How are the various conferences represented in the 2011 Big Dance and what are their dancing shoes?
Once again the Big East dominates the field with 11 teams (8 Nike, 3 Adidas) but sadly, the top tiered Big East teams have been dominated.
Read this article titled Starbucks Card Mobile Is a Hit: 3 Million People Pay Via Phone App, and first thing I thought was, “Really?”
It’s that popular? I can’t believe this is the “fastest way for customers to pay.” Seems like I can pay faster by pulling my Starbucks Rewards Card out of my wallet.
To pay using the Starbucks Mobile app, I have to unlock my phone, fire up the app, unlock the app, click on the Touch to Pay button, then have the cashier scan my phone. I don’t know about you but sure seems like a lot of steps.
With the first two rounds of March Madness over, here’s the updated breakdown of shoe sponsorships this year. In the field of 64, Nike’s swoosh is on the feet of 51 teams. Adidas’ three stripes are on 12 teams and Under Armour is singly repped by Temple.
So the Supermoon on Saturday night may have affected the outcome of the Bows’ CIT loss to San Fran. Win or lose, I’m proud that the Rainbows went for it wearing their intense green Adidas adiPURE shoes aka the Supermoons.
Thanks to Brandon Flores Photography, here are some great shots of the Supermoons on Saturday.
And yes, Amazon does sell the adiPURE in the Intense Green colorway
Has it been 3 years since I’ve done one of these? Really? That long? So there’s no time to waste. Everyone knows that a team’s success during March Madness is heavily influenced by their kicks aka sneakers. Wear the wrong brand, and your chances of cutting down the victory net will be slim.
What’s the shoe-scape for 2011 look like? It’s full of swooshes with at least 73% of the teams branded by Nike. Upstart Under Armour is in the game represented by Temple, and Adidas rounds out the dance card with 17% of the teams. I still have 5 unidentified teams to research. They are Indiana St., Long Island, Northern Colorado, St. Peter’s, and Akron.
After the first round games, I’ll fix the kicks analysis.
So I loved the refined taste of Starbucks’ new Cocoa Cappuccino as a hot beverage. How about the iced version? Sadly disappointing.
The drink looks luscious in the new siren logo-ed cup then my perception changed once I took a sip. The iced version tastes decomposed without any harmony. I guess that’s expected from the makeup of the drink. Take freshly drawn espresso and infused it with melted mocha. Then steam milk for the froth. Now take all these hot components, stick it in a plastic cup, and dump ice cubes in for a fast chill. Yeah, no wonder there’s no harmony.
For the iced version, I’d stick with a regular old Iced Mocha but as a hot beverage, the Cocoa Cappuccino is definitely worthy.
As part of its 40th birthday celebration, Starbucks is offering its Tribute Blend coffee and Cocoa Cappuccino drink. Here’s how the Cocoa Cappuccino is described:
We took an old favorite and gave it a richly delightful twist when we combined espresso, sweet mocha and foamy milk. It’s a bold flavor combination designed for those who enjoy the finer things in life.
I got a Cocoa Cappuccino today and you know what? It tastes like a Starbucks Mocha, a refined mocha. It’s like the Mocha but with more of a kick and a fuller consistency, even with non-fat milk. It must be the espresso or chocolate drizzled foam that adds creaminess to the drink. And unlike the Mocha, the mocha flavor isn’t as biting and has less contrast to the overall drink.
I had the drink hot but will have to try the iced version to see if the smoothness prevails.
And while you’re at Starbucks, check out their latest Tribute items and new logo.
Have you noticed similarities between Nike and Apple products and concepts over the years? Sure there’s the obvious Nike+ collaboration that started back in 2006, but here are a few more commonalities
Way back in the day, Nike Air technology was revolutionary. Now the MacBook Air continues the tradition.
I wonder if Apple got its idea for dedicated Apple Stores from Niketowns?
The MacBook Pro and its unibody design? How about the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse with its unibody construction.
And speaking of Hyperfuse, don’t forget the Intel processors inside of Macs support hyper-threading. Oh, and there’s that MacFuse software project.
Nike uses Shox columns for support while Apple like anti-shock hard drives for its laptop line. Nike embraces wires ala Flywire, but Apple wants to forgo wires and go wireless.
The latest rumor is that the construction of the iPad 2 will contain carbon fiber. Do you recall what Nike shoe introduced carbon fiber? None other than the iconic Air Jordan XI.
A giveaway that Apple and Nike are definitely sharing playbooks would be Apple following suit with lunar themed products.
And you know Apple’s Steve Jobs says “Boom” only because Nike owns “Zoom.”
The NBA Dunk Contest has been more of a “been there, done that” kind of event during the All Star Weekend. But the 2011 contest showcased creativity and originality making the event watch worthy once again. Sure, fierce dunks are impressive but add in an element of style, and you have something special. Here are a few of my favorites from this past competition.
Serge Ibaka rescues a stuffed toy stuck on the rim. That takes some concentration!
Former Nevada WAC-er JaVale McGee, I think, had the best dunks of the night. Here’s JaVale dunking two balls in two rims.
Two balls not good enough? How about dunking three balls?
But this dunk is downright nasty, especially in slow motion.
LA Clipper Blake Griffin bested the bunch mixing power, athleticism, and showmanship. Here’s his winning dunk jumping over a KIA car.
That dunk may not have been that difficult but it made for great still pics like this.
Pictures of my latest “everyday” kicks, the Air Jordan CMFT Max 12, Fresh Water colorway. I never owned the AJXII, but I like the thematic inspirations taken from this popular Air Jordan.
Sadly, Foot Locker locations in Hawaii didn’t carry these shoes so I mail ordered them and paid for shipping. Worthwhile though, comfy and I like the fresh water blue accents contrasting with the black. And the elephant print pattern on the soles are cool.
Thanks to Klout and Nike Courtside, there’s a Black Mamba in my house! Well, the poster of the Black Mamba video that is.
Kobe Bryant is the Black Mamba, and “The Boss” Kanye West wants the Mamba’s Nike shoes.