Techie Wonders

Technology is one of those things that's easy to take for granted. That said, it's not like I feel it's necessary to thankfully rejoice every time I take my phone out of my pocket - but I really appreciate techie stuff.

For example, this morning I sat in my kitchen having coffee and perusing the internet.  I began to ponder the current state of the Washington, DC music scene, and recalled seeing a band several months ago I really liked called Beasts of No Nation.  Years ago, I'd have had to write it down, stick the little piece of paper in my wallet, and hopefully remember to look for them and/or ask about them the next time I made the trek to Tower Records or Smash...because the mall stores were riddled with nothing more than top 40 pop garbage.  However, this morning in my kitchen...in pajamas and sipping delicious Mayorga Cafe Cubano...I did a quick search on iTunes and found the June 2012 release, "Now More Than Ever".  A few clicks and a few sips of coffee later, that music was on my computer - ready for listening.  Sure, I could reminisce about how I miss the big record jackets with the big artwork and lyrics sheets and so forth...but space is hard to come by, and I'd rather create storage room for another bicycle than for another piece of furniture to store records...or tapes or CD's for that matter. 

So I had the new Beasts of No Nation downloaded - but it was time for me to shower and get ready for work.  I thought to myself; I just need to sync my iPhone before I leave for work so I can listen to that bad boy!  However, I was up late working on a freelance graphic design job, and being a little light on sleep often makes me a little short on memory...and I forgot.  I was a few minutes into my commute when I reached for the iPhone and plugged in the ear buds - and I thought...damn!  I forgot to sync!  Oh well...I'll just have to wait.  So I happily popped in the ear buds, hit shuffle, took a sip of coffee and BAM!  There was Beasts of No Nation! At first, I was quite confused. How the hell did that get on there?  Then I remembered the day not long ago when I was prompted with the question; Do you want iTunes to Sync automatically to iCloud?  Clearly I said yes - because that music was magically on my phone...and it was one of those moments when my inner geek was glowing, and I was brimming with appreciation for that technology. I looked at my phone in amazement and said, "How cool is that?!"

..and by the way, the iPhone IS the greatest gizmo ever.

Wind Energy and Political Sludge

I don't often get in the middle of political sludge.  I used to - but it's just not my thing anymore.  I stay up on current events, but generally speaking I don't get overly immersed in news and politics.  The reporting is all so negative, and I really don't need additional negativity in my life.  I'd rather read something positive, or better yet - do something positive.
 
That said - this wind energy tax credit thing has me a bit tweaked.  The media is widely reporting that presidential candidate Romney is stating the Wind Energy Production Tax Credit should be allowed to expire, and that will cost 37,000 jobs.  The estimated and projected (read: guessed) number of job losses are, of course, meant to paint a picture that Romney is insensitive to the value of American citizen's jobs - when he claims that his campaign is all about jobs.  Well - I value my job, and I certainly don't care for it when I lose mine or hear one of my friends has lost theirs. However - let's consider the federal government is trying to apply good business sense to slow the economy's bleeding, and take a closer look at this...from a business perspective.

That tax credit cost the tax payers $5 billion in 2010.  This essentially means you and I - the taxpayers - paid those 37,000 people on average over $135,000 a year in salary (considerably more than I make).  Oh - and I'm paying them to make energy I then have to pay for?  Now what are those jobs costing me?

Please don't misunderstand - I think wind energy is a great idea. Our environment needs ideas like that.  However, if it's not a way to produce energy that comes with a sound business model - it simply needs a new approach.  Seriously - after 20 years of government subsidizing - they surely should have figured out a way to be self-sustaining and profitable.  No business should continue to exist if they can't figure out how to be self sustaining.  Using the federal government as a permanent crutch is no way to run a business.   

I'm still undecided on for whom I will cast my vote in November.  However, the liberally slanted media casting a negative light on an issue so easily disproved in my mind is not helping the incumbent in my book. But this is a great example of why I've grown weary of stories on government and politics.

It's been a really long time since I felt like a presidential election was anything but choosing the lesser of two evils.

Job Requirements Met

I don't write as often as I might like, and when I do - it's often about coffee.  Anyone who knows me knows my love of coffee. 

This morning a friend sent me a very funny joke about coffee.  The setting for the joke was that of a job interview...and it triggered a memory of I job interview I had many years ago.

The interview was with a small company, and the man interviewing me was the president - his name is Bill.  My friend Greg referred me for the position, and told me Bill was a funny, quirky guy...but I'd not met him prior to the interview. 

I walked into Bill's office, we exchanged pleasantries, and I handed him a copy of my resume.  He asked that I sit down and he looked over my credentials for a minute or so.  He then said, "So - you were referred by Greg?  You worked with him?"  I told him yes, and gave a little background on the work Greg and I did together.

Bill said, "Good.  Can you cuss and drink coffee?” to which I smiled and told him, "Yes, sir."

Bill then said, "Good.  You're hired."

End of interview.

Roast On Date

Remember when Budweiser had that ad campaign about the "born on date"?  Well...I kinda thought that was crap - but coffee is definitely best when it's consumed within a few weeks of when it's roasted (and brewed immediately after grinding).  After a month or so the intensity of flavors begins to fade, thus diminishing the overall experience.

The problem with most grocery store coffee (and SBX for that matter) is that you have no idea whatsoever as to when the coffee you're buying was roasted.  Rest assured - in most cases the stuff you buy in the grocery store was roasted months ago...maybe many months ago. The exception I've found is Whole Foods stores.  They seem to work relationships with local roasters who ship directly to the stores - thus eliminating the months of layover in distribution warehouses.  In addition, many of them stamp a roasting date on the bag.  Also, many Whole Foods stores roast their own in-house, and they keep it in bins with the roasting date marked on the top...very cool.

The bags of deliciousness in the picture are from one of my favorite roasters; Rival Bros in the Philadelphia area.  I buy from them online, and they ship UPS.  You can see by the date of this post and the date on the bag - my coffee was roasted 4 days ago.  That'll work!  That's a bag of their Palooka decaf and a dark high test called Whistle & Cuss.  I've had both before, and both are exceptional.

You can visit the Rival Bros website here: http://www.rivalbros.com/

Blonde Roast

Perhaps you've heard Starbucks Coffee recently came out with a new variety of coffee they're calling "Blonde Roast", and the first one is called Veranda.  What is it?  Is it weaker?  Is it like Dunkin Donuts coffee?

Fortunately, it's neither weak nor like Dunkin Donuts coffee.  Coffee beans are roasted to temperature.  Higher temperatures result in darker coffee beans.  French and Italian are examples of dark roast coffees.  At higher temperatures, the oils begin to seep from the bean - which is why dark roast coffee beans often look shiny.  The proper term for the new Starbucks Coffee is "city roast", or "full city roast".  These beans are a lighter brown, and even lighter where the bean cracks during roasting.  The result is a coffee that reveals the flavors of specific origins, and not so much the carbony taste from the roasting process.

My guess is that Starbucks decided to market this new coffee because of the popularity of city roast coffees at the micro-roasters.  I think they finally caught wind of the fact that people who like small roasters had nicknamed them "charbucks" because of that carbony treatment they previously gave the majority of their beans.

For those that have been afraid or at least hesitant to try it - I have wandered down the path of the new SBX "Blonde Roast" Veranda, and it's a very tasty cup of coffee.  Before now - most times the only brewed coffee they had on hand was that really mediocre Pike Place - of which I am not a fan.  Subsequently I usually ordered a latte or americano when visiting SBX.  However - my last two visits have resulted in my enjoying a cup of the new Veranda.  Not bad, Starbucks.  Not bad.