Chuggnutt!

Month: February 2011

  • Lego video games

    For some reason the other day (other week?) I was thinking about the various Lego video game franchises out in the wild:

    • Lego Star Wars (2 games)
    • Lego Indiana Jones (2 games)
    • Lego Batman and Robin
    • Lego Harry Potter

    These games are actually really fun, and I got to thinking about other franchises that might be good fits:

    • Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
    • Lego Matrix
    • Lego Lord of the Rings
    • Lego James Bond
    • Lego Spider-Man
    • Lego Back to the Future
    • Lego Die Hard

    (Even though I just came up with that last one while writing this, it makes me smile; something about “Yippee-ki-yay” and Lego minifigs is just too good to pass up.)

    So I typed in “Lego video games” in Google and linked to Wikipedia’s List of Lego video games and lo and behold, not only is there a third Lego Star Wars coming out this year… but there actually is a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean coming out as well.

    Huh.

  • My Ignite Bend presentation

    Yes, it’s been weeks, but I’m finally talking about my Ignite Bend presentation—it helps that it’s finally on YouTube, since I’m going to embed it here.

    I didn’t have to present until after intermission, and for the most part I was fine the first half, with occasional bouts of nerves. But standing to the side, lined up, waiting for my turn was nerve-wracking.

    But once I hit the stage, two things surprised me: it really went very quickly—it was over almost before I knew it—and it was a lot of fun.

    The only snafu I ran into was with my beer—as befitting Ignite Bend tradition, I had a bottle of Jubelale on stage with me; it was incorporated into my presentation and I was taking occasional sips. But! I failed to account for any spillage—which of course is exactly what happened. It’s really not obvious when you watch the YouTube video—if you didn’t know I spilled, you’d wonder why I talk about “cleaning the floor” and “afraid to take a sip.”

    The spill happens right around the “bottling” slide, of course. The beer foamed up and spilled down the bottle as I drank, running down my hands and dripping on the stage floor. It threw me for a few seconds, but I was able to deal with it.

    And the presentation turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself:

    And, in case you’re interested in my actual slideshow, the Google Docs version is here.

  • Help fix homebrewing legislation in Oregon

    I’m cross-posting this with The Brew Site because it’s a hugely important issue for homebrewers in Oregon. This is an email from the Brewers Association that’s been hitting the inboxes of Oregon homebrewers over the past week, and it’s for a good cause: supporting Oregon Senate Bill 444 which seeks to amend the 30-year-old law regarding homebrewed beer which was reinterpreted last year.

    Many of you are likely aware that the Oregon Liquor Control Commission determined last year that under existing Oregon law, homebrew cannot be consumed outside the home where the beer was produced.

    The American Homebrewers Association is supporting an effort by the Oregon Home Brewers Alliance (OHBA) to resolve this issue. The OHBA has been working with Senator Floyd Prozanski, a homebrewer, on Senate Bill 444 along with the already filed amendments to SB 444. While there are other bills addressing homebrewing, the OHBA and the AHA support SB 444 as the most comprehensive of these in restoring to legality all of the activities homebrewers participated in prior to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s revision of their interpretation of homebrew law last year, including entering homebrew competitions and sharing homebrew at club meetings.

    How Can You Help?
    Senate Bill 444 is being scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Business, Transportation and Economic Development Committee Thursday, February 10. We ask you to take a few minutes to call or email the members of the committee and politely urge them to support the passage of SB 444 along with Senator Prozanski’s amendments to the bill. The committee members need to hear from you if this bill is to succeed. Contacting legislators is quick and easy, and every contact they get from homebrewers will help ensure our success.

    Senate Business, Transportation and Economic Development Committee Contact Information:

    Sen. Lee Beyer, Chair
    sen.leebeyer@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1706

    Sen. Jason Atkinson, Vice-Chair
    sen.jasonatkinson@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1703
    District Phone: 541-282-6502

    Sen. Ginny Burdick
    sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1718

    Sen. Chris Edwards
    sen.chrisedwards@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1707

    Sen. Fred Girod
    sen.fredgirod@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1709
    District Phone: 503-769-4321

    Sen. Bruce Starr
    sen.brucestarr@state.or.us
    Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
    District Phone: 503-352-0922

    Thank you for your support of homebrewers, your action could make the difference in whether or not this legislation becomes law. Please forward this message on to any other Oregon residents that you feel would be interested in supporting this bill.