Monday, July 23, 2012
Limited Edition Mark of Athena
Yesterday, I decided to check Rick Riordan's blog Myth & Mystery (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/). He posts some interesting stuff there for those who are fans of his books. There was a new post dated July 21, 2012 that caught my interest. Riordan mentioned he was doing his weekend homework. His homework was to sign 1,000 title pages from his future Mark of Athena book. These special title pages will be inserted into 1,000 special edition Mark of Athena books by the U.S. printer as the books are being made. As Riordan mentions, it sounds pretty cool.
The special edition Mark of Athena book will come in a deluxe slipcase with special color artwork by John Rocco. Rocco has done all the book covers for the Percy Jackson books in the United States. The special edition does have a few drawbacks however. First, there is the shipping date. The Mark of Athena is supposed to be released on October 2nd, 2012. The special edition won't come out till 2 weeks later on October 16th, 2012. Second, there is the price. The regular hardbound will cost you $11.04 from Amazon. The special edition will cost you an extra $47 plus at $58.89 (Barnes & Noble offers it at this price too). Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer free shipping. Barnes & Noble has a discount card which would save you an additional $5.88. Not all book sellers are apparently discounting this book as I checked Books-a-Million website and found them offering it for $110! Yikes!!!!!!
Still, if you're a fan of Rick Riordan's books, I think it would be cool to have an autographed copy of one of them. I have an autographed copy of Alan Lee's Lord of the Rings sketchbook which I think is pretty neat. In time, I hope to get a book signed by John Howe, another outstanding Lord of the Rings illustrator. So, it would be neat to have a book signed by Riordan to add to my Lee book and future Howe book.
Warning! If you intend to get 1 of these special edition books, you should order as soon as possible. Remember, there will be only 1,000 copies of this book in the United States. Riordan expects there to be a special edition in the United Kingdom. Also, he stated on his blog that he'd signed a number of title pages for a special Taiwanese edition. However, if you don't want to go through all the hassle of buying a book from the United Kingdom or Taiwan and you live in the United States, you should get your order in soon. I know I plan to. Happy Reading all!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Royal Caribbean Deploys Freestyle Machines
Today, I received this information from Royal Caribbean's blog on http://www.answeritroyally.com so it's hot off the press. Royal Caribbean announced that it's begun deploying Coca Cola's freestyle machines on its ships. For those who don't know what Coca Cola's freestyle machines are, they're soda machines that can make 125! different Coca Cola products. That alone would make these machines pretty neat but, it's even better for those who like to sail on Royal Caribbean's ships. Due to lack of bar space, Royal Caribbean can't offer all of Coca Cola's products. For me, this is a real bummer because while they offer Sprite (I don't care for Coke), I like Barq's root beer and Fanta's orange soda too. This machine solves that problem. The machine should help Royal Caribbean in another way in that it can be easily operated by the person wanting a soda vice needing someone to run the soda machine.
One problem Royal Caribbean had to work out with Coca Cola was how to be able to check people's souvenir glasses to make sure they purchased the unlimited soda package they offer. Royal Caribbean plans on using the souvenir glasses that come with the package for the machines. Right now, whenever someone goes up to get a soda at the drinks stand, they have to show their seapass to prove they bought the unlimited soda package (and the DO check) otherwise they have to pay (was $2 a glass when I sailed in November) for each class of soda (bit of a pain). Royal Caribbean and Coca Cola worked out a radio frequency identification thingy that will be attached some how to the souvenir glasses that the machine will be able to check to make sure the customer has bought the package.
I believe the freestyle machines will cause more people to buy Royal Caribbean's unlimited soda package because of the greatly improved choices the machines will offer as well as being more convenient for the customer (they won't have to wait for a bar person to pull them a soda from the soda machine). Royal Caribbean should benefit in another way as this will free up some of their staff that have to work behind the drinks bar.
According to the blog post (http://www.answeritroyally.com/blog/?p=4971#comment-80778), Royal Caribbean deployed the machine to their Majesty of the Seas and will continue to deploy it to its U.S. based ships this year. Royal Caribbean said they'll continue to deploy the machines in 2013 presumably to its ships overseas though this isn't stated. I would hope they'd be able to do that. Sadly, in my case, I won't get to try out one of these really cool machines until next year when I hopefully do a few cruises based out of the U.S. Happy Sailing All!!!!!
One problem Royal Caribbean had to work out with Coca Cola was how to be able to check people's souvenir glasses to make sure they purchased the unlimited soda package they offer. Royal Caribbean plans on using the souvenir glasses that come with the package for the machines. Right now, whenever someone goes up to get a soda at the drinks stand, they have to show their seapass to prove they bought the unlimited soda package (and the DO check) otherwise they have to pay (was $2 a glass when I sailed in November) for each class of soda (bit of a pain). Royal Caribbean and Coca Cola worked out a radio frequency identification thingy that will be attached some how to the souvenir glasses that the machine will be able to check to make sure the customer has bought the package.
I believe the freestyle machines will cause more people to buy Royal Caribbean's unlimited soda package because of the greatly improved choices the machines will offer as well as being more convenient for the customer (they won't have to wait for a bar person to pull them a soda from the soda machine). Royal Caribbean should benefit in another way as this will free up some of their staff that have to work behind the drinks bar.
According to the blog post (http://www.answeritroyally.com/blog/?p=4971#comment-80778), Royal Caribbean deployed the machine to their Majesty of the Seas and will continue to deploy it to its U.S. based ships this year. Royal Caribbean said they'll continue to deploy the machines in 2013 presumably to its ships overseas though this isn't stated. I would hope they'd be able to do that. Sadly, in my case, I won't get to try out one of these really cool machines until next year when I hopefully do a few cruises based out of the U.S. Happy Sailing All!!!!!
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Hard Rock Rewards
Hard Rock Cafe came out with a little more information on July 6th. The program that'll be taking over for its All Access Club is called Hard Rock Rewards. The new program will be launched the day after the old one (All Access) expires. The webpage (http://www.hardrock.com/promo/membership/?WT.mc_id=20120703&WT.mc_ev=EmailOpen) reveals one improvement over All Access in that you'll be able to earn points from ALL the Hard Rock Cafes all over the world. With All Access, you could only earn points at corporate cafes. If you visited a franchisee cafe, you would get 10% off anything you purchased. The 10% was nice but, I liked earning points myself.
The webpage also allows you to sign up now for the new Hard Rock Rewards and states they will notify you when it launches if you sign up on the website. For those who are All Access members, an email I received from Hard Rock Cafe dated May 7th, 2012 stated that we would be inaugural members of the new program i.e. Hard Rock Rewards. NOTE: If you wish to be one of the inaugural members, you must change your username to your current email address (Per May 7th email). As one of the inaugural members, All Access members will get VIP tier for the first year. The announcement webpage about Hard Rock Rewards doesn't say anything about any tiers. However, they stated their still working on the program details and, they still have over 2 and 1/2 months to work those out.
Reminder: Any of you that have earned any rewards with All Access MUST use them up by September 30th, 2012 otherwise, you'll lose them. Any rewards you have can be redeemed at any CORPORATE Hard Rock Cafe i.e. you can't redeem them any franchisee cafes (source: May 7th, 2012 email from Hard Rock Cafe).
The webpage also allows you to sign up now for the new Hard Rock Rewards and states they will notify you when it launches if you sign up on the website. For those who are All Access members, an email I received from Hard Rock Cafe dated May 7th, 2012 stated that we would be inaugural members of the new program i.e. Hard Rock Rewards. NOTE: If you wish to be one of the inaugural members, you must change your username to your current email address (Per May 7th email). As one of the inaugural members, All Access members will get VIP tier for the first year. The announcement webpage about Hard Rock Rewards doesn't say anything about any tiers. However, they stated their still working on the program details and, they still have over 2 and 1/2 months to work those out.
Reminder: Any of you that have earned any rewards with All Access MUST use them up by September 30th, 2012 otherwise, you'll lose them. Any rewards you have can be redeemed at any CORPORATE Hard Rock Cafe i.e. you can't redeem them any franchisee cafes (source: May 7th, 2012 email from Hard Rock Cafe).
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Rick Riordan Twitter Post
On June 25th, 2012, the author Rick Riordan posted on his blog (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/) questions from fans that he answered on Twitter over the Solstice weekend. I found some of the questions and answers interesting. One thing I learned is that apparently he's finished the 3rd book in the Heroes of Olympus series, the Mark of Athena. He doesn't say that directly in his answers BUT, he does say he has 2 books left to write in the series. As Mark of Athena is the 3rd book, logic says he's finished it though it'll undoubtedly have to go through some serious editing before it comes out. Another hint that he'd finished the book was his comment about being between projects. His latest project as far as I know was Mark of Athena so, if he's finished a project, it would most likely be that one.
Another interesting answer he gave is about a totally new project he'll be working on. Riordan will apparently be writing 3 books using the Norse mythology. It'll be interesting to see how Riordan handles that one. As far as I know, the Norse gods didn't go around creating lots of demigods but, Riordan can do whatever he wants in the fantasy world he's created. I look forward to his take on Odin, Thor and Loki and the other Norse gods.
The Demigod Diaries are apparently coming along. Riordan mentions that he's editing his son's 1st manuscript most likely on the story he'll be contributing to the Demigod Diaries. On Riordan's June 15th post, he says Haley's story will be about a demigod son of Hecate who fought on the side of Kronos and, what it's like to be an outcast demigod. I think that would be an interesting story and, I look forward to the release of the book on August 14th. Plus, it'll help tide me over (as Riordan mentions) until Mark of Athena comes out on October 2nd.
These are just a few of the topics Riordan kindly covered in his Twitters and blog post. There are more interesting questions and answers which you can check out if you're interested in his stories or his life. Happy reading all!
Another interesting answer he gave is about a totally new project he'll be working on. Riordan will apparently be writing 3 books using the Norse mythology. It'll be interesting to see how Riordan handles that one. As far as I know, the Norse gods didn't go around creating lots of demigods but, Riordan can do whatever he wants in the fantasy world he's created. I look forward to his take on Odin, Thor and Loki and the other Norse gods.
The Demigod Diaries are apparently coming along. Riordan mentions that he's editing his son's 1st manuscript most likely on the story he'll be contributing to the Demigod Diaries. On Riordan's June 15th post, he says Haley's story will be about a demigod son of Hecate who fought on the side of Kronos and, what it's like to be an outcast demigod. I think that would be an interesting story and, I look forward to the release of the book on August 14th. Plus, it'll help tide me over (as Riordan mentions) until Mark of Athena comes out on October 2nd.
These are just a few of the topics Riordan kindly covered in his Twitters and blog post. There are more interesting questions and answers which you can check out if you're interested in his stories or his life. Happy reading all!
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's
Today, I decided to treat myself to some Spin & Win at the Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's. For those who don't know what a Dave & Buster's is, Dave & Buster's are a combination sports bar, restaurant and arcade. They have big screen tv's in the the sports bar part of the complex for the sports nuts. They have a restaurant section which is right next to the arcade with some tv's for the not so devout sports nuts and, they have a million dollars worth (supposedly) of arcade games. The games run the gamut from shooting basketball hoops to shoot em up games to skeeball and my game which is Spin & Win. Spin & Win is a game where you pull a lever which starts a light going around a big massive number wheel like Wheel of Fortune. You hit a pad on the console which stops the light moving and whatever number it stops on is the number of tickets you win. The ultimate prize of this game is winning 1,000 tickets. There are 3 spots on the wheel where you can do that. You just have to have great timing and hand/eye coordination. Also, you mustn't let yourself get distracted by all the noise, the people around you or the excitement of playing the game. It's not easy to hit the 1,000 ticket light but, it is really cool when you do it. I managed to hit it 5 times before I decided to call it quits though I still had over 350 coins on my powercard (I did a $100 re-charge).
When you're ready to cash out, you walk up to the Winners Circle where you put all your tickets in a big plastic tub and, they weigh them. They know by weight how many tickets you'll have won. Also, they'll tell you your total number of tickets you have on your card. After that, you can browse the prizes in the Winners Circle. They run the game from candy to game cartridges to small appliances like a George Foreman Steak Grill or blender. One particular neat prize I saw was a fake jukebox which plays CDs and, I believe it can play MP3 tunes. I saw a USB hook-up in it. This particularly nice prize was also the most expensive costing a hefty 110,000 tickets! Still, I thought it was pretty cool.
The Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's is easy enough to get to. It's in Hanover, Maryland just off of Maryland-100 or you can exit Maryland-295 (the Baltimore Washington Parkway, drive down Arundel Mills Boulevard (I think), turn left so the Tower Federal Credit Union is on your right and drive around the huge mall until you see the Dave & Busters's. It's right next to Chevy's. Parking wise, there is a lot of parking BUT, it can still be a challenge to find a spot on weekends and holidays like today. For those who like to ride motorbikes (like me), there is a special parking zone for motorbikes though this can get filled up like it did today.
Happy gaming all!
P.S.
Concerning the food at Dave & Buster's, I can't rate it. I never eat or drink there. All I ever do there is play Spin & Win and check out the prizes in the Winners Circle.
When you're ready to cash out, you walk up to the Winners Circle where you put all your tickets in a big plastic tub and, they weigh them. They know by weight how many tickets you'll have won. Also, they'll tell you your total number of tickets you have on your card. After that, you can browse the prizes in the Winners Circle. They run the game from candy to game cartridges to small appliances like a George Foreman Steak Grill or blender. One particular neat prize I saw was a fake jukebox which plays CDs and, I believe it can play MP3 tunes. I saw a USB hook-up in it. This particularly nice prize was also the most expensive costing a hefty 110,000 tickets! Still, I thought it was pretty cool.
The Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's is easy enough to get to. It's in Hanover, Maryland just off of Maryland-100 or you can exit Maryland-295 (the Baltimore Washington Parkway, drive down Arundel Mills Boulevard (I think), turn left so the Tower Federal Credit Union is on your right and drive around the huge mall until you see the Dave & Busters's. It's right next to Chevy's. Parking wise, there is a lot of parking BUT, it can still be a challenge to find a spot on weekends and holidays like today. For those who like to ride motorbikes (like me), there is a special parking zone for motorbikes though this can get filled up like it did today.
Happy gaming all!
P.S.
Concerning the food at Dave & Buster's, I can't rate it. I never eat or drink there. All I ever do there is play Spin & Win and check out the prizes in the Winners Circle.
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