Beer Science: Pabst Against Pabst

pabst2

Ever since my pal portland came up with the phrase beer-tasting water, I have been a little too obsessed with Pabst Blue Ribbon. But then I realized I had a unique opportunity to perform my sort of science experiment: a side-by-side comparison of a PBR from the US against one brewed under license in Canada by Sleeman of Guelph. Even though any possible outcome of this project will not advance the human condition one bit, I took on the challenge.

pabst1First, I noticed the price. A six of Canadian PBR is $7.50 at the LCBO. The US version was $4.60 at a gas station on 12E, east of Watertown, NY. I knew I was getting ripped off, too, as I had seen $3.29 for the six at another place that was sold out. Then I noticed the cans. There is clearly more blue ribbon on the PBR stateside. Does this matter? I suppose not. Both also have the River Plate red sash which is quite natty.

pabst3To be honest, the beers taste pretty much the same – sort of bland, the pablum of beers yet without off flavours and somehow comforting. Like pablum, no self respecting adult would look forward to the taste but, once presented with it (like a new father feeding pablum to his little baby for the first time and scraping it off his hands knees and forehead), one is less turned off than one might expect. Yet the Canadian version, right in all pictures, is clearly a notch lighter and by the end of the glass as it warms and the bubbles die away it maybe even more watery.

What have we learned? Not much. Except I have ten more in the fridge.

Less Is Different Because Of The Internet Than Claimed

A book must be out somewhere because there are interviews about the Long Tail all over the place. The Long Tail refers to a graph and that point on a graph where many different things are happening so rather than describing an spike in activity, it is showing an extended diversity. Someone has decided that this is what the internet has caused.

To a degree this is a correct observation but only to a degree as, in large part, it is not. This is because it is a catchy generalization that can be applied and misapplied with confidence. One basic principle that is largely ignored is both the incompleteness and over-self-congratulatory praise that accompanies it. So we have a tendency, like with refereces to “post 9/11” to accept that everything has changed – without the slightest reference to what was before. One very handy illustration of this is from these two posts at Bound By Gravity where Andrew (Canada’s best blogger at the moment) assumes and then catches himself assuming that the internet has had an effect on reading.

This sort of thing has become rampant. Recently I saw a reference to how difficult it must have been to travel by car before the internet based on the assumption, one supposes that mapping began with MapQuest. Another, more to the heart of the error of the Long Tail, is that people lived lives permeated by mass media and mass production. First, this presumes that people defined (and define) their lives by media and product – as subjects of consumption. That presumption is based on the limited ability the internet has to provide: it can only deliver communications and provide a venue for ordering product. Second, people did live out personal niche interests as actively and fully as they do now. People bought rare stamps, comic books and music. People read things that no one else read and held ideas that were different from their neighbours – hence, among other things, the great splintering schismistastic fun that is protestantism. They just did not do it publicly and through a medium that recorded the activity digitally. It was done by mail orders, letters, conversations, meetings. In rec rooms, via ‘zines and through posters stapled to utility poles.

Structurally, even with the opportunity to watch old videos on YouTube, the internet is just another mass medium and as dangerous a one as ever there was through its active denial its own nature is a mass medium. The third issue of Geez magazine came last week and is full of good advice on cross checking the effect of the internet on your values. Are you more materialistic? Are you more prone to follow the poltical and ethical messages of others? Are you more part of the Borg?

Remember, the internet is good fun and can be used responsibly. Be careful out there.

Sansone’s Restaurant, Malone, New York

Sometimes a place is a good place not because it is surprising, rare or new but because it represents a sort of joint well. For my money, the Lucky Inn in Pembroke was a classic Canadian-Chinese buffet. Similarly, Pizza Rodini of the Truro of my youth was the best greasy circle of za.

This is how Sansones struck me. The food was mild “New York diner Italian with attached bar”, the service was good and the price was fair. The scalloped edged plates and saucers were classic. The inside of the place is a little dark but busy like a antique store filled in large part of Sansone related stuff – but also Adirondacks outdoorsy stuff – which kept the kids occupied as did a number of large fish tanks.

Should you go? Will you be in Malone, NY sometime?

 

 

 

 

Friday Chat On The Run

Woke up way too late and had to deal with my friend Manual Spammo. What poor
lives these saps must lead to have to cut and past their way now through the
handy dandy “are you human” quiz before each comment is posted. Looks like it
took longer to post than delete. That is a gain. Anyway:

  • Notice: SayNay must email me at genx40@gmail.com today to answer certain questions today if he/she is not to have every comment deleted upon posting.

  • Update on great radio: NCPR played an interview this
    morning of one WWII vet     including reflections on the misappropriation of
    patriotism and heroism. To my mind it is no different than the appropriation of
    the word “Christian” by the ecumenically-resistent North American protestant
    evangelical right.

  • Consider these considerations: blogging is like bottled water, the web is
    another mass medium, most people had niche based lives before web 2.0, blogging
    derives from early 90s cocooning, there may be way more than 57 channels but
    there is still nothing on.

  • It would appear that the
    Government is not amused     by the suggestion in the Globe yesterday
    that the PMO was trying to keep 40,000 in the war zone of Lebanon under
    wraps    .

  • Municipal wi-fi
    for Toronto     – who knew? Is this good?

  • The Red Sox have recovered from their all-star week jitters, relying
    yesterday on a 87 year old Grampy Curt Schilling if the photo on this
    article     is anything to go by. Nice to see the
    Jays imploding    …yet beating the Yankees and the
    blame     going to last year’s player of the year. Am I dreaming?

Gotta
run.

Make Your Own Cause

In an effort to advance the cause of supporting supporting, has anyone thought of Ribbon 2.0 where everyone makes up the content of their own magnetic cause ribbons making for a cacophony of causes and claims confusing the drivers of America? Maybe if there were more rounded edges the link to the new 2.0 world would be clearer. The other day I listened to an NPR hour on “the long tail” which I still have no clue about as it seems to be only a way to take existing circumstances, repackaging them as new and making sure someone gets a guruiffic revenue stream from the merchandise. Maybe personalized magnetic cause ribbons will help in my understanding.

The Blogdrums

Blogs and doldrums – get it? I think everyone went on vacation…or computers seized or something. Sooner or later the guys spamming for viagara are going to even pack up. You know, making up words with blog in it was a blast in 2003. The other day I went to check out whether anyone was using the word “blogorrhia” as in “logorrhia” and they have. I can’t wait for the next big thing. But no one has used “blogdrums ” yet so that is at least something.

Woot.