Coffee Wars Redux

Well it looks like Starbucks is attacking McDonald's foray into the coffee slinging business by suppling other fast food restaurants with their discount coffee brand Seattle's Best Coffee. Expect to see SBC showing up at Burger King and Subway. CNN debates whether or not this is a good move by Starbucks.

Use Tea to Treat a Sunburn

Just in time for the 30 degree Celsius weather here in Ottawa, Lifehacker, is running an article on how to treat sunburn using black tea.

Before and After

Well this is what I looked like immediately after the Canadiens loss to the Flyers.

And then another 5 minutes after that:

Please note the smile was not because the Canadiens lost.  Rather it was for getting the beard off.  I never imagined it would go on quite this long.  Just in time too as it hit 30 degrees Celsius today in Ottawa.  I was not looking forward to applying suntan lotion to my bearded face.

Unlike a number of other Habs fans I'm not overly disappointed that they lost in the third round.  They had no business being in the third round of the playoffs.  Rather I'm happy to see the emergence of Halak in nets and PK Subban on defense.  As long as Pierre Gauthier makes some good moves in the office season things are looking up.

Also, I would like to take the time to apologize to Hal Gill.  I used to slag you something awful when you were a Maple Leaf but your play last year for the the Penguins in the playoffs and this year with Montreal has proven that you sir are a true warrior.  I tip my hat to you.

Pour Over Brewing has Arrived at Starbucks.

The previously mentioned pour over brewing method is now available at Starbucks according to Divine Caroline. What is even more interesting is the second page of the article that lists a number of hidden menu items at Starbucks.

Is Coffee Healthy?

Recently, local Ottawa blogger, DaniGirl posed a question on her site about coffee overload. When is too much coffee really too much coffee? Well coffee might just be healthier than we think.

Web Comic Wednesday: Ants

Ants is a web comic from the talented and super fly Julian Lytle. I really have a hard time describing the strip as it is very high concept but at the same time it is ground in street level humour and pop culture references.

I think the best way to get a feeling on the strip is to talk to Julian. Ideas pop off him like Kirby dots and you can tell upon meeting him that he is going to be a star in the business. Heavy Metal agrees as he's recently been featured in their magazine.

A must listen is the CGS Super Show Web Comics panel. Julian owned the panel keeping the audience and panel members in stitches.

Check out a new episode of Ants every Wednesday at Ants.

Coffee Lover Umbrella

Foolish Gadgets strikes again with this interesting umbrella for coffee lovers. Not sure if I'd drop the money for this gadget though. Growing up in Cape Breton has given me an aversion to umbrellas as they are pretty much useless with the winds we get.

Web Comic Wednesday: Let's Be Friends Again

Let's Be Friends Again is a bi-weekly web comic from creators Curt Franklin and Chris Haley. They combine topical humour with comic book knowledge in a hilarious way. This leads to juxtapositions like this encounter between Sarah Palin and Captain America.

Go check them out, buy their book and if you like the strips then contact Chris Haley as he is selling the original art from the series.

Both Chris and Curt appeared on an episode of one of my favourite podcasts, War Rocket Ajax. Please don't listen to it. Nothing good can come out of it.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

So, at the start of the NHL playoffs this year I jokingly said that I wouldn't shave until the Canadiens were knocked out. I say jokingly since I expected them to lose to the Capitals in four or five games. Amazingly they squeaked out a win in the seventh game of the series against the Caps riding on the back of Jaroslav Halak. Now Montreal has tied up their series against the Stanley Cup defending penguins at two a piece.

This means I will have to keep this scratchy, patchy abomination for at least a few more days. Here is a shot of BEARD POWER!

Photo credit: Kathleen MacNeil

A Couple of Cool Coffee Mugs

I've recently seen a couple of cool coffee mugs I wanted to share with you from new my favourite blog Foolish Gadgets. First up is this battery mug which has a temperature sensor to show you how hot your coffee is. Also there is this mug designed to look like three coffee cups stacked one upon another.

Web Comic Wednesday: Gronk

Katie Cook has just started her own webcomic. It is called Gronk: A Monster's Story and it kicked off last Friday. Expect new strips every Friday or Saturday. Go check it out!

Katie is a very talented artist who's work recently appeared in Fraggle Rock #1 from Archaia. I've had the pleasure of meeting Katie and her husband Ryan on a couple of occasions and they are great people. At the last CGS Super Show Katie sketched Red from Fraggle Rock for me.