The Brown Knowser

I can imagine the conversation that took place later that night or early the next day: "There I was, at the beginning of my act, ready to talk about the prostitute who enjoyed sex so much that in her orgasm, she falls out the high-rise window and lands on the unsuspecting wedding party, upsetting the salad table, when I see two young girls—children, about 10 years old—sitting front row, centre. And I thought, 'Bloody Hell. There goes the show.'" But Paul Foot is a class act. My wife and I have seen the comic on television before. We saw him on the American show, Last Comic Standing . We've seen him on comedy shows, where we've seen him talk for a few minutes before another comic is brought on stage or appears at a different venue. From what we had seen, Paul Foot had a hilarious, clean show. You can see his comedy here, on YouTube . As parents, we have ourselves to blame. We are responsible for ensuring that our children aren't exposed to sub...

This will be my strangest beer review. Because it's not really about beer per se. But there is beer in this review. Last night, my family and I went to Big Rig Brew Pub for our second time. The first time, we were celebrating Father's Day with a couple of pints. The girls nibbled on some nachos, while I focused on the beer. However, while I savoured the suds I did peruse the menu and thought a second visit was in order; hence, our visit last night. Straight away, I went for my favourite brew, their Big Rig IPA: with lots of intense hops, I just love this stuff. I drank this pint while I ate their Fort McMurray burger: Angus beef with aged cheddar and bacon. What's not to like? Their fries are quite good. I highly recommend coming for the food and the beer. We're getting to the beer review, right? Sort of. I'm not much of a dessert craver when I eat out. If I chose a set menu that includes a dessert, fine. If my wife wants to split ...

I admit it: it's hard to blog when you're on vacation. You're busy enjoying the sights, staying out late and then sleeping in. And if Internet isn't free, you can't actually post what you've written until you find a connection. Oh, the first-world woes! I think that next time, I'm leaving my iPad at home (probably not). Here's a list of the posts I managed to fire off this week. My apologies for problems with my last recap, when the links didn't work. The North and The South : on the road, I tried lots of beer between reviews; so many, that I couldn't fit them into one post. The North and The South, Part 2 : the conclusion, with my thoughts on my preference of brew pubs. For the kids, I threw in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Wordless Wednesday: A Day at the Mall : Washington Mall, that is. Idiots : they've made changes to the 1st, 4th, 5th, and other amendments, but touch the 2nd? If it's called an assault rifle, it's not for defense, peo...

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this: carrying a phone with a camera is a wonderful thing. I've had a cell phone for about 13 years; back then, all I wanted was a device that would allow me to talk to people, and for people to be able to reach me when I wasn't at home. As I upgraded phones, for the longest time I didn't want to have anything more than a mobile telephone. In one store, I told the salesman, "I don't want a camera: I have a great one. I don't want an MP3 player: I have a device for listening to music. I don't need to send e-mail while I'm out. I just want a phone." Times, of course, have changed. (I once said I'd never own an Apple product: I now own three.) Having a smartphone is the modern-day equivalent to having a Swiss Army knife. It does almost everything I would need for when I'm out and about. It does more, in some cases. With my passion for photography, I'm always looking at things and composing...

My family and I were on vacation when we learned of the shooting tragedies in Toronto and Colorado. They are horrible stories and my heart goes out to the victims of these senseless acts. The circumstances around these events were different on many fronts: the Toronto assault was apparently gang related, whereas the Colorado shootings were a random act by a wacko. But this week, as I follow news and Twitter feeds, I'm learning of a difference in public reactions to the events. In Canada, public reaction is centering on fighting gang-related crime and getting guns off the streets. In Colorado, on the other hand, people are flocking to gun shops, stocking up on weapons. From what I've heard, sales for firearms in Colorado have increased by 44 percent. There are now more guns in the hands of untrained citizens. That means there will be more bullets flying the next time a shootout occurs. More than a year ago, I shared my thoughts on guns in America . Looking on these recent events...

Yesterday, I presented my review of one of the brew pubs that I visited when I was in Savannah, Georgia, last week. It was one of the two microbreweries that I sampled south of the border (the Mason-Dixon Line, that is). Today, I review the microbrewery that I hit north of that border, in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lincoln Addressed a Nation Here: Did He Quaff a Brew, Too? Being Canadian, I never studied the American Civil War. What I knew as a kid, I learned from movies. And of the relationship between the North and South, from Bugs Bunny — oh, Belvedere! —hardly an education. What I did know was that the toll on the United States was great, the cost of human lives unimaginable. One hundred and fifty years later, the memory of the battles lives on. And one of the greatest landmarks of the Civil War is Gettysburg. Gettysburg is the site of a famous battle, where approximately 50,000 soldiers were laid casualties. Following the battle, Abraham Linc...

I'm back from the first part of my vacation, and for a while I didn't think I was going to sample much beer. For the first few days of the first week, I was hard-pressed to find anything that was not a Budweiser or Michelob product. I wouldn't drink that stuff, let alone review it. I did pick up a 12-pack of a Yuengling Black and Tan, which isn't bad, but not worth a review, in my humble opinion. The last beer review I gave was of a microbrewery on Hollywood Beach , and then for several days I went without a drop of beer. Until I hit Savannah, Georgia, where I found a wonderful brew pub. And on Saturday night, on my way home, I discovered another brew pub just north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and after having sampled 15 beers between the two breweries, I felt I had too much information to review individual beers. So I'm giving one massive overview of them all over two posts; hence, the title. I'll start with The South today. Your Huckleberr...

I have been to Florida before, back in 1990. But I've never thought of it as the South. I've never thought much of the South before, but when I have it has been of old times, of Southern gentlemen and fine ladies, sipping iced tea or lemonade, saying "I do declare" and resenting those damned Yankees. After spending some time in Savannah and Charleston, I've seen the South as it really is and have gained a new perspective on life in this part of the United States. I liked what I saw. As part of that new perspective, I took some shots from new angles. I got down low and I looked up. As I did in this shot. On a horse-drawn carriage ride through Charleston, I sometimes didn't even look through my view finder to compose my shot: I simply extended my arm outside of the carriage, pointed, and pressed the shutter release. As I did in this shot. And no, I don't have a preview display on my camera, so I didn't know what I'd get until after I pressed the but...

For more than 10 days, I've been driving American highways. I've driven from upper New York State down to Hollywood, Florida, down through to Key Largo and over to Orlando, up through to Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina, and finally to Washington, DC, where I'm now relaxing after a long day of travelling the interstates. And on my journey, I've learned one thing. Americans have no idea how to drive. I know I'm going to get a lot of flack from this post, but I'm writing from experience. I know a lot of Americans and have many friends who are wonderful, kind, generous people. On this trip, as on other ventures I've made into the United States, I've encountered some amazing people. No matter where I've been, I have been met by kindness and warm hospitality. Except on the roadways. On every highway that I've driven, I've noted the following truths: Turn signals are seldom used to indicate that a lane change is being m...

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Yes. And no. The reason that I missed a blog post is simple, and it is also for two reasons: first, I'm on vacation and I spent this past weekend travelling and having fun with my family. Since my last blog post (not counting my weekend recap--and sorry about the broken links), my family and I have snorkelled through the coral reefs off the coast of Key Largo, strolled along Ocean Drive and admired the Art Deco in Miami Beach, spent the day riding dragons, propelling ourselves high in the air, and adventuring with Harry Potter at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventures in Orlando, sampled local beer (review this Thursday, I hope), and taken a ghost tour in Savannah, Georgia. Yes, we've been busy. I would have posted a blog entry yesterday, but two factors prevented me from doing so. On Sunday, we spent the entire day at Universal Studios, from early morning until late at night, and so I didn't really have much time to write. But I probably would have, except...

It's been a fast week in which I didn't know what day I was in, at all. Being on vacation will do that to you. Yet, despite my messed-up week, I managed to get some blogging done. Here's what I did. No Blog Post Today —and yet, here we are! Florida Is Not A Vacation... Yet —just because I'm not at my job doesn't mean I'm not working. Wordless Wednesday: Poolside —my first opportunity to relax, with camera in hand. The Hoppiest Beer That Wasn't —at last, some beer worth drinking! On Mobile Blogging —blogging on vacation isn't always easy; especially, when I'm learning a new app. With more than a week left on vacation, I'm going to rely more on photos telling the story. Have a great weekend! Posted with Blogsy

As a technical writer, I have to make sure that the information and instruction that I provide is first and foremost accurate and does not mislead my audience: that is, it's important that I'm understood but it's more important that I'm not misunderstood. With the information out of the way, my documentation has to look good. It has to be laid out in such a way that is visually appealing to the reader. If what they see is an eyesore, they're not going to enjoy looking for the information. When I blog, I'm concerned with the content. I hope that what I write appeals to you and makes you want to read more and return to The Brown Knowser . But I firmly believe that a big part of enjoying my blog lies in how my writing and photos are presented. If this blog looks like shit, you probably wouldn't want to stay on it for long. And you might not return. For years, I've been blogging on my home laptop. With a full keyboard and mouse, and the ease of a big screen...

I thought I knew a lot about beer, but after visiting a brew pub in Hollywood, Florida, I'm starting to rethink that claim. After three days on Hollywood Beach, I finally made my way to a local brewery, and I was pleased to learn that it served food as well. Organic Brewery (I know, the name sounds generic) is located right along the Broadwalk (not Boardwalk), a strip that runs for a couple of miles along the beach. On this strip, you'll find many shops and restaurants, and to my surprise, this brewery. Organic Brewery boasts German-styled and Austrian-styled beer, with Belgian-styled ales thrown into the mix. On the night that my family and I arrived, not all of their beer was on offer (I really wanted to try their English Porter), so I ordered one of their feature beers while Lori ordered another. I sampled both. Stout Draft Beer Organic Brewery, Hollywood Beach FL 11% ABV This stout was a dark brown with hints of caramel color. One of the first things that ...