Recent Comments:
Marcel's Quantum Kitchen -- Enter to Win an Apple iPad 2 {Slashfood}
Mar 22nd 2011 8:28PM I'm looking forward to Michel self-immolating.
Oktoberfest Beers {Slashfood}
Oct 1st 2010 3:48PM Your headline is "Oktoberfest Beers" and you manage to mention ONLY one real Oktoberfest beer (and you ignored the fact that Schneider's Edel-weisse is that brewery's Oktoberfest beer).
Here in Seattle, we can get over 30 different Oktoberfest and festbiers from German and US brewers on draft, but you only name one. LAME!
If these are your fall choices, great! But don't headline the post as "Oktoberfest Beers"
Top five cities for taxi drivers (and the bottom end, too) {Gadling}
Aug 11th 2010 11:10AM Thailand cab drivers in the top five best? This must be one seriously flawed study.
Was one of the criteria for evaluation taking passengers to several out-of-the-way unwanted destinations (where the driver gets a commission for your patronage) before the one you actually asked for? If it was, then I can understand the high ranking.
Although cab rides are a near-necessity in Bangkok, they're one of the things I least look forward to when I visit.
Local Luxury: Top Six Fine Dining Restaurants in Tampa, Florida {Luxist}
Apr 10th 2010 1:29PM Bern's is terrific, but... P.F. Chang's? Fine dining? Really?
Foodie travel: One day in Rome {Gadling}
Jan 18th 2010 6:45PM Food in Rome can be great, but this article is almost totally devoid of useful information. Boring...
Food so good, you'll travel around the world to get it {Gadling}
Jan 18th 2010 11:24AM I definitely agree about Black Pepper Crab in Singapore, but I would add a few others.
Pad Kee Mao at Raan Jay Fai in Bangkok, Buffet lunch at Sala Rim Naam at The Oriental, Bangkok, anything aquatic from Cal Pep in Barcelona, Gelato from San Crispino in Rome or Gelateria dei Neri Florence, Steak and Soufflé Fries at Cabana Las Lilas in Buenos Aires, Sushi in Tokyo (can't pick or reveal my favorite), BBQ ribs and shoulder at The Rendezvous, Memphis, Smoked Meat at Schwartz's in Montreal.
I also kind of agreed with pizza (though you can get fantastic Italian-style pizza in several places around the globe, including Tokyo). I also agreed with the empanadas at Cumana in Buenos Aires, but if I'm in Singapore for Black Pepper Crab, I would substitute curry puffs for empanadas.
OJ scandal! Has American Airlines lost their minds? {Gadling}
Dec 11th 2009 7:33AM I'm an American Airlines Executive Platinum flyer and I haven't found American's flight attendants to be more unhelpful than those from other airlines. In fact, I've usually (not always) found them to be pretty patient for having to deal with a generally uncivil flying public.
Customers routinely expect the flight attendants to defy the laws of physics to get their oversized luggage crammed into the overheads and exhibit Olympic weightlifing skill in doing so. Frequent business flyers who refuse to turn off their electronic devices after repeated admonitions to do so. And one nearly every flight, 100+ cranky passengers who are shoehorned into a flight and want the flight attendants to do something to make them more comfortable. As the airlines have moved seats closer together and eliminated most basic historic airline perks (peanuts and pillows), flight attendants are expected to make up this gap (and aren't paid a lot to do so).
The primary functions of flight attendants is maintaining safety and order. They are not primarily waitresses, child care providers, etc. That being said, I've seen American's flight attendants show kindness toward countless passengers and they certainly have a greater tolerance for screaming infants than I do.
Have I seen cranky and arbitrary ones? You bet, quite a few over the years -- some of them pretty obnoxious. Are they the majority? No, not even close. Is this unique to American? No, in fact I think it's about the same with most legacy airlines.
One observation, the flight attendants at American (and many legacy carriers) tend to be older than their counterparts at some of their competitors. I don't know how this affects their demeanor, but perhaps it is a factor. Maybe someone just out of college who's doing the job mainly for the perks is willing to put up with the **** that's involved in being a flight attendant more than someone who's been doing it for several decades and is still working the job to pay their kid's college tuition.
Note: I am not a flight attendant nor is anyone in my extended family -- just someone who's been the recipient of much kindness (and occasional aggravation) from flight attendants for a long time.
Best American Breweries 2009: Top Five {Digital City Blog}
Aug 25th 2009 3:05PM Hard to argue with those choices, but I would have to try and squeeze in Left Hand Brewing of Longmont, CO into that list. Sawtooth Ale (The New York Times' favorite ESB worldwide), Milk Stout, Polestar Pilsner, Oak-Aged Imperial Stout, and their 400-Pound Monkey IPA (Test Batch #2) have all been delicious on tap, showing a consistent ability to deliver top-quality taste in a variety of genres.
FCC says DTV transition going smoothly, few TVs shot up {Engadget}
Jun 15th 2009 9:34PM One thing that wasn't thought out too well (or entrepreneurs didn't see it well enough in advance) is the need for battery operated televisions with digital tuning. Lots of Americans rely on battery-operated televisions to keep them informed of weather-related information during hazardous storms (which occur frequently in summer), but the pickings are pretty slim and expensive.
Moreover, when you're hunkered down in a basement, closet, or bathtub, I'm not sure whether antenna reception is going to be enough to pull in a digital TV signal from those locations. Yes, I know there's weather radios, but I'd much rather be watching the local weather radar during a tornado watch.
A call from the David Letterman show doesn't mean tickets: Be prepared {Gadling}
Jun 11th 2009 11:48AM I went to the Letterman show a long time ago, and your post made me remember that I had to answer a trivia question to get my tickets. Fortunately, my question was easier (in fact, I think the answer may have been Tony "Inky" Mendez for me). The show was fun, with the highlight being when Serena Williams came out, and she was so buff that my wife thought it was a man pretending to be Serena. The bad part was no musical act because Dave Matthews Band was performing on the roof of the Ed Sullivan theatre, and they had brought in a separate audience (younger, hipper, and better looking, I imagine) for the rooftop taping.
