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Comment Site Slashdotted - Coralized links (Score 1) 804

Comment Re: Who cares? (Score 1) 325

Except that 80% of German beer that is drunk it good or better beer and 80% of american beer that is drunk is mediocre or worse. You can find very bad beer in Germany and great beer in the US. The big difference in Germany is that most beer that is sold in bars is from the one of the local breweries, which on average is 3 per town (from 1000 pop.). In many cases you have larger beer houses that brew and sell their own beer. On average you get better beer in Germany than the US.

- from a USA/German national

The problem that I found while on my beer tour of Bavaria, is that you only see a few styles at the biergarten. Helles lager, hefeweiss, dunkel, and a radler or two. I feel like though there are fewer craft breweries in the US, we are surely catching up thanks to a wonderful craft renaissance here, and the styles are vastly more varied. Also, it's now much more difficult to get a poor beer from a craft brewer, since the competition is really intensifying. I urge you to reconsider your statement by spending a long weekend in Portland. (The one at either coast). Disclaimer: I am a beer brewer. -ZX

Comment Re:Beer saved the World! (Score 5, Informative) 325

it was called "small beer" not "short beer"

Small, short, I just speak American.

Even modern beer doesn't contain enough alcohol to kill bacteria; the important thing is that to make beer you had to boil it

Interesting. I wondered why the small alcohol content worked (maybe it helped a little?). I also wondered why they didn't just boil water, whether it was ignorance or just a preference for beer instead of water (actually I still don't know). I'm also obviously no brewer, as I didn't know you had to boil water to make beer.

I am a brewer, so what you'd learn is that while the small amount of alcohol helps to stem biological activity, there are two parts to ensure bacteria doesn't contaminate the end product - first, that the product is boiled is the true sanitation, but secondly during primary fermentation the active yeast strains compete with bacteria and win (or else it wouldn't be tasty). The fact that beer uses hops is another aid to the effort. The acids in the hop plant have effects that prevent spoilage, such as antibiotic and bacteriostatic qualities against gram-positive bacteria strains, and it seems to fend of molds as well. This way before refrigeration you could cask the beer in the fall/winter/early spring and then put it into a basement or as the germans did, bunkers by river beds, to drink it throughout the summer. Of course, there are exceptions such as belgian sours that purposely utilize brettanomyces, pediococcus, or lactobacillus to introduce the characteristic tang, but that's a little off topic and an entirely different conversation. -ZX

Image

Computer Opens Unmanned Store For Holiday 333

tomhudson writes "The Walkato Times in New Zealand is reporting that someone forgot to tell the computer not to unlock the supermarket on the Friday holiday. 'About half of the 24 people who came into the supermarket paid for their groceries using the self-scan service. The service stopped working after alcohol was scanned, requiring a staff member to check a customer's age before the system is unlocked.' The owner, Mr Miller, was quoted as saying 'I can certainly see the funny side of it... but I'd rather not have the publicity to be honest. It makes me look a bit of a dickhead.' Rather than take legal action, Mr Miller is hoping that the people who didn't pay will do the right thing."
Linux

Ubuntu: Where Did the Love Go? 778

inkscapee writes "Used to be Ubuntu was the big Linux hero, the shining knight that would drive Linux onto every desktop and kick bad old Windows to the curb. But now Ubuntu is the Bad Linux. What's going on, is it typical fanboy fickleness, or is Canonical more into serving their own interests than creating a great Linux distro?"
Medicine

One Night Stands May Be Genetic 240

An anonymous reader writes "So, he or she has cheated on you for the umpteenth time and their only excuse is: 'I just can't help it.' According to researchers at Binghamton University, they may be right. The propensity for infidelity could very well be in their DNA. In a first of its kind study, a team of investigators led by Justin Garcia, a SUNY Doctoral Diversity Fellow in the laboratory of evolutionary anthropology and health at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has taken a broad look at sexual behavior, matching choices with genes and has come up with a new theory on what makes humans 'tick' when it comes to sexual activity. The biggest culprit seems to be the dopamine receptor D4 polymorphism, or DRD4 gene. Already linked to sensation-seeking behavior such as alcohol use and gambling, DRD4 is known to influence the brain's chemistry and subsequently, an individual's behavior."

Comment Re:webOS Tethering (Score 5, Informative) 211

For Sprint, O2, you can use the one-time-purchase MyTether, which as of the newest version 2.10 is working quite well. From the site http://mytether.net/:
* Allows you to share your O2 UK, Verizon, and Sprint 3G from your Pre to your computer, iPod Touch or other WiFI devices.
* WiFi network name & WAP key customization options
* Makes your Pre into a MiFi-like Mobile HotSpot at your convenience to share your 3G connection.
* Converts Palm Pre into a Wireless Network adapter by letting you share the WiFi connection on the Pre instead of your 3G when tethering over Bluetooth or USB.
* Network usage graphs and total data usage for the session
* Reported to work with iTouch/iPhone, PS3, Xbox 360, Eye-Fi, and will probably work with your WiFI device!
* Ability to turn off the LCD without putting your device into sleep mode.
* Convenience features such as restoring the old WiFi connection when tethering is disabled, prompts to take care of pre-requesties to tethering, remembering settings and last tether options, restoring modifications to settings back to original value upon exit, and many more to list.
Censorship

Florida Congressman Wants Blogging Critic Fined, Jailed 549

vvaduva writes "Florida Rep. Alan Grayson wants to see one of his critics go directly to jail, all over her use of the word 'my' on her blog. In a four-page letter sent to [US Attorney General Eric] Holder, Grayson accuses blogger Angie Langley of lying to federal elections officials and requests that she be fined and imprisoned for five years. Her lie, according to Grayson, is that she claims to be one of his constituents. Langley, Grayson says, is misrepresenting herself by using the term 'my' in the Web site's name."

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