Backyard Brewing

Banksy and El Dorado IPA

2011-03-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

The running is not going very well. In fact, I think I've gone running twice since I bought new shoes. Nevertheless, I want to explore another idea that will never come into fruition, creating my own street art. Recently, I saw Exit through the Gift Shop, a Banksy film that centers around street artist Thierry Guetta a.k.a. Mr. Brainwash. For those that don't know, Banksy and others use stencils to spraypaint images onto buildings as well as using huge photocopies of art work and gluing those onto the side of buildings. One of the most iconic images is the first Obey image, a close up of Andre the Giant. Obey, began by Shepherd Fairy in 1989, has turned into a million dollar company. Many people don their clothing. I see it everywhere now that I have seen that movie. The influence of street art is prevalent in society, but many are not cognizant of its roots. The stenciling idea seems fairly simple and I have a can of plastic spray paint so I wanted to try it out.

The next step might be to stencil beer labels onto my bottles. I would need the right paint. Maybe a disc golf stencil for my El Dorado IPA. First, I am going to stencil my worm composter because it is plastic. I want to steal one of Banksy's designs, do a caricature of someone like Bukowski or maybe myself, or just spraypaint the word "worms" in a unique way.

I have kegged my El Do IPA. In fact, I shook it up last night to pressure carbonate and stuck it in the fridge. I still have a pint of Blonde Ale left in the keg (hyperbole). I have 1/2 to a 1/3 of a keg of my Brown Belgian Trappey. I have two untouched kegs of Black Belgian where I forgot to put in the extra sugar. I should have added the extra sugar by pulling out beer from the primary, boiling it, adding sugar, and pouring it into the secondary. There would have beeen enough yeast to remedy my initial error of forgetting the extra sugar. I have six kegs with beer in them and a carboy that has Brown Belgian Trappey with White Labs Lambic Mix and dregs of a Duchesse de Bourgonne bottle.

Its always something

2011-01-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I brewed my recipe for El Do IPA. As I was cleaining up, I hit my hydrometer with a hose and knocked it onto the concrete floor. It broke. That's nine buck to replace. I also hate my wort chiller. I really need to invest in a plate chiller. Finally I need a hop blocker of some sort.
The brew went well. The mash began about 140 then I brought it to 157 and it went down to about 151. I did more of a batch sparge rather then using a sparging wand. I used a combinaion of early hop additions of Chinook and Columbus with late hop additions of Simcoe, Cascade, and Citra. The grain bill ended up being 23 lbs. of American Two Row, Biscuit, Wheat, and Crystal 35 Malt. I had an O.G. of 1.055. Still my beer seemed murky due to no hop strainer. She is fermenting in the garage as we speak. I rode my bike to work today and it was freezing, so I am hoping that the yeast does not get too cold. The best part was I ended up using a Littlest Pet Shop tiny bucket as part of my breather because I couldn't find the right part.

New shoes

2011-01-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

After about 10 years, I finally purchased some new running shoes. They are Asics GT 2150 in black. My wife calls them orthopedic shoes because of the extra support that they sport. I definitely noticed extra arch support that I am not sure that I need.
I went for a run yesterday and while I was trying not to fall over, I thought about some trying to gain weight. I have never been over 155 pounds. I am pretty much spot on 150 everytime I get on the scale for the last 10 years. What if I made it my goal to gain 10 pounds? Could I even do it? Obviously, I don't want to just put it all in my stomach. That would be easy and it would be cheating. I would probably lose that weight as soon as I stopped overeating.
I also don't want to use creatin or anything like that mainly because its too expensive. Also, steroids are out for obvious reasons. I want to try to eat more often and healthily. I usually eat a Cliff bar at work everyday. Yesterday I had a PowerBar. I will probably do some overeating, but try to work it off quickly.
The idea is to gain 10 pounds of muscle mass. That is a crazy notion when I consider that is over 5% of my weight. I have toyed with the idea of the "biggest gainer" as a television show. I also have thought about writing a book about a character that puts himself through scientific experiments. This seems to be the next step.

Best in UK, Austrailia, 127th in the United States

2010-05-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Exploding Russian Imperial Stout

2010-04-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I broke my first carboy last weekend 4/9/10 when I was moving them around in the garage. Barely clinked two of them together and a chunk fell off one of the carboys after it cracked. I was able to find the glass pieces and salvage most of the beer. My dad was there to helped so he poured the beer through some cheese cloth and into a bucket. I put the breather on the bucket and the emergency was averted.
Before this mishap this Russian Imperial Stout has given me problems. At the beginning of the mash, it broke my plastic stirrer. This caused me to have temperature problems. Various other problems occured during the brew including a partial stuck mash and over flowing the mash. My new system still needs fine tuning especially for a 42 lb. grain bill.
That morning, as I was driving to work, I called my wife to warn her to keep an eye on the carboys because I had filled them to much and there was no blow off tube and the RIS is high in fermentable sugars. She said they looked fine. A couple hours later she called back because there was explosion in the closet and a river of beer running out. This Russian Imperial has caused problems, but it will be good. Coming in at 1.082 OG. I will wait to at least three months to drink it.

http://mediumjones.com/my-23month-iphone/249

2010-03-26T12:47:00.001-07:00

Blood Red Beet Beer/ Pinot Brown

2010-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

I brewed last Sunday, so this Sunday I went to the brew shop to share some Willava IPA with the folks at the shop and to ask about adding beets and wine-soaked oak chips.
I brewed a brown ale, but was aiming for a red. I added too much roasted barley although the recipe called for that amount.
Since I brew 10 gallons at a time, I have two carboys of 5-6 gallons each. When I rack into a secondary, I want to add beet juice to one carboy and add a measured amount of oak chips which I will soak in wine, first I was thinking Chardonnay, but now I think Pinot Noir.
The reason I brewed this beer is so that I could add a Russian Imperial Stout to the English Dry Ale Yeast when I brew next weekend. I read online that it is important to add your RIS to a yeast slurry because there are so many fermentable sugars. The sugars will beat up the yeast too quickly if I add a vial of White Labs.
My IPA was well received at the brew shop and I tried a Tripel and a Smoked Porter that were fantastic. I bought some French Oak Chips that will be soaked in wine for a couple days then go into the secondary along with some of the wine. The beets are a little trickier. Canned beets may be the way to go, but I am not sure how to juice them. I am thinking I will blend them, boil them with some water, strain them, and bring them back to a boil. Let it cool and add to my beer.

http://ocdeals.freedomblogging.com/files/2010/02/OCMarketplaceAdmission-Coupon1.pdf

2010-03-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

Use this website to get into the OC Market Place for free.

Pete's Woodworking Blog-- Skills to Pay the BIlls (My skills won't pay anyone's bills)

2010-03-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

My friend Pete of Pete Records formerly of Sea Monsters formerly of Crankcase and current Math Teacher has a new occupation/ hobby. He does custom furniture in the modern style of West Elm and Room and Board, but he will do whatever you want and he will work with you. Check out his blog: http://furniturebypete.blogspot.com. There are a bunch of pictures and you can see what a craftsmen he is. In honor of Pete the only person who even lays eyes on my blog. Here are pictures of the woodworking I did this weekend. Next project, which will include lumber that has not been left out in the rain for three years or found on a corner, will be to make a beer brewing rack that will support my kettles and the liquid they hold. Keep up the good work Pete. I obviously need to keep trying.

Auto Tune Strikes Again

2010-02-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

AUtotune is kickass

2010-01-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

How to cut the cord from Verizon

2010-01-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

PS3 MediaServer
Internet, whether it be dsl or cable, is necessary, but free tv and much cheaper phone seems readily available to those of us that are willing to do a little research. Yesterday, I figured out how to have my PS3 communicate with my Mac through a wireless modem network. I was able to put a veoh.com episode of Max and Ruby onto my computer, but when I went to play it the .avi file it had screen judder. I used PS3 MEdiaserver and continue to finagle with it. I will try to use Handbrake or a similar Video Modification program to change the format of my videos to see if that helps. (FREE)
Free TV on the web
There are many sites including veoh.com, hulu, or youtube that supply top quality television shows for free. Cnn.com, pbs.com, abc, cbs and on and on offer free streaming or downloads of there shows. You can buy shows on itunes. I am still wondering or figuring how to stream these shows from my Mac to my Ps3. Does anyone know how? Can I just use PS3 Mediaserver?
Amplified Satelittle Antennae
There are many amplified satellites out there. It is hard to figure which is the best for my purpose. I went to the site Antennaweb.org and found that I should be able to get over 15 channels in my area of Long Beach. I have not tried it yet, but if these channels come in clearly and they should even come in HD, I will surely stop using cable. PBS, which is the main channel my kids watch, is right down the street in Huntington Beach. Terk seems to be the main manufacturer of these antennaes. ($30-80)
MagicJack
The reviews are mixed for this little device that hooks up to your computer and in turn connects to your phone. The voice quality gets mixed reviews from passable to awful. Another drawback seems to be that your computer must be on when you want to use your phone. My computer is always on and often in sleep mode. I wonder if the phone will work while my iMac is in sleep mode. Does anyone know? ($40.00 with first year free, $20. a year afterward)
Elgato Eyeconnect
This device can be used to send television signals to the computer. It does work for Mac. It has a DVR type of function where you can record shows using the software that it comes with.
Expenses
My Verizon bill comes in at about $180 a month. I have three televisions and a DVR Media Center. I get the standard Cable Channels with HD. We watch PBS kids, sports (ESPN), and CNBC and CNN.
$180 X 12= $2,160

MJ= $40.
Antennae=$50
Eyeconnect=$150
DSL up to 10 Mbps= 39.99 X 12= $480.
I save almost $1,500. the first year.
Works for me. I just have to get it dialed in. Any help is appreciated. Leave comment, fool.

2010-01-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Free Movies, Great Music, Sweet Deals, and a penny for your thoughts

2009-12-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Recently I visited Rick Broida's CNET website, The Cheapskate. He posted that you can buy an iphone app that will tell you how to get a free REDBOX movie. Someone posted in the comments that this app was worthless because you can do the same thing by googling "redbox codes", so I did this and I found the codes.

insideredbox.com

Use this site to find codes for REDBOX. Then go to your local kiosk. Find the small touch screen box that says "Use Promo code" and put it in your code. Viola! YOu can now rent a video and it will be free. Just make sure you bring it back the next day.

daytrotter.com

This site is awesome. They have four to six songs for many great artists. Go there sign up and download: Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Clare & the reasons, and Okkervil River.

Mybengalssearch.com

I use this website whenever I want to search. Every morning I go to this site and search for "woot" and "cnet broida". I use it instead of google. I make swag bucks when I search. You will not get swag bucks every time. Maybe once in the AM and once in the PM. If you try to earn the swag bucks, you never will. You have to just search naturally like you always do. Click on this link and get started. I just spent 150 swag bucks entering various different contests.

Woot.com

This site has a different deal every day. Usually it is electronics, but I have bought head lamp flashlights for camping, water filters, record players, and other things.

cnet.com/cheapskate

Another deal a day website. I have found freebies and coupon purchases here that are very worthwhile.

associatedcontent.com/zoydatwater

Here is my associated content page. Join this to publish your work on the web and get paid for it.

2009-11-23T14:25:00.001-08:00

AC Bengals Article

2009-11-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Check out my recently published content on AC:

Cincinnati Bengals Just Beginning to Get the Respect They Deserve

Comfort and Joy

2009-11-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2009
Made some beer on Sunday and broke the hot water heater spigot in the process. This recipe came from my head and I think it will turn out beautifully. I used an Edinborough (Scotch Ale) Yeast in one Carboy and an English Ale Yeast in the other. Both White Labs. Thanks to Chip and Carson from Steinfillers for their nods of approval as I pieced together this beer that hopefully will fill me with "Comfort and Joy" right before I dream of sugar plums.

18 lbs. English Two Row
1/2 lb. Chocolate Malt
1/2 lb. Black Patent Malt
1/2 lb. Crystal 35
1/2 lb. Crystal 75

Mashed in at 128 raised temp to 158

60 min boil
40 min 2 oz. Chinook
10 min 2 oz. Crystal
5 min 3 cinnamon sticks
5 tsps. Allspice

Planning on soaking oak chips in bourbon for the secondary.

Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar Team Up to Record Jack Kerouac Album

2009-10-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar Team Up to Record Jack Kerouac Album

2009-08-21T08:01:00.001-07:00

Family Campout Numbers #1 - #13: California Camping with My Ever-Growing Family
For the last thirteen years, my mom and step-dad have insisted that we all go camping together. What started with my parents, my sister, my step-sister, two-step brothers, and myself has grown into a spouse and grandchild filled extravaganza.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/2075049/family_campout_numbers_1_13_california.html

Associated Content

2009-07-24T10:34:00.001-07:00

Check out my recently published content on AC:

The Stupidity of Macro Management: the Los Angeles County Fair Officials

Like the Zombies said: It's the time...to brew a Saisson

2009-07-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make this because I wanted something light and a little sour. This will be great to drink in late August/ Early September. It is a Farmhouse Ale, so I can ferment it in my hall closet and it will do fine although it is perpetually 82 degrees in my house. I should get the damn air conditioner fixed, then I can make some lagers.

Zombie Saisson (After Dupont Saisson from Clone Beers)

Step mash in Sanke Keg with stainless false bottom.
July 19, 2009 @ 3:00
19 lbs. Pilsner Malt
1 lb. Vienna Malt (GWM)
2 lb. Wheat Malt

Began at 122, stepped up by adding hot water to 150
Sparge on the tall ladder @ 170
Problem: Sweet Wort overflow from 5 gallon bucket
Boil for 90 minutes
Added Belgian Candi Sugar and 2 oz. Super Styrian (90)
Added 1 oz. East Kent Goldings and Bitter Orange Peel (15)
Added 1 oz. East Kent Goldings (5)

5-6 Gallons pitched Wyeast Abbey yeast
3-4 gallons pitched Wyeast Saison Yeast
Both ferment at 70-75
Saison yeast began after 24 hours and only went for 36 hours
Abbey yeast took 48 hours but is still going after 3 day
Both yeasts were old. This was my first experience with Wyeast. One of the blister packs was busted already.

Long Beach Bike Friendly

2009-07-22T10:54:00.001-07:00

Jul 3, 2008

The city of Long Beach today announced plans to develop two "bicycle boulevards" using a $330,000 grant from Los Angeles County.

The grant, made through the county Department of Public Health, will be used to hire a mobility coordinator and to plan the new boulevards -- streets that give preference to bicycles through the use of traffic circles, medians, bulb-outs and other elements. One will go east-west, and the other north-south, according to city officials.

"This grant will help us become the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States while promoting a more healthy and active lifestyle throughout Long Beach," City Manager Pat West said.

The new mobility coordinator will be tasked with encouraging physical activity and more healthy modes of transportation, city officials said.

Long Beach already has more than 30 miles of dedicated shoreline and river bicycle paths connecting the city with other portions of Los Angeles County.

A planned update to the city's General Plan, referred to as Long Beach 2030, envisages policies that would encourage biking, walking and public transit.

Los Angeles Fair Officials usurp California Fermentation Society

2009-07-22T08:44:00.001-07:00

As an avid home brewer and self-proclaimed beer connoisseur, I jumped at the chance to serve beer at the Los Angeles county fair in ’08 for the California Fermentation Society, an organization of which I am a member. The previous year, one of the employees at the local home brew supply shared with me the finer points of this exciting duty. Obviously, since you are serving beer, you can drink as much as you want. That year Trumer Pils won the competition. This beer, that is now made in the U.S., Berkeley, I believe, is much better than Budweiser as far as pilsners go, but that is not saying much. I enjoyed a beer from Telegraph Brewing (Santa Barbara), Moylan’s (Novato), Marin Brewing Company, Boston Brewing, the Bruery (Placentia), Humboldt Brewing Company, and many others. The other great thing is the tips. I earned about thirty dollars in less than four hours. I didn’t spend my whole time serving because I took breaks, and I didn’t give away free beer, which one other guy did and that allotted him eighty dollars in the same amount of time. At the end of the night, I took home a T-shirt that reads “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” Benjamin Franklin. I was happy to have the shirt because I had given the same shirt to my mother recently. All in all, it was a very enjoyable night. Aside from the money and free beer, it is fun to be a bar tender. You get to assert a sort of power when you are giving people drinks. As a beer lover, I am truly grateful when a tasty beer sits in front of me ready to drink.

This year was different. The California Fermentation Society was dropped from covering the Beer Garden at The LA County Fair. The fair officials figured they could hire someone to run it and they could keep the left over profits. I wouldn’t blame them if the whole Beer Garden wasn’t the idea of the society to begin with. The society approached the fair almost ten years ago and proposed that they do this beer tasting. I am not sure if the competition itself was the idea of the CFS, but the tasting certainly was. The wine tasting garden is the result of the same phenomenon. Someone else set it up, and then the fair came in and scooped up the profits. The problem with this is that the customer suffers. The people serving will no longer be knowledgeable about beer the same way that the home brewers were. The prices are all guaranteed to go up. The worst part is that this was the only fundraising event that the CFS runs all year long.

I doubt they will go back to the way it used to be. Nothing does. Don’t skip the beer tasting if you go to the fair. I am sure it is worth the few extra dollars to taste some good beer amongst the money pit that is any fair. Last year there was great beers to be drunk. My advice: skip the fair. Take the kid’s to Beach Wood BBQ (Seal Beach) or Father’s Office, then go to Disneyland.

Sour Beer Article Dec. 07 ?

2009-07-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Pucker Up, Buttercup
by Lew Bryson |
Sour beer is difficult to make and difficult to like—but it just might be America’s next hot brew.

Twenty years ago I was a home brewer—mainly because I was living in places where Genesee Cream Ale was considered exotic. I made my own beer, and I drank a lot of other guys’ home brews. Sometimes they were pretty good, sometimes only okay, and sometimes they were flat-out eye-popping, pucker-till-your-cheeks-meet sour. If I brought this up, I’d usually be told, quickly and defensively, “Oh, it’s actually a Belgian-style.” I’d nod, try to look knowing...and then “misplace” that glass as quickly as possible.

What used to be considered a mistake is now a small but fast-growing niche in American craft brewing. This year, the Great American Beer Festival, for 25 years the preeminent American beer competition, added two new categories for sour beers to the judging (the first was created in 2002). Now, in addition to all the breweries that have added a sour beer to their lineup, there is at least one craft brewery, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan, which makes only sour beers.

“Good” sour beer is largely differentiated from “bad” sour beer by virtue of intent and intensity. When you plan for sour, you formulate a beer with enough body to balance the tart heart.

The Belgian sour beers, which have been around for centuries, and of which Rodenbach is probably the best-known example, are interesting and balanced, with wood and fruit notes that make them refreshing and rewarding. The brewers age their beers in unlined wooden vessels instead of modern stainless-steel ones, and the wild yeasts and microflora that live in the crevices of the wood work on a different schedule and agenda than plain, standard beer yeasts: The results are more complex and much more tart.

American craft brewers started experimenting with sour back in the mid-’90s, usually attempting to copy Belgian lambics, beers that can exhibit combinations of sharp acidity and barnyard funk. New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado, has been using some of the profits from burgeoning sales of its smooth and popular Fat Tire Amber Ale to build up a large wood-aged sour beer program during the past seven years, starting with the beautifully multilayered and aptly named La Folie. “Follow your Folly,” the brewery encourages customers.

Brewers have taken direct inspiration from the phrase and the landmark beer. You’ll find a rapid ferment of ideas about sour beers in many corners of the country, like at Russian River Brewing, in Santa Rosa, California, where brewer Vinnie Cilurzo has been on the front edge of American brewing for years and is generally acknowledged as the first brewer of the massively hopped double-imperial I.P.A. style. About a month ago, I was lucky enough to get a sample of a sour ale he brewed for the 20th anniversary of the landmark Toronado beer bar in San Francisco: a balance of sweet malt and dry cherry, with a smooth veneer of oaky tannin to pull it all together—a masterpiece. As most brewers do with these beers, Cilurzo charges a premium price to reflect the costs of the longer aging and the difficulty of the brewing process

The question is whether sour beers have a wide enough appeal to make them a viable new market segment, even at niche levels. “Sour” seems crazy as a descriptor to attract people to a beer, but so is “bitter,” and that’s one that has made a lot of friends for beer. I.P.A.’s, the bitterest of beers, make up the fifth-largest category for craft brewers, and the competition among brewers is to see who can stuff the most bitterness into a beer and have it still be enjoyable. That bodes well for sour, which has a parallel dryness on the palate. (Sour is like biting the fruit of a lemon; bitter’s more like biting the peel.)

“I may be optimistic, but I think sour beers are the next I.P.A.,” says Ron Jeffries, owner of Jolly Pumpkin. Jeffries’ beers are all oak-aged, soured by contact with the wood. The beers, sold in large, beautifully labeled bottles bearing names like La Roja, Bam Bière, and Oro de Calabaza, are not paragons of consistency, but that’s part of their appeal, and they are generating serious buzz among beer geeks.

I recently blogged about a delicious sour ale called Moxie from New Holland Brewing in Holland, Michigan, and got a rapturous response from veteran Oregon beer writer Jeff Alworth. “Sour is the new hoppy! Okay, maybe not, but sour is my fave note, even before bitter.”

Still, sour mania has its drawbacks, chief among them being cost. Jeffries’ beers are widely considered to be underpriced at $8 for a 750-milliliter bottle; others are in the area of $20 a bottle, and the rarer Belgian imports go up from there. These sourific wild yeasts and bacteria aren’t just sour, they’re slow, and some of these beers take 18 months or more to come to proper fruition. They’re also tenacious; brewers have to take extra care to isolate them from the rest of their brews or risk cross-contamination and an all-out funkification of their entire brewery.

There’s also the substantial risk that no one will want to buy them. Make no mistake, these beers are challenging. There’s a pretty steep acceptance curve, although once you develop a taste for them, there’s nothing else that can substitute.

There’s a bright side for brewers though. Given the skyrocketing cost of hops, sour beers offer a way to keep both geeks and brewers happy and interested. It’s cutting-edge stuff without the constant worry over supply issues: There’s always more yeast and bugs. Maybe sour will become the new hoppy by necessity.

Making Money on the Internet

2009-06-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a website.

Ways to make money on the Internet.
I'm talking small, but real money to start with - not the ' $1000+ in a week ' scams.
This site is simple to load quickly. No fancy graphics, just the honest facts.
First, you need some 'tools'.
A dedicated credit card for the Internet. more...
Open FREE Internet banking accounts to receive payment. more...
Disposable email addresses. more...
An 'always online' connection to the Internet. more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Second, programs where you need to invest some money.
The risk is greater but the rewards can be huge!
High yield investment programs (HYIP) return high yields on your investment but are also high risk and of limited duration. Get in early with a sum you can afford to loose and earn 20% daily for a few days or 2% daily for a few weeks/months. Most use 'e-currency' so you will need to open free accounts here... To help in deciding which programs to invest in and when to pull out I have kept the statistics of several current sites and also of sites that have closed. This is a very volatile market but can be very profitable and exciting.
No HYIP sites to recommend at present.
Playing the Foreign Exchange markets. A very volatile area where returns can be huge. More details on another page here ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Third, programs where you earn money but are free to join.
Trickle income, like these sites below, build up a bank balance, give you confidence and earn you some funds to invest in HYIP or other programs that require you to deposit money first.
Clixn'Cash has a payout as low as $0.25 and you can earn about 4c the first visit!. (you must have a free AlertPay or PayPal account to join) so get paid quickly to see how the Bux PTC (pay to click) programs work. Look here for proof that Clixn'Cash has paid me again and again.
Bookmark your log-in page and check your account several times daily for ads to click on.
You can upgrade your account by purchasing referrals.
Wait for the ad to load and then watch the 10 second timer count down. If you open two ads at the same time you will be paid for none of them. Be fair to the advertisers.
You can earn about 5c to 20c daily from one Bux site - if you join 10 similar Bux sites you can earn $1 a day in 30 minutes even without buying referrals!
The following Bux sites follow the same theme but have $2 to $10 minimum payouts:- Neobux (proof), BuxP (proof) .
Remember to bookmark this page and all the sites you join to make it easier to return daily.
MyLot is a great program for people who like to chat and earn a few cents a day at the same time! The range of subjects is enormous and from all over the world. Upload pictures from your computer, list your passions and other features. But beware - this program can become infectious!! Payment is by PayPal so you will need to get a free PayPal account . I have been paid 18 times by MyLot - here is June and July
MakeMoneyKingdom is a forum dealing with the subject of earning online. You earn the equivalent of $0.0075 a post (one gold coin = a quarter cent) with a maximum of 20 posts a day. But the real reason for joining is for the wealth of information and support to be had from other people. When you join, read the four 'sticky' topics in the Help & Support section which will explain the rules and how to earn. After that try the Pay to Click section to make a post yourself and earn up to 15 cents today. There are very popular threads on Neobux and Mylot to join in. This site is for serious earners who will use the forum and not for spammers. Pays over $10 minimum to PayPal and easily reached each month if active. Proof of payment.... .
Bukisa will pay you for submitting short articles on a wide variety of subjects. This site is aimed at the more knowledgeable surfer who has the expertise to pass on their experience in good English. Pay is based on 1000 views of your articles at a rate that varies with the site income. At the moment this is between $3 and $4 CPM. Payout minimum is $50. Here is a tutorial on how to submit content and here is an example of an article on web site stats.
GetPaidTo join programs! Sign up for any of the 1550 free cash offers available and get paid instantly through Paypal. For instance, join Ebay and get $7 (so long as you are not already a member). Low minimum payout of $0.50 which you can earn in minutes with a daily survey. Free to join. Open only to USA, Canada and UK residents, like a lot of these GPT programs. Most offers are free but some require a purchase which are clearly marked. Please be truthful when joining and giving information and best to use a dedicated email address as you will get many replies.
Go here to see the payment process and proof of payment to my PayPal account
And here are some tips on how to do offers and set up your PC to earn with GPT programs.
PayByOffers is a new site from the same stable as GetPaidTo above but is open to members from many more countries and they are adding new countries all the time. You can earn money and win prizes here very quickly as well. Screengrab of my requst for payment - 37 minutes later it is in my Paypal account!
BlueBayptr is a great PTS ( paid to search ), PTC ( paid to click ) PTJ (paid to join or sign up) and PTR ( paid to read ) program and, unlike some, has a low payout threshold of $2. This amount can be quickly reached by joining other programs from the Paid to Signup section, searching on links in your Inbox and clicking on banners in the Paid to Click area. I earn about $7 a month on my own searches. Payment is by PayPal so you will need to get a free PayPal account. If you don't do proper searches (see below) then you will not be sent many paid links.
Here is a tutorial on how to make a valid search . It will take longer than the 40 seconds shown to finish loading three pages but if the advertiser doesn't get paid, you wont get the links in the future.
Rpoints is aimed at UK/Euro surfers comparing prices of goods.
An example of how Rpoints worked to save me 36% off my UK car insurance is here...
This shows that you can save money and make money using Rpoints.
I also received £20 (2,000 points) cashback for opening an Egg credit card. It really works!.
You can buy almost anything at the best retail price and then get an added discount with Rpoints. Go to 'easy money' then 'recurring' where comparing prices with Kelkoo and others earns about 2p to 6p a click up to a max of about £1 a day. Rpoints are ultra-cautious about awarding points. They take days to check, then credit, your points and then a month or more to validate them before you can cash in. A good forum explains all this. But, once the ball is rolling and you're clicking every day, the cash rolls into PayPal at £5 minimum a time and in £sterling too so you can have dollar and sterling PayPal accounts to save on exchange rates.
Higher Payouts from 'free to join' programs.
Normally I avoid very high payout programs where it sometimes takes a year to reach the minimum by which time the site may have vanished!
You WILL get paid with these programs; about $35 to $50 a month for just these programs and there are dozens more to choose from. Join up, add to your favourites or put an icon on your desktop by dragging on a links page for each program and visit the sites at intervals through the day and earn a bit each time. It soon adds up.
I can get you referrals. Contact me for details on how its done.
TIPS -

1. Right click on the log-in page for each program and save a shortcut link to your desktop, or, Add to your Favourites in a new folder, named Daily, for instance. Much easier to remember your daily earning sites by double clicking on the icons or links.

2. Write the address and log-in details for each site in the back of your diary. It is easy to forget your user name and password and you can continue to earn money on another pc when away from home.

3. Get into the habit of regular visits. Most sites will cancel your account if you don't make use of it and any money earned will be lost.

4. Contact me if you need help or advice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fourth, make a web site of your own and get advertisers on it.

The final group of earning programs can be placed on your own web site.
First you need a website with content interesting enough to attract visitors.
Think of a subject that you know a lot about - you, your family, your job, your hobby - whatever it is, focus on it and provide detailed information; facts, figures. Try to make your web site the definitive source of information on your chosen subject.
With a web site designed you need a domain name and a hosting service. It is like an address to the house where your web site lives. I use Easily to buy my domain names and Cirtex to host them, both companies give excellent service and support.
Promote your website using the points earned from working the PTS, PTR and PTC you joined above in section three and to get referrals to sign up under you.
Once you have a web site with solid content you have a 'product' to sell. Many of the top programs will not accept you as an affiliate unless you have a web site of substance.
The star payer is Google AdSense. They pay for clicks and pay very well and cleverly match their ads to the content of your page. Minimum payout is $100 by cheque.
Chitika also pay you for clicks on their targeted ads on your web site but have a minimum payout of only $10 to Paypal. At the moment, only clicks from US and Canada visitors count for payment but more countries are to be added later.
A good affiliate scheme is TradeDoubler . where you can join up for free to any of dozens of schemes under one 'roof' . All affiliate schemes have a minimum payout limit of around $50 so grouping schemes together as with TradeDoubler . [aimed at European web sites] and Commission Junction [aimed at North America but covering the world] means that you can get a cheque earlier.
Lots of companies would love you to join them as an affiliate and will pay you a commission when your visitors buy some of their products. It makes sense to join up with companies compatible with your site. Amazon sell a lot more than just books now and pay 5% to 7.5% commission by targeting specific goods with a link from your site.

Bravenet has a lot of free goodies to add to your web site to attract more visitors and can help in setting up and hosting a web site with a free domain name. They also offer 50mb of free space on their servers to store your password protected back-up files and sensitive data. A well respected site of long standing..

Banner advertisements, love 'em or hate 'em, are part of the Net. Place these standard sized banners from AdBrite on your page and earn up to $1/1000 impressions depending on validity of visitor. Note that these are impressions or CPM rates, your visitor just has to see them, they do not have to click on the ads or buy anything. That is why the rates are lower than ' pay per click ' banners. AdBrite pay out monthly by cheque for earnings over $50 and pay me regularly.
Another site paying $1 to $2/1000 banner impressions is Bux-O-Rama.
A large variety of banner and button sizes are available from Oxado and they pay well for clicks. Join up, get your site approved and then get your banner code to put on your web site to start earning. Depending where you live in the world you will be paid by wire, cheque or Paypal.
Pop-under windows are better selling tools than banners and PopupTraffic.com will pay you up to $1.80/1000 impressions. This is the best you will get on the net and they pay monthly without fail. Popup killer browsers have changed the market so they only supply pop-unders but with anti-killer code that works with the major browsers. A busy site will still earn more than the $25 minimum for a cheque to be sent each month. They are now open to international affilliates and pop-under earnings.
Remember, these are all free to join; you have no outgoings other than your normal internet connection which you have anyway. To be perfectly frank, the only downside to these deals is that it takes up your time to organise the links, and your browser and/or web site will run a bit slower while advertising banners load.

The Internet is fast changing - please let us know if a good deal comes along or if you find a crooked deal; contact simetric.co.uk and we will check it out and give it an unbiased opinion.

Silver!! because I'm poor and I missed the boat on platinum

2008-02-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I read an article by Robert Kiwosaka (Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame) where he spoke about investing in silver. His reasons were because it is a growing necessity in cell phones, computers, ipods, pdas,and so forth. It is easy to invest because it is so cheap. I bought a 10 oz bar for about $150. which is probably closer to $175. now. I also accumulated three lots of about $200.total worth of coins through ebay. I like to invest in silver this way because some coins have numismatic value as well and they can be fun to go through. Silver is much lower than gold percentage-wise compared to previous years. I have read speculation that it will be close to thirty by the end of the year. Today it is down, almost below $17. I think a good time to buy.

A good website is coinflation.com. Here you can find the melt value of your coins and see which have silver. I go for the quarters lot because they are easiest to keep track of and seem most in my price range. If you do it right, you can get a lot for less than $3.00 a coin. I think the value is close to $3.10. I just missed winning a lot of 100 coins (pre-1965) for $275. (shipping included). As always the more you buy, the cheaper the product seems to get. Except for nickels, 1964 is the cut off date for silver, but don't bother buying rolls at the bank. They have been gone through already.

You can sometimes find coin collections at estate sales or possibly find them at a small town bank, but I think highly unlikely.

www.kitco.com]">

Why the Bengals need Odell Thurman and David Pollack

2008-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

"David Pollack this morning referred to Feb. 8 as 'D-Day' in terms of his possible return to the NFL as a player.
'I should have all the details that I need to make an informed decision,” said Pollack, who last played football Sept. 17, 2006, for the Bengals against Cleveland.
That afternoon, Pollack suffered a C6 vertebra fracture. He underwent surgery Jan. 3, 2007 to repair the neck fracture.Dr. Anthony Guanciale, director of orthopedic spine surgery at University of Cincinnati Hospital, has treated Pollack from the day of his injury and will meet with him next month.'

"Suspended Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman has applied for reinstatement from the NFL and should learn his fate in the second week of February following the Super Bowl.
Safarrah Lawson, one of Thurman's representatives, said Sunday that Thurman is optimistic about his chances and looking forward to playing again.
Thurman was suspended for one year for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. His application for reinstatement in July was denied by the league, and he was told he could re-apply after the 2007 season."

Odell will show that the Bengals are capable of staying out of trouble and putting football first. Pollack will model hard work and dedication can pay off.

Pollack is a inspirational player who puts God first in everything he does. He plays the right way. Currently he is working with potential draftees as a trainer. Odell is a model of what not to do. He is a constant reminder to the young fellas that they can easily throw away this great opportunity they have been given. Just do what Odell, Pacman, and Vick did. These guys will quietly change the dynamic in the locker room.

The defense needs bodies.

Odell will be back in the middle and Pollack will most likely play defensive end. Both positions that Cincinnati will draft for. If these guys play, all the youngsters will have more time to develop.

THEY are the future.

Pollack is 25 and Thurman is 24. These guys are hardly old. They both have five or more of their best years ahead of them.

Numbers don't lie.

In 2005, Thurman led the Bengals in tackles with 98. Pollack had 28 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Bengals led the league in turnover ratio. Defense began to look like the reason the Bengals hired Marivin Lewis. Carson Palmer doesn't go down in that Steelers game and the Bengals have a real shot at a Super Bowl title. (Why Palmer is on the trainer's table at halftime I'll never know?)

Odell should be back. The only reason he wasn't back last year is because of assault charges. He has no new charges against him. I guess he learned to stay home. Pollack should be back, but we will see.

House FOR RENT in Woodstock, GA

2008-01-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Anybody want to rent or buy a nice two story house in Woodstock. It is 4 Bedroom 2.5 bath. Comes with a refrigerator and matching appliances. Practically a brand new home with carpet and wood floors. Sunken tub and a four car garage. Email me for more info/ pictures or leave comments.

Skylark Dwarf and Don Gillogly

2008-01-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

I purchased a Don Gillogly Dwarf Avocado Tree about three weeks ago for 49.99 at Roger's Gardens. It has been three weeks and I have yet to find a good place to plant it. I am even thinking about taking it back because several websites said that it is not as good as advertised and the Holiday Avocado is a better dwarf. I think I will see if I can do both. Find the Holiday at Lowe's or something and put them next to each other.
The other plant I purchased was a 99.99 Skylark Dwarf fruitless olive tree. I put it in the front of the house and it is beautiful. I can't wait to see it grow.

Irish Style "Rain or Shine" Stout

2008-01-16T11:07:00.001-08:00

This came out with much less body than a Chocolate Stout or Guiness clones that I have done in the past. Very easy to drink with dark chocolate notes. Josh Teague helped brew this batch.

Grain Bill: (16 1/2 lbs.)
12 lbs. American Two Row
1 lb. Black Patent Malt
2 lbs. Crystal 35 Malt
11/2 lbs. Roasted Barley

3:19 PM
4 gallons to start Mash at 135 (water came down to about 130 once I added the grain)
Stir every five minutes
3:50
Poured 3 gal. boiling water to raise temp to 157
4:25
Began sparge with 5 gallons of 172 water, continued with 3 gallons at 175

5:20 PM started 11 gallons of wort
6:00 began boiling

Hopping Schedule
6:00 (beginning of boil) 2oz. Fuggles Leaf hops
6:25 (25 mins.) 2 oz Fuggles and 2 oz. Chinook
6:55 1/2 oz of Magnum

(Ran out of propane at 6:45, I was getting hamburger buns at the store)

I wish I wrote down what yeast I used, but it yielded about 9 gallons and was drank quickly.
If I were to guess, I'd say White Labs California Ale yeast and California V Ale yeast

Overzealous Overhopped Twisted Hat Blonde Ale (Magic Hat #9 clone)

2008-01-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

This recipe came out of Clone Beers and is modeled after Magic Hat Brewery's #9 in Burlington, VT (my birthplace). The recipe calls for apricot, but I instead used 4.4 grams of blueberry in one secondary fermenter (my first time using a secondary). I have not been able to taste the blueberry. It also calls for Tettnanger and I used Magnum and Chinook because that is what I had on hand.

Grain Bill:
17. 5 lbs. Pale Malt, English Maris Otter
18 oz Wheat Malt
1/2 lb. Crystal 35, English (Carastan)

The Monster Mash
10:32
4.5 gallons at 130, I added all the grains
10:36 - Temp. is at 122
Stirred every 5 mins.
11:02 added 2.5 gallons at 200
Settled around 152 (Lower temps will yield more alcohol, less body, so no second step.

11:51
Sparge begins: 9 gallons at 168

12:39- Wort is on the burner (11 gallons)
1:22- Wort is boiling
Hop Schedule
1:22 Begin boil with 1.5 oz Magnum, 2 oz Chinook
2:18 Add hops last 15 minutes of boil 2oz Cascade, 2 oz Willamette

2:33 Chill wort

Pitched White Labs German Ale/ Kolsch Yeast (WLP 029)
11/23- Moved to Secondary
O.G. 1.040

Thinkin' on Lincoln Pontification Porter

2008-01-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe straight out of Charles Papazian's Book The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. It is the Silver Dollar Porter. I just used different hops because I used what I had on hand. After three weeks in the bottle, the Porter has dark to medium body, but definite chocolate in the after-taste (sometimes not hitting the palet for a few seconds after the beer is swallowed, yum!) I used the Kolsch style yeast from my Blonde Ale and it started fermenting in less than an hour. Stopped fermenting after just a few days.

Silver Dollar Porter (11.23.07)

16 lbs. American 2 Row

2 lbs. Munich Malt

1 lb. Black Patent Malt

1 lb. Chocolate Malt

1 lb. Crystal 150, English

-----------

21 lbs. of Grain

2:04

Began with 5.25 gallons of water @ 130 and added grains

Dropped temp to 124

Stirred every five minutes

2:34

After 30 minutes, I added 2.5 gallons of 200 water

Sparge was 10+ gallons @ 170

5:05- Boil Started

Added 2oz of Willamette (ALL leaf hops)

Added 2oz of Cascade

6:00 added 2 tsp. Irish Moss

6:05 Added 1oz of Cascade

Took 10-15 minutes to put Twisted Hat into a secondary. Next time, I will do both carboys before is even finished. Timing was not exactly right, so beer sat warm for an extra 10-15 minutes.

Started fermenting right away using Twisted Hat's German Ale/ Kolsh Style Yeast. Fermenting in Garage.

O.G. (from bottom of boil with hops in it) 1.042

2007-11-27T16:12:00.002-08:00

2007-11-27T16:12:00.001-08:00

Whitney Beer

2007-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

We Just Make Good Beer! THat's it. I thought about naming the beers after my favorite fictional characters: Florentino Ariza, Mitch Cumstein Ty Webb's College roommate, Dean Moriarity, Sal Paradise, Alexander DeLarge 655321, Richard

World Series Champs

2007-11-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday night, Jonathan Papelbon struck out Seth Smith, and the Red Sox became World Champs for the second time in four years. I was at Stater Bros. buying milk and beer. My dad called during the ninth and my wife said, "He's not here, he's not watching the game, he doesn't care who wins, he was rooting for the Rockies earlier." It's true. Much to my dad's chagrin, I didn't really care to watch the end of the game. For me it was depressing that it is all over with. I wanted to see the series extended. When the series began, people asked "Are you excited that your Red Sox are in the series?" I pretty much knew they were going to sweep. "Are you kidding?" The real series was against the Indians. Now they have to play the junior league. The soft Rockies. Even before the series started, the Rockies were better at one position, shortstop (Tulowitzki was much better than Lugo during the regular season). By the end of the series, Lugo looked like a stud compared to Tulo. "What about Jamey Carroll's fly to left?" my dad asked. Jamey Carroll showcased his warning track power, that did not make me question whether or not the series was in jeopardy. Even if that's a home run, the Red Sox probably still sweep. Nail Biting, right?
The part that gets me though is that I spent the last seven months following Red Sox baseball watching Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight hoping to get a glimpse of a few highlights. Now what? This coupled with the fact that the Red Sox are threatening to become the new Evil Empire scares me, no scratch that, fuckin' depresses me. I love to watch the underdog and now the Red Sox are anything but. At the same time, the Bengals will never win this year because they are just plain bad. It's no fun to watch a team lose either. So, do I care that Red Sox Nation doubled when they won the series, not really? They have been a major market team for a long time, (check the pink hats) but the true fans follow the details like I do. That's where the fun is. No one, I mean no one, remembers how domninant Papelbon was in 2005 as a starter. I wanted the guy to become a starter.