Tag: Geek Stuff

Coffee Wars: Sowden SoftBrew vs. French Press

Kindly check out this video of the Oskar Sowden SoftBrew taking on the classic French press method of coffee brewing. The SoftBrew is like a cross between a French press pot and a loose-leaf tea brewer. It also uses some cool technology; the stainless steel tube that holds the coffee has more than  500,000 laser etched holes.

While I’ve been on a Chemex kick in 2010, French press was my coffee brewing method of choice for the last 15 years or so. The SoftBrew offers some nice advantages over a standard French press pot. First, it’s made of porcelain so it retains heat better than the thin glass beakers used in most French press pots. More importantly, you’re able to take out the coffee grinds after the optimal brewing time is reached. This is huge if you want your coffee to taste great well after it’s brewed.

If you have any questions about SoftBrew (or coffee in general), please let me know!

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AOL and Facebook Unveling New Email: Do You Care?

The word on the street is that AOL will unveil a revamped email service on Sunday and Facebook will launch a new email product on Monday. Are any of you intrigued? Do you care? Do you think either of these products are “Gmail killers”?

As for me, I’m completely uninterested in AOL Mail. I’m interested in how Facebook’s email will impact the market. I sincerely doubt either product will replace Gmail for me. It’s just too good and too useful. Plus, the mobile version of Gmail for Android is perfect. I don’t want to worry about mobile incompatibilities of a new email service.

So, any of you interested?

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Hilarious Map of the World Through San Francisco’s Eyes

My friend Garnett just tweeted this hilarious map of the world according to San Francisco. As a former resident of that great city, I think it’s fan-frickin’-tastic. Check it out above or click below for a larger version. Great stuff!

My friend Garnett just tweeted this hilarious map of the world according to San Francisco. As a former resident of that great city, I thought it was fantastic. Check it out above or click below for a larger version. Great stuff!

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Pentagon, FAA, Air Force, and Navy Baffled By LA “Missile”

That random Los Angeles missile is baffling several of the most respected American institutions, including the Pentagon. While some have stated that it’s clearly a jet or missile contrail, nobody knows — or is honestly saying — where it came from. According to CNN:

The Pentagon is unable to explain images of what witnesses took to be a high-altitude rocket launched off the coast of southern California at sunset Monday, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and California Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Jane Harman — whose coastal districts are closest to the offshore contrails — were at a loss to explain the images.

I’m abandoning my theory that the “missile” was an act of defense against a skrull invasion. Clearly the government has made breakthroughs in repulsor-ray technology and is testing out a form of Iron Man armor. It all makes sense now….

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Random Missile Fired Near Los Angeles…Wait, What?!?

I can’t believe I missed this yesterday! Apparently a random and mysterious “missile” was fired off the coast of Los Angeles. Military officials are still investigating the matter. The fact that they don’t know what happened — or are not revealing the truth — is extremely disturbing. Here’s the skinny from the LA Times:

Military and aviation officials said Tuesday they don’t know who may have launched a mysterious object spotted in the sky late Monday off the Southern California coast, but noted that whatever the projectile was, it did not pose a threat to national security.

A KCBS news helicopter spotted what appeared to be a missile traveling through the sky northwest of Catalina Island, about 35 miles west of Los Angeles.

Holy hell!!! The United States of America has the largest and most sophisticated military in the world and it can’t keep track of its own missiles?!? A case of “oops” is completely unacceptable. That said, the truth could be really cool. In my head the missile was launched to repel a fleet of skrulls or some other nasty alien race.

What do you think happened? Also, thanks to Jason for the link! (Also also, I was going to file this under mobile tech. *snicker*)

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Coffee Talk #242: China, Neodymium, and You

For gaming and gadget nerds, neodymium is a part of everyday life. It’s found in consoles, speakers, headphones, hard drives, and more. This rare earth metal is…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the bullsh*t election in Burma (Myanmar), Keith Olbermann’s two-day suspension, or Mickie James in chaps, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For gaming and gadget nerds, neodymium is a part of everyday life. It’s found in consoles, speakers, headphones, hard drives, and more. This rare earth metal is an integral ingredient in countless consumer electronics devices. Where does most of the world’s neodymium come from? China.

As technology continues to become truly global, neodymium becomes increasingly valuable. China knows this and has engaged in some questionable practices when it comes to trading neodymium. You all know that oil-rich countries have a ton of stroke. Will China become even more powerful than it already is due to the burgeoning growth of consumer electronics and the fact that it’s the world’s leading produce of neodymium? Imagine if China’s continued squabble with Japan lead to dialog like, “You know what? Screw you and your PlayStations and Game Boys. We’re not selling you any more neodymium! And also, your mother dresses you funny.”

Did you ever think that the hard drive in your console, the pickups on your Les Paul, or the speakers in your entertainment center would be part of a global power struggle? Pretty crazy, hey?

Coffee Talk #237: What’s Your Halloween Costume?

Today’s Coffee Talk is super simple. I just want to know what you, your family, and your loved ones are wearing for Halloween. Part of it is because I think it’ll be cool to compare and contrast everyone’s costumes. Part of it is…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the coffee grinder I want, the coffee grinder of my dreams, or this one time…at band camp, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is super simple. I just want to know what you, your family, and your loved ones are wearing for Halloween. Part of it is because I think it’ll be cool to compare and contrast everyone’s costumes. Part of it is that I’m still undecided on what to wear and maybe I’ll steal one of your ideas. Ha!

I suppose it’s time for a Halloween confession too. I remember seeing someone in Greenwich Village dressed as golfer Payne Stewart for Halloween ’99. He was wearing knickers and a sweater vest, just like Stewart wore on the golf course. He was also zombified and had a propeller sticking out of his chest. The costume totally cracked me up — and still does to this very day — but I felt so guilty for laughing considering that he died on October 25, 1999.

Anyway, tell me all about your Halloween costume (please)!

BlizzCon 2010 Cosplay Video

One of the coolest parts of BlizzCon 2010 was checking out all the great cosplayers. From World of Warcraft to StarCraft, the show had some of the best costumes I’ve seen at an American show. Here’s a video — along with some wise-ass commentary — featuring the excellent cosplay at BlizzCon 2010.

After you check out the vid, please let me know which cosplayer was your favorite.

(Pro tip: The resolution is pretty high, so go full screen if your PC is up for it.)

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Coffee Talk #234: My Router’s Name is Scarlett Johansson

Inspired by one of Bill Simmons’ readers, I’ve decided to change my router’s name to Scarlett Johansson. This way I’m always “connecting to”, “connected to”, or “searching for” Scarlett Johansson (this is not too far from reality).

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the chances of the Yankees signing Cliff Lee and/or Jayson Werth, how much Jayson Werth looks like WWE Edge, or Cain Velasquez kicking the crap out of Brock Lesnar, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Inspired by one of Bill Simmons’ readers, I’ve decided to change my Internet router’s name to Scarlett Johansson. This way I’m always “connecting to”, “connected to”, or “searching for” Scarlett Johansson (this is not too far from reality). Sometimes I will be connected to Scarlett in multiple ways (PC, console, mobile phone, etc.). I’m not a selfish man, so when friends come over, they too can connect to Scarlett Johansson. This is going to be brilliant!

Out of curiosity, what’s your router’s name? Go ahead and smack yourself in the head if your router is named “LINKSYS” or “NETGEAR”. I think you should all rename your routers this week! What names are popping around your head?

And yes, today’s column was particularly fun because of the photo research I “had” to do. Here are some bonus pics.