Keep Digging Yourself

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” – e.e. cummings

“There are a lot of people that don’t start making money until you briefly forget who you are.” – Merlin Mann

The Future of Publishing: Cory Doctorow

“My guiding principle in this project has been thrift. Without a publisher to capitalize the book, I’m doing my darndest to spend money only when it makes me money. Lucky for me, today’s world is one where that constraint is well accommodated. Obviously, the print-on-demand paperbacks don’t cost anything — the book doesn’t exist until you order and pay for it! And I’d doing the limited hardcovers in lots of 20, to minimize my expense there. The CDs of the audiobook are also produced on demand, of course.” – Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow’s With a Little Help is the closest model I’ve seen to my vision for the future of publishing.

The Rumors of Quicksilver’s Death are Melodramatic

“It was a good run. So long, old friend.” – Merlin Mann

“It’s just that given the choice between helping to keep something you love alive, and very publicly declaring it dead, I’m not sure why you’d choose the latter.” – Rob McBroom

It seems a tad melodramatic to declare a functioning piece of open source software dead. Especially when the most likely alternative is neither free nor open.

One of the core premises of open source software is not being tied to the whims of a vendor. Quicksilver faithfully serves me everyday. Sure, I’d like Quicksilver to be a more active project – I have direct control over that. Just as you do, just as Merlin does, just as Rob McBroom does (Thanks Rob.). Declaring Quicksilver dead is like declaring Wikipedia worthless because of a typo.

Merlin, by the way, could you check the mp3 URLs for the 43Folders Podcast – specifically, Honor Thy Energy? I was looking to give it a re-listen earlier this week, and came up with a 404. :/

Lifeline

Scott Grannis’ Calafia Beach Pundit has become daily reading for me [1] – primarily because I’m a sucker for the charts he shares.

Take a minute to look at this one. (no worries, I’ll still be here when you get back).

Good stuff. It’s rare to see a single chart summarize our own confidence over time, let alone over my lifetime.

Yes, it was the Gay Nineties.
Yes, we did fall off a cliff in 2007 – wasn’t the first time, just the biggest.

Some of you may know you were when John Lennon was shot. Or JFK. Or when we landed on the moon.

From new babies to client projects to wondering just what the hell is happening I know where I was along each bump down that cliff. Spooky.

You?


1. Other daily reading includes:

There’s a pragmatic optimism across these 4 sites that I find both challenging and refreshing. Plus – they’re not afraid to go deep.

Fermenting: “Out Like a Lion” Ginger Maibock

20-some inches of snow fell on Saturday. I don’t know exactly how much – because the temperature promptly dropped below 10°F and – I decided to stay indoors.

And brew up some beer for spring.

    “Out Like a Lion” Ginger Maibock Recipe

  • 10 lbs Pilsen Light Liquid Malt Extra
  • 2 lbs CaraMunich II
  • 2 oz Yakima Magnum @ 60 min
  • 2 oz Yakima Magnum @ 15 min
  • 2 oz Ginger @ 5 min
  • Wyeast’s 1007 German Ale yeast

Original Gravity: 1074
Potential alcohol content ~10%.

The blow-off tube is a lesson I learned from my previous encounter with Wyeast’s 1007 German Ale – it seems to be much more excitable than the Belgians yeasts I more frequently use.

I’m planning to lager it in the basement until spring – or the snow melts, which ever comes first.

Update 23 Dec 2010:
I moved the beer to the secondary this morning. It smelled fantastic with a comfortable ginger nose. It’s quite cloudy, so if it doesn’t clear out by next week – I’ll rack it again before hiding in a cool corner of the basement until March.

Oh – and estimated ABV is currently at 7.3%.

Update 27 Dec 2010:
Lagering has begun.

Update 20 Mar 2011:
I bottled it today and poured the dregs of the bottling bucket into a Duval glass. There’s a big ginger nose, a light (perhaps too light) malty body, and a gingery aftertaste lingering on the tongue. And like a good Maibock should- the alcohol completely crept up on me.