“Content requires proper care and feeding”, says Bill Swallow, director of operations at Scriptorium. We talk localization, content strategy, local beer, summer’s oppressive heat, and more.
Released on International Podcast Day!
Continue reading Local needs of content featuring Bill Swallow – Content Content podcast episode 12
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I’ve made a bad habit of documenting most, if not all, of the beer I’ve drank over my lifetime (see writer, technical). It started with a Microsoft Access database that went nowhere, even after paying someone to input tons of bottle information. After a house move where I angered friends who helped move 27 cases of empty bottles, and moving in with someone who had zero interest in keeping them around, I started photographing the bottles and getting rid of them. I believe there’s somewhere between 650-850 beers cataloged, but not in one meaningful way — yet.
Continue reading 135 Different Beers in a Year, 135 Different Beers…
It’s been a personal goal to turn on as many people as possible on to beer. As I mentioned in the Fordeville blog, my own journey to the beverage was not direct, so I sympathize.But allow me to try to convert you once again, dear beer-challenged reader.
“Oh, it’s too bitter”. Then you’re drinking the wrong beer.There are 23 general styles of beer, with infinite variations within each style. There are many more breweries than Anheuser Busch, Coors, and Miller, you know. (As an aside, the oft-favored Blue Moon is owned and brewed by Coors). If the beer’s too bitter, first try to find out the style- then avoid it. The hoppiest types – which are the most bitter – are IPAs and Pale ales. Try a malty style, like a Dunkelweizen, porter, or brown, which traditionally have very low hop flavor and aroma. Or, a classic Weihenstephan Weissbier.
“Dark beer scares me. It’s too much alcohol”. Then you’re drinking the wrong beer. Realize that “dark” doesn’t necessarily mean “high alcohol”. The perennial “dark beer” Guinness actually has less alcohol by volume than Budweiser. Try a Sierra Nevada Porter (they make more than just the green-labeled Pale Ale), or a sweet stout like Mackeson’s.
“Beer has too many calories”. Then you’re drinking the wrong beer. Drinking an MGD 64 or Bud Light is like eating iceberg lettuce – it gets you where you want to go, but doesn’t bring a lot of flavor to the table. Alcohol inherently has calories, regardless if it’s wine, beer, or gin. Just find the right one- high alcohol beers are generally heavier because of the higher quantities of malt. Again, a bottle of Guinness only has 126 calories, and in my opinion, is worth drinking one instead of two MGD 64s.
“I get bloated drinking beer”. Then you’re drinking the wrong beer. If you want bang for the buck, calories be damned, have a barleywine. Anything “Imperial” means more malt, more hops, and more booze. If you can handle a “regular” IPA with higher hops, try an Imperial IPA like Dogfish Head’s 90- or 120-Minute IPA.
It make take some time and effort to find just the right beer for you, but remember, it’s the journey, not the destination. When possible, drink locally and support your local breweries and brewpubs. And if you want a full-on beer education, meet me at the Copper Mine Pub.
Am I the only technical writer that doesn’t feel like writing or blogging when they get home? Lately, I feel like that’s the case.
I comfort myself in the fact that I’m making good food.
Summer’s over. I’m not happy about it.
Overall, I think it’s been a mediocre year, musically.
I updated from WordPress 2.9 to 3.01. I backed up my database. It was a click. It was good. The dashboard looks the same; am I missing something?
Android 2.2 Froyo is a nice upgrade. It actually looks like they put sometime into the user experience. Today I noticed a little “You declined this call” message at the top of the screen. Nice.
I have an IPA in secondary, based on the same recipe I’ve used for the past three years, but with Cascade instead of Amarillo hops. I think it’s gonna be good. There’s a porter in primary waiting to be transferred to secondary, as well as the two vanilla beans that have been soaking in scotch the past two weeks.
It’s time for Wii Fit Yoga.
That’s right, folks, according to our “research”, people like year-ending lists. So we, by which I mean “I”, came up with some things that happened, were purchased, or created by me this year.
Best advice– “Shit happens” – from (former…) Champ Car owner Derrick Walker at the final Champ Car Grand Prix of Long Beach. Mr. Walker stands to lose several million dollars of personal money in a sponsorship dispute.
Album of the year– “Pretty. Odd.” by Panic at the Disco. Amazing Beatlesque work from an “emo” band.
Most Disappointing Album: “Viva La Vida”, by Coldplay. So yeah, looks like their 15 minutes ran out just before X&Y.
Brewery of the year: Founder’s Brewing. Probably the only good thing to come out of Michigan this year. Their beers are heavy and expensive, but worth every damn dime.
Concert of the year: Minus the Bear, Webster Hall, 10/25/08.
Homebrew of the year: Simcorillo IPA. I didn’t brew as much as I would’ve liked, but this was a highlight.
Trip of the year: Washington, DC with the Secaucus High School Marching Band.
Trip of the year excluding chaperoning 40 kids: The final Champ Car race ever at Long Beach, Ca.
Movie of the year: I, uh, didn’t see any movies this year.
Most Addictive Website: Facebook. Twitter comes in a close second here, but the amount of people with whom I’ve reconnected makes Facebook a complete and utter timesuck. Also, my Twitter feed now updates my Facebook status, so it’s win-win!
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