Glibertarians.com 2018 Archive

Category: Opinion

  • Disney and Marvel king and queen pimp of copyright kingdom.

    This article is inspired by the many mentions on this site of Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and how their SJW leanings  may be hurting their business. I have a theory that centers on trademark and copyright law about how in the cases of Marvel many of these crazy SJW stunts are actually evidence of Disney playing the long game and in the case of other properties such as Star Wars and The Muppets show that the company is largely being propelled by a few divisions while the rest coasts or bumbles around aimlessly.

    I will start with a basic and not at all legally sound explanation of trademarks and copyrights. Trademarks are basically legal claims towards branding, brand names and mascots can be trademarked in perpetuity as long as they remain active. This can be confusing because characters can have works that exist in the public domain such as certain books or films but still be trademarked characters. This is possible because the copyright of the work which features that character can expire without the characters trademark expiring allowing that particular book or film to be reproduced for free while other uses of that character would still be protected by trademark or copyright.

    Copyright is the other half of the equation and the concept is pretty clear from the term, it is the right to copy something. Copyright protects specific works rather than brands the way  trademarks do. The original post colonial copyright in the United States was 14 years with the option to renew for another 14 years; by the early 20th century this had expanded to 28 years with an option for a renewal of another 28 years. In 1976, this was expanded to 75 years for corporate owned works or the life of the author plus 50 years, and in 1998–with a major push from Disney–it was expanded to 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication for corporate works or the life of the author plus 70 years.

    The impact copyright can have on media franchises can get very complicated. A great example of this is the Wizard of Oz franchise. Wizard of Oz started out as a media franchise in the early 20th century with books, plays and silent films but it is the 1939 film that has become the definitive version in the minds of the general public. The original wave of books, plays and silent films are all in the public domain which means free of copyright but the 1939 film is still under copyright.

    There are distinct elements to the 1939 film such as songs, plot points and design elements such as the ruby slippers that are not public domain. The shoes were originally silver but were changed to red to showcase the then still novel format of technicolor film. The books status as public domain allows anyone to create a sequel or new interpretation of Wizard of Oz but the copyright protecting the distinctive elements of the definitive version along with the lack of a young Judy Garlands has prevented any of these from becoming seen as legitimate entries of the franchise, including two attempts by Disney. The extension of copyrights benefits almost every media company but  I would argue that this is a major element of Disney’s business strategy and is used to add value to their merchandising and theme park divisions. The affect of this is most notable in the Disney Princess franchise which earns Disney millions from trademarked versions of public domain characters. It is also used recently in their live action film division through the remakes of their animated films.

    The deeper use of the ins and outs of copyright laws hasn’t really expanded to companies they have purchased, such as Pixar and Lucasfilms which is responsible for Star Wars and allegedly more Indiana Jones. The exception to that I would say is Marvel. I think the difference is because of the age of Marvel places much more of the companies value closer to entering public domain. Marvel started in the late ’30s with characters such as Captain America, Sub-Mariner and other members of The All Winners Squad with the majority of Marvels most famous characters from the ’60s or ’70s. Marvel began their version of using the ruby slipper like leverage before they were bought by Disney and it has accelerated since then. I think that a major reason Marvel even still publishes comics is to strengthen their copyrights covering more and more situations making it harder and harder to write a story using their characters without infringing on a copyright. Evidence of this is how their publishing strategy changed after the success of the X-men and Spider-man films.

    Marvel’s top property for decades was X-men to the point where often any book with an X on it would sell better than most of The Avengers solo books. Marvel began to shift the focus of their comics away from the X-men with events such as House of M removing power from many mutants and towards the Avengers adding Spider-man and Wolverine to the line up. This was done without any certainty that the sales of the comics would be maintained. Before this the Avengers were a team of former A-listers who had been surpassed in popularity by Spiderman and the X-men who previously were too valuable to be in The Avengers. This shift took place because the film rights to many of their characters were no longer owned by Marvel, because they were sold off during a bankruptcy. The Avengers film rights were the ones that didn’t sell and adding their star characters to the franchise helped move the focus to the avengers.

    Another example is the comics recent focus on The Inhumans. Marvel intended to replace the mutants with the inhumans because of their loss of the film rights. They did things like making some of the recently depowered mutants inhumans, retconning characters who were assumed-but-not-certain-mutants as mutants, and even in a few cases retconning characters who had previously been retconned to be mutants to cash in on the xmen’s popularity. The Inhumans before this were supporting characters in Fantastic Four who had never sustained an ongoing series more than a couple years. They also had major event series around this time which connected them with all the other ongoing comics. Marvel’s emphasis was no longer on selling comics but using the comics to lay down more copyright, and retrain and test what people think of the characters to prep for future movies and tv shows. They do something similar in the cartoons which feature upcoming characters such as Nova and Amadeus Cho.

    I also believe that much of their SJW recasting of their characters is Marvel woke-proofing their franchises. Peter Parker’s adventures will eventually become public domain even if eventually is a long time from now (especially if it counts as 70 years after Stan Lee’s death) but Marvel can keep the trademark of Spider-Man in perpetuity and they just have to change who the public thinks of as Spider-man. They have tried this with several characters but the only major character they have made significant progress with is Spider-man and the upcoming animated film starring Miles Morales (a half black half Hispanic alternate universe character) Into the Spiderverse will reinforce this.

     

  • Another Lazy Saturday

    Climate Change strikes Phoenix… again.

    Recently Phoenix was hit with a few storms, and one occurred over a Saturday afternoon.  No problem.  I can just hang out here, right?   Sure.  This however was no ordinary Saturday, it was one where we had one of these, and I simply didn’t want to go outside.  Would you go outside during one of these?

    Probably not.  So it was one of those afternoons where I tell my kids to go somewhere else in the house and find something to put on for noise.  Sadly, I didn’t have the remote.  I never have the remote.  Why? Because I am not normally interested in what is on TV; live sports, DIY, and Food Network being an exception.  So I don’t care what is on because I’m probably just going to ignore it anyway.  My wife picked a Netflix show called, GLOW.

    This is my review of Unity Vibration Raspberry Kombucha Beer.

    I hope you appreciate this is a free service I provide.

    Prior to the storm I went to Sprouts and found this while waiting for the butcher to finish my order.  I can’t watch women wrestling in the 80’s while sober; its just weird.  Kombucha seemed an appropriate choice.

    You heard me.  Its about women wrestling—in the 80’s!

    The story begins where two actresses are at their aerobics class.  I paid little attention to the dialogue, but they’re both out of work and the story line takes off when one later finds out the other slept with her husband.  Cue the main conflict.  One is significantly more attractive in the opinion of many that recall the 80’s fondly–specifically, she’s a buxom blonde.   Next they add in more conflict at the audition, where two women are questioning why are they there.  They are both relived to find out it isn’t porn, but mildly disturbed it is wrestling.

    The director of this whole thing is a hilarious composite of 80’s tropes between the thick glasses, the power-stache, alcoholism, and womanizing.  He embodies the type of toxic masculinity that quite frankly is missing from popular culture.  Yes, he’s a dick, but he’s kind of the glue that binds all these people together and frankly that’s probably why you will watch beyond episode 1.

    Coming to Comicon!

    Another reason is you might find “Wolf Girl” strangely compelling, as she is the only character not playing a character within a character.  She’s just “Wolf Girl.”  The rest of the girls are hilarious stereotypes that outside the context of 80’s culture would never be seen anywhere.  Some are okay, the Valley Girl, and the British girl named, “Britannica,” for example.  Others are intentionally offensive, such as the Hindu girl playing a Libyan Terrorist, the Asian girl playing a character named, “Fortune Cookie,”  and a Black Actress as the character called, “Welfare Queen.”

    Most of the plot revolves around the actresses learning to wrestle, finding a character to play, the blonde lady coming to terms with being a headliner for a wrestling show, having nobody else to pair in the act but with her former home-wrecker friend, and her former home-wrecker friend being unable to find a character.  That is until she figures out how to counter the blonde’s character as an All-American, Apple Pie type appropriately named, “Liberty Belle.”

    …I was wrong, this is coming to Comicon near you!

    Naturally, her nemesis is a Soviet agent named, “Zoya the Destroyer.”

    The show is filled with good one liners.  Once they actually get around to performing in front of live audiences does the plot start to slow down.  They could’ve stopped there, but they didn’t.  If you get to this point, you’re probably just going to finish the season just to find out what happens.

    So what in the hell is Kombucha?  It’s a probiotic tea fancied by the crunchy vegan types at Whole Foods and Sprouts.  Its meant to replace the “good” bacteria in the digestive tract.  I don’t recommend it unless you simultaneously spent the weekend snorting a Z-pack and are lactose intolerant.  In this situation, they simply let the bacterial cultures ferment until it comes to a high enough ABV they can reasonably market it as beer.  It’s not beer.  It’s an affront to humanity.

    So the bottom line, this show is silly but you might like it, so check it out before they make it suck like the X-Files.  This drink is also silly, and you’ll probably hate it.  Try it at your peril.  Unity Vibration Raspberry Kombucha:  1.1/5

  • Jeffery David Sachs Is a Sanctimonious Prick

    O, what a marvel it appeared to me,
    ⁠When I beheld three faces on his head!
    ⁠The one in front, and that vermilion was;
    Two were the others, that were joined with this
    ⁠Above the middle part of either shoulder,
    ⁠And they were joined together at the crest;
    And the right-hand one seemed ‘twixt white and yellow;
    ⁠The left was such to look upon as those
    ⁠Who come from where the Nile falls valley-ward.
    Underneath each came forth two mighty wings,
    ⁠Such as befitting were so great a bird;
    ⁠Sails of the sea I never saw so large.
    No feathers had they, but as of a bat
    ⁠Their fashion was; and he was waving them,
    ⁠So that three winds proceeded forth therefrom.
    Thereby Cocytus wholly was congealed.
    ⁠With six eyes did he weep, and down three chins
    ⁠Trickled the tear-drops and the bloody drivel.
    At every mouth he with his teeth was crunching
    ⁠A sinner, in the manner of a brake,
    ⁠So that he three of them tormented thus.
    To him in front the biting was as naught
    ⁠Unto the clawing, for sometimes the spine
    ⁠Utterly stripped of all the skin remained. ⁠

    — The Divine Comedy, Canto 34, lines 37-60 (Alighieri, trans. Longfellow, 1867)

    Today, in an op-ed penned for CNN, Jeffery Sachs reminded all and sundry that he is an vile, unrepentant prick. As the avatar of the demoness Abyzou made manifest in flesh, Sachs used his op-ed as an opportunity to weave the textual fabric of self-righteousness to clothe the emaciated and decrepit form of his morality. Having donned the cloak of sanctimony, Sachs proceeded to list the ways in which he would use armed violence to redistribute the wealth of Bezos, Zuckerberg, Page, Brin, and Gates to satisfy his own prerogatives.

    Sachs, in all his munificence, states that he would first give these robber barons of the Silicone Age the opportunity to “voluntarily” donate 1% (and who among us could argue with a mere one percent?) of their net worth per annum, but admits that “when they don’t, governments should put on a 1% net worth levy to fund the basic health and education needs of the world’s poorest people.” Not content to employ the legal monopoly of violence held by government to strong-arm Elon Musk into giving up his rocketships, (and by “strong-arm” I mean “asphyxiate for not paying taxes” all Eric Garner-style) Sachs concluded his jeremiad with the dire prediction that the Neanderthal-browed, proletarian mob, having been whipped into frenzy by the populist murmurings of Donald Trump, will storm the campuses of SpaceX and Blue Origin looking for blood:

    The mega-rich expect the adulation of the masses and often get it. Yet the forbearance of society for the antics of the mega-rich will soon wear thin. Too many people are suffering, too many lower-skilled workers are losing their jobs and earnings, too much wealth is being frivolously squandered, and too much power over our lives is being asserted by big tech and other corporate giants.

    Donald Trump channeled the rising unhappiness into his electoral victory, but his trade wars and tax cuts for the rich only widen the divide. Real answers depend on redirecting the mega-wealth towards those in urgent need.

    Nevertheless, like a mafioso “convincing” a shop owner to contribute to his protection racket, Sachs offers us a way out, “[f]or those who don’t do so voluntarily, governments should put a levy on mega-wealth.” Let us be mindful, however, that when we pay indulgences to the Church of Sachs, what constitutes “mega-wealth” would be, of course, determined by its high priest: Jeffery David Sachs, the Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia’s School of Public Health. Oh, what burden must rest upon his wrinkled brow! How fortunate are we to be living in an age where we can hear, from his honeyed lips, the pronouncements of our philosopher-king, Sachs! Indeed, have no fear! For once we have achieved Sachsian utopia, he assures us that “there will be enough time and wealth to reach for the stars.”

    In the ancient mythology of Mediterranean and Mesopotamian cultures, envy was thought to manifest as harm to the person envied through the “evil eye.” Indeed, the Latin word for envy, “invidia” originates from the verb “invideo“(i.e., in+video); literally meaning “to look into/against”, but having the connotations of “being envious of,” being prejudiced against,” or “wishing harm upon.” To combat the baneful influence of the invidious evil eye, people in these cultures wore protective amulets. (And many still do!) One of the most common and powerful amulets against the evil eye was known in Latin as a fascinus.

    Pictured: An example of a fascinus.

    While our cultural mores may have fallen so far that we may scratch our heads over the import of a flying phallus creature, our ancestors knew that this is a perfect example of sympathetic magic, that is ‘like produces, or wards off, like’. And what better way to combat giant pricks like Jeffery Sachs than with a giant prick?

    Having read this article, you may, perchance, wish to purchase a fascinus. If so, you may start here. And if you have less propriety than I do, you may wish to use this as your shipping address.

    And, if you found this article fascinating, there’s a reason for that.

    Pictured: Glibertarians.com Founder Action Figures (L to R – OMWC, Swiss Servator, jesse.in.mb). Available at the Glibertarians.com Gift Shop: Collect them all!

  • Cut the Cord! Vive la Révolution!

     

    Cord cutting is a very libertarian movement. It’s all about the individual choosing what they want to watch and when they want to watch it. It’s about giving your money to targeted companies and not subsidizing those you disagree with. It’s about the end of intrusive commercials. This started off as a younger generation trend, but has been rapidly picking up steam and the cable companies are hemorrhaging subscribers across all age groups. While a few dinosaur CEOs are still holding out, other television companies sense the impending death of the bundled cable model and are trying to develop their own streaming services.

    In its purest spirit, cord cutting does not include ‘TV-lite’ streaming packages like Sling. I view these as being similar to methadone for the heroin addict. You still have to abide by the set viewing schedule, have commercials, and have to financially support channels you don’t watch. Just let it go. You won’t even know it’s there after a week. I usually bring a Roku with me when I travel because I can’t even stand to watch cable tv in hotels anymore.

    If you still want to watch traditional TV after cutting the cord, you’ll need to buy a package like Sling. I’ve heard PlayStation Vue is the best of these, but again, that’s like saying a can of Boyardee is better than a gas station hotdog. Shift out of that mindset entirely and get yourself a steak. I also know there will be questions about sports packages. I don’t watch sports so don’t really know the details here. I believe MLB, NASCAR, and NHL have their own packages, and ESPN is creating one. They all eventually will.

    What you’ll need

    High speed internet- At least 8 Mbps. More is better, especially with multiple devices.

    Streaming platform device- My opinion is that Roku is the best. They give you access to the greatest number of apps (called channels) within the platform. Both Apple and Amazon used to (and may still) restrict major competitors from their streaming platform. Roku doesn’t have this conflict of interest in their business model. There are also other options that include a Smart TV or gaming console. Make sure that the device is capable of handling 4K and HDR if your tv has this capability.

    Subscription Apps or Channel Services- These are what you use to watch content. Content services are usually purchased on a monthly basis. Three different channels provide more content than a person can ever watch. Unlike with traditional Cable companies who drag you through the ringer, it’s extremely easy to cancel and add these channels online with a single mouse click, so some people even cycle through different services as new content is added. Some channels will make every episode in a season available at once to let you binge (Netflix), while others post new episodes as they air on traditional TV (Hulu, HBO Now).

    Netflix– This is the staple in most streaming households. There is an incredible amount of programming available for $10/month. Most of the licensed content is so-so, but their original shows are quite good.

    Amazon Prime– Meh. Their content is subpar and probably the worst value of all the major streaming channels. Definitely not worth it for $10/month. If you already have this for free-shipping and Prime Music, then it’s worth checking in every now and then.

    Hulu– About $10/month for the commercial free version. This one depends on what you like. Hulu is the original joint venture of several traditional TV channels and their programming reflects that. There’s a lot of reality shows, dramas, and sitcoms that have new episodes available the day after they are broadcasted. It’s not something I would keep, but my wife really enjoys it.

    Premium Channels HBO Now/ Showtime/ Starz/ Cinemax– It’s worth keeping at least one of these and they are easy to cycle through. Prices range from $8-15/month, though you can get discounts too. We have HBO Now and enjoy the original programming (Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones) and movie selection.

    Vudu– Vudu is my favorite and probably most underrated channel. It’s a movie streaming service that lets you keep your own library of movies online to freely access from anywhere in the world. If you have a dvd collection you can actually add these to your streaming library. Adding regular dvds are $1 or upgrade to the high definition version for $2. They also have great deals on movies to purchase and add to your library. You can also rent 4K versions of new releases for a few dollars. Vudu does not have a service fee.

    This right here will be the death of the cinema. My family watched Jurassic World last week on our 65’’4k HDR TV with surround sound. It was far superior in quality to anything at the theater, and we could have our food and drinks. I haven’t set foot in a movie theater in over a decade, and it’s very likely my kids never will.

    YouTube– There is a lot of free content on YouTube that especially appeals to kids. Mine really like this show type called Surprise Eggs which, is pretty much as it sounds…. strangers open eggs with toys inside. I don’t know, I don’t get it, but it’s like crack to them. YouTube also offers a paid subscription model, but I think this is more of a younger generation thing and don’t know anything about it.

    PornHub- Just kidding, this isn’t available as an app. Umm, let me take that back. As I researched this to make sure I was providing accurate information, I learned PornHub does in fact have an app available for Roku. Adult apps are banned from the Roku Channel Store, but it can be added manually using the channel code. Be sure to wipe down the remote after viewing.

    Traditional TV Channel Apps- As I mentioned above, the execs at many traditional tv companies have seen the writing on the wall of the future of cable tv. Their response has been to start innovating their own streaming package. These will be similar to Netflix (i.e., commercial-free and on demand) and not at all like Sling, Playstation Vue, etc. Disney is working on one now that has an anticipated release of 2019 or 2020. There is also a streaming service available now for younger kids called NOGGIN that has shows like Backyardigans, Paw Patrol, etc for $8/month. Scrips (Travel Channel, TLC, Food Network) and Discovery have recently merged companies and are creating their own streaming channel that should be available for $5/month in 2019.

    Digital antenna– This will let you pick up over the air broadcasts. Enjoy it, Grandpa.

    I’ll end this by noting a common criticism of cord cutting is that it becomes as expensive as cable once you start purchasing individual streaming channels. At the cost of Internet plus $30 bucks for Netflix, HBO, and Hulu (plus free Vudu and YouTube), I don’t think this is the case at all. Even if it cost the same amount, so what?! Cord cutting is commercial free and let’s you watch what you want when you want it, so the value is immensely higher even at the same cost. I can’t imagine paying money to watch commercials. You may also hear your friendly Cable Company Rep offer to throw in a TV package for the same price as you’re paying now for just Internet. Don’t believe them. The price will jack up after one year and there will be a large number of add-on fees and taxes applicable immediately.

    Cut the Cord! Vive la Révolution!

  • YouTubers of Interest

    YouTube, despite its corporate leadership being very regressive, has become a hub for alternative viewpoints regarding current political and cultural events. I thought I’d do a writeup about YouTubers who create content I believe would be of interest to Glibs. The video creators are mainly concerned with current events from a political and/or philosophical perspective, however a few make videos about popular culture or general interest topics as well.

    This article is not meant to be either authoritative or comprehensive (and there will be follow ups regarding these or other YouTubers), but rather a jumping off point for commentators to add both their own perspectives on those I’ve listed, disagreements with my opinions, as well as discussing YouTubers I’ve omitted either through ignorance or difference in perspective.

    So here, in no particular order, are some of my YouTubers of interest:

    Liberty Doll – A Libertarian woman with a Judy Greer-esque 40’s-50s’ nerd chic vibe, she often discusses 2A issues, including the recent 3D printing kerfluffle. She also discusses current events, liberty issues, as well as feminism and other anti-liberty philosophies.

    Styxhexenhammer666 – A former Satanist and current mystic/spiritualist, Styx creates a lot of content about current political events, both foreign and domestic (including Trump). He occasionally has a slightly unusual take on matters which doesn’t always jibe with the standard libertarian view.  He’s done a couple series of non-political videos. They are mostly related to the occult, but he also has a series of garden videos.

    Matt Christiansen – His perspective is (in my view) somewhere between classical liberal and libertarian. Unlike many video producers, he doesn’t see the need to inject a hyper personality, instead stating the facts (and unleashing his acerbic wit) in his calm midwestern inflection. The videos might be on Trump or, say, pointing out the current stupidity in Portland. He also does the Beauty and the Beta podcast/livestream with Blonde in the Belly of the Beast. Blonde is an attractive woman who, over the past few years, moved from libertarianism to a much more conservative / identitarian perspective. (Think an American Lauren Southern without the public provocation).

     Sargon of Akkad / The Thinkery – One of the bigger names in the anti-SJW ‘skeptic’ YouTube community, Sargon generally holds classical liberal views. He’s able to court controversy even beyond the standard regressive community (a few Glibs have been quite critical). As a UK resident, his perspective is mainly focused on Britain. In addition to his videos on the Islamization of the UK and Europe, he also has videos about recent events.

    Karen Straughn / Honey Badger Radio – Karen and the others at Honey Badger Radio focus on men’s rights issues and critiques of feminism. The mostly female group makes interesting videos pointing out the discrepancies in feminist narratives and the legal and existential realities related to gender issues, ‘male disposability’, and why men’s issues are generally not taken seriously in the larger society (including why women should care about men’s issues).

    Freedom Toons – Freedom Toons creates satirical cartoon videos from a libertarian perspective. Some of his targets have included modern journalism and free speech. These videos are short, so they’re good if you only have 5 minutes or so.

    Bearing / Patrick – An Australian shit poster, Bearing generally goes after leftists and SJWs with humor. A couple of his recent videos have included one on the fight between Australian senators David Leyenhjelm and Sarah H Young and another on Lauren Southern’s Australia visit. His girlfriend is YouTuber Sugartits, who makes similar content.

    Hard Bastard – He largely does videos regarding current events – such as the Cohen tapes – from a right of center perspective. A former Jehovah’s Witness, he often brings a slightly different view to his videos. His girlfriend is Aydin Paladin, who is (amazingly) a sociological graduate student with a general liberty focus. She mainly does videos on recent events, but also likes to delve into academic topics, both largely using that sociological framework. She has also worked with the Honey Badgers on a few of their videos. (Note: while I find her videos interesting, they are 1) academic, and 2) not short)

    The Pholosopher – A Chinese American Ancap woman, she’s about as libertarian as you can get. A huge 2A proponent, she enjoys appearing in her anti-gun control videos with her AR. She also makes videos about how the US government has messed up the Middle East, and that taxation is theft.

    Timcast – This will probably be one of my more controversial picks. Tim Pool is a former Vice reporter who is now trying to make a living as an independent reporter. As you’d suspect from someone who used to work with Vice, his politics are left of center. I include him because he does a couple things incredibly rare for journalists these days. He tries to get his facts correct, and he separates those facts from his evaluation of them. While he deeply dislikes Trump, he actually evaluates Trump’s actions on an individual basis rather than issue a blanket condemnation. I respect this.

    Ben Shapiro – While Shapiro is mostly conservative rather than libertarian, he’s a skilled debater and often interesting. Also, since I’ve pointed out the women here a few times, let me link to his interview with Mike Rowe for Kristen.

  • Stop the (Aero)Presses

    Hello again, my caffeinated friends.  I’ve peeled a few Koch dollars off my pimp roll and bought an AeroPress for review.  I set the trusty French press aside and have been using the Aeropress for the last 2 months.  Will it replace the French press for good?  Does it make better espresso than my Moka Pot?  Is it smoother than the cold press?  Well, read on friends and find out along with my world famous…ok, vaguely remembered by a small cadre of weirdos, pro/con list!

    AeroPress Starter Kit
    AeroPress starter kit.  The barrel, plunger, filter cap, stirrer and funnel combine for easy storage.

     

    What is an AeroPress you may be asking yourself.  It is a basically an oversized syringe with a filter.  Medium ground coffee is place inside the barrel and filled with hot water (175 F) to make a regular cup of coffee.  The water and coffee steep for 60 seconds and then you invert whole apparatus over your favorite mug and press the coffee out through a paper filter, then top off the mug with hot water. If the barista prefers espresso, use a fine grind with the same water temperature and steep time, but don’t dilute with hot water.  This deceptively simple device does allow for great variety in preparation through adjustments in water temperature, grind, steep time and how hard or soft you press the plunger.  In fact there are AeroPress world competitions to see which coffee enthusiasts can coax the best cup of Joe out of the simple and inexpensive appliance.  I give you The World AeroPress Championship for you super coffee nerds. *looks around* Just me, huh?

    So what do I think after living with the AeroPress for 2 months?  It makes a damn fine cup of coffee in under 2 minutes.  For those who don’t want to make a morning ritual of your coffee habit and just want caffeine coursing through your veins ASAP, this is a good option.  Clean up is a breeze.  After pressing the coffee all that is left is a mostly dry coffee puck.  Just shoot it into the trash can and rinse the plunger. Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.  I’m not usually a fan of paper filters, but a good pre-rinse with hot water seems to eliminate the paper taste.  The filters are inexpensive and they give you enough when you buy the press starter kit that you don’t feel cheated.

    As much as I like the AeroPress, it can’t do it all.  It can’t rival the low acid smoothness of the cold brew system and it lacks the volume of the Moka pot for espresso, though I do prefer the taste of AeroPress espresso.  The AeroPress also can’t be set on a timer like most drip systems and is not well suited to making large volumes of coffee.

    So the big question, “Does it replace the French Press?”  For me, it doesn’t because I want the most pure expression of each bean that I roast.  I’m willing to trade a clean cup of coffee for the unfiltered experience. That being said, if you are the sole coffee drinker in your home, like easy clean up, don’t want to spend a ton of money, don’t have much storage space, and enjoy experimenting with grind, temperature, etc. the AeroPress is hard to beat.

    How to Use
    (Disclaimer: These are not the instructions provided by AeroPress; this is the inverted method, which I find superior)

    Step 1. Fill with ground coffee. (pro-tip* wet the rubber plunger before placing in barrel to reduce friction/extend life).

    Step 2. Fill with hot water and stir.

    Step 3. Attach filter.

    Step 4. After 1 minute steep, invert over mug.

    Step 5. Press gently until you hear air escaping.

    Step 6. Top off mug with hot water.

    Step 7.  Remove filter cap and press plunger to eject coffee puck into trash. Rinse AeroPress.

    Pros

    • cost – $33.90 starter kit that includes 350 filters
    • reliability –  so simple it is unlikely to fail in any way
    • flexibility – nearly infinite ways to make coffee
    • storage – takes up very little counter/cabinet space
    • taste – it does a really good job of extracting flavor.
    • clean – super easy clean up
    • easy to use – full disclosure* I did make a large mess when I put the coffee in wrong while sleepy
    • cup – really clean cup of coffee. no muddy coffee (sediment)

    Cons

    • filters – some people prefer unfiltered coffee
    • consumables – although not very expensive, you do have to buy replacement filters
    • serving size –  the isn’t the go to for a large dinner party
    • aesthetics – not something you want to proudly display
    • accessibility –  this might be a stretch, but if a person has arthritis or limited hand strength, the plunger may be difficult to press.

  • Thoughts on Getting Old

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    By Fourscore (plus one now)

    All of us are getting old(er) but when does it happen? How does it happen? Do we know we are getting old?

    Most of us have had grandparents or parents that we saw growing older and older. We really never thought much about it on a personal level since it wasn’t happening to us. As kids we believed our parents were super people that could do anything, solve any adversity that was thrown at them and always be there for us. We knew Grandpa walked a little slower but still could play golf and catch fish and always seemed to have ice cream money for us.

    We grew up, went off to conquer the world (’til we got married) and then had kids of our own. Suddenly our own parents were grandparents! What the hell is up with that? They must be getting old!

    If they are getting old what does that say about us? When do we or did we get old? Well, I’m gonna relate those things that I experienced, indicators that tell me I’m old on a daily basis.

    The physical changes are subtle but are happening to all of us as I speak. Yeah, you and me. When I was 40 I was playing driveway basketball with my kids, I was still taller and could out rebound them.

    When their friends came over I got to play if the sides were uneven and would sometimes get chosen first (unlike high school). A couple years later my son was taller than I, had better skills and the boys relegated me to my daughter’s team. By my mid 40s it was like, “Hope your Dad isn’t going to play, he screws up too much.”

    Then one day I went to Seattle to work for a few weeks, I found I couldn’t tell the difference from an 1/8 to a 1/4 on a tape measure, what was up with that? In the evenings at the motel I couldn’t read, my arms had gotten too short. A few weeks later I checked into the local optometrist and got my first pair of glasses, it was a miracle! I could see again, I was 47 years old. Along life’s journey my boss made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, if I would stay ’til I was 55 I could retire and enjoy some benefits that we had worked out.

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    My wife and I had bought some rural property earlier and remodeled a rundown cabin. We started building a retirement home two years before retirement, working every weekend, every vacation and every day I could sneak off from work. When the big day came we moved into our home and finished it out, hell, I was a young guy, right, 12 hour days were something I’d grown accustomed to and was no big deal.

    The days went by, growing a big garden, cutting fire wood, the fishing and hunting, traveling. My daughter got married, started making babies and now my wife and I were grandparents, what the hell is up with that? Where did the time go? Then my son got married and divorced before the ink was dry on the marriage license.

    Life was good, until I got a phone call, a classmate had died and the funeral was…. Then another and another. Every few months. I began to look at my friends and classmates more critically, I’m guessing they were looking at me the same way. I was thinking I was still the same person, but the testosterone was telling me different. Some things were NOT the same! Mrs Fourscore started staying up late, TV was more interesting than me. The side effects of the purple pills were as bad as the hangovers I’d had before I quit drinking.

    If one has 2-3 good friends consider yourself lucky. I have my bestie from 3rd grade and two from 9th grade. These are guys that you would loan all the money in your billfold without worrying about getting it back or ever getting it back, and vice versa. I consider myself very lucky and we’re all the same age. A year or two ago I found myself sort of shuffling my feet as I walked outside. I started paying attention and I was dragging at least one foot, not serious but still…. Then I saw one of the boys with the same problem. Another has osteoporosis. I have been falling down a couple times a year, always looking around to see if anyone has seen me ’cause I would be embarrassed.

    My work days are shortened to a couple hours in the morning, couple hours in the afternoon. Bending over cutting firewood with a chainsaw is tougher, running a splitter is in 45 minute spurts. Dressing out a deer requires having a tree nearby to help me stand up. We’ve been doing flyin fishing trips to Ontario for the past 21 years, after this last one in June we had to admit we’re just not able to do it anymore. The drive is 9 hours, getting in and out of the boat is difficult and dangerous. It doesn’t hold the mystique that previous years have had.

    I only have one prescription pill, a beta blocker that regulates my heart. I run 44-48 BPM, even after exercise I can only make about 60 BPM and is quickly restored back to normal. I use an 81 mg aspirin, any slight scratch or cut bleeds profusely. A calcium and vitamin round out my pill popping.

    I’ve had a few surgeries, hernias, varicose veins, 25 years ago had a bone growth removed from my heel. A few years ago I developed a sticky trigger finger and had it repaired, two years later same problem other hand. BTW these would not have been done with single payer, while the fingers were painful and annoying it was not life threatening. Had cataract surgery, resulted in no improvement in vision. A couple years ago I was having deteriorating vision problems, many check ups, new glasses, consultations. The prognosis was not good. Then a few months ago I got my last prescription and suddenly I could see, read, drive safely, it was finally a usable prescription. I’ll be in my deer stand in November.

    The psychological part of aging is something that preys on my mind. There are no more surprises in life. I don’t worry about my kids (well, OK, I do) but there is nothing I can do. I can’t worry about my grandchildren, they have youth on their side. I’ve outgrown politics by becoming a libertarian many years ago. All politicians look the same to me. Like many others here I am an introvert, took a long time to learn to like myself. My wife and I have structured our assets in a trust, ’cause my family is mostly dysfunctional.

    My two older brothers died 7 years ago, making me the patriarch by default. It’s an easy task, since no one pays attention to me anyway. One older female cousin in bad health, a few younger ones but most with serious health problems. The greatest worry is the mental deterioration. So far, so good.

    We’re having our annual Honey Harvest on Sep 16th. I’m hoping the MN glibs and any local lurkers will attend. All glibs are invited, but unless you are in the area it’s not worth the effort. We will spin out the honey, eat lunch, tell lies and we’re family friendly.

    As someone who sees his sphere of friends dwindling and mobility increasingly becoming a problem, I am truly grateful to those running this site and all those who contribute to making my days a little brighter. I have a lot of new friends that I’ve never met.

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  • Spring BIF — Last Call

    By Nephilium:

    The box arrived, albeit with some damage.  Thankfully MikeS listened to the suggestion to ship cans, and everything in the package survived:

    Revelation Ale Works Cherry Sour(below):

    This pours a clear red with a huge pink head. The aroma is a hint of cherry, and a bit of funk with some acid in the back end. The head sticks around for a while, then fades out. Bright sour notes, with notes of sweet and tart cherries coming through. Lactic acid is the
    one I’m picking up the most of, with a sharp sour note in the back of the throat. Light bodied, with lively carbonation makes this an excellent summer beer.  Overall: 3.75/5.00

    Drekker Broken Rudder Irish Red (right):

    Pours a clear brown-amber, a bit light for a red ale, with a white head.  Aroma is of caramel, with a touch of roast. Mild flavor, roasted notes, some caramel notes, and a touch of malt sweetness.  Just enough hops present to prevent it from getting cloying, with just a hint of earthy notes in the finish. The beer has a full mouthfeel, with moderate carbonation.  Overall a solid Irish red. Overall: 3.5/5.00

    Revelation Peanut Butter Stout (below):

    Aroma is moderate peanut butter, pours an opaque black with a thin ring of tan head and some dusting on top of the pint. Almost no carbonation present (though this may be due to the can and shipping), flavor is mildly sweet with a touch of roast, and a finish of peanut butter. I’d like to try this one properly carbonated. Overall 3.25/5.00*

    Drekker Pushing Daisies (right):

    Pours an opaque orange-yellow, with a thin white head. Bright aroma, with hints of citrus, clove, and chamomile. Nice carbonation levels, with a moderate body. Flavor starts a bit sweet with a touch of creamy wheat. It finishes with a nice spice and floral finish. Overall
    a solid witbier.  Overall 3.75/5.00

    Fargo Woodchipper IPA (below):

    Aroma is of pine, with some floral notes.  Pours a clear amber with a white head. This is definitely on the hop forward side, with just a touch of sweet malt notes coming through with a kiss of caramel before pine, pith, and bitterness come through.  The bitterness lingers for a while, with some earth noticeable in the finish. A bit light in body, but overall a solid IPA. Overall 3.75/5.00

    Fargo Mighty Red Imperial Red Ale (right):

    Pours a clear reddish-amber with a thin white head.  Aroma starts off with caramel, and then fades to piney hops.  Mild hop presence then the aroma would indicate, Nice caramel notes, a touch of roast, and then a mild earthy bitter finish.  Moderate body, and nicely inviting. Not sure it really reaches Imperial levels (at only 6.6%), but a solid Red. Overall 3.50/5.00

    Rhombus Iconic Blonde (below):

    Pours a clear, pale straw with a white head. The aroma is a touch of grain, with a bit of something sharp behind it. Light bodied, just a touch of malt sweetness, and a bit of floral hop notes. Crisp and refreshing on a hot day. This is a very solid blonde ale. Just the thing to reach for when you just want a clean, cold beer.  Overall 3.75/5.00

    Rhombus Derailed – Strawberry Rhubarb (right):

    A mild sour aroma starts off, with a touch of strawberry lurking behind the tartness.  The beer pours a hazy pinkish-straw with a full white head. Bright sour flavor, with both the rhubarb and strawberry coming through.  There’s enough lively carbonation to lift the flavor off the palate and keep the beer light and refreshing. Overall a very good fruited sour.

     

  • You’re Doing it Wrong – #1

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    A while back there was a post where someone referenced the Digital Time that was proposed by the French Revolution. Well, arguments about our calendar are really useless.

    Or are they.

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    Your calendar: Summer (the season) begins on June 21st.

    Status: You’re doing it wrong.

    I can’t believe the resistance that I get about this topic. It seems pretty simple to me. Why is June 22nd a summer day but June 20th belongs to spring? Chasing that question down led me to some surprising results.

    If you plot the deviation of daylight hours over the year it looks like a sine wave.

    But this looks weird. The days of summer don’t start until the longest day of the year?

    And, I had always wondered about Ground Hog Day. What was its significance? Wasn’t the first day of spring always fixed at 6 weeks after GHD? Spring is delayed until March 21st? Duh!

    It turns out that the dates of the seasons are fairly arbitrary.
    In fact, I cannot find where the dates were set to the current observation1. The “usual” observance doesn’t seem to have much of a tradition behind it other than it being the system in use.

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    So, what would be a logical definition of the seasons? It seems to me that the best layout would be based upon the duration of the solar day. To me, the Summer Solstice would not be the beginning of summer but rather the midpoint.

    Well, what do you know; this has been the standard recogntion for hundreds of years!

    Suddenly the Ground Hog Day tradition makes sense. Spring starts on Feb 2 (halfway between the Solstice and the Equinox) but rodent-shadow “Spring” starts on the Equinox instead as an abberation. May Day never made sense to me (other than the Soviet orgasm) but now it was simple: It’s the first day of Summer. Hallowe’en, the first day of Winter. Autumn begins on August 1st.

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    The earth has changed orientation over time and the alignment of the seasons has changed as well. If we were to do a strict reckoning then we would use the last graph, summer starting about May 6th and the other seasons following every 91.25 days. To choose the traditional dates (May 1st, August 1st, October 31st, February 2nd) seems to me to be a reasonable compromise, bringing matters back to traditional observations while being closer to the solar midpoints.

    I’m trying to keep weather out of this discussion, but for my region, November is a winter month. I could argue spring and fall, but May is a summer month here, as well. The USWS is off of my schedule slightly as they say that summer begins on June 1st (all others follow). It seems to me to be a rather arbitrary choice based more upon weather than anything else. It is their setpoint, not mine2. But basing the reckoning of seasons upon the weather makes little sense in places like Hawai’i. My friend spent some time there and mentioned that there is no weather segment on the local news. Every day had basically the same high and low temperatures year around. If there was something else (“Typhoon On The Way”) then it was news, not weather.

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    I can’t help but to be an engineer whose job is to “fix things.” Here’s a fix for something that you never knew was broken.

    Now get off my lawn.

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    1. I haven’t looked very hard

    2. They are the “Weather Service” after all

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  • BIF — Not Just a guy from Back to the Future Part 3

    The final BIF submission is by MikeS, and I said, its a doozy:

    First; apologies for my tardiness both in shipping and in getting everything drank drunk drinked quaffed.  Life got in the way.

    ron73440 sent me some really good beer as well as some nice swag; including a pint coozie that has already seen a fair share of use.  I don’t have the palate of a professional reviewer, so bear with me.

    Here we go…Glibs beer tasting; “Life on the Farm Edition”:

    No, this is not George Jones’ lawn tractor.

     

    O’Connor Green Can Golden Ale

    Crisp and clean. Refreshing. Mild citrus aftertaste. Good lawn mower beer.  If you have a friend who refuses to drink anything other than BMC, and you live by O’Connor, have them try this.  3.7/5

    O’Connor Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale

    Very similar to Green Can, just more hops. Decent. Passable PA. I’m sure PA fans would like it. 3.1/5

    Three Notch’d Hydraulion Red

    Nice reddish-gold color. Can’t explain taste very well. A tish sweet…caramel notes?  Damn good. 4.1/5

    Midnight Brewery Rockville Red Irish Red Ale

    Slightly different than the Hydraulion.  Not as much sweet (not that the Hydra’ was overly sweet).  A little more carbonation. A little less flavor than the Hydra’.  Honestly, a little bland. 3.2/5

    Belhaven Scottish Ale

    Good beer.  A little sweet.  Smooth. What is that I’m tasting…malt I think?  Like the malt in a malted milk. Not a lot, just a touch.  And the faintest bit of dryness on the backend. This is going down pretty quick.  I like this beer. 4.3/5

    Midnight Brewery Not My Job English Brown Ale

    Not bad.  Almost “light” considering it’s a brown ale.  This is one of those beers that would shock your friends who think all dark beers can be cut with a knife.  But there is something there I don’t quite like…a dryness at the end. It’s not a deal breaker, just not what I expected.  3.5/5

    O’Conner Odis Black as Sin Stout

    First off; I tried shining a very bright light through the glass.  No go. This is black as an IRA bomb maker’s soul. First taste was like toast dipped in coffee…without the soggy grossness.  So far I’m digging it. Not a heavy beer like some stouts can be. It’s an approachable beer for people who like craft beer, but think they don’t like dark beer.  3.6/5

    _____

    In honor of MikeS, I wanted to make sure the one I featured today, was something he could find in his neck of the woods.  After all, most of his comments on my articles contain some variant of the words “I,” “can’t,” “find,” and “that.”  In that order.  Let’s just say I was feeling a bit ironic while completely ignoring the definition of ironic.

    So Pabst went and made a Pale Ale?  I must confess, I went into it assuming it was going to smell like urine.  I don’t know about anyone else around here, but I for one am familiar with the scent of urine, and this my friends does not smell like urine.  This is a bit overhopped in the style preferred by the hipsters this product is aimed at.  Now whatever hops they picked for this doesn’t seem to suit the style of beer, but that’s okay.  This isn’t going to win any blue ribbons, unless the participant ribbons nowadays are blue.

    The question is….Can MikeS find this at his local merchant of mind altering beverages?  Pabst American Pale Ale:  2/5.