Homebrew Me

Hey all!   I don't know how many people have this blog bookmarked or have followed it in the past.  I just wanted to make a short post letting everyone know that I am still alive.  I will be attempting to jump start this blog again by updating old pages and posting some new content.  For anyone wondering, I have graduated from my undergraduate program and have since moved all the way down to the city of Memphis, Tennessee.  I have been here for almost two years now.  I have some cool projects I have worked on which I will be posting in the future.  For now I will leave you with a picture of the wonderful pyramid (which is now a Bass Pro shop, if you can believe it) in Memphis!  Look forward to incoming posts from me.  Good day all! Memphis Pyramid (from Bass Pro Website)

I have been terrible at blogging lately (since august, whoops) I'll try to work on that.  Anyways it's track Tuesday and this week I would like to show off a wonderful remix I came across yesterday.  It is a remix by Kygo of the song " High for this " which is itself a cover by Ellie Goulding of song by The Weeknd http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXeed9Xz8E .  That's what you could call musiception. The song itself has a catchy beat to it and I admit I might be listening to it as I write this.  The instrumental beat is light and it has a way of resonating in your head until you want to get up and move to the beats. If you enjoy this song you will surely enjoy Kygo's other songs on his soundcloud page and best of all they are all up for a free download.  So go over to his soundcloud page and snag yourself some great tracks.  Happy Tuesday everyone! Edited for links to the Ellie Goulding and The Weeknd Versions.

This last weekend I attended my first music festival.  A few of my friends and I got a campsite and 3-day passes and made the journey over to Somerset WI so we could see some massive acts that would all be congregating at the same festival. We ended up getting to Somerset around one but had to wait in line for security and car checks until three.  Afterwards we we able to secure a campsite way out in the sticks of the north campground.  The site was pretty nice and we were surrounded by other people who came from all over to listen to the beats. Surrounded by tents in every direction The lineup this year was huge.  A few of the artists I really wanted to see were Big Gigantic, Girl Talk, Kill Paris, Madeon, Krewella, and Zedd.  The festival had three stages: the main, the grove, and the saloon stages.  The main is exactly as it sounds, a giant main stage where the main acts would play, the grove stage was a tented in area, and the saloon stage was ...

This week I would like to take a look at some interesting instrumental music.  This genre seems to be overlooked, but I feel it is definitely good music to play in the background or while studying or relaxing.  Today's track is entitled Electric Daisy Violin by the artist Lindsey Stirling.  Stirling is an violinist who does originals, and covers of many songs.  Her music is quite good, and it is full of depth and is pretty upbeat and entertaining to listen to.  If you watch any of her music videos you will be able to see that she really does enjoy what she does. You can check out her Youtube channel here For those of you who can play the violin, she also has some of here sheet music for sale She is currently touring in the U.S. check out the list of venues and see if she will be performing near you.  Enjoy the track and look forward to the next Track Tuesday!

Khan Academy is a website dedicated to providing educational videos to anyone in the world for free.  They have a goal of changing the face of education by letting people educate themselves on many different topics.  Creating an account on the website is simple and takes almost no time at all.  The user account will keep track of the videos you watch, the practice problems completed, and your overall progress, as well as give you access to "coaches" who can help you if you are having difficulties with a particular topic. What is truly amazing about the site is the diversity of the topics covered.  You can pick videos from the categories of science, math, computer science, economics, and the humanities (art, history, etc).  Many of the videos are 10 minutes or shorter.  The videos are well laid out and have the purpose of helping the viewer learn the material in a quick and easy manner. I feel the most revolutionary aspect of Khan Academy is the fact th...

I do not know how many of you are familiar or have seen machinima , which is essentially scripted movies/shows made in video games.  I would like to however to discuss one of my favorites a show called Red v.s. Blue.  The show takes place in the Halo universe, and was originally just a comedy, made as a weekly video game skit by Rooster Teeth .  First started when the original Halo came out (that makes me feel really old) the skit took place in the iconic map Blood Gulch.  The story involved some of the least intelligent and extremely hilarious soldiers who were posted in the canyon to protect their flags from the other team. The show was without to much of a plot line but it was funny, so many people watched it.  That was all the way back in 2003, and now 10 years later the show still lives and has a coherent plot line complete with some drama, secrets, and of course the humor that brought its success in the first place.  The 10th season of the show rece...

As some of you might be aware, my favorite science-fiction author is Jack McDevitt.  I have found almost all of his books to be extremely entertaining and well written.  His stories typically have an element of mystery to them.  He has a knack for solving just enough of the mysteries to be satisfied, however I can always seem to come up with at least one alternative that seems plausible to me. The book entitled The Cassandra Project is centered around a mystery surrounding the Apollo program which occurred in the United States in the late sixties and early seventies.  The book centers around a few characters but mainly around a Jerry Culpepper who works in public relations for NASA. In the beginning of the book we learn that NASA is being slowly losing funding as the years go on (the novel takes place in the near future) and many believe the agency will be shut down.  NASA opens an exhibit to show off the achievements of the many astronauts in the progr...

The title informs you of all the required facts needed to enjoy this mans music.  At the time of this post he has released three albums (all of which are only $12) each of these albums is packed full of great tunes. He creates all of his master pieces using a computer and a keyboard, on his website  he explains he does not have extensive formal music training, but just plays for fun.  He certainly has a knack for making music that just seems so right. Here are a few of my favorite tunes: Disorganized Fun Stay Crunchy and last but not least Red Lemonade (Remixed) Now that you all realize how awesome this mans' music is keep him in your bookmarks and buy some of his great music.

While I am a few days late, I would still like to say Happy New Years to all of my readers.  I hope your holiday season has been filled with friends, family, and great times. Now onto the year 2013!

The last time I checked it was 2012 and I don't really understand why this debate(along with many others) is still going on.  I see two people who love each other and that really is all I am concerned about.  I grew up being taught that all people are equal. It is certainly a relief to me that the proposed amendment to the Minnesota state constitution was shot down on election day.  I was also happy to see that the states of Maine, Maryland, and Washington who legalized gay marriage on election day as well. However only nine states in the US have legalized gay marriage.  While the results of the ballot measures this election was exciting, but there is still a long way to go.  I would like to throw my own thoughts about marriage into the fray. First I would like to note that many of the arguments against gay marriage revolve around the ideas of gay marriage "harming" the children, "destroying" the sacredness of marriage, and gay sex is immoral. ...

Hello everyone!  Time for a long awaited (I hope at least) return of track Tuesday.  This week I would like to bring your attention to the song entitled " Seven Devils " by Florence and the Machine. Two side notes before I go onto the review of the song.  First The short film that a young producer Adam Cronstedt   made to accompany this song is extremely well done and it enhances the mood the song already produces.  According to the blurb this is the first film Adam has directed, I would say it is definitely a well polished piece of work.  Go watch the video right now! Next this song was featured in one of the trailers for the second season for the Game of Thrones television show on HBO, this show is amazing and if you have not seen the show or read the books (A Song of Ice and Fire Series) by George R. R. Martin I highly suggest taking a look at them. Alright, now onto business this track is strangely eerie with a nice beat.  The song ...

Alright everybody!  I have an important announcement for you.  Your fellow human beings will judge you for your decisions throughout your life.  They will judge you for the cloths you wear, the music you listen to, even the friends you keep.  What can you do about this blatant judgment about your life? You can turn and smile or flip them a finger if you so wish; however never let another human beings judgement affect how you act or your outlook on life (unless your outlook is particularly grim, then maybe ignore that last sentence).  Be the person you want to be no matter what anyone says. You want to listen to loud rock music and read philosophy at meal times, good for you continue on with your life.  You want to wear a suit to class everyday speaking in an awesome Russian accent while drinking vodka like a boss, that is your prerogative.   Do not be preoccupied with conforming to anybodies standards especially the standards ...

The newest James Bond movie has a great intro song sung by Adele entitled "Skyfall" of course.  Here is a good remix by Clark Kent and Oscar Daniel that I enjoy.  This is not a party song, it is more of a pre-party background music tune.   Give it a listen and enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

Okay, I realize that some (or perhaps all) of you will read that a couple times and think milk liquor sounds disgusting.  It does not have to be!  The recipe (found on the website  The Kitchn ) looked interesting so I thought I would attempt to make this. When finished the liquor has a sweet taste to it and has an almost dandelion yellow hue to it.  The short version of this recipe is as follows: 2 cups of vodka 2 cups of brown sugar 2 cups of 2% milk (whatever your type of milk is most likely fine, I had this in my fridge) 0.5 lemon (peel included) Mix all of the ingredients into a container and let sit in a cool and dark place, shaking it once a day for ten days.  After a few days the milk will start to curdle and separate from the mixture with the help of the citrus.  After ten days the product will be ready for straining. I used cheese cloth this time around (when I made the banana rum earlier this year I found that coffee filters are a huge ...

Just as a friendly reminder for all the American readers out there.  Go to the polls! and vote.  I don't care who you vote for just exercise your right and give your opinion!

Hey everyone.  I am just here to let everyone know the blog is not dead.  I am just really busy. However it is Friday and I wanted to leave everyone a track to add to their playlists tonight.  The artist is Bassnectar an artist sadly, I have yet to see in concert.  The track is entitled Hologram , and it is amazing.  Crank it and enjoy your weekend everyone!

Welcome to another edition of Track Tuesday!  This week brings another electro-remix that rocks. Entitled " Titan " By Clockwork and remixed by Coyote Kisses.  The song has a good electro-beat and definitely falls under the category of sick remix.  If you have not heard of Coyote Kisses before check this song out as well " Binary Suns " Crank it, and enjoy the rest of your Tuesday evening!

I am not sure where all of you live but in Wisconsin the Earth is turning and fall is on its way, and that means it is apple pie season!  If you have never had apple pie before then you have been missing out.  Here is the recipe that I use when I make this wonderful drink. This recipe will yield approximately 20-22 liters of apple pie (depending on evaporation and all that good physics stuff).  You can split this up into however many servings you desire. Required materials: Four gallons of apple cider (the real stuff, which requires refrigeration) Two gallons of apple juice Three and a half liters of 190 proof alcohol (Everclear was great when they made 190) Eight cups of brown sugar Twelve cinnamon sticks Apples (Type/quantity of your choosing) Honey Step 1: Combine the apple cider, apple juice, brown sugar and heat until mixture boils on medium heat (If you are like me and own extremely small pots you may have to do this in batches)...

This week brings us to a great track by Diplo entitled " About That Life ."  The track is very chill but it is also very trippy especially if you are watching the music video accompanying the song.  Every time I listen to this song I feel that I should be living in the 60's as a hippie or something.  However it is a great chill song to do homework/work to, so go listen and download it to maximize your trippy music exposure for the day.

Have you ever looked up into space and wondered just how big the universe actually is?  If the answer is no I encourage you to do so.  Some easy things to learn that will help you in your navigation of the night sky is your directions.  The easiest way to do this is by finding the big dipper. The big dipper is a circumpolar constellation, meaning that it never sets in our night sky.  The dipper is a bright easy to see constellation. Look for the bowl and handle. The next thing to find is the north star; take the front two stars of the big dipper and go until you run into the end of the little dippers handle.  That star is polaris also known as the North Star. If you were to extend the Earth's north pole into space it would run into Polaris.  Now you can observe the path of the stars over the course of an evening.  You will notice stars rise in the the East and set in the West, now that you have located your directions it will be ea...