Categories
Bowling Video

Talk Bowling is Born

Brian Halstrom and I have been wanting to start a podcast all year.  We have kept putting it off for one reason or another, but we finally bit the bullet and shot the video this week.

We decided to call the podcast, TalkBowling, and its home is at http://www.talkbowling.com

We would really like to get some feedback on the show.  I know I personally need to loosen up, but it was definitely fun and different.

Categories
Bowling

Storm Virtual Gravity Bowling Ball Review

Click Layout Image to Enlarge

[bowlingball value=”6810″/], An Unstoppable Force from Storm.

Pin to PAP(4 1/2″ over 0″ up) – 3 3/8″
Mass Bias Position – 1″ right of center line
Balance Hole – 7/8″ x 1 1/2″ deep on the PAP

Surface Preparation – Factory Finish Polish (4000 grit Abralon)

What I Was Looking For In This Ball Layout:
This was my first bowling ball in the Shift line so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I knew that Tony and Brian really liked their previous ones.

What I Ended Up With in the Ball and Layout:
I first tried to use the ball at its out of box finish. With my lower ball speed it was hard to get the ball down the lane because of its huge hooking potential.

I then polished it up with some Factory Finish High Gloss polish. What a huge difference. We were able to shoot our ball reaction video on a fresh house shot and you need to watch it to see. Tony and Brian were playing ridiculous angles with this ball.

See more reviews on the product page of the [bowlingball value=”6810″/].

Categories
Broadway

The Wizard of Oz on Broadway

My wife and I went to see The Wizard of Oz on broadway this weekend.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the show before hand.

For the most part the show followed the same format as the movie.  There were parts that my wife and I were questioning if they were part of the original movie.  It was fun to reminisce and say, “Oh yeah, I remember that now.”

They did spice it up and add some comedy into the show.  For instance, when Dorothy ran into the Scarecrow, he made a joke about having a stick shoved up his umm….. back. 🙂

Some of the things that we didn’t like was the use of a video screen.  Going to a play usually means that there is a lot of emphasis on set design.  The video screen seemed like a cheap way out. 

There were a lot of kids at this show which was expected.  I was surprised to only hear one screaming kid, and it only took the parent a full two minutes to get the kid out of there. 🙁

I would have to say the show is worth it to see, but don’t expect too much.  For me, it was just a nice night out with my wife. 

Categories
Diet and Exercise

Red Wine’s Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity?

What?  You mean I can drink red wine and become thin?

According to Natural News, this is true.  Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, reduces the
number of fat cells and may one day be used to treat or prevent
obesity, according to a new study. The results will be presented at The
Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Read the rest of the story on their website at Red Wine’s Resveratrol May Help Battle Obesity.

Categories
Bowling

Embarrasing Night of Bowling

I bowled my Thursday night bowling league last night and am quite unhappy with my results.  Just when I think I am getting better, I turn around and bowl like I did last night.

I think the problem started because we shot a video(We are waiting to find out if it is ok to talk about the ball we were shooting) first.  During the video shoot I felt incredible.  We were all striking at will, and I felt like I couldn’t miss, if I threw it well that is.

Then during practice, I still felt great.  I was bowling very well, so well that I didn’t complete practice and went up and ordered dinner.  Very unusual for me to not complete practice.

My problem was my bowling ball speed.  It was all over the map, one minute I kept the speed up, which is what I want to do.  The next shot I would slow the ball down 1-2 mph and end up going through the head pin, leaving splits.

My teammates were all monsters last night.  Everyone shot over 600, even one bowler that averages about 185 like me.  He shot 606 and I was full 125 pins behind him at an abysmal 481.  That may be my lowest set in years, and I blame it on being a little tired from the video shoot.  Because I sure can’t blame it on myself… 😉

Lesson learned: Don’t push too hard before league.  We were done with the video shoot and I was still throwing the bowling ball… bad idea.  I definitely need to incorporate speed control into my bowling practice.

Categories
Bowling Programmer's Mindset

Added The Ability to Include Discontinued Items

I have heard many complaints from customers that there are too many products on bowlingball.com that are “Not Available”.  When looking at a list of bowling balls or bowling shoes they would see them scattered throughout the list and wouldn’t understand why there were there. 

“If they are not available, why do you keep them on the site?”

Our answer is simple, people like to look up information on older equipment.  They also like to compare old equipment to new equipment.  And the real die hard bowlers like to reminisce over older equipment.

Well now your searches will initially not contain the added bulk of these additional items.  But if you want to find them, all you have to do is check the box that say include discontinued items.

Categories
Bowling Video

Hammer’s The Sauce Review


Hammer’s The Sauce is their first high performance bowling ball release in a long time. Hammer has had so much success with their Black Widow series of bowling balls, that it was time to introduce a high performance ball again.

Pin to PAP(4 1/4″ over 0″ up/down) – 5″
CG to PAP – 4 1/2″
Balance Hole – none
Surface Preparation – Box Finish

My Personal Review: The expectations that people have of this ball are correct. I have heard from some Hammer staff players that this was going to be an amazing bowling ball, and they were right. I only average in the 180’s currently, but absolutely love this ball. You will notice in our videos that I often get very little attention. That changed in the last video, this ball rolled so well for me that I had a bigger part than usual.

The ball cleared the heads easily, and had a strong continuation on the backends that sent pins flying.

I highly recommend this ball for bowlers of all skill levels.

Categories
Blogging Video

It takes 2 cents to GROW a wine show

Gary Vaynerchuck puts out some amazing videos. His motivational speaking talents are impressive. But beyond that, he shares his passion and helps people to want to achieve their goals.

Categories
Bowling

Bowling Shoes

I haven’t gotten a new pair of bowling shoes in a few years. I have been using the [bowlingball value=”2117″/] and was ready for a new pair. Sure, I could have replaced the shoe strings and the replaceable soles, but what fun is that when you can have a brand new shiny pair of [bowlingball value=”6330″/]?

Dexter came in and showed us there 2008/2009 line of Dexter Bowling Shoes. I must say, the innovation in the [bowlingball value=”6330″/] is exceptional, especially from a business point of view. They made the bottoms of the shoes the exact same, which means that we don’t have to stock both left and right handed bowling shoes.

I have been using my new shoes now for about 4 weeks and really like them.  I have been playing with my slide sole a little bit, trying to slide a little less.  It’s not easy because I am used to sliding a lot.  I used to use S10, which is the most slide.  I have been able to adjust to an S8, and would like to work down to an S6 sometime soon.  I need much more practice though.

[bowlingball value=”2117,i150l”/][bowlingball value=”6330,i150r”/]

 
Categories
Business

Advertising in Today’s Economy

Gary Vaynerchuck’s take on advertising in today’s economy. Google’s stock is down, but you can still make money. ROI is the answer. Watch his video, let me know your thoughts below.