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TedE

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Everything posted by TedE

  1. TedE
    Bummer. Of the trio of storefronts making up that space I thought that Eat the Rich was the strongest. I wonder if they are turning that space into a permanent, rotating pop-up bar space. Judging by the lines that went down the block every time they've done that I can't exactly blame them.
  2. TedE
    They touched on that. There are lots of other "running cultures" that have the benefit of high altitude living and naturally thin builds. These Kenyans happen to be the right kind of skinny, though, as a result of adaptations to a hot and dry climate. Long, thin limbs that maximize surface area for heat dispersal and, very specifically, narrow ankle structure. The difference of just a couple of ounces of mass at the apex of your leg swing translates to comparatively massive savings in expended energy over the course of 26.2 miles. One of the researchers also noted that there is a ton of data out there on the optimum formula for distance running performance and efficiency. It's basically one of the holy grails of exercise physiology. However, since it deals so intimately with genetic factors for that performance it's also the third rail of exercise science. He noted that lots of researchers hold back findings from being published because they fear the ramifications of pointing out causal genetic factors. I suppose nobody wants to be the scientist whose work gets twisted publicly into sinister pseudo-science. That's also why the authors in that podcast were excited to find a cultural explanation.
  3. TedE
    This is one of those athletic achievements that confounds me. In almost every other sport I can see how a combination of intense, prolonged training and good genes from mom and dad gets you to the pinnacle of performance. I just can't fathom the effort necessary to run a 2:15, much less a 2:00, marathon. It just doesn't seem physically possible. Like Don says, at the peak of my running fitness I've run a 400 meters as fast as I could to the point of total exhaustion, and realized that even if I could do that 104 more times without stopping I would be dead last in any international elite marathon. By several minutes. I was listening to an NPR broadcast of RadioLab in the background over the weekend that talked about this. They were looking at possible factors for Kenyan dominance in distance running over the last 40 years, and specifically dominance by runners from one particular region. It's obviously a combination of things, but they were interested in the one factor that seemed to differentiate these runners from even other Kenyans that shared physical attributes: a culture of pain tolerance that centers on male coming of age traditions (that part of the podcast is not for the squeamish!). At that level of running the argument runs that there are two primary gating factors for performance: thermodynamics (the ability for the body to dissipate heat rapidly) and the ability to numb feedback loops for suffering.
  4. TedE
    Ruh roh
  5. TedE
    If Crosby isn't cleared for tomorrow's game (or worse) it's gonna get ugly in the early going. The Caps so far have demonstrated that no lead is safe for them, but haven't put the same fear into their opponents. All the talk of being choke artists is only talk until you fail to disprove it. Again. They need a statement win to bring this back to DC evened up.
  6. TedE
    With Eaton out the chance is pretty much off the table (and with 170 runs in April, the 10th highest ever, I still contend it's a possibility). A lead off man's OBP is a strong determinant of runs scored over the course of a season. Unless Trea (maybe) or Taylor (unlikely) can pick up the slack. It's a huge loss. I guess now their chance is to have a game like yesterday every other week to pad the stats!
  7. TedE
    I didn't say it would be easy, but it's not crazy talk. Bryce will not hit .400, but can Bryce/Murphy/Zim combine for .340+ along with Eaton (and hopefully Turner) getting on base at this clip?
  8. TedE
    50 runs in 4 games or 2.5% of the regular season games they will play this year. For comparison that is 6.5% of their total runs for the entire 2016 season, on pace for 1022 runs this year. Of course they won't plate that many, but 900 runs doesn't seem out of the question at all. This offense is fun to watch. Of course they might need to score that many to give the bullpen a 5-6 run cushion ...
  9. TedE
    DFH 120 Minute is probably still the king of high-test Imperial IPAs. I've heard it referenced as a "quadruple IPA" to distinguish it from lowly double IPAs, borrowing the nomenclature of Belgian Tripel and Quadrupel ales. Available twice a year and selling out regularly even at $10 per 12 oz bottle, it clocks in somewhere in the high teens to around 20% ABV depending on the batch. My understanding is that once you get to that strength fermentation becomes harder to control and recipes can't be dialed in as easily, so every release is a little bit different. Anyway, I only bring it up now because I saw it over the weekend at the DC Costco being sold by the case ... for $199. That is certainly the most expensive case of beer I've ever seen! Someone told me you can get it at the brewery in Milton, DE around release date by the case as well, and I'm sure it runs about the same. The brew pub in Rehoboth usually taps a couple kegs from the Spring release over the summer which is where I usually get my yearly fix. It does cellar very well, and they have other vintages available in bottles from time to time for comparison. I know some beer geeks collect this one and have done vertical tastings going back several years.
  10. TedE
    You have to wonder if Werth's iconic walk off picture was in his mind. I highly doubt it, this is just an enthusiastic competitor doing what he loves to do best, but they make nice bookends:
  11. TedE
    The price I got is way out of line with standard cost, it retails for around $1000 from what I've seen elsewhere. But somebody is making a profit even at that price. That should tell you what the mark up is on these things. It holds 56 bottles on one side in two zones (based on experience with bottle sizing we'll probably be lucky to fit 40). We previously had a cheap-o Haier from Costco. It was in the unfinished basement and I never bothered to vacuum the coils, so I suppose I should be glad we got 12 years out of it! That being said there probably is some actual differentiation at those price points. At the low end they are literally dorm fridges with shelves and a glass front. At the higher end they may include dehumidifiers, smarter thermostats, more reliable industrial compressors, better insulation, plus swanky touches that befit a product designed to store and show off luxury goods. When you add those improvements I'd still bet the mark up scale is logarithmic, not linear. A decade ago I thought that by this point thermoelectric coolers would have basically taken over the market. These are what those tiny desktop coolers that hold 3 cans of soda are, or if you have a car that has a cooler in the armrest. They are ubiquitous in the sub-10 bottle, countertop wine cooler range. However, they don't scale as well, you can't build them in and are much more sensitive to ambient temps and slower to recover. In every other way I would assume a sold state device is much more reliable than a compressor. I'll give them another decade to improve
  12. TedE
    I had looked at several units here and here, as well as Vinotemps from Costco. Again, it's likely that almost all of these have the same or very similar internals. We were restricted somewhat in that we wanted a wine cooler/beverage fridge combo (French door unit with wine temps on one side for ~30 bottles and normal fridge temps for beer/water/juice boxes/etc. on the other). I actually ended up finding exactly what we wanted as an open box item from Wayfair for (drum roll) .... $200. At that price I was willing to take a flyer on a returned item! I haven't even plugged it in to test yet.
  13. TedE
    There are myriad undercounter units out there, but I found that something labeled as "built-in capable" does NOT imply it is a true built-in unit; have to look for the front venting. Expect to pay double or more than a comparable free-standing unit. I just went through this process buying units for our soon-to-be-built wet bar. Unless you are going high-end, name brand like Eurocave there are tons of options in the 50-60 bottle range around $1000, many with dual zones. As with any appliance you can get the same internals as the very expensive models for a big discount, maybe with not as nice finishes. Lots of brands use the exact same compressors which really is the only thing that matters, and many you'll see have what look like the exact same cabinets and doors with a different label slapped on it. Stay away from the really low end (Avanti, Haier), research warranty and company reputation.
  14. TedE
    I have a Hario manual burr grinder and really like it. It takes all of 15-20 seconds to grind enough for a single press pot or Aeropress serving (about 20 grams usually). Even grinding a full hopper only takes a minute or two, and I've got an attachment for a small power screwdriver to make that go faster. It's a little fussy to dial in the grind size by trial and error (you're moving a set screw up and down in very small, unmarked increments), but it seems very consistent once you're there. I put a lock washer on it and don't futz with that setting. If you are going back and forth between espresso and course grind all of the time it would be really annoying.
  15. TedE
    Definitely this. I have the last bit of a 2 lb. bag of Mayorga Honduran coffee in the freezer right now. It was even on additional sale at the time and ended up somewhere around $5/lb. I still buy smaller bags from other local roasters, but use Mayorga whenever I'm making bigger batches in the press pot, and it makes great cold brew concentrate for the summer.
  16. TedE
    This has probably been going on for a few years now. There were rumors and some circumstantial evidence that Fabian Cancellara may have been using one of these motors as early as the 2010 season before anybody was really paying attention to the possibility that the devices were mature enough for a major road race. Some speculate that the current trend towards electronic shifting (itself a very cool bit of tech) got its start from engineers figuring out how to integrate hidden battery packs in bike frames! I like this video of Ryder Hejsedal crashing out and his bike continuing to spin about on the ground like a Three Stooges skit:
  17. TedE
    Here's the thing: I think Bell's still makes something akin Original Recipe Hopslam. They just call it The Oracle. The recipe does change slightly from year to year, but production has almost tripled in the past couple of years from what I can tell. Don's negative correlation between production and quality may hold here, but here's an even more cynical take: Bell's knows what a cash cow this thing is based on name recognition alone and has reduced the cost of the grain and hops bill which affects profit margin without tanking the beer entirely.
  18. TedE
    So, I happened upon a can of this with friends (not on draft, I haven't had the packaged version of Hopslam in a couple of years). I should clarify again that I used to love this beer and looked forward to it's release because it offered something unique on the release calendar. However, there is nothing to distinguish it any more. Right off the bat there was very little nose once poured in a glass. That was a big surprise. On the palate there was very little sweetness which was the hallmark of this beer, the inclusion of honey for body and balance. None of that; it bordered on astringent, with no lingering finish. It's not a bad beer by any means, it's just doesn't seem to be the same recipe that made it famous when it was first introduced.
  19. TedE
    2017 edition is starting to show upon shelves. Spotted at the 14th St Trader Joe's for $18.99, which seems a lot lower than recent years (and in cans, did they can last year, too?). I wonder if they reached the limit of what they could charge for the hype given the complaints about the trajectory of the quality and the jacked up price. I would imagine TJs is at the low end of the local pricing scale, could be that elsewhere it will be in the $23-24 range (again). A pass (again) at those prices; I'll look for it (again) on tap.
  20. TedE
    I think this is all the evidence you need that they are having issues filling seats for The Experience. I figured they would need to adjust their service model or price point eventually once the novelty wore off, but that was very quick!
  21. TedE
    This took me by surprise as this news was highly anticipated for anybody who had grown to love his work at DCity Smokehouse, but it hadn't received much press. Rob Sonderman's new barbecue joint opens this Friday on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan. The article discusses some limitations he had to accept with the equipment allowed in the new space, as well as some recipes he had to leave behind in his split with DCity.
  22. TedE
    There is another La Colombe co-located with the new REI flagship store at 2nd and M St NE in the old Uline Arena building
  23. TedE
    It's a shame to see them go, but I'm not terribly surprised. They were the first sit down operation within walking distance to most of Bloomingdale for a year or so, and was a real neighborhood meeting place. Their food was always interesting with a Turkish/Mediterranean accent (I loved the preserved lemon pizza), the patio was a nice place for a quick meal, and they ran some good happy hour deals. Then came competition. I liked their pizzas (but Bacio is better), their beer selection always offered up some interesting choices (but Boundary Stone's is better), and the small bar was a cozy place for a drink (but so is Showtime). The owners also run the newish Steel Plate in Brookland, so I'm guessing they are going to focus efforts there. I wonder if they are going to re-purpose the space or move on entirely. It would probably work better as a bar, and everything they cooked came out of a wood burning oven. So there are logistical challenges. Best of luck to their team!
  24. TedE
    I've come to a conclusion about some of the idiots who are drawn to believe this stuff. As younger kids they spent hundreds of hours finding exploits, glitches and easter eggs in their favorite video games in the belief that these discoveries were somehow meaningful or important. They were, literally, the most significant accomplishments they perceived in their lives, validated and shared online with a small cohort of like-minded obsessives. And now as adults they apply that same thinking to real life in the hope to uncover some greater meaning or unlock a mystery that will prove them smarter than anybody else who is "blind" to these quixotic pursuits. This is disordered thinking, a seamless merging of fantasy and reality.
  25. TedE
    Ah! This spurred a memory from my linguistics days that I had to look up to confirm: some human societies developed base 8 systems organically and it is reflected in their languages. Stuff like this leads to research on how linguistic constructs could affect the way we perceive and interact with the world.
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