Category: Lifestyle (Page 227 of 274)

App of the Week: Solar

July 29, 2012 /

Developer:
Hollr, Inc.

Compatible With:
iPhone
iPad
iPod Touch

Requires:
iOS 5.0 or later

Price:

$0.99

Available here

With all of the entertainment and social distractions that smartphones provide, it’s hard to remember that they were originally conceived with the simple intention of providing a tool to help the hyper active through their lives. In that respect, there are a few essential apps that everyone must have on their phones, no matter how far the technology may have come. They’re apps like schedule planners, calendars, and metal band name generators, which have all become standard regardless of the user.

But just because an app is standard, though, doesn’t mean it has to be ordinary. Consider the weather app on your phone. Everyone has one, everyone uses it, but unless you’re one of those guys who spends their free time watching mudslides in Honduras on The Weather Channel, using the basic weather app probably doesn’t constitute the highlight of your day.

Thankfully Hollr, Inc. and their app “Solar”, are looking to change that. “Solar” provides all of the usual weather information (current temperature, forecast,etc), but does it in a genuinely engaging way. Using a minimalist design, “Solar” uses a dynamic color palette on each half of the screen to represent the current weather conditions. The top half shows the weather, while the bottom half reveals the temperature, producing a stylish visual for your phone. Scrolling up on the app provides a forecast for the day, that also modifies the screen design appropriately to match the expected weather, and scrolling down gives you the three day weather report. Extra functionality is provided by double tapping on the screen to set up multiple weather locations, which can then be accessed by scrolling left and right on the app. More than any single feature though, the main selling point of “Solar” is its ability to turn one of the most basic features on your phone, into the most stylish.

Even though this app is discounted right now to the low, low price of 0.99 cents, you probably have some reasonable doubt about buying a weather app when so many good ones are available for free. Plus, for all of its incredibly slick design features, “Solar” still does include the standard text read-out weather temperature as its go-to measurement, and lacks some of the more specific details of competitive apps. But the fact is, you really only have two options for how to check the weather each day. Like a guy who’s trying to see if he needs an umbrella, or:

And if you fall into that later category, the only way to really do it is with “Solar”, my app of the week.

 

Lifestyle

Drink of the Week: The Red Hook

July 27, 2012 /

the Red Hook So, Drink of the Week Central has about completed its cross So-Cal move northward from far-away Anaheim and through the Orange Curtain to Van Nuys, gateway to Reseda and Studio City. I’ve also recently completed my boozeriffic Comic-Con special assignment.

At last, it is time to resume business as usual here at DOTW. We return with a drink that feels classic but is actually a rank newcomer from this still very young century.

First, however, let me say that this week’s column is brought to you by whoever was kind enough to send me a bottle of Knob Creek‘s brand spanking new rye. I know Knob Creek’s bourbon, which I like but also fear for its fire. If anything, I have to say I like their rye a lot better. Much as I love my standby 100 proof Rittenhouse Rye, the similarly potent Knob Creek does bring an extra touch of class and drinkability to the game. On its own, it’s about as sippable as I can imagine a 100 proof rye being, though records were made to be broken and all that.

Of course, give me a bottle of booze and I’ll start looking for cocktails to make with it. And so we come to a beverage that was named one of the best cocktails of this century’s first decade and is credited to bartender Enzo Errico. When a Manhattan just won’t quite do the job, it’s time to head for Brooklyn and today’s drink.

The Red Hook

2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce Punt e Mes
1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
1 maraschino cherry (optional garnish)

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice. Stir for a good long time — most say about thirty seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail class. Add maraschino cherry if you’ve got one. (I didn’t.) Sip and toast new beginnings. (It might actually be a small improvement, if heretical in some quarters, to shake this drink, but I was feeling traditional this week.)

****

While my attempts certainly turned out well using the new Knob Creek Rye, I imagine this could also work very nicely with the aformentioned Rittenhouse or, for those seeking mellower refreshment, 80 proof Old Overholt or Pikesville might well be terrific and perhaps have a less bitter edge.

Speaking of a bitter edge, I should add that this is also DOTW’s first use of Punt e Mes. It’s a more high-endish vermouth with a nice bite. It comes across as almost a more restrained, less syrupy variant of Campari and it’s delicious on its own. It’s also the reason today’s beverage doesn’t require any bitters, though some recipes call for them. I tried the Red Hook with a dash of Angostura and Regan’s Orange Bitters. Too much bitter, I thought.

I also started out with a recipe calling for equal parts Punt e Mes and maraschino. Too maraschiny. Mr. Errico’s version is better.

I should also emphasize, once again, that maraschino liqueur should in no way be confused with the syrup in which those inexpensive preserved cherries in your supermarket are packaged. Confusing the issue slightly is the fact that maraschino brand Luxardo markets its own brand of maraschino cherries. They’re anything but cheap but also quite tasty and I’m sure would be marvelous in a Red Hook, though I actually have nothing against the bright red supermarket sweetness bombs most of us grew up with.

In fact, the more I write about this, the more I wish I’d actually had a bottle of those lovely cheap cherries to complete my Red Hook on hand. Next time.

Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices

From the Vault: On Location in London

July 27, 2012 /

Natalie and Britney in London

With the London Olympics starting tonight with the opening ceremonies, we thought it would be a great time to dig up some never published photos from our archive of Natalie and Britney from our trip to London as part of our 2006 World Tour. We spent a day hanging out with these two beautiful models as we caught many of the sites in this iconic city, and you can see many of the London tourist spots in the background.

The first group of photos have Natalie and Britney hanging out in a classic London phone booth. Naturally these things are obsolete these days but in London they blend in as part of the beautiful architecture and scenery. We spent a lot of time in Soho so many of the photos from the first have of slideshow above are from that trendy part of town.

We made our way down to Parliament and got some nice shots in the park nearby. Later in the evening, the girls changed into heels and dresses and we went out in an area near London Bridge. The photos at dusk with the bridge in the background are great, and you can see one below with others in the slideshow.

We finish it up with the girls having fun posing in a London taxi, otherwise known as a hackney carriage. These classic taxi cabs are another site you’ll see all around this classic city.

If you’re in London for the Olympic Games we’re sure you’ll enjoy it. It’s one of the great cities of the world and we loved our time there. English food isn’t very good, but as a world-class city London has amazing restaurants, particularly excellent Indian food and amazing sushi. That said, the city is incredibly expensive. Don’t bother going unless you have a real budget, as everything from hotels, food and taxis are ridiculously expensive.

In any event, enjoy the slideshow and the Olympics!

© 2012 Bullz-Eye.com. All Rights Reserved

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Lifestyle, Models, On Location, Travel

The Drinks of Comic-Con 2012

July 24, 2012 /

We all know what Comic-Con is supposed to be: Cannes for Geeks. Still, aside from the fetishization of all things genre-related and the increasingly Hollywood-ized atmosphere, there’s something else it’s about: drinking! But one can grab a $12.00 martini or a $3.00 shot anytime in an upscale yet funky city like San Diego. It takes a Comic-Con for the dipsomanical masses to be able to slurp their way to oblivion with a Captain America, a Spicy Hulk, or drinks saluting the warring dynasties from George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones.”

Which is not to say that the search for the great themed cocktails to be found in Comic-Con’s backyard was an easy one. At times I and my photographing buddy, Rodney Reynaldo, feared we might not have enough drinks to really make this piece sing but, as we trudged through what seemed like every bar in San Diego’s downtown Gaslamp district, we found plenty. Admittedly, we sometimes found ourselves making the news as much as we reported on it; some of these drinks are on the spot creations from some of the area’s more spontaneous mixologists. Still, most of these were created with plenty of forethought, most of them tasted good, and some were downright terrific.

The Captain America

I have to admit that I pretty much knew somebody would come up with an extremely sweet red, white and blue themed salute to good ol’ Cap. I never imagined it would induce near terminal brain freeze while tasting far better than this cocktail snob would have ever expected.

The Captain America, as crafted by Andrea of the Hard Rock Cafe on 4th Avenue, is actually three drinks. The blue is a pina colada featuring Blue Curacao; the red is a raspberry pina colada featuring Bacardi rum; and the white, and possibly the best tasting of the three, was an exceedingly sweet frozen daiquiri made with Bacardi’s Dragon Berry Rum. A million miles away from a classic daiquiri like I’d make, but what would I expect from a red, white and blue cocktail?

The Dark Knight

The Tivoli, which proclaims itself the oldest bar in San Diego, sticks to its old school image by an affinity with a certain reactionary-leaning caped crusader. The Dark Knight, crafted by the bar’s redoubtable Rosie (pictured uptop), was as dark as any black knight but it’s flavor might have pleased a fruit bat with it’s surprisingly refreshing combination of vodka, blue curacao, raspberry liqueur, and a splash of Rumple Minze 100 proof peppermint schnapps.

The Spicy Hulk

There are any number of green drinks named in honor of Bruce Banner’s ill-tempered alter-ego. Yet, it’s hard to imagine any would ever be tastier than this concoction. Whipped up on the spot by the very skilled Oscar Avila of El Vitral, the Spicy Hulk reflected our location just a few miles from the Mexican border with healthy dashes of cucumber, cilantro, serrano peppers, tomatillo, lime juice, agave nectar and, of course, blanco tequila. Nothing puny about this one.

The Marble Room Trilogy

We came to the Gaslamp in search of themed cocktails. We found our first themed bartender in Harlo Stompro of the brothel-esque 5th Avenue watering hole and restaurant. The man might be a joker, but he certainly took the time to come up an assortment of con-friendly libations.

The Alien Secretion contains vodka, both Rose’s Lime Juice and fresh lime, and triple sec. The bright green Romulan Ale might please Trek fans with a yen for another slight twist on a Kamikaze with blue curacao, vodka and fresh lime.  The Darth Vader is an homage to a Long Island Ice Tea with vodka, gin, rum, sour mix, and Chambord sitting in for the traditional triple sec. Since I kind of hate Long Islands, I found the taste appropriately evil.

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Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices

Product Review: Dreadnought Shaving Products

July 19, 2012 /

After the last product review I did ended up being somewhat of a dreadful experience, I’d be lying if I said a feeling of dread hadn’t since settled over me. I was really hoping the next product I tried wouldn’t lead me to another “dread” end. But alas, the shaving products from Dreadnought Shaving we’re anything but “dread” on arrival.

So, what is a Dreadnought? A “dreadnought” is defined as:

1) A person who fears nothing

2) One that is among the largest and most powerful of its kind

The Dreadnought Avenger Shaving Brush was a little piece of awesomeness I didn’t even expect. It was solidly built, but not heavy or cumbersome, and when using it, you could tell the impact it made right away. I followed the instructions and added a dollop of Dreadnought shaving cream.

The dollop was described as “almond sized” and I didn’t think that would be enough, but I did it anyway. I was amazed, as that small amount covered my entire face and neck and there was actually plenty left over in the Avenger Brush that I had to wash out; in today’s green world of limiting carbon footprints and“minimizing waste, I felt ashamed. And all I could think about was the old “Keep America Beautiful” campaign with the old Indian crying. But I moved on and was somehow able to proceed with my shave.

The shaving cream itself had a very masculine smell, yet wasn’t overpowering. The cream actually looked to be almost a gel-like substance compared to a typical shaving cream — sort of like how Dep hair gel is to today’s hair paste. I thought it may be too runny, but as I applied it to my face, it was the perfect consistency. Shaving was easy and smooth; it was like the shaving cream adapted to my facial hair (if that makes any sense), and I never had to go over an area more than once with my razor.

And while the shaving itself was smooth, the Post Shave Balm came in and really just felt great. When I read the ingredients, I wasn’t surprised that the dominant ingredient was aloe vera because my skin felt rejuvenated and revitalized. Some after shaves are loaded with water or glycerin, which means in about five minutes after applying, your skin needs another application to get that fresh feeling again. But with Dreadnought, my skin felt tight and crisp for a solid 45 minutes post shave.

The only thing easier than using the Shaving Cream and Post Shave Balm in concert was cleaning the Avenger brush. From the product description: “After using your Avenger, rinse the brush clean in warm water. Give it a little squeeze to get rid of as much water as possible, give it a good shake, [and] then rest on its base so it can dry out.” I followed the instructions, and by the next morning, the brush was completely dry and soft, like I had never even used it.

Between the Shaving Cream ($19.00), Post Shave Balm ($19.00) and the Avenger Brush ($15.00), $53.00 is incredibly reasonable for the shave that’s in store for you — especially when you consider that each 100 ml canister of shave cream will provide a total of 50 shaves, or roughly $1 a shave. The value of the product combined with the price makes it unbeatable.

I highly recommend all three products which can be purchased through the company’s website at www.dreadnought-shaving.com.

Grooming, Lifestyle, Stuff to Buy

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