Bought a new MacBook Pro!

As a graduation present I recently acquired a brand new, 13 inch MacBook Pro! I was skeptical at first about buying the non-retina display, and the lowest model available. However, it has not disappointed me one bit! I am absolutely in love with it and am glad I went with this computer. The price wasn't bad compared to what you can spend on some Macs ($1400 out the door, including student discount and AppleCare). It's worked great so far for writing papers, studying PowerPoint slides, and just general surfing the internet and getting lost on YouTube for hours. If you know me, then you know I'm an Apple guy and this is just one more addition to my Apple family. The rest of the family includes a 27" iMac purchased in 2010 I believe, and a 64 GB iPhone 4S with the vintage cracked glass look because that's generally how my iPhones end up :(. I'm waiting for the newest iPhone to come out (5S ??) and will more than likely be purchasing it when it does.

Hopefully with my new MacBook Pro I will be able to write more blog posts and get working on some new and bigger things I have in store for my internet/money making ventures!

Quotes and a Funny Story!

Just a few of my favorite fun/motivational/random quotes I've come across. Enjoy!

"Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation."

"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."

"Don't say something permanently hurtful, just because you're temporarily upset."

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

"Nothing can stop the man who has the right attitude, nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude."

"Having a dream you don't pursue is like buying an ice-cream cone and watching it melt all over your hand."

And finally, a quote that is slowly ringing true today with the way things are being ran (into the ground).

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -Abraham Lincoln.

This last quote reminds me of a story I read. Bruce L. Hargraves (USN Retired) wrote into the Opinions section of his local Wyoming newspaper and his letter read as follows:

"To the Editor: I object and take exception to everyone saying that Obama and Congress are spending money like a drunken sailor. As a former drunken sailor, I quit when I ran out of money."

New York!

Just before Christmas my beautiful girlfriend and I took a trip to New York City, New York. It was a first for both of us and it was truly amazing. You hear stories about NYC and see it in movies, but actually being there is something else. We were busy everyday from waking up to crashing on our hotel beds. Each day brought a new adventure and new sights to see. I won't go into too much detail about the trip (I could probably write for hours on the topic!) but I will say it was AMAZING and I definitely want to return when I can. The pictures in this post were taken by me (TOP: Taken from the top of the Empire State building in panorama mode with my iPhone 4S. BOTTOM: Taken from the Top of the Rock in panorama mode with my iPhone 4S). Below the nighttime skyline picture is a video I took of some pretty awesome Salvation Army volunteers having fun and getting in the holiday spirit! Definitely something we've never seen in Vegas.

Beer Hockey Rules!

Before I begin the long, tedious effort of laying out the various rules we've put together to make this wonderful game I want to say that there WILL be revisions. The initial writing of this is being done from a little writing on paper and the rest is being done on the fly. There will be mistakes and things will get corrected, so bear with me!

Items Needed:

- Quarters (1 is used to play but they are often lost easily, so the more you have on hand the better)
- BEER! (bottles are preferred but cans are OK. Everyone uses the same however - either cans or bottles)
- Table/Playing surface

Basic Setup:

Each person playing gets a beer and a spot around the table. Do your best to space everyone out evenly around the table. Players can use their drinking beer or an empty beer as their "playing beer." If an empty beer is used as the "playing beer" the player must have a "drinking beer" set aside somewhere off the playing table. Once everyone is spaced out around the table and everyone has a "playing beer," play can begin!



Gameplay:

Whoever starts the game (pick your own way to choose - usually whoever has the quarter) will take the quarter in hand and begin play by spinning it on the table (you can spin the quarter however you'd like, but if you fail to spin the quarter twice in a row, a penalty is assessed. See "Penalties"). When the quarter is spinning all players must keep their hands off of the table. If a player is caught with their hands on the table an immediate penalty is assessed (see "Penalties"). Next, the player who spun the quarter calls out someone's name (or points to someone if they do not know the player's name). The player called out becomes the SHOOTER. The SHOOTER's objective is to hit another player's bottle with the still spinning quarter. Everyone else around the table whose name was not called puts up their DEFENSE (see "Defensive Positioning"). The SHOOTER can use any method to hit another player's bottle as long as they use only one hand on the quarter (i.e. swatting, flicking, backhanding, punching). If the quarter misses the bottle, whoever was shot at is the next person to spin the quarter and call out someone's name. If the bottle is hit, the player drinks! (see "Drinking").

Drinking: (the reason anyone plays!)

If your bottle is hit with the quarter by the SHOOTER you must drink. The SHOOTER will spin the quarter on the table again. While the quarter remains spinning on the table you must keep drinking/chugging your beer. Players who are not drinking are allowed to flick the quarter to keep it spinning. The person drinking is not allowed to interfere with the quarter. Once the quarter falls flat or off the playing surface, drinking stops.

Defensive Positioning: The picture here shows it well, except the palm would be facing the beer, not away from it


The defensive position is a very simple setup, which should be very strictly enforced. NO CHEATING! The position is as follows: the pointer finger and pinky finger are straight out, with your other fingers bent into the palm (like a shocker with the middle finger bent). The pinky is to be placed along the table, with the base of the pinky along the beer. You can move your defense up and down your beer to cover the upper area, but ONLY your fingers can be in front of the beer. NO KNUCKLING! (putting your knuckles or whole hand in front of the beer).

Penalties:

- If you fail to spin the quarter twice in a row, whether it's a failed attempt or the quarter falls off the table before a shot is made, that will result in ONE penalty drink and passing the quarter to the person to your left.
- If you are caught with your hands on the table before a name is called, and another player notices, they will simply point at you and say "hands." The penalty is not being able to block on that round. You must place your hands behind your back and watch while your bottle, more than likely, gets hit.
- If you use any illegal form of defense (any form of blocking your beer that is not the approved standard) and someone catches you, this results in ONE penalty drink.
- If at any point in the game you spill a beer, this results in ONE penalty drink (only pertains to bottles/cans with beer in them - it is typical for "playing beers" which are empty to get knocked over, this is not a penalty).
- If you are the SHOOTER and you miss a shot on an "open net" (an undefended beer) this results in THREE penalty drinks and eternal humiliation.

Additional Rules:

- Anyone's beer on the table is fair game, regardless of whether or not the player is present. If you must leave the table for any reason you have to take your bottle with you to be safe.
- If you are the designated SHOOTER, you are allowed to move your beer to make your shot easier. You are also allowed to ask other players to move their bottle to make your shot easier. They do not have to move their bottle if they do not wish to. Any bottles moved to make a shot must be replaced after the shot is taken.

Optional Rules:

These are rules that can be added if you wish. It may be easier to start out basic and add these rules as you progress your skills. Generally, the following rules result in more drinking and more fun!

1. Redemption Rule - If the player finishes their beer while the quarter is still spinning they can take a redemption shot at anyone's beer. When this happens the other players are allowed to put up their defense. There will be NO warning when the player finished their beer, PAY ATTENTION!
2. STOP Rule - While the quarter is spinning and a player is drinking, any player can try to stop the quarter upright, with a single finger. If the player succeeds in stopping the quarter upright, the player who was drinking must finish their beer. If the player who attempted to stop the quarter upright fails, and is falls flat on the table, they must finish their beer. (strategy pertaining to how much beer they have to drink and how much you have to drink surely comes into play here).
3. Rebound Rule - After the SHOOTER attempts their shot (whether a bottle is hit or not), if the quarter remains spinning on the table (even slightly), anyone is then allowed to shoot at anyone's beer. This can get crazy and chaotic, and can result in more than one person drinking at a time or someone drinking multiple times. If multiple people's beers are hit everyone drinks until the quarter falls flat or off the playing surface. If someone is hit multiple times, the quarter is spun multiple times until it falls (to match the number of times they were hit).


Beer Hockey is a fun and exciting game spreading like wildfire through college kids around the globe! If you have any corrections, revisions, comments, or suggestions please leave them in the comments below and I will respond or make revisions accordingly! And remember to never drink and drive!!!

Beer Hockey Table!

Beer Hockey is a drinking game that consists of spinning a quarter, defending your 'goal', and chugging beer if your beer gets hit. The rules get more complicated, but once you play for a bit you get the hang of it and you're hooked for life! If you're interested about the full rules stay tuned and I'll be posting a lengthy post describing the rules in full (and might include a tutorial video).

Me and my friends were introduced to this game sometime last year, and have been playing ever since. Over the time we've evolved our own rules and style, but were never able to find a table made specifically for the game. For beer pong you have custom beer pong tables everywhere, but no matter how hard we looked we couldn't find a single Beer Hockey Table, so we created our own. After a few ideas thrown around amongst friends we agreed on a final design and got to work. A handful of working hours later and we had a near final product. At the moment there is still some touchup to finish and the center logo is being designed (by EJ Lund) and will be included soon. The picture above is where the table sits for now. Within the next week it should be complete and ready to play on!

Stay tuned for more updates, pics, and rules on how to play!

iPad Mini

There have always been rumors circulating about a smaller, more versatile iPad being produced by Apple. However, until lately there was no evidence to back this up and no signs of an actual product arriving. Finally rumors are starting to add up and I'm pretty sure we can expect a smaller iPad/larger iPod touch before this year's holiday season. Rumors speculate it will be priced around the $300 range, putting it right in line with Kindle and Nook's top end 'tablets.'

I've personally checked out the Kindle and Nook's 'tablets' and compared to the iPad, I'm not impressed. Companies have tried time and time again to recreated the eloquence and fluidity of the iPad, but have failed. With Apple unveiling a smaller iPad at a lower price I predict the prices of other tablets will fall (more than they already have) and Apple will grab a larger hold on the tablet market. I would personally LOVE to have an iPad but cannot because of the high price. When Apple releases this new smaller iPad (iPad Mini if you will) you can assure yourself I will be preordering one and enjoying it thoroughly.

Overall, the iPad Mini is going to add more versatility to Apple's already versatile product line, and assure they are going to have that much more hold over the vastly growing electronic product market.

Live Wallpaper for Mac: A Review

While searching through the Mac App Store I came across this enticing app and had to buy it. It's cheap ($0.99) but awesome! It allows you to customize your desktop to have a moving background featuring the date, time, and weather. Or you can use one of their default date/time/weather setups and incorporate it into your own background! Overall the idea of the app is amazing and I love having it on my desktop. Don't get me wrong, you can have the time and date showing in the top right hand corner by the computer's default, but this app allows you to display it in a whole new way. They have been slowly working bugs out of the program and it has been improving as time goes on. The most recent update changed some weather bugs.

All in all I would highly recommend this app to anyone who owns a Mac and is looking for a new way to spice up their desktop and add some relevant information to everyday living. 5 stars!!!

Specs:
Category: Utilities
Version: 1.4
Price: $0.99
Size: 47.6 MB
Seller: Chanok Opapongpunt

Additional information can be found at facebook.com/SquidMelon

YouTube MONEY!

With computers everywhere these days and cameras on every phone, it's no wonder YouTube has been such a success. Add in social networking sites which allow you to "Share" videos you like and show them to your friends and you have a place where you can get lost for HOURS. Most of us are probably guilty of logging onto YouTube every once in a while and searching around, watching videos, and the next thing you know your entire day is gone! It's a common thing these days. Advertisers have realized this and now most videos you watch on YouTube are started with an ad from some company or political campaign. But you can't fault the advertising companies, they're simply doing their job. This new wave of internet video popularity however, has spawned a new wave of "celebrities." People make good money if they can get enough views on their YouTube videos, because advertising companies are willing to pay big bucks if you have massive traffic on your videos daily. Some of my personal favorites include Epic Meal Time, FPS Russia, and Husky Starcraft. With millions of views on their videos they're getting paid a decent amount of money. I'm not sure on the exact numbers per views, but I know it's enough for people to do that as their job! Recently it has caught my attention (as I watch videos on YouTube and wish I could make money doing it) and I've seriously considered trying to create videos to capture an audience and get them to "Subscribe" to my channel and watch my videos. In the process of thinking about topics to make videos about or things I could do, I'm drawing blanks. I think I have a good enough personality to make my own videos but I don't want to be someone who rambles on about the first things that come to mind. I'd prefer a channel that had a specific genre or topic, if you will. Maybe I'll come up with an idea soon....but for now I'm stuck blogging and hoping people will read it so I can make money that way! Any ideas? Let me know in the comments and maybe I'll start something new!

The Newsroom Premiere

About 2 hours ago I had no idea what The Newsroom was. When I sat down to watch TV after coming home from work and eating dinner I simply flipped on the tube and it was already on HBO (I think I was watching True Blood before work). After I watched the entire episode I did some searching and came to find it was the series premiere. The opening scene caught my attention and had me glued to the TV for the remainder of the show. I love how they related it to real world events that occurred (BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) and made the show around that event. The characters were vivid and enticing and I felt like they were right here in the room with me (or maybe I just wanted MacKenzie McHale, played by Emily Mortimer, to be in the room with me - that accent, oh my!). I think it's safe to say I will definitely be watching the show next time it's on, and keeping up with it weekly. I highly recommend this show!

iPhone 5

It's that time of year again when speculations and rumors hit their high point surrounding the newest iPhone model to be unveiled by Apple. After a large hype last year and many people thinking the 2011 release was going to be a new design, this year has built even higher. There is little doubt the new iPhone will be redesigned. Many rumors hint towards a slightly larger screen. I think I can speak for most people and all iPhone enthusiasts when I say a bigger screen is wanted. With the competition releasing larger screened phones, borderline tablets (Galaxy Note), customers want to see a larger iPhone screen. I'm not advocating for a screen as large as the Galaxy Note. Personally I think the Note's screen is too large, but I do believe the iPhone screen could benefit from a larger area.

Some other rumors are listed below;
- New, smaller dock connector
- Different color/finish on the exterior
- HD front-facing camera
- World phone (supporting LTE networks)

Different sources give different release dates for the phone due to different variables. Overall I'm pretty certain you can bet on a September/October release.