2012 The rise and fall of common professional courtesy · Tuesday February 28, 2012 by colin newell
Have noticed some trends developing over the last year or so – and it might be part of the current economic slump while tied into modern tech-etiquette…
Tech-etiquette: A bit of an oxymoron.
I have been doing IT and web stuff since World Wide Web day 1 (as a side thing…) – which takes us to the mid nineties. That is long long ago in internet time. Try explaining to a young person, a time before smart phones and personal devices… texting and social media, etc.
“Please, Tell me more grandpa.”
Well, it seems that technology has become so advanced and so accessible to everyone and so “point and click…” than anyone can do it.
Which on the surface would seem great and all – and very convenient, but it does not underline the actual complexity of the underlying technologies.
Websites for instance: On my islandnet account I can actually log in, click one button, make a few selection of some plugins, give my blog a name, and within a minute have a very pretty blog – which I can then keep auto-updated with the additional clicks of a mouse.
A monkey could do this.
But wait: There is still the issue of access. Of content. Of media. Of SEO. Of security and so on. To this day I still need to explain (to lay internet users) very carefully that “The Web” has evolved beyond HTML editors, FTP clients and a desktop cluttered with tools… into a largely “server-side” World – where everything is “out there” “in the clouds” as it were.
We are a generation of instant deployment and remote content managed online entities… and most people do not know it yet.
Which brings us to the issue of effectively valuing and marketing your talents in an environment that sees everything as instant and cryptic at the same time.
Instant in that your cousin or nephews girlfriends kid brother can create a blog or web presence for you in minutes. They cannot tell you what you can do with it beyond the initial rush of launch moment or what is under the hood…
that is the cryptic part. Nor can they create actual content or understanding marketing or connect you with the right match for you product or ideas. Nope. They cannot. Because they understand the surface technology like their understand the face of their iPhone of the dashboard of their Honda Civic. Under the hood? Haven’t a clue. Aren’t there people for that?
Thrice in the last couple of months I have had 3 separate scenarios play out:
a.) A web site (I have been maintaining) and a company that I have been working with for almost a decade, all hands on, all regularly updated and checked announced to me one day while I was brainstorming an important update… “We have a new developer and our new site, being beta tested, is over here…”
Uhm. Hello? How about a word to your loyal web guy who has been doing this all this time? Oops, says the company owner. “Yea, I guess we could have let you know…”
b.) Was planning a major build to a media company for almost 2 years – with promises from the owner, “Yup, Colin… you are the guy.” We spent many, many e-mail working out the details and as we approached the day we would finally tackle the bricks and mortar of the site… “Oh… My son-in-law… a real web whiz kid with this sort of thing… you know family… they come first… I will call you if the work he does goes South…”
c.) Same as in b.) but a different project. This time it was the daughters BF or something… “Struggling young people making their way…”
OK – so I get and appreciate that. I do.
When your car breaks, do you take it to the factory trained mechanic or to your Uncles girlfriend because she likes the feeling of grease under her fingers? When your Air Canada flight is blasting down the runway, hope and pray that the avionics were tested by someone that knows what they are doing and not someones jack-of-all nephew. They are geeks too.
Point is: It is hard to come across as a professional when nobody understands what the heck it is that you do… beyond the surface sheen that is. And yet results vary between professions.
Sigh. Apparently it is World Pancake Day today. Ironic that it is not World Syrup Day for another couple of weeks…
And too bad people do not take the time to remember a little common courtesy when engaging technical professionals (like a lot of people that are reading this right now…)
Geeks are people. Learn a bit about us. And treat us like people. And thanks!
2012 We review David Lynch coffee and Ridgelyne Jamaica Blue Mountain · Monday February 20, 2012 by colin newell
I get lots of coffees to sample in the course of a year – a lot of it I buy myself… some of it makes its way here after an offer to taste is received in the e-mail.
In 2012 I hope to write up more of the beans that I have been sampling.
So let’s jump in with David Lynch’s Signature coffee; his house coffee and his espresso.
Not going to call them a blend because I believe that they are single origin Oaxacan coffees from a single farm in Mexico.
I brewed David Lynch’s signature coffee – seemingly sourced and roasted for drip coffee. Like most of Lynch’s work, the coffee, brewed as drip, is immediately challenging – This is not your average single origin Mexican coffee and it has some odd flavors in the cup that are off putting but at the same time kind of persuasive.
There is a lot of chocolate in the cup but also subtle hints of rubber, resin and pine solvent… deep, deep in the mix.
Thankfully, my brain tuned most of the nasty stuff (which was way down in the mix – playing it honest here…) the chocolate and sugar came through.
A second brew cycle came through a little better (ran a Hario paper filter on the 2nd brew) and it offered a little bit more clarity with less “industry” in the cup.
It is said that Mister Lynch drinks upwards of 15 cups of this brew a day.
I could do two. It is not a bad coffee. Is moderately interesting and upon closer inspection is roasted by Allegro coffee. The one problem with branding coffee in this way is that most people are more surprised that an edgy movie director would put his name on a bag of coffee. It’s an odd juxtaposition.
From our new friends at Simple Industries Inc. in Ottawa, Ontario comes a couple of bags of their 100% Ridgelyne Jamaica Blue Mountain.
Now this is something I can relate to: A cup of coffee that is all fruit, a bit of chocolate and not a hint of bitter or imbalance.
One of the minor challenges of sourcing JBM is (and I am going to get spam comments in no time…) is getting it fresh (meaning out of the roaster and to my door within a week or so…) – for most of us, it is almost impossible UNLESS it is bought green and roasted locally or regionally. Ridgelyne is roasted in Jamaica and shipped to Ottawa and then shipped from there. Risky. That said, my samples had only hints of staling – likely out of the roaster 2 or 3 weeks. For most people (normal folks that do not obsess about subtlety in the cup), this is not that much of a problem.
The Ridgelyne JBM has lots of fruit in the cup; plum by and large, a mild side that Andrea thought was “Kona like” – I did not taste that. I got lots of balance, no bitterness and a very full body that was all fruit and flowers with few chocolate or cocoa notes in the cup. The website offers it for around $35/pound (down from $50/pound elsewhere…) and refers to it as the most coveted cup of coffee on the Planet. Yes, for most people, JBM is associated as old school luxury coffee – and for good reason. It tastes great.
In the rest if this blog (tomorrow likely…) I will go over some more of the details of the JBM (all good) and get back to the David Lynch coffee to talk about his signature espresso.
2012 In the belly of the brewing beast Bonavita blog chapter 1 · Sunday February 12, 2012 by colin newell
The Bonavita drip brewer – lucky to have one to play with. Thanks to Theresa at Supramatic in Ontario and Todd Larrabee for being part in dreaming up this thing.
The Bonavita is something of a “port” on the Dutch made coffee wunderkind, the Technivorm – as much great coffee maker as it is Rube Goldberg brewing machine – for my taste, spot on brewing numbers but one too many moving parts.
The Bonavita strips away all the nonsense and leaves us with a 1400 watt engine and a sound and righteous water heating tower, a Melitta #4 filter holder and a volume rich glass carafe. The on/off switch pretty completes the complement. Shuts itself off in 15 minutes if you forget. Brews a full pot of perfectly hewn joe java in less than 6 minutes – all at the unflinchingly perfect brew temp. of 197 degrees (F)
Going to do a full review on this great, and affordable brewer in a day or two!
Click on any of the three pictures for a larger view – Picture a: Temperature observations of the carafe and brew basket
Picture b: Keeping time with the triple glass timer from Silk Road Tea
Picture c: The Bonavita tower mated with a Hario V64 ceramic holder and a Hario glass carafe.
2012 Return to reality Chapter 1 Hawaii travel summary · Thursday February 2, 2012 by colin newell
Looking back on what I have written about Hawaii, I smugly thought to myself…
I have most certainly written everything that has to be said about travel to, living on and returning safely from the Big Island of Hawaii.
Fail on that account.
This trip was entirely different – we embraced it differently – we approached it more from a “If this is the last time we do Big Island Hawaii for a while, let’s approach it like the buffet table on the 1st night of a cruise…” perspective.
Which was very effective. Did more stuff. Went more places.
Photo above – the up view at Magic Sands Beach – Alii Drive Kona – could have shot my horizontal perspective but that would have been bikini’s and bronzed dudes!
Tried some different things. Have a few more things to suggest. And some warnings for those who need to be reminded that, hey, listen up… there are hazards and you need to be warned.Directing that more yours truly than anything else – but it makes for a good story I think.
Right off the top, this is going to be the last month long departure from home for some time to come. We both work – we both have a solid family connection here – and dang it, I love Victoria and I am a home body – and becoming more of one as time goes on.
That said, 25 odd days in paradise is hard to beat. And I have discovered a couple of things.
Thing A:) I take very little time winding down into the Island groove… often as little as a couple of days – this time was no exception.
Here is how it works: Plane arrives on Kona mid-day. Get off plane. Get baggage. Collect some brochures after visiting the lav. Get on shuttle to rental car kiosk. Thank you to Avis for years of great service! Drive to Kona Brewing company for a pizza and a beer. Drive to Cost Co for a quick shop. Drive to Safeway for some more supplies. Drive to Kona village condo to “get in” and dump bags. By 4 PM we are by the pool with a drink in our hands. If we are feeling energetic, we head down to “Don the Beachcomber” (great Mai Tai, very sketchy food) for a quick snack and a couple of strong drinks…
and in bed early because we are exhausted from being up at 5 AM for the 6:30AM connector flight from Victoria to Seattle.
Photo above – Iki Crate hike – 2.5 hours – take a minimum of 1 liter of water per person. You will lose this amount of fluid. I did and I didn’t have enough water. Result: Next chapter.
Note to readers: I avoid Vancouver International Airport in favor of Seattle because, IMHO, everything is better in Seattle. Another blog on this subject in the future.
Early days in Kona include medium to long walks early in the day to get acclimated – Kona is not tropical and not overly hot but it is not the North West and you will get dehydrated pretty quickly if you do not pay attention and badly sunburned if you do not load up with sun block.
So – quickly: What did we do more differently?
The weather was really good and the surf was not too high so we spent way more time at Magic Sands Beach on Alii Drive – a great small beach about 1.5 miles from our Condo (at the Hale Kona Kai…) It is a great beach for body surfing (board surfing further down the beach) and snorkel. Average shore break is 3 to 7 feet this time of year and has to be considered very, very dangerous to those not familiar with Hawaii water hazards.
Photo above – the calm that is Alii Drive on a Wednesday (Cruise ship day) directly across the street from Island Lava Java Cafe – photo by Shari Morkin of Illinois
More people drown in Hawaii than any other state or Province in North America.
In 3 visits early on in our trip I witnessed three mishaps requiring Life guard and/or first responder intervention – Life guards in Hawaii actually are Firemen if I did my research correctly.
A couple of the mishaps involved turning ones back on the water. Here is the thing. Never, ever turn your back on the ocean – If you are in the wrong position when the wave breaks it is like having a 600 sq. foot apartment filled with water dropped on you. Best case scenario – you will get picked up and tossed backward 15 or 20 feet. Worse case: You will tumble under the water and your head and neck will get pushed into the sand. I saw both these things happen – and it is not pretty – and it is particularly frightening if you are just visiting and this is the start of your vacation.
Personally, I learned my water limits in 1996 – and that means never go much further out that waist level in the water – because the breakers are going to be double or triple that. Prepare to jump or tuck and torpedo under the approaching break – know how and it will save your life.
In the next chapter, more about… you guessed it… Hawaii!
Hawaii Photo-Gallery here.
