I just recently caught a bit of a very interesting PBS special called Digital Nation. One of its main topics was discussing the pros and cons of digital learning. Should we introduce laptops and gaming in the school environment? What about the ADD issue: the fact that multitasking is making kids almost incapable of focusing on one task for any length of time. It was very well done. Being on the verge of the digital age and still subject to the pulls of tv entertainment, I WANTED to turn it to something more entertaining (yes, tv as I hate it still has its hold on me) but thankfully was able to resist long enough to watch the rest of the show and blog about it, THAT’S how good it was.

One of the most interesting perspectives mentioned was a particular historian talking about how books had changed the ancient world. Before things were written down, poets and story tellers could quote thousands and thousands of lines of poetry verbatim because there was no other way, that’s how information got passed down, so their natural memories were far more vast. When written scrolls and chiseled stones came around, the stories of the Illiad and Odyssey were written down, then copied and copied and copied and slowly our memories became shorter and shorter because there wasn’t a need to remember it all anymore. So sure something was lost, but did we gain more value in the new transmission of information, I think all would say yes. So in this case with the digital age, we are losing more and more focus.

[sorry... got distracted by a man dressed in a dress shaking maracas on the tv]

But do the gains outweigh what we lose in our own biologies? I think we will find the answer is again yes; not only because the global communication network has brought us and will continue to brings us together in ways we haven’t yet imagined; but also because what we evolve to value as important will change along with the tools we use to transmit information to one another.

That being said, I still find it very important to turn the screens off and read a book from time to time. And that’s the latest Pulse of Our Age.

Aaah, back to caffeine free root beer.    Dad’s cloudy bronze color comes out with a good fizz, introducing it’s strong bite.  The flavor is slightly sweet with a little syrupiness on the back end.  Like the flavor, the smell is also quite subtle.  However, I found that pouring it over ice brought out the flavor a lot more and you could taste the root beer much stronger and it was much more enjoyable.  It’s sweetness comes from the 40 grams of sugar it contains.  It seems we’re starting to get up there on sugar content.

Over all, I give Dad’s a 6 out of 10.  My recommendation is that it be enjoyed on ice. 

I am about to die, and not in the good way.  I’m only half way through this Bawls High Caffeine Guarana Root Beer and my heart is already racing.  I’m beginning to question if this review is hazardous to my health.  Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, lots of caffeine and guarana extract, this has to be the worst root beer for you on the market and it carries over into the flavor.

At first, the light amber color looks like any other root beer, and when you first open the bottle, the smell of root beer wafts over you, but then it’s gone.  The fragrance quickly dissipates into something that is hardly a smell at all.  Although it comprises a good bite, you can taste the guarana in it.  It tastes more like an energy drink with a little root beer mixed in.  Other then that, there is almost no flavor.  I assume that this drink is more for people looking for an energy drink who like the novelty of root beer then someone who is truly looking for a root beer to drink.

Over all 4 out of 10.

“Third time available in 420 years” as the label reads, Jack Black’s bottle is full of funny extremisms like “Better Dead Red then just  plain Dead!” and “Once you’ve had Jack Black, you’ll never go back!”  Exclamation pointed each time.    Now does its flavor match up with its drama?  The reddish tint holds true to its name and the bouquet has a molasses hint to it.  However, the flavor has a light syrupy essence to it and the bite is modest despite its large sudziness when poured.  Overall, it’s an okay root beer, however I’m afraid the label does resemble to root beer in that it has a large head, but little follow through.

There is still more fun to be had by the bottle however, with cryptic messages on the cap advertising their other beverages, this one in Spanish for some reason “Beba BrainWash… Refrigerante que dá Lingua Azul!”  This means, “Drink Brain Wash… Refrigerate to get a blue tongue!”

Despite its mediocryness (word?)  I’m giving Jack Black’s a 6 out of 10.  Sometimes something just gives you a good feeling 

Zuberfizz has a strong bite to start which I like.  There’s not much of a smell to it but the dark cloudy brown color foreshadows the creamy flavor to come.  The taste is not sharp, but has a smooth creaminess that isn’t too sweet but just right.  Produced by the Durango Soda Company in Durango, CO, they use pure cane sugar, giving it just enough sweetness without being overpowering.  The gum arabic is a natural gum made of hardened sap and is used as a stabilizer and probably what gives the root beer its cloudiness.

All in all, I give Zuberfizz a 7 out of 10 for its creamy goodness.

My sister in law, Vaiva at long last had her second child, this one, a boy. His mystery name (my brother and Vaiva won’t say names until the kid is born) is Lukas Joshua Turner so I approve. His 2 year old sister’s name is Katrina Gabriella Turner so good naming conventions on their part. It’s always hard when someone announces a name and it’s like Havarti Cobblepot Jones and you have to be like, “Oh that’s… different.”

I was working in Seattle this week which is about an hour and a half away from their house so I drove over there last night to see the little tyke. I had come into town earlier and spent a few days hangin out and finally the last couple days Katrina got used to me enough to where I could carry her so that was pretty cool. This little guy, not even a day old yet, could hardly open his eyes, so he had no choice but to let me hold him. He’s really cute; got little godfather jowls and when he cries, he squeaks. Upon breathing in, he makes a squeak toy sound which is hilarious. Oh and yes, as the title suggests, his balls are quite large. They could stay the same size his entire life and still be normal adult sized balls. He’s gonna be a lumberjack! … in the manly way, not the gay way.

It was quite the adventure bringing him into the world too, so I’m told. Apparently, Vaiva was at home when her water broke and she called Joshua, who raced home. They also called Jen Fraks, a family friend to come over and watch Katrina while they went to the hospital. Then they called their Doula. I know what you’re thinking, “What’s a doula?” I had the same response.  Apparently, it’s a kind of midwife sort of thing, but not a midwife, that’s all I know.  Anyway, their doula, Michelle talked to them and said Vaiva was already dilated 7cm and they didn’t have time to make it to the hospital.  So Michelle came over and Joshua got a tarp from the garage to put underneath Vaiva in the living room floor and they had the baby at home.  Pretty crazy huh?  Apparently it was a good birth, although Vaiva still looked exhausted when I got there 20 hours later.  Even Pepper, their dog got in on it by getting to sniff the after birth, nice.

Now my brother has one of each, a boy and a girl, and he says he might be done with the baby having.  I’m just happy to have a healthy nephew and niece and hope to be the fun, cool uncle that everyone should have.

Made with pure Louisiana Can Sugar, Abita is not too sweet, but just right, and definitely not syrupy.  It’s light brown color and moderate fizz give you a slight bite to accompany it’s moderately rich flavor.  Even the smell is subtle.  “Mild” seems too cruel a word to describe this root beer, so I would call it genial; perfect for the masses, but not nearly strong enough for the root beer connoisseur.

Overall, I’ll give it a 6 out of 10. Although I would give it extra marks for having no additives or preservatives.  That’s quite a feat! Pretty much every other root beer has sodium benzoate in it as a preservative.  Sodium benzoate is bacteriostatic and fungistatic under acidic conditions (in this case carbonic acid), meaning it keeps fungus and bacteria from growing.  While sodium benzoate is on the whole harmless, there is research that shows it may be unhealthy in certain conditions or large amounts.  For instance, in combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate at which benzene is formed.  But if you simply don’t drink OJ with your root beer, this won’t be an issue.  Bleh, get chills just thinking about mixing the two.

However, some claim that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell’s mitochondria, which is the energy producing powerhouse of the cell.  So again kudos to Abita Root Beer for nixing the preservatives.

The first thing you notice about Sparky’s Fresh Draft Root Beer is not the smell, which is actually very slight, but the loud fizz of the super carbonation of this delectable beverage.  It’s uniform blondness pours clearly and creates an immediate and ferocious head.  Pouring it into your mouth, you feel the sharp bite tickle your tongue.  It’s just enough to invigorate you but not overdone to the point where you taste the carbonation.

The taste itself is pure root beer flavor.  The mysterious “spices” in this root beer hold the key to the nigh perfect root beer.  I think the addition of honey gives it a sweet taste without being syrupy or overpowering.  For those naturalists out there, Sparky’s uses pure cane sugar, no artificial ingredients, and has a kick ass sassafras taste.  Definitely a high recommendation on my list.  However, since I’m an optimist, I’m gonna hope for even better things along the way, so I’m going to give Sparky’s an 8 out of 10, although it may perhaps be a grade below what it deserves.

Well I’ve gone and done it.

I registered for the Austin Marathon taking place on Feb 14th, that’s right, Valentine’s Day, talk about inconvenient.  On that day I shall run 26.2 miles in hopefully under 6 hours.  If I do that, then I can cross it off my list.  Even though I didn’t meet my distance marker of 15 miles by December, I decided to go ahead and fork over the $130 DOLLARS! it takes to register.  That’s pretty freakin expensive for me to run so far.  “Oh yes please I’d love to run until I piss blood, but I can I pay for it too, that would really be lovely.  Shall I bend over again?”

Apparently you do get a chip which marks your exact times and i think you can track me on the website live.  Plus a t shirt and a medal.  Totally worth the money…right?

I really wanna do this BECAUSE it’s so difficult.  The running is taxing me more mentally then physically.  I’ve decided that it’s really difficult for me to run for long periods of time and this cold weather is not helping me WANT to go outside and run.  So Im just gonna run short distances, max of 10 miles and then just bust the whole thing out the day of.  I’m hoping the energy of the thousands of people around me will energize to the finish line.  Plus all I have to do is keep a steady pace of 12min miles, which is pretty easy to do.  In the mean time, I’ll just keep up the running, committing to a total of 10 miles a week at least.  wish me luck.

Drive-in Style Dog n Suds Root Beer starts off with a nice robust root beer bouquet.  You can almost taste the root beer by smelling  it.  When poured, it is a clear amber color, lightly carbonated.  Dog n Suds brought back memories for my dad growing up in Arkansas when he would go down to the drive in or soda shop and enjoy the fizzy beverage with a hot dog.  Although he said Dog n Suds hot dogs were delicious, he was never too impressed with their root beer and I’m going to have to agree.  The smell of the root beer seems to be its best trait.  Much like Burger King fanning their artificial hamburger scent from its drive in, Dog n Suds Root Beer does the same thing. It calls you in with fragrance, but lets you down with its light flavor and syrupy taste.  Furthermore, the bite of this dog is nothing to be afraid of; a very tame root beer to say the least.

Over all, I give Dog n Suds Root Beer a 5 out of 10.

Upon further examination, the inclusion of High Fructose Corn Syrup to its ingredients would explain the syrupiness.  Although its 30g of sugar might seem like a lot to some, it’s mild in comparison with where we’re going on this root beer journey.  We’re off to a rough start, but there’s plenty more where that came from.