10E2683: Looking At Your Pager

 KH aka 4TET live extended version of Looking at your pager.  (link)

 12" version here. Also v v gooooood.

10E2682: Fridays are tie days - do you own a black tie?

When Queen Elizabeth II passed away yesterday, October 8th 2022, the steps for succession and for government and media response were already designed and designated. Set to follow from a coded message "London Bridge is down" radio and tv broadcasts would know to pause... Fascinating 2017 article in The Gaurdian details it all (with a wrinkle yesterday as The Queen was at Balmoral).

In 2002, when the Queen Mother died, the obit lights didn’t come on because someone failed to push the button down properly. On the BBC, Peter Sissons, the veteran anchor, was criticised for wearing a maroon tie. Sissons was the victim of a BBC policy change, issued after the September 11 attacks, to moderate its coverage and reduce the number of “category one” royals eligible for the full obituary procedure...

But there will be no extemporising with the Queen. The newsreaders will wear black suits and black ties. Category one was made for her. Programmes will stop. Networks will merge. BBC 1, 2 and 4 will be interrupted ... before coming together for the news. Listeners to Radio 4 and Radio 5 live will hear a specific formulation of words, “This is the BBC from London,”

Short and instructive article on PutThisOn about how to dress for a funeral or remembrance service which comes down to this;

Your goal in dressing for a funeral should be to reflect the significance and gravity of the occasion. Traditionally, this means dark suit, dark tie, white shirt, black shoes.

People don’t generally die on our schedule. For this reason, it’s important to have something on hand appropriate to wear on short notice.

 On that final note... do you have a black tie? If you have read this far then probably time...

10E2681: Bias?? Fridays are tie days.

Polka Dot Bow from Ben Silver in the style of those Winston Churchill would have worn... 

Churchill wore a pattern on the non-bias though I think... like those from Turbnbull&Asser

Sort of prefer the off-angle.  One for the parents... "my life makes your life possible.."



10E2680: Why add a splash of water to whisk(e)y

 Cooks Illustrated magazine had a tiny bit recently on why it can be effective to add some water to your neat whisky - or whiskey.  Link to article.  

TLDR below;

"...the flavor in whiskey is in the form of ethanol-soluble molecules. The higher the proof of the whiskey, the more flavor molecules dissolved in the alcohol portion. Cutting the spirit causes some of those flavor molecules to come out of solution, so they are more readily smellable and tasteable"

BUT - the physical magazine (Sept/Oct 2022) better described the chemistry at play and know you will appreciate this...

"alcohol-soluble flavor molecules tend to avoid the whiskey's surface when it's more than 50 percent alcohol....  Cutting the spirit with water lowers its proof and brings these molecules to the liquid's surface, amplifying the drink's flavor and aroma when sipped."

 

This knowledge almost as essential as knowing what shaking does to a martini... further reading.

10E2679: Tunnocks and obsessive behaviour

A sweet treat from Scotland almost at "Irn Bru" level of fame and sweetness... Tunnocks Teacakes.  Fortunately available all over the UK.   Only recently realized they are essentially what Americans call s'mores!   So good...

The foil wrapper is iconic.  But do you crush it or smooth it flat after eating...  are you obsessive??  Watch the STILL GAME clip and decide...

 

 

10E2678: Table Talk Pies

Table Talk pies have been a popular treat for generations of Americans, and especially those who live within a 500-mile radius of the Worcester, MA plant where the company has been baking pie since 1924. At its peak, Table Talk was buying four million pounds of Maine blueberries for its blueberry pies, the second most popular flavor after apple. -via Business Review

Retro-tastic logo... gets me every time. For less than the price of a DDonut grab one to chomp on.  They are palm sized so perfect for finishing between the grocery store register and the car park... Went on a field trip to Worcester, MA yday and at 3 for $1 you better swing by the Table Talk factory store (The Pie Store, 153 Green Street) Guilty pleasure?  Maybe.

Until at least the 1950's the pies came on a tin that was redeemable for 10c. What - is that equivalent to about $5 now!... Not sure how that worked out economically. Dig the use of the old tin for home projects like the lightswitch above. In the 80's the owning family sold the business to Beech-Nut, who almost ran it into the ground due to over expansion. The grandson of the former owners has since bought back the farm so to speak. Fantastic.