As some of you may vaguely remember, the last beer that I brewed (last October) was a milk stout. It has been on tap for a couple weeks now, and I must say the flavor is pretty good. It's not an overpowering stout, but still very dark and thick. The carmel cream ale has another week or two in the secondary fermenter before it gets transferred to a keg to condition. At some point during the conditioning, I plan on adding more lactose and vanilla extract to further enhance the flavor. At last check, the alcohol content was right around 5.6%, and it should finish slightly higher; I believe this will be the strongest beer I've made to date. I expect that one to be on draft by the end of February, and I'll hopefully be starting another one soon.

Just wanted to remind everyone that the 11th annual Winter X-Games starts tonight and goes through Sunday. Be sure to check out the men's snowboard superpipe where you'll get to see Louie Vito (a fellow former-Bellefontaine native) try for his first X-Games medal. In his first X-Games appearance last year he finished 5th, and has been getting pretty good praise in the past year as someone to watch out for. As a recent high-school graduate, this is his first season completely dedicated to snowboarding, and many people think this might be his time to shine. He's known for doing back-to-back 1080s and is always great to watch. The Winter X-Games are taking place once again in Aspen, Colorado, and will be shown on both ESPN and ABC (hopefully in HD).

In other snowboarding news, Mad River Mountain is gearing up for their annual MWX Big Air and Rail Jam competition. They have finally been able to make a decent amount of snow and should have the terrain park ready to go for Saturday. They have the big air jump already made; it's in a different place this year, further down the left side of the main slope, and could lead to some interesting fun. Unfortunately, I won't be in attendance this year; I guess I'll just have to impress the ladies some other time. =) And with that said, I'm out.

This weekend was a pretty hectic one for me. Since winter had finally made its appearance in Ohio, Mad River Mountain was able to build a substantial base and open 90% of the terrain. I left work early on Friday to make it down to get on the mountain as soon as possible and was amazed by just how many people there were. I have never seen so many buses, at least ten of them, lined up in the parking lot. The lines to the lifts were insane; at one point the wait was at least 10 minutes. While I was happy to be out on the snow, it just wasn't worth it to stick around too much. We left early and decided to come back out Saturday morning, and the crowd was much more manageable.

Saturday evening, Cheryl and I went to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo. While she had seen the production a couple times (including an earlier show a couple weeks ago), this was my first time seeing the musical (or any professionally-done musical for that matter). I must say that I was pretty impressed with the whole show with my only complaint being that I couldn't understand anything when more than three people were singing on the stage. We also went to a little Chinese place across the street which I had never heard of. I ordered the General Tso's Chicken and Wonton Soup... it was excellent. Also, Saturday marked the return of my brother from Qatar, where he was stationed for the past two months. From the little I heard, he was enjoying his time over there and was playing some basketball on the base (he's big enough to be Shaq's long-lost white brother). Sunday was get things done day. We went to The Anderson's to look for a tub for my beer (to protect my closet from future explosions), and stopped at Tony Packo's and enjoyed some fine Hungarian food for lunch. They have the best hot dogs and fried pickles in the area. I finally got a chance to take my picture from the 2004 UT vs. BG football game into Michael's for framing, and got a much needed haircut before coming home and watching Pixar's Cars.

Well, that's about it for now. Week #3 has started of classes and I still can't wait for the semester to be over. Work is work and this weekend should be interesting. Myself, Cheryl, Jared, and Kelly are planning a trip up to IKEA on Sunday, hopefully with a stop for lunch at a nearby brewery and maybe the Gap Outlet in Monroe on the way back. I'd like to get back down to the mountain, but probably won't this week. I'm not too worried, however; the cold weather is expected to stick around well into next week. =)

With all the crap the iPhone has been getting in the press lately, I found the image below to be quite amusing.

Classic Will Ferrell...

I woke up this morning and found this white stuff on the ground... the first thing I thought is that it was ash and another building in my apartment complex must be on fire. Looking around, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I guess it must have been snow!!! Snow on the ground, and gas at $1.79 a gallon (it cost me less than $20 to fill-up, something that hasn't happened in quite awhile)... have I entered some crazy parallel universe?!?!

Can't wait to get back on the mountain later tonight, even if it is only a 300-foot vertical drop. =)

From The Toldeo Blade (thanks to Brad for forwarding this to me):

The city of Toledo could become the first major city in Ohio to have wireless Internet access citywide under a proposal presented yesterday by Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

A leading potential bidder is EarthLink, which operates the wireless or "wi-fi" network in Philadelphia, although Buckeye CableSystem, Inc., AT&T, and others are expected to bid for the citywide license.

Mr. Finkbeiner, who has boasted of Toledo's 2005 designation by Intel Corp. as the fifth "most-unwired" city in the nation, said his administration has distributed a request for proposals (RFP) for providers who could make wireless Internet service available throughout the city's 88 square miles.

City officials said the wireless system would be as secure as Internet access obtained through phone lines or broadband cable.

The RFP seeks bidders willing to make the expected $10 million investment in infrastructure in return for a license to be branded as "Wireless Toledo."

The mayor said the contract would not cost taxpayers a penny, but would provide plenty of benefits: free wireless service to city agencies, such as police and fire departments; free wireless access in certain public buildings and outdoor areas; and discounted wireless service for low-income people. Most people would pay an undetermined fee to use the service.

Perhaps most important of all, Toledo would gain the distinction of being on the cutting edge of cities with wireless communications technology.

This could be interesting, especially with the wi-fi enabled iPhone being released in June (and on my "to buy" list)... I'm just hoping good old Carty doesn't mess this one up. Click here to read the entire article.

This morning I took a look at the front page of my website and noticed that the majority of the postings had very little to do with me. Therefore, I decided to write this little snippet for your reading pleasure...

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but winter has returned in force to the Ohio Valley, which means the ski resorts around the state turned on their snowmaking equipment Monday afternoon and haven't had to turn them off yet. Mad River Mountain is planning on opening its slopes this afternoon (and will continue making snow during open hours), so I'm already planning on heading back down to Bellefontaine on Friday for some relaxing snowboarding. I'll be able to get out on the slopes Friday night and Saturday morning, but then I've got to head back as Cheryl and I are seeing Phantom of the Opera at the Stranahan Theater here in Toledo. I have never attended a big-production musical, so this should be an interesting experience.

Week #2 of school has started, and I'm already looking forward to the end of the semester. I recently scheduled my final two classes in the MBA program for this summer and, as long as I do well in my classes, I'll be graduating at the end of June! Definitely looking forward to that one; I just need to get my resume updated soon...

AppleInsider is reporting that we may see The Beatles library in iTunes very soon, possibly on or before Valentine's Day. This would be a landmark for a couple reasons. First, it would mark the first time their catalog has been available electronically for distribution over the Internet. Secondly, and probably most significant, it would signal an agreement between Apple Corps and Apple, Inc. who have been fighting a number of public legal battles over the years. Rumors of such a move have been spreading around the Internet since the Steve Jobs keynote at MacWorld, where his presentation featured a number of Beatles references. Below is a snippet of the AppleInsider article:

The news, while to be taken with a grain of salt, gains momentum from Steve Jobs' recent Macworld keynote address. The Apple Inc. chief executive recently piqued the interest of many avid Mac and iPod followers by making seemingly continuous use of The Beatles material in the music sections of both his Apple TV and iPhone demos, leading some to believe that he was deliberately stoking the fires of existing rumors linking The Beatles and iTunes.

Conspicuously, Jobs scrolled past a "My Beatlemania!" playlist and at least one Beatles album when browsing songs on the Apple TV set-top box. He also played two songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -- complete with high-detail album art -- while showing the iPhone's music playback functions. Lastly, keen-eyed viewers pointed out the disproportionately large number of Beatles albums in the iPhone's music library.

While this should defintely be looked at as simply a rumor at this point, it would be an interesting addition to the iTunes Store as they continue to add more content to their already large library. Other rumors circulating include another increase in video resolution to match the AppleTV's 720p output (which seems very logical to me since Apple is quick to mention that the AppleTV was built for high-definition content, yet they currently only offer movie trailers at that resolution).

UPDATE: According to reports from the Toronto Sun, Apple is planning a "special" announcement during a commercial playing during the Super Bowl on February 4th. Many are speculating that this will be a formal confirmation of the above rumor. Good thing I usually watch the Super Bowl for the commercials!

Just got back from Detroit a couple hours ago, and was able to get the pictures that I took up for your viewing pleasure. You can click here or visit the photo page to view them.

On the way back to Toledo (after taking a wrong turn and ending up somewhere north of Detroit) Brad, Zim, and myself stopped at the Fort Street Brewery to sample a couple of their beers and grab a growler to go. When I arrived back at my apartment, I noticed that the Carmel Cream Ale that we prepared yesterday had a pretty violent explosion and blew the airlock out of the top of the fermenter. I don't anticipate any problems stemming from this, and it is happily bubbling (rather rapidly) away once again.

Today, after a two+ month hiatus, I finally was able to get around to brewing another 5-gallon batch of beer. It was a fairly easy recipe, and we didn't experience anything too out of the ordinary. The final smell and color of the beer is excellent and I can't wait to get a taste of it. The starting final gravity was 1.056, and will likely finish somewhere close to 1.020 due to the lactose used. It will spend approximately ten days in the primary, and another two or three weeks in the secondary fermenter before being syphoned into a keg. While lactose and real vanilla extract were added during the brewing process today, more will be added when the drink is finally kegged in a month or so.

Below is a 4:30 minute clip from CBS News that shows the iPhone in action. Do I want one of these? Yes. Is it going to be hard to wait until June to have one in my hands? Yes. I hope we see more information about the capabilities and service plans as we get closer to the release date.

This Sunday, I'm heading up to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show. I'll be bringing my camera along (hopefully with the battery this time), so expect pictures up here by the evening.

January 9, 2007 may be remembered as the day that Apple unveiled yet another revolutionary product to the masses. This week in San Francisco is the annual Macworld Expo, with Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) delivering the keynote speech. It was at this event last year that he announced the transition to the Intel CPUs (and their first Intel-equipped product, the Macbook Pro, which I pre-ordered shortly afterwards). This year, he didn't have too much in the way of Macintosh-specific announcements only saying that there would be a number of big announcements over the next couple months (most notably the release of OSX 10.5 -- Leopard). Much of his time was spent talking about the success of the iTunes Store as well as two hardware announcements. (You can watch a streaming version of the keynote by clicking here.)

1.) iTunes Store News
Probably the biggest piece of iTunes news was that, contrary to earlier reports, iTunes sales have not declined, and in fact totaled over 1.1 billion in the first 10 months of 2006. Jobs also announced that another movie studio had finally opened their catalog up to the service, with Paramount adding an additional 250 titles to be available over the next day or two.

2.) iTV = AppleTV
For the second part of the keynote speech, Steve unveiled more about the iTV project he first introduced at the WWDC conference last September. In its simplest form, the AppleTV is a hardware unit that brings content from your iTunes library to your living room. Optimized for widescreen televisions, the device features an Intel processor, 40GB hard drive, HDMI and component outputs (capable of up to 720p resolution), and 802.11b/g/n wireless networking support. One thing Jobs was sure to point out was the fact that the unit could not only stream content from authorized computers, but also store data so that it is instantly available. Not only can you share your own content with your AppleTV, but you can also stream data from friend's laptops once they are connected to the network. All in all, this sounds like a great device; it'll ship sometime in February for $299. More pictures are available here courtesy of AppleInsider.

3.) Widescreen iPod + Phone + Internet Device = iPhone
The one thing that everyone has been talking about for almost the past six months was the possibility of Apple releasing a phone product sometime in 2007. While I also believed that this would happen, I must say that I was a little surprised by just how finished and polished the product looked when it was unveiled during the keynote. According to Steve Jobs, the company has been working on the device for the past 2.5 years. Running a modified version of the OSX operating system, the device is completely free of buttons (sans a lone home button at the bottom of the device); rather it features a 3.5" high-resolution screen that can dynamically change based on what the user is doing. The screen looked very crisp and detailed when watching iTunes videos, and the CoverFlow (as introduced in iTunes 7.0) way of selecting music works all too well. It also features very cool implementations of Google Maps, Safari for internet access, and Dashboard-like widgets. If you know me, you'll know that I'm usually not very excited when it comes to mobile phone technology, but after watching the keynote video I can say that I am truly anticipating owning one of these in the very near future. Hardware specs include a two megapixel digital camera, WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0, and GSM+EDGE cellular network compatibility. Available exclusively through Cingular, the phone will sell in two versions: a 4GB model for $499, and an 8GB one for $599. It is expected to be available in the United States in June. For more pictures, click here.

One other interesting thing to note from the keynote was that Apple Computer Inc. is now known simply as Apple Inc. to better represent the overall product strategy of the company. While the above announcements are extremely exciting, I can't help but feel a little disheartened that we didn't hear any major Macintosh-specific announcements. There was no mention of any of the "secret" features of Leopard, nothing on iLife and iWork '07, and no new computer models/upgrades. However, Steve did promise that we'll be hearing more about these in the near future, so maybe a little patience is in order. While not formally announced during the keynote, an 802.11n version of Apple's Airport Extreme was made available for pre-order when the Apple online store was reopened.

Personally, I'm very interested in both the AppleTV and iPhone. I'll likely have the new Airport Extreme wireless router and an AppleTV shortly after they are released, and am very strongly considering switching to Cingular once the iPhone is released later this year. I'll have to start saving for that purchase now though; hopefully my change jar will cover a significant portion of that bill. =)

Via GameSpot:

Arcades may be all but gone for gamers in North America, but the advent of digital distribution with the new generation of consoles is ensuring that they aren't completely forgotten. Sony Online Entertainment today announced that it has licensed the rights to sell downloadable versions of a half-dozen Midway arcade games for the PlayStation 3.

The six games announced in the deal are Mortal Kombat II, Gauntlet II, Joust, Rampage World Tour, Rampart, and Championship Sprint. Sony Online said those titles were chosen specifically for their multiplayer components--the company is adding online play for all six.

The first titles from the deal should be made available in "early 2007." Sony Online Entertainment also hinted that this would be only the beginning of the company's downloadable PS3 offerings. The company's senior vice president and CFO John Needham said in a statement, "SOE will continue to explore additional opportunities to bring fun and unique digital content to the PlayStation Network."

I for one can't wait to be able to play Mortal Kombat 2 again (although the controls are probably going to be a little funky). It is announcements like this that will help get the PS3 and the PlayStation Network closer in line with the offerings from its competitors.

I plan on posting the stories from CES and Macworld that I find interesting to this blog throughout the next week. Tomorrow should be especially exciting since Steve Jobs will be giving the keynote speech at Macworld, and he always has more than a few tricks up his sleeves. Rumored announcements include the iPhone, iTV, Leopard (OSX 10.5), iLife & iWork '07 upgrades, .mac upgrades, new Airport routers, and more. Check back here throughout the week to see what news stories I've posted!

Taken from an official Acura press release via Temple of VTEC (www.vtec.net):

The show-stopping Acura "Advanced Sports Car Concept" made its world debut today at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. The dynamically styled concept provides a preview of the design direction for the successor to the Acura NSX.

Created to take exotic sports car styling to a new level, the concept is designed to incorporate a powerful front-mounted, V-10 engine and a new high-performance, rear-wheel-drive based version of Acura's exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive(TM) (SH-AWD(TM)).

"The Acura brand will always be a home for people who love to drive," said Takeo Fukui, president & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. "As we advance toward building a car like this, I can tell you it will feature advanced technology matching our passion for performance."

The concept's exterior demonstrates a dynamic fusion of advanced technology and emotion. The long, pronounced hood features deeply sculpted lines and embossed air vents, both of which hint at the powerful engine beneath. The exterior lines run the length of the body, creating a ribbon-like effect from the front headlights to the rear wheel arches, evoking a feeling of movement and power.

Although modern in its appearance, the Advanced Sports Car Concept retains the subtle cues associated with its predecessor, the NSX. The concept's slim, LED headlights are pushed wide and designed to mimic the pop-up headlights found on the first generation NSX. Other styling hints include a modern take on wraparound rear taillights and the all black cockpit.

"Our intention was to design an exotic sports car that gracefully combines advanced technology and strong emotion," said Jon Ikeda, principal designer, Acura Design Center. "The technical, machined surfaces and keen-edge design are balanced with sweeping curves and dramatic lines, all of which results in the ultimate exotic sports car."Wide and low to the ground with a 108.8 inch wheelbase, the concept is anchored by grippy 19 inch front and 20 inch rear performance tires which are mounted to custom billet-machined, polished aluminum wheels. Powerful, ventilated carbon ceramic brake discs and eight-piston calipers accent the wheels. Bold wheel arches and flares add to the concept's aggressive appearance.

The low slung cabin is constructed entirely of tinted glass and sits flush against the body. Door handles are also flush mounted, allowing the sports car to retain a clean and aerodynamic appearance. The Advanced Sports Car Concept features a carbon fiber underbody and the rear is finished with aggressive quad exhaust pipes and integrated rear diffusers, further communicating its high performance potential.

The Advanced Sports Car Concept was designed by the Acura's Los Angeles-based design team that will be based at the new Acura Design Center, opening this summer.

While this has the potential to be an amazing car when it's finally released, I'd be content with a late model NSX myself; preferably yellow. =)

Here's something that I haven't seen in a year or so. Enjoy! (Note: Language my not be appropriate for work enviornments.)

In other site news:

1.) I added a link to the library of books and movies that I currently own. The items are cataloged in a program named Delicious Library, and exported to HTML via DeliciWeb.
2.) The final Whiteface and Stowe picture gallery is now available.

Here is an interview recently shown on The Tonight Show with Masi Oka, Hiro on NBC's hit show Heroes. He even does a homage to the Justin Timberlake Saturday Night Live skit that I linked to earlier. If you haven't watched this show yet, you really should; it's easily one of the best new shows of 2006. Anyways, enjoy!

As I was off by myself all day today, I decided to take my iPod Nano up with me on the slopes and see how it was to ride with some music playing. I'd always wanted to take one with me, but I was afraid of breaking the screen on my larger iPod (which no longer works), and I wondered how the hard drive would take the abuse. Thankfully my Nano made it through the ordeal without a scratch, and I really like having my own soundtrack to go with the experience. I will, however, need to make a special "Snowboarding" playlist for use when I hit the slopes; for some reason U2's With Or Without You just doesn't fit the mood of trying to make it down a black diamond run. =)

Back in Toledo tomorrow, and I've already decided that Friday morning and afternoon will be a catch up on TiVo session. I'm pretty sure Cheryl is cooking something for what will be our one-month anniversary (how cute!), so I have that to look forward to as well. This will probably be the last update from Stowe, so I hope everyone has enjoyed the comments and pictures. I plan on putting up the final picture gallery directly on this website Friday, so look for it then!

Well, we just got off the slopes here at Stowe an hour or so ago (I had to take a shower before I went to the lobby to get on the wireless network), and I was pretty happy with today. It was very windy up towards the top, and the snow was a little icy, but I had a great time and got a great workout. That is the one thing that these bigger resorts have on anything back home; the trails are long enough that you actually get a decent workout when you go down from the top. Some of the trails were over 8000 feet in length and I'm sure I burned quite a few calories on my way down. I'm sure I'l replenish them all tonight; I think we are going to The Rusty Nail, which was recently rated the best ski bar in the country by Mens' Journal (or maybe Men's Health, I can never remember exactly). =)

Tomorrow's weather is looking to be a little warmer and a little less windy. Hopefully the crowds will be like they were today, and it will be a great day on the slopes. More pictures have been posted, and I'm sure I'll have more to say later... I'm just submitting my Summer 2007 class registration (my last semester!), and then logging out for now. Until the next post!

Click here for Stowe & Whiteface Flickr Set

(And before anyone else asks, the picture below is a JOKE. The glasses were 4oz each. I have never passed out in public due to alcohol... at least that I can remember!)

On our way to Stowe, Vermont, today, I learned an important lesson about Google Maps.

1.) They don't tell you if the route they provide you requires you to take a ferry across a large body of water, and

2.) They don't take into consideration that a route that takes you over the top of the mountain may not be the best (or even open) during the winter.

With that said, we made it here around 4:30pm. The clouds were pretty thick around the mountain, so I wasn't able to see what I'm up against, but I'm sure I'll get a good idea tomorrow morning. After checking into the hotel, we made it to the Shed Brewery a couple miles down the hill where I was able to sample all of their brews (as evidenced in the picture above). I have uploaded a couple new pictures to my Flickr account; with that said, I'm heading to bed.

We're getting ready to leave Lake Placid this afternoon and the snow report from Stowe looks promising. They were calling for freezing rain all last night and this morning, but it looks like that has passed to the south of the resort; with only 1" of snow/sleet reported and no more precipitation currently falling. Temperatures get cold again for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday so I think we'll be safe and able to enjoy what is supposed to be the #1 resort in the East.