StringDancer

Excellent find, DV. Thanks for posting it!

I used to bike over to the market and buy cartons for my old man, no one thought anything of it back in those days. I pilfered a cig once from dad, and slipped out by the creek to smoke it. I thought it tasted like crap, and somehow managed to avoid getting hooked. Later, as the Surgeon General warnings started coming out, and being a young, nature-loving hippie living on bean sprouts and yogurt, I resolved to never take up the habit. And I didn't. I did fine until I was 33. I met (and later married) a very hot young babe from Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) who, as does virtually every Slav from "the old country" I've ever met, smoked and drank with a romantic, fatalistic abandon. She made smoking seem so sexy, so tied into the slavic gusto for living hard and fast, I couldn't help myself, I wanted to share in the experience with her. So at 33, I fell off my wagon, and for the next 22 years smoked as if there were no tomorrow (which, of course, there wasn't, there's only today... but that's a meta-discussion better taken up on a philosophy forum). After about 10-12 years of steady smoking, I could begin to feel the downside of the habit... less power in my lungs, quicker fatigue when doing manual work, coughing, chronic sinus congestion, etc. In 2003, I experienced a blocked anterior artery in my heart, and had a titanium stent put in. Although I chalk this up to a less healthy diet than I had practiced in my early 20s and a general lack of exercise for the most part, I'm sure my smoking played a role in it, as well. But even the heart thing wasn't enough to get me off ciggies. With the stent, my state of well-being improved so much, I figured what the hell. I enjoyed my tobacco, and all things being equal, felt that I'd rather live and die on my own terms than deny myself one of life's more savory habitual pleasures. Doesn't make much sense, I know, to those who want to live as long as possible. For better or worse, I've never considered longevity, in and of itself, much of a motivating factor when it comes to how I live my life. I've seen so many people bust their butts trying to live perfectly healthy lifestyles, only to succumb to what I call "the bus factor". Sacrificing pleasure for the sake of longevity... I don't know, I don't get what the payoff is on that one. I guess I'm crazy, huh. As years crept by, I did want to quit smoking (as in, I knew that I "should"), but just couldn't get past the self-imposed deprivation. I must have a fatalistic streak in me a mile long. And watching my American Spirit ciggies go from $18 a carton to $70 in just a few short years, I was just getting more and more pissed at government's penchant for dumping ever-higher taxes on smokers. What an easy sell! Lay an entire taxation program on the backs of smokers, one of the most universally despised populations in the country... a politician couldn't go wrong with that move! A good 80% of the people love sin taxes because it doesn't impact them at all. This sucks! Didn't intend to post this post on the topic, but there ya go, the whole story.

Being a working musician by trade, I'm finding a good deal of acceptance of my e-cig at the venues I play. Often the proprietors are curious about the device, and some I've turned into customers (I import and sell e-cigs on a small-time basis). I've yet to have a venue prohibit my use of e-cigs inside (though one minion at a community theater wanted to, but I disregarded his bull$hit). Depending on the venue, I don't typically use it while onstage, just during my breaks. Other gigs where I'm playing more in the background, I'll take a hit on my e-cig every once in awhile, but try to be discreet, as the last thing I want is a patron complaining to management (it's hard to combat ignorant bombast with facts and reassurances).

510 and 901 carts are pretty much interchangeable. My first 510 (which I got 6 months ago and am still on the original atty, BION) has a round mouthpiece, and I prefer the whistle-tips, so I tried, and yep, the 901 whistle-tip will fit a 510 atty.

Which reminds me... I'm getting ready to take my iMac in for a tuneup. I assume motherboards and other components can be cleaned of old analog tars, right? What long-term effects can an ex-smoker expect from a cleaned machine that used to be in a smokey environment?

It had been awhile since I surfed E-cigNews.com, so tonight I took a hit. Found this interesting rundown of current "big battery" power source alternatives for e-cigs. Some I had seen, others not, and inasmuch as we have threads going on at the moment regarding a couple of big batts coming available, I thought this article might be of interest: http://www.e-cignews...arettes_on_the_

I use a nice leather fanny pack myself. I can carry lots of batts, a couple spare atomizers, juice bottles, and a backup 510 just in case. Also carry my glasses and whatever else small in it. Yeah, it's not too fashionable, but at my age, who cares?

Try vaping on a motorcycle. Whew. Seems to help if you cup your hand around the air intake. On a penstyle, this would be the end of the battery by the LED. Protect the intake from drafts and you'll get better draw. But in a real stiff wind, could be impossible to get a good hit.

I've got two 510s, and the old one (almost 5 months now) is still sporting the original atty and one battery from the original pair. Yet to have an atty burn out with 'em, and for that reason alone am very impressed with the 510. Vapor production, to me, is still better on a well-tempered penstyle, but as others have noted, I'll go through 2-3 penstyle atomizers a month and as many batts or more, so the endurance (and consistency) of penstyles leave a lot to be desired. I think you get better flavor hit from a 510, as well. Seems to carry the flavor onto the palette better than do penstyles. Batts on the 510 seem to have a decent shelf life, but I can suck one of those puppies dry in an hour or less, which isn't bad, I suppose, since they also charge quickly... but still, switching batts so often is a nuisance. Would like to try a larger battery assembly of some kind with a 510 atty.

Interesting. I love my liquor, and smoking and drinking go together like a hand in a glove. But unlike what I'm reading here, I generally find vaping an adequate substitute for analogs. I've tipped a few with friends who smoke, and have managed to deal with being around their smokes while I'm just vaping with no particular problems. A couple weeks ago, though, I did have a bit of a crisis. I had to put down my old dog of 15 years, and he and I were very close. The grief was more intense than I had anticipated, and maybe it's the Native American in me, but I just had to have some tobacco for laying my dear old dog to rest. So I bought a pack of American Spirit organics (my old brand), and while I dug his grave, I smoked as I shed my tears. It's well-known that tobacco has a way of comforting and consoling a person when they're sad, and I was as sad as I've ever been in my life. There was something about the life-depleting smoking of real tobacco that perfectly suited my pain. I broke open some cigs and sprinkled the tobacco as a sacrament in his burial. I placed a personal treasure in the grave with him, and with a cigarette in one hand, with the other I carefully pulled earth over his vacant body. I talked to him, cried, and drew hard on the cigarette. I was in no mood for snazzy, high-tech substitutes at that moment. I needed the real deal -- that comforting burn in the throat, that sharp sting of burning tobacco in my tear-soaked eyes, that natural, organic, historic use of tobacco in my heartfelt, solemn ceremony of saying goodbye to a beloved spirit and friend. My wife was disappointed in my relapse, but I told her it was for a reason, and that I would not go back to smoking analogs once that pack was gone. And I didn't. When I had smoked the last cigarette, I went back to vaping with no desire to smoke. I had dealt with my grief as my instincts dictated, I had sought out a familiar old comfort just long enough to get me through the day, and through the following few days. As my swollen eyes returned to normal, and life moved on, I returned to my e-cig. At present I'm once again a full-time vaper, and pray it's a long time before I feel the need to revert. Fact is, I suspect that all of us wish we could wave a magic wand and make cigarettes harmless (and cheap again), just so we could whole-heartedly enjoy the simple pleasures of tobacco without the guilt of knowing the consequences of our habit. Putzing around with atomizers, batteries, dripping juice, charging and switching and cleaning and maintaining our e-cigs... while not an arduous chore, it's a chore nonetheless. So much easier to just pull out a smoke, light it, burn and breathe, flicking our ashes just as one day we'll flick aside these mortal coils we call our bodies. All that said... I prefer vaping any day. Generally speaking, I find it more satisfying than smoking, even with my liquor. But there are moments, and enjoying a few drinks out on the town may be one, and certainly dealing with grief is another. Vaping is a substitute for an ancient habit, a substance we like that isn't good for us. We do the best we can.

I drink dry reds (cab, merlot, etc) on a daily basis. As I've pretty much settled on JC's Black Cherry as my everyday vape, I can only assume its compatibility with my wines contributes to the preference.

I loved the ritual of smoking, so vaping is, for me, the perfect substitute. At present, I have no inclination to consider cutting down on nic strength, nor to contemplate weaning myself from e-cigs. It's a fun hobby for me. To be able to enjoy the pleasure of vaping and feel pretty confident that it's having no significant adverse affect on my health is a relief. Now, if solid scientific evidence were to emerge indicating that vaping has some currently unknown negative health impact, I suppose I'll have to consider quitting. On the other hand, I'm cautiously optimistic that vaping may be not only health-neutral for the most part, but may actually be good for you (remember the 1942 studies of the anti-bacterial/viral aspects of PG?). It's occurred to me that PG might, in fact, aide in the healing process of the lungs recovering from years of smoking. I have nothing substantial upon which to base that notion, but who knows... it could well prove to be the case. Now that would be outrageously cool. In the meantime... I'll vape away and stay abreast of the latest studies. And hope for the best.

I've used PayPal for years, but have often been put off by their discrimination of what type of transactions they will process. So say we want to cancel PP. What other good e-com providers are available that would provide what PayPal does but not be such twits?

It's worth posting the specific comments made in response to the FDA's salvo last week by three of e-cigs most prominent supporters: “The FDA’s laboratory findings actually indicate that electronic cigarettes are much, much safer than conventional cigarettes,” says Dr. Michael Siegel. “The traces of carcinogens present are also present in nicotine replacement products. The FDA and the anti-smoking groups have fallen into a huge analytical trap as they have failed to ask the appropriate question. The question they are asking is: ‘Are electronic cigarettes safe?’ That is not the right question. The right question is: ‘Are electronic cigarettes much safer than traditional ones?’” Dr. Rodu states, “The FDA tested e-cigarettes for TSNAs using a questionable sampling regimen, and the methods that were so sensitive that the results may have no possible significance to users. The agency failed to report specific levels of these contaminants, and it has failed to conduct similar testing of nicotine medicines that have been sold in the U.S. for over 20 years. These are not the actions of an agency that is science-based and consumer-focused. These pseudo-scientific actions are clearly intended to form the justification for banning a category of products that are probably 99.9% safer than cigarettes.” Dr. Joel Nitzkin speaking as individual states, “The newly adopted FDA/Tobacco legislation will give full FDA approval to currently marketed conventional cigarettes. The new law encourages cigarette companies to produce new “reduced exposure” cigarettes to be marketed as reduced exposure products, with no scientific evidence that such reductions in exposure will reduce risk of future tobacco related illness and death. In the context of these provisions of the newly adopted FDA/Tobacco bill — FDA should be encouraging, not maligning the manufacture and sale of electronic cigarettes, and working with manufacturers to assure the highest possible quality control.”

From what I've seen of the FDA statements so far, it seems they do not address the efficacy of ecigs themselves much (if at all), but are taking issue with the detectable substances found in the e-juice that comes stock (which probably sucks). Some of the ingredient issues may stem from the nicotine used in Chinese juice being derived from tobacco (which I believe is the case, no?). Johnson Creek now uses non-tobacco nicotine for their juice. I wouldn't be surprised to discover their juice does not suffer from the same issues the FDA is raising with regards Chinese juice. Seems to me this may well boil down to a matter of quality control, and not so much on the process of vaporization itself.

I gravite to JC's Black Cherry juice, myself. They used to market it as Wild Cherry, but changed the name recently. I also buy their Peach and Espresso flavors... the coffee is a nice change of pace from the fruit flavors. I also enjoy their Tennesse Cured flavor, even though my taste for tobacco has waned since taking up vaping full time.

Well, yes, I have started selling ecigs to friends. Until I can build my inventory (IOW, until I can afford to tie up large wads of cash in product), I've been buying wholesale in small quantities and moving them locally. You know, 10-15 kits at a time, small-time stuff. But the gratifying thing about it is that instead of selling online to people I don't know, I'm meeting with people one-on-one, and getting to share in their initial ecig experience. F'instance... I sold two kits to a former banjo student and good friend. His wife took to her ecig big time, and I got to see her smoke her last analog. That was two weeks ago and she hasn't had a ciggy since she started vaping. She was a two-pack smoker for what... 40 years. To see a good friend just turn a corner like that is so cool. Since then, she has moved 6 more kits for me to family members. I give my customers a $10 kick-back on every kit they sell for me like that. If I don't have to make the sale, they get the kick-back. So far that's moved a lot of kits for me. I don't consider myself predisposed to the business of selling, actually. I'm a musician by trade, and am more concerned with artistic matters. But the ecig is different in my mind. I totally believe in its potential to help people move away from a nasty habit that's hard on their health and the health of those around them. I quit smoking using ecigs, and firmly believe they are in fact the best cessation method/product available. I believe this because it worked for me, and is working for most of the people I see who try them. I'm only concerned about the anti-smokers and pro-pharma types who continue to propagate the lies about ecigs and vaping. The FDA's "warnings" are clearly bogus and totally intended to thwart the ecig industry, but unfortunately many folks will buy into the propaganda. But I also believe their efforts are too late. The real word is getting out there, and I think we've already reached a critical mass where if the FDA tried to ban ecigs the backlash would be so great (and FDA excuses for a ban so spurious) that the net result would be free promo for ecigs and the further erosion of FDA credibility. Anyway... I'm selling the 801 mostly, and sweeten my deal by throwing in an extra atty and some e-juice with every kit. I want every customer to succeed in quiting analogs, and obviously want their return business, so I put in the extra effort to educate and demonstrate and provide the personal support that helps them succeed. So far it's paid off. Ecigs virtually sell themselves, and the more kits I can source, the more I'll sell. So it's been a matter of ramping sales and pouring as much of the profit as I can back into inventory. The market is there, and I feel lucky to be in the game early. BTW, the wife and I are in Cape Cod this week, traveling to attend one of her business conferences. I can report that ecigs have hit the island of Nantucket, because I was vaping after a killer meal of fresh lobster when the waitress came up and said, "Those e-cigs are just the best, aren't they? I quit smoking three months ago using them." Friday, we visit Martha's Vineyard. Will report the state of ecigs as I see them out there. Which reminds me of a limerick: An old guitar player in Nantucket Hit the island with beer in his bucket He said to his wife "Ah, this is the life" Then pulled out his e-cig to suck it.

That was just TOO cool! Balls of steel indeed.

This is yet another bone-headed article trying to spread fear and doubt about e-cigs. Here's a so-called 'expert' from the WHO making spurious statements based less on facts than are the claims of health and cessation found on e-cig sites. To suggest we have "no scientific information" is only true if we ignore studies regarding the ingredients of e-juice going back to the early 40s. Propylene glycol has been studied in-depth, both when ingested and inhaled. PG's used in nicotine inhalers and fog machines, for godsake, and had to be studied and approved for these purposes. It must really bite these people in the *** to find that their previously "approved" ingredients are now making the e-cig phenomenon possible. E-cigs themselves, as relatively new devices, have only been around to be studied to a limited degree, and should be studied further, obviously. But these anti-smoker nay-sayers would have us believe that we laymen are incapable of comparative evaluations based on fundamental science and common sense. Furthermore, the argument that the availability of flavors indicates the e-cig industry is targetting kids is ludicrous. Henningfield further stretches his credibility when he states: "Other nicotine substitutes--the "patch," or gum, for example--are licensed as drugs and require Food and Drug Administration approval. But e-cigarettes, nearly all of them manufactured in China, have not been licensed as drugs or regulated." He doesn't mention the 95% failure rate of these so-called cessation programs, but seems to suggest that merely because the FDA has approved them, they work, whereas since e-cigs have not been given FDA's blessing, they by definition cannot be a viable cessation method. And Henningfield clearly exposes his bias when he states: "Recently, however, the FDA initiated a ban on imports of e-cigarettes on the ground that they constitute unapproved drug-delivery devices (an action being challenged in court). It may take additional measures to restrict their sale." It may take additional measures, huh Henningfield? As a rep of the WHO, you should be keeping an open mind to a new technology which has an amazing body of anecdotal testimony available for viewing online, growing by leaps and bounds every day as thousands of people in fact use e-cigs to happily transform their inhaliatory habits. But no, you seem to be "warning" us that the war against smokers must intensify or else e-cigs may turn the entire anti-smoker industry on its head. Well... I guess it would really suck to be you if that happened, now wouldn't it.... Dr. Jack Henningfield, you are no expert... you are a worthless weenie who should keep your propaganda to yourself until you know what the hell you're talking about. Come to think of it... even if one day you DO know you're talking about, we still don't want to hear it, because you're clearly an idiot. Lay off the lies and fear-mongering, and look for other work. You serve noone in the gig you have now.

Sure have. Improved lung capacity, no nasty drive-reducing chemicals in the vape... I noticed a substantial increase in sex drive after I quit smoking and turned to vaping full time. Of course, it's still not too much for the wife. She's such a nympho, and 9 years younger to boot. I dream of having her pant, "enough already" one of these nights. But it'll never happen. But a man can dream....

I tried fitting a whistle-style tip from a 901 onto a 510 and it fit fine, maybe just a bit snug at first till it gets broken in. The overall design of the tips seems to be compatible.

Well, as Special Agent Gibbs would say, "Never say you're sorry... it's a sign of weakness." (OK, so I'm an NCIS freak) Keep us posted on your findings. Every little bit helps.

BTW, Chris... did the sample bottle I sent you of the new JC formula juice ever get there?

Today, Johnson Creek Smoke Juice has announced that they are shipping their new improved formula, along with a couple other newsworthy items. Read on: I was lucky enough to receive a sample of the new improved formula about a month ago, and posted about it here. The flavor is indeed much improved, and now with their tobacco-free nicotine, JC is in a better position to circumvent the FDA's control over tobacco products in the event the agency decides to be bigger asses about e-cigs than they already are. And 15% off this weekend means I'm going juice shopping at JohnsonCreekSmokeJuice.com

Now if this doesn't grab your attention, nothing will! By Smoking, Improve Your Sexual Capacity! Every once in a while, men can have problems getting or maintaining an erection that is hard enough for sexual intercourse. With ED (erectile dysfunction), erection problems keep happening. More than 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 years experience ED to some degree. Cialis is currently marketed in pill form for treating ED. It is more effective than Viagra and the effective time is longer than Viagra. Cialis is insoluble white powder originally. By the successful cooperation with Medical Research Institute, we have developed this new Vaporizable Cialis which have the same characteristic and the same effectiveness as the original Cialis. Now you can treat your ED or pulmonary arterial hypertension and improve your sexual capacity by smoking. It is unique in the world. You can not find any where. Source: http://e-cig.com/sho...pexd.asp?id=608 There you go, guys... a solution for that, um... little issue of yours.