beer

Via Slashdot, here’s a NewScientist article on how “Corkscrew cups could keep space drinks flowing”.

Space tourists may one day drink coffee served in “cups” made from corkscrews of ribbon-like material that miraculously keep liquid suspended in their centre.

Holding liquids this way could solve the tricky problem of getting fluid out of an open container in microgravity, researchers say. They add that the same approach may also prove useful to nanotechnologists working with tiny samples of liquid.

Not to mention space tourists trying to drink their space beer. Which makes me wonder if anybody has done any brewing or distilling in orbit.

The article continues,

On Earth we rely on gravity to get liquids to pour from an open container. But getting liquid out of a container in microgravity requires pumping it out, for example sucking it through a straw.

Often, this is a frustrating process, as the fluid breaks up into globules because of the way pressure inside the liquid interacts with the shape of most containers.

Drink a Guinness for your health! The BBC is reporting on a study that shows a Guinness a day keeps the heart doctor away.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as an aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

Since I always feel better after having a pint of Guinness, this seems to confirm my findings. ;)

The Irish have been credited with, among other things, saving civilization. It’s nice to see them getting credit for clever brewing techniques.

BBC: “How Bronze Age man enjoyed his pint”

Two archaeologists have put forward a theory that one of the most common ancient monuments seen around Ireland may have been used for brewing ale.

Fulacht fiadh - horseshoe shaped grass covered mounds - are conventionally thought of as ancient cooking spots.

But the archaeologists from Galway believe they could have been the country’s earliest breweries.

Sounds like an idea conceived over a pint, appropriately enough.

Being scientists, they but their heads together and re-created the process.

After just three hours of hard work - and three days of patiently waiting for their brew to ferment - the men enjoyed a pint with a taste of history attached.

Three hundred litres of water were transformed into a “very palatable” 110 litres of frothy ale.

• Old travel guidebook collection on Flickr - Photo Sharing! “…I prefer the well used books that were held by hands of a traveler. Travelers who, for instance, had their worn copy of Baedeker’s Northern Italy open while they gazed upon the Roman Colosseum and then notated the margins with but a glimpse of their t (tags: reading travel italy photography)
• The Merlin Show Merlin’s 30 theoretically productive frames per second (tags: merlinmann gtd geek productivity podcast)
• Scoutmaster: Tin Can Barometer simple plan for a barometer made from a beer or soda can and a soup can. (tags: barometer weather beer)
• Shell Scripting Primer (tags: bash cli geek mac osx shell terminal tips primer unix programming scripting)

You might surmise from the surname, and you’d be correct, that today is a special day for yours truly. As fellow Irishman Vin Scully said prior to this morning’s first televised Dodger spring training game, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all, especially if it applies.” :)

The Dodgers are wearing their traditional green uniforms and caps to commemorate the day, and have added green bases as well. There’s a long history of celebrating March 17th at Dodgertown, which you can read about on Walter O’Malley’s official website, in the feature “St. Patrick’s Day Parties A Legend At Dodgertown”

I have a Guinness waiting in the fridge for later. This should be an especially tasty treat — it’ll be a celebratory drink, of course, but I also haven’t had a beer since before the bike accident, not wanting to get too interactive with the Vicodin. A beer and the first Dodger game on TV for the year — Brilliant! :)

There was an interesting story over on Slashfood a couple of days ago about how drinking habits in Ireland are changing to incorporate more wines and other fermentations, with a corresponding decline in Guinness sales. “Wine, instead of Guinness, for St. Patrick’s in Ireland”

Guinness sales are booming elsewhere in the world, so nothing to worry about for next St. Patrick’s Day. :)