Thursday, March 31, 2011
Deal and Giveaway: A $55 Wine Enthusiast Voucher from BuyWithMe
Click here to check out the deal.
Deal ends Sunday February 13th at 11:59 pm EST.
If you've never bought a voucher from a service like BuyWithMe, Groupon, LivingSocial or others I wouldn't be worried about whether it's legit. If it seems strange I think I know how you feel. I felt the same way the first time I heard about them. But after taking advantage of a number of these deals I haven't had a deal go south on me. You just have to read the terms of the deal and decide whether it works for you.
For this one I think the terms are favorable. The $55 voucher can even be used towards shipping and some items qualify for free shipping if you order $95 worth of merchandise.
In conjunction with this deal, BuyWithMe has given me one voucher to give away - more on that at the end of this post.
I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of wine accessories for your consideration. Here are some things that catch my eye:
Riedel Vinum Cabernet/Merlot/Bordeaux Wine Glasses (Set of 2)
For me, Riedel's Vinum line represents the benchmark against which all other wine glasses are measured. The shapes of the stems and the styling is spot-on classic.
It's really difficult to catch Riedel stemware at a discount so this BuyWithMe offer presents a good opportunity to catch these glasses at a good price.
Ravi Instant Wine Chiller
If you're a white wine drinker -or- you live in a warmer climate the Ravi Instant Wine Chiller is a product you might find useful. If you have a single temperature wine refrigerator (or wine cellar) and you want to take white wine out and enjoy it immediately, the Ravi can drop the temperature 10-20F.
If you keep red wine at room temperatures that approach 80F alcohol will tend to dominate. Dropping the temperature down closer to 65F can really make the wine shine. The Ravi can help in this scenario as well.
Full review here.
Screwpull Waiter Style Corkscrew
Corkscrews have to be some of the most overpriced/overthought wine accessories on the market. Whenever someone comes at me with a winged device or anything that doesn't fit in your pocket I get scared. Opening wine is easy - all you need is a waiter's corkscrew and you're set.
I like this one because Screwpull makes good stuff and the double-hinged feature is handy. Check it out.
Riedel Merlot Wine Decanter
At their core, wine decanters are pretty simple devices. You want to expose more surface area of the wine to air than what a wine bottle would normally provide -and- you want to give sediment an area to settle within so it doesn't wind up in your glass. This one from Riedel costs only $25.95. A good opportunity to snag your first wine decanter -or- stock up if you find yourself in situations where you need to decant multiple bottles simultaneously.
EuroCave Comfort 266 Wine Cellar (1-Temp) (Black - Solid Door)
Okay, it's a stretch to think you'd use a $55 voucher to buy a wine refrigerator that costs a couple thousand dollars. But I bought one of these a few years ago and I've been very pleased with it. The best way to get a deal on a EuroCave? Call them up, ask for Marshall, and tell him you're ready to buy right now. Ask them to give you the best deal possible. Shoot for 15% off and free shipping and see what they say. As with many retailers, it's difficult to get a great price -and- free shipping but it never hurts to ask.
Okay, here's how to enter the giveaway. Just leave a comment below saying you'd like to be entered by 5 pm PST Friday February 11th 2011. I'll then pass along the $55 Wine Enthusiast BuyWithMe voucher as a gift.
Prefer to keep it on the down low? No problem - just drop me an E-mail saying you'd like to be entered in this giveaway: wellesleywinepress@gmail.com
To improve your chances of winning, include a link in your comment to a specific item on the Wine Enthusiast website that you think is a good play for use with this voucher.
Winner will be chosen by random drawing and announced Saturday morning. Good luck, and please spread the word on Facebook and Twitter by using the buttons below.
Disclosure: I participate in both the Wine Enthusiast and BuyWithMe affiliate programs and BuyWithMe provided this voucher for me to give away.
Witness Turns Your Mac and iPhone into a Burglar Alarm
It’s called Witness, and it turns your Mac into a motion-activated security camera. When running, it [...]
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/witness-turns-your-mac-and-iphone-into-a-burglar-alarm/
INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERSECTIONS INTUIT
Why Does This Crazy Router Look Like a Wind Turbine? [Wtf]
MICRON TECHNOLOGY MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY METHODE ELECTRONICS MENTOR GRAPHICS
Microsoft lodges antitrust complaint against Google with European Commission, ignores irony
Microsoft lodges antitrust complaint against Google with European Commission, ignores irony originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/31/microsoft-lodges-antitrust-complaint-against-google-with-europea/
FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR INTERNATIONAL FAIR ISAAC FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009
Mas Des Dames, Rose, Coteaux Du Languedoc 2009 originally appeared on Winecast. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Winecast/~3/Sofm980mQUI/
Let Your Cat Protect Your iPad
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/28/let-your-cat-protect-your-ipad/
2007 St. Emilion Grand Cru Class�
Source: http://www.wine4freaks.com/36/2007-st-emilion-grand-cru-classe/
TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED
WordPress enables new iPad-optimized layout for its 18 million blogs
The iPad-optimized layout, which was developed with tablet publishing specialist OnSwipe, supports touch interactions, swiping, rotation and 'many other features of the iPad,' all with the power of HTML5. The theme is highly configurable, too. You can change the font typeface, choose from nine different 'skins' to match your existing blog theme, and you can set a 'cover' image. Of course, if you want visitors to simply see your normal blog theme, you can just disable the new iPad plug-in.
WordPress, which claims that it powers over 10% of the Web, says that it currently serves 750,000 pages views a day to iPad users -- a number that will surely explode over the next few years. What we're seeing here, first with Flickr last week, and now with the WordPress juggernaut firmly embracing tablet computing, is a resounding acknowledgment of a post-PC world. It's a very good sign of things to come, too; we expect there'll be a lot of tablet-optimized websites in 2011.
WordPress enables new iPad-optimized layout for its 18 million blogs originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Identifying The Best Wine Writing
Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look
If you click the flower pot, a flower pot appears and the seed is planted inside. You're then presented with two further choices -- a water can or a bottle of fertilizer. Each choice you make causes your creation to morph, and presents you with two other choices.
There's no winning or losing, really. Each "game" usually lasts around four or five choices, at which point the plant/animal dies in some creative (but not too gruesome) way. At this point you instantly start over with a new seed.
The graphics are captivating; the whole thing has a cinematic feel to it, with a bit of artificial camera shake added for style.
All in all, it's a fun, peaceful way to spend a few minutes, and it might even make you think a little bit while you're at it.
Mitoza is a fun, freaky Web toy with an artistic look originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/mitoza-is-a-fun-freaky-web-toy-with-an-artistic-look/
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Firefox 4 to be released March 22, will it beat IE9?
This isn't to say that Firefox 4 RC is bug-free, but it does mean that there are no significant issues that would warrant an RC2. The only real issue that the Mozilla Dev mailing list has been dealing with is Vietnamese localization, which looks like it will be bumped back to Firefox 4.0.1.
In other news, all eyes are now on Mozilla to see if it can match Microsoft's opening-day salvo of 2.3 million IE9 downloads. The last major release of Firefox, version 3, recorded 8 million downloads in 24 hours, a world record that might be hard to beat.
It's worth noting, too, that Firefox 3 supported Windows XP and Vista, which accounted for something like 90% of the PC market at the time. IE9's 2.3 million downloads are pretty impressive when you figure in the fact that it only supports Windows 7 and Vista -- which together only represent about 34% of the PC market. Believe it or not, Windows XP still accounts for over 55% of PCs, and given Firefox 4's support for XP, it would be shocking if it manages less than 2.3 million downloads.
As for why Microsoft dropped support for XP is another question entirely. In a few months we'll be able to see whether it made the right decision or not.
Firefox 4 to be released March 22, will it beat IE9? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/17/firefox-4-to-be-released-march-22-will-it-beat-ie9/
Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble
First and foremost, Amazon is promising to give away one paid app for free every day. Today it's Angry Birds Rio, and it only retails for 99 cents, but that doesn't really matter: people love free stuff. People will download stuff simply because it's free, even if they don't want it! The best bit (or worst bit) is that developers still get 20% of the usual retail price, which will be paid out of Amazon's pockets.
The next defining feature is Amazon Appstore exclusives. Angry Birds Rio, CoD:MW:Force Recon and other apps will be available only from Amazon. As we know from the console wars, exclusive titles aren't always a good thing, but who cares? Amazon simply wants unique selling points, and exclusive titles are definitely that.
It's not all good, though. We ran in to some rather serious bugs while playing around with the Amazon Appstore for Android app, and then there's the matter of having to enable installation from Unknown Sources before it will even install...
Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble
Amazon Appstore for Android hands-on review: Android Market is in trouble originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only
Before you get your hopes up, Test Drive doesn't work with every app. The IMDb app works fine -- you can even watch movie trailers on it! -- but the Angry Birds games are sadly not enabled. Some games work surprisingly well, though, like Bubble Buster. There's very little latency, and the framerate is really rather good. The Test Drive experience is so true to life that you even get ads; how cool is that?
Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Royalty redefined at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vagablond/ysSN/~3/h6aQunaZjao/
Let?s Get Fizzacle!
Source: http://www.beyondnapavalley.com/blog/lets-get-fizzacle/
ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS
Rule Your Computer From Afar by Setting Up Wake-on-LAN [Video]
Desiree Dymond SYNTAXBRILLIAN SYNTEL TAKETWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE
Bordeaux Tasting Reveals Affordable Gems
Vintage variation is a tricky thing for me on a number of levels. More experienced folks will tell you it's not a matter of good and bad - it's more a matter of appreciating vintage variation. Further, the way Bordeaux is priced, better vintages fetch higher prices. This is different than domestic wines and different from most regions. This presents an opportunity to pick up wines from quality producers in "off" vintages at a good price.
Bordeaux is a tricky thing to publicize and market. In one sense it's the noblest of wine regions, but in another I rarely find myself with a taste for Bordeaux on a weeknight - or even a weekend night for that matter. It's this quirky quandary - brand recognition many regions wish they had yet too fancy for many occasions and relegated to high holidays. Too much tradition for its own good?
Below high flying names costing $50 and up are Bordeaux Superieur wines costing $20 or less. As part of an live online tasting through TasteLive, Planet Bordeaux offered up five 2006-2008 Bordeaux to wine bloggers across the United States to get together online and concurrently share their thoughts.
Here are my notes:
2006 Chateau La Gatte La Butte
$15
13.5% Alcohol
100% Merlot from old vines. Light magenta. Cherries and earth on the nose. A little Leuden's cough drop action. Earth too with undeniable Bordeaux markings. On first sip I get a twinge of acidity in my cheeks and even my ears. Comes together really nicely. Well balanced. Great start.
http://chateaulagatte.com
88+/100 WWP: Very Good
2008 Chateau Lugagnac
$16
13% Alcohol
On the nose I get burnt earth, cocoa, some fruit. Grippy tannins. Surprisingly hot for only 13.5%. Needs some time to settle down, but still a pretty nice wine.
http://chateaulugagnac.com
87/100 WWP: Very Good
2008 Chateau de Terrefort-Quancard
$14
13% Alcohol
Tightly wound with tart cherry fruit and harsh tannins. Should improve with time but for now it's one of the more challenging wines in the lineup.
http://chevalquancard.com
84/100 Good
2007 Chateau de Parenchere Cuvee Raphel
$15
13.5% Alcohol
Medium-full bodied with a really enticing nose. A nice combination of fruity and savory components. Velvety mouthfeel. Low-medium acidity. Doesn't beg for food the way the others do but I think it's versatile enough to play well in a lot of settings. My wine of the night.
http://parenchere.com
90/100 WWP: Outstanding
2008 Chateau Penin Tradition
$15
13% Alcohol
Made in a soft, easy drinking style. Limited aromatically.
http://chateaupenin.com
82/100 WWP: Good
My thanks to the folks from Planet Bordeaux for supporting wine bloggers with this tasting!
Samples for review.