johnporcaro: mktg@large

Smonk You's Open Letter to Spitz Seeds

Like Kenny who writes Smonk You , I LOVE Dill Pickle flavored sunflower seeds.  Spitz makes the best ones:  they're not too salty, and they're a little bigger than the other brands. And I love that the bags are sturdier, and have a zip-lock top.  I'm not sure about them sponsoring this blog, there are other things in the works here, but I loved that he had the idea--if tongue in cheek--to write an Open Letter to Spitz Seeds.

I'm not sure if Spitz is paying attention.  I hope they are!  Their seeds sometimes get put out of the way, compared to the big brand, but they're worth finding if you haven't tried them.  Now, if I could only keep my kids from swiping mine from my truck whenever I'm not looking...  

What things do you really find extraordinary?  What brands resonate with you personally, enough that you go out of your way to recommend them to others, either in person, or in your own blog or social network? 

Is there something about guys that makes them want to recommend an actual brand over another, or is that something that seems weird to you? 

99 cent iPhone Games from EA, 48 hours only

You know that iPhone you carry around?  Ya, it's good for texting, browsing Facebook, keeping track of your kids, or finding your way around town.  But you KNOW you use it to play games.  And you are always handing it to one of your kids while you're driving around town or waiting in line at the hardware store. 

You know EA Mobile makes some of the best games.  My friend Andru Edwards from Gear Live tipped me off to a great sale going on from EA, for 48 hours only.  I just spent $17 on a bunch of great games...  :) 

 

From GearLive:

A note to all you iPhone and iPod touch gamers out there—Electronic Arts is currently running a massive sale on their most popular games for the iOS platform. Each title is selling for $0.99 for 48 hours only. We’ve got the full list of titles that are included in the sale below, but if you want a recommendation, Need for Speed Shift is one of the best driving games available, so 99 cents for that one is a no brainer. Here are all the rest—just click the links to see more info on each:

• COMMAND & CONQUER™ RED ALERT (was $6.99)
• FIFA 10 (was $4.99)
• MADDEN NFL 10 (was $6.99)
• Need for Speed Shift (was $6.99)
• Need For Speed Undercover (was $4.99)
• SimCity (was $2.99)
• Dragon’s Lair (was $4.99)
• JEWEL QUEST MYSTERIES: CURSE OF THE EMERALD TEAR (was $2.99)
• Trivial Pursuit (was $4.99)
• NBA Live (was $2.99)
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR (was $2.99)
• BATTLESHIP (was $1.99)
• CONNECT 4 (was $2.99)
• Surviving High School (was $2.99)
• THE GAME OF LIFE Classic Edition (was $1.99)
• CLUE (was $1.99)
• YAHTZEE Adventures (was $2.99)

I Upgraded my iPhone to iOS 4 Today

As a dad of four, my phone is my lifeline to the family.  And now that I’ve been using an iPhone 3Gs(for about six months), I’ve come to rely on being able to get text messages and calls all day.  While I was traveling, I found that I was using the RoadMate GPS on my phone a lot.  And every time a text came in, or I wanted to make a call, I had to quit out of the GPS app.  And a couple of times, I missed a turn in the wild maze-like roads of Boston.  And since I didn’t have a dash mount for it, it was really a pain to use both the GPS and the phone.  And I, uh, had to keep pulling over to use the device so I didn’t text and drive!

As a geeky dad, I knew that multi-tasking was coming to the iPhone, so a few weeks ago, I had to watch the Apple conference live, and couldn’t wait for the update to ship.  It’s June 21, and more than a few times since midnight last night, I checked for the update.  It finally appeared at about noon my time. 

Here’s my well-used iPhone 3Gs, complete with a Zaggskin I got as a review sample from Zagg.  They tell me this thing is made from scratch-proof patented film that delivers military grade invisibleSHIELD protection.  I like that it looks good, and doesn’t slip out of my hand.

So it turns out that iTunes wanted to take forever to download the file, maybe it’s because my PC isn’t a big fan of iTunes, maybe I just wasn’t patient enough and I quit about halfway twice, thinking iTunes was frozen (that happens a LOT).  Finally, on the third try, after 45-minutes or so, it reached 100% downloaded! 

I haven’t played with it too much, but overall, it was painless.  And multi-tasking is as simple as double-clicking the main button.  I can’t wait to play around with it more. 

A Family of Six in Cancun

For the first time since we had our four children, we all got on a plane together, and took a real vacation.

Why did it take us 14 years?  Have you traveled with toddlers?  You end up spending more time packing/unpacking/lugging baby seats around, making sure your kids are with five feet of you, and trying to entertain them every minute they’re sitting still. 

At 7-14, our kids are behaved well enough to sit on a plane for several hours.  They’re responsible enough to pack their own bags (for the most part).  And they are obedient enough to do what they’re told (especially if you threaten them with turning the plane around and heading home). 

My wife spent a lot of time investigating options.  I had a pretty firm budget in mind (I was, after all, unemployed at  the time and living off savings….).  But I also knew that I might not get the chance to take so much time together with them all, at a time when they will really enjoy a memory-making vacation. 

It was spring, so somewhere warm sounded awesome.  It had to include a beach, some snorkeling, and lots of age-appropriate activities.  Eventually, Jeri ended up at BookIt.com.  Turns out, there were some good deals going on during Spring Break in Mexico, and we found a deal at an All-Inclusive resort that was perfect. 

We ended up at Crown Paradise Cancun, in a “Family Suite” on the main floor.  It was a perfect room for us, with a split-level stairway at the entrance that went to the parent’s room upstairs (King bed, master bath), and kids space downstairs (bunk beds and queen bed, plus a pullout bed under the bunk bed, and their own bathroom).  The space was open, there wasn’t tons of privacy, but it was really great to have everyone in one room. 

Now for the fun stuff.  All-inclusive is THE WAY TO GO.  Great food, drinks, desserts, even room service, all completely no charge.  There was enough variety to keep the picky eaters happy, there was lots of fruit/veggies/meat/and other healthy choices for my wife and me, who were just finishing up P90X and Slim in Sixrespectively.  And there were pools, and water slides, and zip lines, and a game room, and lots of places just to hang out and get some sun.   And the beach was AWESOME. 

I'm the DAD, THAT'S WHY

Dads get asked for a lot of things.  Allowance. Another bathroom break.  If they can sleep over, because mom said it's okay if you say it's okay, what the noise coming from the dryer is, what the noise coming from under the bed is, or why the sky is always grey in Seattle.  At least I do. 

So I thought it'd be interesting to start up a blog of recommendations, links, stories, suggestions, and experiences that I've being a dad of four fast-growing kids. 

I have the best kids there are.  Two daughters, ages eight and ten, and two sons, ages ten and 13.  And for those who are good at the "new math" they're teaching in elementary school, you're right, we have twins. 

Through these pages, you'll get to know them.  You'll get to know what they like.  You'll get to know what I like as a dad.  And you'll get a peek behind the curtain that divides guys like us with the people in companies trying to sell us stuff, as dads. 

Come along for the ride.  Let's help out each other.  And let's see if we can make it through the toughest job we have--no matter where we work--being a dad.