Grinding
When I first decided to get an espresso machine, I went for a top of the line machine. I wanted something that would last a lifetime. The same applied to the grinder. I bought an ECM V-Titan 64, with titanium-coated flat burrs that are quoted to last at least 50 years before needing to be replaced. Here I am, 8 years later, and finding myself somewhat frustrated with my grinder. I make o...
Snook.ca is dead, long live Snook.ca!
After a couple years of not putting any revenue into the business, I realized that it was time to say goodbye. I have officially dissolved my corporation, Snook.ca Web Development, Inc. My personal blog, Snook.ca, marches on. ...
The Kind King
Back in the late 80s, my mom bought me a 386sx 16MHz computer equipped with a 2400 baud modem. It was my first computer that enabled me to connect to an online world. Back then, there was large behemoths like AOL and CompuServe but there were also independent services called bulletin board systems, aka BBSs. A BBS was somewhat of a one-to-one connection. Most independent BBSs had only one or t...
Split
There’s a certain simplicity to the life of the harried and married with children: the nuclear family with two and a half kids. The day to day is predictably unpredictable with its routines: breakfast, lunch, dinner, work, meetings, daycare, changings, sports, mid-night feedings, music lessons, and so on and so on, day in and day out. And then we split. Divorce established two worlds. I...
Tasty Coffee
Today’s coffee is tasty—different tasty. It feels thick on the tongue, like a high percentage chocolate, with a bitterness bordering on sweetness. Subtle notes are difficult to find, hidden amongst the clouds of creamy, frothy whole milk that blankets—nay, marries—the espresso. Today is not a day for subtlety. It is a day to be consumed. And this pain au chocolat ain’t bad, either. ...
Turning Fifty
I’ve never been big about celebrating my birthday. I’m not sure why. I don’t recall any childhood trauma around birthday parties. Whatever the reason, my birthdays have come and gone without much fanfare. Perhaps a quick visit to my mom’s where I would be treated to my favourite dessert: Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake with French Vanilla icing. Pure nostalgia from when she’d make it when...
Big Boxes
Thirty years ago, I used to work at Toys’R’Us. I really enjoyed that job and sometimes consider returning to a life of stocking shelves. It’s become a bit cliché at this point to hear another tech bro wax on about how they’re going to quit and open a coffee shop, start woodworking, or become a janitor somewhere. This post isn’t that post. About once a week, an 18-wheeler would back ...
Anonymity in Blogging
I had been considering whether to start up a personal newsletter. I subscribe to friends’ letters, in which they describe the various goings on in their life—family, house projects, travel, etc. As an email, it feels more intimate. Couldn’t what I say in an email also be said on the blog? Which led me to consider a number of things… With social media, we can see who follows us. ...