Questions to all the answers
You probably saw this one too. Some time in February we will be seeing an IBM computer named “Watson” face off against two grandmaster champions in a for-theages episode of Jeopardy. The computer already won the test trial. What’s the big deal? Didn’t the fabled Big Blue computer win a chess champsionship some years ago, […]
Epically redonkulous
LOML recently pointed out, we seem to be living in a world of superlatives: a world filled with “best evers” and “epic proportions” and “cataclysmic disasters.” Indeed, it would seem to be so. We have kicked to the curb the notion that some words and ideas don’t need the help of a slew of adjectives […]
Wine tour
I know I promised to continue with my history of wine; however, we were caught up with finishing the restaurant renovations and getting ready for our wine tour in Chile. We arrived safe and travel weary. Right off the plane, we had our first wine tour at Casas del Bosque—a small, boutique winery—in the Casablanca […]
Ice in the sun
Florida Panther Hockey With little difficulty, we were able to leave Fort Myers and reach the Bank Atlantic Centre in less than two hours. It does involve a route that goes due south on the “I 75” to begin with, followed by a dogleg to the left. Then it’s a matter of straight ahead through […]
Divided loyalties
Ya, I’ve got a credit card. I don’t use it very often. No, really. I don’t use it very often. The last time I used it was to renew my business registration. I’ve used it for plane fare and booking hotels and I use it when there isn’t another method of payment available. As far […]
Baseball’s Grapefruit League
They are gearing up for the baseball season in Southwest Florida, affectionately known as the Grapefruit League. Mind you, the players will not show up for about a month. Pitchers and catchers first, thank you, followed by the rest of the gang about a week later. Preparations are well underway for the 2011 baseball season, […]
Cooking with lager
For over 500 years, the Benedictine order thrived in Italy. While their motherhouse was Monte Cassino, their greatest abbey was located in Maçon, Burgundy. In 1112, a group of thirty monks established a small monastery in Citeaux, located in the heart of a forest just north of Beaune. They took the name Cistercians from the […]
Feeding the uneducated palate
“You’re drinking liquid with liquid!?” The wine expert was shaken, even stirred. “Well, it’s my wife you see,” I began. “She has this book group and they…” The verbal shovel with which I was about to dig us a hole was grasped by more resolute hands. “Two soups, two wines—one red, one white. That’s the […]
Staying warm
Here I sit in the early morning light, with my feet jammed into great big, warm, fluffy slippers, in a state of utter confusion and fear. Oh, do be quiet. I’m probably not anymore confused than many of you when it comes to energy. And I’m as afraid as the next person to crank up […]
Alsatian style wines
Once the Holy Roman Empire stabilized northern Europe, the demand for wine outpaced production. The present major wine producing areas of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley were devastated by Viking raiders, which resulted in increasing the importance of the wine regions of the Rhine, Moselle, Rhône and Burgundy. Within these areas monasteries were founded and […]