Twilight Memorabilia

Twilight was first released in hardcover in 2005 and rocketed to the top of the bestseller list. The book is the first in a series which also include New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Millions of copies have been sold to date and the movie adaption made so far have grossed nearly $400 million worldwide. This series of young adult vampire fiction went from the page to the silver screen, and in doing so became more popular than ever before. While the average Twilight fan is a teenage girl, even some adults love Twilight just as much for its romance and intrigue. Read the story »

Beatles Memorabilia

The Beatles are perhaps the most famous rock/pop band of all time. The band began in the town of Liverpool in 1960. Before long the group found superstardom in both the UK and the United States and became a huge phenomenon. Members of the band were Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. At the current time, McCartney is pursuing a successful solo career. Although he and the other members found success after the breakup of the band, the Beatles were certainly more popular than any of the individual members on their own. Read the story »

James Bond Memorabilia

In 1953, author Ian Fleming created the character of James Bond 007. Although Fleming wrote 12 books and two story collections based on Bond, other authors continued the series following Fleming’s death. More popular than the books are the movies, which total 22 to date. The first James Bond flick was Dr. No with the most recent release being Quantum of Solace. With all of the euphoria, it’s no wonder that there is a huge amount of James Bond memorabilia available. Read the story »

Harry Potter Memorabilia

From the mind of author J.K. Rowling sprung the story of Harry Potter, which has become an international sensation. There are books, movies and merchandise based around the mega popular Harry Potter franchise. Quite magical indeed for Rowling, who has gone on record with interviewers about the poverty she experienced prior to selling the first book in the Harry Potter series. Read the story »

Brunswick Pool Tables

Brunswick is the absolute leader in the billiards industry.  Brunswick, or J.M. Brunswick Company, made its first pool table in 1845 and they’ve been going at it ever since.  Brunswick may not be one of the cheapest options available when it comes to pool tables (you won’t find one in your local Wally World), but it’s quality is unmatched in the industry.  And while the styles over the years have changed, the one thing that Brunswick has been known for hasn’t changed — it’s high quality manufacturing.

Brunswick currently has over two dozen types of pool tables in production as of 2009 spanning styles like European (most popular), contemporary, traditional, and casual.

Do you own a Brunswick pool table? Have playing exercise on a Brunswick?

Write a review below!

8-Ball Billiards Rules

8-ball billiards, also known as Hi-Low or Stripe and Solids, is the most popular pool game in the world.  It is said to be played by 30 million Americans and millions more worldwide, arguably one of the most played table sport games in the world.

The rules of 8-ball are fairly simple:  bust the rack with an open break, choose solids or striped balls (the first you knock down determines your balls) and keep putting them away — when you’re done, sink the 8-ball for the win.  8-ball can also be called solids and stripes billiards, but you can also play lows and highs — which is where one player sinks all balls 1 through 7 while the opponent sinks 9 through 15.

Starting 8-ball billiards

Make an open break, smashing all of the balls apart.  If you pocket a ball on the break, the type of ball (solid/stripe or low/high) you knock in determines what you hit for the rest of the game.  If you don’t hit a ball in, your turn is over and your opponent starts their turn.

Playing 8-ball billiards

Once you have determined stripes/solids and have begun playing, each following stroke must first hit one of your balls first.  Failure to hit one of your balls first when striking yields ball-in-hand to your opponent.

Ball-in-hand is also awarded when any cue scratch occurs.

Ending 8-ball billiards

8-ball rules state that scratching while occurring to sink the 8-ball is not a loss of game, unless the 8-ball goes into a pocket as well.  If the 8-ball goes lands into a pocket different than the one that is called, the game is immediately over and that player loses.

House Memorabilia

My wife loves watching House.  Personally, I think the show is extremely cookie cutter — the first 5 minutes of each episode is somebody falling/freaking out, the next 15 minutes they try to convince House M.D. to take the case, the next 20 minutes he tries 6 tests and the concluding 5 minutes is the sickness reveal.  The other 15 minutes is a lotted for car commercials and the sort, a reason why my wife collects the DVDs.
Read the story »

Home Bars: Buy, Build, or Hire?

You woke up this morning and decided you want to add a home bar to your rec room.  Good move smart citizen, you can get as drunk as you want and not have to worry about driving home.  You have two (three, really) options:

You could buy a bar already assembled.  You could build your home bar.  Or you could have it built, but outsource the work to a general contractor or the sort.  I’ll go over each option for you.

You got skills?  Build a home bar.
We’re not talking about hanging the Christmas lights or changing the oil in your Volvo.  This is a considerable job reserved for a handyman of intermediate to advanced knowledge.  Even if you do know what you’re doing, do you have the required tools and available time necessary to build a home bar?  Also remember that while you may be talented with a buzz saw, most home bars (depending on your design) would require electrical and plumbing work.

Not ready to build your own bar?  Keep reading.

Who says happiness can’t be bought?  Buy a home bar someone else made.
There are a variety of sites where you can buy home bars.  Prices vary wildly from $600 to $20,000+.  Pre-packaged home bars come with very little assembly required and once unpacked, they shouldn’t take more than a few hours to setup.  If you still need someone to connect it to the electrical and plumbing systems, a reasonable general contractor (GC) can be hired for about $50/hour.

You’re lazy, know nothing, and/or you have a lot of money.  Hire.
General contractors are notoriously unreliable.  They overcharge you, show up late/not at all, produce shoddy work… the list goes on.

HDTV Buying Guide

Buying a HDTV for the first time?  Not really sure what to look for when buying a HDTV?  I’ll give you some tips and tricks to shop around with.

I spent about 2 months shopping around, visiting Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, HHGregg, as well as a plethora of websites (I ended up buying online).   I learned a lot and eventually had a 52″ Philips Plasma HDTV shipped to my door for $1,499 — best purchase I ever made.

Should you get an LCD or Plasma HDTV?
Cost wise, LCD and plasma are pretty much the same these days.  The main difference between LCD and Plasma HDTVs lies in the picture quality.  Technical jargon aside, plasma HDTVs have darker and more vibrant black levels — meaning movies that you watch with a lot of dark in them, The Matrix for example, would look a lot better on a plasma screen.  Alternatively, LCDs have a slighly better picture when it comes to movies with a lot of color — practically any children’s movie.

Plasma HDTV Advantages

• Overall, better picture quality vs. LCDs
• Albeit close, slightly cheaper than LCD
• Widest viewing angle available
• Deeper, more vibrant blacks
• Strong front glass (good for Wiis and kids)

LCD HDTV Advantages

• Higher brightness levels, better for rooms with a lot of lighting
• Larger available screen sizes
• Weighs less than plasma, easier to move
• Generally consumes less power than plasma

What about DLP rear-projection HDTVs?
DLP is good when you need a massive HDTV for a relatively cheap price.  You can pickup a 60″ DLP for around a couple ground, with neither LCDs or plasmas coming anywhere close to that.  The largest downsides on DLPs (and projection screens for that matter) are:

• Overhead lights don’t mix well.  If you want to watch television, you’ll need the room in almost complete darkness or the picture quality will be extremely poor.
• Very poor viewing angle.  Meaning, if you’re not directly in front of the DLP,  the picture quality will begin to deteroriate as you move sideways.  LCDs also have a problem with limited viewing angles, not so much with plasma diplays though.

If you’re buying an HDTV for a home movie theater, DLP is definitely a great option.  If the television will be a fixture in a room with other activities (game room, living room, etc), I’d suggest sticking with LCD or plasma.

720p vs 1080p
This is basically picture quality.  If you buy a smaller HDTV set under a few feet in dimensions, it’ll be hard to notice the difference between 720p and 1080p.  Any screen over 40-45 inches or so will want 1080p, but it all comes down to value.  Will a 52″ 1080p look better than a 52″ 720p?  Yes, but most likely, you won’t care enough to pay for the 1080p.

Check the contrast levels.
These represent how well a television can display deep, dark color levels.  As I mentioned before, LCDs are usually pretty weak in this category — but that doesn’t mean all plasmas are perfect.  Before you buy a television, insist on viewing something that is extremely dark on it.  You shouldn’t feel silly for bringing a movie from home and asking the Best Buy employee to put it in the DVD player for you.

Ports!
How many ports do you (or will you) need?  Not just component, but HDMI ports… HDMI cables provide the best picture for all the newest technology items like XBOX360, PS3, cable/satellite DVRs, etc.

Good luck with your search!

Michael Jordan Memorabilia

Michael Jordan, “His Airness,” is one of the greatest basketball players to ever step onto the court.  According to his official biography on the NBA’s website, he is the greatest player of all time by acclamation.  Aside from his supernatural talent, Jordan can also claim that he helped make the NBA become popular in other countries around the world during the late 80s and 90s.

His exceptional four years at UNC is a great source of memorabilia, such as game jerseys, practice jerseys, and game balls, which are all fairly hard if not impossible to find these days.  After college, Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls where he won six national championships throughout the 90s.

Michael Jordan Memorabilia – Ideas & Where to Buy

Looking to buy Michael Jordan memorabilia?  Try to find items from when he was back at UNC.    While easier to find, yet still tough, are items from his days at the Bulls and the short-lived Wizards.  This can be game basketballs, practice basketballs, jerseys, sweat bands,  worn Nikes, etc.  Another idea for memorabilia would be an item from his baseball days.  There weren’t that many of them, so that makes any item like a used bat or glove extremely rare.

Anything related to his baseball days would not only be rare, but an extraordinary and creative item in any memorabilia collector’s showcase.

If you’re looking to easily find Michael Jordan memorabilia at a price that isn’t astronomical, you may want to stick to items that His Airness has signed like basketballs, jerseys, photographs and the sort.

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