Author: Adam

Wine, wine, wine, that’s all he ever does…

I have most of a case of wine plus a few assorted bottles left over from me wedding, if anyone else is getting married or just fond of plonk. Can’t stand the stuff meself and can’t sell it anywhere because of “rules”. Huh!

Whites

  • 9x Blossom Hill California Chardonnay
  • Winter Hill Chardonnay 2006
  • Lindemans Chardonnay 2007

Reds

  • Winter Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
  • 2x Royal 2004

Champagnes

  • Oudinot Brut 2002 75cl
  • Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial 75cl
  • Lanson Blacklabel Brut 375ml

Google Analytics script 97% slower at peak in Europe

According to Pingdom, performance in Europe is significantly worse than Stateside. Lets hope AdSense performs better. Beef up that European infrastructure Google!

And webmasters, make sure that script is at the bottom of your pages, not the top!

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As you can see, loading the GA script from North America is overall a bit slower than loading it from Europe. On the other hand, while the European load times are significantly faster on average than the North American ones, the performance is much more uneven over the course of the day.

The difference between the maximum and minimum load times for North America is 27%, but in Europe the difference is 97%.

NASA Common Extensible Cryogenic Engine

Icicles! On an engine that burns at 5000 degress!

A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing. The goal of these tests is to reduce risk and advance technology for a reliable and robust rocket engine that could enable America’s next moon landing.

The tests by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne in West Palm Beach, Fla., helped to gather data on this concept engine that might play a role in the next stage of human exploration of the moon. Most rockets make spacecraft travel faster. The goal of a lunar lander descent engine is to slow the vehicle so astronauts can land safely.

RTÉ: Bring Back Glic Rick!

Thanks to Allan, via Damien, we now have a way to vent our spleens about the bizarre hobbling of Rick O’Shea’s 2FM show. I haven’t heard the show since I heard about, since 2FM is now out of my rotation. Here’s what I said:

I won’t bore you with a diatribe, I just want to register a complaint about the RTE decision to hamstring and ultimately destroy Rick O’Shea’s show on 2FM. I’m not a huge radio listener but when I do have the radio on, Rick is one of the only DJ’s I’m interested in listening to. I’m much less likely to switch to 2FM on my dial now. Please revoke the decision and put it back the way it was.

Thanks,
Adam Beecher

I received an autoreply immediately, score 1 for RTÉ. Score 2 for the non-autoreply 4 minutes later, probably a form response but still deserving of brownie points. Score 3 for the fact that it’s 8:30 at night. 1 more point and I’ll put the channel back into rotation. Guess what’ll do it RTÉ? :)

Dear Adam,
Thank you for your e-mail.
Your comments in relation to the changed format of the Rick O’Shea show will be included in our Audience Log of calls and e-mails, which is circulated for information to senior management in RTÉ Radio and is reviewed at the weekly meeting of the Editorial Boards.
Your e-mail is also being brought to the attention of the Head of RTÉ 2fm.
Thank you again for taking the time to make your views known to us, we very much welcome all feedback on our programmes and services.

With best regards
XXXXXXXXXXXX
RTÉ Information Officer

How To Create A BETTER Irish Bar

Jason Sheehen of Denver Westward tells us how to create a great Irish bar, and doesn’t get it far wrong. But if he wants a real taste of the “old country” as he calls it – I’ve always hated that phrase – he needs a few adjustments:

For a start, he lost credibility when he mentioned Harp. Harp is piss, the Budweiser/Fosters of Ireland. The only good thing Harp ever brought to this world is the “Pinta Harp and a packeta dates there Laurence” ad from the late eighties. Remember that?

Jameson isn’t bad but Black Bush from our friends north of the border is smoother, and Midleton Rare is the finest Irish whiskey on the… well, in Ireland. Personally I don’t think it should be allowed outside the country, but that could simply be naked greed. It’s all I drank at my wedding, but sure everyone else was buying!

Ampersanded pub names are British, not Irish. Ampersanded pub names IN Ireland are there because some British bastard named it, and we haven’t got around to changing it yet. Sure there’s no rush like. (Lenny Henry said it best when he described Ireland as a “cold Jamaica” and gave an example of an Irish fella ejected from the pub, horizontally, pint in hand, saying “ah sure I was leavin’ anyway”.)

Road, cigarette and drink signs are ok as long as they’re genuine. In particular the road sign, which has to be in miles – none of your new-fangled kilometers here please – and stolen and “exported” yourself, wrapped in bin bags. Plus of course they all have to be a bit dirty. As does everything in the bar, particularly the bartop itself. A slight stickiness on the tables adds realism.

“Irish music” needs to be clearer. Boyzone and Westlife are Irish ffs, and no self-respecting Irish man would listen to that twaddle. (Of course Irish women aren’t allowed in proper Irish bars, except perhaps for a half on Sundays after Mass.) U2, Thin Lizzy and Clannad are fine, with a few unknown Irish fellas on their own instruments in the corner on Saturdays night. The langer song is not fine. It’s shite.

On the food front it’s actually King crisps you want, plus a nearly empty card of Bacon Fries and a box of Cadburys Snacks. Purple ones, obviously; or Club bars if you can find them. (They have less chocolate so they’re cheaper. And nastier. ) If you want to draw in real Irish alcoholics, Crúibíns are your only man.

Look, just go into the Spailpín Fánach in Cork and use that as a model. You’ll need to walk up to the Brown Derby for the Crúibíns though.