Bully

There is a new film that will be coming out shortly which addresses the issue of bullying. The title is 'Bully' and it is a documentary by The Weinstein Company. The film follows the lives of four families that have in some way been affected by the acts of bullying in school. The film features video of bullying in action and interviews with those being bullied. The trailer is below from Yahoo.com

The MPAA has already voted to give the movie a R rating. This means that it will be hard to get the film screened in elementary and high schools - the places that it needs to reach most. Change.org, however, has begun a petition to bump the rating to PG-13 so that it can be shown in schools. The reason for the R rating is by one vote for language in the film. This is complete bullshit. Kids need to see this. They need to see the repercussions of their actions upon others. There is no way to start change without first starting a fire within these kids. I urge you to click here and sign the petition to get the rating to PG-13. The site allows you send invitations to 16 people max, but you can always just share the link on your wall as well.

Bullying is a problem that people do not put the right amount of time into. 'Bully' attempts to put it on the map so that we can actually do something about it.

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My beautiful girlfriend had decided to get me a Photojojo Telephoto Lens kit for my iPhone for Christmas. However, they only have the iPhone 4 case kit available so, although I was excited to have it, I could not get the iPhone 4 case to work with my 'ol 3GS. I later returned it and received store credit to purchase something that would work with my phone.

So this is what I got.

Yes. I know the picture doesn't do it much justice, but it is one of the best things I have ever purchsed for a phone. The iPhone macro/wide angle lens is available for purchase on Photojojo.com's online site. The price is $20 plus S&H, but it is a really cool accessory to ANY camera phone.

If you don't already know, the lens adheres with a metal, magnetic ring that affixes itself to the phone (if you have an iPhone of any generation it will work and you can also use it on a variety of other camera phones as well) and the magnet located on the lens itself sticks to the ring on the camera.

Included with the macro/wide angle set is the lens, a keychain/lens holder, and now they have also added a ring that will affix to iPhone 4/4S without blocking the led flash.

I was tired last night and had to sleep early, but from messing around with the lens it has to be one of the best upgrades I have purchased for my phone. That is, besides the Otterbox Defender case I had purchased a while back.

For $20 you essentially get two lenses. The one downfall to using the wide angle is that the iPhone's camera is too shallow/wide angle lens is too long and when using it you get a partial vignette effect in the bottom right hand corner. IMO, that is fine with me. I usually add a vignette to most shots with my iPhone through Camera+'s app. If you don't like it, you can just crop it out and all will be dandy :)

I know that this lens has been out for a while, but I just got it. $20 for the wide angle/macro lens. $49 for all three (macro/wide angle, fisheye, and telephoto) makes it a great deal for someone who loves shooting with their iPhone's camera. A definite must have for those with the new 4S.

Thanks for dropping by and make sure you follow me on Twitter and follow this blog for future updates! I will give a full layman's review later on today.

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Edit: after using the lens, the one downfall for me is the ring that attaches to the phone. If you do not have a case that it can attach to I would recommend one that does. It does not fit on my Otterbox so I am currently using my phone without a case. If you purchase this, you can also order a few additional rings for $3 from the Photojojo team.

Here is a pic that I took with the macro lens and without earlier today.

And here are some pics comparing the size of the lens. I usually edit my photos using Camera+, but I decided not to.

Drive

Have you seen this movie? I had thought about watching it at the theater, but being poor, I had to resort to Redboxing this thing.

This isn't a review. I am not going to compare it to any other movie. I am just writing about it because it was BAD ASS.

As far as BA movies that have come out in the last couple of years, I think that this one wins.

I regret not seeing it at the theater. Not just any theater, though. One that has the best sound system so that you can fully appreciate the soundtrack that was put together. I remember when viewing it at home I had to first watch it on low (being a nice guy, not wanting to wake the household) and wanting to get as close as I could to the screen to listen to the intro track. Kavinsky's "Nightcall" matches the movie so damn well its ridiculous. Its slow, subtle, and eerie.

I want to watch it again, but I don't have my home theater system set up yet. So I shall wait and take my time so that I can experience this movie as it should be.

Purchase Drive on Blu-ray and DVD

Original Soundtrack also available

WATCH IT!

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Jon Siu:

I need you to get your rib recipe up on this site as soon as possible. The pictures you sent me of the prep that you did prior to smoking made me want to lick my screen (which I did). For those of you who do not know, Jon is the proprietor of Reliant Computer Services which specializes in full service computer repair. Viruses? Who needs em! Is your webcam dead and tired of seeing your face? He can do some quick plastic surgery and get you back to your usually vain self. Need moar powar!???!? He's got that and a whole bag of apples.

You see him there with those pandas? He'll take care of you just like he did them.

Hit him up today here for a free consultation. He can Skype you if necessary, he is currently located in Diamond Bar, CA. He doesn't have a magic carpet (yet) but he can always help you out. Just like Batman. Except Jon is available even if he's smoking ribs out on the patio.

Here's some preview pics from Jon's Famous Smokin' Ribs:

Damn, look at them ribs. Ready to get rubbed up.

Now we're gettin rollin. Let those babies soak up that rubbbbb.

Racks on racks on racks, ya'll.

Almost done. Just gotta rub em a lil more..

Well, that is just a preview for now. Jon will post about how to get your ribs looking fabulous. Check back or we'll check you.

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Mac Air Video (iPhone)

I don't know how many people know about this app, but it is almost as great as Netflix.

If you have accumulated a vast collection of movies on your computer, there is a way to instantly stream them to your iDevice immediately. This is possible with an app called Air Video which is in the app store for $2.99. It is an app that I use almost as frequently as Netflix

It is essentially a streaming app for your movies, television shows, or music videos which are located on your desktop or laptop. If you have a desktop at home that is running all day, all you have to do is download the Air Video Client for Windows (Mac Air Video Client is also available) and follow the install instructions.

With this combination of software and apps you will be able to instantly stream, convert, and add your movies to playlists in iTunes. This is made even better with iOS5's newest feature of wireless syncing.

Say you are going on a trip but would like to watch movies that you have on your home hard drive. All you would have to do is set up your desktop as a server and configure your PIN which will be used to retrieve your computer's Air Video server info immediately and allow you to view your library at home - from the comfort of your iPhone, iPad, or laptop.

Like I had previously said, you can choose to either live stream or convert the files info m4v format on your desktop while you are away and then proceed to add those files to your iTunes playlist for when you return home. This gives you the option of either loading a m4v file on your device for viewing later or streaming a format that is known instead of having to do a 'live conversion'.

Air Video is available in the iTunes app store for $2.99 and their software is available for download here on their site. Enjoy and feel free to comment back with your experience with this awesome app.

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Happy Saturday!

Hello world! Isn't it a nice day out?
Well, its only morning, but it feels like it will be another great day in the Inland Empire.
I start work at noon and I cannot wait to get home and have dinner with Wendy. It has been such a long week, I know we both need some time to just laze around and unwind.
I have decided that every Friday from here on out will be 'Font Friday.'
Reason is because while I look online for free fonts to download, I want to be able to let people know which ones I believe are the best for the week. I know that if you Google 'free fonts' you will find a bunch of sites hosting free fonts, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in there.
The site that I find most of my fonts is www.dafont.com They have a great structure to their site and the only time you will be redirected is if there is another site you must download from to accept their terms and conditions in regards to downloading their font. But even that is vary rare =)
So for the first Font Friday I present to you my favorite font (and is also used on this blog):

Lobster

I use this font all the time. It just looks great. I prefer using all lower case letters, but all in all, it is a great font. It is similar to Loki Cola, an edit of the classic Coca Cola font, but I enjoy the way that Lobster rolls its letters together.
Download it from here on Dafont.com. It is a great font, I recommend using it on your blog if you choose to. As a matter of fact, it may actually be usable in the Google Fonts listing in the font chooser. If it isn't, I will be throwing up a post about how to load custom fonts using Cufon.
Enjoy!

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Typography by Ronnie Bruce

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.
My friend just posted this on Facebook.

It has been around for a while, but I have never seen it until today.

The poem is by Taylor Mali.

Enjoy!

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About

What is

It is essentially a blog for my friends & I:

Xavier Togia

Jon Siu

Kigga

Dj Hernandez

We have a lot of great ideas for what Flavor Junction will become, but time is everything and it is something that we have to find between our jobs, side jobs, and school work. Jon and I also work on websites as a side job and are self taught. Everything I have learned I owe to w3schools.com and all the sites that are dedicated to educating those who would like to teach themselves.

I have written most of the blogs (Xavier) but we will all be writing about different things that we find interesting. This will probably be filled with complaints about work. And because we all work in various fields, we will all have unique entries that we hope will make you a regular follower of Flavor Junction.

We do hope you enjoy our writings and musings.

Long days and pleasant nights.

The

flavor Junction

crew.

Books, books, and more books.

I had sworn to myself that I would never, ever, even if it was the last job ever, to work in another book store.
I am now entering my second week working at Crown Books in Rancho Cucamonga.
Ridiculous? Yes. More than likely short-term? Absolutely.
There is no more money for books in print. I am essentially working in a museum which allows the masses to browse the last futile attempts of keeping print alive. I wish it weren't so. I love the feel of a book in my hands, the smell of the pages when flipping through an old book you had previously adventured. But sadly, there aren't that many people like myself. Especially younger folks who enjoy reading classics, contemporary, and the occasional graphic novel. I, however, really love graphic novels, but they are not killing regular books in print. That was done by the big box retailers who were unable to shift their business strategies to account for the future of reading - the e-book revolution.

I'm not saying that there wasn't any done to keep the bookstores from going under. On the contrary - millions of dollars were invested and returned for some (Barnes & Noble) and wasted away by others (Borders Books). The difference was timing. Barnes and Noble was able to keep both its store customers and maintain a healthy online presence. Whomever worked at B&N and decided to make the Nook knew exactly what to do. Those at Borders, not so much.
As someone who has worked for Borders in the latter part of its run, I was able to witness the last painful grasps at keeping the company alive. The integration of a crappy e-reader (the Kobo by Kobo digital) was introduced far too late into the game.
Just like SOPA, you have a bunch of people disconnected from digital platforms trying to resolve problems with said issue while lacking the technical know how.
This rant brought to you by:

Flavor Junction

Shuriken Sticky Notes..leave no name, just demands.

Is Rob not remembering to restock the toilet paper in the washroom?



Then leave him a 'sharp' reminder about the basics of being the office intern.

Grab these from Think Geek for $7.99 - everyone will be sure to respond to your memos.

Book Review of the Week - Stephen King's "The Gunslinger"

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

This is the opening line of Stephen King's "The Gunslinger," the first in a series of seven novels about the adventures of the series protagonist Roland Deschain. I am currently rereading the series and have immediately fallen back in love for it again.

To many, this series is just too long or oft full of too much detail. But for me, that is exactly how I would want the world of The Gunslinger to be. King delves deep into the mind of a man who has been forced to kill because of the actions of The Man in Black - a sorcerer who was once the man that had tricked Roland in killing his own mother.

It is essentially a post-apocalyptic western with magic and time travel. King even brings himself into the story later on down the line. The series is a great read and I highly recommend anyone interested in sci-fi horror to look into it. (it isn't too much horror, it just happens to be under that category at times)

If you are fond of graphic novels, Marvel has been putting out graphic novels about the beginning of it all. Check it out at your local B&N, they probably have at least one of them ;P

If you do get a chance to read any of it, post back with your thoughts about King's "Dark Tower" series.

Enjoy!

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P.S. just checked out Dark Tower Movies and they had posted earlier this year that Brian Grazer is still willing to do the HBO television series. Hopefully this happens. If it does, I think it may have the effect that "The Game of Thrones" had on the viewers.