Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Your tuning fork is off pitch, Francis.

If you're a scientist who wants to show that science and faith are compatible and that the deep mysteries of physics or biology point to the existence of a creator in order to be adequately explained, then getting the endorsement of Richard Dawkins is basically a rhetorical homerun. And, apparently, Francis Collins has done just that. He claims, and we have no real reason to doubt him, that Richard Dawkins admitted in a private conversation that the argument for the existence of God based on the "fine tuning" of the universe is "the most troubling argument for nonbelievers to counter."

And why wouldn't it be?

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Everything he touched turned into terrible, terrible beer

Dogfish Head Midas Touch, some kind of spiced ale.

This thing is made from King Midas's toenails or something. Here's the story according to the brewery:
This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike.
Well, ok. Let's see.

Appearance- Nothing special on the pour. Decent golden color, some foam, not much retention.

Smell- Spicy, but not in a good way. More like pungent. Grape smell dominates. I don't think this beer is for me.

Taste- Putrid. Really very bad. The grape flavor dominates, and to me it tastes more like fake grape flavoring.

Mouthfeel- OK mouthfeel, fairly smooth, but nothing special.

This beer probably seemed like a good idea, but I thought it was really awful. I couldn't even finish it. Glad I just bought a single.