Saturday, May 8, 2021

The View from High Places

A recent Granite Geek blog post reports on the historic improvement in visibility from New Hampshire's Mt Washington. 

This story put me in mind of one that I heard back when I lived in California. 



It is said that from the summit of Mt Diablo, near Oakland and San Francisco, one could see the second greatest land surface area of any peak in the world. This always seemed plausible to me given Diablo's steep rise from a relatively flat area. 

I was far from the only one to hear and embrace this story, but it's sadly turned out to be untrue.  Nevertheless, I wonder what geographical oddity we can find (or invent) to enhance the legend of our own Mt Washington. ???

I want whiskey made from New Hampshire white oak barrels.



Granite Geek Blog:

"Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed on white oak from New England and the results were compared to Midwest white oak. The comparison confirmed that there were discernable differences in the chemical characteristics that could affect the taste of a beverage. Beverage producers can source New England white oak staves or casks if they prefer fewer tannins and more of a specific chemical compound called trans-whiskey-lactone, relative to other sources of American white oak. This is the first known chemical analysis comparing New England white oak to white oak from other regions."

https://granitegeek.concordmonitor.com/2021/05/04/hey-whisky-makers-new-england-white-oak-is-better-for-your-barrels-so-check-the-certificate/

Friday, May 7, 2021

Smart TV?

 I'm looking to upgrade the TV in my home.

All the TVs that I'm looking at are labeled "smart" TVs. But I'm pretty sure I don't want a smart TV.


First, I don't want to pay extra for a smart TV. 

And second, I really don't want to deal with the annoyance of a TV that thinks it's smart.

Any suggestions?

Is this thing still working?

 Is it?

...

Looks like it is!


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