Bing vs. Google
So, Microsoft has its new search engine thingie up. I say thingie
because it's billed as more a of a decision making tool. Anyway, I was curious as to which service was better. So I engaged in a rigorous test.
Testing Methodology:
- Provide each service with a decision question that has a clearly correct answer.
- Determine the rank at which the correct answer appears in the results.
- Whichever service puts the correct answer at a higher rank wins!
Test Decision Question: How do I make tea?
Correct Answer: How To Make Tea
Results:
Amazingly, Bing turns out to be the better service!
Saved By The Tray!
If you make tea and use one of those new-fangled steeping vessels that drains from the bottom, then you want to make sure you have a tray underneath.
I left mine to dry on its side last night and the bottom stopper became a little cock-eyed. I filled it with water then turned my back. When I turned back around, it was half empty (or half-full, if you're one of those people).
Luckily, the tray had captured the whole mess. Not a drop was to be found on the counter itself.
Even with this episode, I highly recommend such a device. But use a tray under it.
My tray is a nice chocolate-brown piece of sculpted plastic. Well, okay, it's actually an ugly surplus airline serving tray. But it does the job!
Fame and Fortune
Well, fame anyway. Okay, not much fame either. But I do have an article published in a real live newspaper, the mighty Sangamon Star.
True, it's a humorous newspaper. And it's physical distribution is limited to the Sangamon County area.
But I love the damn paper. It's funny and irreverent and darn near apolitical.
The editor recently discovered the joys of tea and asked me to write a (very) short piece on the wondrous beverage. Which I did. And it's in the latest issue, page two, bottom half, third column, right next to the pretty girl in a bikini.
The editor himself also has a few of tea-related articles on the same page, all very good.
So go read 'em, dammit!
And, if you happen to live near Springfield, Illinois, pick up a damn copy! Don't cost nuthin'!
Stupid Stupid Boy
Who? Me, that's who. Well, first, I didn't have a very good night. At one point, I had a dream about swimming laps in a pool filled with people. They kept getting in my way. Plus, of course, I was naked. (Yes, I knew some of the people. No, I'm not telling you if you were one of them.)
Then I had this dream where I was talking to Woz and Steve Jobs. I grabbed a laptop and was trying to show them the Museum, but I couldn't type the URL correctly. (I'll have similar dreams where I really need to call someone, but I just can't dial the number correctly.)
Then, while I was sleeping on my back, I inhaled a huge amount of slobber. I woke up coughing. Took a good 20 minutes to clear things out.
So, finally, morning comes and I head downstairs to make some tea. We usually turn off the heat downstairs at night, so it was plenty cold. I started some water going in the kettle. Since the teapot was also cold, I ran the sink until the water there was hot, and filled the teapot to warm it up. I threw some leaves into my steeping vessel, which is this neat gravity-fed thing. It has a filter at the bottom and when you set it down on a mug, that activates little feet that raise a plunger that allows the tea to drain out the bottom. It's very cool and very handy. The only problem with it is that, due to the shape of my teapot, the feet don't engage, so I do have to reach under the lip and push them up with my fingers. Anyway, the water comes to a boil and I pour it into the steeping thingie and set the timer for three minutes. After three minutes, I put it on top the teapot and engage the little feet.
Now, if you're paying attention, you may be wondering "When did Tom empty the hot water out of the teapot that he was pre-warming?" The answer is, I didn't. So the teapot quickly overflows with scalding hot water, slightly burning my fingertips and spilling out onto the counter. I actually don't realize what's going on right away. I think it's just draining weird and I push up on the little feet a second time. This burns my fingertips once again and spills more water. I lift off the steeping thingie, which is still half full, and stare at this overflowing teapot, wondering how the hell it got so full. I probably stood there a full minute before the proverbial light-bulb went off.
Stupid stupid boy!
On the positive side, I make my tea on top of a lipped tray, which did handily limit the spread of spilled tea.
Chai Chai Rodregueeze
I made Chai for the first time yesterday. I had ordered some Spiced Chai from Indonique. (They also provided some of their prized Masala Chai, which I will try soon.)
Basically, you make chai by steeping black tea in a water/milk mixture, along with spices. I'm not a big milk drinker and had to specifically pick up some milk, just for the occasion.
So, is it any good? Damn, it is indeed very tasty. Very, very tasty.
I must admit that I haven't had warm milk since the last time I had hot cocoa, which would have been early 2000 at the latest, so the warm milkiness threw me a little. Mine cooled down too much during the steeping. (I didn't want to get milk in my favorite teapot, so it just steeped in a pan.) I think I'll like it even more if it's hot rather than just a little warm.
So, the bottom line? Chai is nummy.
In very tangentially related news, Carol Bruce, WKRP's Mama Carlson, has died at 87.
Assorted Tea Links
Tea Birds is active once again. What is Tea Birds? Simply a blog of photos of cute girls drinking tea. No more, no less.
33 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea lists a boat-load of health benefits. Tea is really, really good for you.
TeaTracker appears to be a way to track whose turn it is in the office to make the tea. Since I work at home, it's always my turn. So I haven't really looked at it. You might find it useful. You might not.
Bad Tea Advice
Over a year ago, I wrote a little post about How To Make Bad Tea.
Today, I found a much better (or, at least, more verbose) essay: The Idiot's Guide To Bad Tea
Russian Caravan ala Indonique
I've been drinking some Russian Caravan from Indonique. This is a standard blend that many places have. One of its prime ingredients is smoky Lapsang Souchong.
Like their Lapsang, their Russian Caravan has a really smoky kick. It's a smokiness you can feel on the tongue. If really strong teas turn you off, then it isn't the one for you. But if you like them hella strong and smoky, this one really does it.
Out of Tea!
Actually, I've been out of my usual tea for a week now. I waited until I ran out before ordering more, as usual.
I've had to resort to tearing open sampler packs of flavored teas, something I don't normally drink.
Luckily, I did have some good tea show up over the weekend. It only cost me $500. (Okay, actually it was a thank-you for paying some annual professional membership dues.)
But, I'm running through that at a torrid pace.
An Important Tea Question
I do occasionally receive tea-related questions from the general public. The most common one is this:
I'm making loose tea in a pot, as you recommend. But I'm making more than a single cup. What do I do with the extra tea? If I leave it in the pot, it'll continue steeping and get bitter. Am I supposed to pour it through a strainer into a second teapot?
The answer is, yes, you do pour it into another teapot.
That is, however, a royal pain. What I've been doing these days is brewing my tea in a Teavana Perfect Tea Maker. (Lots of other places have the same device available.)
Then I dispense it into my teapot. Then I bring the teapot and a small ceramic teacup out to my desk and pour myself several nice hot cups of tea.
