Prologue to the Cool

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Thu, 23 May 2013 13:32:59 -0400

odditiesoflife: Newton’s Cradle Newton’s cradle, named after...

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:21:04 -0400

Newton’s Cradle

Newton’s cradle, named after Sir Isaac Newton, is a device that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy via a series of swinging spheres. When one on the end is lifted and released, the resulting force travels through the line and pushes the last one upward.

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Tue, 21 May 2013 07:45:06 -0400

I found the chimney stack yesterday, now to decide what to do...

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:09:10 -0400

I found the chimney stack yesterday, now to decide what to do with it.

Girls got some snazzy dresses

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:52:12 -0400

Girls got some snazzy dresses

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Sat, 18 May 2013 08:57:55 -0400

Bear Flavored: Lazy Beer Writers Are Ruining Craft Beer for the Rest of Us — Hops Are Just Fine

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:53:22 -0400

Bear Flavored: Lazy Beer Writers Are Ruining Craft Beer for the Rest of Us — Hops Are Just Fine:

wilwheaton:

Yesterday morning, I began skimming The Social Medias over coffee when an article titled “Against Hoppy Beers - Hops Enthusiasts Are Ruining Craft Beer for the Rest of Us” appeared on my Twitter doorstep like so much flaming poop in a paper bag. I knew it was going to be trollbait when I saw that headline, but the bait was too strong. I read it. And as I did, my blood pressure rose, the sarcastic quips and exasperated rebuttals soon piling up in my mind.

Normally, I just forget about this sort of click-bait “journalism” after a few minutes. The article — by Adrienne So, appearing on Slate.com — was intended to get people’s attention, to get people talking, and it succeeded at that. Here I am, hours later, taking the time to write out this rebuttal. But this particular article bugged me more than most of the sloppy beer journalism that’s sloughed off by big mainstream publications, who typically assign wine writers to elaborate on beer styles they don’t even enjoy. Maybe these lazy articles are just building up over time — a crust of stale, uniformed laments. But in this case, from an author who says that she likes hoppy beers herself, it’s not just the laziness or ignorance of brewing techniques that bothers me: it’s the missed opportunities. Where there was an chance to open dialogue about why people like what they like, Adrienne So’s Slate piece instead enters a bizarre, misguided blame game. It starts right there in the title: Hops Enthusiasts Are Ruining Craft Beer for the Rest of Us. And so the message seems to be: You should feel bad for liking what you like so much, because not everyone likes it. Sadly, this is the common thread with many of these articles. Rather than admit their tastes are simply different from others, writers too often try to cast their preferences as some fault of the thing they don’t enjoy. If only IPAs tasted more like fermented grapes…

Let’s peel back each layer of why this is so ridiculous, one by one.

Brilliant. Everything that I wanted to say in my own blog post, but didn’t have time to write.

George Takei Responds To "Traditional" Marriage Fans

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:39:37 -0400

George Takei Responds To "Traditional" Marriage Fans:

The legendary George Takei responds in the best way possible to the protesters who gathered during March Prop 8/DOMA hearings outside the Supreme Court. I went there to ask them to express their op…

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Thu, 16 May 2013 09:01:02 -0400

wilwheaton: Sigh. The whole point of Star Trek is that it’s...

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:44 -0400

wilwheaton:

Sigh. The whole point of Star Trek is that it’s philosophical. If you don’t want philosophical Science Fiction, there’s plenty of that for you to enjoy, but Star Trek is philosophical. Philosophy is part of Star Trek’s DNA, and if you’re given the captain’s chair, you’d better damn well respect that.