Sam Walton

I know I’m a bit late to the game on this one, but the more I see of him the more the more I like him. And I sure hope His Beardiness is right on the Giants v. Red Sox World Series call.

I was watching the Red Sox v Indians game when something rather extraordinary happened… Asdrubal hit his second homer of the game, but it wasn’t exactly clear what had happened for a few minutes.

As spectacular as the play was, and as tense as the few minutes before it was called were, something else stood out. As the home run is declared one of the commentators exclaims, very clearly, “HOLY MACKEREL!”.

This led me on a little Google adventure, which amongst other things revealed to me that…

“The Sacred Cod of Massachusetts, also known simply as the Sacred Cod, is a carving of a codfish that hangs in the House of Representatives chamber of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sacred Cod measures 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) long, is carved out of a solid piece of pine,^[1] and symbolizes the importance of the fishing industry to Massachusetts.^[2] There have been a total of three Sacred Cods, the latest of which was carved in 1784 and presented to the House later that year by the Boston merchant John Rowe.

America is weird.

Time for a review of another Brew Dog number, and - for the first time - it’s a negative review.

The first sip started off promising, with a hint of citrus and sweetness, but from there on in it all started to go downhill. A strong, overly bitter, aftertaste which gave way to metallic notes followed the initial promise, inducing a bit of a shiver and a grimace.

Equally, the level of carbonation was pleasing at first but became irritating a ‘tickly’ as  the beer went on.

Compared to 5am Saint and Punk IPA this beer is severely lacking.

And the bottle, as with all other Brew Dog bottles, has the pretentious - if tongue in cheek - branding that is equal parts irritating and embarrassing. Normally, the quality of the beer eclipses this minor irritation, but with Trashy Blonde it just adds to my sense of distaste.

If bitter, metallic, hop-driven beer is for you then give this a go. If not, avoid it, because it’s not a nice one.

Brian Wilson, the greatest beard in the entire sports world?

A few days ago I ventured into Mr Burnorium’s Hot Sauce Emporium in St. Nicholas market, Bristol. This was most bizarre as my last memory as a teenager involves tears and sweat as the result of some very ill advised - and since regretted - hot sauce sauce eating.

None-the-less something caused me to buy a product named Satan’s Nuts…

… And by ‘eck, they weren’t half hot! Tasty too, there’s a nice - almost fruity - taste going on beneath the heat that makes them a compelling snack. From what I can tell (by astutely reading the packaging) they’re coated with flavouring derived from the Naga Chilli, also known as the Bhut Jolokia and at one time recognised as the hottest chill in the world - a title which now belongs to the Ghost Pepper.

Then, after sweating my way through the entire pack in a rather short period of time, I became curious as to why we enjoy the effects of, what is essentially, a defence system employed by these fruits that aims to put potential predators (if I can apply that word in this context) off.

A bit of googling, then, revealed the following article -  Why do we eat Chilli? - which, surprisingly, answered my questions in an interesting, if not surprising, manner…

“Perhaps we seek out the painful experience of snacking on chillies while consciously maintaining awareness that there is no real danger to ourselves. After all, people seem to enjoy – and actively seek out – many other sensations that are otherwise undesirable but are ostensibly safe: the sensation of falling provided by rollercoasters or skydiving, the feelings of fear and anxiety while watching horror movies, the physical pain experienced upon jumping into icy water, or even the feelings of sadness that come while watching a tear-jerker. Perhaps it is this cognitive mismatch itself that provides the thrill: like strapping into a rollercoaster or popping Hostel into your DVD player over and over again, the burn of capsaicin only seems to be threatening.”

… maybe that’s it, but as a risk averse individual, I find it difficult to believe. Surely, there’s something else going on?

After umming and arring for months - and after coming into a bit of cash - I broke down and purchased a Kindle. Now, there’s little more I can add to the plethora of existing reviews but I’ve been so taken by the device I thought I should share some of my opinions.

Firstly, I’d like to share a few words behind my rationale for buying a dedicated e-reader. It seems like one of many tablet PCs may have fulfilled the tasks I wanted a Kindle for, with a great deal of functionality besides. And whilst it’s an argument I’ve heard frequently it’s not one that’s ever persuaded me.

In a world of consolidation I remain a strong believer in having one dedicated device per task. I have a phone for making calls and sending text messages, a camera for taking pictures, a netbook for my mobile internet needs, and now a dedicated e-reader. I could probably lighten my load by investing in a ‘good’ smart phone, but for me (whether a rational idea or not) those devices which do everything seem to lack all the refinement of those which perform one task well.

As such the Kindle seemed the best device for e-reading, for carrying around a plethora of books in a small package and for reading academic journal articles - which will become more and more a feature of my life over the next year - on. After all, that’s what it was designed for.

Secondly, then, is my opinion of the device. For those tasks discussed above, this is an amazing device. The screen is clear and crisp, the device light and easy to hold. I’ve spent all day sat reading Isaac Asimov’s “Prelude to Foundation” and there’s no sign of eye-strain. Equally, I’ve found myself less distractable than I am when I’ve got a book in my hand - perhaps a sad sign of the fact I feel more at home with bits and bytes than ink and paper…

None-the-less I’d heartily recommend one to those who are thinking about getting, and look forward to reading more and more.

So, I said I’d do a little post on the Trojan Skinheads box-set some time this week, but I decided against that. Whilst it’s a good album there’s not a great deal to say about it, other than the fact that most song titles include the word ‘Skinhead’.

Instead, I decided to write about the ‘Originals’ box-set, which quite nicely (and here comes the link) contains Symarip’s Skinhead Moonstop which I posted earlier in the week.

As with most Trojan box-sets this a 50 track number. It features some of the greatest songs ever released on the Trojan label and is a great introduction to Reggae and Ska.

If one has - or hasn’t - listened to the Rocksteady box-set I discussed earlier it’s a great way to get a foothold on this style of music. My favourite tracks include the aforementioned Skinhead Moonstomp and Eddie Lovette’s Too Experienced.

For now, however, I have little more to say. Have a look, check it out, and I might talk about something else later… I need to move away from Music and Baseball…