| Maneki Neko |
[Sep. 14th, 2009|03:21 am] |
|
Does Microsoft keep track of what I play when on my Xbox? How can I encourage the benevolence envisioned in Sterling's Maneki Neko? |
|
|
| Forgiving instruments |
[Sep. 13th, 2009|09:44 pm] |
I've started teaching myself to play the guitar. I figure after 20 years of playing bowed string instruments, gaining proficiency in a plucked string instrument (with frets, no less) should be fairly easy. It's difficult switching immediately from the guitar to the viola. The sounds that I just made with my viola made me wish I was 16 again.
The Xbox is a much more forgiving instrument. |
|
|
| The next test |
[Sep. 8th, 2009|04:34 am] |
I'm just beginning to lay out the studying that I'll need to do to pass my third test with the Court of Master Sommliers. There's a lot of information that I'll need to have immediately at my command, but, with 2 hours of study a day, I think I'll be ready for the knowledge portion of the test in 6 months.
I need to get much better with coctails. |
|
|
| Time for a new machine |
[Sep. 2nd, 2009|12:19 pm] |
|
My computer is dying. Two years seems to be the outside limit for my computers. I'm looking for a sturdy replacement, preferably a laptop as it must go with me. I don't do a lot of gaming on the computer these days, but I have over 80 gigs worth of music and spoken word. I've got a Vaio now, and was never really impressed. I'm willing to spend in the neighborhood of $1k. Any suggestions? |
|
|
| Private |
[Aug. 18th, 2009|04:34 am] |
|
This journal is going mostly private for a while. See you guys when I resurface. |
|
|
| Wine Culture Demystification #3: Strange Packaging |
[Apr. 27th, 2009|11:23 pm] |
My maternal grandfather, a physician, once told me that we can manufacture a perfectly acceptable replacement for breast milk. Every macro- and micro-nutrient, every vitamin and mineral can be measured, and put into a canned baby formula..... "But you can't beat the packaging."
My maternal grandfather is a very wise man.
The wine world is going through a major transition these days in terms of the vessels used to ship and store the beverage. There are several reasons for this. Demand for wine is increasing. Wines are made to be consumed immediately, rather than cellared for decades before opening. Fuel prices are rising.
Before I really address all of these things, it might be helpful to put this into perspective. There is a lot of ceremony and romance involved in wine (there were entire Greek and Roman gods devoted to the stuff). Wine is nothing more than grape juice that got a yeast infection. There. Now that's out of the way.
Regarding Cork
Cork is very expensive. It comes from only one species of oak, Quercus suber, that grows only in the southern Iberian peninsula and northern Africa, with limited production in France and Italy. It takes nearly a decade for the tree to recover between harvests. Needless to say, the trees haven't been able to keep up with demand. Another huge stumbling block for the poor cork oak is the presence of TCA or cork taint. This is a chemical flaw that can be introduced to the wine via the cork. Because of these factors, wine manufacturers are moving toward a few alternatives. The two big ones are synthetic corks (they preserve some of the romance, I guess) and screw off tops.
Yay! Screw Off Tops!
Can you tell which one I endorse? Screw off tops have several advantages. They are easier to remove than synthetic corks (which are often much harder to remove than actual cork), and they allow gas exchange (like an actual cork). But instead of the random and variable gas exchange offered by actual cork, screw off tops can give a more precise rate of gas exchange. This allows the wine maker to have another degree of control of his/her product. S/he can choose the screw off top that allows the oxidation rate that s/he prefers.
Glass
Glass is very heavy. Glass is pretty expensive. Glass is not biodegradable. This means that, when you buy a European wine, you are paying for glass to be manufactured and shipped, as much as you are paying for the grape juice. And you are adding tons of waste to landfills if you aren't recycling.
This leads me to the format that I'm really advocating with this post. BOXED WINES!!!!
Boxed Wines
One big advantage that boxed wines have is that they are in a relatively sealed plastic bladder. This means that there is almost no gas exchange. The wine won't oxidize before you finish it! You might be able to keep drinking that box for a month! If you want to have your resveratrol fix while still enjoying an inexpensive but tasty glass of wine, the box is the way to go. Yes, friends. There is good wine that comes in a box. So many of us are frightened by our bad experiences with Franzia and the like, but don't lose hope. They are out there, and they are AFFORDABLE!
So, while there is tremendous satisfaction derived in removing the cork from a bottle of wine, this isn't the only way. We have advanced as a civilization, and it's time to recognize that advance. |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
pulltaps's journal