SoundHound LiveLyrics, Cool!
Whoa, just discovered the LiveLyrics feature of the SoundHound app. How does it do that?
Showing the lyrics for a song is cool, but scrolling the lyrics line by line in step with the music is downright amazing!
Life
Love the Eco-i-Lite
Aw, I’m bummed that my original pair of Eco-i-Lite flashlights have both died. I love these rechargeable lights. Plop them into their inductive charging bays, and that’s it. When the power goes out, these light up themselves. Under normal conditions, the charging bays also act as night lights. The LEDs in the flashlights are bright (though not focused beams) and their batteries last for a long time.
Sadly, I can’t find them locally anymore. I swear I bought these at Costco or Sam’s Club a few years back and thought I saw them in the past few months. But neither big box retailer carries them anymore. Not sure why, but Amazon has them so I’m ordering a new pair.
Starbucks Pearl City Shops Is Refreshed
It’s not just the Enchanted Lakes Starbucks getting refreshed. The Pearl City Shops Starbucks is also charged up for the national launch of Starbucks new Refresher flavors.
Check out this electrifying display! I didn’t see this at Enchanted Lakes.
Since it was lunchtime, there were samples of hand crafted Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus. What did I think? Well… I expected more tartness from the Cool Lime. That or I would have preferred some carbonated zing. But the carbonation is reserved for the canned Refreshers (Raspberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Lemonade, and Orange Melon). Both the Lime and Very Berry drinks are available either hand crafted (made in the store) or in instant VIA form. Of course the hand crafted versions have fresh ingredients added that are not in the VIA packets. As of now, there are no canned versions of Cool Lime or Very Berry Hibiscus.
Next I sampled the Very Berry Hibiscus and true to my expectations, I was reminded of the Hibiscus flower while drinking this. It’s a better blend than the Cool Lime, but I can’t shake that flowery image as I drink it. Oh, and a word of caution. After sampling the Refreshers, your palette is in for a bitter shock if you chase it with a coffee-based drink.
So the Refreshers live up to their namesake and is refreshing. This marks a different market for Starbucks, going beyond coffees and teas. But I’m still a coffee fan, addicted to its taste, color, and scent, so I’m sticking with the brown stuff. 🙂
Here are a few more pictures of the Starbucsk Pearl City Shops location.
Starbucks Enchanted Lakes Got the Refresher Refresh
Stopped by the Starbucks Enchanted Lakes location this morning and saw the new Refresher look.
The bright, bold colors reflect the new Refresher flavors of Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus. Today marks the national launch for these flavors. Inside and out, the store is really pushing these fruity additions.
You can score a coupon for 50% off any Refresher flavor.
If you want to sample these new drinks, head on over on Friday, July 13, from noon to 3pm. You’ll receive a free tall sized Refresher.
While you’re bedazzled by all the Refresher activity, don’t forget to pick up this week’s pick, the Tasting Table Cookbook.
I haven’t yet had the chance to sample the Cool Lime or the Very Berry Hibiscus. Cool Lime sounds like a natural match for this iced drink. I’m a little wary of the Hibiscus drink, not really wanting to drink a flower you know. 😉
I have had the original three Refreshers, Raspberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Lemonade, and Orange Melon. From the names alone, I would have guessed Orange Melon would be my favorite, but instead, it’s Raspberry Pomegranate. To me, this had the best flavor combination. There was an aftertaste to the Orange Melon. It started good then the aftertaste kicked in, negating the initial yumminess. I didn’t feel that way with the Pomegranate. The Strawberry Lemonade was okay, not great, not bad, just okay. I am looking forward to Cool Lime, but given my experience with Refresher flavors, maybe Very Berry Hibiscus will be my new favorite.
For more info on these new Refreshers, check out the coverage by Starbucks Melody.
Oh, a few more pictures of the Enchanted Lakes store (which was still setting up in the morning).
The Kenmore Elite 72053 Refrigerator Is Magnetic!
Here I thought the stainless steel Kenmore Elite Model 72053 (31-cu ft) refrigerator did not have a magnetic surface. I am wrong, or partially wrong at least.
Out of pure randomness, we passed a magnet near the behemoth’s surface, and it stuck! But it’s only in the upper left corner where the ice maker is. And the magnetism isn’t strong. Don’t expect to attach large or heavy objects. Pictures and single sheets of paper are okay. Anything else starts sliding down the surface. “Magnetic stickers” work well though to get your refrigerator in the seasonal spirit.
Contest: Win an iPad from Farmers Hawaii
Win an iPad? Then surely, this contest can’t be from the limited coffers of Pulpconnection! But yes, you can win a free iPad from Farmers Hawaii in their traffic safety karaoke contest.
Starting today until the end of July, singers, crooners, and American Idol-wannabes can sing along to Jake Shimabukuro’s original creation, Slow Down, and submit their renditions. One winner will receive Apple’s latest iPad, and a fan favorite, as voted by you the people, will win $200 in gas.
For you alpha types, be one of the first five to submit your entry and get a $25 gas card just like that. For all other entrants, you’ll get a copy of Jake’s latest, Peace Love Ukulele.
To enter and to read the official rules, jam on over to http://www.myfarmershawaii.com/karaoke.
Are you ready? Warm up them pipes and sample your challenge.
Can you beat this sample? This ain’t me, I swear.
Good luck!
Spotted VH07V Again
Driving around the Windward side, I spied another VH07V sticker. Looks like the brand is building its popularity!
Nike Zoom Structure Is For Me
I can’t deny it. Nike’s Structure line of running shoes is for me. No matter what other Nikes I experiment with, I always come back to the Structure. I used to run in the Moto but moved up to the more supportive Structure line. I’ve had the 12, the 14, and recently, picked up the discounted 15. Darn Zappos for telling me about these shoes!!
I guess my flat feet need the stability provided by these shoes. I wasn’t completely sold on this wolf grey colorway, but in person, they’re not bad. And you know you can get away with the most outlandish, gaudy shoes while running. In fact, it’s expected!
Did I Not Blog the LunarEclipse?
Looks like I completely missed blogging about my Nike LunarEclipse+ 2 running shoes.
I got them in March after reading rave reviews online. Sadly, these just ain’t for me. They do feel hella good, but there isn’t enough support for my fallen arches. I tried changing up my running style, using the balls of my feet and reducing my heel strikes, but I’m not quite there. I can feel how the LunarEclipse is more suited to this gait, but it doesn’t come natural to me. When I’m not concentrating, I can feel my heel striking the pavement. Overtime, this shock is starting to affect my knees and shins. The discomfort comes and goes, but I think prolonged running in these will eventually lead to persistent pain. I may split my runs with different shoes to see if that helps.
I do like walking in them as with the original LunarEclipse. I gotta say that there are improvements in the LunarEclipse 2. There’s less wiggle room with a smaller toebox. The FlyWire didn’t do enough to shape the LE1 to my foot. The customized fit system and its “fingers” in the LE2 do a much better job. BUT, it’s odd to feel the fingers. I noticed that recent Nike Free Run shoes feature the customized fit system but covers up the fingers so they don’t directly touch your feet. The floaty-ness of the heel cup is no longer noticeable in the LE2. I kinda like and don’t like the floating cup in the LE1.
Style wise, the LunarEclipse 2 is eye-popping and beats the look of the LunarEclipse 1 any day. And for that, I’ll keep these LunarEclipses around.
Intrigued by the Sony HDR PJ260V Camcorder
I’m thinking of going back to a traditional camcorder to capture videos more easily than using a DSLR and more capable than my iPhone 4. After some quick research, this Sony HDR PJ260V camcorder
Besides the built-in projector is the 30x optical zoom. While only beginning my research, most HD camcorders feature a 10x or 15x optical zoom. I pretty much discount digital zoom stats.
Everything else in this little camcorder sounds on the mark too. Good low light shooting, image stabilization, good audio pickup, external mic capable, touch screen, SD card expansion, a wind noise filter, and even GPS tagging of pictures and video – all for about $500.
So what’s stopping this no-brainer buy? Since I like my Canon digital cameras, I have an affinity to Canon products. But, I didn’t really care for the video quality of my old (and stolen) Canon ZR. I still remember being wowed by the video quality of an even older Sony camcorder I had way back in the day. So I’m open to getting Sony for video and sticking with Canon for stills.
The biggest hurdle? The funky format of the video files. Ever heard of the 1080-60p AVCHD format? I haven’t. For Mac users, you have to know that 1080-60p isn’t natively compatibile with iMovie ’11. So if you can’t edit the video from this camcorder on a Mac, what’s the use?
Well, fortunately, there are workarounds. You can always record in other, lesser-quality video formats that iMovie does understand. You can convert the video as described here using a variety of tools. ClipWrap, VoltaicHD, and Aunsoft’s MTS Converter for Mac seem to be mentioned a lot. There’s also Movist and Rewrap2m4v. If the video import can be overcome somewhat easily, then this camcorder looks like a solid purchase.
Oh, you may want to consider getting an SD card and a higher capacity battery (NP-FV70, but not the huge FV100).
Added the Digg Digg Bar
I can’t keep from tinkering. After reading Think Your Blog is Done? 7 Tweaks To Kick Your Blog Up A Notch, I learned about the Digg Digg plugin and couldn’t resist. So now, you’ll see the social sharing buttons floating on the left edge of blog posts.