… bratwurst should never be placed directly on the grill without bathing it in said beer first. “Only a fool would just put the brats on the grill to cook them,” I was told by every single one of my fellow campers.

But as someone who doesn’t make brats on a regular basis, letting encased meat soak in a vat of beer before cooking it wasn’t exactly the first thing that came to mind. So while this might disgrace my Midwestern upbringing, should you really boil brats in beer before grilling them? 

(Via Quinn Myers in MEL Magazine)

One of the theories as to why boiling brats in beer helps is that it makes the collagen in the casing tougher. While that might be true, I don’t know of anyone who eats a brat that says, “Boy, I wish that was tougher!”

Will boiling the brats help them cook faster? Sure. But the beer imparts no flavor to the process. Why? The afore mentioned casing. Modern casings won’t absorb additional flavor any more than old school intestines will. However, particulates and impurities might stick to the casing and that might end up with a tasty char.

If you want to boil brats in advance so they will be cooked through, do it in water.

I’m not a food scientist, so don’t take my word for it. Check out other sources or run a blind test of brats boiled in beer or water and both grilled. See if there’s a difference.

YMMV

The reasons [for the new music market shrinking] are complex—more than just the appeal of old tunes—but the end result is unmistakable: Never before in history have new tracks attained hit status while generating so little cultural impact. In fact, the audience seems to be embracing en masse the hits of decades past. Success was always short-lived in the music business, but now it hardly makes a ripple on the attention spans of the mass market.

(Via Ted Gioia’s The Honest Broker)

Based on the expense I’m incurring to reestablish my physical media library, especially with music, this rings true.

In such a scenario, maybe it would be a good idea to keep a backup of all your Kindle titles on your PC or a compatible storage medium while Amazon is still hanging on with the AZW format. Once everything is transitioned to the KFX format, it could become impossible to break the DRM.

I agree, and this is another example of hostile behavior toward the consumer. I have older Kindles that can’t (or I won’t) connect to WiFi but work fine for reading. If the books that I buy, not borrow, are locked out then why would I buy any more of them from these guys?

Japan Is The Best Kind Of World Cup Killer:

Japan held two teams’ fates in its hands coming into Thursday’s final round of Group E matches in the World Cup. Sort of funnily, neither of them was its opponent on the day, Spain.

The match day set up like this: Japan entered the day second in the group, with three points, thanks to its shock win over Germany on the group’s first match day. Spain led the group with four points, and with passage through to the round of 16 all but guaranteed by its plus-6 goal differential. Costa Rica’s third-place position felt like last place, owing to a horrible goal differential and the safe assumption that Los Ticos‘ opponents on the day, Germany, would flatten them; Germany’s fourth-place position felt like second, despite the team coming into the day on a single lonely point, at least in large part because it is Germany.

Which part of Japan in the World Cup are you not on board with, assuming you’re not? They play a fast match, their fans clean up after themselves in the stands, and they leave thoughtful things in their locker room after the match for the folks who clean them.

I was in Japan for the last World Cup. They took me from 0 interest in futbol to 100 fast. It was great and I love it and I miss it.

I’m not there, but I’m here and have a soul. Strap me to the Japan World Cup rocket!

A decent foundation – enough stability so that life is not precarious. Boldness – a chance to learn and grow and do something meaningful during the vanishingly short time we’re alive. Morality – being good and decent and just. Connection – having people we love and who love us.

(Via Dan Pink; h/t A Learning A Day)

Governor to sign ethics reform bill into law despite call for veto:

Gov. Bill Lee says he will sign into law legislation requiring dark-money groups that pour cash into political campaigns to disclose their expenditures before elections. … 

Supporters of the legislation, however, argued that the bill would apply only to expenditures by 501(c) groups when they spend a total of $5,000 on an election within 60 days of the vote. … 

The 30-day window for lawmakers refers to the limitation for sending taxpayer-funded mass mailings to lawmakers’ constituents. … 

Much of it requires increased reporting requirements for state lawmakers. For instance, from now on they’ll have to report just about every penny they receive and spend.

Passing a fish bowl to gather cash at community events won’t be allowed unless they document the donor of every dollar.

People who form political action committees also will be required to show a photo identification, as part of an effort to stop bogus PACs from operating in Tennessee’s government. … 

Part of the legislation also prohibits anyone in the governor’s cabinet from doing consulting work on the side. … 

During its passage, supporters pointed out they amended the legislation to ensure it wouldn’t stop nonprofit advocacy groups from communicating with members in the run-up to an election. Early in the process, they also removed a provision that would have required donors to be disclosed.

(By Sam Stockard via the Tennessee Lookout)

I had to do a lot of editing in the article to summarize the bill. I did this because I think I support this? More from the Tennessean here and here.

The bill, HB 1201, is here.