Concentrated coffee goodness - this order was 1000 ml of Kona, 375 ml of Ethiopian. Annnd - new Molly Crabapple label for Funranium Labs, the Ineffable Goat of SCIENCE! The lethal combination of coffee, science, art (and a goat) finally pushed me to the point of no return, so I put in my order.

New Art: http://www.funraniumlabs.com/2012/01/new-art/

This is the first test of liquor and BBotE: 1 part Compass Box Orangerie and 3 parts Ethiopian. The evaporating alcohol seems to improve the transport of the oils in the coffee concentrate, and the coffee flavor masks the straight alcohol taste and brings the orange to the fore. Further experiments as they happen.

Funranium Labs Store: http://shop.funraniumlabs.com/brands/BBotE.html

Reformulated and renamed Death From The Skies in honor this year's closest approach to the Sun:

Coronal Mass Ejection
Prep Tang & Tonic: 1 Tbsp. Tang dissolved in 4 oz. tonic water
2 oz. Malört
1 oz. Campari
4 dashes Angostura Bitters
Mix in pint glass, top off glass with ice, stir.

The Graphic Artist's Guild has pulled back from supporting SOPA. Now they want to know who's going to save them from piracy. Frankly, this enrages me. In 1986, 22-year-old me could tell that preventing digital duplication would be difficult to prevent - and that was just from looking at the copyright problems surrounding xerography. Since then, I haven't seen anything that counters that. The basic nature of the problem (preventing a computer from making an exact duplicate of a string of 1's and 0's) militates against there being a simple or widely useable solution. If a sideline observer like me can see the problem, why the hell have the people and organizations with actual economic interests been ignoring it? They've had over 20 years to work out solutions to the problem, and legislating protections for their old business models is the best they can do? Apparently it's OK if automation throws a bunch of factory workers out of their jobs, but being 'creative' entitles you to special legal protections, even if those protections cost the rest of us in terms of increased costs and decreased civil rights. You know what I say to that? Screw you, GAG, and you, Author's Guild, and the MPAA, and the RIAA. You should have been paying attention to the shifts in technology and society, instead of sleazing around legislative back doors with wads of cash.

To be clear: it's not the creative people I'm angry at, it's the groups that claim to be acting in their best interest. I don't believe they are - to me it seems as though they are acting to preserve their own status quo, rather than the livelihoods of the people they claim to be protecting. For my own part, I am down for doing anything I can to ensure that those who are actually creating new things get paid well enough that they can keep on doing it. I buy their stuff, I promote their work where and when I can, I am constantly thinking and fiddling with ideas and tools to make it easier for anyone to create, distribute, and GET PAID for the years of training and practice required to do the unique and amazing things they do. SOPA and PROTECT-IP and similar legislative ham-handedness do nothing towards those goals; they exist primarily to serve those who have the time, money, and lawyers to exploit the legal system for profit.

(Originally posted on Google+ 2011-12-28)

From Evernote:

Molly Lewis Cocktail - Winter Version

From Evernote:

Molly Lewis Cocktail - Summer Version

Faux Chocolate Stout

• 1 oz. orgeat syrup
• 1-1/2 oz. absinthe
• 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/4 oz. Cointreau
• 2 oz. seltzer
• Ice

Pour absinthe into tumbler (I used 300 ml beaker).

Add orgeat to shaker w/ice, shake to chill and pour into absinthe via stirring rod.

Add rum and Cointreau to shaker, shake to chill and add to tumbler.

Add seltzer and ice to tumbler & stir.

The Power Cosmic

 

Yes, I bought it as soon as Boinx launched it. This is my lovely, messy work cubicle.