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Imagine storing up to 8 hours of HD-quality video on one memory card. Well look no further. SanDisk just announced the release of its 64GB SanDisk Ultra® SDXC™ flash memory card.
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On the plus side, this SD 3.0 card reads at speeds up to 15 MB/sec. And thanks to exFAT file structure, this card will undoubtedly improve rapid shooting of still images not to mention the increased capacity for HD video.
If there is a downside to this memory card, it would be the limited number of devices that are currently compatible with the SDXC** (SD eXtended Capacity) format. That includes the recently-announced camcorders from Panasonic, the Canon PowerShot SX210IS, and likely the Samsung TL350 just to name a few. SDXC devices will eventually include a handful of HDTVs, Blu-ray recorders/players, camcorders, cameras, mobile phones, navigation systems and computers yet to hit the streets.
The card is available immediately on SanDisk.com for $349.99.
**The SD Association lists some important points for early adopters to be aware of when using SDXC cards.
Popularity: 4% [?]
I’m not a huge fan of fast food, but I do have my moments. I will say that among the fast food burger joints in any region, Whataburger is hands down the best burger. It’s the closest thing to a real hamburger (as opposed to rubbery, fast food burgers). For those of you not in the South…well, you have no clue what I’m talking about. But if you make it down here, give it a try.
This morning I received an email from a friend containing 12 coupons to Whataburger. The coupons were for a vareity of items to be given away free. They included fried pie, medium french fries, breakfast on a bun, a 20 oz drink, and a burger. While it sounds like a good deal, the coupons are not valid.
It has come to Whataburger’s attention that an unauthorized, unreleased version of a proposed internet coupon promotion called the “12 Days of Whataburger” has been circulated via email. These are NOT valid coupons and will not be honored at Whataburger restaurants.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your understanding.
Here’s an example of one of those coupons.
Some things are just too good to be true.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Well. The first unbiased, to-the-point review. Despite having heard primarily positive comments from friends, family, and strangers alike, Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express News gives a very objective point of view.
Hector Saldaña/Express-News
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My only gripe with the review is the fact that RETOX is spelled “ReTox”. Clearly unimportant. I’m definitely happy with the review. I found Hector’s description of the bar interesting: “back-to-the-future, casual 70′s vibe”. Cool. It’s definitely different for San Antonio. The rock face bar and the lighting are certainly focal points. But you can’t ignore the 120″ wide screen, which is in HD. The cool thing is that the screen doubles as a curtain for the live music acts. When the game buzzer sounds, up goes the screen…and voila…a band. He also hit the nail on the head with regard to the overall feel. RETOX BAR is “…not trying to be fancy or pretentious…”. Ain’t that the truth. We definitely believe we’ve created a happy medium: not an ultra lounge, but not a dive either. In case you missed it, I posted a few photos at RETOX last week.
To read the rest of the RETOX review, click here. Thank you, Hector, for an excellent review.
Popularity: 7% [?]
For those of you that are curious to know how my bar is coming along…let’s just say we’re almost there. Needless to say< i've learned alot about this process. In a ense, we've made it longer than it should have been by cutting corners.
The bar is set and ready to go. However, there are 2 obstacles that prevent us from opening on time. We’ve encountered a finicky health inspector. He has found every little detail to shove back in our face. After disagreeing on several “requirements”, he kindly offered to bring his supervisor along, which I had no problems with. The supervisor was quick to notice our inspector’s behavior and set the record straight on a number of things. I was relieved. We’re addressing all of the issues, and let me tell you…RETOX will be the cleanest bar in San Antonio.
Second, and most importantly, our bar isn’t dry. Isn’t dry? Well, we chose a tile top covered with an epoxy which was supposed to take 48 to 72 hours to dry. It’s been 10 days and it’s probably 40% dry. Not good. Even as I type, my partner, Eddie, is removing it. At this rate it would take another 2 weeks to dry, and we don’t have that kind of time. The bad part is that’s about $600 down the drain. When put into perspective, each day we wait for it to dry is more expensive as we forego potential income. And each day we postpone our opening, we also put off bands and those aren’t relationships that we wish to mar.
RETOX Review
Last night while we worked diligently to address the health inspector’s checklist, our GM decided to invite a number of the bands in town to tour the bar. This proved to be a good move. You see…we took over an old “legend” bar called Iguana Bay. The place was known for having top notch bands and a great crowd…in the mid to late 90s. By early 2000, it had begun to take a dive, which led to its eventual demise. Many of the bands assumed that we did little to change the ambiance and layout of the place. So our GM, Dave, made a great decision to have them come see the new digs for themselves…something we should have done a long time ago.
One of the vocalists for one the bands decided to posit his own thoughts of our fair RETOX. Despite the fact that my partner and I got no mention as the actual owners, and that my Tour of Texas trip in which I treked down I-10 to El Paso round trip to pick up our blue velvet booths from Las Vegas, Scottie did us proud. Thanks for your detailed review of RETOX BAR in San Antonio.
…and don’t worry. Pictures coming soon.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Well, not yet. But soon. Part of the planning for a solid grand opening of Retox Bar is the musical talent. While Austin is known for its great live music…original live music…San Antonio bars seem to thrive when enlisting the services of a lively cover band. Many have a faithful following, which will obviously help bring people to your establishment.
The concern comes after your doors are open. How are we going to set ourselves apart from the rest of the neighborhood bars that feature cover bands? Well, we’ve certainly got some ideas. Weekends will likely continue to feature cover bands. Competing with other bars for prime acts will be a challenge. After Retox Bar up and running, we will have a better idea of which nights need a boost. Its safe to say that Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest followed by Thursday. So, the key will be to establish another night as a special night at your bar. Some do it with cheap drink specials, or open mic night…or some combination.
A few years ago, a local bar featured dodgeball in its parking lot. They had the backing of one of the radio stations. Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 7% [?]
Ludacris knows all about Word of Mouf.
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As I mentioned in Choosing A Name That Sticks, we have already fought half the battle by choosing a catchy name that people will remember. Now comes the part It’s where we get that name in front of people…and ultimately into RETOX BAR. It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out that marketing is an ongoing process. As you reinvent yourself and adapt to seasonality (football season, summer, music), marketing has to change accordingly. But first things first…and that’s getting the word out.
I am personally going to enjoy this part of the bar owning experience. While doing my due diligence with regard to advertising, I discovered that media advertising didn’t realize the results you would think. It seems as though the buzz generated comes from word-of-mouth. The natural solution for me and my partner is MySpace. The first thing we did was setup a MySpace account for RETOX BAR. We browsed the city for women between the ages of 21 and 25 and asked current “friends” to pass the word along in the form of a bulletin. So far, we have over 300 friends in about 3 weeks time.
Planning special promotions and events are also key. While we haven’t discussed promotions in great detail. But we have planned our music line up for the remainder of 2007, and of course football season is upon us. We plan to capitalize on this by offering specials for Sunday and Monday nights. And we will be showing NFL games on a large HD projector and other TVs.
A large part of our demographic audience includes college students. Austin-based Study Breaks Magazine provides a great opportunity to reach students in our area. When I was in college, I remember picking up each edition (released monthly) to see the latest SB Girl and daily drink specials. This, if any, will provide the best form of advertising for us in any print media. In a single ad we can promote drink specials, our offering of high-definition NFL games, and a list of major musical acts.
If you have any ideas on how to promote RETOX BAR…I’m all ears. With 2 months left before we open our doors, the window of opportunity is closing. And in case you missed the rest of the “Pour” posts, take a look:
Pour 1 — Can I Buy You A Drink?
Pour 2 — Realize Your Business Goals. Do Your Research.
Pour 3 — Choosing A Name That Sticks.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Naming a bar calls for a large amount of creativity and planning. I mean…it’s all about branding, right? Choose something catchy and unique. About 4 years ago when the thought of opening a bar first entered my mind, I probably filled up about 3 napkins with names I thought were catchy and unique. After all, its the name itself that is perhaps the greatest form of advertisement. However, you can’t just have a great name and attach it to an unrelated concept. A name like Bitter End doesn’t fit a martini/wine bar or ultra lounge, does it? That’s what those pretentious one-word names are for. 
If I ever opened a bar, it would be a so-called neighborhood bar with live music. A place for a solid happy hour with co-workers, and a place for great friends to hang out together in the evening. I took the names on my napkin, and did a search for them on Google. I was shooting for unique. I didn’t want to copy a cool name that a hundred other bars had already taken. Only a handful of the names I wrote down returned fewer than 10 results…and luckily in different cities.
Becoming A Reality
Four years later, this pipe dream is becoming a reality. I have a business partner I trust with a similar concept of what this bar should be. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my napkins anymore. But I did remember the few that stood out.
My friend, Brian, owns a T-Shirt from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It is from the Rehab pool party on Sundays. I liked everything about the name, the logo (which features the “Rx” symbol), and the suggestive meaning behind the name itself. So, for a few days we were set on trying to make that name work. Then one night, I thought “Detox” would be neat with the “Rx” symbol as a watermark in the background. And then it came to me… Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 11% [?]
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