Should It Bulge Like That?

I noticed today that my laptop battery is bulging ominously, and no longer fits properly into the machine (I took it out to get a better look at it and eventually gave up trying to get it back in). Fortunately, I am currently on vacation, and happen to be staying directly upstairs from a Mac shop where I can get it serviced. I've actually been looking into buying a new machine anyway, but I'd rather not do it right this second...

Anyway, it still runs if it's plugged in, but I'd rather not do it too much so I'm not going to be online a great deal for a little bit, I guess...

Y Could Be Anything, Really

SMBC presents a shorter version of my earlier post about chemistry sets. You could relabel the axes to make it apply to lots of other stuff as well - it wouldn't be far off for a lot of airport security measures.

Get Yourself High

Chemical Brothers "Get Yourself High" (2003) from Joseph Kahn on Vimeo.

Comments from the director at that link.

I haven't seen this video in ages; I had no idea it was by Joseph Kahn, the visionary behind Torque.  I just started checking on him on Twitter recently hoping for news about distribution of his new movie, Detention, and he's been posting music videos and ads from his portfolio.

Graduation

After four short, grueling weeks, I have graduated from technical college!  My certificate will be mailed to me, and now I just have to find a new job.

Oh, god...  Where's that other Mikkeller?

Mikkeller

I have GOT to find an English translation of the ingredients on the label of this Mikkeller Imperial Stout.  There is something in it that absolutely must go into the next batch of Sarcastic Doorman.

Anyone know what "cassanade" is?  Apparently it can be dark...

FINAL RESULTS: Buckwheat Cuivrée

Well, it's not the most exciting thing I've ever brewed, but it's a lot better than I expected when we bottled it.  It's clean, the hops are pleasant, and when I took it to a party, it was actually probably the best beer there.  It never fully cleared but it's definitely less cloudy than I expected, as well, and the head is actually very good.  It's a little overcarbed, but it's really only an issue drinking from the bottle (you have to keep drinking pretty steadily or it will foam up out of the neck).  In a glass it's actually really nice; you have to pour it cold and carefully to avoid a big glass of head, but it's still nice as it warms up.  I should think about making a dressed-up batch to have during the summer.

I have a few pictures from when I drank one yesterday:

Not very clear at all, but it looks good in the glass.

It's quite fizzy, and it stays that way for quite a while.

The head is actually really nice.  I attribute it to the buckwheat.

I just wish I'd been more aware of the date - I missed my chance to take it to the Homebrewer's Guild this month.  I'll try to save a bottle for the next meeting.

Next time I make this, I think it needs more buckwheat and crystal both, maybe a little ginger toward the end of the boil...

In other beer-related news, there are some big upgrades in progress to the Smashton & Parris brewery.  Pictures (and maybe even video!) when it's all ready.

I Definitely Should Not Parent

One of my coworkers brought his grandson, I'd guess eight or nine years old, to work the other day.  He does this periodically when the little monster doesn't have school, gets him to do little jobs in the back that I will then have to clean up later.  SO helpful.

Anyway, I guess there wasn't enough to keep him occupied this time, because he kept coming around and bothering me.  I'm not a jerk, so I listened to him complain about school and answered his questions about what I was doing, and generally tolerated his mucking about as long as I didn't think he was going to hurt himself or break anything his grandpa couldn't replace.  At some point he was fooling around tying various bits of scrap wire together with wire nuts, and while I was writing up an order and calculating in my head how long it would take to untangle the knot he was creating, he commented that he was really enjoying playing with our electricity, and his parents never let him play with electricity at home.

It took a second for me to put together that he didn't know the difference between electricity and wiring.  My first thought then was to wonder whether explaining it to him would make him more or less likely to accidentally fry himself.  In the end we established that he knew enough only to play with "electricity" that wasn't connected to anything, which struck me as a pretty poor safety standard, so I tried to reinforce his parents admonitions with some stories about my own electrically-induced injuries when I realized two things:

1. This kid has been hounding me all day about what I'm doing, what my tools are, etc.  The last thing that will keep him from electrocuting himself is hearing that I'd done it.
2. I wouldn't be the person I am now, or have the job he was bugging me at, if anyone had ever succeeded at preventing me from "playing with electricity" when I was younger.

So I felt sort of conflicted and just kind of trailed off.  I don't think the kid learned much from that.