The Shallow End

Brief thoughts on the news we all expected

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:19:34 -0400

I do not share the pessimism that most everyone on my feed seems to have.

I think David Karp closing his official blog statement with “Fuck yeah, David” was sophomoric.

I think Yahoo’s statement about not wanting to screw things up was adorable.

I trust Marissa Mayer.

If it is in your nature to complain, I think you should wait until actual changes get made before doing so.

Yes, to all of these things.

While I agree David’s statement ending in “Fuck Yeah” was sophomoric, I think it was his way of saying tumblr is still tumblr. Both his and Marrissa’s statements communicated an understanding of the inherent tumblrness (tumblarity?) of the community that were reassuring in their own ways.

Making Pretty Good Coffee

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:42:00 -0400

There are a lot of places to find out where to make great coffee, but those tend to involve precise measurements, scales, expensive machinery, math, and dark magic.

I love great coffee, but I also love pretty good coffee. And to my taste buds, the difference between a lot fuss and a little bit of fuss isn’t very big. A little bit of fuss goes a hell of a long way from Folgers in your Krups drip machine, though. If you want to really taste your coffee and the wonderful nuance of its flavor without that astringent, bitter, want-to-go-brush-your-tongue-after-a-cup feeling, read on…

Pretty good coffee requires only these basic things:

Water

If this is a problem, I can’t help you. I do recommend starting with filtered water if it’s available, though, just because this is about the coffee. It’s also better for your brewing equipment.

Coffee Beans

This post is mainly advice for the uninitiated, so I’m not going to tell you that you need to get tonx right away or anything. You are probably used to some Colombian dark roast in a drip coffee maker or a Donut Shop k-cup, so the subtleties of excellent beans are going to be lost on you. Instead, go to your favorite grocery store and pick something with a pretty package. Whole bean, light or medium roast. Bonus points if it’s locally roasted because real people are awesome. Or you can just get yourself a free sample of tonx because gosh darnit, you’re worth it. I’d also look awesome in one of those shirts with the french bulldog, so you’d be doing us both a favor.

an Aerobie Aeropress or equivalent brewer

No self-serving plug here (full disclosure: I totally would, but I’m in NC where we can’t be Amazon Affiliates). The Aeropress is just a very good, inexpensive brewer that’s easy to use, easy to clean, and portable. The drawback is that it only brews a single cup at a time. If that’s no good for you, try to apply this pragmatic approach to your brewing method of choice. Just note that times, measurements, and quality will vary with different brewing methods and you should probably read one of those Great Coffee recipes to know where to start.

a grinder

Effortless, consistent, inexpensive. Pick 2. I chose consistent and inexpensive and went with the Haro MSS-1B. It’s fine for the job I need it to do, which is basically to grind enough for a cup of coffee while my water heats up. How sophisticated your grinding setup needs to be is totally up to you. Even a blade grinder is better than buying pre-ground.

a vessel capable of boiling and pouring water

I started brewing in my aeropress using a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup heated in the microwave until boiling and then just letting it cool a few seconds before pouring. It took like 4 minutes to boil and wasn’t easy to pour accurately, so I have since moved to a sweet little kettle. It’s quick to boil (about 1 minute for a cup), easy to pour, and passed my wife’s aesthetic requirements for anything that resides on our kitchen counter. Triple win.

a timer of sorts

99% chance your phone has a stopwatch. You could also use your microwave’s timer, counting in your head, or training your dog to bark at 30 second intervals. No clue what you cat people would do.

Instructions

Assemble your Aeropress “inverted”: Plunger piece on the bottom, rubber side up. Slip the other bit on top with the filter side up. You want the seal to be at the ④ mark.
Grind 1 Aeropress scoop (about 14 grams) of beans to about the size of table salt (hat tip to Scott at Tonx for the practical grind size unit of measurement) and pour them into the Aeropress.
Rinse an Aeropress filter and put it in the cap. Some say this affects the flavor. I just think it’s easier to put the cap on when you brew inverted because the filter clings to the cap.
Bring water to a boil and then give it a few seconds to cool. If you have a kettle with temperature control, shoot for 205. Get your timer or stopwatch ready.
Pour enough water over the grounds to completely soak them and start your timer.
Stir the grounds to break up any clumps. I stir for about 10 seconds with the Aeropress paddle, being sure to get grounds off the seal and sidewalls.
Fill the chamber with water to around the ① mark. Doesn’t have to be exact. Just leave enough room for bloom and stirring.
At around the 1 minute mark, give it another quick stir just to move the grounds around and then add a little more water if you want. Or not. I don’t care, it’s your coffee. Put the filter cap on.
At 1:30, it’s time to spin the whole thing over onto your mug and start plungin’. The size of your grind will dictate how hard you have to push, but I always shoot for being done at 2:20-2:30.
You can dilute it with some of your leftover water if you want a weaker or fuller cup, but I like it best just like it is. Drink your delicious coffee.

"A decent consumer SLR body, usually $600–900, is a big investment for most people. But if you can’t..."

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:57:00 -0400

“A decent consumer SLR body, usually $600–900, is a big investment for most people. But if you can’t also afford to buy at least one good lens with it, you’ll get better photos by going with a less expensive kit, such as a high-end point-and-shoot or an entry-level mirrorless setup.”

- SLRs aren’t worth it if you’ll only use the kit lens – Marco.org

Y’all. This is really important. Elizabeth and I are always asked by friends about camera purchases, and we stress this point every time.

I think it’s a mistake by the camera manufacturers that they even include kit lenses in their lower-end models. Several of the most popular cameras cannot even be purchased without the kit lens (usually a 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 that is literally garbage), and it leads folks to think it’s inherently “good enough”. It’s not!

A fast prime lens is generally the best value. Depending on your brand of choice, there are several options between 24mm and 50mm that will boost your photo quality and aesthetic appeal.

Tip: Technically, a 35mm lens on a full frame camera or a 24mm lens on a crop sensor (if you have an SLR and aren’t sure, this is what you have, but you could RTFM to be sure) covers about the same “zoom” as your eyes. Personally, I prefer the slight magnification of a 50mm full frame or 35mm cropped.

First Listen: 'The Great Gatsby'

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:50:34 -0400

First Listen: 'The Great Gatsby':

frijole:

The soundtrack to The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann’s latest high-end refurbishing of a lived-in classic, doesn’t try to re-imagine Jazz Age tunes in a modern context. Instead, it attempts to transplant the sensibility of the 1920s to the hip-hop era, with genre-busting collaborations overseen by Jay-Z.

Just when I thought I was excited about the movie… yeah, now I’m really excited.

Well. Here’s this afternoon’s soundtrack.

Conference call doodle. Felt like summer.

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:19:31 -0400

Conference call doodle. Felt like summer.

@danbenjamin’s nightmare scenario in my class tonight.

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:03:13 -0400

@danbenjamin’s nightmare scenario in my class tonight.

$30 on Amazon: BlueGate Bluetooth Adapter Wireless Receiver by GOgroove Audio

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:31:00 -0400

$30 on Amazon: BlueGate Bluetooth Adapter Wireless Receiver by GOgroove Audio:

This little dingus has enabled a wireless music/podcast setup in my just-slightly-too-old-to-have-it-built-in car. If you have an Aux-in jack, it’s an awesome little upgrade.

Also works on home stereo systems and headphones, but what makes this one perfect for the car is that, unlike many of its competitors, it charges via USB.

I couldn’t do my job without a computer, but this makes me...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:52:44 -0400

I couldn’t do my job without a computer, but this makes me want to try.

Listening to Gruber and Moltz discuss Wall Street’s...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:50:00 -0400

AAPL was a growth investment.

AAPL isn't a growth investment anymore.

Listening to Gruber and Moltz discuss Wall Street’s “absurd” reaction to Apple’s performance is driving me crazy.

They’re not wrong: the market is a poor representation of how well Apple is doing. However, the reasoning is simple to understand.

About 4.5 years ago, AAPL hit its lowest point since the launch of the original iPhone. Wise investors looking for a strong growth stock knew Apple wasn’t done innovating, so they bought.

And they kept buying at an alarming rate because Apple’s products and profits were leaps and bounds ahead of competitors and continuing to improve.

Shortly after the iPhone 5 launch, however, those growth investors’ expectations shifted. It wasn’t because Apple wasn’t still doing incredibly well - they were. They just didn’t expect them to keep growing at that alarming rate.

To those growth investors that have been buying in since late 2008, Apple’s bottom line doesn’t matter. They’re focused, rather, on the slope of the line. As they speculate that Apple can’t continue growing at the same pace it has over the past few years, they sell off and move on to more traditional growth investments.

As a result, the price falls to a level where slow growth or dividend income investors start to pick it up and it levels off. At that point, it may become attractive for growth investors again because it seems to be leveling off at a point far below the industry average P/E ratio. Time will tell.

That’s why I stay the hell out of the stock market, though. You’re not betting on the performance of a company. You’re betting on a bunch of rich, old guys’ expectations. Even when they’re wrong about the company, they’re not wrong about the stock price because they control the stock price.

future you | business as i see it

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:08:36 -0400

future you | business as i see it:

This is, as usual, smart advice from Mr. Scardino. As Dan Benjamin is quick to remind us, there is no such thing as job security. Don’t fool yourself into keeping quiet by thinking it’s better to keep a low profile.

What Scardino doesn’t mention is how speaking up can also work in your favor when you’re right. Or when you’re looking for your new job.

Decisions, decisions…

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:11:10 -0400

Decisions, decisions…

Some photos from our brief trip to Jamaica. Sorry for the...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:42:45 -0400

Some photos from our brief trip to Jamaica. Sorry for the re-post, I just couldn’t stand the Flickr auto-post format.

All photos © Glessner Photography

pascalcampion: Good morning mister snuffles Campion is easily...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:14:40 -0400

pascalcampion:

Good morning mister snuffles

Campion is easily my second favorite Pascal.

rartastic: tiffanyb: Phil, this wasn’t fucking amateur hour....

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:03:22 -0400

rartastic:

tiffanyb:

Phil, this wasn’t fucking amateur hour. PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF YOUR LACK OF SUPERVISION. THERE WERE RAPTORS ALL UP IN THE KITCHEN PHIL. IN THE GOD DAMN KITCHEN.

YOU HAD ONE JOB PHIL. ONE JOB.

I laughed inappropriately at my desk at this.

I showed this to one of my office mates and we BOTH laughed inappropriately at this, while our other office mate conducted a meeting with a textbook rep.

Photo

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:35:07 -0400

Easter Sundog

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:14:05 -0400

Easter Sundog

pascalcampion: Between you, me and the bedpost I need some of...

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:01:29 -0400

pascalcampion:

Between you, me and the bedpost

I need some of Pascal’s art on my walls ASAP.

felistella: If I owned a restaurant, these would be my...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:15:20 -0400

felistella:

If I owned a restaurant, these would be my menu.

My constant internal monologue.

luckyshirt: Hey everyone! We’re doing a contest to give away...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:39:15 -0500

luckyshirt:

Hey everyone!

We’re doing a contest to give away TEN copies of SUPERFIGHT!

SUPERFIGHT! Is a party game played with cards that’s all about deciding who would win in a fight. Think Apples to Apples meets Cards Against Humanity.

Then, after they meet, they fight to the death.

It just launched this week on Kickstarter! Come help make it happen!

To enter for your chance to win, just reblog this post!

The ten winners will be chosen at random from the rebloggers at 7 PM PST on Wednesday, March 6th.

If you are chosen and you already backed the project at $25 or above, you will be upgraded to the DELUXE NUMBERED COLLECTOR’S EDITION of SUPERFIGHT! The game comes in a custom-made wooden box with ALL of the expansion packs, AND a custom-made FIGHT LOG to keep track of the funniest matches!

Enter as many times as you like by reblogging as many times as you like, (but PLEASE go easy on your followers)(do as I say, not as I do).

Good luck!

nikiwith1k: aww look how cute I am, you guys Creator of this...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:41:41 -0500

nikiwith1k:

aww look how cute I am, you guys

Creator of this image clearly never watched Bones.