The biggest BSOD ?

The corner of Yonge & Queen in downtown Toronto. A nice Microsoft billboard, that they didn't even pay for :-)



and what it should look like.

Capture the Hog: BSOD Strikes The Bay

Blogged with Flock

Emirate to build world's first Ferrari theme park

I wonder if I could convince the kids that this place would be more fun than DIsneyLand ?

Abu Dhabi has begun work on building the world's first Ferrari theme park, another step in the wealthy Gulf Emirate's ambition to become a global centre for leisure, sport and culture.A ceremony was held for the laying of the project's first foundation stone on Yas Island off the coast of the capital of the United Arab Emirates, project developer ALDAR said.The 250,000-square-metre park is set for completion in 2009.It will include a motor circuit which is to host the Emirate's first F1 Grand Prix in the same year, as well as roller coasters, multi-media theatres and automobile displays, ALDAR said in a statement.

Emirate to build world's first Ferrari theme park - News - Travel - smh.com.au

Blogged with Flock

A move in the right direction (NSW Liquor Laws)

This is a fantastic move in the right direction by the NSW Govt. The archaic liquor licensing laws have meant that the entry to the market has been so high that it is prohibitive for the smaller business segment.
Now if only the Federal Govt could refine the alcohol taxation laws for beer brewers in line with what they have done for the wine industry (Wine Equalisation Tax), there will be a small explosion of micro breweries across the country.

Cave-in: small bars triumph
Andrew Clennell State Political Editor
November 6, 2007

SMALL bars will be able to open across Sydney, serving alcohol without food, after a backdown by the Iemma Government.
The Premier, Morris Iemma, last night hailed the new laws as a dramatic transformation of Sydney's drinking culture that would create a "true cosmopolitan city".Despite the Government's longstanding opposition to change, the revised Liquor Act will cut licence fees from about $15,000 to as little as $500 for a small bar and $2000 for a hotel.

The Herald has also campaigned for more Melbourne-style small bars to give drinkers an alternative to big hotels filled with poker machines.Ms Moore was cautious last night, saying "the devil will be in the detail". But she welcomed "any change that will reduce costs and provide flexibility on small bars … and [meet] the demands of the community to encourage small venues to enter the current pub and club-dominated market".

Cave-in: small bars triumph - National - smh.com.au

Blogged with Flock

Pete Brown's Blog: Rendezvous in Rio

Pete's journey is now back on track. He has another cask of ale (IPA).
I've been following Pete's blog with interest and will get the book for sure. The original cask committed suicide before the first part of the nautical adventure.

These are the brethren of dear departed Barry, and while they missed the canal trip from Burton, the cruise to Tenerfie and the Atlantic Crossing on Europa, they´ll be joining me on the next stage of the journey - 12,000 miles across the Atlantic, round the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean to Mumbai.This is thanks to Jeff Pickthall - beer writer, beer drinker, and now beer smuggler - who brought them to Rio for me in his luggage when all attempts to get them in through normal channels failed. After travelling from Newcastle, via Burton, Heathrow and Sao Paolo to Rio, Jeff arrived at the hotel FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER the man who came to pick me up to board me on to the container ship - the container ship that left three days ahead of schedule. It was skin of the teeth stuff - the stuff of legend.

Pete Brown's Blog: Rendezvous in Rio

Blogged with Flock

Bug Fix Bingo

So funny because it is true. I'm prob guilty of a few too when going through Integration and UAT testing phases.

remoteImage.jpg on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Blogged with Flock

Miller Brewing Fementation Wall

Start with one blank wall, and an awesome artist.

and you get....

Simply awesome.

Flickr: Photos from DoctorsOrders

Blogged with Flock

2nd Nelson Beer Fete

Bugger, I'm going to miss it again this year. Ironically my parents who live minutes away will be visiting me in Sydney. Knew I should have been visiting them. Dying to get some more of the Twisted Hop beers.

"mmm" - new Tasman winter ale featured at 2nd Nelson Beer FeteThe 2nd Nelson Beer Fete takes place on Friday Sept 7, 5.30-10.30 at The Granary, Founders Park, Nelson. Featured breweries this time will include Hallertau Copper Tart, Emersons 1812 , Founders Fair Maiden, Mussel Inn Captain Cooker, Twisted Hop Challenger, Twisted Hop Twisted Ankle, Twisted Hop Oatmeal Stout, Three Boys Pilsner, Invercargill Stanley Green, Invercargill Alpine, Tasman cider and introducing... Tasman 'mmm'

RealBeer.co.nz: "mmm" - new Tasman winter ale featured at 2nd Nelson Beer Fete

Blogged with Flock

Worlds Rarest Beer

A full bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale, brewed and bottled in 1852, sold recently on eBay for a record $503,300.

Until the 1850s Allsopp’s Brewery was most notable for brewing some of the first India Pale Ales for export to the colonies. However, Samuel Allsopp was approached about a different recipe; Sir Edward Belcher was about to led an arctic expedition (1852) to search for the lost explorer Sir John Franklin. The Expedition needed a brew that withstand arctic and sub arctic temperatures, and provide a degree of sustenance and nutritious value. “Captain Belcher reported that Allsopp’s Arctic Ale proved to be “a valuable antiscorbutic”, helping fight off scurvy, the bane of all sea voyages in those days.” He added that the beer was “a great blessing to us, particularly for our sick” and that it refused to freeze until the temperature dropped well below zero.”

Brookston Beer Bulletin » Blog Archive » World’s Rarest Bottle of Beer Sold on eBay

Blogged with Flock

BMW Sinister 6

One hell of a custom car job. Defniitely just a show car though. You wouldn't want to take it on the street.

YouTube - BMW 6 series Sinister

Blogged with Flock

What happens to your MySpace page when you die ?

It gets archived to MyDeathSpace.com of course. So now you can live and die on the web.

jthoms -   MyDeathSpace.com

Blogged with Flock

Periodic Table of the Internet

This is quite nifty. Instead of categorising elements by the number of electrons in the outer valence shell (if my chemistry memory is good), popular websites are categorised by their purpose.

Wellington Grey -- Miscellanea -- Periodic Table of the Internet

Blogged with Flock

The Top 101 Simpson quotes

20 years on and this shit is still funny.

# Homer: Here’s to alcohol, the cause of — and solution to — all life’s problems.

101 Greatest Simpsons Quotes

Blogged with Flock

Harry Potter and the Goblets of Booze

Ah, yes. I remember my 18th birthday and getting my trust fund opened up.
Oh, wait, no, it was probably just the $47 that came in a birthday card. On the upside he has earnt it. But will he turn all Lindsay Lohan ?

As Radcliffe recovers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hangover he can think about how to spend his $47 million.The money — earned through his movie roles as the boy wizard — was officially unlocked yesterday from a trust fund he couldn't access until his 18th birthday.

Harry Potter and the goblets of booze

Blogged with Flock

New Job ??

An interesting marketing ploy by Durex. I'm sure they will be un-indated with applications.

http://www.durex.com.au/tester/email/durex.html

Blogged with Flock

Nelson Beer Festival

Another beer festival for Nelson. Nelson Bays is becoming a real beer festival town. If only this was the case when I grew up there.

Nelson Beer Fête

Featuring beers and ciders from:

• Croucher’s (Rotorua)
• Emerson’s (Dunedin)
• Founders (Nelson)
• Green Man (Dunedin)
• Mussel Inn (Golden Bay)
• Renaissance (Blenheim)
• Tasman Brewing (Nelson)
• Townshend’s (Upper Moutere) &
  
• The Twisted Hop (ChCh).

Fri 29 June, 5.30-10.30pm

The Granary, Founders Heritage Park, Nelson

Full details here

Slugtrap Brewery - Upper Moutere

slugtrap.co.nz

A Real Ale brewery in the Moutere. Wow, I grew up not far from here (Richmond), and even though I only make it home once or twice a year I've been able to keep on top of the local breweries and brews. So this was out of left field when I discovered it this morning. Even more so that they are brewing Real Ales.

The double whammy was the beer festival held recently (Hops & Glory, with review here)

I know I'll be checking them out on my next trip home.

   

Blogged with Flock

The Malthouse Re-born

The Malthouse on Willis Street Wellington, NZ was always a bar close to my heart with a great selection of beer on tap, good pub food and a great atmosphere. I've been gone for nearly 11 years, yet every trip through Wellington includes a stop off at the Malthouse. Thankfully it sounds like the new premises have not drawn away from the fact that it is a great beer bar. Looking forward to my next trip back to Wellington.

The New House of Hops and MaltMany otherwise stoic Wellington beer lovers shed a little tear at the end of 2006 when the beloved Malthouse on Willis Street closed its doors. Their building was being redeveloped into yet another stack of shops, offices and apartments and the bar which served the largest range of beer in New Zealand was forced to seek a new home.That new home turned out to be 48 Courtenay Place – the heart of party central. The space previously occupied by the rather seedy Seam Bar was transformed into a beer aficionado’s paradise and a darn good bar to boot.Now with a courtyard out the front and a shagpile lounge down the back, the new Malthouse offers over 20 beers on tap and more than 80 in bottles. The range is exceptional for its breadth and quality.The full range of the legendary local Tuatara beers is on offer as well as most of the Monteith’s beers. The beer list is also studded with brews from lesser known New Zealand craft breweries like Steam (try the champion Epic), Renaissance (with a hardy Scotch Ale), Three Boys (making a superbly balanced Pilsner), Founder’s (highlighted by a fruity Tall Blonde), Emerson’s (enjoy the spicy Weissbier) and Moa (the champagne of beers).There is also an international selection of beers from Belgium, Germany, America, India, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, England, Ireland and Scotland.

Real Beer New Zealand :: Beer Writer - Neil Miller

Blogged with Flock

Quote of the Day

If the quote fits .......
Apparently from a 17th Century English drinking song.

"He that drinks strong beer, and goes to bed mellow, lives as he ought to live, and dies a hearty fellow."

Blogged with Flock

Speights Boat

Damm, why isn't it coming via Sydney. I could do with some great Distinction Ales, and the reliable Speights Old Dark.

A wee while back we got word from Tim and a few other boys in London that they were missing their Speight’s.

That sounded a bit average to us, so we set about trying to send them some mercy supplies.

Then we kept getting emails from more and more lads who were in thesame boat. Our initial plan to send over a few dozen suddenly wasn'tgoing to cut it.

Then, over a beer or two, someone had this crazy idea to send over the pub. From Dunedin to London. On a boat.

Yep, the pub. Full of Speight’s.

Great Beer Delivery - Home

Blogged with Flock

Now this is a bad day in IT World

There are bad days, and there are bad days. This would definitely have to rank up there with the worst.

JUNEAU, Alaska - Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing an account worth $38 billion.That’s what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents’ biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.

Oops! Techie wipes out $38 billion fund - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Metal is good for the brain

This explains a lot; I hope. I love the heavy music, and now my kids do to. They are only young ATM, but nothing makes them eat their dinner faster than having something heavy playing through iTunes.

Intelligent teenagers often listen to heavy metal music to cope with the pressures associated with being talented, according to research.The results of a study of more than 1,000 of the brightest five per cent of young people will come as relief to parents whose offspring, usually long-haired, are devotees of Iron Maiden, AC/DC and their musical descendants.Researchers found that, far from being a sign of delinquency and poor academic ability, many adolescent "metalheads" are extremely bright and often use the music to help them deal with the stresses and strains of being gifted social outsiders.

Heavy metal 'a comfort for the bright child' | Science News | Connected | Telegraph

Chumby

Tech Gadgetry at its best. Take something that hasn't changed in years, and make if flexibile and available to personalisation all with increased functionality. I like this paragraph:

We also decided that the chumby would be different because it will be “open and hackable.” If you happen to be another card-carrying hacker, you can blow off the warranty, pull out its electronic guts and reprogram it. If you're more of a "crafter," we're providing patterns so you can give your chumby a new skin. You can sew on patches, attach enameled pins, bury it in glue and glitter; whatever you want to do to personalize it. If you're a Flash artist, we hope you'll use chumby as a sort of always-open art gallery for your coolest stuff.

Chumby Industries

M3 Concept

From the Geneva Motor Show. Agreesive looking from BMW. I guess it is only a concept. One day, one day.

Geneva Premiere: BMW M3 Concept - Jalopnik

Hopstick Lip Balm

I've seen lip balm manufactured with beer, but no with hop oil extract. Definitely one for the hopheads. I'd be keen to try it, but I'm not really a lip balm person.

Hopstick Lip BalmThe beer drinker’s lip balm. At last, a lip balm that won't interfere with the taste of your beer! This rich, moisturizing lip balm is flavored with hop oil. Use as needed–kiss kiss.Beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, almond and coconut oils, vitamin E and hop oil.

It's All About You – Bath and Body Products

Who says Beer Judging is easy ?

A sample piccy from Jay Brooks blog on beer. These are all Barley Wines (extremely flavourable and typically alcoholic beers). Wouldn't want to judge them, but sure as hell would want to taste them.

Brookston Beer Bulletin » Blog Archive » Photo Gallery: 14th annual Toronado Barley Wine Festival

If only ....

What an awesome party this is going to be. If only I was in San Fran this weekend. Even more than just the beer, Emergency BBQ are doing the food. All their food is cooked with beer.

Celebrator Beer News : Beerapalooza 2007

Cattle fed on 40 pints a day

I've always like the idea of having my own brewery, as well as a small farm to compliment it and to have somewhere for some of the by products of the brewing process (spend grain etc), but I guess if there was ever a bad batch of beer that needed to be dumped, feeding it to the cows would be a great idea too :P

Kobe Beef from beer fed cows.
A Cornish farmer is believed to be the first in the county to experiment with breeding cattle on beer.The Limousin herd at Woodland Farm in Fentonadle get through up to 40 pints of local brew a day as part of their enviable diet.And they even get a massage to help produce the speciality Kobe-style beef, based on traditional Japanese production methods.

BBC NEWS | England | Cornwall | Cattle on 40 pints a day of beer

Ale of a Day

What a great concept. Hell I'd take a day off work to brew end to end on a commercial brewery. I've done a number of commercial brewdays, but was pretty much just the lacky. This takes it one step further.

Willie Simpson discovers that a 'brewery tour' can be hard work.PLENTY of people fantasise about becoming a craft brewer but few appreciate the hard yakka involved in small-scale beer making. Scott Wilson-Brown, of Red Duck Brewery in Camperdown, dreamed up his "live like a brewer for a day" event so he could put his feet up and issue orders to a trio of wannabe brewers. They, in turn, got to make a batch of pale ale and learn the ropes."We wanted to do something for the people on our mailing list that no one else could offer," Wilson-Brown says. "There are plenty of brewery tours - which all seem to end with a tasting in the lovely cellar door - but we don't have a cellar door, so we can't offer that."I thought there must be plenty of curious beer lovers out there who would relish the opportunity to experience a brew day - the stress, work, worry, waiting, heat and sweat, and then the elation when the wort is finally cooled, yeast pitched and fermenter sealed. Then it's time for a cleanser and congratulations."

Ale of a job - Epicure - Entertainment - theage.com.au

Vista Please

How true is this ? :-)

forgetfoo. - Vista, Please

Chief Beer Officer

Now if only I could convince my employer that the CxO's should include a CBO.

From the Barstool to the Boardroom, Four Points by SheratonLaunches Search for Chief Beer Officer Four Points' Newest Executive to Help Cultivate, Curate and Promote New Best Brews(SM) Program WHITE PLAINS, NY- November 15, 2006 – Who says drinking beer won't get you anywhere? For those passionate for pilsners or crazy for crafts, your favorite pastime could earn you a fancy new title and a seat at the Board Room Table. In celebration of the simple pleasure of a perfectly poured glass of beer and the launch of its Best Brews program, Four Points by Sheraton hotels today officially kicked-off its Chief Beer Officer (CBO) executive search and began making room in the executive suite for its newest chief.

Four Points by Sheraton at Starwood