Author: ryan

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General

BEER!

Tonight our friends Mike & Becky invited us out to their neck ‘o the woods for dinner and beers at the Main Street Ale House in Gresham. While Gresham may not be the hub of saturday night life, the beers at this spot are pretty darned good. I tried a couple of their beers including their ’80 Shilling’ scotch-style ale, which was quite good. It’s not so much amber as English bitter, and I ended up buying a growler of it to take home. The food was good, though our friends each got steaks while Kelly and I each got salads, and while my chef salad was fine, I was jealously eyeing their steak -n- potato meals.

moon-and-sixpence1.jpgAfterwards, Kelly and I were on our way home and drove by a place we’ve been meaning to check out for some time, the Moon and Sixpence. We decided to pull over and check it out. This is a fantastic English-style pub. The atmosphere (smoking, for those who need warning) was great, from the pictures and ad plaques decorating the walls, to the beers, to the menu. It was dark, warm, and cozy. Kelly and I couldn’t help but reminisce about our travels while looking at the old photos of London hanging on the walls. I highly recommend this spot if you want to get a feel for what pubs are like (at least, those we’ve been to).

It beats the Horse Brass in it’s authenticity, this place feels more genuine rather than the "Disneyland" version of a pub. Just wish they had some of the beers Horse Brass has on tap. 🙂  Can’t speak to the food however, we weren’t hungry after dinner at the Main Street Ale House, so perhaps another review will be in order.

Categories
General

Mash Tun has their beers flowing

The Mash Tun (local brewpub on Alberta) has their first couple batches flowing (finally)! The fist batch is what they describe as an English-style IPA, and the second is a pale ale. Both are quite good, though the ‘IPA’ (I would almost describe it as an ESB) is really quite good. The pale ale is also good, though it’s less a pale ale and more a regular ale. Still, quite excited to finally see (and taste) their beers.

Categories
Technology

Microsoft to sell anti-virus software

Just a quick post to ask a question… does anybody else find it wrong that Microsoft is going to start selling anti-virus software for $49.99 a year? Software that wouldn’t be necessary if their operating system was more secure to begin with? It makes me wonder why Microsoft would care to secure Windows in the future, knowing they’ll get a continual revenue stream from the anti-virus software.

Categories
General

Jive at Holocene

Had a pretty fun evening. I was invited to the Jive Software 5 year anniversary party, held at Holocene, a rather swanky spot in SE Portland. Fun gathering, they had the place to themselves until 9pm, after which had their own private room. At 9pm a DJ showed up spinning 80’s records (though, gotta admit, he wasn’t much to talk about, the beat-matching was terrible, but the tunes were OK).

Was pretty fun. Gotta say, Jive is a cool company, Dave and Matt rock. If you’re in the market for good forum software check ’em out. All-in-all Kelly and I had a great time, had some drinks and snacks, rubbed elbows, etc. Check out Holocene if you’re in the mood for some swank.

Categories
News

Rant: Some joker is trying to sue Apple for hearing loss

So some joker is trying to sue Apple over the possibility of hearing loss due to the iPod. I emphasized possibility because he isn’t claiming he suffered hearing loss himself from using an iPod. He’s simply claiming that the decible level is such that one could suffer hearing loss, and thus the iPod is a defective product.

Let’s put aside the fact that the iPod’s user manual clearly states "To avoid hearing damage, set your iPod volume to a safe level. If you experience ringing in your ears, reduce volume or discontinue use of your iPod. Warning: Permanent hearing loss may occur if earbuds or headphones are used at high volume. You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound that may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing." So, like, listen to things really loud, and uh, it can cause damage. Wow, who knew? The part that gets me is that while this fella is clearly targetting what he deems a ‘cash cow’, it avoids any personal responsibility completely.

Here I sit, reading this and smoking a cigarette. I know full well that smoking isn’t good for me. It doesn’t take but a night out smoking a pack, then waking up the next morning feeling like your lungs have been brutally savaged by a metal-bristled brush to realize "golly, that feels awful, that can’t have been good for me." I know, as does EVERY smoker out there (past and present, whether or not they admit it), that smoking simply can’t be good for you. That phlegm you cough up, the shortness of breath, hell, even the smell, screams "warning!" with big flashing lights.

Thing is, I know what I’m doing, I choose to do it, and I’m not about to sue the tobacco companies. That just seems as stupid as suing Leatherman for cutting your thumb on the sharp knife you just purchased. It’s a knife. It cuts. That’s what it does. Smoking in general is introducing crap into your body that isn’t natural.

To bring this full-circle, suing Apple for their music player’s ability to "crank it up" isn’t the fault of Apple, or any other company. The person filing this suit has full control of the volume, and if he can’t use the device properly, it’s not Apples fault. Just like it’s not the tobacco industry’s fault if I choose to buy and use their product, nor is it Leatherman’s fault if I cut my thumb on their tools.

Just silly. Had to rant. For more read the thread on Slashdot.