If you haven't yet, you should read Part 1 and Part 2 first.
After officially "cutting the cord" for over a month now, I can give a little update with my experience.
The ROKU works fine, but I can get most of the same functionality with other smart devices. If you already have a Wii, PS3, XBox, computer or smart Blu-Ray player; the ROKU is not really necessary. The ROKU are nice for TVs that don't have any smart device attached.
By far and away, the best purchase I made was the PlayOn software. However, as mentioned in my blog, it does take a little effort and knowledge to get it setup.
With the proper scripts installed, I can pretty much watch any episode of any show whenever I want. If I want to set down and watch all 98 episodes of Gilligan's Island over a long weekend, I can. Or, if I want to watch last nights episode of The Walking Dead, it'll be streamed from multiple sites by the time I get home tonight. There are also an unlimited amount of movies available to watch. A lot of content is not HD quality, but it is not poor quality either.
The other nice thing about the PlayOn software, is that I can watch shows on any device on my network. Not only smart devices on my TV, but there are also apps to watch it on smart phones. So, with the 4 TVs and 3 smart phones and 3 computers in the house, finding a device to watch on is not an issue.
Live TV is possible, but I've found the video quality for the most part is pretty poor. Since the only TV I watch live is Sports, this hasn't been too much of an issue. Most sports I watch while I'm doing other things. NASCAR, basketball, baseball, etc., I usually turn on the TV while I'm on the laptop and just listen and occasionally look at the TV. Since the audio is fine, it really isn't an issue that that picture is jumpy. We get all the local channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS). So, I get a decent amount of sporting events there on the weekends. I think my biggest issue is going to be Monday and Thursday night NFL football. However, I'm sure I'll find a solution by then.
A nice little story/shout out about the NCAA. With the NCAA basket ball tournament on, I was looking for a decent stream for games I wanted to watch. However, they were all jumpy or buffering like crazy (I have a feeling this might have to do with everyone else trying to watch it). So when I got my phone (android) out to check the scores of other games, I notice the NCAA had an app to watch the games live on your phone in HD. I downloaded the app and sure enough, live games in HD right on my phone. My phone has a mini HDMI port, so I grabbed my HDMI cable ($5 on amazon) and plugged my phone into the TV. Just that easy, I had access to all the NCAA tournament games in HD right on my TV. The best part for the NCAA is that I had to watch their commercials instead of what the networks were showing. I also assume they keep that of the number of people that streamed the games. So, by making the games easily available, I'm guessing that advertisers money when right into the NCAA's pocket, instead of filtering through the network first. All other sport leagues should take note of what the NCAA did. My guess is we see more of this happening.
The biggest downfall I've found with the with the PlayOn software, is that is pretty much requires a dedicated computer. At least is requires my cheap $300 computer I bought at walmart over the winter to be dedicated. If someone else is doing something on the computer (usually my 5 year old playing flash games), the stream we are watching really starts to buffer. If no one is using the computer, then we usually don't have buffering issues. Not sure if a beefier computer would handle it better. However, if I have to go by another $300 computer for the kids to play on, that's about the same as 4 months of cable bills I was paying. However, I'm going to finish my 3 months (original return on investment) before making any changes to my setup.
As usual, any questions or comments, leave them below, and I'll try to answer or reply.
Also, I'm not associated in any way with and do not endorse any of these devices, software or companies. This is only my experience that I'm sharing with people who are interested in cutting the cord themselves.
If anyone decides to use PlayOn, Please use this link so I can get the referral.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Cutting the Cord - Part 2 (PlayOn.tv)
As promised in Cutting the Cord - Part 1, this blog will be about the PlayOn.tv server. Hopefully I'll give enough details that you will know if this is something you want or need. I usually try to insert some basic humor into my blogs to keep them entertaining, but I have a feeling this one is going to be pretty dry.
Basically, the PlayOn.tv server that sits on a computer and grabs streaming video you request from the Internet and makes it available to the streaming devices connected to the same network.
The first question would be, 'what video does it give me access to?' Rather then type it all out, here is a link to the PlayOn channels. Now, looking at this listing is a little misleading. The channels you see are NOT LIVE FEEDS! This needs to be stressed, because their website does not make it real clear. What these channels give you is direct access to their online content.
For example, if you go to CBS.com and click the watch menu item, you will be able to see the same content that is available on the CBS PlayOn Channel. The PlayOn server makes it a little easier to access from your streaming devices. So what we've learned is that the same content you get from the PlayOn Channels are available from the Internet for free with slightly more effort.
You next question should be, 'what else does it do that would make me want to buy a subscription?' The next thing the PlayOn server lets you do is add 'Plugin Channels'. These are channels created by the community and approved by PlayOn. So, plug in channels are created by users to fill in what they want as streamed content on PlayOn. Chances are some of these are things you want too. I'm not sure what the approval process from PlayOn is, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with not allowing adult content or Copy Righted material. There are 64 of these channels at current count and they range from "Big Ten Network" to "Charlie Brown Christmas Specials". Once again, if you know what you are looking for, most of this content might not be too difficult to find steamed online with out PlayOn.
So now you're thinking, 'Ok, it's cool that it pulls all this stuff together and makes is easy to find, but with some time and effort, I can find most of this content myself. What else does it do?' It's time to let you know about PlayOn Scripts. This my friends is the Wild West of internet streaming. These are similar to the plug ins, in that they are created by the community. However, they differ, because they do not have to have PlayOn approval. This is basically people finding whatever they can find on the internet that is streamed and giving you a way to easily find it. From what I can tell there are well over 1000 PlayOn Scripts. Some people do attache prices to these scripts, but not very many.
As with anything else that is left solely to the whims of the internet community, some of this scripts work and some don't. Some are worthless and some are down right amazing. I downloaded a script the other night, that had links to streams of almost every tv series you could imagine. I found all 98 episodes of Gilligan's Island, and was also able to find the most recent episode of The Walking Dead all in a matter of minutes. Then as an added bonus it had thousands of movie streams.
Now, I know what you are thinking, "Quick sign me up!" Not so fast. There are some downfalls. Like video quality and stream availability. You need to realize that PlayOn does not control the video, it simply give you easy way to access it. So, each site is in control of what is available and what quality it is. You have to remember that that streaming takes bandwidth and a lot of these people with streaming content will not put up HD quality content. Also, depending on bandwidth and where they are served from, there is a good chance you'll have to wait for your video to buffer occasionally. Also if a website is down, streaming content won't be available. However, most things I saw had multiple streams to try for a single movie/episode, so with minimal work you can usually find a stream worth watching. However, if you are a person who wants everything in 1080p, then I wouldn't suggest streaming your TV.
Once again, as I said in my previous blog, I'm not advocating you by PlayOn, or suggesting you don't. I'm just giving you my experience with it.
OK, now after that long winded explanation of PlayOn, here is my experience with setting it up, and starting to use it.
After checking out their website and seeing that their lifetime license was on sale for $59.99 (less then one month of cable), I decided to give it a try. So I ordered online using my pay pal account, and quickly received my license codes in an email. I then followed the links to the install software and downloaded and ran it. The install was pretty straight forward.
During the install it will tell you to allow access to the application in any firewall that you have on your computer. Be sure to do this step, or you streaming devices will not be able to access the PlayOn server. When I was finished, there was an extra step to turn on the Mobile streaming. So if you want to stream to your iPhone or Android Phone, you'll need to turn that one.
When I first turned on the mobile streaming, it would not work. Played around with my computer and router settings with no luck. Finally, I had to set a static IP address on my computer. Not sure why that fixed it, because I thought the UPnP was supposed to handle it. However, since I'm using this computer as a server, it's probably a good idea to have it set to a static IP on my network anyways. Just make sure the IP address you use is outside your routers DHCP range.
As far as adding the Plug ins or scripts to the PlayOn server, it's pretty simple. Download the script, go to the PlayOn settings and add it from there. Once it is added, restart the PlayOn Service and then restart your streaming device.
As mentioned above, I have tried out some scripts. So worked and some didn't, but I had some decent results. If I have any issues come up, I'll be sure to mention them in future blogs.
Finally, PlayLater. This is pretty basic. It allows you to record streamed content in real time from your PlayOn server. It records it as an MP4. Once it is recorded, you can copy the MP4 to other devices to watch or watch them on your streaming devices later. This is a great tool to record movies or episodes and take them to watch when you are not connected to your home network.
Wow, that was all pretty long, so I'll wrap this up quick. Part three of this blog will come after I get my ROKU devices, and have had a chance to get them connected and try them out. As always, if you have a question or comment, leave them below.
Part 3
If anyone decides to use PlayOn, Please use this link so I can get the referral.
Basically, the PlayOn.tv server that sits on a computer and grabs streaming video you request from the Internet and makes it available to the streaming devices connected to the same network.
The first question would be, 'what video does it give me access to?' Rather then type it all out, here is a link to the PlayOn channels. Now, looking at this listing is a little misleading. The channels you see are NOT LIVE FEEDS! This needs to be stressed, because their website does not make it real clear. What these channels give you is direct access to their online content.
For example, if you go to CBS.com and click the watch menu item, you will be able to see the same content that is available on the CBS PlayOn Channel. The PlayOn server makes it a little easier to access from your streaming devices. So what we've learned is that the same content you get from the PlayOn Channels are available from the Internet for free with slightly more effort.
You next question should be, 'what else does it do that would make me want to buy a subscription?' The next thing the PlayOn server lets you do is add 'Plugin Channels'. These are channels created by the community and approved by PlayOn. So, plug in channels are created by users to fill in what they want as streamed content on PlayOn. Chances are some of these are things you want too. I'm not sure what the approval process from PlayOn is, but I'm guessing it might have something to do with not allowing adult content or Copy Righted material. There are 64 of these channels at current count and they range from "Big Ten Network" to "Charlie Brown Christmas Specials". Once again, if you know what you are looking for, most of this content might not be too difficult to find steamed online with out PlayOn.
So now you're thinking, 'Ok, it's cool that it pulls all this stuff together and makes is easy to find, but with some time and effort, I can find most of this content myself. What else does it do?' It's time to let you know about PlayOn Scripts. This my friends is the Wild West of internet streaming. These are similar to the plug ins, in that they are created by the community. However, they differ, because they do not have to have PlayOn approval. This is basically people finding whatever they can find on the internet that is streamed and giving you a way to easily find it. From what I can tell there are well over 1000 PlayOn Scripts. Some people do attache prices to these scripts, but not very many.
As with anything else that is left solely to the whims of the internet community, some of this scripts work and some don't. Some are worthless and some are down right amazing. I downloaded a script the other night, that had links to streams of almost every tv series you could imagine. I found all 98 episodes of Gilligan's Island, and was also able to find the most recent episode of The Walking Dead all in a matter of minutes. Then as an added bonus it had thousands of movie streams.
Now, I know what you are thinking, "Quick sign me up!" Not so fast. There are some downfalls. Like video quality and stream availability. You need to realize that PlayOn does not control the video, it simply give you easy way to access it. So, each site is in control of what is available and what quality it is. You have to remember that that streaming takes bandwidth and a lot of these people with streaming content will not put up HD quality content. Also, depending on bandwidth and where they are served from, there is a good chance you'll have to wait for your video to buffer occasionally. Also if a website is down, streaming content won't be available. However, most things I saw had multiple streams to try for a single movie/episode, so with minimal work you can usually find a stream worth watching. However, if you are a person who wants everything in 1080p, then I wouldn't suggest streaming your TV.
Once again, as I said in my previous blog, I'm not advocating you by PlayOn, or suggesting you don't. I'm just giving you my experience with it.
OK, now after that long winded explanation of PlayOn, here is my experience with setting it up, and starting to use it.
After checking out their website and seeing that their lifetime license was on sale for $59.99 (less then one month of cable), I decided to give it a try. So I ordered online using my pay pal account, and quickly received my license codes in an email. I then followed the links to the install software and downloaded and ran it. The install was pretty straight forward.
During the install it will tell you to allow access to the application in any firewall that you have on your computer. Be sure to do this step, or you streaming devices will not be able to access the PlayOn server. When I was finished, there was an extra step to turn on the Mobile streaming. So if you want to stream to your iPhone or Android Phone, you'll need to turn that one.
When I first turned on the mobile streaming, it would not work. Played around with my computer and router settings with no luck. Finally, I had to set a static IP address on my computer. Not sure why that fixed it, because I thought the UPnP was supposed to handle it. However, since I'm using this computer as a server, it's probably a good idea to have it set to a static IP on my network anyways. Just make sure the IP address you use is outside your routers DHCP range.
As far as adding the Plug ins or scripts to the PlayOn server, it's pretty simple. Download the script, go to the PlayOn settings and add it from there. Once it is added, restart the PlayOn Service and then restart your streaming device.
As mentioned above, I have tried out some scripts. So worked and some didn't, but I had some decent results. If I have any issues come up, I'll be sure to mention them in future blogs.
Finally, PlayLater. This is pretty basic. It allows you to record streamed content in real time from your PlayOn server. It records it as an MP4. Once it is recorded, you can copy the MP4 to other devices to watch or watch them on your streaming devices later. This is a great tool to record movies or episodes and take them to watch when you are not connected to your home network.
Wow, that was all pretty long, so I'll wrap this up quick. Part three of this blog will come after I get my ROKU devices, and have had a chance to get them connected and try them out. As always, if you have a question or comment, leave them below.
Part 3
If anyone decides to use PlayOn, Please use this link so I can get the referral.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Cutting The Cord - Part 1 (The Research & Purchase)
Let me set the scene. You get the mail from the mailbox. You walk into the house flipping through the junk mail, bills and invitations to parties (when you are as popular as me, there are always invitations to parties). Then you see it. The monthly cable/satellite bill. You work to open it with the sweaty, shaky hands of a gambling addict. Did it go up again? How much? $2, $5, $7 or did I get lucky this month and it stayed the same? You get it open and look. Dang it, $2.14 more then last month's bill. They raised it again. How many times a year does this scene play out at your house?
OK, honestly, we do paperless automatic payments online, and my wife IM'd me that the bill went up another couple bucks this month, but you get the picture.
I first got cable back in 1998. Prior to that, I lived so far out in the boonies I could not get cable, so I stuck with the 4 channels my tower antenna could pick up. But In 1998 I move into town and signed up for basic cable. For about $12 a month, I was able to get around 30 channels and I had 1 TV. Of those 30 channels I watched about 7 on a regular basis. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.
Fast forward about 15 years, and I now have a family. We have 4 TVs connected to cable. One with a HD and DVR cable box and the other three Standard cable. I've lost count, but I think we get about 200 to 250 channels. Of those channels my family watches about 14 channels on a regular basis. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, SyFy, AMC, ID, Disney, Nick, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, FX and and ABC Family. My cable bill in now $77.38 a month. That is strictly cable; not bundled with a phone or internet.
So, yesterday I decided to take matters into my own hands, grab my scissors and 'Cut the Cord'. OK, it wasn't anything that dramatic, but I did start doing some research on streaming TV through the internet. Within a couple hours, I had come up with a solution that I thought would adequately replace cable. I went with ROKU boxes, which are pretty much the industry standard for TV streaming devices. I also purchased a lifetime subscription of PlayOn.tv and PlayLater. I'll give more details on everything later, but for now, just know my total price is $284.66. There are no recurring fees, so this is the total price my solution will cost me.
Now, divide that $284.66 by the $77.38 I'll be saving each month with to the cable bill and my Return on Investment is 3.68 months. That means that after 4 months, if this experiment turns out to be a total bust, then I can turn cable back on and be out absolutely no money. I'll also have a few used ROKU boxes for sale cheap.
As mentioned above I purchased ROKU boxes and the PlayOn/PlayLater subscription. All other equipment I already had, but I'll give a full list of everything that is needed.
* High speed internet - both the ROKU and PlayOn require a minimum of 1.5 mbps download speeds. If you are going to be streaming to multiple devices like I am, I'd plan on something faster. We currently get internet for free (long story, but I assure you it is legal), however we will have to start paying for it in June. Using speed tests, we have about 10 mbps down now. In June when we have to sign up we'll be getting 15 mbps. 15 mbps might be a little overkill, but with all the internet enabled devices in my house (I come up with 10 off the top of my head, but I'm probably forgetting something), and the money I'll be saving on cable, I didn't want to skimp. If you can't get high speed internet in your area, I wouldn't suggest trying to switch over to streaming.
* Wireless home network with a UPnP enabled router (chances are if you have a wireless router, it already is UPnP enabled). They do make ROKU devices with Ethernet ports, but save yourself the hassle and cabling. Just setup a wireless network.
* A semi-dedicated Computer to act as PlayOn server. This does not have to be anything great, but needs to be on at ALL times to stream from. Windows XP SP2 or greater, 1 GB RAM, etc. Pretty standard for anything that has been made in the past 3 or 4 years. I have a $300 Gateway I bought back in November for use with my 'Musical Christmas Light Show'. It's a cheapie, but testing last night proved it should do the job as PlayOn server without issue. PlayOn suggests if your network is still 802.11g instead of 802.11n, that you hard wire this PC to the router. I do have a 802.11g network, so mine is hard wired.
* PlayOn server software and license. I'll go into details of what this software does, how it works and setup concerns I had in my next blog. For now, just know it's the software that will push most of the video stream from the internet to your streaming devices. Above I mentioned I purchased a lifetime subscription to PlayOn. This cost me $59.99, is a one time fee and also came with PlayLater. They have it highly discounted right now. This package would normally run $129.99 without the sale. I suppose you could see it as a bit of a gamble buying a lifetime subscription, if the company goes out of business. However, the fee was less then one month of cable, so that kind of puts it in perspective.
* Streaming devices. PlayOn will stream to PS3, Wii, Wii U, XBOX 360, Android Phones (OS 2.2 or later), iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Google TV, OmniBox, ROKU and some other devices. We do have the Wii, XBOX 360, PS3 and 3 android phones. However, I went with three of the ROKUs, because they can steam TV even without the PlayOn server. This will allow us to not be totally without TV, if something should happen to the computer that is running the PlayOn server. ROKU currently has a $10 off each device sale with free 3-5 day shipping. I decided to go with the ROKU 2 XD devices, because of their 1080p ability. We just bought the kids 1080p TVs for their rooms for Christmas, and wanted to take advantage of that capability. They were $69.99 + tax each device after the $10 off. If you are OK with the 720p version, you can get them for $49.99. I ordered them yesterday, and just got a notice they they shipped while I'm typing this blog. So I should have them in less then a week. Once I get them and hooked up, you can expect another blog about them.
* Some technical knowledge. I've been employed as a software developer for over 17 years now, so I consider my technical knowledge as pretty high. Some technical knowledge will go a long way if you decide to take on a similar project, but you in no way need to be a software developer to network engineer. If you could follow along with this blog and only have to look up a few terms in Google, then you shouldn't have many issues. If you have no clue what I was talking about all through this blog, then you might want to hold off. Or contact your network administrator (aka, you neighbor's teenage kid) for advice.
* The time and effort to get things figured out and setup. I've got about 5 hours into this project so far between research and setup. I expect to at least another 15-20 hours before I'm done.
NOTES:
- I have no affiliation with any of these companies, services or hardware.
- I'm not suggesting you purchase any of these products or care if you do. I'm just going through the process and want to share what I learn.
- I will not be responsible if you decide to use any information from this blog. After all, it's just my opinion.
@ If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comments section below. I'll do my best to answer questions.
Part 2 (PlayOn.tv)
If anyone decides to use PlayOn, Please use this link so I can get the referral.
OK, honestly, we do paperless automatic payments online, and my wife IM'd me that the bill went up another couple bucks this month, but you get the picture.
I first got cable back in 1998. Prior to that, I lived so far out in the boonies I could not get cable, so I stuck with the 4 channels my tower antenna could pick up. But In 1998 I move into town and signed up for basic cable. For about $12 a month, I was able to get around 30 channels and I had 1 TV. Of those 30 channels I watched about 7 on a regular basis. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.
Fast forward about 15 years, and I now have a family. We have 4 TVs connected to cable. One with a HD and DVR cable box and the other three Standard cable. I've lost count, but I think we get about 200 to 250 channels. Of those channels my family watches about 14 channels on a regular basis. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, SyFy, AMC, ID, Disney, Nick, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, FX and and ABC Family. My cable bill in now $77.38 a month. That is strictly cable; not bundled with a phone or internet.
So, yesterday I decided to take matters into my own hands, grab my scissors and 'Cut the Cord'. OK, it wasn't anything that dramatic, but I did start doing some research on streaming TV through the internet. Within a couple hours, I had come up with a solution that I thought would adequately replace cable. I went with ROKU boxes, which are pretty much the industry standard for TV streaming devices. I also purchased a lifetime subscription of PlayOn.tv and PlayLater. I'll give more details on everything later, but for now, just know my total price is $284.66. There are no recurring fees, so this is the total price my solution will cost me.
Now, divide that $284.66 by the $77.38 I'll be saving each month with to the cable bill and my Return on Investment is 3.68 months. That means that after 4 months, if this experiment turns out to be a total bust, then I can turn cable back on and be out absolutely no money. I'll also have a few used ROKU boxes for sale cheap.
As mentioned above I purchased ROKU boxes and the PlayOn/PlayLater subscription. All other equipment I already had, but I'll give a full list of everything that is needed.
* High speed internet - both the ROKU and PlayOn require a minimum of 1.5 mbps download speeds. If you are going to be streaming to multiple devices like I am, I'd plan on something faster. We currently get internet for free (long story, but I assure you it is legal), however we will have to start paying for it in June. Using speed tests, we have about 10 mbps down now. In June when we have to sign up we'll be getting 15 mbps. 15 mbps might be a little overkill, but with all the internet enabled devices in my house (I come up with 10 off the top of my head, but I'm probably forgetting something), and the money I'll be saving on cable, I didn't want to skimp. If you can't get high speed internet in your area, I wouldn't suggest trying to switch over to streaming.
* Wireless home network with a UPnP enabled router (chances are if you have a wireless router, it already is UPnP enabled). They do make ROKU devices with Ethernet ports, but save yourself the hassle and cabling. Just setup a wireless network.
* A semi-dedicated Computer to act as PlayOn server. This does not have to be anything great, but needs to be on at ALL times to stream from. Windows XP SP2 or greater, 1 GB RAM, etc. Pretty standard for anything that has been made in the past 3 or 4 years. I have a $300 Gateway I bought back in November for use with my 'Musical Christmas Light Show'. It's a cheapie, but testing last night proved it should do the job as PlayOn server without issue. PlayOn suggests if your network is still 802.11g instead of 802.11n, that you hard wire this PC to the router. I do have a 802.11g network, so mine is hard wired.
* PlayOn server software and license. I'll go into details of what this software does, how it works and setup concerns I had in my next blog. For now, just know it's the software that will push most of the video stream from the internet to your streaming devices. Above I mentioned I purchased a lifetime subscription to PlayOn. This cost me $59.99, is a one time fee and also came with PlayLater. They have it highly discounted right now. This package would normally run $129.99 without the sale. I suppose you could see it as a bit of a gamble buying a lifetime subscription, if the company goes out of business. However, the fee was less then one month of cable, so that kind of puts it in perspective.
* Streaming devices. PlayOn will stream to PS3, Wii, Wii U, XBOX 360, Android Phones (OS 2.2 or later), iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Google TV, OmniBox, ROKU and some other devices. We do have the Wii, XBOX 360, PS3 and 3 android phones. However, I went with three of the ROKUs, because they can steam TV even without the PlayOn server. This will allow us to not be totally without TV, if something should happen to the computer that is running the PlayOn server. ROKU currently has a $10 off each device sale with free 3-5 day shipping. I decided to go with the ROKU 2 XD devices, because of their 1080p ability. We just bought the kids 1080p TVs for their rooms for Christmas, and wanted to take advantage of that capability. They were $69.99 + tax each device after the $10 off. If you are OK with the 720p version, you can get them for $49.99. I ordered them yesterday, and just got a notice they they shipped while I'm typing this blog. So I should have them in less then a week. Once I get them and hooked up, you can expect another blog about them.
* Some technical knowledge. I've been employed as a software developer for over 17 years now, so I consider my technical knowledge as pretty high. Some technical knowledge will go a long way if you decide to take on a similar project, but you in no way need to be a software developer to network engineer. If you could follow along with this blog and only have to look up a few terms in Google, then you shouldn't have many issues. If you have no clue what I was talking about all through this blog, then you might want to hold off. Or contact your network administrator (aka, you neighbor's teenage kid) for advice.
* The time and effort to get things figured out and setup. I've got about 5 hours into this project so far between research and setup. I expect to at least another 15-20 hours before I'm done.
NOTES:
- I have no affiliation with any of these companies, services or hardware.
- I'm not suggesting you purchase any of these products or care if you do. I'm just going through the process and want to share what I learn.
- I will not be responsible if you decide to use any information from this blog. After all, it's just my opinion.
@ If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comments section below. I'll do my best to answer questions.
Part 2 (PlayOn.tv)
If anyone decides to use PlayOn, Please use this link so I can get the referral.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Grilled Pumpkins, BBQ Ribs and Singed Eyebrows
I like to try different things on the grill, and this summer I've been trying all different kinds of vegetables and some fruit. While looking for ideas, I came across a guy that had grilled whole pie pumpkins. I've done halved squashes that turned out well (acorn squash are the best on the grill), but knew I wanted to try the whole pumpkins as soon as I saw it. Now, usually when I try something new, I find a few sources on the Internet and see what worked and didn't work for other people. I found many people that have done sliced or cubed pumpkin, but only the one that had done whole. He used charcoal, so I knew I was going to have to wing it on my gas grill.
This is my Kenmore 5 burner that I'll be using. I debated using my Weber charcoal, but the gas offers more hood space, and better control of the temperature. Which is important since I'll need to keep it a low even temp for a long time.
I had a slab of spare ribs in the freezer I've been waiting until I've had the time to BBQ them, and thought they'd go well with the pumpkins. They will both need to be cooked for long times. Usually I do 'quick ribs', which are done in 2 hours. This time I'm doing 4 hour slow ribs.
Friday night, I pulled out the ribs, put them on a cookie sheet and in the fridge to thaw. Then we headed to The Andersons to get my pie pumpkins, pork rub, bacon and of course fall related beverages to drink while I grill. Along with some other meats and fruit for the wife. I already had some Garlic-Q sauce and hickory wood chips at home for the ribs.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, I check the ribs and they are thawed. So I leave them in the fridge and head out to the Pumpkin Patch at the Toledo Zoo with the wife and the youngest (aka Dutch Man or Bad Guy). We made it home about 3:00 and I was ready to start prepping at 3:30.
I started by pulling off the membrane off the ribs, and then realised I had forgotten to start the wood chips soaking. So I put the chips in some water to soak, then came back and put the Blues Hog rub on the ribs. The rub smelled amazing and the wife even commented on the smell as soon as I put the ribs on the grill. Here are the ribs ready for the grill.
I then cut lids off the pumpkins and cleaned them out. This was the most labor intensive part of the whole project.
Since this was my first time grilling pumpkins, I tried different seasonings in each pumpkin. I got this idea from the guy I found online that grilled the pumpkins. Although I used slightly different seasonings.
Pumpkin 1: Smeared butter around the inside of the pumpkin then stuck some brown sugar to it.
Pumpkin 2: About 1/4 cup of maple syrup, two slices of bacon and a cinnamon stick.
Pumpkin 3: Salt, pepper, two pieces of bacon and a very light dusting of cinnamon.
I tried to get the seasonings on the walls and lids of the pumpkins, but the bacon and syrup ended up pooling at the bottom.
I forgot to take a picture of the pumpkins filled with the lids off, but here is a shot of the pumpkins ready for the grill.
Here is everything ready for grilling.
*Special shout out to Smitty for recognizing Buffalo Bills pumpkin ale. I try every pumpkin beer I can find, and Buffalo Bill's remains one of the best I've ever had.
It's hard to see, but that clock on the stove says 3:31. With a 4 hour grill time, I need to get a move on to get everything done at reasonable hour. So, I drain my wood chips and start setting up the grill.
Above is my grill setup. I had two foil pans with a few holes poked in the bottom about half full with wood chips. I put these under the grate and right on top of the two outside burners, since I'll only be using those during cook time. The pan on the grate in the middle is filled with water to keep the ribs moist. The meat will tend to dry out after 4 hours on a gas grill, if you don't add some moisture.
I then turned all burners to high and closed to lid to try to get the chips smoking and the water steaming. After about 15 minutes, the grill had reached about 550 degrees, the water was steaming and the chips had just started to smolder. I then turned off the three middle burners and turned the two outside burners to low.
Time to load up the grill. You'll notice the ribs barely fit on the top rack, and the pumpkins had to sit back to fit under the hood. I could have trimmed off the stems, but I didn't want to ruin the look of them.
After loading everything on, I left the hood open for a minute or two to let it cool down from the 550 degrees. My plan was to grill at about 220. I closed the lid and the temperature went down to about 230 degrees and stayed there. Instead of messing around trying to get it to 220, I just left it and figured I could pull everything off early if I needed to. It was a beautiful sunny fall day. About 57 degrees. I have a feeling if it was much warmer, I would have had trouble keeping it under 300 degrees and would have to have used just one burner.
With the grill loaded and the temperature set, it was time to crack open a pumpkin beer. It was now 4:00, so eating before 8:00 wasn't going to happen (again). With beer in hand, it was time to wait... and wait... and uh-oh, I notice there is no smoke coming out of the grill. What happened to my smoldering wood chips? I decide to just let it sit and see if they take off in the first hour. As the first hour draws to an end, I decide that I'm going to have to give the wood chips a 'jump start'.
The plan is simple. Give the wood chips a quick splash of lighter fluid, leave the lid open until the lighter fluid burns away so the food doesn't get tainted, then blow out the flames. Bingo! smoldering wood chips and a smokey flavor for my ribs and pumpkins.
Now to put that plan into action. I run and grab the lighter fluid (which must be ancient, since I haven't used lighter fluid at home since I got my charcoal chimney about 10 years ago). I open the lid and see a couple small smouldering spots, but not enough to make more then a wisp of smoke. 'Excellent' I think, 'a quick splash of lighter fluid and it'll ignite its self'. Being careful to move the food out of the way and stand back as far as my arm will reach and give it a quick shot of lighter fluid. Then... nothing.
Thinking it must need some help, I lean in real close and blow lightly on a tiny glowing ember I see. My mistake is brought immediately to my attention as the lighter fluid ignites and a ball of flame comes flying towards my face. As I straighten up I smell an unmistakable smell. If you've ever smelled singed human hair, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I then look over at my 4 year old who just watch this whole thing unfold. His eyes are huge, and his grin is even bigger, like he's seen the best magic trick ever.
I decide that I'm not injured, and that taking inventory of my eyebrows can wait until I'm finished with the wood chips. I let the lighter fluid burn away and blow out the flames. Now the smoke is going good. I then go into the house and have my wife check out the damage. The verdict was two well singed eyebrows and some melted eye lashes.
After the second hour is up, I try the same process with the other pan of wood chips, but this time throw a match into the pan, instead igniting it with my face inches away.
After the third hour, the wood chips are pretty much gone, and it's time to start saucing the ribs, so I go ahead and put the garlic-q sauce on one side. The pumpkins still feel firm to the touch, so I'm a little worried if they will be fully cooked. However, the lids are starting to shrink up a little, so I know they are cooking.
I wait another 30 minutes, and sauces the other side of the ribs. The pumpkins are starting to look cooked, and smell really good. The outside is still really firm.
After the last 30 minutes, I open the grill, and everything looks and smells amazing.
The sun is now long set, and the wife and I are both very hungry. I take everything into the house and let the rib set for 10 minutes to soak up all their juices.
The wife and I both dug in and thought it was amazing. Pumpkin #1 was our favorite, followed closely by #2. The #3 pumpkin was still good, but not as much flavor. The outside of the pumpkins were more firm then I expected, but the inside flesh was pretty soft.
Things I'd do different.
1. A lighter sauce for the ribs. The Garlic-Q sauce was a little over powering, and didn't allow for the smoky taste I was hoping for.
2. Rotate the position of the pumpkins. With the outer burners being the only ones on, the two outer pumpkins got a little scorched on the outside. Not a big deal as it didn't affect the flavor of the pumpkin flesh. However, the middle pumpkin was a little less done then the other two.
3. If I was doing the pumpkins by themselves, I'd probably turn both outside burners to high, and remove the top rack. Then center the pumpkins and cook them in half the time. The outsides would probably have a more toasted look that way.
4. I'd put butter or some liquid in each pumpkin. The one with butter was much softer, and I'm guess it helped to steam the inside of the pumpkin.
If anyone has any questions about the process, or general comments, feel free to leave them here, and I'll answer what I can.
This is my Kenmore 5 burner that I'll be using. I debated using my Weber charcoal, but the gas offers more hood space, and better control of the temperature. Which is important since I'll need to keep it a low even temp for a long time.
I had a slab of spare ribs in the freezer I've been waiting until I've had the time to BBQ them, and thought they'd go well with the pumpkins. They will both need to be cooked for long times. Usually I do 'quick ribs', which are done in 2 hours. This time I'm doing 4 hour slow ribs.
Friday night, I pulled out the ribs, put them on a cookie sheet and in the fridge to thaw. Then we headed to The Andersons to get my pie pumpkins, pork rub, bacon and of course fall related beverages to drink while I grill. Along with some other meats and fruit for the wife. I already had some Garlic-Q sauce and hickory wood chips at home for the ribs.
Fast forward to Sunday morning, I check the ribs and they are thawed. So I leave them in the fridge and head out to the Pumpkin Patch at the Toledo Zoo with the wife and the youngest (aka Dutch Man or Bad Guy). We made it home about 3:00 and I was ready to start prepping at 3:30.
I started by pulling off the membrane off the ribs, and then realised I had forgotten to start the wood chips soaking. So I put the chips in some water to soak, then came back and put the Blues Hog rub on the ribs. The rub smelled amazing and the wife even commented on the smell as soon as I put the ribs on the grill. Here are the ribs ready for the grill.
I then cut lids off the pumpkins and cleaned them out. This was the most labor intensive part of the whole project.
Since this was my first time grilling pumpkins, I tried different seasonings in each pumpkin. I got this idea from the guy I found online that grilled the pumpkins. Although I used slightly different seasonings.
Pumpkin 1: Smeared butter around the inside of the pumpkin then stuck some brown sugar to it.
Pumpkin 2: About 1/4 cup of maple syrup, two slices of bacon and a cinnamon stick.
Pumpkin 3: Salt, pepper, two pieces of bacon and a very light dusting of cinnamon.
I tried to get the seasonings on the walls and lids of the pumpkins, but the bacon and syrup ended up pooling at the bottom.
I forgot to take a picture of the pumpkins filled with the lids off, but here is a shot of the pumpkins ready for the grill.
Here is everything ready for grilling.
It's hard to see, but that clock on the stove says 3:31. With a 4 hour grill time, I need to get a move on to get everything done at reasonable hour. So, I drain my wood chips and start setting up the grill.
Above is my grill setup. I had two foil pans with a few holes poked in the bottom about half full with wood chips. I put these under the grate and right on top of the two outside burners, since I'll only be using those during cook time. The pan on the grate in the middle is filled with water to keep the ribs moist. The meat will tend to dry out after 4 hours on a gas grill, if you don't add some moisture.
I then turned all burners to high and closed to lid to try to get the chips smoking and the water steaming. After about 15 minutes, the grill had reached about 550 degrees, the water was steaming and the chips had just started to smolder. I then turned off the three middle burners and turned the two outside burners to low.
Time to load up the grill. You'll notice the ribs barely fit on the top rack, and the pumpkins had to sit back to fit under the hood. I could have trimmed off the stems, but I didn't want to ruin the look of them.
After loading everything on, I left the hood open for a minute or two to let it cool down from the 550 degrees. My plan was to grill at about 220. I closed the lid and the temperature went down to about 230 degrees and stayed there. Instead of messing around trying to get it to 220, I just left it and figured I could pull everything off early if I needed to. It was a beautiful sunny fall day. About 57 degrees. I have a feeling if it was much warmer, I would have had trouble keeping it under 300 degrees and would have to have used just one burner.
With the grill loaded and the temperature set, it was time to crack open a pumpkin beer. It was now 4:00, so eating before 8:00 wasn't going to happen (again). With beer in hand, it was time to wait... and wait... and uh-oh, I notice there is no smoke coming out of the grill. What happened to my smoldering wood chips? I decide to just let it sit and see if they take off in the first hour. As the first hour draws to an end, I decide that I'm going to have to give the wood chips a 'jump start'.
The plan is simple. Give the wood chips a quick splash of lighter fluid, leave the lid open until the lighter fluid burns away so the food doesn't get tainted, then blow out the flames. Bingo! smoldering wood chips and a smokey flavor for my ribs and pumpkins.
Now to put that plan into action. I run and grab the lighter fluid (which must be ancient, since I haven't used lighter fluid at home since I got my charcoal chimney about 10 years ago). I open the lid and see a couple small smouldering spots, but not enough to make more then a wisp of smoke. 'Excellent' I think, 'a quick splash of lighter fluid and it'll ignite its self'. Being careful to move the food out of the way and stand back as far as my arm will reach and give it a quick shot of lighter fluid. Then... nothing.
Thinking it must need some help, I lean in real close and blow lightly on a tiny glowing ember I see. My mistake is brought immediately to my attention as the lighter fluid ignites and a ball of flame comes flying towards my face. As I straighten up I smell an unmistakable smell. If you've ever smelled singed human hair, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I then look over at my 4 year old who just watch this whole thing unfold. His eyes are huge, and his grin is even bigger, like he's seen the best magic trick ever.
I decide that I'm not injured, and that taking inventory of my eyebrows can wait until I'm finished with the wood chips. I let the lighter fluid burn away and blow out the flames. Now the smoke is going good. I then go into the house and have my wife check out the damage. The verdict was two well singed eyebrows and some melted eye lashes.
After the second hour is up, I try the same process with the other pan of wood chips, but this time throw a match into the pan, instead igniting it with my face inches away.
After the third hour, the wood chips are pretty much gone, and it's time to start saucing the ribs, so I go ahead and put the garlic-q sauce on one side. The pumpkins still feel firm to the touch, so I'm a little worried if they will be fully cooked. However, the lids are starting to shrink up a little, so I know they are cooking.
I wait another 30 minutes, and sauces the other side of the ribs. The pumpkins are starting to look cooked, and smell really good. The outside is still really firm.
After the last 30 minutes, I open the grill, and everything looks and smells amazing.
The sun is now long set, and the wife and I are both very hungry. I take everything into the house and let the rib set for 10 minutes to soak up all their juices.
The wife and I both dug in and thought it was amazing. Pumpkin #1 was our favorite, followed closely by #2. The #3 pumpkin was still good, but not as much flavor. The outside of the pumpkins were more firm then I expected, but the inside flesh was pretty soft.
Things I'd do different.
1. A lighter sauce for the ribs. The Garlic-Q sauce was a little over powering, and didn't allow for the smoky taste I was hoping for.
2. Rotate the position of the pumpkins. With the outer burners being the only ones on, the two outer pumpkins got a little scorched on the outside. Not a big deal as it didn't affect the flavor of the pumpkin flesh. However, the middle pumpkin was a little less done then the other two.
3. If I was doing the pumpkins by themselves, I'd probably turn both outside burners to high, and remove the top rack. Then center the pumpkins and cook them in half the time. The outsides would probably have a more toasted look that way.
4. I'd put butter or some liquid in each pumpkin. The one with butter was much softer, and I'm guess it helped to steam the inside of the pumpkin.
If anyone has any questions about the process, or general comments, feel free to leave them here, and I'll answer what I can.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
First and Only Facebook Note 10-21-2009
Another Old Blog for Reference:
For those of who were my friends on MySpace, you’ll probably remember me infrequently posting blogs. It was a way for me to share with everyone what is going on in my life, and to vent and share what I have been thinking about. I took a look, and the last blog I posted was back in January, so I’m way over due. For those of you that that have never read my blogs, welcome to a look inside the randomness that is my mind.
My disclaimer (I feel I need one, because the world has gotten too flippin’ sensitive). What I write are my opinions and my thoughts. Please don’t take anything I write as actual fact, or take it too seriously. If you don’t like something I type, too bad. It’s my blog, and I’ll write whatever I want without concern to anyone’s feelings. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Conversely, I welcome all comments, positive or negative, so please feel free to comment on anything in my blog, or anything you might be thinking about. Finally, I try not to talk about politics in my blog, but sometimes things slip in. If you don’t agree with me, get over it. It’s just my opinion (Remember, opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one, and when you hear someone else’s, it usually stinks). Ok, now that you’ve read that, please enjoy the rest of the blog.
Now, on to the good stuff:
I think the biggest news of the summer was Joy & I finally getting to go on our honeymoon. We decided to go to Riviera Maya, and do one of the all inclusive resorts. At this point I want to mention that I love the H1N1. Thanks to the pig flu, occupancy was down at the resort, and we had plenty of space everywhere. That along with the fact we were upgraded to a nicer part of the resort, upgraded to a junior sweet and purchased the club premium add on meant we had the best service I ever experienced. Not a single service employee was ever rude or unhelpful too us the whole time we were there. In fact they usually went above and beyond to make our stay amazing. I have a million things to mention about the trip, but not enough time right now to go through it all. Maybe in a future blog I can do a trip report.
Work is going well. Things have slowed down the slightest bit, but there are some major projects looming in the future. Thankfully I’m in a place where we are still keeping busy, even though the rest of the economy is slowing down.
Joy is doing well. Stressed from work at times, but she handles it much better than I would. I’d be fired in a week if I had to deal with some of those people. She was also stressed because her backup hard drive took a crap, and had all the pictures on it. We sent it away to the recovery center, and they were able to get a full recovery. So, we got some good news there. Kids are all doing well. Getting big and doing what kids do. On the home front, things are pretty much status quo. With Halloween coming up, we are excited, because it’ll be Taylor’s first year for trick or treating. He’s going to be a skeleton.
Some other random things on my mind:
I got my Google Voice invitation yesterday. Google voice allows you to select a number, and setup which phone numbers you’d like to have your calls forwarded to, you can also base forwarding on the contact that calls, or what group that contact belongs to. The number also allows SMS texts and can forward them on to a mobile phone, or to an email address. They also give the ability to setup screening for unrecognized numbers. It also transcribes your voice mails, so you can read them, instead of having to listen to them. There are a lot more features too. Anyone who’d like to see what it’s like to call someone with Google Voice can give me a call at 419-825-OHIO (6446). At this time Google Voice is by invitation only.
I want to know what is going on with the NFL this year. I thought the salary cap was put into place to avoid these situations. It seems that every conference has at least one terrible team. I’m not talking about teams that get beat consistently, but teams that look horrible. It's looking closer to parody in the NFL than parity. Maybe it just my anger from the Bengals losing, OSU losing and losing to Bob in Fantasy football in the same week, but some of these games are pathetic. Also a note to the Bengals: How do you beat the Packers, Steelers and Ravens but then lose to the Texans? My guess is that the Bengals start to collapse and only win two or three games the rest of the season. I could go on and on about football, but most of you would probably not find it interesting.
Now for the best part (at least in my opinion) the beer reviews:
I’ve tried many beers since my last blog, but will just comment on a few of the more recent.
Bud Light Golden Wheat – I wasn’t even aware that Anheuser Busch was coming out with a wheat beer, and I was excited when I saw this on the shelf. Those of you that have read my previous blogs know that the wheat beers and Belgium whites are my favorite style. They are usually heavy and full mouthed, but have a citrusy flavor that adds a contrasting lightness to the beer. I must say that Anheuser Busch did to the wheat beer what they did to the lager. They made it lighter and less flavorful, so the average macro beer drinker would like it. I think this beer is a great beer to get people interested in wheat beers. It’s easy drinking and light enough that most people who try it will enjoy it. It has a good flavor, and I encourage those of you who haven’t tried wheat beers before to give it a try. Also, it was the same price as the Bud Light at Wal-Mart, so you can afford to give it a try.
Schlitz – Before last month, I’d never had a Schlitz before. I walked into our local grocery, and found that they somehow managed to get a pallet of the stuff. I read the packaging and it said something about it being the original formula, so I decided to give it a try. The Schlitz Brewing Company no longer exists, but I believe the wrights were bought by Pabst, who was in turn bought by S&P who also owns Molson Coors Brewing and I believe Miller Coors Brewing. In that roundabout way, it is my understanding that it is actually Miller that brews Schlitz for Pabst. Anyways, I found the Schlitz to be a little different than your standard macro brew. It has a nice light crisp lager flavor, but has a different after taste. It isn’t bad, just not what your use to from a macro brew. I’d say it’s a slight malty flavor with some hops bite. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but it’s really starting to grow on me. They closest flavor I can think of is Keystone, but the after taste is much better. At 5.99 for the 6 pack, you can afford to give it a try, and see if you like it.
Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout – The first thing I’m going to say, is that if you like Guinness Extra Stout, you are going to be disappointed, because this beer tastes nothing like it. In fact, in my opinion this tastes like an average dark beer that has been watered down. When I drink a stout, I expect a full body with a chocolaty/coffee flavor, but this was watery and almost had a salty taste to it. For the $10 price tag, I’d suggest you bypass this one and go with the original Guinness Extra Stout.
Feel free to leave any beer ideas you’d like to see in my reviews, as I’m always on the lookout for new ones. Hopefully I can find them in my area. I’m also still looking for American Bad Ass Beer from Michigan Brewing Company and Kid Rock. Any of you readers from Michigan, who have this in your area, let me know, and I’ll see about getting a hold of some. Also, I encourage everyone to go out and try the micro seasonal beers this time of year. There are some great Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers in the fall. Also, the holiday beers will be coming out soon.
Well, that’s going to be it for this blog. For you that have read my blogs before, welcome back. For those of you that are reading for the first time, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn’t enjoy it, try reading my next couple blogs before abandoning it all together. It might grow on you.
Currently Reading: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Currently Watching: I think Joy and I are watching Transformers 2 tonight.
Currently Listening Too: Sports radio & Talk Radio
Until next time…
For those of who were my friends on MySpace, you’ll probably remember me infrequently posting blogs. It was a way for me to share with everyone what is going on in my life, and to vent and share what I have been thinking about. I took a look, and the last blog I posted was back in January, so I’m way over due. For those of you that that have never read my blogs, welcome to a look inside the randomness that is my mind.
My disclaimer (I feel I need one, because the world has gotten too flippin’ sensitive). What I write are my opinions and my thoughts. Please don’t take anything I write as actual fact, or take it too seriously. If you don’t like something I type, too bad. It’s my blog, and I’ll write whatever I want without concern to anyone’s feelings. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Conversely, I welcome all comments, positive or negative, so please feel free to comment on anything in my blog, or anything you might be thinking about. Finally, I try not to talk about politics in my blog, but sometimes things slip in. If you don’t agree with me, get over it. It’s just my opinion (Remember, opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one, and when you hear someone else’s, it usually stinks). Ok, now that you’ve read that, please enjoy the rest of the blog.
Now, on to the good stuff:
I think the biggest news of the summer was Joy & I finally getting to go on our honeymoon. We decided to go to Riviera Maya, and do one of the all inclusive resorts. At this point I want to mention that I love the H1N1. Thanks to the pig flu, occupancy was down at the resort, and we had plenty of space everywhere. That along with the fact we were upgraded to a nicer part of the resort, upgraded to a junior sweet and purchased the club premium add on meant we had the best service I ever experienced. Not a single service employee was ever rude or unhelpful too us the whole time we were there. In fact they usually went above and beyond to make our stay amazing. I have a million things to mention about the trip, but not enough time right now to go through it all. Maybe in a future blog I can do a trip report.
Work is going well. Things have slowed down the slightest bit, but there are some major projects looming in the future. Thankfully I’m in a place where we are still keeping busy, even though the rest of the economy is slowing down.
Joy is doing well. Stressed from work at times, but she handles it much better than I would. I’d be fired in a week if I had to deal with some of those people. She was also stressed because her backup hard drive took a crap, and had all the pictures on it. We sent it away to the recovery center, and they were able to get a full recovery. So, we got some good news there. Kids are all doing well. Getting big and doing what kids do. On the home front, things are pretty much status quo. With Halloween coming up, we are excited, because it’ll be Taylor’s first year for trick or treating. He’s going to be a skeleton.
Some other random things on my mind:
I got my Google Voice invitation yesterday. Google voice allows you to select a number, and setup which phone numbers you’d like to have your calls forwarded to, you can also base forwarding on the contact that calls, or what group that contact belongs to. The number also allows SMS texts and can forward them on to a mobile phone, or to an email address. They also give the ability to setup screening for unrecognized numbers. It also transcribes your voice mails, so you can read them, instead of having to listen to them. There are a lot more features too. Anyone who’d like to see what it’s like to call someone with Google Voice can give me a call at 419-825-OHIO (6446). At this time Google Voice is by invitation only.
I want to know what is going on with the NFL this year. I thought the salary cap was put into place to avoid these situations. It seems that every conference has at least one terrible team. I’m not talking about teams that get beat consistently, but teams that look horrible. It's looking closer to parody in the NFL than parity. Maybe it just my anger from the Bengals losing, OSU losing and losing to Bob in Fantasy football in the same week, but some of these games are pathetic. Also a note to the Bengals: How do you beat the Packers, Steelers and Ravens but then lose to the Texans? My guess is that the Bengals start to collapse and only win two or three games the rest of the season. I could go on and on about football, but most of you would probably not find it interesting.
Now for the best part (at least in my opinion) the beer reviews:
I’ve tried many beers since my last blog, but will just comment on a few of the more recent.
Bud Light Golden Wheat – I wasn’t even aware that Anheuser Busch was coming out with a wheat beer, and I was excited when I saw this on the shelf. Those of you that have read my previous blogs know that the wheat beers and Belgium whites are my favorite style. They are usually heavy and full mouthed, but have a citrusy flavor that adds a contrasting lightness to the beer. I must say that Anheuser Busch did to the wheat beer what they did to the lager. They made it lighter and less flavorful, so the average macro beer drinker would like it. I think this beer is a great beer to get people interested in wheat beers. It’s easy drinking and light enough that most people who try it will enjoy it. It has a good flavor, and I encourage those of you who haven’t tried wheat beers before to give it a try. Also, it was the same price as the Bud Light at Wal-Mart, so you can afford to give it a try.
Schlitz – Before last month, I’d never had a Schlitz before. I walked into our local grocery, and found that they somehow managed to get a pallet of the stuff. I read the packaging and it said something about it being the original formula, so I decided to give it a try. The Schlitz Brewing Company no longer exists, but I believe the wrights were bought by Pabst, who was in turn bought by S&P who also owns Molson Coors Brewing and I believe Miller Coors Brewing. In that roundabout way, it is my understanding that it is actually Miller that brews Schlitz for Pabst. Anyways, I found the Schlitz to be a little different than your standard macro brew. It has a nice light crisp lager flavor, but has a different after taste. It isn’t bad, just not what your use to from a macro brew. I’d say it’s a slight malty flavor with some hops bite. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but it’s really starting to grow on me. They closest flavor I can think of is Keystone, but the after taste is much better. At 5.99 for the 6 pack, you can afford to give it a try, and see if you like it.
Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout – The first thing I’m going to say, is that if you like Guinness Extra Stout, you are going to be disappointed, because this beer tastes nothing like it. In fact, in my opinion this tastes like an average dark beer that has been watered down. When I drink a stout, I expect a full body with a chocolaty/coffee flavor, but this was watery and almost had a salty taste to it. For the $10 price tag, I’d suggest you bypass this one and go with the original Guinness Extra Stout.
Feel free to leave any beer ideas you’d like to see in my reviews, as I’m always on the lookout for new ones. Hopefully I can find them in my area. I’m also still looking for American Bad Ass Beer from Michigan Brewing Company and Kid Rock. Any of you readers from Michigan, who have this in your area, let me know, and I’ll see about getting a hold of some. Also, I encourage everyone to go out and try the micro seasonal beers this time of year. There are some great Oktoberfest and Pumpkin beers in the fall. Also, the holiday beers will be coming out soon.
Well, that’s going to be it for this blog. For you that have read my blogs before, welcome back. For those of you that are reading for the first time, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn’t enjoy it, try reading my next couple blogs before abandoning it all together. It might grow on you.
Currently Reading: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Currently Watching: I think Joy and I are watching Transformers 2 tonight.
Currently Listening Too: Sports radio & Talk Radio
Until next time…
Last MySpace Blog - 1-19-2009
Here is my last Blog at MySpace, just as a reference:
Christmas: Christmas went the same as every year. Spent too much, ate too much, and didn’t sleep enough. We managed a new record for “Christmas meals”. We ended with a grand total of 8 meals for the Christmas season, and had everything from chili to the traditional ham. It was great seeing family, and everyone else we haven’t seen in a while.
Work: Work is slowing down, but there has been enough work to keep me busy, and there are some decent sized projects on the horizon. I’ve noticed we don’t have as many little projects, but the bigger ones still seem to be there. The other thing I learned from last time our business slowed down is; businesses can only hold off on their IT for so long. Eventually, they’ll have to do something.
Life: With the New Year, Joy and I have set some goals. I prefer not to call them resolutions, because I’ve never kept a resolution. The first is to lose some weight. We are both trying to shed a few pounds. Joy is trying to teach me portion control, and she is even trying to get me to exercise. Since I love food and despise exercise; I can assure you that this is no small task for her. I have lost a couple pounds since January 1st, but I’m finding out that I have no will power.
The second goal is to get the House in better shape. So, this summer will be spent painting and making minor repairs. I also might finish a few projects I never wrapped up like trim around the back door, and in the upstairs bedroom.
Economy & Politics: I reread my comments on my last blog, and realized a few things. First is that it sounded like I don’t believe there is a recession. That’s not the case. I know that the economy is slow, and lots of businesses are having problems. My point was that the media is compounding the problem. They make everything sound like doom and gloom. When people hear that others are not spending money, and analysts are saying that we are heading towards a recession, that just makes more people stop spending, and compounds the problem. I know it started with the bottom falling out of the banking industry, but the media made it a much bigger issue.
The second thing I noticed is that I sounded like a Bush backing conservative. I can tell you that I’m not. I’m not a fan of Bush, and I disagree with a lot of what he did in office. What I do agree with is lower taxes. The biggest issue for me is how much money the government is taking from me, and how they are using it. Back in Nov. on Fox News, Michigan Representative Joe Knollenberg was asked:
"When the housing industry CEOs come to you and say, 'You know, [if] we go under and all the ancillary businesses – the dishwasher manufacturers, the washer-and-dryer manufacturers, the Lowe's and the Home Depots that vastly depend on our being alive and vibrant – if we go under, there's hell to pay. And then the textile manufacturer comes to you and says, 'If we go down, there's hell to pay.' And on and on and on we go. Where do you draw the line with our money?"
His reply was "It is not your money". That quote shows exactly what is wrong with the government today. Politicians no longer think of government as “for the people”. Instead, they think that the people are for the government's use. Until the politicians realize that they serve us and not the other way around, the people will pay the price.
So, since I’m not a republican and I’m not a democrat, what am I? Well, right now I consider myself a Libertarian. I know what you are all thinking, “Isn’t that the ‘legalize pot’ party?” Well, yes it is, but that is one thing I disagree with (but that is a topic for another day). The part of the libertarian party that I do agree with is that the Federal government should be limited to only to the functions outlined in the constitutions and the amendments. All other issues should be dealt with on a state level. The main view of the Libertarian party is “that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.” So, basically live how you want, as long as you don’t interfere with others living how they want to.....
I just spent way too much time talking about politics, which is something I wanted to stay away from in my blogging. The other topic I want to stay away from is religion. Hopefully I’ll never feel the need to talk about that one.
Beer / Alcohol: Now on to a much better topic. Probably in the next couple months, I’ll be getting together with Smitty for the annual Wine and Cheese party. However, this year I’m thinking about trying to talk him into having a beer tasting for the guys, since he’s starting to try a few new beers. Due to trying to lose a few pounds, I’ve been doing some research on what beers have the least calories. So recently I’ve tried two; MGD 64 and Lighter by Hook & Ladder. The problem with alcohol is that it is almost pure calories (that is why is burns). So naturally, the lower the calories the lower the alcohol content.
MDG 64: This is the lowest calorie beer that I could find. At only 64 calories, it’s has about half of most regular beers. Unfortunately, it also has half the alcohol. At 2.8% alcohol, I drank a six pack in about two hours, and barely felt it. It also didn’t have much flavor. I think I would have gotten the same enjoyment out of drinking water. Note to Smitty: Maybe we should take this to drink for Saturday at Indy. That way would could drink the same as usual, but only feel half the effects.
Lighter: This was a decent beer, tasted like an average light beer. It came in at 94 calories per beer and weighed in at 3.2% alcohol. However, Bud light is only 1 calorie more, and has 4.2 percent alcohol. So, you are better off drinking Bud Light for calories to alcohol ratio.
Currently reading: Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader (Bathroom Reader Series)
Christmas: Christmas went the same as every year. Spent too much, ate too much, and didn’t sleep enough. We managed a new record for “Christmas meals”. We ended with a grand total of 8 meals for the Christmas season, and had everything from chili to the traditional ham. It was great seeing family, and everyone else we haven’t seen in a while.
Work: Work is slowing down, but there has been enough work to keep me busy, and there are some decent sized projects on the horizon. I’ve noticed we don’t have as many little projects, but the bigger ones still seem to be there. The other thing I learned from last time our business slowed down is; businesses can only hold off on their IT for so long. Eventually, they’ll have to do something.
Life: With the New Year, Joy and I have set some goals. I prefer not to call them resolutions, because I’ve never kept a resolution. The first is to lose some weight. We are both trying to shed a few pounds. Joy is trying to teach me portion control, and she is even trying to get me to exercise. Since I love food and despise exercise; I can assure you that this is no small task for her. I have lost a couple pounds since January 1st, but I’m finding out that I have no will power.
The second goal is to get the House in better shape. So, this summer will be spent painting and making minor repairs. I also might finish a few projects I never wrapped up like trim around the back door, and in the upstairs bedroom.
Economy & Politics: I reread my comments on my last blog, and realized a few things. First is that it sounded like I don’t believe there is a recession. That’s not the case. I know that the economy is slow, and lots of businesses are having problems. My point was that the media is compounding the problem. They make everything sound like doom and gloom. When people hear that others are not spending money, and analysts are saying that we are heading towards a recession, that just makes more people stop spending, and compounds the problem. I know it started with the bottom falling out of the banking industry, but the media made it a much bigger issue.
The second thing I noticed is that I sounded like a Bush backing conservative. I can tell you that I’m not. I’m not a fan of Bush, and I disagree with a lot of what he did in office. What I do agree with is lower taxes. The biggest issue for me is how much money the government is taking from me, and how they are using it. Back in Nov. on Fox News, Michigan Representative Joe Knollenberg was asked:
"When the housing industry CEOs come to you and say, 'You know, [if] we go under and all the ancillary businesses – the dishwasher manufacturers, the washer-and-dryer manufacturers, the Lowe's and the Home Depots that vastly depend on our being alive and vibrant – if we go under, there's hell to pay. And then the textile manufacturer comes to you and says, 'If we go down, there's hell to pay.' And on and on and on we go. Where do you draw the line with our money?"
His reply was "It is not your money". That quote shows exactly what is wrong with the government today. Politicians no longer think of government as “for the people”. Instead, they think that the people are for the government's use. Until the politicians realize that they serve us and not the other way around, the people will pay the price.
So, since I’m not a republican and I’m not a democrat, what am I? Well, right now I consider myself a Libertarian. I know what you are all thinking, “Isn’t that the ‘legalize pot’ party?” Well, yes it is, but that is one thing I disagree with (but that is a topic for another day). The part of the libertarian party that I do agree with is that the Federal government should be limited to only to the functions outlined in the constitutions and the amendments. All other issues should be dealt with on a state level. The main view of the Libertarian party is “that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.” So, basically live how you want, as long as you don’t interfere with others living how they want to.....
I just spent way too much time talking about politics, which is something I wanted to stay away from in my blogging. The other topic I want to stay away from is religion. Hopefully I’ll never feel the need to talk about that one.
Beer / Alcohol: Now on to a much better topic. Probably in the next couple months, I’ll be getting together with Smitty for the annual Wine and Cheese party. However, this year I’m thinking about trying to talk him into having a beer tasting for the guys, since he’s starting to try a few new beers. Due to trying to lose a few pounds, I’ve been doing some research on what beers have the least calories. So recently I’ve tried two; MGD 64 and Lighter by Hook & Ladder. The problem with alcohol is that it is almost pure calories (that is why is burns). So naturally, the lower the calories the lower the alcohol content.
MDG 64: This is the lowest calorie beer that I could find. At only 64 calories, it’s has about half of most regular beers. Unfortunately, it also has half the alcohol. At 2.8% alcohol, I drank a six pack in about two hours, and barely felt it. It also didn’t have much flavor. I think I would have gotten the same enjoyment out of drinking water. Note to Smitty: Maybe we should take this to drink for Saturday at Indy. That way would could drink the same as usual, but only feel half the effects.
Lighter: This was a decent beer, tasted like an average light beer. It came in at 94 calories per beer and weighed in at 3.2% alcohol. However, Bud light is only 1 calorie more, and has 4.2 percent alcohol. So, you are better off drinking Bud Light for calories to alcohol ratio.
Currently reading: Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader (Bathroom Reader Series)
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