The Kick Box - On Hip!

Actually, you will. We have to push toward a web radio station anyway, lawyer says so. I'm working on a repeater that can receive a webcast and then rebroadcast it to FM. The trick is to make it cheap because it will take a lot of them to make this work. Ultimately the whole show will be on the web (we play a lot of 90s music BTW). But again we run into bandwidth issues that only the mega-stations can afford. So we're playing around with loading segments onto free podcasts sites all over the web and then tapping them into broadcast segments. So our not so stupid morning show will be split across a few different sites with no complete assemblage on any one site. We ARE underground after all!

 

Yea, I actually do write for a living. People hate my emails.

 

Thank you!!

HUZZAH!!

 

Lol, I bet they do.
But writing for a living is freakin awesome!
(Well, I think so anyway.)

Oh! Sweet!
I mean, it sounds like a lot of work... but it also sounds like an aggravatingly fun journey getting it done.
Please let us know when we can tune in!

 

What got me thinking about it was all the free wifi out there. I can get a low power FM transmitter, a cheap wifi tablet and a solar panel for about $100. It's enough to blanket a shopping center. See, I still have objections to the way radio is controlled in the US. It's a game for the rich and fuck everybody else. I'm trying to get people interested in taking over at least small sections of the airwaves with so many small stations that something will have to be done.

But, it's a long slog. There's a powerful Hispanic station in New Jersey that obliterates the NYC stations within a few mhz of their frequency. It must be a harmonic mess to be bleeding over so badly and it's easily over a kilowatt. But what I have noticed is that the FCC sort of gives a pass to "ethnic" underground stations. So I have added a lot of the music I got from Turkey, Africa and South America.

My partner's wife is a paralegal and made a few episodes of a show we call "You Been Busted" where we discuss ways to avoid the worst aspects of the law (I never knew it was a felony to put pot in a prescription bottle, even if there's no label). We started one called Car Crap where we go after all the useless "mechanics" around here, but too many people called in bogus shit hoping to get us to do the needling they should be doing.


Writing for a living is weird. First of all, I write some of the most boring shit on the planet; policies, procedures, speeches, checklists, service manuals and a little bit of marketing (which is like having a cheerleader direct my efforts). The thing that has kept me paid for the last 20+ years is my unique ability to read thousands of pages of boring shit and write a few paragraphs to explain it to people who make double what I do.

Another acquaintance of mine does sound at Burning Man every so often and thinks my going after archaic FM broadcasting is futile. But my reasoning is that the content is the driver, not the medium. If people weren't listening, they would not be calling in (I fkin LOVE 21st century burner phones). However, it's his advice I'm taking as I work on webcasting. Even though I'm going to blast the webcasts directly to 99.3 FM anyway.

Here's an early podcast experiment (It's way too long at 71 minutes)
Buzzsprout » The best way to create and publish a podcast

 

It sounds like you have a solid plan going forward, both for more current plans and those reaching into the future.
Not to mention some smart programming to garner some leniency should that come into play.
It sounds like an interesting station overall!

It's funny, I was going to mention that maybe technical writing isn't much fun and here it is, looking like you do that at times.
And yeah, that's some really dry content!
(I had to learn about technical writing for a multi-media class I took.)
And hey, being able to lucidly summarize a large amount of information into something small, succinct is no small feat!

hmm... after re-reading the part about FM vs webcasting, it makes me think of XM and whether it would be feasible for a group of people to get together to buy small satellites to create their own digital radio band.


The link you posted didn't go to the right page, but it's cool, I just looked up the URL without the episodes info and went from there.
Not bad stuff... the music reminds me of a hanging out at the beach with some beers or something.
The banter reminds me a bit of early Howard Stern... at least the way it flows between those who are there and the casual manner in which it happens.

Of course, now I have a Buzzsprout account which will make me consider starting my own podcast.
(Although, the most likely outcome is that I never bother.)

 

Hey there.
So, I thought it had only been a week since last time, but... well... it's two.
womp womp

(Oh... and since I made an account for Buzzsprout, I'm seeing their ads all over the place, so it's at least a constant reminder to think about podcasting.)

ANYWAY...
Beer #1:

(Alc. 6.8%)
(Red Tank - Hazy Cosmic Jive)

Smell: Nectarine with a touch of pine on a biscuity body.

Taste: Somewhat peppery stone fruit (mostly nectarine) with slightly funky pine and grapefruit underpinnings.

Overall, it's an interesting brew. Almost straightforward IPA profile, but that funky pine is funky. Not in a bad way, just... different.

ALL HAIL BOWIE!!!


Oh...
also...

(as is the norm)
this hottie...

 

I'm not on the same page as the biscuit... but I know grapefruity, and had, at one time, a love for IPA beers. India Pale Ale has a strong flavor. You'd be surprised the one I think of the most now that I don't drink.

 

Once upon a time, I finished a beer.
And then, I opened a new one.
That new one was...

Beer #2:

(Alc. 7.3%)
(Omnipollo - Henosis)

Smells: Stone fruit and slight sugared melon.

Tastes: Dank, slightly funky peach and stark grapefruit lead into dry, but easy-handed, pine.

Overalls, this is a nice beer. A bit deep on the dankness, but largely decent. Either way, it goes down fairly smooth. Not my fave, but I wouldn't chase it away. Pretty good for what it is though.


hey
hey
hey

pic time!

And...
here we go!

 

The biscuit part is about the body.
And there's usually 3 references for that: cracker, biscuit, or bread
Which could be usually (but not always) determined by the head and bubbles.

You're right though... it is kinda surprising that you would think of Coors Light!
But hey, to each their own.

 

Welp, time for that final review of the night.
(Gladly, it doesn't suck.)

As I'm wont to do, the last review of the night will be for a...*drum roll* ...sweetish, smokyish stout.
So, let's do it, shall we?

Beer #3:

(Alc. 11%)
(Lough Gill - Dark Sunset)

Smellerin: Coffee grounds, and oak, present cocoa nibs and vanilla bean.

Tastification: Coffee grounds travel over vanilla beans to meet cocoa nibs. Sweet malt outlines the woodsy background.

Oh. Vuhralls: Pretty standard stout profile, but handled with a decent deftness. I prefer very little sweetness in a stout, so I'm tempering my valuation with that in mind. Which means it follows the standard "don't gulp" rule for stouts. But it's tasty, even though it breaks down to a generic sounding smoky-sweet profile after the initial heft.

---

What could I possibly come up with for "Dark Sunset"?
Do you think you can guess?
I don't think I could, if I didn't already knew.

But...

Speaking of not knowing, how about we change that?
Let's take a gander, shall we?

 

It's kind of a bummer that it's become more normal for me to drink bi-weekly instead of weekly.
If only because I inevitably end up missing from here when I'm not drinking.

I'm here now!
And drinking!
But, what am I drinking?
Well, let's find out!

Beer #1:

(Alc. 6.75%)
(Evil Twin - New York Is A Great Place To Visit, But I Would Never Want To Live There)

Smell - Softly sweet citrus rises up in front of a ghost of dry pine.

Taste -Smooth, subdued, sweet citrus takes the lead. While dry pine evens the balance far behind the scenes.

Overall, this is an incredibly gentle brew. The flavor isn't missing, but it never gets in your face. Just a pleasant, easy-going drink that would be great for social gatherings where you don't have to stick to session beers.

.
.
.

And, umm...
as for the pic?
It's not just a hottie this time.

It's more... well..
I tried to make it fitting for the label, as I'm wont to do.

So, yeah...
here ya go...

 

I've already finished my second beer.
But still dropping the review, obvs.

Beer #2:

(Alc. 7.8%)
(Toppling Goliath - King Sue)

Smellin - Mango steps up before sweet grapefruit gives way to orange pith, with hoppy hops along for the ride in the backseat.

Tastin - Grapefruit thinks about pineapple while holding hands with distant mango and orange pith, as pine-dry hops walk forward towards the back end.

Overallin, this is fairly tasty, if you like dry brews. It's not bad, but it's not my fave as it kinda sports the "bruised stone-fruit" profile that I find common to these brews. I wouldn't refuse it, but I wouldn't seek it out either.

...

And, um...
hehe

I, uh, got something.

*giggle*

K, here ya go...

 

And then there was the last beer.
Which I've been drinking.

And now you get some info on!

Beer #2:
(Alc. 8.5%)
(Captain Lawrence - Pastry Dreams)

Smelly - Sweetish malt and vanilla coffee.

Tasty - Black coffee with vanilla extract. With a slightly nutty, distant back end.

Overally, not a bad stout. Kind of a standard "good stout, man"... as in, it's not overly sweet or bitter. The profile definitely isn't as tempting as some others I've had, but it's nowhere near the turnoff some have been either.

...


k, let me..
Oh... "pastry dreams"... mmhmm...

*searches for a pic*

meh
I thought I was going to find something way better.
Instead...

you get...

this...
(Alc. 8.5%)
(Captain Lawrence - Pastry Dreams)

Smelly - Sweetish malt and vanilla coffee.

Tasty - Black coffee with vanilla extract. With a slightly nutty, distant back end.

Overally, not a bad stout. Kind of a standard "good stout, man"... as in, it's not overly sweet or bitter. The profile definitely isn't as tempting as some others I've had, but it's nowhere near the turnoff some have been either.

...


k, let me..
Oh... "pastry dreams"... mmhmm...

*searches for a pic*

meh
I thought I was going to find something way better.

Instead, you get...

 

I tried an Orval Trappist Ale.


It kind of reminds me of the beer stage when making whiskey. It's interesting, but pricey. It will foam over if you pour it too fast. The bottle is thick and heavy, which may explain the pressure when I opened it.

And now, back to Guinness nitro!

 

I've often wondered about that Orval ale.
Sounds like an interesting drink!

I'll have to give it a try sometime!

Not tonight though.
I already have beers for tonight.
And if you stay tuned, there's a review coming in my very next post!

 

So, welcome to my very next post!
If you look to your left, you'll see the avatars of people who post things.
And to your right, there's a scroll bar.

But if you look straight ahead, you should be able to see...

Beer #1:

(Alc. 8.2%)
(Great Barn - Hazy Acres IPA)

Smells - Orange citrus and a bit of dry hay introduce a biscuit-y body, while suggestions of pine linger in the distance.

Tastes - Orange citrus and hay, giving way to a pithy pine back end.

Overalls, this is a decent beer. And it's very much "a beer". The flavors I reviewed had to be teased out a bit, as it really just drinks like a standard ale of good quality. It does shine in the aspect that it doesn't get too bitter or play around with being sweet. A solid brew without being eccentric.

-
--
---

---
--
-

Aaand as always,

I'm wasting some space,

before I get to,

the pic...

 

Aaaand moving on to...

Beer #2:

(Alc. 8%)
(Three 3's - Here's The Scoop)

Smellin: Faint guava touched by red currant leading into a sweet, hoppy body.

Tastin: Dank guava trailed by red currant, passing by a memory of funky pine in the end.

Overallin, this isn't as much of a "milkshake" IPA I would've wanted, but it doesn't entirely miss that mark either. That said, it's still yummy and it leaves a little extra sweetness on your lips. (A bit funky though.)

.
..
.
..
.

boop

.
.
.

Aaaaaannnd...

the pic:

 

And then I was on my last beer.
Which means I can do other things besides drinking beer!

But for now, let's get the review of...

Beer #3:

(Alc. 10%)
(Half Acre - Big Hugs : Imperial Coffee Stout)

Smellerin: Dark chocolate nibs, black coffee, and a touch of vanilla. (And kinda metallic.) Bready body with some sweet malt foundation.

Tasterin - Smokey black coffee grounds. Bitter dark chocolate follows faintly behind. Bitter vanilla meanders through on the down low. A reserved sweet malt foundation serves as a balance.

Overallerin, this is a fairly robust stout. None of the bitterness is overwhelming or anything, it's just the prevalent profile note(s). Honestly, I would've named/labeled it something more fitting, but that's neither here nor there. It's pretty good shit and that's the that of that.

..
.
now...
.
..

a pic?

...
...

yup.

Sure is...

 

Wow... some of you have been upping your game I see. I've gotta start posting in here again.