of my work day, I stop 15 minutes before the day is over. In the 15 minutes, I get my coffee cup cleaned, I organize my desk with the work I'm going to do when I come in tomorrow and begin ending my day. The benefits of all this has allowed me to get more work done in the same amount of time, and move from one pile of work to the next pile of work and get them knocked out quickly and in an orderly fashion throughout the day.

If I have to go meet up with friends at a bar at 9:00 and I know it takes 20 minutes to get there, I'll leave 15 minutes earlier. Now, I'm just cruising to the bar instead of rushing over there, find parking, and hopefully don't keep everyone waiting. What's the big deal about it? Well, I've been able to come in relaxed and the extra few minutes allows me to speak individually to some of my friends before the rest of the guys get there. It also gives me time to meet new people and chat it up. If I don't really like them or don't think they are cool, when the rest of the friends show up later, it gives me an excuse to break away. Or if they end up being a really cool person, I'll invite them to hang out with us.

I've used 15 minutes also to clean up and organize around the house. It's easier to spend 15 minutes to clean everyday then it is to spend a whole day once a month to take on a big organization task. If I can't clean and organize the books in 15 minutes, then I stop. I'm not tired and I can go do something else, like go hang out with the boys. Tomorrow, I'll come back and spend another 15 minutes organizing the books. Eventually I'll finish organizing all the books. The key thing to take away from this was that it's such a small amount of time and energy spent that it never really felt like a chore to do. The end result was there.

Try doing this 15 minutes for some of your daily tasks. You might like it and start applying it to other aspects of your life.

ItsForDad.blogspot.com

How To Make Turkish Coffee

When you get tired of the same old coffee and want to try some coffee at it’s most primal way (aside from just straight up chewing the beans), try some Turkish style coffee.

It’s not that much harder than making a regular pot of coffee. The only thing you’ll have to do is watch the pot as it boils so the coffee doesn’t spill over. That little effort pays off so much in the enjoyment and taste of the coffee.

What you need:

1) Turkish coffee grounds, available in Middle Eastern markets
*(substitution: extremely fine grounded dark roast coffee beans)

2) cezve, which is a small narrow top boiling pot
(substitution: any small pot will work, that what I use)

3) sugar

Fill the pot with as much water as the number of cups you expect to serve. Never go beyond filling half of the pot with water as you need to leave some room when the coffee rises. Bring the water to a boil, when you see bubbles forming add the coffee grounds. It’s important you don’t let the water come to a rolling boil where there’s big bubbles breaking the surface of the water. If you add the coffee grounds to rolling boiled water, you’re going to have a big mess of coffee all over the stove!

After added the coffee grounds to the boiling water, you have to watch the pot. When you notice big bubbles breaking the surface, be ready to turn off the stove (or you can turn it off now). When you begin to see the coffee rising, turn off the stove immediately.

Adding sugar is based on preference. Some like adding it just after adding the coffee grounds. Some like adding it after they turn off the stove. While others like adding the sugar to the cups after the coffee is poured. Personally, I like adding it right after adding the coffee grounds.

It’s best to let the coffee rest a little bit before pouring into the cups. The larger grinds need time to settle to the bottom.

Enjoy!

Is it okay to drink it with all those little grounds? Sure. I think that is one of the big hesitation people have about Turkish coffee.

*For the coffee substitution on making your own. Use any whole bean coffee you buy from the store. Heck, use Starbucks coffee beans if you want. Put them in a mortar and pound/grind away. You want to make them as fine of a powder as you can. Something along the consistency of flour is what you should try for.

Here’s a youtube video if you want to see it in action:

Turkish Coffee.

Inmates Play Their Own World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand

I didn’t realized the jails in Thailand had so many people from other countries. Apparently they go to the Red Light District and cause trouble only to get arrested and thrown in jail. I’m speculating of course, but it does make you wonder why there isn’t more Thai prisoners in that jail.

This is more of a odd sports news that’s related to the World Cup Soccer that I thought you might find amusing.

From CNN International:

Bangkok inmates play in their own ‘World Cup’

Teams made up of international inmates imprisoned at Bangkok’s notorious Klong Prem Central Prison hit the field today for the start of a month-long football tournament

Inmates at Bangkok’s infamous Klong Prem Central Prison kicked off their very own international football tournament today — World Cup 2010 Behind Bars.

Over a dozen teams, each featuring seven inmates of various nationalities imprisoned in Klong Prem, including Thais, are competing for the ‘World Cup 2010 Behind Bars’ tournament trophy, which will be awarded on July 10. Check out these images from today’s opening games.

Security guards watch over the players near the trophy during the opening game at the infamous Thai prison. According to a report in today’s Bangkok Post, the event is a collaboration between the Corrections Department, the Football Association of Thailand, the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

A security guard checks up on things outside the main gate at the start of the Klong Prem Central Prison ‘World Cup 2010 Behind Bars’ tournament. The Sports Authority of Thailand has provided coaches to train the inmates, while more than 100 prison guards are tasked with enforcing security.

The players are shown the World Cup 2010 trophy, which will be awarded on July 10. Today’s opening matches saw inmates from South Africa take on Mexico then France vs Uruguay. The next round of games will take place on June 25.

“There are more than 10,000 prisoners of more than 90 different nationalities nationwide,” Corrections Department deputy director-general Thanis Sriyapan was quoted by the Bangkok Post. “We think of sports as a way to rehabilitate and reform prisoners before they reintegrate into society.

Continue to the full story at CNN International

Growing Buddha Pears

I just happen to find this odd picture of a Buddha. I just thought it was some plastic tree ornament, but I was drawn back into the picture. It's actually a real fruit, a pear to be exact. I know many people celebrate Chinese New Years and I would think this would be an awesome gift to give during that time. Now, I'm not sure how I would feel about biting into a fruit that is the image of someone's religious belief. It's like eating a chocolate candy bar the shaped of Jesus on Easter! So maybe as a gift like a centerpiece of a fruit bowl or something. Oh just imagine the look on the devout Buddhist followers as someone takes a knife to cut the pear!

The story is actually about a year old and was from dailymail.co.uk. Here's the story:

Enlightened Chinese farmer branches out by growing pears shaped like baby Buddha

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:18 PM on 4th September 2009

For Britain's struggling fruit farmers, things could be about to go even more pear-shaped...

A Chinese farmer has invented baby-shaped pears - and he is planning to export his novel idea over here.

Plucky farmer Gao Xianzhang has created 10,000 of the mini marvels this season and he plans to take the fruits of his labour to the UK and Europe.

Britain could soon see the arrival of the pears, which are shaped like mini buddhas.

If the idea catches on, sales of the mini pears could hit the profits of British farmers who are already struggling to fend off sales of cheaper foreign produce in recession-hit Britain.

Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby-shaped pears, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual mould.

Despite their hefty cost of £5 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, have reportedly been snapping them up.

'People seem to think they are cute or lucky and will buy them as soon as they're off the tree,' Gao explained.

Luckily for Gao, he should have few problems getting his quirky shaped fruits past EU officials.

In July, wonky shaped fruit and vegetables such as curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots returned to supermarket shelves after EU rules restricting the size and shape of 36 types of fruit and vegetables

For the last 20 years, EU-wide marketing standards have encouraged the sale of finest-looking produce for sale in shops.

dailymail.co.uk

Giant Vuvuzela Sound Test For The World Cup Soccer Match

Here’s the video and sound test for this giant vuvuzela. Aural irritation in 3…2…1….

Giant Vuvuzela Horn From Hyundai For The World Cup

image from cars.com

Yes, that’s a real, giant vuvuzela horn from Hyundai Cars in Cape Town, South Africa. At the beginning of every World Cup match, the horn blows. It’s about 114 ft long. For an estimate of real actual scale, the road underneath the horn is a two car lane. So my best guestimate is the horn is about 6 mid-size sedan cars long.

Is that a hotel or apartment right behind in the background? How much does it suck to be near that thing and hear it everyday for weeks!

Why Haven't You Smoked A Cigar Yet?

Last night I poured myself a nice amount of Scotch Whisky. A pretty little dram of Scotch I must say waiting for me. I sat there, stared at it, swirled the glass, sipped, swirled, sipped again and relaxed. That sounds so good huh? As I'm looking at my glass, I'm thinking of some of my friends, mostly middle aged guys now with a few younger guys thrown in the mix, on a boys night at one of my friend's house many many years back.

A few of the older guys sitting there laughing, telling big stories, taking swipes of their favorite hard liquor drinks, and holding a cigar on their lips while talking. The younger guys of course just gulping down their drinks, and lighting up their cigarettes. Cigarettes, not cigars, so is this just a generational gap I'm noticing?

I'm not a smoker, and it seems like I'm in the minority of friends who don't smoke. I couldn't ever pick up the habit even if I tried to for the sake of being cool. Took one of my Dad's Marlboro during a BBQ and lit it in the BBQ grill. Oh it's just one, Dad won't notice if one is missing, I'm super slick after all. Like all Dad's, they know when you take their shit! Didn't enjoy it that first smoke, and I smoked pretty good for an elementary kid smoking for the first time. Didn't cough once. Tried smoking in high school, could only get a few puffs before I just felt stupid trying to look cool. So I just never felt the need to smoke.

As I was talking with two of my younger friends that are cigarette smokers, I asked how come they aren't smoking a cigar? Jeff was offering from his cigar box earlier in the night. They said, they didn't like the taste and didn't like the harshness and burn in their lungs. Fair enough, I'm not going to force them to smoke someone else's cigar stash.

Later on, the subject of George Burns came up and how he smoked cigars and that was one of his trademarks. For as old as he was, in his 90s I believe, he still smoked right to the end. One of the other guys, Steve, said he would rather smoke a cigar because you don't inhale the smoke, thus he didn't have to be too concerned about lung cancer, and that's why George Burns probably lived as long as he did.

What? You don't inhale?

No. You just draw in the smoke he said, let the smoke roll around the palate of your tongue, basically taste the smoke and then blow it out. You never inhale. It's generally horrible tasting and feeling when you do. Because you are rolling the smoke around your tongue, strong drinks are an excellent compliment to the flavor. Here, take a small puff from my cigar.

I felt like a kid again, taking some rite of passage to join the boys club. Took that draw of smoke, held it, letting the smoke come out from my lips and looking at my friends through squinty eyes behind the smoke. A smirk, then a grin, then a laugh and then everyone was laughing like they've just tempted me with a sinful pleasure.

Took a sip from my drink and it tasted a little different. Enjoyable. Excellent. More robust and smooth at the same time.

Hey Jeff, is there anymore cigars left?

ItsForDad.blogspot.com

Free Burger at Fuddruckers

Get a free burger on your birthday and something special on your Fudds Club anniversary. It's free to join and you'll get announcements, events and discounts at your local Fuddruckers.

Buffalo Burger? Sure...

Join the Fudd Club here

iPhone 4 Video, Frustrations on Release Day

macworld’s youtube video

During lunchtime today, I walked by the local Apple Store. Ridiculous! I remember some people that camped out the day before just to be the first to grab the new iPhone 4. Yeah, I know some campers do it to make money and flip it on eBay or sell their spot in line. It’s probably not that bad when some rich guy comes up to them and offers $500 right before the store opens for their place in line. Not bad really. That’s about $50 per hour to sit there all night if you start at about 9 or 10 pm. It’s not bad until someone comes up to you and robs you in the middle of the night.

I should’ve taken a video of the people that were in line today and post it. It wasn’t a bad sight really, as it was a nice mild summer day and some of the ladies were in their summer outfits. My friend of course couldn’t resist mocking them and held up his Blackberry and yelled “Hey!!!! Look, I have the new Blackberry and it does what the iPhone can’t!!!!” He was greeted with middle finger salutes and boos. Some of them pulled out their iPhones to take pictures of him and all I can do is walk away from my friend like I didn’t know him. LOL. Some of the folks in line with a sense of humor just chuckled of course.

Being that I was too embarrassed to hang around much longer to record the lines of people waiting for the iPhone 4 release, check out the Youtube video above from Macworld.

Verizon's New Droid X

I'm pretty dependent on my smartphone, which I guess I'm so dependent, it makes me a dumb person? Stop and think about it for a second.....I don't have to memorize anything, numbers, spending, important dates...etc. Well, maybe not a dumb person, but a person that relies on devices to make their lives easier. Yeah, my ego feels a little better now.

When the original Droid from Verizon came out, the commercials was targeted to males. We got the futuristic Terminator looking scenery and metal clanking that would appeal to any gearhead. Notice the cable network, Speed Channel has similar black, red and silver metallic color schemes? That got me pretty excited of the new (original) Droid.

Now we have the Droid X. Motorola and Verizon's new Droid phone that will be available July 15.

Here's Motorola press release:

July 2010: DROID X By Motorola Lands On The Nation's Largest & Most Reliable 3G Network

DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3” Widescreen

June 23, 2010

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID X by Motorola. DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe^® Flash^® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.

“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”

Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, “Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”

DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand^® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows. The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer. With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.

“It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google. “There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications. Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software. For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance. For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality.”

“We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. “Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe’s most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices.”

Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™. Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.

continue to Motorola.com Droid X

True Total Cost of iPhone 4 Versus Other Top Android Phones

Today being the day of the official Apple iPhone 4 release I thought it would be a pretty good idea to actually see what the true cost of having a new iPhone 4 would be versus having the top Android phones and their respective carriers. I checked out BillShrink and lucky me, they happen to have a comparison cost chart.

Surprisingly T-Mobile's offering is actually the cheapest with their Google phone, the Nexus One. I played around with my friend's Nexus One and it's a beautiful phone and the responsiveness is pretty quick. I'm one of those people that will click around quickly, or maybe a better label is those people that are considered powerusers and know what to do and why they are doing it. Nothing kills powerusers more than having to click something, wait for a fraction of a second longer than they have to because it breaks the flow of whatever they need to do.

I'm also one of the people that enjoy taking pictures and taking lots of pictures of the moment. Trying to take pics of the moment can be priceless. A split second delay can cause you to miss that moment. Of course it's no big deal if the subject is stationary and posing. I personally hate posed pictures. The whole point of me pointing this out is the quickness the Nexus One takes pictures and the LED flash doesn't wash out the colors of the subject. So playing around, and going crazy, snapping pics of everything and everyone during a happy hour at a sports bar, I was very impressed with my friend's Nexus One.

The reason I'm not mentioning much of the iPhone 4 is because I'm not going to camp out, and stand in line for an hour or more to get the new phone. Plus being on AT&T's new 2 gb data cap is ridiculous! I'm not sure how many people actually know they will be capped when they get the new phone and plan. It's going to suck for them! Surprise!!!!!

From BillShrink.com

The iPhone 4, EVO 4G, Droid Incredible, and Google Nexus One; when it comes to choosing a smartphone, there are several worthy competitors on the market to consider. It is important to compare the key features that each phone and its carrier offer before making a decision. By looking at the chart below, you can compare pricing, plans and smartphone features and decide which phone will best suit your individual needs.

Editor’s note: Though the category is listed as “unlimited plan,” you should note that due to AT&T’s recent data service pricing change, they’re no longer offering unlimited data plan for new subscribers. Instead, new users will have the option to a 2 GB plan for $25 or a 200 MB plan for $15. This is rather unfortunate as other carriers may soon adopt AT&T’s tiered rate for data service, and the current a la carte pricing may not really reflect what the average user needs (it’s either too much data given, or not enough).

This cost comparison is also specifically tailored for a balance mix of users. Obviously, if you’re a gadget geek, you know each phone’s specifications and dimensions by heart, but if you’re just average Joe, you may not care if the phone is powered by a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon or its competitor sports the similar ARM-based Cortex-A8 CPU packaged with a PowerVR SGX graphics chip.

Click to Enlarge



Continue to BillShrink.com for the rest of the story

Megan Fox or Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for Transformers

source: models.com/models/Rosie-Huntington-Whiteley

With the new Transformers 3 movie coming up, one of the big news was Megan Fox, the sexy star of the two previous Transformers movie from Michael Bay, has been replaced by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Yes, that's Rosie above.

I've always thought Megan Fox was a pretty hot and sultry model with poor acting skills. Who needs skills when you've got hot looks? When I first saw Megan Fox in the first Transformers movie, I was mesmerized. *wipes drool* But as the movie went on, and seeing her act, I thought she was a snotty bad actor. *wipes drool again* But eventually, I got disenchanted by her at the end of the movie. It's like marrying the hottest girl you've come across, only to not be able to put up with her after a year (or months, or weeks, or days...hours?). Why, because you live with her personality and not her looks, unless you just stare at her all day and not interact.

Off screen, from what I've seen, in her everyday mode, she actually seems like a cool, down to earth person that would be fun to hang out with. You know, the girl that you can go bar hopping with, and she's got a matching fun loving personality. I'm not sure if that's how she really is to a regular person like me, but I can imagine or fantasize if you prefer.

During a lunch, my friends and I were discussing how hot she was. I, of course, said she wasn't that attractive to me, and they all looked at me funny. Remember, I was disenchanted by her snotty on-screen bad acting. One of my friends mentioned she has funny looking thumbs. They are called "club thumbs"actually and it's hereditary. They look like my big toe cut off and put on her hands as thumbs!

So who's this new TF girl, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley? She's been an underwear model for many years. Most notably for Victoria's Secret.

Oh, so that's why she's in underwear at the top picture?

Yes.

source: models.com/people/megan-fox

I did an image search for Rosie and apparently, she has no problem doing naked model shots. A nipple here, a nipple there, oh look, a nipple popping out of the shirt. After looking away from the nipple, I notice her face. Not that pretty if you ask me.

From what I've read in some tabloid excerpts, Michael Bay's audition consisted of her showing up in lingerie and doing a few lines. That's all it took, she got the part. That pervert Michael Bay; cagey guy isn't he?

For Transformers 3, between Rosie and Megan, I would've picked Megan. As much as I'm turned off by her attitude and on-screen personality, I would still pick her. I am watching a Summer action movie, and it's all visual presentation, so I can let her acting slide for now.

How about you?

Xbox Gold Membership For The Family

Now Mom and Dad can play with the kids on their Xbox 360. Part of Microsoft's push with their new motion controller Kinect is to get the family playing. Seeing how successful the Nintendo Wii was in getting groups of people and family together to play, Microsoft is now offering a 4 person Xbox Live Gold subscription for $99. There isn't any word on when exactly this is being offered, but I would believe it's very soon, if not by the Fall when they release the Kinect device.

Microsoft is pretty cagey when it comes to emulating their competitors. Sony released the PS3 as an entertainment device that can play music, movies (namely the wonderful Blu-Ray movies), videos and of course videogames.

In the past year or two, Microsoft has really pushed their online services such as Netflix, Facebook integration and other entertainment offerings, and hoping to re-image the Xbox 360 as an entertainment device. For the most part it's working and have taken away some of the Playstation 3's luster as an all-in-one entertainment device.

Now, they have their sights set on getting Grandpa and Grandma to join little Johnny and jumpy Jane in the living room. If the Wii can do that, and have it put in retirement homes to get the elderly moving, Microsoft sure believes it can do the same with the Kinect motion controller.

Now, the downside in my opinion is having to pay for this Gold membership just so I can play with others online. I'm sure many parents and grandparents are going to be upset when they get home and wonder why they can't connect with their kids that live somewhere else.

The $99 for 4 accounts isn't that bad, as it breaks down to about $25 a year per account. It's just you have to buy it again next year.

Xbox - Gold Family Pack

ESPN3 Sports Streamed on Your Xbox 360

If you remember my post from yesterday, I couldn't connect to ESPN3 because my ISP isn't one of the participating providers to join. I can see how this would affect them if they didn't also have a stake in cable and satellite content. People would quit their cable and satellite subscription and just get their sports programming online, while their internet infrastructure experiences a higher load due to all the bandwidth used.

I was told that the Xbox Live service will soon be able to provide ESPN3 streamed directly on my Xbox 360. Great!

From the Xbox.com site:

With thousands of sporting events and the interactive social network of Xbox LIVE, ESPN on Xbox 360 brings the excitement of a stadium experience into your living room. Access over 3500 live global events from ESPN3.com, including out-of-market programming plus fresh video clips from ESPN.com . Enjoy features like HD programming and on-demand viewing, participate in polls, predictions and trivia. See what the Xbox LIVE community is watching and declare what team you’re rooting for. With Kinect™ control the action right from your couch with just your voice or the wave of your hand. ESPN is the best way to watch and follow the sports you love while connecting with friends, fans and rivals on Xbox LIVE.

BUT HOLD ON! What the marketing folks at Microsoft / Xbox doesn't state is that I'm still limited to the participating ISP! Dammit! And don't forget you need to have the paid Xbox Gold subscription in order to access it. The Xbox Silver (free) level subscription won't allow you to connect.

So really, it's not that big of a loss for me because if I'm home where my Xbox is, I might as well watch ESPN on my TV.

Xbox.com

Landon Donovan's Goal Against Algeria - 2010 World Cup

Landon Donovan's goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup. June 23, 2010.

Moustache Handlebars - USA World Cup Soccer Colors

U.S. national soccer fan Tim Edwards of Manhattan Beach, Ca. sports a red, white and blue mustache at a fan rally held at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa Wednesday, June 23, 2010 prior to the U.S. World Cup Group C match against Algeria. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Do You Know About ESPN 3?

When I heard about ESPN3, I was pretty excited that I can catch some of my sports programming streamed to where ever I have an internet connection. Just bring my laptop or watch from my phone and connect. Sure I can always TiVo it and watch it later, but there's some weird satisfaction of watching it live. Worse, would be to think I can catch a close and exciting football game from the recorded programming and then drive home and hear the results from the radio sports news. So much for the excitement that could have been generated.

I tried to connect from home, but unfortunately, ESPN has a deal in place with certain internet carriers to be able to stream these programs. So I'm blocked from viewing. I did notice, and I thought this was a great way to reward these two groups of viewers, is if you are connecting from a college campus network or from a military base, you can see the programming.

I'm sure there's got to be a way to go around the filters, maybe I can use a proxy server to connect and watch? I'll have to check it out later and provide an update if I'm successful. I'm not sure if I'm abusing the system or not, but if I'm questioning it, then it probably is and maybe not legal. If you guys want to try it, please comment and let us know.

Here's some info from ESPN3's FAQ:

What is ESPN3?

ESPN3 is a broadband network for live sports programming. ESPN3 harnesses the quality ESPN has built through its TV networks and delivers online sports programming to fans through a rich, interactive, and easy-to-use experience.

ESPN3 broadcasts thousands of live games and events online each year. A majority of the events are exclusive to ESPN3, while others are broadband-enhanced versions of games from one of ESPN's TV networks.

Check to find a provider that carries ESPN3 in your area.

What kind of programming does ESPN3 offer?

Each year ESPN3 delivers thousands of live games and events like College Football and Basketball, NBA, MLB, UEFA Champions League Soccer, The Masters and US Open Golf, all 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and more. Plus you get a fully interactive experience with real time in-game stats and scoreboards and live chat.

How long are games archived?

Games and events are available in ESPN3's archives varying from 24 hours to more than a week, depending on the sport.

How do I get access to ESPN3?

ESPN3 is available nationwide, but you must subscribe to a participating high speed internet service provider.

Check for a list of participating providers.

Check to find out more on how you can request access to ESPN3 or switch your service to a participating high speed internet service provider.

ESPN3

Let's Take Apart The New iPhone 4

The new iPhone 4. People have been camping out for pre-orders, camping out to be the first to get the new iPhone 4 so they can be the first to show off and make their peers envious. The good folks at iFixit tears down the new Apple iPhone 4 much to the horrors/delight of MacHeads/geeks everywhere.

Let's face it. Some of us have been taking apart things for most of our lives simply curiosity or boredom. I know during some boring summer days where we had nothing to do, I would go to our garage and look for something. Oh, look, there's an old radio Dad is keeping, but it no longer works. His screwdriver set is right there along the walls. Hmmm....I wonder what's inside and I'll just put it back together when I'm done before Dad comes home. Yeah, those were fun times.

I'm sure the guys at iFixit.com is just full of curiosity on what makes things tick. Follow them as they take apart the new iPhone 4 to it's bare shell. Being naked can be sexy!

iFixit - Apple iPhone 4 teardown

Damn It's Hot Outside !!!

Summer is here and it's HOT! But it's Summer and you should be outside enjoying the weather, not sitting in the house. But it's HOT! Don't let that stop you from enjoying your porch or patio. Cool the surrounding air with some water through a misting system. In fact, take it anywhere with you that has a water hose you can attach it to. In other words, it's portable.

I saw this at my local Costco and I'm sure you can find these at most hardware stores like Home Depot or Lowes. If you watch any outdoor summer sporting event, I'm sure you've seen the misting systems they have in place to cool the players off. One sport comes to mind, and it's MLB baseball. The players sitting there in the dugout with the mist spraying and the fan blowing it around. Looks like they are going to get wet with the amount of mist that seems to be flowing around. Actually, it quickly evaporates and with the quick evaporation cools the ambient air around them. The players stay dry and cooler. Of course sticking your face right there at the mist hole will get you damp, actually it might feel good if you are in an area where it reaches 100+ degrees!

Product description from Costco

The totally portable Keepin’ Cool 6 outdoor mist system provides a cool environment from the heat wherever you need it.

The pre-assembled Keepin’ Cool 6 system attaches securely to your patio fascia and provides 10 feet of mist to cool the ambient temperature by up to 30°F.

Perfect for umbrellas, fences, patios, garages, pet kennels or pet areas and chairs.

This system cannot be used in conjunction with a Booster Pump. It is designed to be used with Standard Household water pressure (60-80psi) ONLY!

Includes:

• Made with an 1/8" Polyethylene hose, making the system lightweight and portable
• 10 feet of Mist Line
• 10 feet of Supply Line
• 6 MicroMist Technology Nozzles
• 6 Plastic Nozzle Fittings (preassembled to the mist line with 2' spacing)
• 7 Clips for Mounting the system

It's perfect for Dad to lounge outside, enjoying his hard ice-tea and watch the day drift by. It's just $19.99. Pretty good deal to stay cool.

Costco.com outdoor misting system

Fake iPad - Because Apple Made Being A Poseur Cool

Yeah, because you want to look cool and act like money isn't a problem to your hipster friends. Sure, put some cold drinks on that fake iPad and walk around like you don't care. Oh the shock of the MacHeads as they cringe in horror!

Really, I don't know why you would want one. Even the makers don't know why you would want one either. But, like anything popular, someone out there wants a fake one just to have.

Here's a perfect scenario to frame someone into buying you a new one. Walk around with it, and then let someone you know try to play with it. As they grab it, make them drop it and then blame them for breaking it. In their guilt, they'll buy you a new one. Just don't let them touch it afterwards. If you stoop that low, then yes, you deserve a dummy iPad. It's just $49 and includes shipping.

Here's a little info from their FAQ:

Do you sell working iPads?
For people browsing around this site with the idea they can get an iPad for $49, here the definition of ‘dummy’: ‘a model or replica of a human being’. And that’s exactly what we sell. We sell non-working – without electronica – ‘iPad-looking’ replica’s of iPads, not real iPads. The dummies, however, have real weight, and look really close to a real iPad, but the parts of the dummy model cannot be used to replace original iPad parts. We don’t sell any working and/or original Apple stuff, please remember this. We sell not-working, non-original dummies aka display models.

Can the screen be used to replace a real iPad screen?
No, the screen of the dummy is made of plastic. It is not not realistic to use it as a replacement for your real iPad.

Do the buttons respond like normal buttons?
No! They won’t respond when you press them.

Is the back made of aluminum?
No! It’s all plastic.

iPadDummy.net

Anti-Rape Condom

So all the attention is towards South Africa because of the World Cup Soccer. One of the problems in the region is rape. I'm a fan of watching National Geographic / Discovery Channel programming and when they cover some African countries, I remember they always mention the women getting raped. Sometimes in broad daylight and no one does a thing! Many years back, I had a friend that came from South Africa. He left because of the violence. He would tell me horrible stories of what happened over there. One of the things he mentioned were the women getting raped. So yes, it's true and continues to happen very often, even now.

It may not appear to affect us much here the States, but rape does occur and often times is not reported. The victim is too ashamed to come forward. We've all see and heard that line many times in the news and in the tv shows we watch. What if there is a possibility that if you do try to rape a woman, she might be wearing one of these? The anti-rape condom, the Rape-aXe.

I know it's kind of an unusual news for this blog, especially when it's geared for ideas and gifts for Dad. I found it really interesting, and it might be some interesting reading for you.

Info from Rape-aXe:

The Rape-aXe anti rape condom was developed by a South African woman ,Sonnet Ehlers, after witnessing first hand the horrific aftermath of an sexual assault. She felt that something had to be done to stop this growing thread against woman. and start to work on the anti rape condom the Rape-aXe. The first prototype was launched on 31 August 2005, at Kleinmond, Cape Province, South Africa.

What is it?
Rape-aXe is a revolutionary new product that aids in the prevention rapes. This device can later be used to identify the attacker and aid in the apprehension of the perpetrator.

How does it work ?
The Rape-aXe system consists of a latex sheath, which contains razor-sharp barbs. The device is worn in her vagina like a tampon. When the attacker attempts vaginal penetration the barbs attach themselves to the penis, causing great discomfort. The device must be surgically removed, which will result in the positive identification of the attacker and subsequent arrest

Anything Else ?
One of the major benefits of the Rape-aXe system is the fact that it helps in the prevention of the rape victim contracting an STD like HIV. An additional benefit of the anti rape condom is the fact that it helps in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies resulting from rape.

Rape-aXe.com

Free Orange Chicken From Panda Express

Free orange chicken entree when with any purchase after 9 PM. Click the picture above and print the coupon. Good until July 11, 2010.

Panda Express - Gourmet Chinese Food. Hmmm.... let me think about that. I'm not sure and I'm not going to call it gourmet Chinese food, more like consistent Chinese fast food made for the American palate. It's excellent when you need the carbs to knock you out and sleep with chowmein noodles stuck to your cheek.

Aside from virtually available at most shopping malls, I feel pretty good about eating the food here and don't have to worry too much about what goes on in Chinese fast food take out places, or Chinese restaurants for that matter. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. Some of the best places I've had Chinese food is run down, hole in the wall, looking places. The generic Mr. Wong's Chinese Food To Go. Yummm!

I've been to upper end Chinese restaurants, we're talking about $10-$15 average per plate places, and when strolling to the restroom, you walk by the kitchen. I have a habit of looking into the kitchen of course, and I've seen some filth and questionable food prep. "Hey honey, I'm not that hungry anymore, let's go"

So when you need a quick meal, and $1-$2 per item combos, hey, you can't really go wrong with Panda Express. I just wouldn't go so far as to call it Chinese gourmet.

Panda Express - Orange Chicken Coupon

Where Can I Buy A Vuvuzela?

All this talk about vuvuzela this, vuvuzela that. I hate/love vuvuzela. I love soccer. I love the World Cup. Nobody watches soccer in America. It's just advertising for Adidas, might as well call it the Adidas Cup! I want to be like the fans in the stadium! I'm ready to break my TV because I can't stand the noise. I love the noise, where can I buy one?

Huh?

Where can I buy one of these?

Get it from Amazon of course!

Fun Fact: Vuvuzelas are blown in South Africa but made in China

Linked from LATimes.com

The blast that has annoyed millions can be traced to Chinese factories. Soccer fans in China said if they can't see their team play in the World Cup, at least they can hear the blare of Chinese-manufactured horns.

If you need another reminder of China's manufacturing omnipresence, just turn on your TV for any World Cup match.

That incessant drone that sounds like a swarm of bees crossed with elephants? Made in China.
South Africans may have inspired the vuvuzela — the horn that, when sounded by hundreds of thousands of soccer fans, has irritated people the world over — but it's the Chinese who can make millions of them for about 30 cents apiece and have them shipped to your shores in weeks.

Industry officials said about 90% of the world's vuvuzelas are produced in two coastal provinces: Guangdong and Zhejiang.

Most manufacturers called them "fan horns" until Chinese state TV recently christened the horns with a name Chinese speakers could get their tongues around, wuwuzula.

Although Chinese factories have been molding the horns in small numbers for years, everything changed last fall when massive orders started streaming in from South Africa.

"We sold about 150,000 of them every month from November to January," said Lin Xiaosheng, owner of Guang Da Toys in Yiwu. "I couldn't imagine it would become so popular."

The cylindrical instruments emblazoned with different nations' flags have been controversial since last summer's Confederations Cup, also in South Africa, when teams complained they couldn't communicate over the noise.

Vuvuzelas are said to be modeled after the traditional African kudu horn, named for the animal they come from and used to alert neighboring villagers.

Despite pleas from disgruntled soccer players, FIFA has rejected a ban on the horns, which are also raising the ire of television viewers, according to several broadcasters, including ESPN.

The view in China is decidedly different. The soccer-crazed nation has to endure another tournament without their national team.

China has qualified for the World Cup only once, in 2002, and flamed out quickly. If it's a plastic horn that looks like a pub's yard glass that makes it to the competition on China's behalf instead, well, so be it.

"We can say we qualified for the World Cup," said Wu Yijun, whose 90 factory workers have churned out 1 million vuvuzelas since January. "It makes me feel very proud to hear the horns on TV."

continue to LATimes.com for the rest of the story

Silence Those Annoying Vuvuzela Horns From Your TV

So you’ve had enough of the World Cup vuvuzela horns buzzing from your TV. It’s almost so annoying that you a soccer fanatic is so tempted to turn off the TV. You’ve heard about devices that can cancel out the drone, but can’t spare a dime. There’s software you can run on your computer, have the TV sound output plugged into your soundcard, then through the vuvuzela noise cancel software, then back to your sound output, but it’s too much work or complicated because your teenage kids aren’t back from school yet.

That’s fine, just go to your home theater component graphic equalizer and adjusted your bandpass filters for the following frequencies: 233, 433, 932, 1864.

Some higher end TVs have the range capabilities on the TV’s EQ to adjust it onscreen.

There, that should cancel out most of the buzzing and droning. Now go back to being a blissful fan and enjoy the World Cup games.

World Cup Vuvuzela Horns for Your iPhone or Android

World Cup Soccer / Football Madness! Everyone is cheering, celebrating, crying and blowing into their vuvuzela horns. Seems like everyone has one. Everyone except you sitting at home watching the game. Forget that, head on over to your local pub with the rest of the armchair soccer hooligans and blow your virtual World Cup Soccer vuvuzela horn!

If you didn't know by now, you can download apps for your Android and iPhone and celebrate the World Cup with your very own vuvuzela horn. Annoy your friends, family and neighbors. Everyone hates it except you because you're the one creating the noise!

I've personally tried the Android app from Brandon Broschinsky. His app is free to download and the fun part of it is you can blow into your phone's speaker or mic and the drone of the horn will sound. It's just like blowing into a real horn. You can look like a dork and start swinging your phone, all the while blowing into it, and the drone will have a nice wavering effect. There is a slight second delay when you initially stop, so be prepared to have it continue for a second or two.

I gathered a few friends and we all started playing our virtual vuvuzelas on both iPhones and Android phones. For a few minutes, we all annoyed our other friends that couldn't get the app, and then after that we annoyed each other. Then our neighbor yelled (jokingly) to shut up (I think he meant it though).

After everyone left, I blew into my virtual vuvuzela horn, and was then annoyed myself. Haven't bothered with it since.

Congratulations to the 2010 NBA Champions, Lakers Celebration

reblogged from espn.com

LOS ANGELES — Tens of thousands of jubilant Los Angeles Lakers fans lined a two-mile route Monday, many waving purple and gold flags and T-shirts that read “Back 2 Back” as they cheered the NBA champions during a parade to celebrate the team’s second consecutive title.

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest waved to the throngs from a flatbed 18-wheeler as fans yelled and snapped pictures. Many waited hours for a glimpse of their heroes as they rolled past in a convoy that also included double-decker buses and fire engines.

“We saw them for three minutes, but it was worth every minute,” said Trisha Siqueiros, 29, who drove two hours from Indio with her father, Ron Nieto, 51, for the parade. “The only thing is they should have driven a little slower.”

Police reported a largely well-behaved crowd. Seven people were arrested for various minor offenses, police said. Authorities did not provide a crowd estimate.

The hour-long parade capped a season that ended Thursday with an 83-79 Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics and a 16th NBA title for the Lakers.

Team members vowed to play hard for a 17th championship next season.

“When next season starts, we’ll be ready, that’s for sure,” Bryant told reporters. He added that of his five titles, “this is the best one by far because it was the hardest one to get.”

Artest, who donned a top hat with purple and gold feathers and sported an unlit cigar during the ride, also said the team plans to buckle down. “We have to party for another week, then start putting in the work and write history again next year,” he said.

The parade, which took the Lakers from Staples Center downtown to the Galen Center at the University of Southern California, started with the purple-clad Laker Girls, who received choruses of wolf-whistles.

The tribute also included past Lakers greats Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The crowd screamed “Ma-gic! Ma-gic!” when they spotted the player-turned businessman.

Continue to the rest of the story at espn.com

How the World Cup Jabulani Adidas Ball is Made

Ever wondered how soccer balls are made? Better yet, how about the official World Cup Jabulani Adidas ball?

Pretty interesting. Check it out.

Got a Nook? Nookie Nookie...

Barnes and Noble just dropped the price of their eBook reader. The standard Wi-Fi model is just $149, while the Wi-Fi + 3G model is just $199. It’s a drop of $60 from their previous price.

To also compliment this drop in price, B&N just released the next firmware update, version 1.4. You get extended AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspot, extra large fonts, and a go-to page feature. (seriously though, why wasn’t the go-to feature there to begin with?)

You get also have access to over a trillion titles. That’s right, over a trillion titles to choose from!

You also get thousands of free eBooks to download and read. Want to lend an eBook to a friend? You can do that too!

So how easy is it to read from the device?
According to B&N:
Choose an eBook using the beautiful color touch screen, then watch it appear instantly on the E Ink® display, where text appears as crisp as a printed page. The 16-level gray scale display offers great contrast with no glare or backlight. Choose from six font sizes so you can read with ease.

How much can it hold?
Store as many as 1,500 eBooks, eNewspapers, and eMagazines on your NOOK’s 2 GB of internal storage, so you’ll never be without your favorites. Need more space? Just add a Micro SD card. With Barnes & Noble’s Lifetime Library™, your eBook library goes wherever you go and can be enjoyed on your NOOK plus the widest variety of mobile devices, including iPhone® and BlackBerry®.
Seems like an excellent device to move into the digital format to read books if you ask me. It’s much more stylish and feature packed than other eBook readers I’ve seen. Plus FREE shipping.

Barnes and Noble – Nook eBook Reader

Retro Style Golfing Clothes

So I said I’m in for wearing the retro golf clothes. As silly as it may look, it’s when you are just taking a non-serious round of golf with the fellas. Say what you may, but I’m still not going to wear the golf flip-flops!

The particular set you see above is described from GolfKnickers.com:

Enjoy the Comfort of our Par 4 Maroon Golf Knicker matched with our 100% Cotton Navy Golf Shirt, along with Natural/Navy/Maroon argyle socks and a Matching Cap. Finished off with a Natural/Navy/Maroon Argyle Sweater Vest.

Sounds pretty comfortable to me. They have a few sets already matched up on their site, as well as individual shirts, pants and accessories.

Oh yeah. I think I found the pants I want. I’m totally down to rock these retro knickers on the greens. Brush up on my Scottish accent and away I go!

GolfKnickers.com retro styled golf apparel

Fun Fact: Big Bertha Driver From Callaway Golf

One of the names I remember when I was a kid growing up with zero interest in golf was the name Big Bertha. I just knew it was a big club, but didn’t care about the significance of it. Until I grew up, started playing golf and had to drive that ball down the fairway. Yeah, I started to know Big Bertha pretty well. *ting*

You can find the Big Bertha clubs and all her variances in the used clubs market. I think Callaway Golfs dropped the name recently for political correctness. Bah, I say, the name fits and should’ve stayed.

So here’s the fun fact you probably didn’t know about. The name Big Bertha comes from the big German super heavy class of howitzers. These were mostly used in World War 1. Check her out in the picture below. Those are some big guns baby and I’m sure it doesn’t make a *ting* sound!

Golf Club Drink Dispenser

Ok, now, this is a gift I can see myself using. I’m sorry, it’s actually to make up for the Golf Gator Flip Flops I posted earlier. Now this is cool gift to have. Just imagine the chuckles and rosey cheeked smiles when you’re pouring out drinks to your buddies. Beautiful Sunday, out on the greens, hanging with your buddies, sipping your favorite drinks, oh…and playing a round of golf. Yes, life is good.

According to the discription:

With a real head and shaft, you’ll be the only one to know that your favorite ‘club’ is really an automatic drink dispenser, holding a thirst-quenching 54 fluid ounces (1.6L) of your hot or cold beverage of choice. An insulated container made of durable, high density plastic holds your drink, and then tucks into your golf bag. A battery-operated pump serves your beverage at the touch of a button. Quick-disconnect feature allows for fast and easy removal for refills and cleaning, and one set of batteries (4AA) will last most golf seasons. With the Golf Club Drink Dispenser, get the perfect drinks from the ‘club’ every time you hit the links.

The Sharper Image – Golf Club Drink Dispenser