Black Friday shopping craziness is at an all time high with stores opening before Black Friday. But just know this. Before, after, or even both, this 24-hour Starbucks drive thru in Kaneohe is your Black Friday ally. You know you’ll need that coffee to get in gear or to stay in gear to push through all that shopping.
Good hunting!
Zappos’ response to Kanye’s claim is all wins, and therefore rightfully deserves a place in the 2013 Pulpconnection Holiday Gift Guide. But oh hey, this sh-t will cost you – $100,000!
Of course, you need to watch the informative Zappos video to understand the features of this sh-t product.
Naughty, naughty Starbucks. The popular coffee brand knows how to create caffeine addicted customers. While Starbucks has had its Star Dashes since 2012, they’ve gotten to be experts at tailoring the dashes. For the past few dashes, the goals have differed, assumedly based on your visits and buying habits.
Don’t go very often? Starbucks knows and gives you the creampuff dashes like buying four drinks to receive $5 in credit. Easy right? But once the coffee from those four drinks infuses in your system, you’re on your way to caffeine addiction. All to get back $5, and you know that $5 is just going to feed your addiction. For us already addicted, Starbucks throws us a pittance with $5 after 10 transactions or $10 after 16 stars.
For this 2013 holiday season, what kind of dash offers have you received? I’ve heard of:
The power and influence of the Internet is grand. Learning is a Google away, entertainment anywhere is possible with a smartphone, and even the English language continues to evolve (despite Urban Dictionary). And now there’s “because.”
The word “because,” in standard English usage, is a subordinating conjunction, which means that it connects two parts of a sentence in which one (the subordinate) explains the other. In that capacity, “because” has two distinct forms. It can be followed either by a finite clause (I’m reading this because [I saw it on the web]) or by a prepositional phrase (I’m reading this because [of the web]). These two forms are, traditionally, the only ones to which “because” lends itself.
So next time, when you chuckle, learn something interesting, or find out happenings in Hawaii, you can think “because Pulpconnection.”
Clear skies, warm sun rays, a cool, idyllic pool. Is that how you define serenity now?
Or maybe the pool is serenely vacated since a kid puked in it, and the lifeguards are keeping guests out until a full pool shock can cycle through. Serenity now!
I won’t give a full review of our stay at the Disney Aulani. All you need to know is that you can expect the full Disney experience and customer service at the Aulani but don’t expect Disneyland. Disney did an excellent job preserving Hawaiian culture and the aloha spirit in the architecture and decor. You won’t see overt Disney themes or Mickey Mouse faces everywhere. Well, Mickey references are there but well integrated. Don’t worry you will see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy around the resort grounds or at the character breakfast/brunch.
The swimming pools are the biggest draw, surrounded by convenient (though expensive) eateries. All the pools are shallow, 3-6 to 4 feet deep, but not heated. There are several jacuzzis around though. One tip, the infinity pool felt a few degrees warmer than the main pool, and while underwater listen for the songs of whales and dolphins (for real). Aunty’s House entertains the kids, and the scavenger hunt is the best I’ve seen combining an immersive storyline, high tech, and exploration of the grounds, leading to active results (no spoilers).
Flickr has been making changes to its age-old system. While for the most part, the changes are welcomed, but sometimes, I want the old Flickr back. Like when embedding a slideshow. Where did that feature go?
While you can’t see it, embedding is still available. Open the photo set you want and append /show after the URL. Read this forum tip for more.
First there was TJ Maxx then Pier 1 moved next door. Completing the Ward Village transformation is the relocation of Nordstrom Rack. Previously down the street next to Office Depot, Nordstrom Rack gets front and center on Auahi Street.
The store is much bigger than its previous location, now on two floors. Men’s occupies the first floor while the women’s section is on the second floor, seemingly as big as the entire previous location. The store is decorated with Hawaiian accents like this surfboard.
Open for only a few weeks, shoppers were treated to these excellent bags with each purchase.
The inventory was good when I went, but it may be wiped out by now. This place was packed with shoppers looking for great bargains. There was lots of winter stuff on clearance so if you needed a North Face jacket, you may find a good buy. I picked up a Kahala aloha shirt at 50% off, colorful Happy Socks, and work out shorts (Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok Under Armour were all there). Oh, when you’re ready to check out, don’t wait in the long lines for the registers. Many employees carry mobile registers (like the Apple Store). As long as you pay by credit card, they can perform the transaction without any wait.
At first, I wasn’t sold. Why would I need an action camera like the GoPro HERO3+
The answer is simply yes. Use one, and you’ll understand why. First off, it’s tiny and light so carrying it is not a problem. The waterproof housing increases the bulk for the tradeoff of the rugged versatility. Now take the GoPro to the beach, to the pool, into the water, and a whole new world of video and photography is available to you. The pictures and videos are shockingly clear and crisp. Sure, due to the wide angle view of the GoPro lens, you get that fisheye effect, but the GoPro software can compensate if you want.
But never mind that, play with the angles, get a different point of view, capture various perspectives. Have fun with it. That’s the appeal of the GoPro.
There are three versions available – white, silver, and black. The white is the basic model, the silver is mid-level, and black is the best. Recently the silver and black were upgraded to the 3+ version while the white stayed at a non-plussed 3. Oh and the Wifi remote access and control of a GoPro is an eye opener. Use your iPhone to configure and control the GoPro, and even better, download pictures and video from the GoPro to your iPhone over Wifi.
While GoPro Hero prices are fixed everywhere, you can find deals on older GoPro models. For example, Costco (online and in stores) is selling the previous GoPro Hero 3 Silver (no plus) for $239.99 (yes, $10 more in Hawaii).
Once you get a GoPro, go practice your underwater selfie. Capturing a good one is harder than you think.
For a short time, Starbucks had a promotion pushing their holiday delights. Buy a Snowman Cookie, Peppermint Brownie Cake Pop, or Cranberry Bliss Bar, and you’d get an extra star (but only if you received this offer). Although the cake pop is the smallest, it was kinda costly. So I went with the big snow man cookie. I think it had the most calories, but for the price, I thought it was the best bang for my buck.
You’ve been patient, and now you’re rewarded with pure deliciousness. The Hokulani Bake Shop has opened its latest location at Windward Mall. Gone is the wooden facade of Gloria Jeans Coffee replaced with the signature orange and white of Hokulani.
As you walk by their cupcake display case, how can you resist these temptations?
And that’s just a portion of their cakes. Here’s their full list of pure deliciousness.
Normally, I wouldn’t give any credence to something named “Chillax” but after seeing this bean bag in a Costco magazine, I’m a believer. Bean bags are one of my favorite anachronisms, withstanding the trends of time. So the Chillax still has a market, a place in your home, and a spot on this year’s Pulpconnection Gift Guide.
I’m not sure if you can find the Chillax in Hawaii-based Costco locations. Ordering online may be necessary, but just think of the all the chillax-ing you can do during the holidays.