Best of 2016

Hi All,

As the year 2016 comes to a close many, many, many websites generate 'best of' lists...forthwith a whole bunch of them on a wide variety of topics!  Enjoy 'em...

Time Magazine - Top 10 of Everything of 2016 

AllMusic.com - Best of 2016 

National Geographic - Best Photos of 2016

Android Central - Best Tech of 2016

NPR Music - Best Music of 2016 

Rolling Stone - 20 Best Lists of 2016

Life Hacker - 25 Best Movies of 2016 and Where to Watch Them 

Gamespot - Best TV Shows of 2016 

School Library Journal - Best Books of 2016 

Washington Post - 10 Best Books of 2016

Publisher's Weekly - 20 Best Books of 2016

New York Times Critics - Top Books of 2016

Techradar -  Best Phone 2016 - The Top 10 Smartphones We've Tested

Car and Driver -  Best Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and More For 2016 - Editors' Choice Awards

Beer and Brewing Magazine -  Best in Beer 2016: Readers' Choice & Editors' Picks

Winemag.com - Top 100 Best Buys 2016 

...and the list could go on and on and on....

So, you might ask how I found all these lists?  Great question.  Just type in the phrase 'best of 2016' in Google.  Make sure to put a topic after the 2016 - for example, 'best of 2016 movie' or 'best of 2016 newspaper writing' or 'best of 2016 scientific discovery'...you'll get dozens of results of which you'll have hours and hours of reading/viewing ahead of you.

Enjoy the sites and the links.  And, of course, Happy New Year!  Here's to a great 2017.

Regards,
Stu 

Long Island Breweries

Hi All,

It's Fall - the weather is finally starting to cool and there is just a hint of 'winter' in the air.  Get ready for the cold weather - but before that....get warm with a brew or two.

Did you know the craft brewing has been getting more and more popular for at least 20 years? It has and here are just a few of the many,  many articles that discuss the popularity of the craft brew industry. 
Fortune - Craft Beer Sales Rise
LA Times - Craft Brews Are In Great Demand, and So Are the Breweries
USA Today - Battle Between Big Beer and Craft Beer Escalates 
ShortList - Rise and Rise of Craft Beer

Click on this link from LongIsland.com.  It's a list of breweries on Long Island - replete with links to the various breweries.  How many of these breweries have you been to? Blue Point Brewing, Fire Island Beer Company, Long Ireland Beer Company?

Click on this link from Wikipedia to learn more about microbreweries - it has extensive links to microbrewery information for the United States and for other countries. 

For a deep dive into the details of craft brewing, click on this next link which goes to the Brewers Association (a passionate voice for craft brewers). 

Finally, click on the link to what some folks is the granddaddy of all craft beers - Samuel Adams. 

Enjoy the links - and remember, drink responsibly.

Regards,
Stu

Beer - A Refreshing Subject

Hi All,

It is summer. It is warm outside.  And humid.  And sticky. Are you thirsty?  Yep - me too - and that's what got me thinking about beer!  (A subject close to my heart and which makes my taste buds perk up).  Drink up because today's blog entry will discuss two really interesting and relevant beer sites on the web.  Note that there are hundreds and hundreds of beers sites on the web...just doing a simple Google search for 'beer united states' yields over 100 million hits.  A ridiculously large number of beer related 'stuff'.

One of the more geographically relevant sites on the web dealing with beer is the site "Long Island Beer Guide.com".  Click prior link to go to the site.  The site has sections on Upcoming Beer Events on Long Island, Large Craft Breweries in Suffolk County, Small Craft Breweries in Nassau County, Small Craft Breweries in Suffolk County,  Brewpubs in Suffolk County, Beer Bars in Nassau/Suffolk  County and Restaurants That Highlight Great Beer in Nassau and Suffolk County.

But wait...there is more.  There are links for craft brewing, homebrewing, and beer enthusiast clubs on the site.  Links to blogs, podcasts and home brew supplies are listed on the site as well.  Whew...just from typing that I'm thirsty.  I'm glad my next set of links discusses Beer Retailers That Fill Growlers in Suffolk and Nassau County and Long Island Beer Festivals!

Next is a website called BeerAdvocate.  What is BeerAdvocate you ask? It 'is a global, grassroots network, powered by an independent community of beer enthusiasts and industry professionals who are dedicated to supporting and promoting beer'.

The site has links to the BeerAdvocate magazine, Forums (a great place to talk about drinking, making and anything related to beer), Beers (find recent beer ratings and reviews by BA members - links to Top Beers, Beer Styles and Beer 101), Places (a beer travel guide to find breweries brewpubs and more), Events (find festivals and more) and a Store (buy ti-shirts, hats, stickers and more).

Users can also subscribe to the BeerAdvocate by submitting their email address on the homepage.

So there ya have it...two useful, interesting and thirst (oops..I mean thought) provoking beer sites.  

And of course, some awesome links to books that discuss the history and brewing of beer that we have in the library!

Enjoy the links and beer!

Regards,
Stu

Memorial Day 2015

Hi All,

Well its here - Memorial Day 2015.  Its the traditional start of the summer season at beaches, parks and other venues...but there is a more serious, important side of the holiday.  Its Memorial Day. 

What exactly does Memorial Day celebrate?  Click here for to learn more about Memorial Day.  Suffice to say that Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.

Click on the next 6 links to learn more about Memorial Day:
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
History of Memorial Day
Guidelines for Display of the Flag - pdf document 
Correct Method of Folding the United States Flag
National Memorial Day Museum 
Presidential Proclamation - Prayer For Peace, Memorial Day 2015 

This next link is for the kids...its a list of Memorial Day Weekend Events for Long Island Kids - it has parades, fairs and air shows from May 23-May 25th.!!! Don't miss the events.  Link comes from MommyPoppins.com - a family/kid friendly website for events for children. 

And, of course, click on this next link from Newsday.com which links to Long Island events for this Memorial Day for you and your whole family!

Finally, Long Island.com has also gotten into the swing of things...this next article also has Memorial Day events for the whole family.  Title is 'Memorial Day Weekend 2015: Celebrate with Fireworks, Parades, BBQ's & Lots of Family Fun!'  The article talks about all the fun events that are happening this Memorial day.  Fireworks, festivals and the Air Show are mentioned!

Enjoy the links, have a great Memorial Day and drive safe!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

As if you didn't know already, the Super Bowl is being played this Sunday.  Click on this link to learn more about the big game!

However, I want to do something a bit different this year!  I want to talk about the various alternative things that folks can do if they do NOT watch the Super Bowl this year.

This link - from Gawker - has a bunch of different ideas that you can try if you don't want to watch the Super Bowl. Some of their ideas include eating out at a restaurant, going to the theater or a gym or go shopping....

Interestingly enough, ESPN has a bunch of ideas for things to do if you don't want to watch the game...click here for ESPN's take on the topic. 

The Huffington Post chimed in on the topic as well.  Click here for details - and they list 9 different things that you can do instead of watching SB49! Wisebread has an even larger list of 49 (!!) things you can do on Super Bowl Sunday - other than watch the game! 

Finally, Hubpages.com has an article titled, 'I Hate Football! 25 Things to Do Instead of Watching the Super Bowl'.  

That should give you enough options to figure out what to do for the 4 long, interminable hours that the Super Bowl takes to be played. 

Enjoy the links - hope you enjoy staying busy!

Regards,
Stu

End of the Year Lists - Part I

Hi All,

So we have 12 days left until the new year comes around.  2015 here we come!  With that in mind, lots of news sources and outlets come out with various 2014 lists.  Here are some of the highlights (and hopefully the best - or at least the most interesting) of these lists. 

And please note, there just might be a second part to this entry since there are so many interesting lists available on the web. Stay tuned for the next episode!!!

Science Announces 2014's Top 10 Breakthroughs
PC Mag - 10 Best Desktops
PC Mag - 10 Best Laptops
TechRadar - 10 Best Tablet PCs in the World Today
Car and Driver - Editors' Choice Awards 2014 - Best Cars, Trucks, Crossovers and More.
Gayot - Top 10 Fall Beers
Wine Spectator - Top 10 Wines Revealed
National Geographic - Best Winter Trips 2014
Vogue - Top Ten TV Shows of 2014
IMDB - Highest Rated TV Series Released in 2014
Mother Jones - Best Books of 2014 (Fiction and Non-fiction)
Washington Post - 10 Best Books of 2014
Yahoo! News - Yahoo's Top 10 News Searches of 2014
Washington Times - Celebrity Deaths in 2014
Bing Link to People, Moments, and Events That Shaped 2014.
CNN - What You Really Googled in 2014

Enjoy the links - and stay tuned for part two of this list in the coming days!

Regards,
Stu