Archives for 2016 (Lifestream)

• Dec 31, 2016, 2:21 AM -05:00

  It's Not Easy Being Green

  About a year ago, I bought a bottle of green Chartreuse. I bought it because I stumbled upon something called a Bijou cocktail and decided that I wanted to try it.

  Chartreuse is a liqueur made by French monks from a secret recipe purported to be hundreds of years old. It's usually described as tasting "herbal", but I find that's about as useful as saying that something tastes like "chicken"; it's the word you use when you can't think of anything else to say. For my money, I find that it's very sweet and tastes strongly of anise (which I don't mind; I like Drambuie, which also has a strong anise flavour) but also has a kind of "vegetable" aftertaste that I find a bit off putting,

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• Dec 27, 2016, 8:45 PM -05:00

  Life is Bitter

  The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David Embury's classic, is notable for being somewhat rigid in its definition of a cocktail. He basically divides all of cocktail-dom into two camps: the aromatic ones (Manhattans, Martinis, Old-Fashioneds), and the sour ones (basically anything with lemon or lime juice in it, though never enough to overpower the main liquor).

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• Dec 23, 2016, 2:12 PM -05:00

  Is it just me or is pound cake basically Shortbread with eggs?
• Dec 22, 2016, 10:17 PM -05:00

  It Started with the Vesper

  Lately I've been experimenting with "mixers". By "mixer" I mean aperitifs, liqueurs, and digestifs that almost always appear as secondary ingredients in a cocktail, but that one almost never thinks of drinking on their own. The intention here is to write a series of articles about each one.

  It started with the Vesper, a mixed drink well known in cocktail circles. The recipe comes from an iconic scene in Ian Flemings's Casino Royale, where Bond instructs the bartender as follows:

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• Dec 12, 2016, 10:06 PM -05:00

  Moving to Pelican

  After a good run, I've decided to retire YAWT for the time being. I found the workflow I set up to be a bit complicated, and I found myself wanting to concentrate more on writing rather than the nitty-gritty of publishing. I also got a bit tired of the lone wolf thing and I wanted to try using piece of software that other people actually use.

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• Nov 30, 2016, 8:11 AM -05:00

  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress: possibly the first time I've ever seen an Ayn Rand reference in a science fiction novel.
• Oct 19, 2016, 11:10 PM -04:00

  I didn't even watch the debate. Still though: NO YOU'RE THE PUPPET!
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  UNBELIEVABLE COMPANY!
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  I HAVE A WINNING TEMPERAMENT!
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  ' "She doesn't have the stamina" says the guy who has been sniffling all night.'
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  And I fear that if the last year wasn't enough to show Trump the door, this debate isn't going to do it (though it clearly should)
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  NOBODY CALLS SEAN HANNITY!
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  TREMENDOUS JOBS!
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  The thing is, this debate was basically just more of the same.
• Sep 26, 2016, 10:09 PM -04:00

  HACK INTO AMERICANS!  Crap that was Hilary...
• Aug 25, 2016, 7:08 AM -04:00

  Wait, the standard python library includes sqlite?
• Aug 2, 2016, 9:08 AM -04:00

  “This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it." - Dorothy Parker
• Jul 18, 2016, 12:07 PM -04:00

  I googled "In defense of the IDE" and got a whole bunch of shit on the Indian Defence Estate Service. I don't know why I find this funny.
• Jun 29, 2016, 11:32 PM -04:00

  Pierogieland

  Evelyn and I went to Poland this past May, with her dad, uncle and cousins. Her second cousin was getting married and we were invited to the wedding.

  I have to admit, I didn't know what I was going to get out of this trip. Poland was never really on my list of places to visit. The Lonely Planet guide, a book whose job is to make you excited about the place you're visiting, said that Poland "wore its charms lightly". What was that supposed to mean?

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• Jun 21, 2016, 8:06 AM -04:00

  Reactive programming feels like wiring a circuit.
• Apr 16, 2016, 5:04 PM -04:00

  I have nightmares about the mess in my basement.
• Apr 11, 2016, 7:04 AM -04:00

  Things learned today: 1. Dry pressed cottage cheese is not the same as paneer. 2. Saag "Dry Pressed Cottage Cheese" still tastes pretty good
• Apr 7, 2016, 3:04 PM -04:00

  Wait, it's National Beer Day?
• Apr 7, 2016, 12:04 PM -04:00

  Headline on Slashdot: "People Feel Weird About Touching Robot Butts, Researchers Find"
• Apr 2, 2016, 1:45 AM -04:00

  On Trying to Escape Your Past

  There's an Irish joke that runs as follows:

  A journalist, researching for an article on the complex political situation in Northern Ireland, was in a pub in a war-torn area of Belfast. One of his potential informants leaned over his pint of Guinness and suspiciously cross-examined the journalist: "Are you a Catholic or a Protestant?" the Irishman asked.

  "Neither," replied the journalist; "I'm an atheist."

  The Irishman, not content with this answer, put a further question: "Ah, but are you a Catholic atheist or a Protestant atheist?

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