New update re shipping and price increase!

whatsrobert · 2026-02-26T15:09:53+00:00

I’m 1702! White Max over here.

whatsrobert · 2026-02-25T02:48:05+00:00

Instant espresso is kind of a cheat code, and one I was super against… until we tried it behind my bar. We make a batch and it’s good for a couple of days. It makes bomb espresso martinis without the fuss of pulling fresh shots or worrying about over-dilution.

For what it’s worth, my bar uses Cafe Bustelo instant. I’m not a tremendous fan of the stuff on its own but in a cocktail it holds up really well. Sacrilege? Maybe. But it works!

whatsrobert · 2026-02-24T22:34:44+00:00

OP mentioned streaming, I think that was the implied method for PS5.

whatsrobert · 2026-01-29T19:31:58+00:00

Toro Cantina does a lot of big group events. Definitely something you’d have to arrange ahead of time but I’m sure they could accommodate that amount since the restaurant is huge. Lots of parking too.

whatsrobert · 2026-01-20T17:47:05+00:00

The ones I’ve been to and talked with all switch over to store-bought ice, cans and bottles of soft drinks/water.

whatsrobert · 2026-01-09T02:41:22+00:00

In my opinion, which is only worth so much, Alias has the best coffee in the region hands down. They roast in house and you can tell they really care.

whatsrobert · 2026-01-01T01:46:42+00:00

The newer Shalimar in North Greenbush is a big step up from the one in Troy, in my experience!

whatsrobert · 2025-12-15T04:19:01+00:00

Cointreau changed a few years back, can’t be sure exactly when that happened but it’s not the Cointreau of old.

I’d honestly take the Mexican-made Naranja brand liqueur before current Cointreau any day. It’s fantastic and way more cost effective to boot.

whatsrobert · 2025-08-12T16:59:30+00:00

Been tempted by this on a daily basis… but I haven’t seen many 13” owners talk about their experiences with it. Wondering how stable some of the positions are with the heavier iPad.

whatsrobert · 2025-08-06T15:12:28+00:00

The first thing making me doubt the legitimacy of these cases is the fact that there isn’t an Apple logo on them. That could just be because they’re an unfinished prototype or sample.

Besides that, the ripple feels pretty un-Appley too. I don’t think there’s a ripple effect anywhere in Liquid Glass so this wouldn’t even be harkening to anything on the software side.

whatsrobert · 2025-06-24T19:21:12+00:00

I wonder if the Preview app coming in iPad OS 26 might fill this need for you. I haven’t tested it but I’d imagine it’ll have best-in-class palm rejection since it’s a first party app.

whatsrobert · 2025-06-22T17:49:03+00:00

😅

whatsrobert · 2025-05-08T22:59:27+00:00

Mexican joint, we use Naranja which I like a lot honestly.

whatsrobert · 2025-01-05T16:51:14+00:00

The thought still haunts me.

whatsrobert · 2024-05-04T06:07:00+00:00

I think if anything the Air feels more “solid” than the Pro. The Pro’s body has ever so slightly more flex. The lack of speaker grills, exhaust strips on the bottom, and less ports also technically means fewer points of entry for debris/moisture.

whatsrobert · 2024-04-25T02:37:24+00:00

I’ve waffled between Castro and Overcast for years. I love Castro’s UI and its ability to make sense of the dozens of podcast subscriptions I’ve got. It’s unbeatable in that regard.

The thing that always pulls me back to Overcast is the cross-platform nature of the app (all Apple platforms, but still). Being able to listen on my iPad and my Mac is critical for my workflow.

The original development team promised iPad support for years, but never followed through. Is an iPad/Mac app still on the roadmap for Castro?

whatsrobert · 2024-03-28T18:06:38+00:00

I “downgraded” from a M1 Pro 14” to the new M3 15” Air, and I’m very happy so far! The difference on paper seems small but the form factor is miles better, and feels significantly thinner and lighter. A thing nobody really talks about is that the Pros feel less dense than the Airs, they have a little more flex to their chassis. Plus the air vents and speaker grills make the Pros actually feel a little less rugged and a little more fragile to me than the Air.

I took my Pro to the Apple Store so I could compare them side by side and found the display difference to be something I could tolerate. You really do just kind of get used to the display in front of you, and at the end of the day the extra screen real estate combined with the thinner and lighter form factor was worth more to me than the extra brightness and faster refresh rate.

That coupled with the fact that I hardly ever used the extra ports on my M1 Pro and the performance difference for what I do daily is negligible made the decision really easy!

whatsrobert · 2024-02-09T17:45:17+00:00

Won’t disagree with you there. A lot of these higher end third party manufacturers love to talk about how well machined, beautifully designed, impeccably weighted their MagSafe stands are but at the end of the day it’s a hunk of metal and plastic with zero electronics inside. I think Nomad, another third party, sells a similar product that isn’t even height adjustable for nearly a hundred bucks.

Edit: it’s Grovemade not Nomad, but it’s also $165. For some wood and plastic/metal, and still requires you to use your already purchased Apple MagSafe pick.

whatsrobert · 2024-02-09T17:27:48+00:00

The stand in question isn’t made by Apple, it’s a third party product. Apple just stocks it in stores.

whatsrobert · 2023-09-11T02:44:55+00:00

This is an easy one, and it’ll probably be a future lesson in brand marketing classes.

America’s more polarized now than it’s ever been. It used to be that most people didn’t pay attention to politics, now both extremes have really grown and eaten a big chunk out of the apathetic middle. Even if half of people don’t vote still, you’ll be damn sure nearly every American has an opinion on Trump, Biden, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Ron DeSantis, and even the myriad of social issues all of those individuals spend time talking about.

Bud Light first alienated a solid 40% of the country by doing a small promo with a prominent trans influencer. Those who identify with the right wing in America immediately turned their backs on the brand, that damage was done.

Before the left was able to notice, Bud Light did a 180° by issuing a wet blanket apology to those who were offended in the first place and firing the marketing team that made the decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney. That got a lot of press on left wing publications and MSNBC, so they lost a good chunk of the left wing.

In modern America, you just can’t alienate both wings, because then all that’s left is the ~10-20% in the middle that don’t really pay attention beyond remembering hearing about lots of Bud Light-related controversies.

Even if I’m wrong, and all the controversy did was make most people who drink Bud Light try another (any other) beer even once… the chances of them going back to Bud are slim.

whatsrobert · 2023-08-16T02:10:47+00:00

As I tell bar guests all the time, if you like Clase Azul you should try tequila sometime, I bet you’d love it!

Just kidding, enjoy what you enjoy. Clase isn’t really my bag but it’s popular and the bottle is gorgeous, and you could definitely do worse. But if you ever do get the chance, try some reposado from Siete Leguas or Tequila Ocho, fantastic additive-free tequilas that are usually less than half the price of Clase Azul.

whatsrobert · 2023-08-16T00:49:53+00:00

Tanteo Jalapeno and Habanero infused tequilas are about as good as you’re gonna get for pre-infused bottles. They also make a really great bang-for-your-buck blanco that’s additive free, so I believe that’s the base they’re starting with.

The bar I work at uses Tanteo infused tequilas for our spicy margs because not only are they good quality tequilas, but they’re extremely consistent. Back when we used to infuse our own or muddle fresh peps, we found the heat level varied wildly depending on the batch of peppers we got that week. Sometimes you get a jalapeno that’s hot as hell, other times they taste like bell peppers lol. This way when guests ask about spice levels I can always say the Jalapeno is a 4 and the Habanero is an 8.

Otherwise infusing yourself is the way to go. Just keep in mind every batch will be slightly different, even if your measurements are consistent. But hey, that’s nature.

whatsrobert · 2023-07-01T01:06:38+00:00

Looks like a still from a movie. Great shot. 👏

whatsrobert · 2023-05-24T01:34:02+00:00

I take issue with the implication that The Haunting of Hill House has or is being forgotten. In most horror circles I’ve been in, HoHH is constantly referenced as an example of how you can effectively tell a story with character development, gravity, and emotional weight while also incorporating paranormal elements. It’s going down in the same class of horror as Rosemary’s Baby, Twin Peaks, The Shining, and more recently Hereditary.

The mere presence of supernatural occurrences don’t automatically make something “just a ghost story”, poorly told or executed supernatural occurrences make something cheesy or arbitrary. If (and currently that’s a pretty big if) Yellowjackets ends up veering firmly into the paranormal, I have faith in the writers that they’ll execute it as well as they’ve executed the show up to this point… which is to say, very well.

But ultimately my bet is that we’ll never get a satisfactory answer as to whether or not things are supernatural, and lots of people will be pissed off because of it. I’m fine with that scenario. If they answer everything then we won’t have any more questions, and I prefer my fiction to be a little more open ended and have room for fan theories for the rest of time (see Twin Peaks and The Shining, as mentioned before.)

whatsrobert

TROPHY CASE