Wishing you the best for 2011

As 2010 draws to a close, I would like to take this time to wish you and your family / loved ones a very safe and prosperous 2011.

There are a few things I would like to target for 2011. They are:

• Learn more - by reading more both technical and non-technical literature
• Live more - taking time to appreciate what I have around me and allocating it the time to enjoy it
• Love more - appreciate, respect, support, nurture more the loved ones around me

And lastly,

GO CELTICS!!
GO VICTORY!!

Howard's Superman Beasts

On Christmas Day 2010, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic bettered the Boston Celtics with a score of 86 to 78. While I obviously support the Boston Celtics, I also like the way Dwight Howard moves on the court, especially for such a big sized person in comparison to the rest of the players in the NBA. Since the 2008 Slam Dunk competition, he has been nicknamed Superman, as Howard wore a Superman cape for one of the dunks.

In a tie-in with that event, and with an agreement with DC Comics, the Adidas TS Beast Commander Superman shoe was made. There are many different features in this shoe, and the experience of this shoe starts with the box.

The box is the standard sized Adidas box for a size US 11 shoe, but it is made from a reflective metallic finish, with a white silhouette of Superman on the box, as well as the number "12" (Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic jersey number) embossed on the top lid. The Superman logo is also printed in full colour on the box.

The shoe itself has much detail placed into it. The icy blue look is in reference to Superman's home - the Fortress of Solitude - which is what is written on the outside of the midsole, near the heel. The shoe has Superman logos on it, as well as Dwight Howard's #12 and signature. The shoe also has the words "Up, up, and away!" written at the top of the tongue. The sole is clear, and both soles placed together make up what looks like a Superman logo. The white parts of the upper of the shoe have had a slight holographic treatment given to them, showing a rainbow chromatic effect under certain light conditions. The different Adidas technologies that make up the shoe are mentioned in small snippets of text all over the shoe.

The sole itself is based on the Supernatural soles used in other Adidas shoes. It has a strange feeling for me. It feels very solid and stable in comparison to other shoes I have used, and much more firm, but less comforting that what I have experienced in Nike's Air technology. The ground feel is different from the Adidas Garnett TS Bounce Commanders I own - it does not have the same springy feeling as provided by the Bounce technology. Saying that, the shoe is very responsive, and does provide good feedback to my feet.

Ventilation is good, but not as good as the Nike Hyperfuse. Padding is good, and comfortable, but I would advise to wear tall socks initially until the shoe softens or "breaks-in" to avoid blisters on your ankles. I do like where Adidas is going with their Supernatural soles, and I look forward to more of their shoes with this technology / design in the future.

My gift to you for the festive season

If I have offended or upset you with any of the content I have written, just do what intelligent people with freewill do - just stop reading! It's the Internet. Go to another website that is more family safe. This applies to everyone and anyone - including people I know, people that have been in relationships with me, and people I will never meet. Exhibit freewill and choice. Don't complain to people that can't make a difference. Don't hand your power over to the government. Censor yourself. And this applies not to just this post or this blog, but to everything on the Internet or through other forms of media. If you don't like what you are taking in, do something else. Some people seem to have forgotten they have choice. I've even heard of people complaining to others during inappropriate moments. Your "ability to choose" is my gift to you - the reader of this blog.

Lastly, Christmas may have become more commercialised over the years, and may have lost a lot of spiritual meaning for many people, as well as meaning nothing for a lot more other people, but it is always a time where people can show their appreciation for each other. So, show some appreciation for the people around you that care for you. I would like to wish everyone everywhere a joyous, festive, and safe Christmas period, regardless of personal or religious beliefs.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

The cheapest Nike Air Force 1s

Short of stealing these shoes out of a store, or them being given to me as a gift, these are the cheapest Nike shoes, let alone Nike Air Force I (AF-1s), I have ever seen. And seeing how they are from the Nike Factory Store, on Smith Street, Collingwood, I know they are 100% genuine.

The AF-1s are a rock solid stable shoe. I use these shoes for day to day street wear, but I have also used them for playing raquet sports in. They are made of leather, and flex nicely on the toebox, allowing for a good comfortable feel. The Air in the heel make this shoe provide a very comfortable feel of the floor.

The AF-1s were an important introduction for Nike. They were the first basketball shoe the company manufactured that contained Air. They did not have the visible Air cell, as seen on the Air Max shoes, so they caused some confusions initially. As mentioned in the Sole Provider book, people did not understand the concept of Air in shoes, and some would buy shoes so as to open them or cut them to see what is inside.

So how cheap is cheap? I believe this shoe originally retailed for around AUD$150. It was marked in the Nike Factory Store as AUD$120. During the start of December, they had a 40% off their entire stock sale, which during that event, the shoes were marked at AUD$60. Total price for a pair of genuine leather AF-1: AUD$36. The shoe is not laced as was found in the box, but in the "double back" technique - as found on Ian's shoelace website - which exposes an additional "AF-1" lettering on the tongue.

For $36, I should have bought a few pairs. They would have made great gifts, and I could have even had the opportunity to open one up to see how the Air was positioned.

Nike Dunk Valentines

Every so often shoe makers make shoes based on an occasion. The occasion this time is Valentine's Day, and the shoe is the Nike Women Dunk High. Kitty Kat had been looking for these sneakers for a while, after seeing them for a brief glimpse late night in a darkened shoe shop.

After that incident, we would look for them whenever we went into shoe stores, or sneaker fashion stores. She even mistook another pair of polka dot sneakers for this pair, but when she saw them in the Nike Factory Store, she knew these were the ones she had seen briefly. I was not so interested in them, but I did like a similar looking pair which are based on the Air Force 1s - so much that I insisted she get a pair of them as well as this pair.

I cannot comment on how they feel, as I do not own a pair of Dunks myself, but from all the reports from Kitty Kat, her other Dunks are very comfortable. To me, the shoe appears sturdy and well constructed. I was also impressed by the presentation of the box, as most of the sneakers I have come in boxes that do not have very much character.

These shoes were purchased from the Nike Factory Store at 416 Smith St, Collingwood, in Victoria. They continually have a "buy 1, get 50% off the second pair" deal going, and were still available last time I visited the store, which was about 2 weeks ago.