September 04, 2008

Alternative Means of Transportation

Gas Prices The average cost for a gallon of gas is still flirting around with the $4 mark, being a college student that really hurts the limited budget. I just filled up my car this morning and I ended up pulling out of the gas station down $67.95. I drive a 4-cylinder turbocharged car which gets descent gas mileage (approx. 28 mpg highway and 20 mpg city) but really the only way to avoid these high gas prices are to cut out the use of automobiles altogether. Cut the use of automobiles out altogether? Yes I know, in reality that statement will never happen to the average individual. What we can do is limit the use of cars for transportation and I will explore options that will hinder us from pushing the pedal to the floor. Here are my personal Top5 means of transportation to avoid hitting the pump.

Cruiser

1.) Bicycle- Being a college student this seems to be the most efficient and popular way students get to and from class. Choose from a variety of bikes such as cruiser, bmx, mountain, and road. Bicycles require very little effort to move quite a far distance (unless going up a very steep hill) making this my number pick for most effective automobile substitute.

Longboard

2.) Longboard- Although most individuals don't know how to ride a skateboard or longboard, I'd highly suggest learning, this is personally my favorite way to get to and from class and around town. The only downside to a longboard is the fact that it is much more dangerous than a bicycle because it doesn't have a brake or stopping device. On the upside a longboard is very portable and can be carried around anywhere without much effort. I really enjoy skateboarding to school because I can store the board inside the classroom and not have to worry about it getting stolen.

<strong>Scooter</strong>

3.) Scooter- Most individuals refer to scooters as "nerdy" if the owner rides it within the ages of 12-18 is my third choice for best alternative transportation. Scooters are very easy to ride and have arguably the best control out of the other options in my top5 list. They are also portable and fold up well, the only downside is that they aren't fast and require a lot of peddling to move at a quick pace.

Roller Skates

4.) Roller Skates- Maybe roller skates have gone out of style but they are still a real efficient transportation device. The only negative opinion I have on roller skates is that they are a pain to get on and off, and not very portable. I feel that one can cover good ground on skates, on top of that they are also fun, fast, and secure.

Walking Shoes

5.) Walking- Come on get off that couch and go for a walk. Walking is a great way to get exercise and also for going to convenient places around your neighborhood, check out these comfortable walking shoes. If walking is too slow for you, quicken the pace and throw on some running shoes.

Jason the Intern

September 02, 2008

Music and Movie Tuesdays...And TV Shows too! (3rd Edition)

The Most Anticipated blog post to hit the web today is here.(well not anticipated at all) Anyhow, here we go with another edition of Music and Movie Tuesdays..and TV shows too!

Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun

brianwilson.jpg The Beach Boy is back at it, this time with another solo effort. Wilson's That Lucky Old Sun is an album reflecting the city Wilson grew up in, Los Angeles. He celebrates the great southern californian life in 17 melodic and soothing tracks. There are several tracks that portray Wilson's past personal battles with family losses, mental illness and drug use. Although his voice isn't the same as it was in his twenties, he uses his reduced range with great skill giving off a very quiet yet relaxing and comforting sound.


New Kids on The Block - The Block

newkidsontheblock.jpg You know 'em, You love 'em, you can't live without them. New Kids on The Block are back with their first new music in 14 years. There is also a Deluxe Edition available which comes with 4 extra songs and a fold out poster booklet.






Underoath - Lost In The Sound of Separation

underoath.jpg It is hard to believe this band is a Christian band, as their sound and lyrics are overshadowed with gut-wrenching screams, mind blastering guitar riffs and ear ringing drum beats. Their genre can be classified as metalcore/screamo. As about as heavy of music that my ears can take, Underoath's Lost in The Sound of Separation is an extremely heavy hitting album yet provides the adrenaline to last a lifetime. Being a big fan of this grammy nominated band, this new album is my favorite of their six studio albums. So if you are looking for an unpredictable, ear-splitting, full of ferocity and melody, this is the band and album for you. But don't tell me I didn't warn you, it hits your speakers pretty hard.


Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

transformers.jpg No lengthy explanation necessary. The action packed 2007 summer movie hit has now been released on Blu-Ray as a 2 disc special edition. There are some great special effects in this movie, so bring it to your screen in high def blu-ray fashion. This movie certainly does have more than meets the eye!




The Office - Season 4

officeseason4.jpg Catch "The World's Greatest Boss" Michael Scott, the greatest assistant "to" the regional manager, Dwight K. Schrute, and the rest of the cast of The Office in Season 4. The highly anticipated Season 5 airs September 25th, so get on board with Joe The Interns favorite current running comedy show on TV. Also, a DVD set of the Seasons 1 through 4 is now available titled The Ultimate Package......That's What She Said!




Desperate Housewives - Season 4

DHseason4.jpg To preserve my manhood, I will not discuss this release of Desperate Housewives. Like my previous recommendations, these are not all releases of my personal recommendations, rather current releases that appeal to the general public. If this show fits your interests and you love steamy romance and neighborhood gossip, Desperate Housewives is a must have.




Joe The Intern

August 29, 2008

Back to College

It’s almost time for the new school year. When I was in college, my freshman year I went to class with a trusty notebook.
notebook.jpg
Now a notebook can be very useful, a hundred or more blank pages to fill with your ideas, but I soon saw that I was outclassed in taking notes. Other students brought shining silver laptops and busily typed away whenever the professor was speaking, while I struggled to take down the important points. And when the professor began asking questions, each student with a laptop would immediately log on to the internet (assuming they had a wireless network card) and look up the answer on Wikipedia. They had the answer, and I looked like a chump. Sophomore year, I decided to take advantage of the great back to school deals offered on laptops to get myself a Dell.


Dell Laptop.jpg It worked well for me in college, and it still works well for me today. My laptop is sturdy and in the four years I’ve had it, it’s only frozen up on me a couple of times. The only downside is, after four years of charging it up and taking notes in classes, working on papers in the library, or surfing the net at Starbucks, the battery is pretty run down.
Dell Laptop Battery.jpg
I’m planning to get a new battery to add life to my Dell laptop, which still has all my old essays and Superhero comics (in the form of JPEG folders) on its hard drive. Sooner or later I will have to upgrade, but I still enjoy going down to Starbucks, sipping a latte and reading “Batman: Hush” on my laptop.

Will

August 28, 2008

The Freak

The FreakThe 162-game, 2008 MLB season is finally coming to a close in slightly over one month. I'm a die hard San Francisco Giants fan so I went to the game last night and watched Tim Lincecum walk away with his 15th win of the season. After watching his miraculous performance I'm now set on purchasing a Tim Lincecum Jersey. Although the Giants have practically no chance to make the playoffs, I really want to rock the NL Cy Young candidate's home jersey. Now is also a great time to get your favorite potential post-season teams jersey and cheer them on in their hunt for a World Series championship.

The NFL regular season is starting a week from today so now is the best time to grab yourself a brand new NFL Jersey. These jerseys are a great way to support your favorite teams and athletes, and are also very comfortable and lightweight. As a college student, they come in really handy for the infamous "jersey parties". I'm a 49ers fan, so i love to sport my Frank Gore Authentic Jersey, especially on game days.

Jason the Intern

August 26, 2008

Music and Movie Tuesdays...And TV Shows too! (2nd Edition)

Joe The Intern here for the second installment of Music And Movie Tuesdays..And TV Shows too!. Not too many popular media releases this week as most big name releases are waiting for the new month. Not to worry, there are always some solid picks of the week. Don't forget, get all that you need at great prices at Become. Shopping Your Way!

Blues Traveler - North Hollywood Shootout

bluestraveler.jpg The American jam band Blues Traveler is back with their ninth studio album. North Hollywood Shootout captures not only the quintets signature sound thanks to lead singer John Popper, but also shows some new music creativity. Some tracks capture the bands previous strengths flawlessly, while other tracks give glimpses of the spontaneous spirit of their legendary live shows. This album is a must have for any devoted Blues Traveler fan who has been with the band during their lengthy, yet solid, 20 year career.


Heroes - Season 2

heroesseason2.jpg Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Claire Bennet, Sylar and more are about to grace the TV airwaves once again come September 22, 2008 with the new season 3 of Heroes. If your just joining this epic television series, I highly recommend you get in the game by watching the two previous seasons. Recapture all the suspense in this fully loaded Season 2 DVD. Included in this 4 disc set, are never aired behind the scene interviews and stories with the cast, as well as an alternate ending to the Season 2 finale. Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.


Entourage - Season 4

entourageseason4.jpg Season 4 of the Emmy Award winning HBO series Entourage can now be seen at your own leisure. Relive life in Hollywood's fastlane with Vince, Eric, Drama and Turtle in the intoxicating Season 4. Season 5 starts up on September 7th, so get ready for another great season with the crew of Entourage. Pick up Entourage seasons 1 through 4 now.




Joe The Intern

August 25, 2008

A Diamond (Camera) is Forever

sharapovacanon.jpgIn honor of the U.S. Open starting today, I will bring some tennis to pocketchange, well how bout just a tennis celebrity. Although Maria Sharapova will not be appearing in the US open this year due to injury, she has been actively playing her other role, a celebrity and sport icon. The 21 yr old Russian beauty queen was out last week promoting Canon cameras. This was not a typical promotion. How does a 12,000 dollar camera sound? 5 lucky winners can win one of the five 88 diamond encrusted Canon Powershots. They are not available for sale, only through this limited sweepstake. You can sign up for this diamond-studded sweepstake now. Winners will be announced in October.
diamondcanon.jpg It would be pretty sweet to get your hands on this little gem. However, I don't really understand the purpose around this. Yes you get the brand out, and Maria looks good taking pictures with a 88 diamond lens camera. To the average person, I guess it would just be some great eye candy. I can see the winners gazing at their blinged out cameras, and taking pictures of it with their inferior $200 dollar digital camera. Just a luxury I guess. Anyhow, I am officially in the running for 1 of the 5 Powershots, so come October, I will be blingin' around with my newly won 12,000 dollar camera. Personally, I'de rather take a date with Ms. Sharapova if I won the sweepstakes rather than just some camera that really provides no usage value. Good luck to all. If you don't feel lucky enough, head to Become and browse our diamondless, yet still eye-catching, digital cameras.

Soon to be blingin,
Joe The Intern

Rubik's Cube

rubiks.jpg
The Rubik’s cube was invented in 1978 by Erno Rubik and has challenged millions of people in their attempt to solve the mechanical puzzle with very few individuals successfully completing it. I never thought much of a Rubik’s Cube until my supervisor Brent thought he was cool by showing me how he could solve the mechanical puzzle in only a couple minutes. I first remembered when I tried to solve the cube at a very young age only to find myself frustrated and angry at what I thought was such a simple looking puzzle. This basic 3x3x3 standard cube looks easy enough to solve, but it’s a lot more than just matching up the colors; there are a plethora of algorithms and strategies involved in perfecting the way to solve the Rubik’s cube. After seeing the cube on my boss’s desk time and time again, I decided to try and solve the puzzle. Thanks to YouTube videos and various algorithms, I finally learned how to solve the Rubik’s cube on my own without referring to any guides. Currently my record to solve the cube is 5:25 but I am working to quicken my pace to catch my bosses lightning fast time.


For those who have solved the standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube there is also the 4x4x4 Master Cube and the 5x5x5 Professor’s Cube which I still haven’t had the desire to attempt. If you are every bored or determined to complete a task please try and solve the Rubik’s cube…its fun, challenging, and rewarding (if completed).


Jason the Intern

August 22, 2008

Is Michael Phelps the Greatest Athlete Ever? No!

After becoming the most successful Olympian of all time with his 14th gold medal, and breaking the record with 8 gold medals in one Olympic games, the sports world seems ready to crown Michael Phelps the greatest athlete ever. Now don't get me wrong, his achievements in the 2008 Summer Olympics are nothing short of remarkable, but to crown him the greatest athlete ever is ridiculous. Personally, I believe it takes more athletic ability and talent to be the greatest in a team sport because off all the intangibles that come along with it. Michael Jordan carrying his team of 12 to six NBA Championships is far more impressive than Michael Phelps' Olympic feats. And if we are going to talk about individual sports, he's probably not even at the top of that list. Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods & Muhammad Ali all come to mind. Lets take Lance Armstrong for example, just for the fact that him and Phelps both participate in non-mainstream sports. The basis of Phelps' athletic ability is his unmatched endurance and dominating strength. Now I don't know about you, but completing a 21-stage, 2,200 mile bike race over 23 days in the middle of the summer heat, sounds a tad more intimidating than swimming a maximum of 200 meters in a pool. Just a thought. And then on top of that, do it for 7 consecutive years.


I am by no way putting down the sport of swimming, because I can't imagine how much effort and determination it takes to dominate that sport, but there's no way to even consider him as one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports. Phelps is just the feel good story of the past couple weeks and after the Olympics are over, no one will talk about him for another 4 years. With all that said, we should be proud to have an Olympian like Phelps representing our country.


Brent

August 21, 2008

iPhone Madness

iphone.jpg Remember the days when you would look around and see almost everyone who walks or runs by you with white earbuds in their ears jammin' out to their favorite tunes?? Well although those days are not over, the company who first started the earbud phenom is back at it, taking on a very similar product with one big catch to it. The Apple iPhone has made its way into the hands (and ears) of millions of Americans. The hype surrounding the iPhone really builds up the ipod+phone product. Not owning one myself, I have had many opportunities to experience the iPhone. In my opinion, it without question lives up to the hype. Almost all my friends have acquired one, including several of my co-workers here at Become. And yes, as I do get sick of all the talk and constant media and commercials covering the iPhone, I must say I am impressed. With the recent release of the 3g, people are running around crazy to get a hold of one. Additionally, it was announced the other day that Best Buy will begin to help Apple and AT&T sell the iPhone. So in the next coming months, the current 5-10 day wait period to get your hands on one should dwindle. On a side note, the little applications that are now available on the iphone are pretty nifty. Give your new favorite media player app a try. One day I'm sure I'll possess the iPhone, however right now its just not something I see myself needing, not to mention the college-fund-shrinking phone usage charges. But if you do have one, I'm sure you are pretty impressed with the gadget and couldn't be happier with your purchase. If you are looking to give your iPhone some flavor or screen protection, head over to our store and pick up some accessories. If you utilize the ipod part of your phone, browse our selection of sound docks.

And for all the iPhone haters out there, or the less fortunate, go pick up some pretty good iPhone alternatives.

iPhoneless,
Joe The Intern

August 19, 2008

Music and Movie Tuesdays...And TV Shows too!

Joe The Intern here to bring you some great entertainment for the upcoming Tuesdays. I have only about a month left at Become until I return to college. Thought I would let our readers stay up to date with current media releases. Every Tuesday I will post some new Music, Movies, and TV show releases. I am a big music guru with an array of music tastes ranging all the way from punk to bluegrass. Many of my favorite bands are "on the rising" and will break out sooner or later. Anyhow, I will try to stay pretty mainstream with the big name bands and be open to all music genres. So here we go, first edition of Joe The Interns Music and Movie Tuesdays..and TV Shows too!.

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus - Best of Both Worlds Concert (Feat. The Jonas Brothers)

hannah.jpg Among youth, Miley Cyrus(a.k.a. Hanna Montana) and The Jonas Brothers are gathering quite the fan base. These teen sensations have been all over TV and the radio waves. This live concert DVD shows backstage footage of Miley preparing to take the stage, as well as her entire life set with a special on-stage performance by The Jonas Brothers. This new release is a must have for any Miley Cyrus fan.




Ice Cube - Raw Footage

icecube.jpg Regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, Ice Cube brings his rap beats back in another fail to disappoint album. This is an exceptional album. Don't let the album title fool you, this album is very well produced and has a fantastic sound and flow to it.






Xavier Rudd - Dark Shades Of Blue

dark shades of blue.jpg Bringing you a less known artist, over the years Xavier Rudd has become one of my favorites. His new album Dark Shades of Blue is one of his better studio albums, if not his best. Known for his great live performances, this studio album shows his great diversity between the studio and the stage. Implementing his signature sound of the Australian didgeridoo, the album has a great vibe and mellow mood to it, bringing not only the dark shades but balancing it out with some bright melodies. For fans of Tool, Ben Harper, John Butler Trio, Dave Matthews, and sweet cool Australian sounds.


House, M.D. - Season 4

house.jpg Bring Dr. Gregory House to your DVD player. Enjoy one of America's favorite TV series with this drama packed Season 4. Season 5 starts up on September 16, 2008, so get prepared by catching up on everything that happened in Season 4.





Wimbledon - The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer

wimbledon.jpg Any tennis and sport fan can remember this match. One for the ages, and a match that will be marked in history as one of the greatest ever. Capture it all again on this widescreen action packed DVD. For any fan of tennis, Wimbledon, Roger Federer and soon to be named #1 player in the world, Rafael Nadal.






Hope you enjoyed the first edition, see you next Tuesday with the 2nd ever Music and Movie Tuesdays...And TV Shows too!

Joe The Intern

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