So those of you who know me know I used to smoke… Fulltime, pack-a-day, all day smoker… And that was for over 20 years (give or take a few times I managed to quit for a few weeks or months). 11 weeks ago, I kicked the habit. Not easy, but necessary. I mean I have a kid I want to be around for, I was sick of smelling like smoke, standing outside freezing, and at $6 a day, my budget just couldn’t take it anymore…

At first it was kinda easy. Lots of my friends had quit and I just wasn’t around it anymore. Crazy as it sounds though, I really missed the “act” of smoking. I missed holding something, having an excuse to “step away” from whatever I was doing, having something to make the ‘commute’ less boring, etc… I missed “inhaling” something (yes, I know this is the point at which non-smokers think I’m crazy, but any of you who smoked more than just socially know what I mean…). All the years I’d smoked I’d always wished there was some healthy alternative. But quitting always meant giving up the “smoking” part of smoking. Chewing gum (ya get an oral fix and some nicotine, but your jaw can only take so much…); the patch(a continuous dose of nicotine with nothing to satisfy the other parts of the habits -- and you get really messed up dreams…); chantix ( expensive, but for the nicotine addiction part -- it works… The depression however I could do without… No need to mess up my brain chemistry that way…)

Along comes the e-cig. I know I’d heard of ‘em, but never really considered it. A few friends suggested it, but I thought I’d just go “traditional” and try quitting with the gum… Then I tried one… And I researched it. And for some reason it took a second to put two and two together, but here right in front of me was that mythological “healthier” alternative I’d been dreaming existed! Could it be -- I could resume the parts of smoking I enjoyed, while skipping all the bad stuff, and still ween myself off Nicotine (which by the way, may or may not be as bad for you as some may have you think -- studies show health benefits including positive effects against depression, alzheimer’s, parkinsons, and diabetes to name a few…)… Needless to say, I was pretty excited… Sure, I was 9 or 10 weeks into this latest attempt to quit, but the gum chewing was getting old quick (and it’s not the cheapest stuff out there either) and I could already sense that will to stay a non-smoker breaking down a bit… (Plus the techie geek part of me saw this as a neat gadget…an added bonus).

This would probably be a good spot for a little technical review for those of you who don’t know or understand what and e-cig or vaping is…(see I like to pretend like people read this…tee hee). I’m going to borrow a bit from the Wikipedia entry on e-cigs, but essentially it goes a little something like this…

An e-cigarette is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine or non-nicotine vaporized solution….this vapor also provides a flavor and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no smoke or combustion is actually involved in its operation. See I bolded a few important bits right off the top there? You can get this with no nicotine, and there’s no combustion (the primary part of burning tobacco that previously filled my lungs with 1000′s of chemicals…). Let’s continue…While electronic cigarettes take many forms, they each generally employ the same basic components: a mouthpiece, a heating element, a rechargeable battery, and various electronic circuits.

Nicotine solutions sold separately for use in refillable cartridges are sometimes referred to as “e-liquid” or “e-juice”, and commonly contain some amount of flavoring, with hundreds of different flavors available. They consist of nicotine dissolved in propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (glycerol) or VG. Both PG and VG are common food additives. PG has been used as the aqueous-based chemical additive in asthma inhalers and nebulizers since the 1950s, with no serious side effects known. So essentially the amount of chemicals and garbage being inhaled is not even close to what goes in your body when smoking ‘analog’ cigarettes.

So it boils down to this… Sure, ultimately I suppose partaking in NONE of the previous items would be the best health option. But much like enjoying an occasional alcoholic beverage or a chocolaty desert, there are things we as humans enjoy that aren’t spectacularly healthy for us, and if I can reduce the health risk by such a substantial amount, it seems like a good plan, ya?

That brings me to some of the lunacy I discovered as I read up on vaping (it really makes no sense to call it smoking, as there’s no smoke…).  See, it seems the mere existence of e-cig’s as an alternative to smoking or pharmaceutical nicotine cessation solutions is a serious threat. So much so, there’s some crazy law proposals on the books right now. South Carolina and Oregon are trying to include e-cig’s in the umbrella of smoking bans, essentially forcing vapers to occupy the same smoking areas with the smoke they’re trying to get away from… The FDA is trying to get weird regulations passed as well and even some groups feel that because “less harm” isn’t “no harm”, these things shouldn’t exist. They’ve even gone as far as citing “potential for public confusion” as a possible reason to ban e-cigs. The CASAA is a great place to keep on top of current legal battles…

That brings me to a quick note on the vaping community. See, I had a bit of a delay between ordering my e-cigs and receiving them (backordered, weather delays, weekends & holidays, etc). But this gave me a chunk of time to really dive in and understand not only the Bloog product (which I swear I’ll touch on before this post is over), but what an amazing group of people appear to be out that there championing this not only as a way to stay off regular smokes, but as a completely different activity. It reminded me at first of  the beer aficionados… Sharing tips and techniques, recipes, opinions… There’s obviously this activity as a common ground, but what’s remarkable is the wealth of information being put out there and the willingness to share with us ‘noobs’ to the vaping experience… Just a quick few links I’ve checked often already include the ECF, Vapers Forum,  GrimmGreen, Vapenstein, and VapeTV. There’s tons more as well, including vaper meetups and podcasts…

So that (finally) brings me to the Bloog MaxxFusion, the e-cig I decided to go with. I sampled a few others but after checking out some of these sites, I found again and again rave reviews of the Bloog. I basically started to put together the interesting tale of “Leaford“, someone who’d been a big part of the early days of the vaping community, so much so that he’s brought his expertise to a number of places to improve the overall quality and experience of vaping and the hardware involved. Turns out, he’s now helping Bloog create their latest product -- the MaxxFusion. Improvements in battery life, better vapor and stability in cartomizors, etc. It’s actually a great story…

Well I knew I wasn’t ready to jump into mod’s (custom built units for vaping -- they come in every shape and size you can imagine), but I wanted a quality starter kit.  This Vapenstein review was really what sold me, but I also recommend checking out Grimm Green’s review as well (I’ll stick it at the end of the post). These guys are well respected (from what I can tell) in the vaping community, and both gave some love to this product.

I decided earlier this evening to write a noob review of my first few hours with the Bloog over on the ECF, so I’ll plop a condensed version here (I mean I’ve been typing for an hour now…this is easily the longest post spipasucci.com has ever seen…). But as a note, if anyone has interest and would like me to include more info about my foray into vaping down the raod, drop me a line or a comment -- I’ll be happy to oblige…

The Bloog MaxxFusion Ultimate Starter Kit & Additional Cartos:

Nice packaging, easy to tell what was what, and some nice quick directions included… I decided to charge the batteries (didn’t check if they had any charge to them, but since the kit came with a passthru (a usb version that runs off a usb cord instead of a battery),  I figured I’d start with that…)…
The hit was super smooth, nice blast of vapor, easy to drag… There seems to be no delay to it (some e-cigs, especially automatic need what is called a ‘primer puff’ to sort of activate and get rollin…)

The cartos: (the pre-filled cartomizors -- ie: the things that give the flavor and produce the vapor…) I ordered the ‘Red’ with the kit and then a pack of ‘Coffee’ & ‘RY4′ (all 11mg Nicotine)… The Red is a nice taste. More of a nutty taste than a true tobacco taste, but I kinda dig it. It tastes the ‘cleanest’ of the 3 to me (meaning I guess the least amount of ‘flavor’). I still think I need to adjust to all the variety… There’s zero harshness to me (in any of the cartos I tried) which is nice as I just got past a nasty cold…

Next I tried the Coffee… To me it’s much more of a mild hint of caramel than coffee. Being my first try at a “non-tobacco” flavor, I have to say I quite enjoyed it as well… I could see this being a nice morning vape or post-meal vape for sure…

Last there’s the RY4. I’d say, of the 3 I tried, this may be my favorite (though they are all quite pleasing). The website describes a hint of caramel taste in this, but I still felt the coffee was closer to a hint of caramel. There’s a definite sweetness there however… I’m sure I have a lot of experimenting to do before I can better accurately describe vape flavors…

Overall, I’m super thrilled with this product and can seriously see this keeping me away from analog cigarettes for good… There’s a definitive cost savings as well as an obvious health benefit over my previous ways… And, if I get to meet and talk with some great folks along the way, all the better!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI-X0hleKrI

                          

(image from phonelosers.org)

Before there was a Jerky Boys, there was Mark Knofler (not the dude from Dire Straits). It was mid 80′s or so when I remember someone having these crazy prank calls on cassette. I have no idea why that memory popped in my head today, but through the magic of the internet (and a google search consisting of 2 simple words – “knofler tape”)…BAM! There is a prank phone call site with a page dedicated to this…

Well, I am blown away (it’s always a little weird reliving something from at least 25 years ago…). I remember somebody made me copy of their cassette and I know I made a few and passed ‘em around myself. Basically, this tape of prank phone calls was the 1980′s equivalent of something going “viral”! Back then, viral took a few years, but viral nonetheless… Amazing to me how there’s not that much known about this guy (although he apparently lived in Delaware), yet so many people have heard this tape…

Linwood Erector Set (Click to Play/Download)

Got me thinking as well about the dead art of the prank phone call… How often do you really even answer your phone if you don’t recognize the number or can see that it’s blocked… I wait for the voicemail andif they don’t leave one, it must not have been that important… So those of you old enough to remember, click on through and relive some 80′s glory!!

                          

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavUpD_IjVY

So yesterday I’m stumbling around Vimeo to find something to post on the music blog,  and caught this video by Eskmo. I was absolutely blown away by what was done with some basic city footage to create an stunning music video. So a few clicks later and I’m completely captivated by the motion animation of one Cyriak Harris, a freelance animator from Brighton, UK.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCBBQ9AaKY4

His site is chock-full of not only some great illustration work, but tons of fantastic video pieces… I think what grabs me the most right off the bat (besides my love for things bizarre), is how well motion video is manipulated and mixed with the motion graphics and illustration work to create such frenzied and visually rich material. Mutated hands, morphed animals and mind boggling landscapes made of pieces parts of what is probably basic video footage. I’d love to see some sort of breakdown of one of his pieces (like a video walkthrough of some of the tricks he’s pulling off in Photoshop and After Effects…).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqULTO4SOqU

The music video stuff is great and even the ‘goofing around’ short pieces are not only hilarious, but just spectacular to watch… You’d be remiss not to subscribe to his youtube channel and keep an eye out for more…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKlCIR654Ho

                          

A month or so ago, David Lynch announced a video contest on Genero.tv for two new songs he’d recently released. (I so want to enter one of these someday – eventually I’ll get the needed equipment, software & time…).

Well, fast forward to January 3rd and the winners have been announced. Both the videos are ‘really’ impressive, especially given the relatively short timeframe. I’m sure anyone who’s a fan of Mr. Lynch already has some quirky visual ideas in their head, but both the winning videos (in their own way) capture both the mood of the chosen song as well as meshing nicely with the style and mood we all expect for anything related to Lynch’s creative body of work… I had some trouble getting the genero.tv video embeds to work, so you’ll have to click the images below to view the videos (and I highly recommend you do… I mean, it’s 9 minutes total that will enrich your day, that can’t be bad, right?)

GOOD DAY TODAY – David Lynch

Directed by Arnold de Parscau, this video is simply described as “A little boy is having dinner with his family.” Of course, there’s much more than that here. I love the slow paced shots and the transitions into the mind/imagination of the boy was very well done. The settings/environments are smothered in a beautiful darkness. The ending (I won’t spoil) felt a little forced but still works well.

I KNOW – David Lynch

Directed by Tamar Drachli (and shot solely on a Canon 7D!), this video is my favorite of the two. The story is a little more subtle (listed as “A man obsessed by the woman that left him tries to bring her back through the remote control”), but is still very captivating. Great use of natural lighting, nice cuts and shadows, striking close-ups and compelling pace.

All in all it looks like this was a successful venture for Genero.tv, and it looks like they’ve already got some new video contests running (for Duran Duran & OMD to name a few). A nice way to generate some stunning user content. I hope to get the chance later to browse some of the other contest submission and this will definitely be a site I’ll keep my eye on…

                          

I know it’s 4 days into the new year, but thanks to a Mashable, I think I’d like to participate in this challenge. Basically, WordPress is throwing out the idea that through some helpful inspiration and the act of browsing other blogs, we can find it in us to ourselves get a post a day up for 2011 (or a post a week if you’re not feeling quite as adventurous…)

It’s been a long standing goal of mine to post everyday, and I’ve failed miserably (as I’m sure a huge percentage of bloggers do…). I mean, sure, I could slap a link up every day to some random You Tube video or funny pic, but to me that now is more of a thing for facebook and occasionally twitter (the immediacy and the quickness). A blog post should (hopefully) at least contain a paragraph or two of some sort of original thought, no? (and I’m not calling anyone out or even implying in the least that I don’t and won’t occasionally post something with no thought whatsoever…). My first step to try to get posting more regularly was to branch off this blog with my music blog - spipmusic.com. And so far that experiment has worked… Having a more focused idea for content has really helped (I think I’ve only missed a few days since launch, but have a few double post days to make up for it…).

There’s the photoblog as well, but that doesn’t really count to me as “blogging”. I mean I’m spending all of 30 seconds uploading something from my phone. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy that and hopefully folks might enjoy a cool photo here and there. Someday I hope to pursue this photography bug, but baby steps for now…

So I guess the real issue is what does spipasucci.com become? I really like the recent growth of Cleveland based blogs…(happyincle, cleveland’s a plum, 27 Dresses In Cleveland, Clevedads, WhyCle? ) Do I try harder to push content on the city I love? What about my long standing aspirations to get back into video work (particularly editing and motion graphics). There’s fantastic sites out there and maybe someday I’ll have generated enough of my own stuff to make that worthwhile… Or just stick with what spipasucci.com has been so far – a mish-mash of content that interests me – cool videos, tv/movie observations, Cleveland tidbits and other weirdness?

That decision will probably take some time. But for now I am truly going to attempt to get a post a day done for this and the music blog, and see where it leads me. I’m hoping to branch out and meet some folks through these crazy interwebz, and maybe in turn expose a few people along the way to something interesting they hadn’t seen…

                          

Scott Pilgrim vs the World opening title sequence | The Art of the Title Sequence.

A nice little follow-up to my post of my favorite movie of 2010, here’s another fantastic piece over on “The Art of the Title Sequence” about the whole process that went into the making of the opening scene and titles for ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”… As with all their posts, absolutely amazing depth into the process with numerous examples of tests and the thought process going into the scene’s creation.

                          

[adult swim] : IVC – Robot Chicken – Star Wars Episode III.

Not a whole lot to say except that if you haven’t watched the latest Robot Chicken Star Wars (an hour long episode that is absolutely “wizard” by the way), then now you have no excuse… Throw in commentary and interactive features and I’m not understanding why you haven’t stopped reading this and clicked the link already to start enjoying your RC experience in its fullest!

                          

spipmusic

Just in case it slipped through the cracks last night, I launched my new music blog. I’m hoping a blog with a sense of focus (the thing spipasucci.com is seriously lacking) will help me generate better and more interesting content…

The impetus for the site is to bring back that sense of music sharing/discussion I used to have all the time in High School & College with friends… We’re all still connected through the interwebz, so hopefully this will bring some of that back… Anyone else who wants to follow along however, please feel free!

I hope this will give some friends some new stuff to listen to and will spur those friends and others to send stuff my way as well!

                          

Much like the title says, I’m working on a music blog… I know there are a million and 1 music blogs already, and mine will be another… Actually tho, I miss the old days of sharing / finding music through hanging with friends and someone helped me figure out that this idea of reconnecting with old friends via sharing music with them might be the way to go. Hope to launch this weekend after I get a few more posts in there and stuff (it needs some content ya know…)…

What does that mean for this blog? Prolly not much… This for now will be the same old mish mash of stuff… I think spipasucci mixes will still live here for now and I’m sure I’ll find some other drivel…