Never thought I'd say it but I've been digging the Pilsner lately #beer #blog

This is strong beer but I've always had this thing where pilsner is a cheap-ass drunk your dad keeps around for people he doesn't like. Well, in the summer I've found I get into the bitter, dry beer. Check this one out. Can't miss the old dude on the front. Drink it really cold.

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Password Haystacks, Security Now #podcast

The link for the impatient: http://www.grc.com/sn/sn-303.htm

Pretty cool idea: size is more important than entropy, at least for WPA. I understand the reasoning in terms of brute force. Generally applicable?

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Letting People Name Their Price - L. Neilson - Stanford Discussions #podcast

Link to the podcast for the impatient: http://sic.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4498.html. Ramblings to follow below...

Almost skipped this one but it kicked off some random thoughts in me which is always a good thing. 

What am I "buying" when I donate? I always do so anonymously. Suggested donation levels and their proposed use always result in a larger contribution from me.

What can musical artists learn about their patrons when it comes to valuing their art? A listener that takes music for free never intended to buy it. I was dubbing cassettes as a kid. The Internet just lowered music sharing barriers from just above zero to absolute zero. Kids have more time than money. How can the artist use that fact?

The title is a little more general than just music but I really have a soft spot for musicians. It bothers me that the industry was so dependent on production margins to make a living. It should have always been about the artist. The Internet disrupted this industry but it needed disruption. The true value is artist creativity. It is a pity that they now spend so much time promoting their music and establishing "secondary sales channels". The Internet has made distribution incredibly easy. Let's fully understand that as marketers and technologists and music fans and make the industry bigger and better than ever.

Too naive? How do you buy music these days? How do you find new music?

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Reject the Appification of the Web - Jim Balsillie - Web 2.0 #podcast

Of course Jim Balsillie is going to harsh on mobile applications. RIM is playing catch-up just like everyone else and that's all there is to this Web 2.0 interview. Right?

Well, his words rolled around in my head a little bit. He's making a bit of sense here. Does a designer really have to learn a whole new tool chain per device just to engage a mobile user base? Most "applications" are little more than a frame around data derived from the web. Isn't that what a browser does?

I only started to think critically about these questions after reading this article by the guys at Nitobi. Until then, I hadn't really understood the javascript-native trade-off. In fact, I hadn't even thought of it as a javascript versus native decision. I had no idea technology like PhoneGap allowed you to reach into the device the way it does.

At this point you might be asking yourself "who cares about cross-platform"? Why not just develop for iPhone and wait for the cash to roll in? Not a bad idea except that all of the interesting applications leverage the web and I for one don't want to share with Apple.

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Inflection Point: Mobility Transforms E-Commerce #podcast

Short but sweet lecture by Osama Bedier, Vice President of Payments at Google. 

I think we all see the possibilities here but he touches on a key theme: interoperability. As makers we need to focus on the smallest possible functional unit. The technology has to be intuitive and non-intrusive. Interesting reference to Tesco which I hadn't heard about up to now.

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Don't judge. Everybody needs a hobby right? Mine is just better than yours, that's all

I get shit for too many rave reviews here but I liked all of these in their own way. I only post the ones that really blow me away. I've just not found that many to really complain about. I mean it really has to suck for me to write about it.

On the other hand, it has to be really good to write about too. Sometimes the taste just blows me away and I have to tell someone. Or it's been a crap day and a great pint comes along and washes it all away. That's the beer you'll find here. One way or another each one blew (what's left of) my hair back.

Seriously, how many times can you honestly say "this beer is so bad I can't finish it"? Not very often. You throw it back and never buy it again. Tell me this: have you ever thrown a beer away because it tasted so bad you couldn't finish it? You might find a beer or two like that here too.

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A sign of the times: Bailout Bitter from my favorite brewery in Howe Sound

Couldn't find those stouts I mentioned last time so skipped right into the IPA. Porter and stout are getting harder to find thanks in no small part to yours truly.

Have to say I expected a crazy bitter strong beer but this one surprised me. It had a full flavor and smooth. I could have had another one and normally can't stand more than one. I like my ales but find IPA, I don't know, dry. I'm usually thirsty for water after one. In this case I was thirsty but for more bitter.

Am I wrong? Check it out. Tell me what you think.

# end

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