Marley Coffee

I came across something the other day that nearly melted my brain! Readers of this blog (if there are any left!) probably already know of my love for all styles of music (although Reggae is pretty dear to me) and you definitely know of my coffee addiction and love for all kinds of new and different coffees. Well, this changes EVERYTHING!

It turns out that Rohan Marley, a child of Reggae Legend Bob Marley has opened his very own plantation under the Marley name. "The Marley Estate sits atop the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, long revered as the region with the world’s most desirable coffee beans. Rohan remembers his grandmother drying their wild coffee berries in the sun, hulling and roasting them for her own cup of coffee each morning. Marley Coffee is determined to deliver that same intoxicating aroma and rich, smooth flavor into every cup that bears the Marley name. Marley Coffee offers a unique line of single origin and blended coffees. We produce and source the finest beans from the top growing regions in the world; Blue Mountain Jamaica, Central America, Indonesia and the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. Our ITAL Coffee's are certified organic and sustainably grown." - www.marleycoffee.com

WHAT?!! I can buy coffee from Bob Marley's son? How crazy is that? To say that I'm excited about this is a grand understatement. We are planning to order some this week!

Rohan Marley currently offers five different blends each with unique names all befitting of coffee from the estate of Jamaica's most famous!

Jammin' Java Organic Bold Full City Roast."Sultry, smoky, sweet, and yet unexpectedly smooth brew will leave you wanting more. Full bodied with traces of earthy overtones, dark chocolate berries that produce a zingy acidity and rich lingering finish." - www.marleycoffee.comMystic Morning Wakeup Medium Roast. "This rich but snappy coffee is medium to full bodied with wonderful acidity. Aromas and tastes of cocoa, spice, cedar, cinnamon and cooked pumpkin gives you the perfect morning kick." - www.marleycoffee.com

One Love Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. "From the birthplace of coffee, One Love’s floral aromas unfold with hints of blueberry, cocoa and spice with a medium body and bright acidity. It tantalizes the palette leaving a profound cherry finish." - www.marleycoffee.com

Lively Up! 5 Bean Organic Espresso Blend. "Our exquisite 5-bean espresso is dynamically balanced and rich in body. Its dense, abundant taste leaves a long, savory finish with flavors of cocoa, candied fruit and buttery caramel notes. Enjoy as espresso, drip or press." - www.marleycoffee.com

Simmer Down Organic Swiss Water Decaf. "Aromas of cocoa, nutmeg, star anise and spices of the West Indies fill this cup. Simmer Down reveals chocolate, and smoky tastes with great body and mild acidity leaving a peppery finish." - www.marleycoffee.com

If you're a music fan or coffee drinker, you owe it to yourself to check this out! If you get some before I do, Please!!! post a comment with your review on the coffee you purchased and what it was like! As soon as we get our order I will be putting a full review of each blend on this blog.

Stay tuned! In the meantime, if you'd like to order some Marley Coffee click on the links to go directly to their online store!

1500 Records and a New Blog...

For those who don't know. I started this year without my Dad. He passed away boxing day (december 26, 2008). It was very unexpected and he was quite young (at 60) to leave us so soon. However, we were very blessed to spend quality time with him throughout the Christmas season and as a family who trusts in God, we also rest knowing that he is now without pain and suffering and that someday we will see him again.

I have recently begun the arduous task of converting my Dad's vinyl collection of over 1500 titles onto CD/Hard drive. I started this last night figuring that it would take me most of this year due to my schedule and family responsibilities. I came across a few gems that I would like to post here. So I will begin posting some of his old Southern Gospel and a few of his classical/Orchestra albums on this blog.

Keep your RSS reader locked to that blog for albums as I complete them.

More on this later.

Jeff.

Muppet Kits At FAO Schwartz!!!

Just noticed this via one of my favorite tech/gadget blogs. Starting in February, F.A.O. Schwartz will allow you to design and create your very own Muppet! Using either the online Muppet creator (at F.A.O. Schwartz beginning in February 2009) or in the form of a workbook/kit, you will be able to choose from physical features (nose, eyes, hair, clothing, body shape, head, etc.) and make a unique muppet character that you can either have shipped (3-5 Weeks) or you can take your gift card to the F.A.O. Schwartz store in New York City and have it made on the spot! At only 130.00, for a 16" rod and arm muppet, this is pretty amazing! I think I will have to add a custom muppet to my collection in the new year!

Reuben Turns Into The Hulk

iPhone Observations

After a couple weeks, I have a few things to say about the iPhone. First, Apple nailed it with the world's best convergence device. Let's be honest. It's a phone, but it does so much more. I find myself thinking of it as a tablet computer. In fact, I sometimes get frustrated when I can't do things I can normally do on my powerbook and then I have to remind myself that it's my phone?!

The Camera...
The camera takes great pictures for a 2MP camera, and better still, the iPhone's display shows the pictures off like they were taken on a high end SLR. Beautiful color, great clarity. I have found myself resorting to this camera more often than Carolann's 7MP Sony.

The GPS...
The fact that Apple saw fit to include this in the 3G was special. This little GPS receiver kicks serious tale! I have put it to the test numerous times and found it to be 100% on the nose every time. Since TomTom and TeleNav have already made waves in the press stating that they are already running versions of their voice navigated GPS software on the iPhone. Rumours of Apple's major OS update (2.1) on the iPhone suggest that it will add directional awareness to the Maps application which would make this a very viable reality. Apple is really going to put a large dent into the dedicated GPS market when something running on their phone is equally as good, not to mention all the extra integrated features that come along with the iPhone.

The Phone...
I haven't noticed much in the way of any big improvements over the actual phone itself. It is very clear sounding, has nice tone and great noise cancelling...but so did my Blackberry 8100. What I am missing so far in this department is voice dialing....which is kind of a novelty, but is really handy when I am rocking a bluetooth headset. The bluetooth side of the phone is genius. Apple has added a prompt when the phone rings (if your Bluetooth headset is activated) that asks you if you would like to take the call on your headset, speakerphone or on the phone itself. This is genius for anyone who has woken up to the phone ringing and grabbed the phone and yelled "Hello...HELLO" into the phone only to see the headset flashing away on the nightstand.

I WOULD like a slightly louder ringer, but I imagine this could be fixed with a different ringtone as well. The other issue I have is I am not overly impressed by having to purchase my ringtones in the Apple Store. I expect an app to come along shortly to alleviate this. I was able to make a pile of pretty sick ringtones on my blackberry using Audacity and just add them whenever I felt the need.

Battery...
It just plain sucks compared to most smartphones. My Blackberry 8100 would forever even with heavy usage. However, the iPhone has packed a ton of new (very power intensive) features that the BB 8100 didn't have, and so for this, I can mostly forgive the battery issues.

The iPod...
Brilliant. Wide screen movies look stunning, music sounds great and I love having a spare 8gig ipod along with my 80gig Classic in case I have to step out of the house and the kids are falling to sleep listening to the lullaby playlist. Only one added feature I would like to see here....The ability to purchase songs on 3G through the Music store. Currently, you have to be connected to Wifi.

Now....Here's what I would love to see for Apps...

Wifi/MAP Mashup...
I would love an app that whenever a wifi network is detected, it would prompt me (or do it automatically) to save it's location (GPS coordinates) on a map so that the next time I am in that particular neighbourhood, I could pull up the Wifi overlay and see where all of the open Wifi networks are located. Brilliant? Yes.

A.D.D'ers Lifesaver...
Since you can already pull up a contacts address info and view it on the map from your contacts list, how about an application that allows you to enter an appointment into iCal (with complete address information and time of appointment) and have iCal display a reminder that notices your current GPS coordinates and the coordinates of your appointment destination and then tells you...."You have an appointment at __________ location, In order to be on time, you must leave in 5,10,15 minutes...or RIGHT NOW!". I can see this saving my bacon many times over!

Any thoughts?

Leapfrog Didj Educational Gaming Console

Leapfrog has just released the latest and greatest gadget for edutaining your 6-10yr old kids. The Leapfrog Didj Console looks pretty substantial and has great possibilities when it comes to long trips and times when you prefer not to put your kids in front of a movie or traditional game console. Leapfrog has always produced high end products with great ideas at the outset, but sometimes abandons the product line too soon, ending in frustration for parents attemping to pick out a new title for their obsolete product. The Leapfrog Didj connects via USB to your Mac or PC through the Leapfrog Connect service so that kids can customize games and interact in different ways. Time will tell if the availability of cartridges and range of supporting software proves this to be an outstanding product instead of a nice idea. I've contacted Leapfrog for a demo, As soon as I get a hands on, I'll post a greater review.

Jeff.

Jim Houser Speaks After Steven Curtis Chapman's Tragic Loss

I still regularly check Jim Houser's blog for updates on the Chapman family to see how they are doing and progressing in trying to cope with the loss of such an incredibly beautiful and vibrant little girl. Here are 2 interviews (in 3 parts) and a brief look into Jim's role and how the Chapman's are clinging to God through this time. These were recorded very shortly after Maria Sue's death.

Part 1 - Jim Houser Interview

Part 2 - Jim Houser Interview

2nd Interview With Jim Houser