Back in the day fantasy baseball players would agree upon which daily newspaper they would use for the box scores to manually track their players. You had to be a pretty hardcore baseball fan to want to play fantasy baseball. It took hours of work each week just to know what happened let alone all the research etc... to pick and follow your players. To follow America's game was hard enough, to follow smaller or regional sports required either geographic proximity or specialized news letters.
I follow the Iditarod every year. I learned about the sport after I spent part of one summer in Alaska with a musher and his family years ago. Years ago a back page blurb in the paper announcing the winner was about all you could find. Now there is real time gps tracking that allows you to follow almost every minute of the race. ( Except for now since the tracker is down).
Speaking of the Iditarod this year has been a fantastic race. Four or five mushers in a tight battle at the front for hundreds of miles. Iditarod sled dogs and mushers are fantastic endurance athletes. Nine days of arctic conditions covering a thousand plus miles. The winner should finish sometime tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to follow the last few miles live on the web.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Southern Tier Unearthly Pale Ale
Fantastic Imperial Pale Ale particularly for the price at 6.99$ a 650ml bottle. Beautiful color, a rich reddish amber. Lots of rich head with lovely lacing. Strongly hopped but very well balanced and very drinkable. Packs a punch at 11% abv but it doesn't taste particularly alcoholic. Nice treat.
The joy of coffee
Nothing is better in the morning than a hot cup of joe at my desk. Now I take it a little further than most and not as far as the real coffee nerds.
My basic set up for making fantastic coffee in the office includes four main components.
A Britta water filter. Brand isn't important any filtered water will help because better water makes better coffee.
A decent coffee grinder. Mine is an Armin Trosser I picked up at an antique store for 15-20$. Fresh ground makes a huge difference. You need something that can give you a consistent grind. I know many a coffee nut that says if you are going to spend 550$ on coffee equipment spend 500$ on a mazzer mini grinder and 50$ on a nice french press set.
A good french press. There are many good ones out there. My press of choice is a Planetary Design desk press. http://www.planetarydesign.us Double wall vacuum insulated steel and it's unbreakable and dishwasher safe. I have had coffee hot two hours after I have brewed on those occasions where work interrupted my coffee drinking. It is also easy to clean which is important because clean equipment makes for much better coffee.
A hot pot to heat the water. I have a nice one at home and a 12$ cheapie at my desk.
Water Filter 20$
Grinder 15$
French Press 30$
Hot pot 15$
Total 80$
You can spend more if you like frills or less if you look around.
Now you can get a drip maker for 30-50$ but the coffee is going to be thin and bitter in comparison. For the extra dollars you are going to get consistently superior coffee. For me the routine is pleasurable. I get a fantastic pot of coffee in about eight minutes. Four minutes for the water to come to a boil and four minutes to steep.
This may seem like a lot but it only takes up about 2 square feet of space in my cube. Not significantly more than a drip pot. If you can't have a setup like this in your cube it is also easy to store in a cupboard in a break room.
I did forget the most important item. The coffee. If you are happy with Folgers or some other cheap bulk coffee then this whole post was a waste for you. This will make your whole bean grocery store coffee taste significantly better. Although for not much more you can get significantly better coffee.
Here in Madison Wi we are fortunate to have several outstanding artisanl roasters. My favorite is EVP http://www.evpcoffee.com/ who use a Sivetz Fluid Bed air roaster. This makes for a very consistent roast. I have not purchased online but I drink their coffee every day but their brick and mortar shop is very professional.
Another outstanding roaster not from Wi is Uncle Beanz http://www.unclebeanz.com/merchant2/. They are based out New Jersey and have some fantastic rare and exotic coffees you won't find elsewhere. They have fair prices and outstanding customer service.
It is really a simple set up and the coffee is the best you are going to get without serious material investment. It really does bring some joy to my morning routine. You also get a lot of appreciation from co workers when you offer them a cup.
Cheers
My basic set up for making fantastic coffee in the office includes four main components.
A Britta water filter. Brand isn't important any filtered water will help because better water makes better coffee.
A decent coffee grinder. Mine is an Armin Trosser I picked up at an antique store for 15-20$. Fresh ground makes a huge difference. You need something that can give you a consistent grind. I know many a coffee nut that says if you are going to spend 550$ on coffee equipment spend 500$ on a mazzer mini grinder and 50$ on a nice french press set.
A good french press. There are many good ones out there. My press of choice is a Planetary Design desk press. http://www.planetarydesign.us Double wall vacuum insulated steel and it's unbreakable and dishwasher safe. I have had coffee hot two hours after I have brewed on those occasions where work interrupted my coffee drinking. It is also easy to clean which is important because clean equipment makes for much better coffee.
A hot pot to heat the water. I have a nice one at home and a 12$ cheapie at my desk.
Water Filter 20$
Grinder 15$
French Press 30$
Hot pot 15$
Total 80$
You can spend more if you like frills or less if you look around.
Now you can get a drip maker for 30-50$ but the coffee is going to be thin and bitter in comparison. For the extra dollars you are going to get consistently superior coffee. For me the routine is pleasurable. I get a fantastic pot of coffee in about eight minutes. Four minutes for the water to come to a boil and four minutes to steep.
This may seem like a lot but it only takes up about 2 square feet of space in my cube. Not significantly more than a drip pot. If you can't have a setup like this in your cube it is also easy to store in a cupboard in a break room.
I did forget the most important item. The coffee. If you are happy with Folgers or some other cheap bulk coffee then this whole post was a waste for you. This will make your whole bean grocery store coffee taste significantly better. Although for not much more you can get significantly better coffee.
Here in Madison Wi we are fortunate to have several outstanding artisanl roasters. My favorite is EVP http://www.evpcoffee.com/ who use a Sivetz Fluid Bed air roaster. This makes for a very consistent roast. I have not purchased online but I drink their coffee every day but their brick and mortar shop is very professional.
Another outstanding roaster not from Wi is Uncle Beanz http://www.unclebeanz.com/merchant2/. They are based out New Jersey and have some fantastic rare and exotic coffees you won't find elsewhere. They have fair prices and outstanding customer service.
It is really a simple set up and the coffee is the best you are going to get without serious material investment. It really does bring some joy to my morning routine. You also get a lot of appreciation from co workers when you offer them a cup.
Cheers
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Bell's Hopslam Review
I love beer. I love hoppy beers. One of the best beers I have ever had is an Imperial IPA which depending on brewer is double or triple hopped. By the name Hopslam this clearly one of those beers embracing excessive hops. This is one that is regularly highly rated by the beer rating sites.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/17112
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-hopslam/35488/
Here is my take. I poured a twelve ounce bottle into a pint glass. Beautiful 3/4 inch head that didn't last particularly long. Thinner in body than I would have expected but a very nice mouth feel. It is very hoppy but also very well balanced so it is not shocking or almost painful to drink like some of the uber hoppy beers. The honey note is subtle and if it didn't say on the label brewed with honey you might not recognize that it is brewed with honey.
As a special occasion beer it is fantastic. At almost 16$ a six pack I won't be buying more than a six pack a year. It is really good but not that much better than other beers I enjoy at half the price. I would definitely recommend trying it if you don't mind shelling out the price. It is a very flavorful, drinkable and satisfying beer.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/17112
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/bells-hopslam/35488/
Here is my take. I poured a twelve ounce bottle into a pint glass. Beautiful 3/4 inch head that didn't last particularly long. Thinner in body than I would have expected but a very nice mouth feel. It is very hoppy but also very well balanced so it is not shocking or almost painful to drink like some of the uber hoppy beers. The honey note is subtle and if it didn't say on the label brewed with honey you might not recognize that it is brewed with honey.
As a special occasion beer it is fantastic. At almost 16$ a six pack I won't be buying more than a six pack a year. It is really good but not that much better than other beers I enjoy at half the price. I would definitely recommend trying it if you don't mind shelling out the price. It is a very flavorful, drinkable and satisfying beer.
Reasonable expectations and U.S.A. Hockey
I'll say it. I'm really proud of U.S.A. hockey both the men's and women's teams. To often we culturally think like Ricky Bobby of Talladega Nights and treat second place as the first losers. Well that is B.S. Nobody is more disappointed than the players and coaches themselves but they aren't losers. They may not have won the top prize but they all walked away with silver medals that a lot of other teams would love to have. I didn't follow the women's tournament as closely but the men were ranked sixth going into the games and not projected to even make the medal round. Not only did the make the medal round they finished first in the preliminary round, beat the vaunted Canadians and took the same extra motivated and re-energized Canadian team to overtime in the gold medal game. I don't think it is a loser mentality to be proud of coming in second. I would never accept going in to the final game without giving the best effort to win but if that effort comes up short we should be satisfied and proud of the outcome. The US teams both played there hearts out and deserve to hear our pride and appreciation for their accomplishments.
As a side note I really enjoyed the Olympics but after two weeks I'm ready to return to my regular schedule. Congratulations to Vancouver for putting on a fantastic spectacle.
As a side note I really enjoyed the Olympics but after two weeks I'm ready to return to my regular schedule. Congratulations to Vancouver for putting on a fantastic spectacle.
Monday, February 15, 2010
The problem with the "best"
We are culturally obsessed with the best or favorites or trying to pin down one answer for all occasions. Outside of the hard sciences and some forms of sport there are very few universal best anything and even those usually have pretty narrow parameters. The reality is for most things best is an opinion that varies from person to person and situation to situation. To quote an old pirate "they be more like guidelines". So when I evaluate things or discuss things I will try to put them in a context defining a relative value.
A case in point I am currently looking at lenses for my DSLR for an upcoming trip to China. The best lens for me does not have the highest measurable performance. One of those hard science measurable factors mentioned above. I am a father of a toddler with a second baby on the way cost is very important. I am also not taking these photographs to create fine art for sale but for my own archives and for family. I want them to be of high quality but I fully understand the concept of "good enough".
The other factor beyond context is preference. Something may very well be the universally acclaimed best at whatever it is but if you don't like it it isn't the best for you. When I sold wine my response to a request for a recommendation was a question. I would always ask what they liked. Knowing what they liked gave me a starting point to find an appropriate bottle.
Bordeaux is by many considered to be the best wine in the world. However my grandmother loved very, very sweet white wines that would be pilloried by the wine snobs. Giving her a big tannic Bordeaux would be akin to giving her a bottle 5W30 motor oil to drink. To presume she is the one that is wrong is arrogant. Now would I want her to pick wine for a dinner party? Of course not but if I knew she was coming I would have some sweet Riesling chilled and ready.
Having your brand of what ever be it beer or computer or whatever and that's what you buy every time you are at the store is not a bad thing. It indicates your interests lie elsewhere and as long as you have what you like available you can focus on other things. For me and those who share the affliction of the hobbyist personality the experience of trying many different things and refining and developing knowledge, experience and a diverse palate is the pleasure. Even that waxes and wanes depending on the rest of your life. In the end the best is often the one you have in your hand that suits your purpose and the mythical best is a windmill just out of reach.
A case in point I am currently looking at lenses for my DSLR for an upcoming trip to China. The best lens for me does not have the highest measurable performance. One of those hard science measurable factors mentioned above. I am a father of a toddler with a second baby on the way cost is very important. I am also not taking these photographs to create fine art for sale but for my own archives and for family. I want them to be of high quality but I fully understand the concept of "good enough".
The other factor beyond context is preference. Something may very well be the universally acclaimed best at whatever it is but if you don't like it it isn't the best for you. When I sold wine my response to a request for a recommendation was a question. I would always ask what they liked. Knowing what they liked gave me a starting point to find an appropriate bottle.
Bordeaux is by many considered to be the best wine in the world. However my grandmother loved very, very sweet white wines that would be pilloried by the wine snobs. Giving her a big tannic Bordeaux would be akin to giving her a bottle 5W30 motor oil to drink. To presume she is the one that is wrong is arrogant. Now would I want her to pick wine for a dinner party? Of course not but if I knew she was coming I would have some sweet Riesling chilled and ready.
Having your brand of what ever be it beer or computer or whatever and that's what you buy every time you are at the store is not a bad thing. It indicates your interests lie elsewhere and as long as you have what you like available you can focus on other things. For me and those who share the affliction of the hobbyist personality the experience of trying many different things and refining and developing knowledge, experience and a diverse palate is the pleasure. Even that waxes and wanes depending on the rest of your life. In the end the best is often the one you have in your hand that suits your purpose and the mythical best is a windmill just out of reach.
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