An audience of two

Happy 30th Birthday, Spam!
On May 2nd, 1978 (or possibly May 3rd, depending on who you believe) Gary Thuerk sent the first ever unsolicited commercial email. Though the actual term SPAM wasn't coined for another 15 years, according to Brad Templeton.

Happy f5g birthday, Spam.

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2005 Juan Gil Jumilla
I've been neglecting this area of the blog recently. I started a separate blog on the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley and have been posting all my tasting notes and comments there. Plus I've not been drinking that much from outside the SCM/SCV AVAs, and when I have I've not felt like making notes. So I have the day off - let's fix that.

I recently discovered this wine in Costco. For $12 it seemed a good price. I don't tend to drink much Spanish wine, but a few vocal enthusiasts in my various wine circles have been banging the drum for Spain, saying it's not all Rioja and Ribera del Duero. In particular, Jumilla is often cited as an area that's producing great wines at really good prices, and this is a great example.

The varietal is Monastrell, also known as Mourvèdre or Mataro (and various other names too). You don't often see Mourvèdre bottled on its own - the only local examples I can think of offhand are Bonny Doon's Old Telegram and Cline's Small Berry - but it's often used as a blending grape in Rhone style wines.

This is a big, fruity wine. It's nice right at the start, but I opened one on Wednesday evening, drank half and left the rest overnight in the fridge - on Thursday it had opened up and was much better. So I'd definitely encourage decanting it - simply pour it into a 2 pint jug and back into the bottle, it'll make a big difference. If you like big reds but don't have a big budget this is definitely a wine to try.

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The problems with Twitter
I was reading Dave Levy's Twitter Manifesto, in which he comments one of the reasons I first dropped twitter was that I found consuming it on the phone too intrusive. This time I shall probably stop following those who post to much.

The problem with twitter is that it's like being at a cocktail party. There are conversations going on all around. Meanwhile there are several TVs all tuned to different news channels. It's information overload. It's crazy. And the filter is way too coarse.

What twitter needs is a way to group the people you follow. All that it natively supports is the ability to select whether updates get forwarded to your mobile phone or just to the web. So the noisier tweeters get relegated to web-only status.

An additional option is the "track" feature. By tracking myself I can see responses to my posts from people that I'm not following at all. But those posts only go to my mobile phone, not to the web.

Something else that Twitter desperately needs is the ability to reply via email to a direct message. Come on guys, it's not that hard to do. Rather than a no reply address it would be trivial to implement something like, say, a one-use-only reply address that expires after a fixed period.

Now the good thing about Twitter is that the API is open and published. There are all kinds of clients already available and presumably someone is working on things like this. But it would be nice if the facility could be built into the back end rather than an add-on.

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Tags: twitter

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The power of Twitter
Unless you actually live in China you're probably all too aware of the controversy that's surrounded the Olympic torch relay in Europe. Well yesterday the torch came to San Francisco. It was inevitable that there were going to be protests from human rights groups opposed to China's actions in Tibet and Darfur (to name just two).

Conventional news reporting just doesn't cut it in a situation like this. You don't want to be listening to reporters on the TV or radio while they describe the long periods of nothing happening. You'd wait until the evening news and catch the edited highlights.

But that was then. These days everyone is a news reporter. First there was "live blogging", where people would post play-by-play account of some event from their laptop.

But now people have mobile smart phones that can send messages, take photos and even live video. At the core of this is twitter - a simple service that allows you to broadcast and receive short messages both via the web and SMS. It's mainly used for casual chatter, but yesterday it came into its own and proved it has real value.

Over the course of the afternoon I saw regular updates from @LaughingSquid (AKA Scott Beale) and @RockBandit (AKA Dave Schumaker). I discovered that reports from other twitter users were being aggregated by @SFTorch. And I learned that the protesters were organising themselves via @TeamTibet.

Twitter wasn't the only way to see what was going on. @RockBandit and others were uploading photos in real time to Flickr and video to Qik. Whenever I had a couple of minutes to spare I could check the latest updates and even talk back to the people that were there. I got a real laugh when I heard that someone had Rick-rolled the torch - something that would never have got a mention elsewhere.

Yesterday evening I watched the coverage on BBC World News. Rajesh Mirchandani was presenting in the traditional news manner, with the outside broadcast crew. Being constrained by the limitations of traditional media he was encamped by the ferry building and wasn't in a position to follow the story as it changed. He even made reference to receiving regular status updates on his mobile (without explicitly mentioning twitter).

So there you go. Twitter isn't just about chinposin' and colour wars. It's (sometimes) more than just inane chatter, You MUST click on this!!! and I'm streaming live right now, come chat!. It's actually a useful tool.

PS: If you want to read how Chinese media reported the event, click on this link: http://snipurl.com/utter-bullshit. (I love snipurl)

PPS: Want to see a ridiculously staged photo? Check this out. The torch was never anywhere near that point and the dozens of omnipresent blue clad Chinese security guards are nowhere to be seen. Damn, I wish I had Photoshop skills - it would be fun to combine that image with something like this.

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Tags: olympic protest tibet torch twitter

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DirecTV HD DVR: A review. Part 1: Introduction
Last October I won a really cool Epson 1080P Home Theatre projector. It really is an awesome piece of kit. The problem was that I didn't have any HD sources - I have a bunch of DVD players and TiVos, all standard def. Given that I can't justify the cost of a PlayStation 3 right now (the only game in town really; HDDVD is dead and standalone BluRay players don't get regular firmware updates like the PS3 does) I was faced with a pretty simple choice: Satellite HD or Cable HD.

Now I've been a DirecTV subscriber for a few years, and a TiVo owner for much longer. I actually have three TiVos; a Sony standalone with lifetime subscription (though currently non functional), plus a Sony and a Hughes DirecTiVo units. The Hughes is used just for Zoë's programmes, the Sony for ours. It's a bit flaky for various reasons, but I can't fault the software and user interface.

The problem is, the relationship between TiVo and DirecTV soured. These days TiVo makes HD units, but they don't work with DirecTV. So I'd have to switch back to Cable (Comcast), buy a new box and give up on my two DirecTiVos. On the other hand if you threaten to leave DirecTV they will give (ok, lend) you a HD unit for free, provided you sign a new 2 year contract. So I went for it.

Now installation is supposed to be free, but the installers are subcontractors who don't work for DirecTV and they always find a way to make you pay something. When my first dish was installed the "gotcha" was a $40 charge for hooking up the second LNB; DirecTV install supposedly only covers you for a single wire. This time it was a $75 charge for a custom mounting bracket. Yes it's a scam, but what the hell.

So on to the actual DVR. The good news: Picture quality is excellent. I bought a cheap 40' HDMI cable off the net and was amazed - the picture quality of standard definition broadcasts, particularly the Bolton Wanderers Premier League games on Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta, is way better than on TV or over a S-Video cable. On HD broadcasts the clarity is excellent. There are some problems with certain channels such as TBS HD who don't seem to set the aspect ratio correctly, but overall the quality is a major leap forward.

The bad news is with the software and ergonomics. Frankly DirecTV learned absolutely nothing from TiVo. The user interface is horrible, the remote is badly designed and the feature set leaves much to be desired. I will elaborate in the next posts.

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2005 Clos des Andes Malbec
Most regions have their signature varietal. It doesn't have to be the most planted or best, but there's one that stands out. For New Zealand it's Sauvignon Blanc. For California it's Zinfandel. And for Argentina it's Malbec. In most of the world Malbec is relegated to the status of a blending grape, but in Argentina it takes centre stage. Plus it's pretty good value too - there are plenty of wines available for under $15, and many of them are getting high scores from wine critics.

I spotted the 2005 Clos des Andes in Costco at the weekend for $12 - the shelf-talker said it got 90 points from Wine Spectator. I had the 2004 last year - my note on CellarTracker says Bags of fruit, held its own against a curry and only got better with air. Definitely a caseworthy red. Great QPR so I grabbed one.

Did you ever cook something and think there was something missing? Then you realise that you forgot to add salt, and suddenly it all comes together? Well this wine is like that. It's tight and tannic, and on the palate there's something missing, it's hollow, like it needs salt or something. Perhaps it would have been better with a meal rather than on its own. Maybe it just needs time; there was a glass left over so I put it in the fridge and will try it again tonight.

But even if it does improve, to be honest I think you'd be better off paying an extra $3 and getting the Catena Zapata Malbec instead. I had one of those recently and it's lovely. Big mouthful of blackberries, soft tannins, not much acidity. Great value, but not one for the cellar.

I'd also be on the lookout for the 2005 Terrazas de Los Andes Reserva. (Make sure it's the Reserva, there's also a regular one that Safeway carries for about $7, which is nowhere near as good.) I've yet to try the 2005 but Costco had the 2003 Lots of blackberry and dark cherry. Good finish. Bet this would cellar well, but it's unlikely to get the chance. and 2004 Big and fruity. Tannins are soft at first but become pronounced after a while in the glass. Has the stuffing to age, but it's so good now I see very little point and they are highly recommended.

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Tags: argentina malbec

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Rant: Facebook doesn't matter
I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and then saved it as a draft and forgot about it. I planned to revisit it since I realised at the time that it's a bit of a rant, but what the hell.

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People are going nuts over the Zuckerberg/Lacy interview at some conference in Texas. I'm not even going to link to it, if you don't already know every excruciating detail of it then you can find it here.

The problem I have is with the group-think that facebook somehow matters. It doesn't. It's just another dumb waste of time website. That's not to say that the concept of social networking is in anyway invalid, it's simply that social networking predates facebook and will continue long after it's gone. I was social networking on BIX when Zuckerberg was still in nappies. Internet search matters, but look what happened to Excite, AltaVista, Lycos etc.

So facebook is just one player in an expanding game. The idea that the company is somehow worth $15 billion is patently absurd; it's based on the fact that Microsoft invested $246 million in the company, whereas in reality they paid $246 million for advertising rights and got 1.6% of the company for free.

So why do I say it doesn't matter? Because people are fickle. The aforementioned Excite was once one of the top search engines, today it's gone. Something else came along and everyone drifted away. Facebook has nothing that anyone needs; nobody really needs to play Vampires and Werewolves, to publish their personal details online for anyone to see, to sell their demographic details to anyone in exchange for the right to throw sheep at each other.

Chances are that Facebook is not the next Google. It's the next hula hoop. It's the next pet rock. It's the next furby. And that doesn't just apply to facebook, it applies to all the social network sites. You'd better figure out a business model, a revenue stream and a backup plan, preferably one that doesn't utterly disregard personal privacy. Because there's a new idea around the corner that will make people realise how irrelevent you actually are.

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How to cook rice (2)
This is the simple rice dish. It uses a tamarind paste called Puliogare that you'd have to be nuts to try and make for yourself. You can buy the paste (or powder) at many Indian shops. The brand I use is MTR. It keeps well in the fridge or freezer for a few weeks after opening. There's also a powder, but I prefer the paste.

8 oz basmati rice
10 oz water
oil
Spices:
1 oz raw peanuts
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp chopped curry leaves
MTR Puliogare paste
Put the rice and water in a large heavy pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest for at least 10 minutes - if you don't then the grains will break.

In a large frying pan heat some oil. Fry the mustard seeds and peanuts until the nuts are starting to turn golden brown. Add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the rice and stir. Add a spoonful of the Puliogare paste and mix it in. Add more paste if you think it needs it.

You can eat this as a dish by itself, or serve it with sambar or dal or even curry - it's up to you.

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Tags: curry food indian rice

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How to cook rice (1)
To go with a good curry you need good rice. This is something that I do make from scratch. I have two rice dishes that I make - this is the complicated one. Note that you don't need to use all these spices; it'll be good with just a few. All of these spices are readily available in huge, cheap bags at any Indian shop. However if you try to buy them at Safeway it'll cost you a fortune.

8 oz basmati rice
10 oz water
pinch of salt
oil
Spices:
1-2 Brown cardomoms
4-6 Green cardomoms
8-10 Cloves
tsp Fennel seeds
tsp Cumin seeds
1 Star Anise
1 stick Cinnamon or Cassia
1-2 Bay leaves
pinch saffron
Heat the oil in a large heavy pan. Fry the spices (except for the bay leaves and saffron) for about a minute. Add the rice and stir so that the rice is coated in the oil. Add the water (you can also half water and half milk or broth if you like) salt, bay leaves and saffron. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down low and cook until the water is absorbed. Most of the spices will float to the top. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to rest for at least 10 minutes - if you don't then the grains will break.

When ready to serve remove the cardomom pods, anise, cinnamon/cassia and bay leaves. You can also remove any cloves that you can find, but they tend to sink. Don't bother trying to remove the fennel or cumin seeds. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

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Tags: curry food indian rice

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How to make a curry
I made a curry for the parents' snack at my daughter's preschool again today. It was very well received and a couple of people asked how I made it. So here's a sort-of-recipe. I used to grind my own spices, but nowadays I buy the jars of Patak's pastes. The company's factory is close to Bolton, where I grew up, and they supply most of Britain's curry houses, so don't feel like it's cheating.

My curries are never quite the same twice as I just make it up as I go along. But the basic idea is always the same.

You will need:

1 large onion (or more) - preferably red or strong onion
Patak's Garam Masala paste - Safeway carries them
Patak's curry paste (any other style)
Bunch of coriander (aka cilantro)
oil
salt

Either: 2 chicken breasts or boned thighs
Or: 2 large potatoes
and 1 large carrot (or several baby carrots)

Either: 1 tin chopped tomatoes
Or: 1 tin chicken broth
Or: water

Optional:
Garlic
Dried fenugreek leaves
Fresh Indian chillis (NOT jalapeno or serrano please)
Mushrooms
Pasilla pepper or bell pepper

Chop the onion finely. Fry in oil (don't skimp on the oil; Indian food is supposed to be a bit oily) with the chopped garlic (as much or as little as you like) until the onion is clear, not brown. Add a large spoonful (or more) of each of the curry pastes and stir. If you are using chicken, cube it and add it now. Let it cook for a minute or two. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Add the tomatoes, broth or water. If using broth or water just add a cup; you can adjust later. Stir and let it simmer for a few minutes.

If you are using potatoes or carrots then peel, chop and add them. Potatoes should be 1/2" cubes. Add the chilis whole, or slit them in half and remove the seeds. Add a spoonful of dried fenugreek leaves and stir. cover and simmer until the chicken or vegetables are cooked - about half an hour.

Get a few stalks of coriander. Wash and remove some of the top leaves. Reserve these. Cut the last inch or so off the stalks and discard. Chop the rest of the stalks and leaves very finely and add to the curry. Add any mushrooms and peppers. Keep cooking until the peppers and mushrooms are cooked. Add salt to taste. It will probably need some. You can also add a little sugar if it seems a bit fiery.

At this point the curry is ready, but you can leave it on the stove on a low heat for a while. I'll often give it another half hour or longer before serving it. If it's too dry, add more water or broth. If it's too moist, simmer with the lid off.

Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice and Indian breads such as naan, chapati, paratha. Buy them ready made - don't bother trying to make your own.

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Tags: curry food indian

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This is what I do for a living: xVM Ops Center
Sun has finally announced the availability of xVM Ops Center (sic). This is something that I and many others have been working on for quite some time - so long in fact that I've forgotten when we actually started. In some ways you could say we've been working on it in one way or another for ten years.

I'm not going to explain what it does; you can read all about that in the press releases and on the net. But when you try it out and you click on the Update tab, think of me and the team I work with. The odd thing about software development is that you get so close to a product, it's hard to step back and view it objectively. It's like wallpapering a room; it looks good, but I know where the joins are, where I had to cut the paper to make it fit, and above all else I know that the blasted room isn't as rectangular is it was supposed to be.

So far everyone who has looked at it seems to like it. Hopefully it fills a need and makes the lives of sysadmins a lot easier. And hopefully we can all take a breather and relax a bit before we start work in earnest on the next version.

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Local wine deals at Whole Foods
I've been doing my wine shopping at Whole Foods recently. On a recent trip I noticed a few bargains and on closer inspection was surprised to find that for many local wines, the prices at Whole Foods are actually cheaper than most other retailers, particularly if you take advantage of the 10% discount for buying six bottles (any mix). They also have a very good selection from top quality local wineries such as Burrell School, Mount Eden, Storrs, Martin Ranch and Ridge

Here are a few bargains I've picked up recently - prices are before discount and tax, so the net price will be a few cents lower.

Cooper Garrod Earlier this year I was fortunate to grab some bin-ends of the 2001 SCM Cabernet Sauvignon at $20 and 2003 Gravel Ridge Chardonnay at $15. These are now sold out, but the 2003 Lone Oak Cabernet sauvignon and 2005 Gravel Ridge Chardonnay have now arrived, along with 2004 Cabernet Franc.

Trout Gulch is a small winery owned by Bernie Turgeon, co-founder the Turgeon & Lohr winery. Never heard of it? Well, back in 1984 he sold his stake to his partner, Jerry Lohr who renamed the company J. Lohr. Trout Gulch produces Pinot Noir ($20) and Chardonnay ($17), both of which I've picked up at Whole Foods.

Kathryn Kennedy produces the single most expensive wine in the mountains - their top Estate Cabernet Sauvignon goes for a whacking $145. But at a more realistic level, Kathryn Kennedy also makes a "California" designated bordeaux blend called Lateral ($32) that would give any of the $50 to $100 Napa blends a run for their money. The 2004 is particularly fruit forward and enjoyable today, but would benefit from cellaring. There's also a Syrah ($24) that I'm looking forward to trying and a Sauvignon Blanc ($16), but to be honest I'm of the view that the best Sauvignon Blanc comes from New Zealand (and is cheaper too), with France a respectable second.

Finally a couple more wines that also carry the "California" appellation: Thomas Fogarty Skyline ($15) and Roudon Smith Claret ($14). I haven't tried the Claret yet (will probably open a bottle later this week), but the Skyline is a smooth, fruity blend with a decent amount of oak - nothing earth shaking, but reasonable value.

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Tags: cooper cruz fogarty garrod gulch kathryn kennedy mountains roudon santa smith thomas trout

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There Will Be Sap
Spent an interesting day on Saturday helping to prune an old Pinot Noir vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Wooodruff Vineyard (originally called the Matteson Vineyard, then in 1997 it became Ciardella Vineyard) is on 9 acres in the agricultural community of Corralitos, about 16 miles east of Santa Cruz. Close to the bay, this is prime Pinot Noir country - the highly regarded Windy Oaks is nearby. Fruit from the vineyard has been used by several local winemakers, notably Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyards, Hallcrest and the now closed Thunder Mountain. The new owners have engaged a friend of mine, Paul Romero of Stefania Wine as their vineyard manager and since it was a beautiful day I headed over to help out.

Pruning vines is a fairly simple job. You are simply removing most of last year's growth, leaving a couple of buds that will grow into next year's canes and from which the grapes will grow. When a vine has been properly pruned for a number of years the task is simple; there will be two canes. Prune one back completely, and prune the other back to the first two buds - little knobs the size of a grape pip, covered in a fuzzy white protective layer. In several of the vines, sap dripped from the cut. I tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out that well.

If you don't prune it back enough, several bad things will happen. For a start the vine will grow very vigorously. It will put a great deal of effort into producing canes and leaves (which means more work pruning the next year). This in turn will result in a huge crop of weakly flavoured and possibly under-ripe fruit. Also the dense leafy canopy provides a home to unwanted fungal diseases such as powdery mildew.

This was my first time pruning vines, and at first I was a bit concerned about being too aggressive, but the advice I was given was if in doubt, cut it off.

This is one of the vines that I pruned. They are at least 25 years old; not sure of the exact age.

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Tags: chardonnay ciardella corralitos matteson pinot stefania wooodruff

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Healthcare Reform
Last night I watched Michael Moore's movie, Sicko. If you haven't seen it, you should. It takes a fairly critical look at the US healthcare system. Critics would say that it views the so-called "socialized medicine" systems in other countries through particularly rose tinted glasses, and while that's true I don't think it really damages the movie's overall premise: healthcare should be about making people well, not about profit.

Last year was a tough year for us. Everyone in the family spent some time in hospital; Zoe had a couple of days due to dehydration following a particularly oral virus, Alison was pregnant with Jamie, and I had my brain haemorrhage. I decided to take a closer look at how much I'd spent on healthcare.

As far as I can work out, my payments to Blue Shield for insurance alone came to around $15,000. On top of that there was over $2,000 for Medicare. So that's over $17,000 before tax. Insurance covered much of the treatment, but including the various doctor's visits over the year I was out of pocket around $6,000 (after tax). Prescription copayments came to another $600. Grand Total: Around $24,000, and that's not counting the tax.

Coincidentally, My father also got sick this year. In early October he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Lukaemia. He's since had three courses of chemotherapy, involving long hospital stays. Total cost to him: $0 because he lives in England.

The good news is that there's a bill in progress called the United States National Health Insurance Act, also known as HR 676 or the Conyers Bill, that stands a good chance of becoming law. Well, as good a chance as any bill could that had the entire weight of the health insurance industry against it. I strongly urge you to read up about it and lobby your representative to support it. (Mine does - thank you, Mike Honda!)

Critics of the systems say things like "You wait in line to see a doctor" and "It costs too much". Well I've been to many doctor's surgeries in the UK and I've rarely had to wait more than an hour or so. When I was a kid the doctor came to me. Whereas in America I've had to wait for an hour in the doctor's surgery several times - even though I had an appointment. And that's assuming you can make an appointment the same day. As for costing too much, by my rough calculations the cost of the National Insurance in the UK is significantly less than the SunFlex benefits.

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I'm Solaris

Inspired by Kevin's SunRay ad
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