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I miss Taiwan. (via Taiwan’s Gorgeous Moon Bridge - My...

Tue, 29 May 2012 08:58:57 -0400

I miss Taiwan.

(via Taiwan’s Gorgeous Moon Bridge - My Modern Metropolis)

love (Taken with Instagram at Kendall Square Cinema)

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:57:12 -0400

love (Taken with Instagram at Kendall Square Cinema)

(via 500px / Photo “St. Patricks Day in Chicago” by...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:23:12 -0400

(via 500px / Photo “St. Patricks Day in Chicago” by Jeff Lewis)

Chicago does St. patty’s Day right!

(via Amazing Ant Photography | Incredible Things) This is...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:09:31 -0400

(via Amazing Ant Photography | Incredible Things)

This is totally amazing. I want to know if the ants are harmed in shooting.

The Manhattan Cocktail: Part 1

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:12:00 -0500

As I’m a cocktail geek and a nerd at heart, I thought it was time that I start taking this cocktail thing more scientifically. That is, my drinks should be built in a repeatable fashion and people should be able to replicate my observations. And so, tonight I unveil part 1 of my first foray into cocktail research. I intend to experiment with rye whiskey and what better place to start than one of the classics - Manhattan.

Introduction

The Manhattan, one of the classics, supposedly invented in the late 1800s. Most attribute the cocktail to the Manhattan Club in New York City in the early 1870s. These days, the Manhattan is made with any sort of whiskey, vermouth (dry, sweet or both), bitters, and garnished with a Maraschino cherry. In some truly disreputable establishments, the Manhattan includes a splash of sticky sweet maraschino cherry juice. A proper Manhattan is a pre-dinner drink, as muscular drink you have because it feels good, sharpens your palate, and livens conversation. With that, I submit the dry Manhattan, a classic three-ingredient cocktail easy enough to whip together, but requiring just the right amount of care and attention to balance. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, your Manhattan should be built on rye whiskey. Bourbon is delicious, scotches have cache, but this cocktail won’t balance without the assertiveness of rye.

Equipment (or ingredients)

A mixing glass
5 or 6 medium ice cubes
100-proof Rittenhouse Rye
Martini and Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
Angostura Bitters
Large lemon zest
Rocks glass

Methodology

Fill mixing glass with 5 to 6 medium ice cubes
Add 2 oz. rye whiskey
Stir 20 times clockwise
Add 1 oz. dry vermouth
Stir 10 times clockwise
Pour into rocks glass
Two dashes angostura bitters
Squeeze zest over liquid and rub edge of glass before dropping zest in for ganish

Observations (or Tasting Notes)

Rittenhouse rye is almost sweet on the nose. It’s a bit hotter than a bourbon, but still has the undertone of vanilla and maybe even corn? On the palate I get a lot of spice and malt character and a char. Over ice, the flavors mellow and something almost smoky and hot takes over. It’s a whiskey that (in my opinion) needs to be tamed, and a great carte blanche for a Manhattan.
After 20 stirs, the whiskey was a bit more diluted and reasonably chilled, still hot but base notes were apparent.
Martini and Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth tastes of raisins and olives. A weird mix that I would describe as almost unctuous. I can’t say I love vermouth straight, and can understand skepticism with regards to vermouth as an ingredient. The mouthfeel is light and thin.
Dry vermouth added to the rye and stirred an additional 10 times adds surprising body to the drink. The woodsy rye evolves from the front to the back of your palate into the tell tale characteristics of the vermouth. The contrast actually works beautifully.
I know that usually you would strain a Manhattan into a martini glass, but I don’t have a martini glass and I feel like the cocktail is still a bit hot for my liking.
Lemon zest perfectly cuts through the nose, giving you a bright beginning to what is otherwise a deep, spirit-forward cocktail.
Two dashes of angostura was not really discernible from a flavor perspective, but provided support to the nose
Waiting about a minute for additional dilution really brought the drink together for me. Some may like their cocktails a bit stronger, but I think if I were to strain this cocktail, I’d give it about 10 or 20 more stirs to promote dilution

Results

The Dry Manhattan is so much more than the sum of its parts. Simple and with few ingredients, it’s a great first cocktail to cut your teeth on and really explore how various spirits can support each other, provide balance, and create a complex drinking experience. I think my desire for additional dilution may also be rectified with a bit more sweetness in the drink. I’m not an old man quite yet and still enjoy a little more drinkability in my cocktails as opposed to a the bracing character of the Dry Manhattan.

Anyone else enjoy a Manhattan from time to time? What are your impressions?

Sriracha Spray Bottle

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:08:56 -0500

thesrirachacookbook:

This… Changes… EVERYTHING!!

Thanks to rooster sauce fanatic Eric Wentz for bringing this to my attention on The Sriracha Cookbook Facebook page, and kudos to Reddit user aoisenshi for posting the sprayracha idea with the simple caption: “Can’t believe this works.” (So cool that he’s got a copy of The Sriracha Cookbook chillin’ in the background, too!)

Sriracha spray bottle…brilliant! Can’t wait to try it!

"Them sheeps is funny lookin… Homie wearin' a snuggie full time."

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:54:38 -0500

Pockets of credit: 19th Century Banking Makes a Comeback

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:19:02 -0500

Pockets of credit: 19th Century Banking Makes a Comeback:

Love The Economist and they tend to be on the money in their analysis. Agree that we need more lenders providing capital to the real economy. But, big miss here is that funds like Golub and Medley lend to middle-market buyouts. They finance the trading of companies between owners, not the creation of real value and that is what fundamentally needs to change for banking to better serve society.

To the 53%-ers, please see the following if you think this is...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:55:31 -0400

To the 53%-ers, please see the following if you think this is all about “work hard and don’t complain”

(via Income Inequality Hits Record Levels, New CBO Data Show: — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Beginning in 1981, top marginal tax rates in the US have...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:43:00 -0400

Beginning in 1981, top marginal tax rates in the US have declined to near all-time low levels while the top 1% in America have expanded their share of wealth to all time highs. Though wealthy Americans believe they shoulder more than their fair share of the nation’s tax burden, their opportunity to amass such wealth came through the relaxation of their historical responsibilities to society.

Of note, the last time the top 1% contributed so little in taxes and controlled so much wealth, they brought the US the Great Depression.

A tourist from Texas arrives in Boston and hops into a cab. Having heard about the delicacies to...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:12:06 -0400

A tourist from Texas arrives in Boston and hops into a cab. Having heard about the delicacies to savor in the venerable city, he asks the cabbie, “Say, where can I get scrod?” The cabbie turns around in his seat, regards the man carefully, and replies, “Buddy, I’ve been asked that a million times, but never before has anyone asked it in the pluperfect subjunctive.

"The tomatoes release their sugary, tart juice, the olive oil emulsifies in for rich, slippery body,..."

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:47:52 -0400

“The tomatoes release their sugary, tart juice, the olive oil emulsifies in for rich, slippery body, the onion gives a little push, and the cheese lends this very young, very fresh dish the gravity of age. The flavors swirl as you slurp it all up, bouncing from bright and clean to deep and savory, and once all the pasta’s gone, you’ll still have a nice little scoop of the best tomato salad you’ve ever had sitting in the bowl.”

- Perfect Five-Minute Raw Tomato Pasta Recipe

Great writing is great writing. I had to clip this.

Where does Android go now?

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:58:33 -0400

With Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility, what happens to Android’s attractiveness as a platform? Can handset manufacturers commit to a platform which is controlled by a direct competitor?

G+ Cooking School!?

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:29:35 -0400

G+ Cooking School!?:

G+ is awesome!

MOVE (by Rick Mereki)

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:38:31 -0400

MOVE (by Rick Mereki)

"as long as a generation of Republican politicians feel entitled to hold a gun to the head of the..."

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:50:04 -0400

“as long as a generation of Republican politicians feel entitled to hold a gun to the head of the credit of America to secure their political ends – disaster will never be far away.”

- Leading article: Disaster postponed - Leading Articles, Opinion - The Independent

"Instead of pushing products and services at customers with the attitude of “You take what we make!”,..."

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:34:01 -0400

“Instead of pushing products and services at customers with the attitude of “You take what we make!”, Apple and Amazon proceed from the view, “We are want to understand and solve your problems.””

- Why No Apple In The Food Industry? - Steve Denning - RETHINK - Forbes

Why is it that journalists always hold up Apple as a shining knight of consumer friendliness? While I don’t deny the author’s premise that Apple and other “transformational” “innovative” companies typically succeed by “delighting” their customers, I think it’s inaccurate to describe Apple as a shining example of flexibility and consumer mindedness.

At Apple, the iTunes store is decidedly designed to make money. In fact, MP3 players were not greatly successful until someone attached a money making business model to them. The entire user experience across Apple products are a “you take what we make!” proposition. No flash, broad Apple control third party applications, counter cultural design/UI decisions (single button mouse, the death of the scrollbar).

Yes, Apple is very good at understanding its customers’ needs, and much of its success can be attributed to resonance with consumers. But, Apple is an exception, not a model. It produces a superlative product and wins market share simply because more often than not its “innovative” choices are right. Apple deserves much credit, but I’m tired of journalists grasping for unrequited love and looking to Apple as a their knight in shining armor.

Kill the pigs! (via Daniel Damon’s Photos - Mobile...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:57:39 -0400

Kill the pigs! (via Daniel Damon’s Photos - Mobile Uploads)

"In the past six months the median price of a home in Palo Alto has risen 24% to $1.2 million,..."

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:47:32 -0400

“In the past six months the median price of a home in Palo Alto has risen 24% to $1.2 million, according to DataQuick. Dreyfus says his own statistics in May showed only a 27-day supply of homes for sale — assuming one home sold per day. A year earlier, supply was three times that.”

- Don’t call it the next tech bubble - yet - Big Tech - Fortune Tech

Tech is raging. Get while the getting’s good.

"The meaning seems clear. The future is here. Cash is in decline."

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:54:20 -0400

“The meaning seems clear. The future is here. Cash is in decline.”

- As Plastic Reigns, the Treasury Slows Its Printing Presses - NYTimes.com