Blackberry Bold vs. iPod Touch

Wow, the PMP/PDA war never ends! With Act 3 in my life coming ever nearer -- less than 2 months -- I've started to pack up my last Act and started provisioning for my new life. One of the things I'll lose when I leave my current job is my Blackberry. I'm not as addicted to it as other folks are -- I hardly use 10 minutes worth of cell phone time a month, I read emails on it only when I'm in a meeting, and I never could get tethering to work on the 8800...

But, since my cell phone will likely be my top link to customers in my new job, I thought it wise to get a new one.

Let's review my current situation:
1. Cellphone -- Blackberry 8800 (owned by my employer)
2. Aircard -- USB Connect 881 from AT&T -- owned and paid for by moi
3. PMP -- Zune 16GB Flash and Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) -- both mine
4. Music subscriptions -- Zune Marketplace, XM Radio (two subscriptions -- one for the car and one for the Pub)
5. MP3 files -- 28,000 (yes, all owned by me -- I have more than 1,500 CDs)

Looking at that list, some things came to mind:
1. Consolidate all music down to an iPhone Touch with tethering
2. Consolidate all music down to Blackberry Bold with tethering

The problem with Option 1 is that iPhone has no streaming music subscription, like Zune. Also, I kind of like having a keyboard on my PDA.

Option 2 is what I settled on, mainly because the BlackBerry Bold 9000 is a screamer, it multi-tasks well, has a speaker phone and it has some potential that's unfulfilled...

I also canceled one of the XM subscriptions (for the Pub, I use Zune on my laptop to get any songs we need to hear on demand). I'm getting ready to sell the Zune on eBay. It's a great little player, but it's just sitting here getting old (kinda like me). I'm also contemplating selling the iPod Touch -- that's a little tougher because I LOVE the way it handles the media I own, as well as the media I'm recording on Windows Media Center -- that's a place where the Bold falls way short.

I canceled the Aircard -- and upgraded it to the Bold with tethering. I bought a 16GB microSDHC Card and I'm filling it up with podcasts and recorded video.

All in all, I really like the Bold, it's as light as or slightly lighter than my 8800, the screen is much brighter and sharper, and it's FAST! I like the speaker that's built into it, going so far as to use it as a background music running Slacker. The battery life could be better, but I bought a second 1700mAH battery for $7.

The screen is half the size of the iPOD/iPHONE, but we're talking small screens in either case. The camera is sufficient for catching a plane crashing into the Hudson, but I wouldn't want to try to take any kind of detailed snapshots for recordkeeping. The video is okay too, although a little jumpy.

So what am I missing with losing the Zune and maybe the iPod?

First of all, no FM radio -- not such a big loss since I listen to XM mostly, and with podcasts, I've got enough talk radio to last me 4 years right now. Second of all, the Bold doesn't support wireless synchronization, even though it's got a great WiFi built into it. That's a huge loss compared to the Zune and iPOD, but there are work-arounds. Third, no flash support -- or not much except for YouTube.

By the way, the Blackberry Desktop Manager locks up my workstation when I try to run the Windows Media Synch application.

The tethering works like a champ on my laptop, although I'm only getting about 400K down and 150 or so up. But that's livable in most situations (I won't be watching any Hulu.com on that, I know). It would be nice if it works when I get to Ireland this summer...

All in all, I think I made the right choice. I think I'll regret not having an iPhone sometimes -- and maybe I should have looked at the Storm -- but right now, it's what I need. With the XM subscription cancellations, the combination of my AirCard into my BB data plan, and the money I make from selling my like new Zune and iPod, I think I'll come out ahead in both the long and short runs.

Zune vs. iPod Touch

Before Christmas, I decided to replace my trusty old iRiver H10 with something that wasn't as fussy about USB and had Vista drivers -- and had video capabilities. Since I've never had much luck getting into the Apple flow -- (anyone want a low, VERY low mileage G5 iMac?) I decided to look past the various iPod incarnations and examine the options.

The second generation Zune sparked my interest -- especially the flash Zune 16GB. Really small form factor, great linkage to Windows, Microsoft branded, and it had Zune Marketplace which overs a Rhapsody-like subscription service that lets me load anything on my Zune any time for less than the price of a CD per month. FM radio, too!

I got the Zune and promptly managed to crack the screen - I'm not sure when, or even if it wasn't broken when I took it out and put it on the charger. But it was broken the first day I took it out at work. So I logged onto the Zune website, found the warranty repair place, typed in my problem, and Microsoft sent me a free mail-in box and label so I could send it in for warranty repair.

While waiting 3 weeks(!) for the device to be returned, I started to read horror stories that Microsoft does not consider a cracked screen to EVER be a warranty repair. Oh well, I thought -- I guess I'll have to pay to get it fixed. Sorry! Microsoft won't even FIX a broken screen. They sent it back broken. Duh?!?

I found a place that DOES fix broken screens, and shortly I had my Zune back and running. great work, too!

Then something terrible happened -- the boss gave all of his direct reports a 16GB 2G iPod touch as a Christmas gift. My wife -- always the adult in this relationship -- said, "Sell it on eBay." But I, ever the kid, could hardly do that without at least taking it out of the package.

Well, here it is, more than 6 weeks since I got the iPod and it never leaves my side. I listen to podcasts at work all day, listen to podcasts and music in the car on the way home, use the iPod to remotely access customer's PCs with LogMeIn Ignition, play sudoku on it. I'm addicted ALREADY.

The Zune? I haven't even plugged it into the charger in 4 weeks. I still use my Zune Marketplace subscription pretty regularly (you can see my Zune Tag profile at the bottom of this blog) -- iTunes doesn't offer a comparable subscription -- but the Zune PMP is almost an orphan.

...more thoughts on the iPod Touch in my next post...

Dogfish Head Red and White

'Tis the season...to taste big bottles of beer, I guess. Stopped by my neighbor's for a holiday open house tonight and got a chance to try Dogfish Head's Red and White. Once again, let me go out on a limb and give you some tasting notes BEFORE I check out the pros...

First thing was the head -- very Belgian-like -- tight bubbles, almost creamy. Color was nearly cherry lambic. Slightly cloudy. First taste had a lot of fruit in it as well, but then the sweetness of some serious alcohol hits the tastebuds and you know this puppy is not fooling around. I check the bottle -- 10% ABV... Oh yeah. No hops, no malt, no spice. All fruit and very Belgian sweetness to the nose and palate.

Okay, what do others say?

From Dogfish Head:

A big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels, and another fraction is aged on oak staves. The beer is blended together before packaging.

This has been one of our most popular Limited Edition beers at both our Rehoboth Beach, DE brewpub and at festivals. It successfully marries the refreshing citrusy qualities of a Belgian-style white beer with the robust complexity of a bold red wine.

From "gusler" at Beer Advocate:

The beer leaves the 750ml bottle a fuzzy incarnadine color with a reddish pink head that crowns the body, lacing provides a tight skirt to surround the glass. Nose has a tart oak like aroma, combined with coriander & orange peel, also hints of red wine and amazingly only very little of the 10 percent ABV shows through. Start is vinous, with a nice bit of toasted grain sweetness, top is light to medium in feel. The finish has a unrelenting acidity, the wine like traits along with the oak make the end sweet and somewhat sour with the parched aftertaste long lasting, another amazing brew tis’ true.

From JustBeer:

This beer is much more mild than I expected it to be. I was thinking it would be one of those that reaches out of the bottle and lets you know it has arrived, but not the case here. The color and head really aren’t red… more amberish orange, but that is ok. The nose is clean and crisp and the overall first tastes confirms the noted orange peel. The body definitely has hints of the Pinot and serves the mellowing purpose, I believe. As we continued to take it through, the alcohol levels hit us a bit and Dave and I had a great evening… :) By the last glass, this beer looked as unfiltered as it tasted… almost made you want to chew the last bite… I mean drink. :) But still, good stuff that is highly recommended.

I'm not as impressed as others with this beer -- a little too much alcohol for me. And it's a little too sweet. That doesn't mean it's not good, it just means it doesn't fit my taste profile. I do like Dogfish's Chicory Stout, if that counts...

Happy New Year!

Anchor Christmas Ale 2008

I never got the chance to post a review of this beer, which was one of the highlights of this year's Christmas Party at Gibby's Pub.

I got a magnum of this at Binny's. That was impressive enough...

I cracked it open a little late in the party, so I'm not completely clear on the taste, although I remember it was nice. After splitting the magnum 10 ways, we all got a little taste.

I remember it as medium to dark reddish ale, a slight taste of spices, with a nice malt finish. I don't remember any specific spice. Now, let's read other people's tasting notes:

From Sevenpack.net:

Ginger, allspice, cinnamon, caramel, liquorice and orange peel all make an appearance. All the smells mix well together, though some are a little harder to distinguish then others.

In the mouth the beer is surprisingly light, and a hint watery. The beer goes down quick and smooth. There is a nice toasted malt presence mid-tongue, with a spice bouquet finish. Much like the aroma, the spice finish is well mixed and not overpowering. If anything I notice a hint more ginger then any other aspect.

From TheBrewClub.com:

This Anchor beer is a smooth drinker, and to me has medium body. It was a little bitter, but no hop-action until the finish where there’s a bit that comes through. Overall, this beer tastes very malty, and just a touch of whatever spices are in the secret mix come through so it isn’t like ‘mulled beer’ or anything over the top like that. If I had to guess, it might be a little bit of ginger (or something similar) in there that sort of prickles the tongue for awhile after. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste, and left my mouth feeling a little dry and a bit sticky. Not bad though.

And back at Gibby's, the reviews were generally positive -- Nice! Drinkable! Got more?

Congratulations Anchor -- 34 years of Christmas Ale and counting!

Nuclear Reactor Operator

That's a picture of the Navy Nuclear Reactor Training Facility outside of Idaho Falls, ID in 2006. It looks like a bunch of buildings, but some of those buildings used to house operating nuclear reactors. When I was in the Navy from 1973 until 1975, I was stationed for 6 months in Idaho training on the S1W nuclear reactor prototype at this site. It's the building in the right center of the picture. Here's a closeup on the right.

Idaho Falls in the mid-70s was a weird place. I remember it as a combination of Native Americans, Sheep herders, Mormon women, cowboys and sailors. Kind of like the back lot at Universal Studios while they were filming It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Life for the sailors training on the reactors was tough.

If you were doing well in school, you worked one of three shifts -- that rotated -- for 8 hours per day. You took a bus to work that took about an hour and a half to make it to the reactor site. It was through the desert, so your lips would chap by the time you got to the lab.

At the lab, you went to class and worked on the reactors and continually went through testing. Written tests, practical tests (you had to actually do something) and boards. The boards ran the gamut from tough to bizarre. I remember one question being "Where is the purple valve and what is it for?" Turns out, the purple valve was a remnant of some early fire protection system that had no use currently, but some goofy instructor had painted it purple and they used it as a way to see if you were paying attention.

Other board questions could be "How many bolts are there on the Condenser cover?" or even "Who was FDR's vice president?" No kidding.

If you fell behind on your studies, you'd get stuck pulling 12s instead of 8 hour shifts. That meant you stayed out at the site, since by the time you got home, you wouldn't have enough time to sleep. For the single guys, that sucked because it deprived you of the chance to hang out at the clubs in town, or go dirt bike riding, or rafting. For the married guys, it could doom a marriage. The Navy wives could get very lonely out there in the middle of nowhere.

A few notes about where I lived. I lived on 1st St. if I remember correctly, next to one of the irrigation canals. You can see it in the center of this map (you'll see "100" right by it):

View Larger Map

In the summer time, people used to float down the canal in inner tubes with 6 packs of beer. Great fun! Of course, in other times of the year, people would fall into the canals and drown due to the amount of water running through them. Not so much fun.

...to be continued.

Clutch Cargo

Backroads Ephemera

Click on the video clip above for a special inside joke and personal memory... "Backroads" was the name of the band Bob, Don, Greg Ray and I had just after high school. We practiced in Don's basement and garage. We had a few other band members -- including the world famous Neil Diamond/Elvis impersonator Gary Pointer on lead guitar and vocals, and Keith Moon's doppelganger Danny Thelin on drums.

Gibby's Christmas Card

A special Christmas wish from all the gang at Gibby's Pub to all of you! If you weren't here this year, we hope you will be next year!

Steve Gibson

Click here:

From Gibby's Christmas 08

He's makin' a list!

Poodwaddle.com

Gibby's Pub Blog Updates

I've added a couple new things to the blog... You'll notice at the top of the screen something called "AnswerTips". This is simply a way for you to get more information on anything you see in my blog posts. Just put your cursor on any word and double-click. It's pretty cool, but remember, I didn't write the tip - I only provided the link.

I've also added Google AdSense to my blog and you'll see some more ads popping up now. If you see something you're interested in, by all means click on it -- I make money that way! Yeah! Righteous! I'm retiring soon , you know -- I need the money!

And finally, down at the bottom of the blog, you'll see something called my ZuneCard. As if it wasn't enough to tell you what I'm drinking, and thinking, and where I'm eating -- now I'm telling you what I'm listening to. I really do suffer delusions of self-importance, don't I?

By the way, if you have a Zune account, let me know and I'll add you as a Zune friend...

lol - thanks for reading.

Michelob Winters Bourbon Cask Ale

Here's how Michelob describes it: "During even the coldest of weather, warm up to the smooth, robust taste of our Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale. Full of rich aromas that you find in the winter months, hints of vanilla and flavorful hops, this is a beer that is great for pouring into a large tulip glass and enjoying with friends around a fireplace."

I'd say it was more of a standard Budweiser product with a little more caramel color, a bit more artificial malted and vanilla taste, no real mouthfeel, no head, and really nothing special about it. As usual, Anheuser-Busch has taken a good idea and diluted it down in an attempt to get mass appeal. Am I the only one who thinks that's a silly thing to do with a small batch (relatively speaking), seasonal beer?

Now, if they dropped the words "Cask" and "Ale" from the name, maybe...

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I've posted a few hundred photos up on Phanfare.com of my European vacation... Access to the albums is limited to invited friends, so if you'd like an invite, drop me an email.

I'll be adding captions "soon".

With creative stunts like this, maybe there's hope...

It's stuff like this that restores my faith in mankind...

Miller Chill

Most people who know me probably wouldn't peg me as a Miller Chill drinker. But I've got to tell you, I think this is a pretty good beer -- especially for a flavored beer. According to the Miller folks, it's a "chelada-style" beer, which means they've added lime and salt flavoring. I don't taste the salt, but the hint of lime makes this a great summer brew. Add in the fact that it's Miller Lite-based, and you've got a winner... A lite-weight winner (pun intended) in terms of taste, but refreshing none the less.

After reading up on chelada, I think I'll try this beer in a salted glass on ice. Why not?

Stay tuned.

I'm back... I think I'm over Miller Chill. The ice may have been the corker. Truth is, I realized how little taste there was to this "beer" other than the chemical lime taste... I think I'll try something like a Negra Modelo the same way -- over ice, with a slated rim and a dash of fresh jalapenos...

Special Report: Top 100 Independents - 4/15/2008 - Restaurants & Institutions

Special Report: Top 100 Independents - 4/15/2008 - Restaurants & Institutions

No, there's no sign of Gibby's on the R&I Top 100 list of independent restaurants for 2008, but I thought I'd share this anyway... I'm kind of surprised at the sheer number of Vegas restaurants on the list, but it's been so long since I've been to Vegas I probably don't have a clue how busy those restaurants are... The last time I was there, I got mad that there were 30 people in line at Caesar's Palace's buffet line, so I went back and lost even more money so they'd comp me for dinner and I'd get to jump the line.

How many of these have you been to? Not just Vegas, anywhere?

George Carlin - RIP

Just so you know exactly how to mourn George, here's his riff on marking the deaths of others...

He could be irritating -- and was the only time I saw him decades ago at the Golf Mill Theater in Niles, IL -- but he did make you think.

So give the man his due, watch the following video (careful, it's full of George's no holds barred language) and

THINK.

Grilling the perfect steak

Here at Gibby's, like every other suburban household in America (I'm guessing), we continue the quest for the perfect home-cooked steak. And now that restaurant prices are headed for the sky, and gas is more expensive than bottled water (?!?), I thought I'd share my recent experience with cooking the perfect steak.

Historically, we've used either a 22" Weber grill, or a gas grill to cook our steaks. I like the taste of charcoal cooked meat, but honestly, I'm too lazy to fire it up, wait and cook on charcoal, so the Weber is now mostly for "special occasions". Instead I use my gas grill.

Recently, while watching America's Test Kitchen (ATK) on TV, they went through the process of making something they called "Bistro NY Strip Steak". The steak looked very good, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Essentially, the method they used is the opposite of what we home cooks usually use. If you are like me, you crank the grill to high, get the temperature somewhere north of 500 degrees, oil the grill (or the meat), and toss it on. The searing creates that delicious burnt beef taste we crave, and when the steak gets to medium-rare (about 130 deg.), you take if off and let it rest.

On ATK, they kind of reversed the process. Instead of cooking the steak from the outside in, they heated up the oven to 275 degrees, patted the steak dry, seasoned it, and put it on a rack on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the steak got to 95 degrees internal temperature. Then they heated up a skillet with a bit of oil in it, until the oil was smoking, and they seared the steak in the pan - bringing the internal temperature up to 130 or medium rare.

The beauty of this process is that you avoid getting that little ring of greyish meat between the tasty seared portion and the reddish juicy portion. By the way, that great taste in the seared portion is the result of something called, the "Maillard reaction". Read more about how that adds flavor to everything from beef to cookies to bread to beer here.

That grey meat ring is what spoils most of our home cooked steaks. And it's caused because basically the meat boils instead of sears or roasts. That's why you pat the steak dry before you cook it...

So back to how to make Gibby's Perfect Grilled Steak.

It's a 4 step process:

1. Dry the surface of the meat thoroughly, season it with fresh ground pepper and salt or other favorite seasoning.


2. Bring the internal temperature of the steak up to 95 - 98 degrees by roasting the meat in a 275 deg. oven on a small rack on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes (use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature, or a remote thermometer).


3. Pre-heat your grill (gas or charcoal) to the highest heat you can -- the closer to 500 degrees, the better. Oil the grill and drop the warmed steaks on the grill. Cook them to 130 degrees for rare, 140 for medium rare, and 150 for medium. Flip them when they get to about 118. A remote thermometer works great for this part of the process.


4. Take the steaks out and let them rest for at least 5 minutes after they finish.

Note: It's a myth that searing seals the juices in. Alton Brown dispelled that on his Good Eats show a long time ago. Searing is all about caramelizing the sugars in the outer layer of the beef and giving it that great beef taste.

By cooking the meat to 95 degrees internally, you will make sure that the surface of the meat is dry as can be before you put it on the grill. And since the meat will be dry, the heat that hits the outer layer of the meat will only sear it -- not boil it.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you...

Green fairy beer?

I'm starting to really like these New Belgium folks. This microbrewery from Fort Collins, CO has been on my short list ever since I tried their Fat Tire on draft at the Embassy Suites near the Denver Airport. It was good enough to make me leave the free happy hour Miller products and go to their bar to buy my beverages...

And with their recent expansion into the Chicago market, I've learned there's lots more to love about NB. Their 1554 is a great, dark ale with a a fantastic mouthfeel and very low levels of smoke on the malt. The Mothership Wit is a great Belgian-style White beer in a Wheat beer style. Pay attention to the pouring directions on the bottle for the full effect!

But this post is about their latest (or at least the newest to me) beer on their menu -- the Springboard. This is a great summer beer with some exotic herbals in it. In fact, don't tell anyone, but it's got Wormwood -- the fun mythical ingredient in Absinthe! I can't wait to pair this up with a few shots of Mezcal and a hot day... I'll be channeling Carlos Castenada in no time!

Tough times for restaurants

It's been a rough couple of months for Fox Valley restaurants. Two relatively new restaurants, Fahrenheit and Hunter's, have closed their doors in the last two months.

Fahrenheit was the highly anticipated, and highly-hyped gourmet restaurant opened way out west at 64 and Randall. Even Chicago magazine and Phil Vettel hopped on this bandwagon, but their glowing reviews couldn't overcome the high prices and meager portions of food plated there. Not that it didn't have potential -- it just wasn't the right fit. Maybe we'll see something like it in the new 1st street development.

Hunter's was quite another story. We only visited there once, but the service was not very good, the place was tiny, and the food was not that memorable. When I saw the "Friday Fish Fry" signs go up, I knew it was history. Let's keep our fingers crossed neither one of these places opens as an Italian place. How about some great Southwestern Seafood or something?

Speaking of that, if you haven't been to Bien Trucha in Geneva yet, you really should try it out. Find it on Yelp.com, get there early, the place is tiny -- and beware -- the portions are on the small size there, too. But prices are not very big either, which means you can try lots of different things. Avoid the "guacamole of the day" -- we haven't really liked any we've tried yet -- but definitely try the Ceviche. And get a margarita -- fantastic!

New Gibby's Logo

What do you think?