Ugh! Its been a busy few weeks. I think Brain Gravy 2.0 has been going incredibly well! The crew and I have been recording at a furious pace, and BuBBy is working around the clock to get the episodes edited and out! I'd like to give a big shout out to the newest member of the Brain Gravy crew, The Art of Beer. Her expertise and perspective had been a wonderful addition to the podcast content...plus she can roll with the punches so to speak...and if you are a fan of ours, you know what I mean....
I haven't been active on the blog scene lately as I have just started at a new hospital in my other life...as well as continuing to help out at my old hospital; so burning the candle at both ends has left little time for blogging here. But now that I am more or less acclimated, I will try to update more often. In addition, we are working on an all new Brain Gravy website type experience, which will include show notes, beer and booze reviews, and our own general rants and raves...
Oy...look at the time.....time to get back to work!!!! Ciao for now!!!!
JH
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Is Google and Facebook Evil?
I don’t know how many people read this blog or how many people follow tech like I do, but something has happened recently that really makes me question the ethics of both Facebook and Google.
There is no question how much both these services have worked their way in to the public eye. Search without Google just seems crazy and let’s face it, there are a ton of people, my wife included who cannot imagine a life without Facebook. However, recent events leave the ethics of these companies in serous doubt.
Facebook implemented a new security protocol that leave many of its users’ privacy wide open, not to mention the recent risks found in the games Facebook makes available i.e. Mafia Wars. Google has CEOs saying “privacy is dead, get over it”. When it comes to these kind of arrogant statements, along with the statement “if you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.” from a previous post, that makes me really feel like opting out of these services for good. I know this includes blogger. “Do no Evil” Google…remember?
Tell me what you think. Is Google and Facebook evil?
Here are a couple of articles written by far more talented writers than I.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2006/10/google-evil
http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2009/03/13/2009-03-13_is_google_evil.html
http://calacanis.com/2009/12/13/is-facebook-unethical-clueless-or-unlucky/
Please do some checking around.
Have a great week everyone.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Off the Subject.
I imagine this will bet pulled, but I just have to say…I AM NOT A FUCKING CRIMINAL, SO STOPPING ASKING TO SEARCH MY SHIT WHEN i WALK WHEN i AM LEAVING THE STORE…just saying.
I have started denying people access to my search my bags when I am walking out of a store. After all, if I am not doing anything wrong I don’t have anything to worry about, right? Wander how long until I run out of places to shop. Does anyone ever stop to think that whole idea of “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.” reeks of a police state.
I have a Stone Smoked Porter in the fridge. I think I should drink it. This will be a first time for me and I can’t wait. I hear it is like liquid steak. Not liquefied steak, just steak flavored liquid with alcohol in it .
Short post, got to get to work. Have a great week everybody, and never let the bastards get you down. Google that.
Whiskey:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Brain Gravy 2.0 - Episode 4 Hoppy Thanksgiving 2009 is out!
Hey everyone!
Brain Gravy 2.0 Episode 4 is now uploaded! This is our Hoppy Thanksgiving 2009 episode where we review two amazing beers from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY., their Hennepin and Three Philosophers.
-Three Philosophers may be the perfect Thanksgiving beer!
-Other show notes:
And a Hoppy Thanksgiving to everyone from Brain Gravy!
Brain Gravy 2.0 Episode 4 is now uploaded! This is our Hoppy Thanksgiving 2009 episode where we review two amazing beers from Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY., their Hennepin and Three Philosophers.
-Three Philosophers may be the perfect Thanksgiving beer!
-Other show notes:
- Two Thanksgiving recipes using beer (Thanks to the Homebrew Chef )
- A reminiscing about Patty Smyth and Scandal
- Where's Mr. Whiskey?
And a Hoppy Thanksgiving to everyone from Brain Gravy!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Roadkill Friday
Last night, my bud and I went to this place called Firewaters by my hospital in Hackensack, NJ. It is a chain of 4 restaurant/bars with other locations in Newark, DE and Atlantic City, NJ. The one by me is associated with a Hooters, with a contiguous space and open doorway between the two places. Their claim is 50 beers on tap and 100 in bottle. Now while they did have 50 beers on tap, unfortunately about 25% of them were the standards: Bud, Bud light, Yuengling, Coors, Blue Moon, etc. Then they had some next level beers like the Sierra Nevada Pale Ales and Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, etc.
I was not blown away by what else they offered. They listed the Rogue Chocolate Stout on tap, but was told they "just ran out" when I asked for it. They had replaced it with the Rogue Dead Guy Ale, which, I have to admit, was darned better on tap than out of the bottle. I followed that up with the Erie Rail Bender Scotch Ale, which, I have to say, was the first time I had had the Rail Bender, and, I really liked it. It definitely reminded me of the Oskar Blues Old Chub; it was so good, my friend drank it the rest of the night. (My friend, for the record, is a former Bud drinker whom I am slowly converting into a craft beer geek!) I then moved on to the Flying Fish Dubbel. I was pleasantly surprised: It reminded me a lot like the Hennepin. It was thoroughly enjoyable. With one beer left for the night, I decided to go for the Abita Purple Haze. Excited to try this wheat beer, I was once again told they were "out" but they did have the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. I started to feel like the Monty Python cheese shop sketch, and was ready to get really annoyed.
What stopped me? The bartender was a sweet young woman who looked great in a bustier. Her breasts were pretty much falling out of her top. She was very nice, and had absolutely no beer knowledge. Later on last night, two more bartenders came to work as the place got busier, both also looking quite nice in their bustiers, and also with little to no real beer knowledge. So..was I going to argue with that? Hells no! I just finished the night with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and called it a night.
Overall, I thought from a purely beer experience, I'd give it a B minus. The more exciting beers (to me) were out...all beers were served cold, all the beers were served in pint glasses (the dubbel should have been served in a chalice) and the bartenders had no beer knowledge. From the perspective of a dirty old man, it was very nice. The use of the Hooters formula really distracted me from the fact that these bartenders knew nothing. And, it was a real fun night out with my friend. So, overall, it was a really nice night out.
I was not blown away by what else they offered. They listed the Rogue Chocolate Stout on tap, but was told they "just ran out" when I asked for it. They had replaced it with the Rogue Dead Guy Ale, which, I have to admit, was darned better on tap than out of the bottle. I followed that up with the Erie Rail Bender Scotch Ale, which, I have to say, was the first time I had had the Rail Bender, and, I really liked it. It definitely reminded me of the Oskar Blues Old Chub; it was so good, my friend drank it the rest of the night. (My friend, for the record, is a former Bud drinker whom I am slowly converting into a craft beer geek!) I then moved on to the Flying Fish Dubbel. I was pleasantly surprised: It reminded me a lot like the Hennepin. It was thoroughly enjoyable. With one beer left for the night, I decided to go for the Abita Purple Haze. Excited to try this wheat beer, I was once again told they were "out" but they did have the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. I started to feel like the Monty Python cheese shop sketch, and was ready to get really annoyed.
What stopped me? The bartender was a sweet young woman who looked great in a bustier. Her breasts were pretty much falling out of her top. She was very nice, and had absolutely no beer knowledge. Later on last night, two more bartenders came to work as the place got busier, both also looking quite nice in their bustiers, and also with little to no real beer knowledge. So..was I going to argue with that? Hells no! I just finished the night with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and called it a night.
Overall, I thought from a purely beer experience, I'd give it a B minus. The more exciting beers (to me) were out...all beers were served cold, all the beers were served in pint glasses (the dubbel should have been served in a chalice) and the bartenders had no beer knowledge. From the perspective of a dirty old man, it was very nice. The use of the Hooters formula really distracted me from the fact that these bartenders knew nothing. And, it was a real fun night out with my friend. So, overall, it was a really nice night out.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bored at Work. The Ramblings of a Sober Mr. Whiskey
My father rarely said clever things or said much that would be described as a deeply prophound. I imagine this little obstacle is what prevents him from making the jump from being a writer, and being a successful writer. It is a lot like a mechanic that doesn’t really know much about motors. One thing he did say that will stick with me always is, “When it comes to creating, “keeping on practicing your bad habits, after a while it becomes style.”
Well it is Wednesday, and as many of you know, Wednesday is my Friday. So that means Saturday is my Sunday and Sunday is my Monday. If you’re keeping score I have 2 Saturdays. Figure that out. For now we are only going to worry abut Wednesday i.e. Friday. My wife was good enough to pick me up a six of Tap Rooms No. 21 Red Ale. Good Stuff so far. As usual I have to have a little time with it before I can say for sure.
Next week is Thanksgiving, and can’t wait. Oyster dressing is on the horizon folks, and I have to tell you…I love oyster dressing. Also my annual night before Thanksgiving festival will be under way. I don’t know about you all, but the night before Thanksgiving I love to work up a nice drunk so when I wake up the next day, I am staving. Come to think of it this is a bad idea for health reason, but screw it, Thanksgiving only come once a year.
By the way, I was watching some movie on the Lifetime network the other night. This is what I find funny. Those films are so low budget they can’t afford to buy the rights to the original music so they get some starving musician to put together a song that sounds like the song they want, but isn’t exactly it. Keeps them from getting sued. The funny thing is these songs sound like absolute crap. Check it out sometimes when your bored. That is about the only time it is a good idea to watch Lifetime…garbage.
Send me a link to your favorite youtube videos. I want to see them mister.whiskey@gmail.com.
Well that is it for me for a few days. I hope you all have a great weekend and hope to see you around the web.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Finally Friday!
I have only one thing to say: TGIF!!! It has been a LONG LONG week, with real intense days at work, a screwed up sleep cycle, and a brain that goes into shutdown after getting home from work. I hate falling asleep at 8 pm, and waking up 2-3 in the morning. It just doesn't work for me! If I keep this up, one day I'll just jump in my car and go hit the gym at 3 am (I belong to a 24 hour gym), and, then maybe get back to the days when I had those consistent, wonderful AM workouts.
In any case, most of my plans for the weekend fell through, which, in hindsight, I think is a good thing, because, at this point, I have no energy to do any of the events that were planned. Tomorrow night, we are recording the next Brain Gravy episode, which means I get to go on a beer run later. The problem is that I can never just pick up the beers I am supposed to buy....I always see a few other tasty items, and just can't resist. I am hoping the Oskar Blues Ten Fidy is going to finally be at my local go-to craft beer store....a case might be in order...although I think if I brought home a case, my wife would castrate me! Our second refrigerator has slowly become my beer fridge; it is so stocked with beers, that there is no room for anything else, which is a source of constant fighting between my wife and I. However, I do have a secret weapon: I throw a few bottles of her favorite wines her way, and the beer fridge fight is done!
In any case, Happy Friday to everyone out there!!! I will be on Tokbox later celebrating this glorious event with a few of my favorite beers, and hopefully a few of my favorite people. Cheers!
In any case, most of my plans for the weekend fell through, which, in hindsight, I think is a good thing, because, at this point, I have no energy to do any of the events that were planned. Tomorrow night, we are recording the next Brain Gravy episode, which means I get to go on a beer run later. The problem is that I can never just pick up the beers I am supposed to buy....I always see a few other tasty items, and just can't resist. I am hoping the Oskar Blues Ten Fidy is going to finally be at my local go-to craft beer store....a case might be in order...although I think if I brought home a case, my wife would castrate me! Our second refrigerator has slowly become my beer fridge; it is so stocked with beers, that there is no room for anything else, which is a source of constant fighting between my wife and I. However, I do have a secret weapon: I throw a few bottles of her favorite wines her way, and the beer fridge fight is done!
In any case, Happy Friday to everyone out there!!! I will be on Tokbox later celebrating this glorious event with a few of my favorite beers, and hopefully a few of my favorite people. Cheers!
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