Monday, December 31, 2012

GoodLife Brewing's "Descender IPA"

GoodLife Brewing's "Descender IPA" Label
I recently discovered GoodLife Brewing's "Descender IPA" at our local supermarket. In the Portland area, you can find it at the Thriftway market in Hillsboro and at the New Seasons Markets. This brew won the "People's Choice" second place award in KLCC radio's Microbrew Festival in Eugene, OR this year, where fifty-five craft brewers served up over 120 brews.

The GoodLife Brewery and Bier Hall are located in beautiful Bend, OR. There is an attached, spacious Beirgarten where you can enjoy a brew outdoors. Brewery tours are held on Fridays and Saturdays.

Right now, this is my favorite IPA. I am no beer tasting expert, so I don't know how to put the taste, the finish, and what-not into technical terms, but I can just say, If you are an IPA fan, try it, I think you'll like it. If you're not an IPA fan, give it a try anyway, you might change your mind.

"Oblivion" Sci-Fi Movie Trailer

Oblivion Movie Poster
Oblivion is an upcoming sci-fi film based on the as-yet unreleased Joseph Kosinski and Arvid Nelson graphic novel of the same title, (illustrated by Swedish digital artist Andree Wallin). It stars Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, and Morgan Freeman. The general release date is currently set for April 19, 2013. A limited IMAX release is scheduled one week earlier.

The first trailer and the movie poster were released this month. We've embedded the trailer video below.

The story is set centuries from now after the Earth has been devastated by a decades-long war with some dire threat called "the Scavs." For safety, the surviving humans live in orbit and in floating installations thousands of feet above ground. Tom Cruise stars as drone repairman Jack Harper, who descends to rescue a woman from a spaceship that's crash-landed on the surface. Her arrival kicks off the action that overturns everything that Harper thinks he knows about the war and its aftermath.

A gallery of concept art, Wallin's drawings from the graphic novel, and publicity stills is available here at www.oblivionmovie2013.com. I do not know if that site is officially affiliated with Universal Studios or not (I don't think it is)... the official studio site is here. Nonetheless, it's got a lot of material and a movie news blog, so check it out, too.

"Ender's Game" Coming to the Big Screen

Harrison Ford & Asa Butterfield, Entertainment Weekly
I just saw this Entertainment Weekly publicity still from the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game at ScienceFiction.com. The film stars Asa Butterfield as Ender, Harrison Ford as Col. Hyrum Graff, and Sir Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham.

Entertainment Weekly has previously reported that the film's release date has been pushed from March 15, 2013 to November 1, 2013.

Entertainment Weekly has posted a gallery of the cast members.


      

Nanotechnology: A Single Molecule Motor

ARS Technica reports that a team of international researchers has built a single-molecule rotating motor that is powered by electrons from a scanning-tunneling microscope. The molecule spins atop a single ruthenium atom that acts like a ball bearing.

The Raveonettes: "She Owns the Streets"

From The Raveonettes... "She Owns the Streets."



   

Christmas Rocketree: The XMS Missiletoe

Looking to do something different and perhaps a bit more creative with the old Christmas tree this year? Here's a bit of inspiration for you.

Tip of the hat to VA Viper, aka Debby the Odd Links Gal.


Bamboo Bikes from Panda Bicycles

"The One" Bicycle from Panda
A friend of mine just sent me a link to the website of Panda Bicycles of Fort Collins, CO. The designer-builders at Panda use bamboo frame sections joined by steel lugs. The bamboo is claimed to provide a more "supple and responsive ride" than that provided by an all-metal frame:

Using bamboo as the primary building material results in a super strong, ultra durable frame that provides style and comfort unlike any other frame material.

The founding team opened shop in picturesque downtown Fort Collins in 2009. The model you see to the left, "The One," a single-speed "fixie" commuter, was the first model out the door. It has currently been joined by three more models, including "The Action," a nine-speed city bike with vintage English styling.

For those who want to choose their own components, Panda also sells the frames alone. They also sell their own line of bicycle-centric apparel for men, women, and children.

Check out the Panda blog here.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer Leases for $185/month

Stratasys Mojo 3D Printer Kit
Stratasys still has its Mojo 3D printer lease program going here in the US. This is an industrial grade, professional printer of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type that you can lease for as little as $185/month. It prints with the Stratasys ABSplus material.

You can find a YouTube video of the Mojo in action here at a post we did about it earlier this year.

You can get a free printed sample by registering with Stratasys here.

Please note again that the lease program is available only in the United States.

   

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop Blog

Jake Von Slatt Guitar Tube Amp
Check out master steampunk-craftsman Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop for all sorts of cool steampunk events, music, crafts, and more.

The steampunk-themed guitar amp you see here was designed and built by Jake Von Slatt for Nathaniel Johnstone when he was with the Seattle steampunk band, Abney Park.












       

Classic AJS Scrambler

AJS Scrambler
Just because it's beautiful...

I don't even remember where I found this pic. Stumbled across it today while going through some files and thought I'd post it here for your enjoyment, just because...









    
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