I like this time at night on HBT

lschiavo said:

Speaking of frugality, I just fixed a really nice laptop for $59 (cost for the new hard drive). I knew it was the hard drive. My wife had it looked at and they said they couldn't do anything (they were right). I also picked up a 12 pack of Old Milwaukee. That saved me several dollars.

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What's up fellahs?

I'm thinking about building a desktop here soon. My laptop is a freakin dinosaur now. Hardware prices actually aren't too bad considering what I'll be jumping up to. Always up for a new challenge and a way to pinch some poor defenseless pennies.

Dan said:

Ha ha, good plan. I currently don't have internet at home and one of my daughters doesn't have it either. Once we both have it again I'll probably cut way back on the data and cost. But $6? What are you using a couple of tin cans and string?

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Dan, the base service is tracfone. You need to build up minutes over the years, there are a lot of offers for increasing minutes to take advantage of, you renew at the cheapest cost. When you renew every year, select the cheapest plan, something like 30 minutes 30 days, when you check out you will get an offer for 1 year of service for $49. If you have a phone that offers double minutes for life and use coupon codes you can get deals. My wife has one of the semi smart phones, same package and she gets free minutes when we are in a WIFI hot zones. Since tracfone doesn't appear to be connected to any server but selects whatever is available, I get service in spots that others don't.

BBL_Brewer said:

What's up fellahs?

I'm thinking about building a desktop here soon. My laptop is a freakin dinosaur now. Hardware prices actually aren't too bad considering what I'll be jumping up to. Always up for a new challenge and a way to pinch some poor defenseless pennies.

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Building is not necessarily cheaper than buying. The advantage to building is that you know every component and every piece of software on your system. I would never buy a computer. Definitely build but don't expect a cost saving.

iaefebs said:

Building is not necessarily cheaper than buying.

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In some cases that's true, but for what I'm going to do it will save me a lot. I'm going to transition away from windows if that helps you any.

iaefebs said:

Dan, the base service is tracfone. You need to build up minutes over the years, there are a lot of offers for increasing minutes to take advantage of, you renew at the cheapest cost. When you renew every year, select the cheapest plan, something like 30 minutes 30 days, when you check out you will get an offer for 1 year of service for $49. If you have a phone that offers double minutes for life and use coupon codes you can get deals. My wife has one of the semi smart phones, same package and she gets free minutes when we are in a WIFI hot zones. Since tracfone doesn't appear to be connected to any server but selects whatever is available, I get service in spots that others don't.

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That's pretty interesting and something I will take a look at in the future. Right now too much time left on the current contract to pay in early termination fees.

BBL_Brewer said:

In some cases that's true, but for what I'm going to do it will save me a lot. I'm going to transition away from windows if that helps you any.

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It doesn't cost any thing to transfer the operating system to a new computer.Upgrading can cost $100. I'd suggest that you install whatever operating system you intend to use and check it out. It doesn't change the price of hardware.

When I first heard this song, I thought the singer was a girl......

Ya, it's a tough one to call.

BTW.. still digging the pic of my wife as your avatar.. hahaha! In my dreams!

Watching "The Mercenary" 1968 he says "ill need .... and 30 cases of beer. The beer is important." That line went well with my freshly poured belgium golden strong with local honey.

Sent from my SM-T310 using Home Brew mobile app

edit:

Spammers hitting up HBT late at night are annoying to say the least.

BBL_Brewer said:

What's up fellahs?

I'm thinking about building a desktop here soon. My laptop is a freakin dinosaur now. Hardware prices actually aren't too bad considering what I'll be jumping up to. Always up for a new challenge and a way to pinch some poor defenseless pennies.

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The question is how much do you want to spend? I went with the plan off of one of those "Build an $800 gaming rig" guides 7-8 years ago and it is still a powerful desktop. I did upgrade the motherboard/processor/ram and cpu this year though and expect another 7-8 years of steady service. out of it.

DrunkleJon said:

The question is how much do you want to spend?

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I'm looking at about $800 + a few more for a good widescreen monitor and some accessories (which I don't consider part of the build).

DrunkleJon said:

I did upgrade the motherboard/processor/ram and cpu this year.

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So you basically just built a whole new one but reused a few pieces of hardware.

I'll be saving a significant amount of money only because you usually have to buy a computer already put together in order to run the operating system I'm going to use. And their hardware prices are pretty salty vs building your own.

A friend of mine just ordered a $3800 Alienware PC. I didn't know you could buy a computer that expensive.

passedpawn said:

A friend of mine just ordered a $3800 Alienware PC. I didn't know you could buy a computer that expensive.

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You can spend a ridiculous amount of money on computers. I don't need one that's maxed out though, I'm not going to be gaming or using any hardcore programs. But I have to do something soon, I'm running XP which is going to be unsupported by Microsoft here soon and my processor and ram are just barely enough to surf the web and check my email anymore.

BBL_Brewer said:

You can spend a ridiculous amount of money on computers. I don't need one that's maxed out though, I'm not going to be gaming or using any hardcore programs. But I have to do something soon, I'm running XP which is going to be unsupported by Microsoft here soon and my processor and ram are just barely enough to surf the web and check my email anymore.

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Just be careful about going too cheap, also. Another friend brought over his new laptop yesterday that he picked up at Walmart for $298. Win8 running on an AMD dual core processor, it was PAINFULLY slow. Almost unusable. You would think that out of the box they would run fine but this one was appalling. He took it back for something different.

passedpawn said:

Just be careful about going too cheap.

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For what I need, I'm not going to be skimping and with the motherboard and case I'm getting, there will be plenty of room to upgrade. The motherboard is the most important piece of the puzzle, it dictates the max capabilities of the computer you're building and also limits the processors available for you to use. Every new family of processors has a different "socket." So you can't just buy the latest and greatest and throw it in your pc. I'm upgrading to socket 2011, which is light years ahead of where I'm at now. It's not the newest technology, but for the money, it's the best value for me ATM. Here's a good run down on processors if you want to give it a read.

http://www.computershopper.com/feature/2013-guide-choosing-the-best-processor

BBL_Brewer said:

When I first heard this song, I thought the singer was a girl......

YouTube

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Haha first off, I thank you for sharing that song. Had no idea that was the same group as sweater weather.

I also thought that singer was a girl.... I can tell it's a guy now... Kinda.

BBL_Brewer said:

I'm looking at about $800 + a few more for a good widescreen monitor and some accessories (which I don't consider part of the build).



So you basically just built a whole new one but reused a few pieces of hardware.

I'll be saving a significant amount of money only because you usually have to buy a computer already put together in order to run the operating system I'm going to use. And their hardware prices are pretty salty vs building your own.

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Yep. I could have reused the video card and memory but decided why not and bought the rest. My case is still a cheapish one and I am reusing the power supply because I bought a good one when I first built it. New computer made with only buying 2/3 the parts. Reuse what you can because those little costs add up. I think I am going to use some old lego's and build up a case for my old motherboard which is still good and make it into a secondary HTPC or maybe a file server. If only the piecemeal buying of parts didnt have everything having those super bright blue LEDs on them.

Ah, XP How I still love thee... I have been following the http://www.reactos.org/ project for years. Hoping that they will have a solid OS running soon as I would love to stop sucking the teat of the big name OSes and still work with everything. I am not sure I want to go full *nix though either.

Is it normal to forget whats in a fermenter? I've struggled for weeks to remember whats in there, it has feremented, but, I dont know what it is...

It Beer in the fermentor. Thats all that counts.

Thats what I was leaning towards, it became beer, so my plan worked

gillsrob said:

Is it normal to forget whats in a fermenter? I've struggled for weeks to remember whats in there, it has feremented, but, I dont know what it is...

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Generally 5 gallon batch I can backtrack and identify by process of elimination
if I forgot to tag it but I do end up with one gallon batches floating around and being frugal I'll put the end of the the brew kettle in a gallon fermenter to, I tend to loose track of all the small fermenters.

I brewed two batches in one night.. first one I remember distinctly for various reasons, the second and unidentifiable is my curiousity. I didnt write anything down about it, It just ended up in a bucket.

There are worse problems to have

HefeHood said:

It Beer in the fermentor. Thats all that counts.

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It's your beer that's fermenting.


Brings a smile every time.

There is a brewer popularly known to new brewers and old, via YouTube.

The guy is from Canada and puts out some cooking and beer making videos.

He's not purely all-grain and although he has done AG he usually seems to stick with extract batches. He doesn't have a bunch of fancy equipment and he makes beer he truly enjoys.

He has been chastised in the past for his brewing technique. None of that negative stuff matters to me and I don't think he has ever answered hostility thrown at him with hostility. Far from it.

The man just puts his self out there to the brewing world and he tries to help.

If, not for him I never would have tried brewing. I imagine thousands of people would say the same thing. I truly thank him for giving me the encouragement to try brewing.

Talked to him via PM a little tonight. Great guy! I felt a little honored he even replied to my PM.

BBL_Brewer said:

What's up fellahs?

I'm thinking about building a desktop here soon. My laptop is a freakin dinosaur now. Hardware prices actually aren't too bad considering what I'll be jumping up to. Always up for a new challenge and a way to pinch some poor defenseless pennies.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the new addiction.

BBL_Brewer said:

...I'll be saving a significant amount of money only because you usually have to buy a computer already put together in order to run the operating system I'm going to use. And their hardware prices are pretty salty vs building your own.

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What's your intended destination platform? Something like Trusted Solaris? Apple's OS will run on a lot more hardware once it was compiled for the intel cpus. Though I will grant it's still somewhat restrictive on peripherals. Linux and freebsd will run on a lot of different kinds of hardware.

passedpawn said:

A friend of mine just ordered a $3800 Alienware PC. I didn't know you could buy a computer that expensive.

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About six years ago I worked at a computer store. We helped somebody build a 12k dollar desktop. Because he wanted it. You can spend as much on a system build as you want to.

Dan said:

There is a brewer popularly known to new brewers and old, via YouTube.

The guy is from Canada and puts out some cooking and beer making videos.

He's not purely all-grain and although he has done AG he usually seems to stick with extract batches. He doesn't have a bunch of fancy equipment and he makes beer he truly enjoys.

He has been chastised in the past for his brewing technique. None of that negative stuff matters to me and I don't think he has ever answered hostility thrown at him with hostility. Far from it.

The man just puts his self out there to the brewing world and he tries to help.

If, not for him I never would have tried brewing. I imagine thousands of people would say the same thing. I truly thank him for giving me the encouragement to try brewing.

Talked to him via PM a little tonight. Great guy! I felt a little honored he even replied to my PM.

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Watching a tv show with directions for making your own ginger ale was what got me. From there I did some looking at jail house brewing.

So, I made my first ever Rye loaf today. Rye is my favorite type of bread. The recipe was from a bread group I joined on facebook, but I used a lot of method and theory from the book (Bread Alone) that Dan sent me. The bread is delicious, but I made a mistake by not covering it while the loaf proofed. This caused it to have a very tough outer crust, but it was still very tasty.

I've really been enjoying the book Dan sent me. It amazes me how much attention the author pays to detail in his bread baking. I would have never guessed the temperature played so much in the quality of bread, but now it makes total sense to me. Just like fermenting beer.

I have a lot to learn about bread making, but I have a feeling I'll get better at it with practice and good instruction from fellow bread makers and good books like Bread Alone.

I want to thank you again Dan. You've opened my eyes to a new world that I think I will truly enjoy.

Below is a photo of the rye loaf I baked today as well as a photo of some patty melts I made with it. I also used some home cured bacon on the patty melts.

Cheers friends!

Stauffbier said:

So, I made my first ever Rye loaf today. Rye is my favorite type of bread. The recipe was from a bread group I joined on facebook, but I used a lot of method and theory from the book (Bread Alone) that Dan sent me. The bread is delicious, but I made a mistake by not covering it while the loaf proofed. This caused it to have a very tough outer crust, but it was still very tasty.

I've really been enjoying the book Dan sent me. It amazes me how much attention the author pays to detail in his bread baking. I would have never guessed the temperature played so much in the quality of bread, but now it makes total sense to me. Just like fermenting beer.

I have a lot to learn about bread making, but I have a feeling I'll get better at it with practice and good instruction from fellow bread makers and good books like Bread Alone.

I want to thank you again Dan. You've opened my eyes to a new world that I think I will truly enjoy.

Below is a photo of the rye loaf I baked today as well as a photo of some patty melts I made with it. I also used some home cured bacon on the patty melts.

Cheers friends!

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Personally, I detest rye bread. I'm glad you made a loaf you enjoy.

Bread alone is on my list to read. I like wheat breads, and breads with other grains and nuts in them. I just don't like the taste of rye myself....

It's odd. As I've learned more about chemistry I've come to view carbohydrates and sugars as the same thing. It give you an odd feeling when you see a loaf of bread or a plate of pasta and see a pile of sugar.

Leadgolem said:

Personally, I detest rye bread. I'm glad you made a loaf you enjoy.

Bread alone is on my list to read. I like wheat breads, and breads with other grains and nuts in them. I just don't like the taste of rye myself....

It's odd. As I've learned more about chemistry I've come to view carbohydrates and sugars as the same thing. It give you an odd feeling when you see a loaf of bread or a plate of pasta and see a pile of sugar.

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Funny thing, and not sure if you realize this, but the flavor that most people associate as the definitive flavor of rye bread actually comes from the Caraway seeds that are added. If you don't add them, it actually tastes quite similar to wheat bread..

Drinking a cyser I made last year. Sweet, apply and honey come through. I guess that's what it out to taste like.

Hello, people of homebrewtalk.com!

I'm a fan of Big Band music. About a year and a half ago on the "Pipe Smoking, a Lost Art" thread, a guy with the handle Jacob Marley posted a Glenn Miller video of Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Just watched it again today and as JM noted, Milton Berle is seen in the beginning talking with Glenn Miller, Berle is seen through out the video. But check this out - at 2:27, TxBrew's grandfather comes whistling in. :fro:

Far from Big Band, but just a beautiful song I need to listen to once in a while and remember why life is important.

It's hard to top Glen Miller. Brotha Iz is pretty good too.

I suppose my wife and my favorite song is Glenn Miller's, Moonlight Serenade..

Elvis Presley's "I can't help falling in love" is an equal match.

For my wife, who is a silent member in this thread.

I'll see you soon my girl. I'm going to play Elvis first. It's our song.

I can see why they called it big band. They could have made about 30 metal bands.

Jan, hope you're up and still following this thread. I guess I could just email this or something but it's easier on HBT to post.

Our wedding song. Cliche or not, wonderful my girl. See you in 34 days!

Dan said:

Jan, hope you're up and still following this thread. I guess I could just email this or something but it's easier on HBT to post.

Our wedding song. Cliche or not, wonderful my girl. See you in 34 days!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAPokxi_VRg

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We had our honeymoon in Maui. That song was played at our wedding. Hawaii was actually the theme. Not my choice of course but brings back some nice memories. I was so hungover/still drunk getting on the plane. I cannot believe I didnt puke.

Derby cars...Its like pulling teeth to get the boys interested. We had a good day in the shop though. Drilling a round bottom hole.. that took some thought and grinding. We cut the spikes for the dino car with a plug cutter on the drill press.