plug

Shoot-a-brew

/ Shane / 1 Comment

Alright, this is cool, I don’t care who you are.

A remote controlled cooler than launches cans to you.

I admit, it’s probably not as useful as the video makes it seem. I’m not yet so lazy that I can’t get up and walk over to the cooler (although the one where they’re launching it from the back of the boat into the water is kind of ingenious). And $295 is sort of pricey for a novelty item. However, nobody who saw one of these in action could fail to recognize its shear, unvarnished awesomeness.

Tell me you don’t want one?!

The Sing Off

/ Shane / 4 Comments

I have a confession to make. I don’t watch Glee. It’s not because I don’t like acappella. In fact, I *love* acappella. I’ve even blogged about it before. It’s because I don’t have time to watch T.V.

Or so I thought.

Because now I’m watching The Sing Off (Mondays and Wednesdays on NBC). Who’d have thought that if I were going to watch a limited number of t.v. shows (a VERY limited number…like 4), that I’d include a reality show with the same, tired out, ripped-off-from-American-Idol format. And I haven’t watched a reality show since the 2nd season of The Apprentice.

There’s probably nothing that could make me watch that. Nothing at all except for the fact that they installed Ben Folds as one of the 3 judges. So I was going to watch no matter what.

Despite my misgivings, I am really enjoying the show. There are 3 factors that I hadn’t counted on:
1) The American Idol format works. People keep ripping it off because its effective.
2) I’m a Ben Folds fanboy even more than I thought.
3) Nobody can resist good acappella. It crawls in your ear and tugs at the corners of your mouth until you either smile or your head explodes. The human voice is amazing; it is an instrument like no other.

The thing that really strikes me (compared to other shows in a similar format) is the judging. Most (all) of the reality shows in this format have the most worthless comments from the judges, usually stating that each performance is the most amazing performance ever performed by anyone anywhere. The credentials of the judges is usually dubious at best.

In this case, the judges are the aforementioned Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men), and Nicole Scherzinger (winner of Dancing with the Stars and lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls). So obviously Shawn Stockman knows a thing or two about acapella harmonizing, and Nicole Scherzinger knows about singing and also about winning reality shows in this format.

So it would seem that Ben Folds would be the odd man out. What experience does he have? Well, aside from displaying an amazing knowledge of musicians and musical history, he does tend to have a lot of 4 part harmonies in his songs. He also has his own acappella CD, Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella!, although he didn’t do the singing himself. But he obviously has an appreciation for the art.

So the amazing thing is the insightful, in-depth comments the judges give to each performance. They point out things I never would have noticed. Sometimes they still start with the “ohmygoshthisissoamazing” stuff, but then they roll into a pointed, sometimes rough criticism of the piece. They certainly don’t just give everybody a pass.

So, long story short, I’m enjoying The Sing Off a lot more than I expected to. I think there are about 5 groups left, and they are all pretty awesome, so it’s not too late to start watching. If nothing else, you can watch my man Folds lay some awesome critique without being too mean. Then we can debate over stuff, like who got robbed and who’s totally going to win.

ThinkGeek for the Holidays

/ Shane / 4 Comments

If you recall, I blogged previously about a Harry Potter-style wand that can change the channel. I must be a sucker for any kind of wand related merchandise, because I can’t seem to get over it.

Check out this voice activated wand flashlight. Say “Lumos” to turn the light on and “Nox” to turn it off. Tell me that’s not cool??

Available in two styles!

Also, there is a Harry Potter dueling wand game, which is sort of like laser tag. I don’t think this is as cool as the spell-activated flashlight, but they have more styles!

Four choices this time!

If you prefer something a little more practical (or useful at work), ThinkGeek has non-Harry Potter related merchandise, such as Rebel Leader headphones, for that perfect Star Wars look:

Or some awesome medieval weapon pushpins:

I never get tired of looking at their stuff, and I look forward to getting the catalog the way you look forward to getting a magazine you subscribe to!

Cafecito

/ Shane / 1 Comment

I had one of the best sandwiches I have ever had in my life.

This is not a statement I make lightly. I am a big sandwich fan (and a former sandwich artist), and I have had my share of tasty sandwiches.

However, we hit up Cuban coffee house Cafecito the other day and one of the sandwiches really spoke to me; the Chivito. At the time I thought it was a specialty of Cafecito, but I’ve since learned that it is the national dish of Uraguay. Cafecito’s version consists of Steak, Ham, Bacon, Fried Egg, Mozzarella, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Shoestring Potatoes, and Citrus Mayo. In short, what’s not to love?

I found this picture of the Chivito on yelp:

Despite the ingredients list, this is NOT a breakfast sandwich. I don’t know why exactly, but the sum is different than the individual parts somehow. I was a little nervous about the citrus mayo at first, but it was surprisingly good and really meshed with the whole sandwich. It was a welcome addition.

All of the food was good, though the service was a little slow (we took it to go and had to wait for a while). There were lots of good looking things on the menu. However, I would be hard pressed to order anything else with the Chivito staring me in the eye. It is not to be missed.

Backstory Cafe

/ Shane / 3 Comments

Given that I did a big write-up a while back about Robust Coffee Lounge, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Backstory Cafe.

Backstory is a really cool place. It’s cozy, it has great coffee and the decor is cool. They are environmentally and socially conscious. They even feature a used book store section! They have sandwiches, pastries and sometimes even brunch. Some of my favorite features are the giant chalk boards (this is definitely Evie’s favorite part) and the outdoor seating area that is walled off by old, different sized and colored doors. I almost forgot, live music, film screenings, etc.

In short, what’s not to love?

The place is very well hidden, so I am always surprised at how busy it is. I don’t think I’ve ever been the only one there. It’s close to home, and Evie loves it. It’s so easy to take a great place like this for granted (hence me just getting around to writing a post about it). It hasn’t even been open that long, but it is already a part of the local landscape. I say that as a compliment.

Now, since I did write that review of Robust, I can’t help but compare the two. However, they really are totally different. I would say if I’m looking to sit back and relax for a while, then I prefer Backstory. However, if I wanted to just run in and grab a coffee to go, then Robust is the way to go. Robust’s seating area is bigger and more open, so it might be better for big groups.

So if you are looking for a most excellent hang out spot in the neighborhood, come and find the Backstory Cafe and Social Center. You will be glad you did!