What I Learnt Today

How long since you last caught a tube in Tahiti?

Bring back that magical ride by watching this video using the YouTube app on your iOS device or using the Chrome browser on your Mac. (you can ‘steer’ your iPhone or iPad by tilting)

 

 

How about this cruise with the dolphins, and flight on a paraglider

Hat tip to Will.

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I tested out ‘The Hold’ on a random crying baby today and it worked a treat.

Californian Paediatrician Dr Robert Hamilton has revealed his secret for soothing an upset newborn in the video below.

If you have your own crying baby lying around you may like to test it out.

The real challenge for parents is how to put down a soothed infant so that it doesn’t turn back into a crying baby. Any progress on that one, Dr Hamilton?

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The skills that you are rewarded for at University are not the skills that get you the best job after you have completed your degree.

Seth Godin points out in his blog today that the ‘best gigs’ want you to see the online trail of magic you regularly create. Where is your  history of generous, talented, extraordinary side projects? Are you an expert in something that actually generates value?

None of these things are particularly difficult to learn, if you are willing to be not very good at them before you’re good at them.

You won’t learn this at Uni, but you do need to start while you are there. Perhaps begin by following Seth’s blog.

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The single most important thing to think about when contemplating a domestic espresso machine is “Which grinder will I buy?” because if you are serious about making espresso based drinks at home, the grinder is the most important component. There is simply no substitute for fresh, correctly ground coffee in espresso making!
Alan Frew, Coffee for Connoisseurs

 

If you are not grinding the bean just before you brew your espresso, your coffee is stale

Or so I am told by the coffee afficiandos.

At Xmas I was told by Al that my grinder was not up to scratch. We couldn’t produce the treacle like extraction that should take 30 seconds to pour.

 

We have a Rancillio Silva espresso machine which is robust enough to have survived many years of extreme test conditions – including being dropped from a height. We bought it based on reviews such as

RANCILIO SILVIA Simply the best value, most reliable domestic espresso machine in the world. Superb build quality, commercial components, fabulous espresso, great steam. MUST be paired with a good grinder for best results.
https://www.coffeeco.com.au/articles/july2002.html

The grinder that upset Al was the  Sunbeam Cafe Series Grinder, which has 25 graduations – but even at level 1 was too coarse.

However, he had a solution. Shims. These are washers that lift the two burr heads closer together.

My new shims arrived by mail today from some folks at Nowra, complete with instructions.

The day is saved for $1.75! Good times.

From my recent research, if you are serious about coffee, the grinders that you might consider are
Talk Coffee

– The Breville Smart Grinder Pro – about $240 the only ‘appliance’ considered a contender, but don’t expect it to last for much more than a couple of year
– The Macap M2M about $500
– The Compak K3 or similar about $400 

CoffeParts

– The Eureka Mignon, about $550 which comes in cool colours
– Rancilio Rocky about $450
– Mazer Mini Electronic about $1000

What do you use? What do you recommend? Any thoughts?

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Seen at Ballina Car Rental

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