More technology to geek on..

I’ve been finding a surprising number of interesting and blogworthy things on “the information superhighway” lately..and here’s another!

I’ve got the geek syndrome full-on..and UMPC (ultra-mobile pc’s) have been something I’ve always wanted to get. Well, it appears that they are on the market now and actually worthwhile in regard to the 3 P’s (price, performance, and pimpness). Here’s a review from Cnet on the Top 10 either on the market now or soon-to-be. By the sound of it, the next generation of UMPC by HP should be a real winner.. the current generation (HP 2133 Mini-Note) is painfully slow (apparently).

No, you’re not hullucinating..

And, yes, there are more Rogue condoms.

Dead Guy, Rogue Nation, Duckie, Eugene City Brewery, Bullfrog Ale

Android.. this looks great!

This is just about the most appealing thing I’ve seen in the mobile phone development realm in a long time. It looks like the Android platform is for real and is going to be on phones by the end of this year. From what I’ve read, Verizon (my carrier) is not going to release an Android phone.. yet. Bitches. While I’m stuck with Verizon for another year, I’ll definitely be leaving ASAP unless they support an Android phone (which I’m sure they will if/when it really starts to gain popularity).

Brew #42: Dark Saison

I’m aiming at something with a noticeable black licorice flavor but in the background and not cloyingly sweet..

Dark Saison
———–
Brewer: Josh Gum
Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale
Batch: 5.25 gal All Grain

Characteristics
—————
Recipe Gravity: 1.087 OG
Recipe Bitterness: 20 IBU
Recipe Color: 20 SRM
Estimated FG: 1.022
Alcohol by Volume: 8.4%
Alcohol by Weight: 6.6%

Ingredients
———–
American black patent 0.20 lb, Grain, Mashed
American wheat 1.25 lb, Grain, Mashed
Belgian Special “B” 0.75 lb, Grain, Mashed
Belgian pilsener 9.50 lb, Grain, Mashed
Cane sugar 1.50 lb, Sugar, Other
Honey 0.50 lb, Sugar, Other
CaraVienne 1.00 lb, Grain, Mashed
Flaked oats 0.75 lb, Adjunct, Mashed

Kent Golding 1.50 oz, Whole, 5 minutes
Perle 0.75 oz, Whole, 60 minutes

Belgian Abbey yeast 1.00 unit, Yeast, Abbey Ale yeast starter, 800ml
Irish Moss 1.00 unit, Fining, 1tsp @ 30min
Star Anise 1.00 unit, Spice, 1/4oz @ 20min

Notes
—–
Recipe Notes:
adapted to emphasis a black licorice background note
mash 4.75ga water for 90min @ 151f
sparge 5ga water @ 175f
pitched at 72f

OG: 1.075

Tastes rich malty sweetness with some sort of bready taste and finishes with licorice..doesn’t seem too overpowering right now, we’ll see what happens as it ferments. The hop bitterness seems moderate.

Batch Notes:

6/23: Had to attach a blowoff tube, the ferment on this one is going wild! Fermentation temp seems solid at 72, though it was 73 for the first 6 to 8 hours when fermentation kicked off.

6/27: Upped the ferment to 73f / 74f

6/29: Ferment is starting to slow down and the krausen is starting to crash