richard mackney

iPhone 4 video test to Posterous

This is a test straight from the iPhone 4 and uploaded at full HD resolution using the Pixelpipe iPhone app over a 3G connection. I'm not sure if Posterous will compress this before embedding. I also asked PixelPipe to send it direct to YouTube at the same time... http://j.mp/b0FUMB

Photoshop for iPhone

It's actually called 'Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone' which is a little long winded. Here are a few pics taken on the walk back to the office from lunch with the new iPhone 4.

I hope Adobe develop this app, it's got loads of potential to be 'the' photo editing app of choice for the iPhone. In it's current state it does a nice job with the few effects and filters and the results are pretty good. As there are only a few options at this time, other apps are still needed to get the full range of tools to make your crap look good.

PS. Remember to use the arrow keys on your keyboard when viewing pictures - and click to enlarge :)

(Sent from iPhone)

The World Cup Beer Sweepstake

Right then, where do I start ... firstly I’ve failed in my #wcbeersweep challenge. So I’ll start by filling you in on the background ...

What was the World Cup Beer Sweepstake?

This was a kind of sweepstake organised by the beer geeks behind #beerswap ... if you don’t know what #beerswap is, then that was a beer swapping event brought to you from the beer geeks behind #twissup ... OK?

If you are still reading this (and the objective of this post is to get you to stop reading after the second paragraph) then I can tell you that in #wcbeersweep you get drawn a team from a bloke on YouTube and as if by magic your name appears right at the end of the video (I still don’t know how they work out who is watching and how to show the correct name on the screen at the end, but it’s amazing ... go and have a look)

Once you know what team you have (I got Ghana) then you have to travel to said country and buy the local beer in a local bar or nightclub. Bonus points are awarded if you:

1. Go at night
2. Find a bar down a dark alley
3. Spend the evening sitting in the bar tweeting to other strangers around the World

Then you should take your Pencil and Spoon and make tasting notes about the beer and even log onto Ratebeer (if you have a good internet connection in the Outback) and rate the beer. Just like you usually do at home - right?

Now, the best thing about this draw is that no matter what team you draw, no matter how far you travel around the World and no matter how great a blog post you write you will only win the prize (FREE beer for life from myBrewerytap) if your drawn country WINS the World Cup. Now, please forgive me for being a cynic, but seeing as I drew Ghana I sorta gave up straight away and used the travel money that I had saved over the last few months to nip over to my local pub and grab a few pints of Old Speckled Hen (It’s the best they have on offer).

As I write this post the teams left in the World Cup are Holland, Uruguay, Spain and Germany so anyone drawing any team other than these may as well either:

1. Cancel their travel plans
2. Get a flight home immediately

To be honest, I’m not 100% happy about entering this draw and to be expected to travel to all the way to Ghana. It’s quite expensive and also a frightening prospect for a single white female to be expected to go to these lengths just to try a local beer. I did however at least perform many hours of extensive research to find out what beers are available in Ghana to help next #wcbeersweep participant who might happen to draw Ghana:

• RateBeer's Guide to the Best Beer in Ghana
• Star - Beer, Lager - Reviews & Comments
• Lager in Ghana is £1.57 GBP
• Beer in Ghana
• Breweries in Ghana

I also 'found' these quotes from confirmed sources:

Star Lager Beer, produced by Guinness Ghana Breweries LTD under licence by Heineken International, is arguably Ghana's most popular alcoholic beverage.

Star Lager Beer has achieved 'icon' status as the national beer of Ghana.

My best find was a very pleasing video where last years #wcbeerswap member that drew Ghana, flew over and documented the year he spent there while reviewing the beer. It’s quite a nice insight into the networking and friends that can be gained from partaking in these type of events ...

 

PS. If anyone wants to get a Beer from Ghana to me before the World Cup Final on Sunday, I'll happily review it in the comfort of my own caravan.

Thornbridge Hall Garden Party

Yesterday I took the family to the Thornbridge Hall Charity Garden Party in Ashford in the Water, Derbyshire.

Now, some reading this (does anyone read this?) may be thinking that this was in fact a selfish act, as we all know Thornbridge also have a superb brewery ... well, I didn’t have a drop of beer .... actually, that’s a massive lie, but the family did have a lot of fun and plenty of money was spent in the non alcoholic department.

What a great event with live entertainment, pony rides, a funfair, plant sales, a climbing wall, a brass band, a falconry and owl display, a craft fair and not to mention, the chance to have a good ol gander around the privately owned and impressive Thornbridge Hall and Gardens.

I’m not going to turn this entry into a beer related post about how lovely a fresh pint of Jaipur is, or how nice it was to sample each beer from the range, or mention how nice it was to have a chat with one of the brewers ... for now, I think I’ll let the photo’s tell the story, after all this is supposed to be a photoblog.

Pick a card, any MOO card

How do you like my MOO cards?

To get 15% off your first pack of 50 business cards enter this code at checkout: G2MSCG

http://moo.com

(Sent from iPhone)

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

I've turned to the dark side, I'm enjoying dark stouts packed with flavour more and more. The quest is now on to educate my palate in the ways of the dark side.

This stout from the U.S.A weighs in at a whopping 10% with treacle, liquorish and coffee on the nose and an interesting mix of sweet then bitter on the tongue. I'd like to thank Mitch Adams from The Thatchers Arms in Colchester for gifting me my first bottle of this sublime liquid when I visited his wonderfully stocked establishment (seriously, you need to go there for a meal and a pint).

I'd appreciate it if you could let me know what your absolute top stout is, so I can add it to my Evernote want list.

(Sent from iPhone)

ALL BEER EXPERIENCE

This is the All Beer Experience pack that I got for Fathers day. What a great gift for anyone wanting to learn about the different styles and flavours of beer.

You get a glass, some malt sachets and a nice thick spiral bound book detailing everything you need to know about beer! It's very cool.

It currently costs £19.95 plus £3.95 postage, but you can grab a £4 discount if you use the code 'abtweet10' in the 'Google' checkout.

Go buy one right now! ...
www.allbeer.co.uk

- bottle of White Shield not included!

(pics taken, processed and post written and uploaded on iPhone)

Home pulled English beer

I supose you could call this 'Home Draft' and it's not to be confused with the recent launch of the Molson Coors Home Draft system. This is THE WAY to enjoy 32 pints of beer with your mates, at home using a traditional hand pump.

If you are lucky enough to live near a microbrewery and are having a party or BBQ, then maybe you should think about giving them a ring, having a sample of their beers and then ordering a 32 pint polypin. That's exactly what we did with (one of) our local microbrewery Nutbrook.

Of course, we already knew the amazing quality of the Nutbrook beers and have even been down and 'YouTubed' the complete brewing process. Giving them a ring the night before the England game secured our 32 pint polypin (plastic cask type device) ready for collection the next day.

Once we found a suitable platform for the hand pump, we connected the tube and stood back, expecting an explosion. I sent @martinaedy in for closer inspection and he carefully poured the first pint.

I can't quite explain what it feels like to have your own pub in a garage (even if it was @colinmitchell's). It sort of makes you feel grown up and even though I've worked behind a bar, there is something fullfilling about pulling your own pint to your own specification of head. We were supplied with a sparkler - which screws onto the end of the pump and turns the flow into a spray. This then gives much more head depending on the type and condition of the beer. I now fully understand why some people ask for the sparkler to be removed and why some even prefer a flat pint.

Even though a load of people brought cans and bottles, the 'Real Ale' seemed to be the most popular and the novelty of pouring your own pint didn't ware off throughout the evening. The performance of our English beer was much better than the performance of the England football team - it lasted the whole game and much praise was given on it's form and overall performance.

My advise would be to go and find your local micro, test their wares and order a polypin for your next party - you won't regret it. Just remember that you'll probably only really get five days to drink it before it's best, so invite a few mates or just drink it like it's going out of fashion.

http://www.nutbrookbrewery.com/

(Sent from iPhone)

Derby Summer Beer Festival 2010

Ahh, the good old Derby Beer festival ... Assembly Rooms July 7th - 11th 2010

 Are you going?

The first strawberry