Q3 2024 - WTF am I up to edition

I did say quarterly and the last one was May 31, 2024.

Heyo,

It’s a me. Allen.

Ending the quarter with a very informative post. If anyone is doing the LB Half Marathon- see you there.

Bye.

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What I’ve Been Up To (since May 31, 2024)

• Games

  • Sins of a Solar Empire 2 - The return of a GOAT, but it’s more GOAT than the original GOAT.

  • Emberwald - Roquelight Tower Defense using Tetris Blocks, upgrading via a Slay-the-Spire like card system.

• Traveling

  • Cancun - Mexico. Why would people go here, it’s humid and not walkable.

    • It’s why you float can swim everywhere at Xcaret River. Such a great place.

  • Temecula - California. Wine country is real and don’t let the Napa valley people shame you into not going to Temecula if you are in SoCal.

    • Carter Estates are solid and a bit ridiculous get away.

  • Lisbon - Portugal - I’ve had so much fine dining here that I needed bland food for a while.

    • Ceia - very fine dining

    • A Cozinha (cash only, atm in Aldi in front) - a MUST GO - casual

    • A Cevicheria - tapas casual - a must go but complement it with a tapas style crawl as it’s small and quick

    • Essencial - Fine dining (lite)

    • Pigmeau - pork tapas; casual

  • Utrecht/Amsterdam - Netherlands - I found bland food.

    • Found a derpy deer

    • Don’t mess with FEBO

    • Get fries

    • And maybe don’t go over board. Or do.

• TV

  • Scavenger’s Reign is the most beautiful, and hostile, animated TV show that you must see on Netflix. It’s a perfect show. The series follows the survivors of the damaged interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227 who are stranded on Vesta, an alien planet bustling with flora and fauna but filled with dangers.

  • Exception - In a distant future where humans are forced to leave Earth, a spacecraft carrying a 3D-printed crew of specialists is sent to terraform a new plane

  • Blue Eye Samurai - A story of revenge. It is the most visceral animated TV show that is a great nod to U.S. Westerns, which is hilarious because U.S. Westerns were an nod to Japanese Samurai Sword play.

  • By the way, free apple TV for returning and new customers for 3 months at BestBuy.

Songs that slap and/or can’t get out of your head

• Feeling like the old-school Paramore?

• Do you remember British Invasion Era of music?

• ??????????

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Photo by Adam Jaime on Unsplash

Whiskey

In January 2024, I went to a Whiskey Tasting dubbed “Imperial Royal Salute”, led by Peter Prentice, the Past Chairman of The Keeprs of the Quaich and current Global VIP Relationships Director at Chivas.

There I had a lot of Whiskeys, some $50 a bottle, some $500, some $2500. Expensive bottles by themselves are meaninglessly, but the introduction and story of each bottle (or distillery behind it) is what makes them stand out a bit. Actually that’s a lie, it’s mostly a random guy pointing at a bottle and convincing everyone else to try it to see what happens.

Anyway, here’s that Whiskey list that I am now calling my list plus a few of additions form me as I realized that the original Whiskey list isn’t 100% accessible to everyone and that some of them are special order or you have to go to Europe to steal it purchase it.

Allen’s Whiskey Recommendations

Shamelessly taken from a night at “The Imperial Royal Salute” in Davos. All Whiskeys are cost-effective (typically under $100) and punch at the $250 to uncapped range.

1. Chivas Regal 12yo Mizunara - Blended Scotch Whisky

   1. First-ever Scotch whisky selectively finished in Japanese oak. Features ripe pears, oranges, honeyed sweetness, and subtle spices.

2. Scapa Skiren Single Malt Scotch Whisky – The Islands

   1. Distilled in the only remaining working distillery on Orkney. Aged in first-fill ex-bourbon American oak casks. Delivers a unique creamy sweetness with a maritime influence from Scapa Flow.

   2. Anything under 13 year is fine.

3. Aberlour 12yo Single Malt Whisky – Speyside

   1. Distinctive for its crisp citrus character and subtle nuances. Aged in seasoned sherry butts and traditional oak casks.

   2. Cost effective.

4. Chivas Regal XV (15yo) – Blended Scotch Whisky

   1. Finished in Grand Champagne French oak casks. Has a rich and fruity classic Speyside style with sultanas and warming cinnamon notes.

5. Aberlour A’Bunadh Single Malt Whisky (cask strength) – Speyside

   1. Cask strength limited edition from Aberlour. Renowned for its powerful punch and intense flavors. Bottled at cask strength, matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts.

   2. Cost effective.

6. Glenlivet 18yo Single Malt Whisky – Speyside 1824

   1. One of the finest examples from the original Speyside distillery. Famous for its silky smooth, sherry-influenced flavor profile.

7. Chivas Regal Ultis – Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

   1. A blend of the finest malts from the five Chivas Speyside distilleries. Rich and complex, with flavors of citrus and ripe plums.

8. Chivas Regal 18yo Gold Signature – Blended Scotch Whisky

   1. Created by legendary master blender Colin Scott in 1997. Features over 85 flavor notes, including dark chocolate, dried fruit, and buttery toffee.

9. Lagavulin 16 Year

   1. An Islay Scotland classic, it’s the most middle of the road whiskey that is great for cocktail conversations.

   2. Cost effective.

10. Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Yr Peated Scotch

    1. Distilled through tall, narrow-necked stills, this 10 year old has a heathery, barbeque style of smoke. It's peat with elegance and finesse. It is the most peaty on this list.

    2. Somewhat cost effective, it can be overwhelmingly peaty.

11. Royal Salute 21yo The Signature Blend – The Ultimate Tribute 1953

    1. Created by Sam Bronfman for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. A luxurious blend with deep, complex flavors, including clementine, apricots, and vanilla.

12. Royal Salute 21yo The Polo Estancia Edition – Blended Scotch Whisky

    1. Inspired by the sport of polo, finished in first-fill American oak casks. Rich and sweet, with notes of plum, dark chocolate, and sweet ginger.

13. Royal Salute 21yo The Polo Jodhpur Edition – Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

    1. A tribute to Rajasthan’s rich history, with notes of cloves, ginger, and cinnamon. Finished in virgin American oak casks for a spicy, warming finish.

    2. Okay this one was fun but it’s decently expensive.

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BLOCKCHAIN THINGS

CRYPTO OUTRAGEOUS POSTER

I tried the Substack AI Image Gen using “CRYPTO OUTRAGEOUS POSTER” and…got that? It looks like football tokens, or power ranges mighty morphing.

Hilarious headlines in the crypto space

• Crypto Owners More Likely to Have Psychopathic Traits, Study Says

  • Ah crap.

• McRugged: Hackers Take Over McDonald’s Instagram, Make $700K on Fake Grimace Token

• Bitcoin miner Rhodium files for bankruptcy in Texas court

  • There weren’t enough energy grid disasters for Rhodium to make money on. The joke, but not really, is that Rhodium, a bitcoin mining company in Texas, is given energy rebates for powering down its digital mining facilities when Texas’s energy grid does its annual fall apart. One week of shutdown is enough to pay for facility operations.

Crypto Market News

• Solana sees record outflows as memecoin trading declines: CoinShares

  • Is the meme chain fizzling away? Basically.

• Layer 1 blockchain from Kakao and LINE launches mainnet, invites Telegram-style apps

  • Established social media are powerful distribution mechanisms that have incredible customer outreach for low acquisition cost, not to mention high conversion. LINE follows in the wake of TON, the Telegram hit. Here’s that: Cryptoverse: TON takes off on Telegram tie-up

• OpenSea NFT marketplace targeted by SEC in potential securities case

  • At the tail end of the Biden term, the SEC punting the problem to next U.S. Administration to decide.