WANT SOME MORE RED BULL, MAN? SURE YEAH MAN!!!

From the NY Times, an article concerning the abuse of caffeine, calling for accurate labeling of energy-drinks as to actual caffeine content. An excerpt:

"Dr. Griffiths notes that caffeine intoxication is a recognized clinical syndrome included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases. It is marked by nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, tremors, rapid heartbeats, restlessness and pacing, and in rare cases, even death."

Get yourself a cup of coffee, then read the entire Times article.

RIP G.C.

From the New York Times:

George Carlin, the Grammy-Award winning standup comedian and actor who was hailed for his irreverent social commentary, poignant observations of the absurdities of everyday life and language, and groundbreaking routines like “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” died in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sunday, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He was 71.

Read Obituary at NY Times

Ye will be sorely missed by many.

Whatever

The Science of Sarcasm (Not That You Care)

By DAN HURLEY

Published: June 3, 2008

There was nothing very interesting in Katherine P. Rankin’s study of sarcasm — at least, nothing worth your important time. All she did was use an M.R.I. to find the place in the brain where the ability to detect sarcasm resides. But then, you probably already knew it was in the right parahippocampal gyrus.

What you may not have realized is that perceiving sarcasm, the smirking put-down that buries its barb by stating the opposite, requires a nifty mental trick that lies at the heart of social relations: figuring out what others are thinking. Those who lose the ability, whether through a head injury or the frontotemporal dementias afflicting the patients in Dr. Rankin’s study, just do not get it when someone says during a hurricane, “Nice weather we’re having.”

Read Entire Article from the NY Times Here

Operator on Temporary Leave

Your operator will be out of the country until May the 26th. Please check back then for continuing reviews and news. Feel free to leave comments in the meantime. And thank you for reading!

Spirit Review - Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale

Hyper Thalamus Rating: 5.5 / 10.0

From the Label:

"Introduced to Scotland by Welsh Druids
in the 9th Century, elderberry ale was part of
the Celtic Autumn festivals where the ale
was passed round the people of the village.
This recipe was taken from a 16th
Century record of domestic drinking in the
Scottish Highlands. In medeaval times
elderberries were used in various
concoctions and are known to be high in
fruit tannins and oils. It is a rich black ale
with fruit aroma, soft texture, roasted
grain and red wine flavour, with a gentle
finish.

Ingredients: Malted Barley bree,
elderberries, roasted oats & barley and
hops.

Brewed and bottled by Heather Ale Ltd.
Williams Bros Brewing Co.
Scotland UK.
www.heatherale.co.uk"

To that I will add that it is indeed rich in flavor, with wine and fruit overtones. I enjoyed the flavor very much. My only disappointment was that there was little to no head to speak of, and, while tasty, this brew was rather flat. What you see in the photo above was pretty much all the head there was. I cannot be certain whether this ale is meant to be this way, or if I simply received a bad bottle from a flat batch.

Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale is 6.5% alcohol by volume, and cost me $2.79 for an 11.2 fluid ounce bottle from my local ale supplier.