I'm not blogging for at least another week. This week, I'm in the middle of what I like to call Death Week. Two papers, countless homework assignments, a provost committee search meeting, a student activities proposal night, and working on my cover letter for Jellyvision- no small feat, to say the least. Right now, I'm completing one of the two papers, and it's not fun. Tomorrow I'm writing my part for yet another paper, and I still have to find time to call people to get these proposals together.
To make matters worse, I feel sick.
Let me just make it publicly known that I've probably bitten off more than I can chew this time. Pray for me.
Death Week
Monday, November 14, 2011
I LOVE macaroni and cheese. Let me say that again- I LOVE macaroni and cheese. It is probably my favorite dish of all time- it's easy to make, it's universally liked, and who complains about mounds of cheddar cheese? Certainly not this guy.
My recipe switches every now and then- truffle oil comes and goes, I'll try different cheeses, and whatever else I can alter. It's like soup in that there are so many different ways to make it taste really good that sticking to the same recipe really isn't my thing. My macaroni recipe has never actually used macaroni- I've always used other noodles.
Macaroni and cheese is such an easy dish to make that if you want to make dinner with or for your significant other and you aren't all that great at cooking, this is an ideal dish to make. As always, I've approximated some of the measurements in the recipe below, but you can alter them to your liking.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil the penne until the noodles are soft. Drain noodles, but do not rinse.
3. Cut the stick of butter into thin pats; it will be mixed in to the boiled noodles.
4. Mix all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the sharp cheddar cheese together in a large bowl or pot.
5. Empty the mixture in a large pan and lay evenly.
6. Cover the top of the dish with the sharp cheddar cheese. Depending on how large the pan's surface area is, you may need to use the whole bag of cheese.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top cheese is brown enough for your liking.
Oranger than a Jersey Shore cast member. Cheesier than your mom's jokes. More customizable than any car at West Coast Customs. THIS is macaroni and cheese. Enjoy making it as much as you'll enjoy eating it- later days!
My recipe switches every now and then- truffle oil comes and goes, I'll try different cheeses, and whatever else I can alter. It's like soup in that there are so many different ways to make it taste really good that sticking to the same recipe really isn't my thing. My macaroni recipe has never actually used macaroni- I've always used other noodles.
Macaroni and cheese is such an easy dish to make that if you want to make dinner with or for your significant other and you aren't all that great at cooking, this is an ideal dish to make. As always, I've approximated some of the measurements in the recipe below, but you can alter them to your liking.
1/2 box of penne
1/3 stick of butter
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 table spoon of garlic salt
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1 8oz bag of mild cheddar cheese
1 8oz bag of colby/jack cheese
1 16oz bag of sharp cheddar cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil the penne until the noodles are soft. Drain noodles, but do not rinse.
3. Cut the stick of butter into thin pats; it will be mixed in to the boiled noodles.
4. Mix all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the sharp cheddar cheese together in a large bowl or pot.
5. Empty the mixture in a large pan and lay evenly.
6. Cover the top of the dish with the sharp cheddar cheese. Depending on how large the pan's surface area is, you may need to use the whole bag of cheese.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top cheese is brown enough for your liking.
Oranger than a Jersey Shore cast member. Cheesier than your mom's jokes. More customizable than any car at West Coast Customs. THIS is macaroni and cheese. Enjoy making it as much as you'll enjoy eating it- later days!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Yesterday, I posted about my experience at the Windows Phone Night Market event. Today, I'm just going to show you how awesome I am by flaunting all of my new stuff. Take a look below!
So above we have a pretty cool t shirt (although I was really liking the red Windows Phone track jackets the employees had), a 3 month Xbox Live Gold card, a cupcake trio from Sweet Ride, my Windows Phone wristband, and of course, the coup de grace, an HTC Radar 4G. I'll have more on the phone in a future post, but this is just to show how much stuff Microsoft was giving away- they really appreciate their fan base! This is something you have never seen Apple do with the iPhone. Android events have happened over the past 4 years, but sporadically. This is the first time I know of that the company actually goes on tour to get the device in more people's hands.
Of course, I got lucky with the QR code contest, and the Twitter contest took a little skill, but I appreciate Microsoft going on this national tour to really get the word out about these phones. The operating system is top notch, and as Windows Phones quickly close the specs gap, I'm really confident that they'll get the exposure that they truly deserve. Two words: LIVE TILES.
By the way, the Sweet Ride cupcakes were amazing- it was a mini cupcake sampler, and was definitely worth the $5 price tag. Trust me on this- I'm a cupcake connoisseur. Check out Sweet Ride at their official website, or find the cupcake van via Twitter!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Yesterday I took a three hour drive to Chicago to check out a party thrown by the good people at Microsoft. The Night Market Event, as it was known, is just one in a series of cross country parties to help promote the second cycle of Windows Phones. Microsoft promised us food, drinks, a whole lot of swag, and a really good time. I'll just be frank here- they did not lie. The party was amazing.
The picture above was the scene as we entered the MCA Warehouse- it emanated classy and cool; swanky is the word I believe I'm looking for. Microsoft had the whole upper level decked out with bars, Windows Phone booths, interactive demos, and more. It was a little dark for pictures, but my Samsung Focus held its own considering it's all I brought with me. People took pictures with Angry Birds masks, played Fruit Ninja while being hounded by real ninjas, and watched as some of the amazing Microsoft staff went through all of the ins and outs of Windows Phone 7.5. Four devices (Samsung Focus S, Samsung Focus Flash, HTC Titan, HTC Radar) were on display for demos; the two Nokia devices were nowhere to be seen.
Past the chance to eat, drink, and be merry, Microsoft provided plenty of chances for people to win stuff. QR codes, scannable wristbands, and Twitter competitions were just a few of the ways that any of the attendees could win. They were giving away t-shirts, Zune passes, Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, and yes, even Windows Phones. I actually got a Windows Phone in a "quick tweet" competition at the top of the night. (Just a word of advice to those who are attending these events: it would help to know the @windowsphone tweet tag by heart before you tweet. When I finished my tweet, many others were just starting to type, as their Twitter app hadn't loaded yet.)
Anyways, I won an HTC Radar, and in less than 24 hours, it has become my new everyday phone. I'll have more on it later in the week after I've thoroughly played with it.
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| My first ever Fried Twinkie- where have you been all my life? |
To cap off the night, there was a band! The Drums, an indie pop band from Ohio (I got that from Wikipedia!), got up on stage and jammed for a while- I had never heard of them before, but I liked them...at least enough to download some of their music. Everyone in my vicinity seemed to enjoy them too, so that was a win/win. Check out the pics below.
So...yeah. For a complete list of cities, check out the city list HERE. Invite your friends or your significant other, and believe me when I say that a good time will be had by all.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Yeah, I had nothing better to put for a title- might as well keep it simple today.
The weather in Springfield has been dipping into the 40s- the 30s late at night even, and that means soup season has begun!
I found this great recipe on Allrecipes.com, and made my own little adjustments to it; I used green onions instead of regular ones, I used garlic salt for a little more flavor, and added bacon. It turned out really good- I would definitely make it again.
I consider soup to be one of the toughest dishes to make, since it can be altered so many ways and there's always room for improvement. There's something about soup in the winter that just makes it taste better during this time of year. I'll definitely be perfecting this recipe as the season goes on- I'll keep you all updated on the process!
The weather in Springfield has been dipping into the 40s- the 30s late at night even, and that means soup season has begun!
I found this great recipe on Allrecipes.com, and made my own little adjustments to it; I used green onions instead of regular ones, I used garlic salt for a little more flavor, and added bacon. It turned out really good- I would definitely make it again.
Monday, October 31, 2011
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| Nobody is above the law. NOBODY. |
I drove downtown and had lunch with a friend, then had enough time to park near the Sports Authority- the downtown flagship always has a ton of brand name workout gear on clearance, so I checked it out. Not even 20 minutes later, I came back to my car, and a ticket was on the windshield- the No Parking Zone sign was bent and was nuzzled well into a nearby tree- there was no way for me to have seen it unless I was extremely aware.
Long story short, I protested the parking ticket and won. Here's how I did it, and how you can, too. My official protest letter and pictures are at the end.
1. Check the Online Pictures
Chicago cops are high tech, and with each parking ticket they write, they upload the offending picture(s) on the website for you to see. They normally take a picture of the sign and your plate number for the website- the biggest mistake they can make is not taking a picture of your car in relation to the sign. Did they only take a picture of the close up sign and another of your plates? That's really not enough information to rule in the law's favor. If they can't make a correlation that proves that your car was the offending vehicle at the time of the ticket issuance, then you have a case.
2. Take Your Own Pictures
The biggest mistake you can make as someone who wants to appeal is not taking pictures, especially if you have a legitimate claim. Sometimes, as in my case, signs are obstructed by nearby trees or snow. Anything that could have been a reason for you not to clearly see that sign is a legitimate means of protest. If you don't have a legitimate camera phone, you should keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment at all times. Let me revise that- IF YOU OWN A CAR, KEEP A DISPOSABLE CAMERA IN YOUR GLOVE COMPARTMENT AT ALL TIMES. I don't care if your smartphone is 77 megapixels and takes 3D video....smartphone batteries, as you well know, die. Quickly. Just in case you get ticketed after a long night at the club and your phone is dead, keep the disposable camera in your compartment. You'll be glad you spent that $4.
Take two kinds of pictures- unbiased ones and ones that push your case a little more. You can throw those in there as leverage- don't embellish your story, but you can push a tad.
3. Be Specific.
Take note of all times, street names, and other little details that will make your case more sound. Note the street or intersection where you were ticketed. Note the time you left and returned to your car. Sometimes this information can help when you're analyzing it for your appeal, whether you write one for the mail or appear in court.
4. Use Logic
Your appeal should be treated like a court case. You need to convince someone of your side, and sometimes, pictures alone won't do it. Sometimes, you need to go all Law and Order on your appeal. Analyze your pictures. How do they prove your innocence? Take a look at the online pictures- how do they discount the writing of the ticket?
5. Be Respectful
Be honest in your description. If you have a legitimate gripe, state it and back it up through pictures and logic. More than anything, fact is God. Also keep in mind that snarkiness and an angry tone will only hurt your case. Yes, you're pissed. Yes, the law can sometimes bend the rules to write more tickets. Regardless of that, still be respectful- you are still dealing with cops. A nice add-on is stating at the end that you hope the sign will be fixed soon so nobody else has your issue.
I hope this helps someone not have to pay a ticket! If you have any questions, share in the comments section and hopefully I, or someone else, has an answer for you.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I received a parking ticket on Friday, June 26th on the grounds that I parked in a No Parking Zone. I am contesting the ticket on the grounds that the pole which denoted the Tow Zone was bent, and the flag was obstructed by a nearby tree. I have included photographs to plead my case.
At about 7:00 PM on August 26, I parked my car in the spot in question. I was in town to support a friend who was coaching in the High School Football Showcase at Soldier Field. The game wasn’t to start until 8, and since I had some time to waste, I parked my car and headed to the Sports Authority on LaSalle Street. I returned to my car by 7:20 PM, and saw the ticket in my windshield. A gentleman who worked at the paid parking lot on Franklin and Ohio informed me that he had seen my car get ticketed only a few minutes earlier; he informed me that I should take photos of the obstructed sign in order to appeal the ticket. I have included those photographs and descriptions of each below.
Photo #1 was taken from the sidewalk right next to where my car was parked, and from that angle, the sign is obstructed as well.
Photo #2 was taken as a close up, but considering the orientation of the cars on that side of the street, the only person who would have seen the sign would have been someone in the passenger’s seat; I was the only person in my car that day.
Photo #3 is the angle that I would have seen as I pulled up to park my car in this space. As my car is a hard top and not a drop-top, the only angle that would have been able to properly expose the sign was obstructed, and even still, the sign was still blocked by the shrubbery.
I hope you can see from my photos that the sign is blocked- I hope that the proper authorities are able to fix this sign soon as to eliminate any confusion about it. I thank you for your time and patience.
-Jeremy Nelson
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| Photo # 1 |
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| Photo #2 |
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| Photo #3 |
UPDATE: My ticket was thrown out. Score one for the little guy!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
So I was the Black Power Ranger for Halloween this year, and as always, it was a last minute, half baked costume. Normally I come up with this elaborate, awesome idea for a costume each year that I'm so convinced I'll put all of my time and energy into. This year, I was going to be the Shuffle Bot from the LMFAO music videos, complete with cardboard box helmet, gold track suit, and accompanying chain. Then I convinced myself that I could do without the chains....then the gold track suit became a black track jacket and jeans...and the cardboard helmet became a brown paper bag. I totally failed on an idea that I spent two months talking about. Now I had no costume.
Then I saw a Black Ranger t-shirt at Hot Topic that I was convinced I needed. Light bulb on. Hallelujah. Unfortunately, the store only sold pink and red ranger masks. Since they were on clearance anyway, I decided to pick one up and make it a black ranger mask with some magic marker magic. Halfway through, the mask looked pretty badass the way it was already colored.
What do you guys think? Should I have kept the mask the way it was, or was I right in coloring the whole thing black?
Then I saw a Black Ranger t-shirt at Hot Topic that I was convinced I needed. Light bulb on. Hallelujah. Unfortunately, the store only sold pink and red ranger masks. Since they were on clearance anyway, I decided to pick one up and make it a black ranger mask with some magic marker magic. Halfway through, the mask looked pretty badass the way it was already colored.
Friday, October 28, 2011
This story was so good that I had to come back and write about it immediately.
So Sam is going to be a priest this year for Halloween. I think it's going to be funny, but up until now, there's been one problem: Sam doesn't have a priest collar. So we went out to the mall, and what did we find? Nothing. Hot Topic? Nope. Spencer's? Nada. Halloween Store? Zip. In the end, he just decided that he'd make one from construction paper, and since we already had to go to Target to get him a bible (to hide his flask in), we'd just go there.
Right next to the Target is a Family Christian Store, and lo and behold- they have a sign on the door saying Select Bibles- 50% off. Score.
However, it's Family Christian Stores, and that means they have a bevy of bibles. They have bibles for just about every demographic you can hit- old people, young people, women, teenage boys, Hispanics....you get the point. But it turned out that the only bibles on sale were the ones that started at like $75. Why anyone needs a $75 bible, let alone a $150 bible, is beyond me. But I'm getting away from the point here.
I walk up to the front of the store and find a clerk- a middle aged, heavyset woman- and I ask her for a bible. Then Sam chimes in, and hilarity ensues.
The clerk asks Sam what kind of bible he was looking for, and in his most serious voice, Sam says, "I'm thinking the King James Version would be best." My laughter is already building up. I can tell that this is going to end well.
So the clerk decides that it's her duty to stick with us through the whole process- I don't think she was going to let us leave the store without buying something.
Clerk: Is this bible for a new believer?
Sam: Nope.
Clerk: Well, I think the King James Version would be kind of hard for them to understand.
Sam: Well, he's a traditionalist.
How Sam is making it through this with a straight face is beyond me.The clerk finally leaves us alone after five minutes or so, and then Sam then carries his indifference to the cash register. The cashier was this older guy who looked like he was a no-nonsense Christian, and Sam wasn't having any of this guy's peddling.
Cashier: Do you have one of our Perks Cards?
Sam: No.
Cashier: Would you like to sign-
Sam: No.
Cashier: (in a sorta "you hurt my feelings" way) Well, it doesn't cost anything...you build up points...
Sam: Nah, I'm good.
Cashier: Well, do you attend an eligible church in the area that would receive-
Sam: Umm...no.
At this point, there are a few things that are making my laughter hard to contain. One, the way Sam is holding it together and treating the situation this seriously. Two, the fact that these people don't know that this bible is definitely not going to be used for Christian purposes. Three, the fact that we could have gotten a bible anywhere for a Halloween costume, and we get it from a Christian bookstore. If we get to the pearly gates and we're on the tipping point between going to heaven and going to hell, this might be the tipping point to hell.
We have the bible. Sam is going to get construction paper from Target to make his collar. Everything is good. But part of me wants to know if they sell collars without tipping them off that this is for a Halloween costume. So I have to say something and push this situation a little further towards dealing with a couple of pissed off Christians.
Me: So I've always wanted to know this, and maybe you could help me...where do priests buy their collars?
Cashier: Well, we do pre-orders for priests in the area, and there's a store over on 4th and Monroe.
At this point, the cashier is starting to get this tone of skepticism in his voice. If he doesn't know what's up, he's starting to at least wonder. Rather than push it, I let Sam buy the bible, and leave this situation a winner.
By the way, as Sam starts carving this bible up to make room for his flask, our roommate Li comes downstairs, as he's about to leave for bible study. He sees Sam and says "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO THE BIBLE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He has a good laugh with Sam and I, and leaves.
Well, at least we didn't have to deal with the crazy Christians.
So Sam is going to be a priest this year for Halloween. I think it's going to be funny, but up until now, there's been one problem: Sam doesn't have a priest collar. So we went out to the mall, and what did we find? Nothing. Hot Topic? Nope. Spencer's? Nada. Halloween Store? Zip. In the end, he just decided that he'd make one from construction paper, and since we already had to go to Target to get him a bible (to hide his flask in), we'd just go there.
Right next to the Target is a Family Christian Store, and lo and behold- they have a sign on the door saying Select Bibles- 50% off. Score.
However, it's Family Christian Stores, and that means they have a bevy of bibles. They have bibles for just about every demographic you can hit- old people, young people, women, teenage boys, Hispanics....you get the point. But it turned out that the only bibles on sale were the ones that started at like $75. Why anyone needs a $75 bible, let alone a $150 bible, is beyond me. But I'm getting away from the point here.
I walk up to the front of the store and find a clerk- a middle aged, heavyset woman- and I ask her for a bible. Then Sam chimes in, and hilarity ensues.
The clerk asks Sam what kind of bible he was looking for, and in his most serious voice, Sam says, "I'm thinking the King James Version would be best." My laughter is already building up. I can tell that this is going to end well.
So the clerk decides that it's her duty to stick with us through the whole process- I don't think she was going to let us leave the store without buying something.
Clerk: Is this bible for a new believer?
Sam: Nope.
Clerk: Well, I think the King James Version would be kind of hard for them to understand.
Sam: Well, he's a traditionalist.
How Sam is making it through this with a straight face is beyond me.The clerk finally leaves us alone after five minutes or so, and then Sam then carries his indifference to the cash register. The cashier was this older guy who looked like he was a no-nonsense Christian, and Sam wasn't having any of this guy's peddling.
Cashier: Do you have one of our Perks Cards?
Sam: No.
Cashier: Would you like to sign-
Sam: No.
Cashier: (in a sorta "you hurt my feelings" way) Well, it doesn't cost anything...you build up points...
Sam: Nah, I'm good.
Cashier: Well, do you attend an eligible church in the area that would receive-
Sam: Umm...no.
At this point, there are a few things that are making my laughter hard to contain. One, the way Sam is holding it together and treating the situation this seriously. Two, the fact that these people don't know that this bible is definitely not going to be used for Christian purposes. Three, the fact that we could have gotten a bible anywhere for a Halloween costume, and we get it from a Christian bookstore. If we get to the pearly gates and we're on the tipping point between going to heaven and going to hell, this might be the tipping point to hell.
We have the bible. Sam is going to get construction paper from Target to make his collar. Everything is good. But part of me wants to know if they sell collars without tipping them off that this is for a Halloween costume. So I have to say something and push this situation a little further towards dealing with a couple of pissed off Christians.
Me: So I've always wanted to know this, and maybe you could help me...where do priests buy their collars?
Cashier: Well, we do pre-orders for priests in the area, and there's a store over on 4th and Monroe.
At this point, the cashier is starting to get this tone of skepticism in his voice. If he doesn't know what's up, he's starting to at least wonder. Rather than push it, I let Sam buy the bible, and leave this situation a winner.
By the way, as Sam starts carving this bible up to make room for his flask, our roommate Li comes downstairs, as he's about to leave for bible study. He sees Sam and says "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO THE BIBLE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He has a good laugh with Sam and I, and leaves.
Well, at least we didn't have to deal with the crazy Christians.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I totally forgot that I had a slab of ribs in my freezer that I intended to barbecue over the summer. Well, today was the day. By the way, why do people call them baby back ribs? It seems like it would be less appetizing with the word "baby" in them. After all, we don't call scrambled eggs "unborn chick fetuses", and we don't call veal "baby cow cutlets". i guess if you keep the name of the slaughtered animal out of the dish's name, then it's okay.
Anyhoo, I started by making a glaze for the ribs. Rather than search for a recipe online, I decided to take a bunch of items that were in my kitchen and make my own rub. This is a list of the items I used:
Sea Salt
Red Pepper Flakes
Black Pepper
Brown Sugar
A1 Steak Sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Famous Dave's Rib Rub
The glaze looked pretty gross and had a consistency somewhere in between oatmeal and cement. It was delicious.
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| Wrapping the baby in a tinfoil blanket until it's tender and edible. |
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| Into the crib you go! |
Two and a half hours later, these beauties were ready to come out of the oven and be basted. My will shall be done.
I'm still pretty bad at plating items; they tasted really good, but even a professional photographer couldn't save my butchering of these ribs. They fell off the bone, so it really wasn't my fault when I was cutting them. But then again, I cooked them, so I was responsible for the meat falling off the bone. But then again, I could just blame the butcher for selling...oh, forget it. It was my fault. I need to learn to plate food better. Period.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Some of the best advice I have ever received from a teacher was during my first year at Hotchkiss. "Gnothi Seauton!", Mr Delprete proclaimed to my Ancient History Class during our first meeting. It was advice that would stick with me, even to this day.
Mr. Delprete, or "Delly", as he was so affectionately nicknamed, was the athletic director and former head football coach at Hotchkiss. But since every teacher at our school wore many different hats, Delly ended up becoming our freshman History teacher that semester. Our class dean, Mr. Barker would take over the following semester, but Delly made his mark on our class- specifically me.
This is the kind of guy I didn't expect to teach history- or at the very least, teach it well. After all, he was the athletic director, and if most high schools are any indication of what to expect, Delly should have been an arrogant prick who couldnt give a damn about Caligula or Caesar or Charlemagne. But he did, and the first week of class, he made his mantra for the semester well known- Gnothi Seauton!
Gnothi Seauton, as the Greeks say, means Know Thyself. It's a mantra that calls for constant self examination, adaptation, and execution. As you grow up, figuring out who you are and what you stand for is like trying to figure out a Rubik's Cube- a few select people can do it very easily, but for most, it's a constant struggle that usually ends with you figuring out by some stroke of dumb luck. It's easy to forget who you are because it can change so quickly, so knowing yourself keeps you grounded and self aware- virtues that can be difficult to practice at times.
Mr. Delprete, or "Delly", as he was so affectionately nicknamed, was the athletic director and former head football coach at Hotchkiss. But since every teacher at our school wore many different hats, Delly ended up becoming our freshman History teacher that semester. Our class dean, Mr. Barker would take over the following semester, but Delly made his mark on our class- specifically me.
This is the kind of guy I didn't expect to teach history- or at the very least, teach it well. After all, he was the athletic director, and if most high schools are any indication of what to expect, Delly should have been an arrogant prick who couldnt give a damn about Caligula or Caesar or Charlemagne. But he did, and the first week of class, he made his mantra for the semester well known- Gnothi Seauton!
Gnothi Seauton, as the Greeks say, means Know Thyself. It's a mantra that calls for constant self examination, adaptation, and execution. As you grow up, figuring out who you are and what you stand for is like trying to figure out a Rubik's Cube- a few select people can do it very easily, but for most, it's a constant struggle that usually ends with you figuring out by some stroke of dumb luck. It's easy to forget who you are because it can change so quickly, so knowing yourself keeps you grounded and self aware- virtues that can be difficult to practice at times.
I should know better than most- I've been a geek, a spazz, a respected nerd, a self respecting nerd (not the same), a somewhat cool guy, and that's just the surface- the amount of self examination and adaptation that I've had to have has been pretty substantial. I can't stay that it's always been easy, but it's helped me become who I am today.
So take a few minutes in your spare time to Gnothi Seauton- your future depends on it!
Pancakes No More
Well, as you may see from the title, the pancakes in the blog's title have been retired. Anything I do on this blog has a thoughtful reason, and this change is no exception. I have always been a breakfast guy- I am one of those people that advocates cooking breakfast food for dinner. Hell, I had a breakfast dinner twice last week. But at this point in my life, cooking gives me this cathartic release- it's something I know I do well, and breakfast is not a meal where I get too adventurous.
Now baking- that's where my stress goes away. Making something really good and cheap that I can share with my friends is a great feeling for me. No matter what's going on in my life, baking will make my problems disappear in the meantime. Cupcakes are at the top of my list of things to bake, and as you've seen from the last few weeks, it's something I love to make. Now everybody wants birthday cupcakes and the like. I kinda feel like that episode of Arthur when he keeps asking his dad to make cakes for school functions so that Arthur can be popular.
Anyhoo, it's a lot of fun for me, and I genuinely feel at home when making cupcakes. So the blog's name has changed...for now.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Last night was Homecoming Night, and guess what that means? Classy Wine Night! Classy Wine Night, or CWN, is a concept that my neighbor Michael Watson came up with. In a nutshell, all of us dress up very nicely and drink copious amounts of liquor- preferably wine. Since I'm not a wine person, I drank champagne (hey, it IS sparkling WINE). The best part about the night is that we top load the liquor, so we're pretty wasted for the majority of the night.
Last year, we had a problem- the party spilled over into our house, but two guys fought and broke the upstairs bathroom door. Not a good first impression, I'd have to say. But we've learned from our mistakes, and this time around was bound to be better!
Oh, wait- my roommate Li was scheduled to have a birthday party on the same night! So what did I end up with? A Classy Wine Night Birthday Party! So I got double duty when it came to drinking and partying, and I feel that I shouldered the load quite well. All in all, the entire night was awesome- I didn't have champagne flutes, so I drank all of my liquor out of my trusty red coffee mug. I also taught Li's friends how to shotgun beer, and they taught me various Chinese curses. Funny thing- apparently Chinese people really don't have swear words- they just insult people in the same way that you would if you couldn't swear. Anyways, enough from me- the pictures tell the story better than I could. Check the pics and captions below!
All in all, it was a great night, and I definitely can't wait for CWN 3, which is going down this spring. Since it will be the last time we all will be together, it's bound to be a hot mess. Check back soon for more madness!
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| Michael Watson- Godfather of Classy Wine Night |
Last year, we had a problem- the party spilled over into our house, but two guys fought and broke the upstairs bathroom door. Not a good first impression, I'd have to say. But we've learned from our mistakes, and this time around was bound to be better!
Oh, wait- my roommate Li was scheduled to have a birthday party on the same night! So what did I end up with? A Classy Wine Night Birthday Party! So I got double duty when it came to drinking and partying, and I feel that I shouldered the load quite well. All in all, the entire night was awesome- I didn't have champagne flutes, so I drank all of my liquor out of my trusty red coffee mug. I also taught Li's friends how to shotgun beer, and they taught me various Chinese curses. Funny thing- apparently Chinese people really don't have swear words- they just insult people in the same way that you would if you couldn't swear. Anyways, enough from me- the pictures tell the story better than I could. Check the pics and captions below!
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| My roommate Li blowing out the candles- 27 birthday cupcakes for the 27 year old! |
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| Li's friends were plenty- and they all drank. Can't argue with that. |
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| Li top loaded his liquor too. He was about ready to pass out when we pulled the cattle prod on him. |
 |
| As you can see, he recovered nicely. |
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| The Godfather, with the guy who broke our bathroom door at the last CWN in the background. |
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| Only one of the people in this pic is old enough to participate in CWN...I wonder who.... |
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| Meagan (left) and Maithili (right) think we're all friends. I guess this picture solidifies it. |
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| Aftermath- the next morning, our place was just about trashed. |
Friday, October 14, 2011
A girl I've known for a while and I liked seemingly started a relationship with someone else recently. It stings a little more every time. Regardless of the constant "you are a great guy...any girl would be lucky to have you" spiels, that "any girl" who'd be lucky to have me still hasn't show up- I am never good enough for anybody.
When does that "lucky girl" show up? Probably when I least expect it. Probably when I stop keeping my eyes peeled altogether. I'm not even looking for a serious relationship- but I gotta start somewhere.
As much as I'd like to say "screw this", and just forget about it, I can't. My conscience rings out clearer, yet more obscure than ever. I honestly don't know what to do except live my life and wait.
Until the day we meet, later days.
When does that "lucky girl" show up? Probably when I least expect it. Probably when I stop keeping my eyes peeled altogether. I'm not even looking for a serious relationship- but I gotta start somewhere.
As much as I'd like to say "screw this", and just forget about it, I can't. My conscience rings out clearer, yet more obscure than ever. I honestly don't know what to do except live my life and wait.
Until the day we meet, later days.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
But even without me, there's still a whole army of iPhone users who claim that it's the best thing since sliced bread. Hardcore Android users passionately dispute that fact, but that's what it is- a fact. The customer is always right, and if you don't believe the iPhone is the best thing since sliced bread, just look at the sales numbers. Look at the number of apps people are buying on a daily basis. It all has to mean something, and considering where Apple was 10 years ago, Steve Jobs has done an unparalleled....job....with the company he founded, was forced out of, and then asked to join back.
We probably could have foreseen Jobs' health problems accumulate- after all, the he had been looking quite gaunt in the last few Apple keynotes, and was rumored to not even be healthy enough to be at his final keynote that introduced iOS 5 to the world. Tim Cook was named CEO just six weeks before Jobs' death, but nobody believed that it would happen this soon. This suddenly. This unexpectedly.
Normally with cancer patients, you can see the deterioration happen right before your eyes. The patient becomes bedridden, they have a thousand different meds pumping through their bodies, and the doctor can give a time frame of days- maybe even hours- before the patient is going to die. Was Jobs putting on a happy face for all of us this time? Did he know that this was coming? I'd have to assume so- it's not like he didn't have the money to go through with any necessary surgeries to stop the cancer. But he still showed up to work, still gave his keynotes as if nothing had ever happened to him. Jobs, up until the day he passed, chose to think different. There aren't too many people who I consider have lived their lives fully by what they have taught, but I hold him in that regard.
Look what his products have allowed to happen- autistic children and grandparents alike use the iPad to improve their brain activity. Some consider OSX to be the most user friendly operating system on the market today. The iPod changed the music industry entirely. And we don't even need to start on the impact of the iPhone on the smartphone market.
Godspeed, Steve. I don't ever think you will fully realize what a difference you've made in our world today.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Okay, so this new Kindle seems pretty awesome. Not iPad awesome, but definitely good enough to cut into Apple's market share. I'm not sure if Jeff Bezos and company are ready to take on Goliath- they may only be trying to create a new genre, as the iPad did when it was released. Well, here are three reasons why Amazon will do some serious damage in the tablet market and three reasons why they won't.
Why It Will Do Well:
1- Price
The first thing I noticed about the Kindle was its svelte price- $199 for a tablet is unheard of, and although companies haven't started to seriously undercut each other to cut into Apple's market share, Amazon may put some tablet makers out of the game with this price point. Plus, it helps that if your kid spills juice on it, or you leave it on the counter somewhere, you're only out of $200, not $500 minimum.
2- Familiarity
Millions of people already own Amazon Kindles and are happy with them, so for Amazon users, this is a natural step up. Sure, they can activate a kindle app on other devices, but more than likely, if they're happy with the Kindle, my guess is that they'll stick with the Kindle Fire. The device is still small and thin, so they get to keep the form factor, even with the overhaul
3- Doesn't Do Much
Some people just like simple. My mom wouldn't be able to use an iPad because she wouldn't understand how to work half the apps and gestures on it. She would need something simple to read books, check the internet, and keep up with her email. The Kindle Fire is perfect for her.
Why It Won't Do Well:
1- iPad Has Familiarity, Too
Amazon's Kindle is cool, but the iPad is getting to a point where the name is becoming a general term for all products like it- take Kleenex, Q Tips, or yes, even the iPod as examples. The iPad has just about become the end-all be-all in tablets.
2- Not Very Many Apps
For some, the Kindle Fire not being able to do much is a good thing. For most, however, it is a bad thing. People want to buy a tablet and download a bunch of apps for it. If Amazon can't support a large app library, they may not thrive.
3- No 3G Option
I thought this would be an obvious addition to the Kindle Fire, but apparently I'm wrong. With a device this compact, 3G would be an obvious shoe in as I see it.
At this point, I don't even think the Fire is competing with the iPad- the only area where it seriously competes is price, and even still, it offers an entirely different set of attributes. I'll be interested to see what comes of this.
Why It Will Do Well:
1- Price
The first thing I noticed about the Kindle was its svelte price- $199 for a tablet is unheard of, and although companies haven't started to seriously undercut each other to cut into Apple's market share, Amazon may put some tablet makers out of the game with this price point. Plus, it helps that if your kid spills juice on it, or you leave it on the counter somewhere, you're only out of $200, not $500 minimum.
2- Familiarity
Millions of people already own Amazon Kindles and are happy with them, so for Amazon users, this is a natural step up. Sure, they can activate a kindle app on other devices, but more than likely, if they're happy with the Kindle, my guess is that they'll stick with the Kindle Fire. The device is still small and thin, so they get to keep the form factor, even with the overhaul
3- Doesn't Do Much
Some people just like simple. My mom wouldn't be able to use an iPad because she wouldn't understand how to work half the apps and gestures on it. She would need something simple to read books, check the internet, and keep up with her email. The Kindle Fire is perfect for her.
Why It Won't Do Well:
1- iPad Has Familiarity, Too
Amazon's Kindle is cool, but the iPad is getting to a point where the name is becoming a general term for all products like it- take Kleenex, Q Tips, or yes, even the iPod as examples. The iPad has just about become the end-all be-all in tablets.
2- Not Very Many Apps
For some, the Kindle Fire not being able to do much is a good thing. For most, however, it is a bad thing. People want to buy a tablet and download a bunch of apps for it. If Amazon can't support a large app library, they may not thrive.
3- No 3G Option
I thought this would be an obvious addition to the Kindle Fire, but apparently I'm wrong. With a device this compact, 3G would be an obvious shoe in as I see it.
At this point, I don't even think the Fire is competing with the iPad- the only area where it seriously competes is price, and even still, it offers an entirely different set of attributes. I'll be interested to see what comes of this.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Next to platformers, my favorite type of video games are puzzle games. They're like a good workout; they begin with a slow buildup and eventually lead to a frantic rush that ends with me barely breathing in a pool of my own sweat and blood. Hey, I don't go to the gym very often.
When I rate a puzzle game, I base it upon three major criteria:
Depth- Is it easy to learn, but hard to master?
Learning Curve- How slowly or quickly is the game's difficulty ramped up level to level??
Addictiveness- If you put it in front of me right now, what's the likelihood that I'll play for at least an hour?
As a result, I've come up with five pure puzzlers that I have found, in my own personal experience, to be the best. Sure, there are games out there that I've never played before that some of you would put in your five- just let me know in the comments section if there's something I have missed. If it's obscure, I probably haven't played it, and won't find out about it until you say something! For the most part though, I believe that most of you could see two or three of these games making your lists. Without further ado, here are my Top Five!
5. Puzzle Bobble/Bust A Move
When it comes down to sheer play time, I've logged more hours on Puzzle Bobble than most other arcade games. Why? Puzzle Bobble was one of only a handful of Neo Geo games to get a dedicated arcade cabinet; excluding the Metal Slug and Samurai Showdown series, most other Neo Geo games were packed into a 4 game cabinet. So as a result, Puzzle Bobble stands out at most arcades I have visited, and still can take any spare quarters from my pocket. The game itself is simple enough; the player just shoots colored orbs up into the playing field, trying to clear all of the orbs by connecting three of the same order. My favorite part of these games were the "killshots" that could finish a level in a matter of seconds, but took a relatively skilled player to hit. The game gets docked a little for exponentially amping up the difficulty after the first five or so levels, but I still can't resist playing a Puzzle Bobble machine if I see one.
4. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (HD Remix)
Despite being the first (and only) in this series, Capcom decided to make fun of its tendency to overname its Street Fighter games by going all out with this one. The game was simple enough, but what made it fun was the fighting. Capcom didn't stray much from the tried and true "match the colors" format, but having the Street Fighter characters act out the puzzle battle was a fun addition- the bigger your combo on the puzzle chute, the more cans of whoop ass your character opened on your opponent's. The fighting had no bearing on the game since the person whose column filled up first still lost, but it was still fun to watch. Just to mess with us even more, Capcom put the game up on Xbox Live/Playstation Network, and converted it to HD Remix, making the name a little longer, and making gamers a lot happier.
3. Tetris
Tetris is iconic. Tetris is fun. Tetris is a fun party game with the right group. But no, Tetris is not my #1. Go ahead, burn me at the stake now. Most reviewers would put Tetris on their list where Shao Kahn is on the Mortal Kombat II Battle Plan- at the tippy top with no signs of letting up. Tetris MADE the original Game Boy, but Tetris doesn't have a great replay value with me. I will play a couple of games at a time, but after 20 minutes, Tetris and I are through for a couple weeks. Part of the reason comes from the fact that Classic Tetris is a never ending affair with no real benchmark to pass other than your high score. At least with a game like Pac Man, I could gauge success by reaching harder levels with each passing quarter; once you hit Speed 10 on Tetris, it was just a matter of time until you died. It just doesn't replay well for me. If it wasn't for that, it would probably rank higher. But the addictive nature of the game that got other players caught up in the madness never caught on with me. I COULD just make Tetris #1 and say that puzzle games just don't interest me as much as I thought, but two other games were able to keep my interest pretty easily....
2. Lumines Puzzle Fusion
When I first got my PSP back in 2005, I actively looked for a puzzle game for it that WASN'T Tetris (see?). I looked around online and found this little puzzle game that was getting rave reviews. It was called Lumines, and boy was it good. You have these square blocks that are divided into four smaller squares- all you have to do is make rectangles of the same color that are at least 2x2 in size. These larger blocks get cleared by a timeline that moves across the playing field, serving a purpose not much different than that of a windshield wiper.
The real challenge of Lumines comes in the music. Lumines plays a set line of music tracks, all of differing speeds and styles, meaning you may very well follow a pop ballad with Japanese ska. The devil is in these speeds, though. The entire speed of the game is based upon the current song, including the timeline. If it's a slow sappy song, the timeline moves at a slower rate, allowing you to make huge combos. Of course, if you're running out of space, the slow timeline may screw you over since you won't clear out blocks as fast. Then, you may get some extremely fast scat that moves like top speed Tetris. Not much room for combos, but a skilled player can get out of a space jam pretty quickly. The game's selling point is that it keeps you on your toes, due to the constant (and sometimes drastic) change in speed. There were times where I begged for the song to change to allow me to out of a bad situation, and that unpredictability and constant suspense kept me coming back for more. The PSP's second edition added more tracks and music videos, and eventually the game was ported to PS3, Xbox, and iOS. This is one of those games that SHOULD have been a tie in with the PSP- it was that good. If you have a current gen system, PLEASE download this game immediately- you will not be disappointed.
1. Klax
It is the 2010s....and it is STILL time for Klax.
For the bulk of my life, I had parents who were separated or divorced. But I got to see my dad a lot; I always enjoyed spending time with my dad, and thus I always looked forward to weekends. We'd go to the movies, check out the new tech at Best Buy, scavenge for dinner, or just sit around and watch TV- just guy stuff. But one weekend each year was awesome, despite the fact that it was the one pickup weekend where I'd see my dad the least; the Robbins Alumni Association Dinner Dance.
The club members stayed at the Holiday Inn for the weekend so that they would be on site for all of the prep work, and rightly so; the dinner dance was the largest source of the club's cash flow, and, as such, required my dad's undivided attention for the weekend. My dad would always come get me that weekend, and I always got my own hotel room, so who was I to argue with 48 hours without adult supervision?
We used to have an Aladdin's Castle in the nearby mall, but it closed down before I was old enough to enjoy it. In Matteson, the Holiday Inn arcade was the next best thing. Whereas the nearby Chuck E. Cheese mainly dabbled in Skee Ball and baby rides, the Holiday Inn was boss. Over the years the arcade had a 6 player X Men cabinet, STUN Runner, a Neo Geo four-game cabinet, a Fun House pinball machine, and most importantly, Klax. Klax was created in 1989 by Atari as a way to get a puzzle game out on the market- they were tied up in litigation over the rights to Tetris, and this was their backup plan just in case they lost the rights. It was the nineties....and it was time for Klax.
I didn't get my first taste of Klax until February of 1997, but I was hooked. Klax was this Tetris/Tic Tac Toe mashup that required players to drop tiles on this 25 square gameboard. But the challenge wasn't just about completing the level objective (score a number of points, get three diagonal scores, last for 50 tiles, etc.). You also had to keep the board from filling up, AND you could only let a few tiles fall off the edge of the screen before the game was over. It was incredibly addictive, and the levels were short enough to make you want to try again, but long enough to make you feel that you were taking on a real challenge. If you were a really good player, you'd try and form the big X and earn a warp...it was hard but worth it.
The game can be frustrating at times, especially when you get a tile rush full of the pieces you DON'T want, and I don't have a killer reason why the game is so good- it just is. Simply put, it's incredibly fun, addictive, and it holds up well to this day, despite the fact that this is the only game on the list to not come out with a "new" version, despite being ported to every system of its time. I also don't know why a new edition hasn't come out since its inception, but Atari needs to get on that soon. If you happen to come across this game, PLAY IT IMMEDIATELY.
Agree? Disagree? Did I miss something? Let me know in the Comments section below- I'd love to hear from you!
When I rate a puzzle game, I base it upon three major criteria:
Depth- Is it easy to learn, but hard to master?
Learning Curve- How slowly or quickly is the game's difficulty ramped up level to level??
Addictiveness- If you put it in front of me right now, what's the likelihood that I'll play for at least an hour?
As a result, I've come up with five pure puzzlers that I have found, in my own personal experience, to be the best. Sure, there are games out there that I've never played before that some of you would put in your five- just let me know in the comments section if there's something I have missed. If it's obscure, I probably haven't played it, and won't find out about it until you say something! For the most part though, I believe that most of you could see two or three of these games making your lists. Without further ado, here are my Top Five!
5. Puzzle Bobble/Bust A Move
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| Level 1. Enjoy the simple lines and four color scheme, because from here on out, it's mayhem. |
4. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (HD Remix)
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| Looks like Dan is taking a beating. Nice to see nothing has changed. |
3. Tetris
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| The points that Tetris earned for the dancing Russian were immediately docked when the game decided that I had an L block deficiency. |
2. Lumines Puzzle Fusion
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| If you turn the speakers up when playing Lumines, you may accidentally start a rave. |
The real challenge of Lumines comes in the music. Lumines plays a set line of music tracks, all of differing speeds and styles, meaning you may very well follow a pop ballad with Japanese ska. The devil is in these speeds, though. The entire speed of the game is based upon the current song, including the timeline. If it's a slow sappy song, the timeline moves at a slower rate, allowing you to make huge combos. Of course, if you're running out of space, the slow timeline may screw you over since you won't clear out blocks as fast. Then, you may get some extremely fast scat that moves like top speed Tetris. Not much room for combos, but a skilled player can get out of a space jam pretty quickly. The game's selling point is that it keeps you on your toes, due to the constant (and sometimes drastic) change in speed. There were times where I begged for the song to change to allow me to out of a bad situation, and that unpredictability and constant suspense kept me coming back for more. The PSP's second edition added more tracks and music videos, and eventually the game was ported to PS3, Xbox, and iOS. This is one of those games that SHOULD have been a tie in with the PSP- it was that good. If you have a current gen system, PLEASE download this game immediately- you will not be disappointed.
1. Klax
 |
| Klax Wave. Say no more. Say no less. |
For the bulk of my life, I had parents who were separated or divorced. But I got to see my dad a lot; I always enjoyed spending time with my dad, and thus I always looked forward to weekends. We'd go to the movies, check out the new tech at Best Buy, scavenge for dinner, or just sit around and watch TV- just guy stuff. But one weekend each year was awesome, despite the fact that it was the one pickup weekend where I'd see my dad the least; the Robbins Alumni Association Dinner Dance.
The club members stayed at the Holiday Inn for the weekend so that they would be on site for all of the prep work, and rightly so; the dinner dance was the largest source of the club's cash flow, and, as such, required my dad's undivided attention for the weekend. My dad would always come get me that weekend, and I always got my own hotel room, so who was I to argue with 48 hours without adult supervision?
We used to have an Aladdin's Castle in the nearby mall, but it closed down before I was old enough to enjoy it. In Matteson, the Holiday Inn arcade was the next best thing. Whereas the nearby Chuck E. Cheese mainly dabbled in Skee Ball and baby rides, the Holiday Inn was boss. Over the years the arcade had a 6 player X Men cabinet, STUN Runner, a Neo Geo four-game cabinet, a Fun House pinball machine, and most importantly, Klax. Klax was created in 1989 by Atari as a way to get a puzzle game out on the market- they were tied up in litigation over the rights to Tetris, and this was their backup plan just in case they lost the rights. It was the nineties....and it was time for Klax.
I didn't get my first taste of Klax until February of 1997, but I was hooked. Klax was this Tetris/Tic Tac Toe mashup that required players to drop tiles on this 25 square gameboard. But the challenge wasn't just about completing the level objective (score a number of points, get three diagonal scores, last for 50 tiles, etc.). You also had to keep the board from filling up, AND you could only let a few tiles fall off the edge of the screen before the game was over. It was incredibly addictive, and the levels were short enough to make you want to try again, but long enough to make you feel that you were taking on a real challenge. If you were a really good player, you'd try and form the big X and earn a warp...it was hard but worth it.
The game can be frustrating at times, especially when you get a tile rush full of the pieces you DON'T want, and I don't have a killer reason why the game is so good- it just is. Simply put, it's incredibly fun, addictive, and it holds up well to this day, despite the fact that this is the only game on the list to not come out with a "new" version, despite being ported to every system of its time. I also don't know why a new edition hasn't come out since its inception, but Atari needs to get on that soon. If you happen to come across this game, PLAY IT IMMEDIATELY.
Agree? Disagree? Did I miss something? Let me know in the Comments section below- I'd love to hear from you!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
I'm a little saddened today as I watch every single website and big box retailer sell out of their HP Touchpads at $99 a pop. I'm even more sad- and a tad angry, because it means that the tablet wars are going in the same direction as the cell phone wars have- leading to a big war between Apple and Android. Not that we couldn't see that coming from 50 miles away, but I like to root for the underdog- especially when the underdog has a great product that's overshadowed by the "majority rules" thinking by those who think they know the tech world. Seriously, when's the last time you've seen a retailer give a non Android/Apple device decent floor space, or even the last time one of them has talked up a Windows or WebOS phone? But I digress.
Long story short, HP's decision to ax the Touchpad after 49 days was a bad one. Here are a few things they could have done differently.
1: Back To School Tie In
With school just around the corner, HP should have taken advantage of the buzz around tablets and colleges and taken a page from Apple's book. For years, Apple offered an iPod with the purchase of a computer during Back To School season. While making a $500 tablet a free tie in would be stupid, HP should have turned it into a way to reduce the price and get the tablet some much needed word-of-mouth publicity. If a student buys a laptop whose base price is $XXX or more, they can throw in a Touchpad for just a mere $200 or $300. College students are impressionable, and for each student that has something, they're bound to run into 100 students who at least give it a second glance.
2. What About The Phone?
HP's WebOS platform was actually cool. Although their phones were too small for me, some of the things they could do were pretty awesome. Like Blackberry phones and tablets, HP's mobile front had the ability to communicate, something that iOS and Android haven't done (or at least marketed) effectively. WebOS tablets, like Blackberry's, could notify you when your phone was ringing, but WebOS could also share things between the phone and tablet by placing the phone on top of the tablet. For example, if you have a webpage pulled up on your tablet and need to leave it behind, you could place the phone on the tablet, and it would pull up the website on the phone. Pretty neat stuff. iPads sell because their commercials show what the product can really do; I wish they had based their commercials off some of the tablet's cooler technology rather than have Lea Michele and Russell Brand hawk the basic features that come on every tablet.
3. Sell it at $99 initially
Yes, I typed that right. Bear with me here. Companies are incredibly focused on the bottom line nowadays, but you really can't do that when you're entering a brand new market with stiff competition. For example, when 2K Sports geared up to put out NFL 2K5, they notices that they were losing market share to Madden. So what did they do? They one upped Madden on just about every possible facet of the game, including an ESPN license and a cool camera perspective where gamers could control a player by only seeing what the players see- through the facemask. But the biggest thing they did? The game was only $20, compared to Madden's $50. Dropping an Andrew Jackson on the game was a far smaller investment, and it got 2K Sports some publicity and exposure, which is what you need more than anything when entering a new market. Those first couple of years, the bottom line should not be so important. 2K Sports got out of the game, however, when EA Sports went and got the exclusive NFL license, making them the only show in town, not because of sales. If HP sold the Touchpad at an introductory price of $99, or even at $199, they would have gotten some serious publicity. All the "deals" sites would have carried the ad, and even if buyers were late coming to the party, the word of mouth from the initial sale would have been monstrous.
Fire selling their tablet at $99, HP has only confirmed that the tablet wars are about to seriously change. Android tablets aren't selling that hot, and they may have to undercut themselves to boost sales. We'll see what happens soon, but HP's decision to kill off their tablet (and their phones, for that matter) was, for lack of a better word, stupid.
Long story short, HP's decision to ax the Touchpad after 49 days was a bad one. Here are a few things they could have done differently.
1: Back To School Tie In
With school just around the corner, HP should have taken advantage of the buzz around tablets and colleges and taken a page from Apple's book. For years, Apple offered an iPod with the purchase of a computer during Back To School season. While making a $500 tablet a free tie in would be stupid, HP should have turned it into a way to reduce the price and get the tablet some much needed word-of-mouth publicity. If a student buys a laptop whose base price is $XXX or more, they can throw in a Touchpad for just a mere $200 or $300. College students are impressionable, and for each student that has something, they're bound to run into 100 students who at least give it a second glance.
2. What About The Phone?
HP's WebOS platform was actually cool. Although their phones were too small for me, some of the things they could do were pretty awesome. Like Blackberry phones and tablets, HP's mobile front had the ability to communicate, something that iOS and Android haven't done (or at least marketed) effectively. WebOS tablets, like Blackberry's, could notify you when your phone was ringing, but WebOS could also share things between the phone and tablet by placing the phone on top of the tablet. For example, if you have a webpage pulled up on your tablet and need to leave it behind, you could place the phone on the tablet, and it would pull up the website on the phone. Pretty neat stuff. iPads sell because their commercials show what the product can really do; I wish they had based their commercials off some of the tablet's cooler technology rather than have Lea Michele and Russell Brand hawk the basic features that come on every tablet.
3. Sell it at $99 initially
Yes, I typed that right. Bear with me here. Companies are incredibly focused on the bottom line nowadays, but you really can't do that when you're entering a brand new market with stiff competition. For example, when 2K Sports geared up to put out NFL 2K5, they notices that they were losing market share to Madden. So what did they do? They one upped Madden on just about every possible facet of the game, including an ESPN license and a cool camera perspective where gamers could control a player by only seeing what the players see- through the facemask. But the biggest thing they did? The game was only $20, compared to Madden's $50. Dropping an Andrew Jackson on the game was a far smaller investment, and it got 2K Sports some publicity and exposure, which is what you need more than anything when entering a new market. Those first couple of years, the bottom line should not be so important. 2K Sports got out of the game, however, when EA Sports went and got the exclusive NFL license, making them the only show in town, not because of sales. If HP sold the Touchpad at an introductory price of $99, or even at $199, they would have gotten some serious publicity. All the "deals" sites would have carried the ad, and even if buyers were late coming to the party, the word of mouth from the initial sale would have been monstrous.
Fire selling their tablet at $99, HP has only confirmed that the tablet wars are about to seriously change. Android tablets aren't selling that hot, and they may have to undercut themselves to boost sales. We'll see what happens soon, but HP's decision to kill off their tablet (and their phones, for that matter) was, for lack of a better word, stupid.
Friday, August 19, 2011
So my family came into town for the State Fair this week, and we had a blast. I always enjoy hanging with my cousin Ryan, since we never really sit around doing nothing. No, ever since we both began driving, we have left the confines of home for larger adventures. But today is not a day for one of those stories. Today we went to the fair, and ate some pretty awesome food- not much, but still all awesome.
Now I had never been to a state fair before- even when I was down in Mississippi, I really had no desire to ever go. However, with the state fair being 15 minutes from my school, and my family coming into town, how could I NOT go? So let's go!
I'm tired even as I write this. I drove back and forth from my place to the fair to Sherman, where my mom and two of her sisters were staying. It was a really nice bed and breakfast, but man did it cut into our travel time.
Actually, 15 minutes was an optimistic time of arrival from my place to the fair, to say the least. With very little parking, and many home and business owners out along the front of the fairground entrance, I didn't have much choice. But with so many lots to choose from, there was a lot of price cutting. We only paid $5, which was a steal.
Ryan and I chose to try the Fried Kool Aid. For $5, we got these three balls about the size of hush puppies. From what I saw behind the cashier, it looked like packaged Kool Aid mix was added to a special batter and scooped into little balls to be deep fried.
The fried Kool Aid was surprisingly good- think of a warm cherry Pop Tart in hush puppy form- that's the taste and texture I got from it. Anyway, the three balls were enough for me- I needed to make room for more food anyway!
After walking for a while, Ryan and I found this stand selling these incredibly long mozzarella sticks. We split an order, and let me tell you- those were the best mozzarella sticks I have ever had in my life. EVER. The breading was light and airy- kinda like the breading Chili's uses for their chicken tenders. The cheese was fresh, too- I have been looking to see if I could find the seller online, with no luck. If you know where to find him, drop me a line!
And, of course, we had to finish with the mandatory Elephant Ear/Funnel Cake purchase. this one was pretty darn big. If you know how big my hand is, you can tell how big this elephant ear was. It wasn't the best one I have ever had, but it was far from disappointing.
I drank a lot of lemonade that night, too. Lots of money went to those lemonade stands from my wallet, but it didn't bother me any- I was helping independent vendors, and the lemonade was fresh, so everybody wins!
All in all, it was a great time. We hit the Lincoln Museum the next day, and it was time for my family to go. If you're not from the Springfield area, believe me when I say you should hit up the fair. Everybody will have a great time.
Now I had never been to a state fair before- even when I was down in Mississippi, I really had no desire to ever go. However, with the state fair being 15 minutes from my school, and my family coming into town, how could I NOT go? So let's go!
I'm tired even as I write this. I drove back and forth from my place to the fair to Sherman, where my mom and two of her sisters were staying. It was a really nice bed and breakfast, but man did it cut into our travel time.
Actually, 15 minutes was an optimistic time of arrival from my place to the fair, to say the least. With very little parking, and many home and business owners out along the front of the fairground entrance, I didn't have much choice. But with so many lots to choose from, there was a lot of price cutting. We only paid $5, which was a steal.
 |
| Young Abe Lincoln greets you at the fairground entrance. He's got an axe, so I wouldn't piss him off. |
So the fair looked exactly as I thought it would...lots of carnival rides, people trying to sell you homemade trinkets, and a lot of food. Oh, the food was plentiful...and expensive. But I guess that if I were to compare its prices to the Taste of Chicago, I'd consider them about the same. So the first booth we came across was called Fried What!, and it sold just about anything you could imagine in fried form.
 |
| Powdered sugar- one of the four food groups of a state fair. |
All in all, it was a great time. We hit the Lincoln Museum the next day, and it was time for my family to go. If you're not from the Springfield area, believe me when I say you should hit up the fair. Everybody will have a great time.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
This is my first post of August, and let me tell you something- if my life so far this month was a person running the 110m hurdles, I would have tripped out of the blocks and a few hurdles as well. I've been sick and sleepy for the better part of a week now, and I would like some sort of magic pill to make me feel better. Either that, or a week's paid vacation with a live-in butler and a large LCD TV.
Things always work out though; I'll be fine. In the meantime, stick your head out soon as I'll be posting more content before you know it. Later days!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Things always work out though; I'll be fine. In the meantime, stick your head out soon as I'll be posting more content before you know it. Later days!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, August 4, 2011
So I have new employee orientation today. One awesome thing about being in government orientation is that I get a 75 minute lunch; on normal days I get just 30. Springfield has a lot of food options available, but one that caught my eye was Long John Silver's. I haven't eaten there in about six years, so I decided to give it a go. Two things you should know about me before I tell you about my food: One, I love to cook; Two, I love to pan sear fish. It's simple, heathy, and if you luck up, affordable as well.
So I happily place my order- two pieces of fish, fries, and hush puppies. It took longer than I expected to get my meal, but I knew it would be worth the wait.
So it came in this really neat little box- this was very cool and compact....except my food was hopping around in the box. Take a look.
Now just about everything in this box was fried, so it didn't mean a whole lot to me for it to come like this from a "my food can't touch" standpoint. But are you serious? Just about all of the meals at Long John Silver's are the same; there couldn't be a compartment for fish, one for fries, and one for the hush puppies? I know fast food isn't all about presentation so much as it is about selling the product, but this is kinda bad. I barely got any fries, the ones I got were soft, and if you look closely, there's a bunch of deep fry crumbs in my box. It's like someone said, "Hey! You know what I think you need? More minuscule crunchy pieces!"
So I delved into the meal, hungry as a bear. Everything would have been incredibly tasty except for one small problem: Everything was WAAAAAAAY too salty. The fish was salty, the hush puppies were salty, and by the time I started eating the fries, my taste buds were devoid of registering anything less than super salty. It's a real shame too, because everything except for the fries had a great texture. The hush puppies had this nice hint of garlic, and the fish was crunchy on the outside and hot and flaky on the inside. It's almost like they were trying to mask flavors with salt. Fast food isn't very healthy to begin with, but I'm kinda scared to see the nutritional value for that meal, just because the sodium level has to be extremely high.
Just as a word to the good people who run this company: I'm no professional cook, but I'm pretty sure fish doesn't need a whole lot of salting before it's deemed "too salty". Now I see why I hadn't eaten here in so long. Disappointing, to say the least.
So I happily place my order- two pieces of fish, fries, and hush puppies. It took longer than I expected to get my meal, but I knew it would be worth the wait.
So it came in this really neat little box- this was very cool and compact....except my food was hopping around in the box. Take a look.
So I delved into the meal, hungry as a bear. Everything would have been incredibly tasty except for one small problem: Everything was WAAAAAAAY too salty. The fish was salty, the hush puppies were salty, and by the time I started eating the fries, my taste buds were devoid of registering anything less than super salty. It's a real shame too, because everything except for the fries had a great texture. The hush puppies had this nice hint of garlic, and the fish was crunchy on the outside and hot and flaky on the inside. It's almost like they were trying to mask flavors with salt. Fast food isn't very healthy to begin with, but I'm kinda scared to see the nutritional value for that meal, just because the sodium level has to be extremely high.
Just as a word to the good people who run this company: I'm no professional cook, but I'm pretty sure fish doesn't need a whole lot of salting before it's deemed "too salty". Now I see why I hadn't eaten here in so long. Disappointing, to say the least.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
There is a lot if debate as to the worst pickup line in history, but the worst breakup line in history is pretty obvious.
"It's not you. It's me."
Seriously, whoever invented this line is probably owed by millions- no, billions of people for their inventiveness in coming up with the ultimate one liner that leads straight to a relationship's back door. Just give em a shrine where people can kneel and sing the praise "Thank you kind sir/madam for providing me with a way out of my relationship without actually forcing me to confront the other person with the true lingering problem(s) in our relationship."
But hey, let's be fair here. I mean, what if the breakup initiator Is telling the truth? What if, for once, it really was them and not you? Well, let's analyze the line from the initiator's standpoint:
"I have problems. But I'm not going to make you deal with my problems anymore. You shouldn't have to, although you've made it quite clear that you're willing to see past my problems to strengthen our relationship. Not only am I not going to let you deal with this anymore, I'm not even going to let you have this decision. I am keeping you from what will turn into a shitty relationship down the road because I'm just that nice. Seriously, I'm stepping on a huge grenade for you here."
Sounds like a load of crap to me. In all actuality, this line does nothing for each party except give them a false sense of security. A little more honestly means that the person getting broken up with now knows what they need to work on, especially if the problem generally makes them undateable.
Sure, I'm writing this column at a time when I'm a little more biased- after all, I have been hit with this line before (not exactly, but it was cloaked under a different set of words). I didn't think I did anything wrong, but maybe there's something that I have failed to see here that she could have brought to my attention. Still, being hit with a line like that, as genuine as someone may make it seem, still makes you wonder if there was a bigger issue at hand here.
Seriously, retire the line from your dating dictionary- if not for me, then for the good of the single people community.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
"It's not you. It's me."
Seriously, whoever invented this line is probably owed by millions- no, billions of people for their inventiveness in coming up with the ultimate one liner that leads straight to a relationship's back door. Just give em a shrine where people can kneel and sing the praise "Thank you kind sir/madam for providing me with a way out of my relationship without actually forcing me to confront the other person with the true lingering problem(s) in our relationship."
But hey, let's be fair here. I mean, what if the breakup initiator Is telling the truth? What if, for once, it really was them and not you? Well, let's analyze the line from the initiator's standpoint:
"I have problems. But I'm not going to make you deal with my problems anymore. You shouldn't have to, although you've made it quite clear that you're willing to see past my problems to strengthen our relationship. Not only am I not going to let you deal with this anymore, I'm not even going to let you have this decision. I am keeping you from what will turn into a shitty relationship down the road because I'm just that nice. Seriously, I'm stepping on a huge grenade for you here."
Sounds like a load of crap to me. In all actuality, this line does nothing for each party except give them a false sense of security. A little more honestly means that the person getting broken up with now knows what they need to work on, especially if the problem generally makes them undateable.
Sure, I'm writing this column at a time when I'm a little more biased- after all, I have been hit with this line before (not exactly, but it was cloaked under a different set of words). I didn't think I did anything wrong, but maybe there's something that I have failed to see here that she could have brought to my attention. Still, being hit with a line like that, as genuine as someone may make it seem, still makes you wonder if there was a bigger issue at hand here.
Seriously, retire the line from your dating dictionary- if not for me, then for the good of the single people community.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Just a quick random thought: if Google wants people to start using Google Plus and take away market share,they really should have launched with apps on every single major mobile and tablet OS. Why? Well, people are using their social media services on the go so much more these days. Plus, they could really dig into the iPad market. Facebook has yet to release an official app, and none of the knockoffs are especially good in my opinion. Plus, the main site through Safari works, but isn't very good. When it comes to social media, constant exposure is king.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Right now I'm on my lunch break at work, and I decided to take my iPad 2, newly christened with an activated 3G connection, and check the App Store for updates. I hit the "download all" button, and all of a sudden, I got an error message stating that apps that were more than 20MB in size would have to be downloaded over a wifi connection. Seriously? What the hell? The culprit, by the way, was X Men Arcade Edition.
I understand that Apple is looking out for me and my battery life. But I'm only sitting here at work. Even if it just sits here idly for the rest of the day (which it probably will), just give me a warning message stating that downloading a larger file will drain my battery life considerably faster. But give me that option. It's only 70 megabytes- I've got 1,024 each month, and I don't even use them all.
This is odd considering that Apple is trying to make the iPad such a mobile device. If I didn't have a wifi connection at home, I'd have to go to a Starbucks or an Apple Store to do such a simple task.
Come on Apple. Let me use my 3G connection as I please. Stop meddling.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I understand that Apple is looking out for me and my battery life. But I'm only sitting here at work. Even if it just sits here idly for the rest of the day (which it probably will), just give me a warning message stating that downloading a larger file will drain my battery life considerably faster. But give me that option. It's only 70 megabytes- I've got 1,024 each month, and I don't even use them all.
This is odd considering that Apple is trying to make the iPad such a mobile device. If I didn't have a wifi connection at home, I'd have to go to a Starbucks or an Apple Store to do such a simple task.
Come on Apple. Let me use my 3G connection as I please. Stop meddling.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Salmon Croquettes w/ Wild Rice
I love salmon croquettes. They're such an easy dish, and they're not half bad for you either. Take a can of pink salmon, about the size of a soup can, and debone and deskin the fish. Take what's left, and mix in two large eggs- this is to keep the patties together while they fry. Throw in some onions, green peppers, tomatoes, or whatever else you like, too. Canned salmon already has a salt in it, so you shouldn't have to season it too much, lest they become salty.
Coat the patties in a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, and lemon pepper seasoning. Lay them in a pan of hot oil until brown and crisp on both sides. Like pancakes, you should only have to flip once. Flip too much and they may end up soggy.
A can of salmon makes 3 to 5 patties, depending on how big you've made them. Serve with rice or pasta (I just made a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice), and serve.
Personally, I like my croquettes plain, but some people make a tartar sauce or other dip to go along with them. If cooked correctly though, these should taste fine all by themselves.
Sent from my Windows Phone
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Mortal Kombat just got a whole lot more badass. Freddy Kreuger- yes THAT Freddy Kreuger, will soon be making his Outworld Tournament debut as a downloadable character. Take a look at the video below to see what the crown prince of Elm Street has in store for the other kombatants.
I'm so happy that the good people behind Mortal Kombat did this- I'm just wondering what took them so long. Mortal Kombat is a gory, no holds barred type of game that can scare the living crap out of 5 year olds and impressionable adults alike. That being said, wouldn't horror movie villains be the perfect characters to add to a game like this? The DC crossover seemed like a decent idea at the time...until we found out that none of the heroes would be programmed to brutally murder their opponents. Lame. The movie killers are primed for some incredibly inventive fatalities- I mean, who could forget this?
I'd love to see other movie killers make their way into this game. Maybe not so much Norman Bates (although he could replace Noob Saibot with the whole shadow thing), but the guy from Scream, the Texas Chainsaw Killer, or even Chucky.Of course, I wouldn't say any of this if it didn't lead up to Jason. I would love to see the REAL Freddy Vs. Jason happen in this game, but regardless of what happens, adding Freddy to Mortal Kombat was a great great move.
I'm so happy that the good people behind Mortal Kombat did this- I'm just wondering what took them so long. Mortal Kombat is a gory, no holds barred type of game that can scare the living crap out of 5 year olds and impressionable adults alike. That being said, wouldn't horror movie villains be the perfect characters to add to a game like this? The DC crossover seemed like a decent idea at the time...until we found out that none of the heroes would be programmed to brutally murder their opponents. Lame. The movie killers are primed for some incredibly inventive fatalities- I mean, who could forget this?
I'd love to see other movie killers make their way into this game. Maybe not so much Norman Bates (although he could replace Noob Saibot with the whole shadow thing), but the guy from Scream, the Texas Chainsaw Killer, or even Chucky.Of course, I wouldn't say any of this if it didn't lead up to Jason. I would love to see the REAL Freddy Vs. Jason happen in this game, but regardless of what happens, adding Freddy to Mortal Kombat was a great great move.
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