Clarity
Climate control
Posted 31 May 2008
Commuting, Football/Soccer, The Little Things | 3 Comments
The other day I was in a taxi (private hire, versus London-cabbie style) with several friends, riding to the England-USA football (soccer) match at the new Wembley Stadium. (Yes, the US lost. No, I wasn’t pleased.) Now this particular taxi was upscale – an S-class Mercedes – but even so, the temperature inside the car became warm and sticky as we zipped down the motorway. This was not comfortable. Yet, us guys endured the discomfort until at last I asked for a window to be cracked to let in some air. ‘Ah, yes, it is a bit warm in here. I thought it was just me, so thanks for saying something,’ mumbled one of the guys in the car.
Blind Taste Testing Beer
Posted 30 May 2008
Daily Life, Drinks | Leave a Comment
I sometimes wonder why beers like Miller, Bud and Coors are so crazy popular. It seems to me that the prevalence of beers like these could be due to any of the follow three factors (1) low cost to purchase, (2) taste preference, (3) desire for a "light" beer.
(1) Would economies of scale allow the smaller label brews to match the low cost of Miller, Bud and Coors if they were similarly mass produced?
(2) Why is there no blind taste-testing of beers? Specifically, why has nobody sought to show that, all else held equal, drinkers actually prefer the taste of Miller, Bud, Coors, etc? I imagine that with the big budgets of these major brewing companies, the only reason such testing has never been published is because people don’t actually prefer the taste. Think of Coke, Pepsi, and yes even bottled water companies. It seems like there is always another tasting test being done to "prove" which tastes the best. So tell me, does anyone actually and honestly prefer the TASTE of these beers?
(3) I guess some people probably do drink these "light" beers in an effort to be health-conscious. My natural reaction to that is…it’s beer, you don’t drink beer to stay healthy, but even if this is a legitimate reason to drink the beers I don’t think it can be responsible for the wild popularity.
At this point I’d like to inform you, the reader, that this is in fact a resolution-less post. I have no grand theory or even a major point to make, just thoughts and observations. One final thought before I leave: have you ever noticed that drinking the cheap local beer in a foreign country is far more enjoyable than drinking the cheap beer in your own country? For me, Mexico is close, so Tecate is only slightly above Bud, but I prefer a Quilmes in Argentina, a Gallo in Guatemala, or even a Polar Ice in Venezuela over Miller, Bud or Coors any day.
Your one stop shop for salvation
Posted 29 May 2008
Why struggle your whole life to achieve bliss in the afterlife when you can just pop into the corner shop and pick up a regular supply of sacraments? I bet they are pretty reasonably priced.
Honest Lawyers
Posted 28 May 2008
This is a real sign which I saw in Peterborough. Not sure that I would trust these solicitors too much … or at least I would keep a close eye on that third partner.
You need what?!
Posted 27 May 2008
[This is post comes from a few more old photos that I am transferring over to a new computer.]
Several years ago, I was walking through the countryside (somewhere in Berkshire, near Maidenhead … I can’t remember exactly where) when I rambled past the car shown below:
This car was parked outside a very impressive country estate, replete with a high brick wall over which I could see lavishly ornate gardens and an enormouse house. As I passed closely by the car, I spotted a very concerning sign in the back window:
What?!? Need a pilot or chemical engineer? Huh?!? Was that a question or a statement of a need? Either way, it was particularly alarming. If it was a question, what sort of pilot or chemical engineer advertises in the back of a non-descript beat up old car parked in a quiet lane smack-dab in the middle of the English countryside? If it was a statement of need, what sort of person needs a pilot who can also provide chemical engineering advice. Should I have alerted MI-5? What if the owner of the car had seen me? Should I have jumped into the brush and tried to low-crawl my way back home? What a wierd sign! I sure I hope that I don’t read about this car in the newspapers …
