And Slaters Go Plop

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A couple of years ago I created an online Javascript version of Dawkins’ Weasel program. I was poking around at the code today and realised that it wouldn’t be too much work to remove some of its limitations to allow it to replicate the full 28 character phrase that Dawkins used.

If you’re unfamiliar with why anyone would want to make an program like this, take a look at the original post where I explain how genetic inheritance combined with natural selection gives vastly different results to the mistaken creationist view of evolution being a ‘monkeys with typewriters’ kind of randomness. (by the way, if you change the settings so that there is only one child per generation the program will enter ‘monkeys-with-typewriters mode’).

The main differences in this version are:

• You can now hide or show all the mutant children that were not selected
• You can use up to 30 uppercase A-Z letter plus spaces
• There’s a new column that shows how many letters matched (so you can see how it occasionally slips back with higher mutation rates – contrary to what William Dembski would have you believe)
• I’ve improved the performance slightly.

Over the last year or two I’ve been using a couple of 30L plastic fermenters while brewing. One of them, the second one I bought, has developed odd white ‘scratch’ lines and I’m not sure what’s caused them. I’ve never used anything harsher than a nylon scrubbing brush to clean it and I’m tempted to think that these are actually artefacts of a kind of blistering of the plastic rather than actual scratches. Perhaps something to do with a fault in the manufacturing process as my other fermenter shows no signs of these.

Difficult to see, but here are the odd chalky-looking scratches.

Any form of surface damage worries me because I can’t be as sure I’ve been able to remove any embedded bacteria or other unwanted organisms and so I decided to splash out and pay twice the amount for a 23L glass carboy.

I’ve never used glass before and am aware that there is a danger involved when lifting and that transferring liquids can be tricky due to the lack of a tap at the bottom. I am, however, looking forward to being able to watch vigorous fermentations through the glass!

***UPDATE***

I’ve just taken a much closer look and it appears that these aren’t scratches at all. Some kind of crystallisation or chemical build-up which came away when I used my fingernail. Any ideas? (Oh well, still looking forward to using the glass carboy even if it was money unnecessarily spent).

…learn more.

Been busy and not all that inclined to keep the blog up to date lately so here’s a bullet list:

• Just got back from Beervana in Wellington. Some amazing beers and some stinkers (oddly, a couple of the biggest duds were also the most expensive). New Zealand is producing some really top quality beer and I was surprised to discover many companies I’d not heard of before.
• Came 3rd at the Western Brewer’s Conference for my Comte Ordinary Bitter
• Reading The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker at the moment after watching the documentary Flight from Death. Interesting but having difficulty stomaching wacky Freudian fascination with the anus, castration, Oedipus and so on. I mean, really?? Come on. But I think Becker might be onto something with the whole fight/flight reaction to the concept of death and the need to use culture, symbols, beliefs and other illusions of immortality to quell that anxiety. Threaten someone’s culture/beliefs/illusions and expect an extreme response.
• Just finished Truth, A Guide for the Perplexed by Simon Blackburn, Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels and Matter by Iain Banks
• Next up: Escape from Evil by Ernest Becker, Two Little Boys by Duncan Sarkies, The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell and The Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant
• Got a Kobo e-reader. Verdict so far: pretty good. Linux under the hood. EPub and PDF formats. 100 free books.
• Visited Steam Brewing in Ota-two-hus. Fascinating!
• Heading off to Australia on Thursday with Sal for a month of travelling around. Adelaide to Perth by train. Fly to Broome and pick up 4×4 camper. Three weeks through the Kimberley to Darwin. Going to Powderfinger’s last ever concert in Darwin. Fly to Brisbane to catch up with bro and family. And then home, home again, I like to be here when I can.
• I’ve been mostly vegetarian for the last three months or so.
• Not running enough and got the Auckland Half Marathon sneaking up on me.
• GST change causing headaches for a number of applications I’ve been involved in. Didn’t think of that at the time. Doh.
• I agree with Phil Plait about ‘dickish’ behaviour. Don’t agree with PZ’s approach. Sorry to hear about the Hitch but refreshing to hear straight talking in the face of mortality.
• That’ll do for now. Sorry for the silence but there’s not going to be much happening here for another month or so.

Read the background story and listen to the chillout song. Ahhh.

HT Boingboing.

For many years I’ve been an admirer and occasional practitioner of the art of typography. I’ve got an old (and dusty) hole punch and I’ve always admired the typography on this label.

I’ve been looking at getting a couple of brewing books and have just been through the tedious exercise of comparing prices. Not sure whether the results would be similar if I was looking for popular novels instead.

Here are the prices in NZ dollars and including shipping:

Amazon — $61.24
Morebeer — $109.26
Whitcoulls — $59.00
Mighty Ape — $73.98
Fishpond — $84.96
The Nile — $66.48
Seek Books — (Didn’t have both books)
Goodbooks — $69.98

Whitcoulls wins but is closely followed by Amazon which puts the other NZ book stores to shame. If you know of a good alternative please feel free to share.

[**edit**]
David, in the comments, informs me of The Book Depository over in the UK who beat the rest at ~$54.00 including delivery.

I recently purchased a four ring burner, assembled it and boiled up lots of water only to find that it didn’t do a very good job and blackened the bottom of the pot at the same time. I did a bit of Internet research and discovered that, due to the way I’d set it up (the instructions weren’t clear), I was potentially in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. So it’s probably a good idea to get the information out there.

When burning with gas you really don’t want to see a yellow flame. It’s an indication that you’ve got an obstruction or that not enough oxygen is being mixed with the gas before burning. It’s the yellow flame when burning gas that causes pots to have blackened bottoms. It’s also the yellow flame that’s generating carbon monoxide which is undetectable and will kill you without sufficient ventilation.

On my setup, there are adjustable disks that can control the flow of air that is mixed with the gas. I had these tightened flush so that not much air was being mixed. They should have been wound back a bit to let more air in which gives a bluer flame and is more powerful at the same time.

That’s all. I hope this saves someone’s life. You never know.

From RealBeer.co.nz:

SOBA, New Zealand’s consumer beer advocacy group, is excited about the April 1st release of Mac’s Brewjolais seasonal beer, and is looking to celebrate the event in style and en masse.

Mac’s Brewjolais is a beer which has been brewed annually by Lion Nathan at the old Mac’s Brewery in Wellington. It is brewed to celebrate the hop harvest, and uses freshly picked “wet” (undried) hops from Nelson late in the brewing process to impart their aromatic and distinctive notes to the finished beer. It’s a rare type of beer, and one that SOBA believes deserves recognition, particularly when brewed by one of NZ’s largest breweries who could be expected to opt for the ‘safer’ and more commercially viable styles of beer.

SOBA plans to show its appreciation for Brewjolais by organising a synchronised toast to Lion Nathan and the beer at all of the locations it will be served. SOBA members will descend upon the six Mac’s Brewbars around the country and raise a glass of the deliciously hoppy beverage to the brewers who make it, and the company which gives them the freedom to push the boundaries of beer a little.

The Mac’s brewery in Wellington where Brewjolais has been brewed is being closed down for economic reasons, with Lion Nathan citing higher costs involved in running the smaller scale brewery. This fact makes the 2010 release of Brewjolais bittersweet for beer lovers who fondly remember some of the excellent Mac’s beers to roll out of this brewery. While sad to see the brewery go, SOBA is optimistic that the beer will continue to be produced, and hopes its gesture will help convince Lion Nathan to continue production each year.

SOBA was formed in 2006 in order to increase awareness of and appreciation for flavourful crafted beers. The organisation is often perceived as “anti big brewer”, but in actuality is simply “pro good beer”.

If you appreciate a good beer and want to help celebrate you will be able to do so at one of the following locations:

Northern Steamship Co. – Quay Street, Auckland
Nuffield Street Trading Co. – Newmarket, Auckland
Neighbourhood – Kingsland, Auckland
Shed 22 – Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington
The Vic – Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Poplar Lane – cnr Ash & Poplar Street, Christchurch

I’m going to be in Christchurch over the next few days and hope to get myself along to Poplar Lane. There will be a synchronised toast at each of these locations at 6pm tomorrow afternoon (Thursday 1 April).

A conversation I’ve felt needs to become commonplace…

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6