Luda - How Low

Girls dancing to Ludacris song "How Low."

These girls dance better than a majority of strippers out in the market. If they did this at the night club's I go to, everyone mouths would just drop to the floor like they just got knocked out. Good lord they know how to shake it! Their booty shakes remind of an old Zulu dance somewhere I've seen on the Discovery Channel. Much props to them for showing their athletic talent and their gifted assets.

Foursquare

My boy, Hollywood Pete just jumped on this new online social shindig. He was telling me all about it last night. It's a new edition to socialization. I personally wouldn't jump into it because of privacy issues, but it seems fun. It basically informs people in your social network (twitter, facebook, etc.) where you are. If I am at In-N-Out in Rosemead, California, I can just check-in via internet mobile phone and it will notify my friends where I am at. It's like an on-board GPS system for your friends. Or to put it in a bad way, an ankle bracelet powered by GPS for your parole agent. You can win awards like Mayor of Alhambra, California. But that's if you can out beat the other social butterfly.

Scope it out: www.foursquare.com

Fireflies - Owl City

Going Bald Memo Pad

What a cool idea. The more you use it, the less hair it has. Just like age.
Advertising Agency: JWT Hong Kong
Executive Creative Director: Steven Lee
Creative Directors: Kwong Chi Kit, Barbara Fu
Art Directors: Kwong Chi Kit, Arthur Tse
Copywriters: Barbara Fu, Daat Lai
Published: March 2009

via LikeCOOL

Sin Nombre (Movie)

Girl Love > Barrio Love

Idle Warship - Bedroom Lites

Feeling the beat.

Miscommunications

I went to 7-Eleven on Sunday to grab a sandwich. I was going up to the counter and the Chinese clerk said, "you get chip." I asked "is it free though?" The China man tells me, "no Frito or Doritos. 7-Eleven chip ok." I didn't think he understood what I saying, so I asked him again, "is it free though?" He goes "no Frito." He pauses and goes "yeah, free." You get a free pack of 7-Eleven chips every sandwich purchase.

My lesbian friend bought me a Rolex for Christmas. I guess she misunderstood me when I said I wanted to watch. (Not a true story, but I wish.)

Some words just sound a like, so you assume you heard something else. My boy, Evon is good at this.

BREATHE

Some times I forget to do the most important thing in life, breathe. It seems like I need a constant reminder. How can I forget such a simple thing? All I need to do is inhale and exhale. It brings oxygen to my lungs, which creates energy. I remember to breathe on a regular basis and when I weight train, but why not in other circumstances? Maybe I'm thinking too much.

Breathing also helps clear the mind. During stressful circumstances, take a couple of deep breathes and relax.

A reminder to self: "BREATHE."

Twitter: Rev Run

So I decided to jump on Twitter to see what the hype was about. It's pretty neat that you can follow people you like. One of my favorite Tweeters is Rev Run. His words of wisdom make you sit back and think. Some of it is pretty deep. Take a peak: http://twitter.com/RevRunWisdom . It's like reading a message off a fortune cookie minus the lameness. If you got to catch his MTV show, Run's House, you got to hear some of his quotes during the conclusion. Much props to Rev Run for being a dope MC, Father, and Writer.

Car Impressions

WOW!!! This kid nailed it on the bulls eye. He's so good, I can't stop laughing.

Bike with Rocket Launchers

\
That's pretty gangster. All he needs to do is make it aim straight.

People & Train Tracks don't Mix #2

One lucky guy with a nice reflex.

Let Downs

Let downs after let downs and disappointments after disappointments. Don't you hate it when you don't have control over certain situations? It's always another factor that throws you the curve ball and hits you in the gut. You're on one knee trying to grasp for air and you can't move forward. This makes life really tough at times; especially when you are doing great.

Let downs usually begin when you are on a good streak of loving life. For some reason, life gives you an upset and you're back to working your way up. I dread that feeling. When something good comes along, something else has to happen and take it away. I can never stroll around for a week and say "life is not only dandy, its f'in great." Life plays tricks on you.

Some days, you just want to yell to release the frustration. Other days, you want to just beat up a heavy bag to settle the nerve. Disappointments is what makes life tough. It's never a smooth ride and you can't fix it on the spot. Only time will tell when you get back on track. Middle finger to let downs and disappointments. Humans and creatures don't like being sad.

Tax Payers Pay for MJ's Funeral

Los Angeles tax payers will need to shed out $2 million for Michael Jackson's funeral ceremony that was held at Staples Center. That's BS!

I didn't attend and I didn't watch the ceremony on television. I was where I should have of been, at work. Why should I have to pay for his ceremony? Who is he to me? They should have charged attendees and ticket holders. It did come with a big performance. They should have taxed the media outlets as well. Now citizens are left to pay $2 million for the LAPD's help. That's why our government is broke. They don't know how to capitalize on these type of occasions. How about AEG? They donated the venue.

Am I heartless? I don't think so. They wouldn't do this for me and you.

Heli Dildo

I wouldn't want one of these flying while I'm on stage.

Toni Braxton ft. Trey - Yesterday

See which cameo's you spot. It's quite hilarious.

Toni's body and voice is still bangin'.

Zhu Zhu Pet - Hot Seller

So what's the hot item for Christmas 2009? It's not Elmo or Wii, it's Zhu Zhu Pet.

This item is sold out at major retail stores. Good luck finding one. eBay sellers are making a killer on these. The hamsters are animated, they stop and go like a real gerbil. The best thing is that they don't cause a mess or bite you.

Kind of cool, yet super corny.

The Hottest UFC Ring Girl

Arianny Celeste.

Hot girl training.


The next Gina Carrano? Maybe not!


Gorgeous

I Love My Guns

I love my guns...

I don't have a favorite.
I am not biased towards them.
Every gun performs its own task.
When I fire, it goes where directed.
They protect me.
They give me confidence.
Each has its own personality.
One feels differently.
Another reacts differently.
It does not express jealousy.
It does not talk back.
When given respect, respect is returned.
I feed it, I clean it, I play with it.

I love my guns.

Stock Looking Evo Runs Wild

Turn up your volume on this one. Sounds insane.

When anti lag goes bang!

GSXR Assembly

I was hoping this would transform.

T. Barker Remix

My Customer on the L.A. Times

Read here: L.A. Times

Late Tuesday night before I was going to hit the sack, I noticed an r/c car on the front cover of the L.A. Times, business section. It was an HPI Baja 5b. Since the paper was folded again vertically by my mom, I only saw the car. Once I unfolded the paper (to my dismay), one of my best customers was on it. The header and sub-header threw me off guard.

This customer would spend thousands of dollars a week with me. I would literally talk to him everyday. I know a lot of his background by now. When I first met him, he paid us a few thousand in cash. Now a days people use company checks or credit/debit cards. Apparently his dad made a lot of money selling cabinets and shelving to department stores. For now, his family has enough money to weather through the economy.

I called him yesterday because some of his back orders came in. The first thing he said was "you read the paper." I told him I did. Right away, he assured me that he was not going anywhere. This was just an idea his Wife had, so they submitted it to the editor. If it was or was not a publicity stunt, it worked. His phone rang off the hook. Customers from all over called and a lot of them mentioned that they never heard of him. Like my good friend Hollywood Pete says, "no such thing as bad publicity."

With this torn economy, it's hard to say if he will last, but I am definitely crossing my fingers. He doesn't order close to what he did a few months ago, but he stocks most of my parts and I thank him for it. Times are tough and this holiday season is not looking sunny at all for most retailers. My current observation would suggest a low forecast and a small decrease in sales (5-10%) this holiday compared to 2008. Last year was already a drop from the following year. We just got to be optimistic and hope for the best.

Like we say in our office, "we need more Big Ballers."

Most Definitely

One of my good friends, Big James told me to watch a documentary on Mos Def in Japan. Just in case you don't know him, he's a rapper / actor. He reminds me of the rapper Common. They are both rap artists and actors. Their lyrics are not about your typical blood & crypts, or iced out chains. The music is more soothing. This song has a nice beat to it.

Blakroc: Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo) ft. Mos Def & Jim Jones

Mellow Rap Metal.

People & Train Tracks don't Mix

Very close to being ran over. If onlookers didn't flag down the operator, she would have been a bloody mess. Time for her to go to an AA meeting.


Watch your kids like a hawk!

Milk, it does a body good

Photo Courtesy of L.A. Times

Cow Milk - I'm lactose intolerant, so I'll pass. Plus what animal drinks another animals milk? You can probably milk a dog, but would you drink it's milk?

Soy Milk - Been drinking this since I was a kid. Chinese supermarkets sell this in a small juice box, but it's water downed. In one container, you're probably only getting 10% soy milk. You can get ultra pasteurized, organic soy milk that is non-refrigerated that tastes even better.

Almond Milk - Tastes like almond jello I am assuming. Should taste very similar to almond milk tea you get from TapEx, Au79, Lollicup, and other Taiwanese drink stores.

Rice Milk - Add a little cinnamon and Horchata anyone?

Goat Milk - Had it when I was very young. Too creamy and flavorful for my taste buds. It's definitely not for me.

Hemp Milk - Now this is interesting. A little THC extract mixed with some type of milk? Reminds me of herb tea. I'm sure I won't get high or else the FDA would have disapproved it. I want to try this though.

Pacquiao vs Cotto (short clip)

Jesse James + Trophy Truck = Badass

I have always been a fan of Jesse James. Not because his last name is my first name but because he is literally a bad ass. I've been watching Monster Garage, West Coast Choppers, and Jesse James is a Dead Man. He is an awesome fabricator and driver. Whatever he touches turns into platinum. His personality seems pretty laid back and is respectable amongst many.

On his show, Jesse James is a Dead Man, he drives a trophy truck through Baja Mexico. He does really well until he manages to get stuck in a ditch. Here's a little snip of him and his trophy truck in the United Kingdom.

To be honest, I was never a big fan of off-road. I was always into on-road like sport cars, touring cars, drifting, and drag racing. Not until I started working in the radio control industry, my likings for off-road started growing. A big chunk of the market is in off-road. There are stadium trucks, monster trucks, trophy trucks, short course trucks, and buggys. Short course trucks are gaining more popularity and have been shown on national television. Trophy trucks are similar to short course trucks, but they run in the desert instead of a stadium setting.

If you get a chance, watch Jesse James is a Dead Man.

Some Tricks I learned about Credit Cards

AMEX (American Express) cards start with a #3
Visa cards start with a #4
Master cards start with a #5
Discover cards start with a #6

When ordering sites or a personnel over the phone asks you if its a Visa or Master Card, they shouldn't be working in the retail sector. I don't even bother asking people what kind of card it is. The first digit says it all.

All cards have 16 digits except AMEX. AMEX has 15 digits.

Most banks give you a renewal date of 3 years with the same expiration month. It is rare that they give you a new card number or different expiration month. When credit cards expire, I just change the expiration year to +3. Sometimes banks will only renew you two years, but I have seen up to 5 years.

Sorry... I dont work retail!

Guns

Just the other day we were talking about guns. There's all sorts of guns and ammunition. There's so much information that publishers print encyclopedias just on that. I wish I could try every single gun in the world, like I wish I can drive every car in the world, like I wish I can bang every girl in the world.

Here's the one most people have seen before:


If you liked that clip, you will enjoy this clip as well.


I wish I had this shotgun. Or at least that type of shell.


Dick Tracy that Glock.


I want this.

Cheesy Stuff Sells

I have been selling a lot of low-cost cars lately. These cars have a great price point, so a lot of stores are stocking them. All the cars are licensed from official race cars in Japan and Europe. The cars range from extreme graphics to a solid paint job. Even if the cars had the most cheesy and wildest graphics, those would sell better than the ones with no graphics. There's a yellow Toyota Supra with the logo/words "Yellow Hat" and a kid drawn smiley face, which would sell 3-times faster then the new Lance Evolution X with solid gray paint. I understand it's from the original car that ran in the Japanese race circuit, but I don't believe a majority of the people who bought that car knew that. I could have a plain red Ferrari that would be many peoples dream car, but the Honda Civic with a big "Racing" sticker would outsell it. This world is very strange.

In business it's not what you like, but what the majority wants.

Would you rather make really nice products and good money, or make decent/cheesy products and a fortune? Passion vs. Greed. Think hard about it because everyone is different.

Alicia Keys - Doesn't mean a thing

Best Halloween Costume

This is the best halloween costume I've seen so far.

Red Bull 2009 New Years Eve

I want to see this:


Dirt, Asphalt, Jumps, Rally Cars, Trucks, Bikes, Girls.... I like! I want to see this live. How entertaining will this be? You can drink or party any time of the week, but you won't see this on a regular basis.

By the way... Rhys Millen was driving a Short Course Truck and those things are HOT!!!

PSP go?

PSP Go? Never heard of it. Marketing failure? Possibly.

I was never big on games and game consoles, but I always hear when popular items are being released. Sony didn't do a good job on this one. This product has been released to the market and most of us haven't heard a thing. It's close to holiday season and still no hype? From my understanding, it has a high street price and no actual game cartridge. It sure looks nice though.

People of Walmart

I was never a big fan of Walmart. The overall appearance of corporate America dominated by low prices, and a half fulfilling ambiance is not my taste. Right when I step through the doors, it feels like an unbalanced Feng Shui. The lines are extraordinary long at times for people trying to pinch that worthless monetary they call the penny. When you put all these facts together, this is what you get:

http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

I admit, I shop at Walmart once in a long while. When times are tough and time is on your side, shopping at Walmart is heck of a bargain. Their gun department is like a treasure chest full of gold to be taken. Other than that, I rather shop with their opponents.

Canned Cars

Art Week around L.A.

What an interesting week. It all started on Thursday when I attended Downtown L.A.'s Art Walk. Art Walk happens every second Thursday of each month. There were thousands of people from college students to older adults. It's a great way to scope out art and see what the Los Angeles culture is about. There were bunch of food vendors on hand with live music. I've even seen barbers cutting hair on the streets. The most amazing thing I saw was gallery on wheels. What a conventional way without paying for real estate. The city cleaned up downtown quite a bit. There's less hobos and the streets don't smell like trash or urine.

On Saturday, I went to the 4th Annual Paadena ARTWalk. The vendors section was actually small, but the Pacific Asian Museum was awesome. It's small in size, but it features old artifacts, Asian graffiti, and calligraphy. I got a change to test my calligraphy skills. It was terrible, but fun.

The next event will be the Giant Robot Biennale 2 Exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in J-town. I am looking forward to that!

Slow Mo Ammo

Patrick Boivin

I stumbled upon this film-maker and artist from Quebec, Canada. He's got a lot of talent. I've seen some of his clips before, but now I have a library to browse through. Check out some of his short films and stop motion animations: Patrick Boivin .

Saw Amazing

I would have chopped off my fingers within 3 seconds of doing this.

Roadside BOMB!!!

Bow Pro

Talented Kid!

Aerial Bow Fishing

Look at all those fish...

Battle of the Blonds

Concrete Blonde - Tomorrow Wendy


Concrete Blonde - Joey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap5vXJi-cgc

Blondie - Maria


Blondie - Heart of Glass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXlaOsNBDkk

Some other good songs by Blondie: Call Me, Rapture, Dreaming, One Way or Another.

In my book, I guess Blondie wins. Why? Because she has more hits.

Project: Stadium Truck (Update #1)

I've been working on this marketing project for work.
These are the current mods:
- Proline Crowd Pleaser body
- RPM Revolver wheels
- Proline Road Hawg II tires
- Stiffer springs
- Adjustable turnbuckles (for camber & toe)
- Aluminum hex adapters

Next thing comes paint. Stay tuned...

Bulk Ammo

I had a case of 1,000 rounds shipped to my dads office. My dad asked why the box was so heavy? I told him they were bullets. It was kind of strange telling him because he doesn't know that I have guns. It's better that it's out in the open now.

One of my good friends took me to his best friends house this weekend to checkout some guns. WOW!!! Did he have a lot of neat collection. He had a lot of pre-bans and guns that I want. When Gray Davis was in office, he started adding a lot of restrictions to California firearms. Bill Clinton and the democrats started banning a lot of guns as well. There's a bill being passed that would not allow stores to ship handgun ammunition to CA residents. A lot of people are scared that President Obama and the democrats will start to ban all firearms and maybe ammo too. The democrats are ruining my hobby.

Here are reasons why you should buy a firearm now:
1) Buy it before it gets banned
2) The economy is in the dump tank, so it's necessary to have some type of home defense.
3) It's a good investment because gun prices are going higher, not lower.
4) You can go to the range with me.

Quote of the week, "I am too shaken to make a statement at this time." - Angell C.

Honey Bee

A tongue?????

Honda's "Segway style" unicycle

This is awesome:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1215741/Honda-unveils-Segway-style-unicycle-travels-direction-want.html

Custom Prison Water Bottle

7-11 Custom Mocha Coffee

Coffee can get boring after awhile. People brew their blend of choice and just add cream and sugar. Now that's just plain and typical!

7-Eleven has a great selection of coffee and hot drinks. When I was hooked on this legal drug, I use to make a custom drink. I would pour 3/4 house blend coffee with 1/4 Hershey's hot chocolate. This combination was great! I didn't have to add sugar because the coco had sugar in it. Why pay double the price somewhere for a mocha coffee, when you can make it at 7-11? Yes, it's a poor man's way but I get the same smile everyone does. There's all types of custom creations you can make, but this is the most simple yet tasty. I am literally in and out of store in a minute. If you like chocolate and coffee, you will love it!

Canned Water

We usually see drinking water in a plastic or glass bottle. This is a rare sight, but its true. Non-carbonated water can be packaged in an aluminum can. Weird!!! Courtesy of Southwest Airlines.

Funny Video: Shake Weight Infomercial

This item reminds me of the fat jiggler machine. What a waste of money! There's no easier way than traditional exercises.

Funny Video: Wrong Hole

WRONG HOLE with DJ Lubel, Taryn Southern and Scott Baio from Scott Baio

If you put Scott Baio from Charles in Charge, a guy with no chin, and a beautiful singer together, you get a comedy song. So wrong, yet so funny. I got a messed up sense of humor.

New Clothing Line

A friend of mines just started a new clothing line. It has a classy and mature, yet cool look. I got a peak at some of the items and I can definitely see myself wearing it. Looks like the first run will be available Spring of 2010. Here's a small preview:

Beijing IKEA

I came across a hilarious story:

Beijing loves IKEA -- but not for shopping

This would have been the No. 1 story on CNN.com, but the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy took the spotlight. The LA Times story took No. 1 for 2-days. Funny, yet embarrassing!

Canon Rock

Awesome guitarist!

Woody

This is my new Ruger Mini-14 ranch rifle. It comes with a 5 round magazine, which is really small. The magazine is tucked into the rifle so you can't see it. I'm looking into a 10 round Ruger factory magazine and a scope. Ten rounds is maximum in California. The wood is actually cool looking, so I won't be changing it to a synthetic stock anytime soon. At first, I wanted a tactical rifle that was blued. After looking at the more expensive tactical rifles like the Sig Sauer, I would just hold off until I had the funds. The high-end rifles are at least $1,000 more.

The 10-day cooling period felt like a month. I call my new buddy, Woody. Unfortunately the forest fires did not permit us to go shooting this weekend. I hope to try out this new bad boy shortly. Bang Bang Boogey!

Failure or Hoaxes?

Fails:
http://failblog.org/


Yahoo! Answer Fail:
http://www.yahooanswerfail.com/


Here's a good example:
http://www.yahooanswerfail.com/std-fail/

R.I.P. Ammo Guy

I needed some ammo for this weekend, so I asked one of my good friends to ask his good friend, Doug for a hookup. We were going to go half on a mass buy. He was a big collector, so he knew what to get and who to get it from.

I was out with my friend on Saturday night when he got a call from Doug. He said he would get the ammo tomorrow or Monday. I got a text late noon on Sunday, saying that Doug died. He was only 25 or 26 years of age. He passed away from a seizure. Another precious life lost at a young age. Even though I didn't really know him, it's just sad to hear. This is my tribute to the Ammo Guy.

The Dream - Mix

Some videos I came across while searching for The Dream:

Rockin that Thang ft. Ludacris, Rick Ross, Juelz Santana, Fabolous
(Clean Version)


I'm Amazing

Project: Stadium Truck

We received a container full of newly released electric stadium trucks and buggys. Since I am the marketing execute at my office, I decided to do a build on the truck. What sets these apart from our regular cars are the price and where it is made. Most quality radio controlled cars are made in Taiwan and Japan. R/C cars made in China are usually junk and toy-like. From my own testing, this truck is actually durable. I guess our Taiwanese factory taught their new China factory well. Even though I don't like to say it, but it's official, we are selling a China car. This is what it looks like:


Here's a video of it:

Not too shabby for a China car.

Even though I have most of the hop-ups on hand, I am trying to prolong the build for marketing purposes. It might be a month or so, but I will update my blog with it.

Shark Tank

I watched 3 episodes of Shark Tank on Hulu last night. It is different from The Apprentice, Pitchmen, The Big Idea, and other entrepreneur shows.

Shark Tank is the American version of Dragons Den. I first heard of Dragons Den from a person who wanted to buy my companies product. We wouldn't sell him the particular item because he wasn't a reseller. He decided to make his own version of it. His design was a lot better. However, being the amateur that he was, he thought that it would be easy. Everyone on the online forums (message boards) were hyped about it. I was the only one on the boards who shot him down. Realistically the time and costs did not add up. We were paying a person in China nickels and dimes while he was trying to produce it in the states. It was impossible to make a profitable company out of it. Plus he didn't calculate the licensing fee. Or did he not know about it? Since his project failed, he wanted to buy our product again and pitch it to the Dragons Den. We denied his request. I am guessing the venture-capitalist denied him too. (Note: It is important to do calculations thoroughly and repeatedly. Some things are not worth it.)

I admit, I am not the smartest guy and I have a lot to learn in business. However, most of the entrepreneurs (pitchers) on this show are ridiculous. They are extremely greedy without a reason. The amount of equity they offer the investors are beyond belief. Do they really think their company is worth that much? Just by looking at the overall figure and offer, you can tell if it is worth investing in or not. Most of the time, you don't even need to know what the product is. Some of the presentations are so horrible that you wonder if they actually thought it through and rehearsed it. Are you really going to go on national television to fail on something that you invented? If I'm going to put my signature behind it, it better be the pinnacle, cream of the crop. (Note: Give it 100% or don't bother. And don't be greedy.)

Ideas are always good, but from the looks of it most people can't execute. I guess that is why they are on this show. Having a good idea doesn't mean anything if you don't know how to maximize its potential. I hear some people talk about big ideas and how easy it is to get rich, but they have not shown it. In my mind I ask, "What is your track record? Show me what you are capable of." (Note: Do more, speak less. Your actions will prove your point. Be realistic. It's easier said than done.)

I like seeing peoples ideas and the way they present themselves on the show. Most of the time, I can guess what the sharks are willing to offer. I don't think the sharks offers are swayed. I believe a lot of it is fair. I would offer something similar. We'll have to see what other geniuses on this show have to present.

Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi x Postal Service: Man on the Moon


David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi: Memories

Japanese Bug Fights

Like wrestling? boxing? how about UFC? or maybe cock fights?

You got to check out bug fights: www.japanesebugfights.com

F'in Hilarious: Guns

Beats putting a real gun under your seat or stored in your glove compartment.

DJ AM: Continuous Mixing

My friend Alice shared some more of DJ AM's music. You can stream or download it here: https://www.box.net/shared/bczbp458pu . I just noticed that he is DJ'ing at the club my cousin manages. I'll have to go check it out one of these days.

Old songs get boring but add a little remix to it and you get a whole new song. Check it out:

DJ AM, Warren G, & Travis Barker - "Regulators"

Bringing it back elementary.

Travis Barker Remix Soulja Boy - "Crank That"

Very talented drummer.

The Game ft. Travis Barker - "Dope Boys"

Reppin' L.A.

The Beauty and the Beast: MMA Style

Every fairytale has a perfect ending...
This fight was not the case. The beast (Cris Cyborg Santos) gave the pretty girl a beat down. It was a straight bully ground and pound. This was no match for Gina Carano. She was not fighting back after taking continuous punches to the face. Cyborg and Big John McCarthy both agreed the referee made an excellent call by ending the fight a second before the end of round one. Carano received her first MMA lost this Saturday. I was hoping she would win but I knew it was going to be a tough one. Carano should have put up a better fight. She's still my MT champion though.

For some reason I have always been fascinated with female fights. I am not sure what it is... Maybe I like the vicious hair pulling, clothes ripping, and finger nail scratching? Girl fights are usually dirty but it is always interesting to watch.

If you missed it, catch it here:

Cold USB Coaster

Don't you hate it when cold drinks from the refrigerator turn warm within 10 minutes?

A week ago I was hanging out with my buddy Mike and Teresa at Indians. I told them about the cool bar table I sat it. They were pretty stoked about it too. Teresa found this online:


A few things I would like to critic about it just by looking at it:

First, can this item really get ice cold and create a layer of frost on the coaster? If I am going to be spending $40+ on this, it better get real cold.

Since this item uses a USB cable, will the computers power supply produce enough juice to make this coaster ice cold? Think about it... If I leave the freezer door open, the motor will be working extra hard to compensate for the loss of temperature. That should be the same as the power supply. I agree that this item is smaller, but it's technically the same concept.

For it to produce frost, doesn't it need some type of Freon or chemical?

This coaster can switch from hot to cold. Usually these 2-in-1's are not the greatest. Have you bought one of those 4-in-1 printers? A majority of those end up being junk. You are suppose to buy a machine that specializes in one task in order to maximize its potential. If these 4-in-1's were so great, ever table would have one already.

Nike SB - Today Was a Good Day

Some of you have seen a commercial of Paul Rodiguez and Ice Cube on TV, but this is the extended version.



The video features Paul Rodriguez, Ice Cube, Kobe Bryant, Eric Koston, and the great Los Angeles. This is how we do it in LA. It reminds me of the good ol' days.

Red Bull Banned

Check out this article from the TIME: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900849,00.html

Apparently there's a small trace of cocaine in Red Bull Cola. Yay!!!

In 2008, France uplifted a 12-year ban on Red Bull. So much heat on a little drink with a kick.

You got to admit, their sponsorship program is awesome. Their logo can be seen on F-1, extreme sports, flight lab, race cars, and more. They are very secure on the usage of their logo. Licensing is very tough to get from them. I am still trying to get one of their caps. Technically, the authentic Red Bull hats are for sponsored people only.

Time to time motocross riders write to me asking me for some type of sponsorship. I was thinking about having them take a picture of themselves with our car. (It would be a pretty cool marketing campaign. Unfortunately my budget is a bit tight this year.) And if they were sponsored by Red Bull, I was going to ask for a hat too. =)

Twins Special: Red Bull Shorts

I love Red Bull. Red Bull, Red Bull Cola, Red Bull & Goose. I love Red Bull so much that I bought these boxing shorts. They are hand made in Thailand by Twins Special and the quality is superb. Some of these Twins shorts are made to order. The writing says Muay Thai. The color is actually a dark blue, but the flash on the camera makes it look lighter. Here is a good site to buy Twins shorts: www.muaythaistuff.com. This e-commerce store is from Thailand but shipping only takes about a week. With shipping, these shorts are about $36.00 USD. I didn't have to pay any taxes, fees, or duties. Twins shorts run a bit smaller in size. I bought a medium which is tight on the waist but I can get away with a large.
This is the newest Red Bull. Its a mix of the original Red Bull with Cola. It's pretty good too but still a little pricey.

Bacchus is the Korean version of Red Bull. It's similar but not as great as the original.

We experiment with different energy drinks at my work. We tried the different Monster's, Playboy, Amp'd, Hanson's, Rockstar, an upcoming label, and more. Red Bull and the original Monster is still the best in my book.

Betel Nuts

Betel Nuts, Beatle Nuts, Beetle Nuts, Beato Nuts... (This could be a jingle.)

I've never heard or seen these until my trip to Taiwan. I got a chance to try out the betel nuts also known as "bin-lang" in Chinese. At first, I was hesitant to try it. One of my friends dared us to try it, so he went out to a street vendor and picked up a pack. My first impression was this can't be too bad. It's a green nut with a black thing in the middle and a leaf wrapped around it. I popped one in my mouth and noticed it had a semi-hard texture. After chewing it and chewing it, I noticed something was rubbing against my gums that did not feel right. It tasted like fibers and leaves. Next thing you know, all our mouths were bright orange. We looked ourselves in the mirror and just start laughing non-stop. It was pretty disgusting so we all rinsed our mouths thoroughly.

The next day my older cousin picked us up and I told him what happened. He laughed at us like we never novices. He said we bought the wrong ones and showed us to the right ones. The one he bought didn't have a leaf on the outside which was a lot better. We just sat in his beamer cruising up the mountains rotating a single cup for spitting. It was so tasty it made my mouth salivate. The spit came out a dark red instead of the bright orange. I got the light-head feeling after a minute of chewing.

There are different ways to make betel nuts and it varies by regions. The nuts itself come from a tree that looks like a coconut tree.

Check out a short documentary:


1st timer:


Betel Nut Girls:

The girls wear skimpy outfits selling betel nuts out of a booth.

Google Power

We have all heard of the saying, "nothing is free in life." There's always a catch to the word FREE. From a consumers standpoint, almost everything from Google seems to be superior and without a charge. Most of us use free Google applications everyday from: g-mail to earth to search to news.

Eventually you won't need to install programs on your computer. All the programs will be written in script, so you can just pull up the applications you need through the web. Now that is convenient! Just download and save the files you want. It looks like Google is on track to make this happen. They have their own internet browser (Chrome) and they are coming out with an operating system soon. Google Wave should out very shortly.

Every time you log-on to a website, there's a very big chance that they are tracking every move you make. Some have even reported that their g-mail accounts have been hacked by Google. They search key words in your mail and apply it to your advertisements. Other companies have also been keeping track of your buying habits and applying it to their up sale. Many e-commerce sites have added psychologist/marketers in their payroll to see what people want. It's a new way of business. Is it unethical? It's up to you to decide.

Google keeps all of our information in a data bank to increase their power. They are keeping tabs on all of this. Just imagine with all the information they collected, how powerful they are and can be. Eventually they will know more about you then your own friends.

The G is slowly wiping out the competition. They cannot always win (ie: Froogle), but will continue to grow. Corporate America is dominating and the monopoly continues.


Google = New Big Brother?

Spray Magic

Dirty shoes? Spray Magic!

Lately I've been playing a lot in the dirt. My black skater shoes has a thick layer of dirt from riding dirt bikes and quads. This past Friday, I was at a BMX track with my Nike's. My shoes turned from white to gray. Yesterday, my New Balance shoes got dirty while hiking. I had 3 pairs of shoes to clean today.
I clean my shoes with Spray Magic. I got a hold of this bottle through an old lady who went store to store selling this product. She was about 60 years old. At first, we told her to go away but she offered to clean my rims. My rims were too expensive for this unknown chemical I was unaware of. She decided to get on her hands and knees to clean my shoes. I felt really bad. She also cleaned a stain on our carpet. I ended up buying a bottle from her. I have to admit, this stuff works good. Just dilute it with water and wipe away. She said she traveled an hour to sell this product and comes around once a year. She goes around from city to city. What a hard worker!

Before and after pictures. (Quick wipe down)

The Ultimate Drinking Table

I was at a bar one night and discovered one of the coolest tables ever made. And I mean COOL! It is a very simple concept that every bar should have. The picture above shows a top view of the table setting. The black rectangle represents a table. The 6 large circles on the outside are bar stools. And the small circles on the inside represent coasters.

The coasters are built into the table so they look like designs. However, it is not just for looks. The small circles have a cooling system hooked up to it. If you put a cup of water on top of the coaster, it would keep cool. It acts like an ice chest or mini freezer. The coasters get so cold that it produces a thin layer of frost on top of it. You can pick the frost with your nails. I tried laying my hands on top of it and I only got to about 4 seconds before it got too cold.

At first we didn't think anything of it. The waitress served us drinks on the black surface with a napkin. We finally noticed that it was a chiller when a napkin got stuck to it. The waitress had to scrub down the napkin because it got stuck to the frost. Imagine having one of these tables at your house... Every man would envy you.

P.S. Keep it cool!

Travis Barker & DJ AM Mix Tape

If you like crazy mixing from hip hop to techno to alternative to oldies, then you will love this mix by DJ AM and Travis Barker. There's 14 tracks total but its suppose to be continuous. DJ AM is cutting it up while Travis Barker is playing the drums. Some parts are really cool and some are just annoying.

You can download Fix Your Face - Vol. 2: CLICK HERE. Check it out at your own risk!

I got a chance to hear DJ AM live after his plane crash. It was his first performance back and the crowd went crazy. He was looking and mixing healthy. Supposedly DJ AM did a remix of MGMT's "Kids" and it was really good. I'm going to try and look for it.

Portable Mirrors

I've been looking for large mirrors, but they are too expensive and heavy. I wanted one that was movable at a fraction of the cost. Doing some research online, I found a "mirror on a roll." They were about $15-20 a roll. Which is not too bad. I didn't know what to you use as backing. I was thinking about poster boards but it would have been too flimsy.

Supplies used: 3 foam boards from an office supply store and 1 mirror roll (ordered online).

After 2 1/2 boards and a roll of mirror, this is the end result.

The clarity is not always 100%. From a distance, images may look blurry. When images are up close, it is more clear.

I tried doing this project alone and realized that there were some air pockets. I got most of it out. Don't use a squeegee or else it will leave permanent streaks on the film. Use your hands to push out the air bubbles is good enough. I would recommend help since the mirror roll is quite long. This setup will run you about $30 and about an hour of your time.

Now I have something to shadow box in front of. It can also be used as a mirror in the sky.

WiTricity

WiFi + electricity = WiTricity.

We have been waiting for this for a very long time. WiTricity of Watertown, Massachusetts claims they have created wireless electricity that will be available within 18 months. Through the air, you can power your computer, television, and lights. Now that is innovative! How convenient would that be? No more running extension cords and long wires all over the room. The question is, is it safe? I certainly hope so.

Diet is Nasty

I was never too fond of anything "diet." It felt like you weren't getting the whole bang for the buck. People are basically consuming artificial and human manufactured sugar. There are side effects to this. Why not get the real deal? Do people really think they will not gain weight by drinking something diet? Or how about lose weight while drinking diet? I understand when people need to drink diet for health purposes, but not weight issues. If you want to lose weight, eat healthy and exercise. Plus the taste of diet is just gross.

Diet Coke was introduced in 1982.

Who is Tony Hsieh?

I read the LA Times business section almost everyday. Ever since the economy fell off, the business section has been very depressing. All you hear about are stock droppings, bankruptcy's, and government bailouts. A business book I read said not to watch or read the news everyday because it's a downer. It's hard to avoid the news because you need to stay in tune with your surroundings. This Zappos sale caught my eye.

Tony Hsieh is the co-founder and CEO of Zappos. If you haven't heard of Zappos, they are the biggest online shoe retailer. In 2008, Zappos hit the $1 billion sales mark. That is huge! On July 22nd, Amazon acquired Zappos for a deal worth more than $807 million.

I read a few articles and listened to a few keynotes by Tony. He's a 34 year-old Taiwanese native that went to college in Harvard. During his college years he opened a pizza parlor. After college, he and his business partner at the time started a company called LinkExchange (an advertising network), which was later sold to Microsoft for $265M in 1998. He had about 100 employees at that time. After the buy-out, Tony started an investment firm called Venture Frogs who invested in internet start ups like Ask Jeeves and Zappos.

After getting bored just being an investor, Tony decided to get more involved with Zappos. He was not the pioneer behind Zappos but brought a lot of his ideas to the table. What makes Zappos successful is the company culture. They definitely take care of their employees and make an emphasis on team work. Second is customer service. They don't necessarily have the best price, but their staff and consumer relationship is spectacular. Most of their orders are from previous customers and referrals.

This is actually quite a funny and smart story... So when Tony had his pizza joint, one of his customers would buy a large pizza every day. Some days he would even buy two. Later Tony found out that his customer (Alfred Lin) was buying the pizza's and reselling it upstairs at the dorms by the slice. That is how Alfred became the COO of Zappos.

One of my friends sells his products through Zappos. He was telling me that their Kentucky warehouse was all automated including the picking. Instead of manually picking items, they use robots and conveyor belts. Most warehouses hire people to pick orders by hand. Zappos gives daily tours of their office at the Las Vegas headquarters. You can even meet Tony himself. Just email Tony (tony@zappos.com) to schedule a pick-up and tour.

Zappos also has a close-out and discount store called 6pm.com. I am sure you have seen this site on deal sites like slickdeals.net or even fatwallet.com. CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!

Fun Fact: Their hiring is a two-step process. The first part is your basic interview. If you pass the interview, they make you take the company culture compatibility test. If you pass both, they offer you $2,000 to quit. You can either take the money and leave, or have a new job. That is a pretty good way to gain valued employees. I can see how it can back fire once in a blue moon but on the long run it is a definite gain.