A Couple of Thoughts Today on Beer

So today's post is a quick update on what I'm brewing. Santa was kind and brought some new beer kits from Northern Brewer. What I'm learning is that the homebrewing culture in Minnesota is also better (and cheaper) than the homebrewing culture in Maryland. I just saw a great recipe for Clementine Hefeweizen from Northern Brewer (check out blog post here http://bit.ly/ik0XQx) and did a quick calculus on the ingredients bought and shipped from NB vs. my local homebrew supply store. NB not only came up with a killer recipe but won on cost (shipping included) hands down. This recipe will be a welcome addition to my late January brew schedule.

Second, I just found this awesome website on growing hops (http://bit.ly/ftGxpK) which is something I plan to try in my garden this Spring. Question is, what do I grow?

Finally, the Fat Tire is looking good. It's been in the secondary fermenter for about a week. Will bottle next week. Thinking about firing up a stout tonight.

Life is short. Drink good beer.

Fat Tire

So, my blogging hasn't been as frequent as I would have liked recently, but this one definitely is worth it. I just brewed up a batch of Fat Tire Ale, one of my favorite beers available in the Midwest, yet disappointingly absent on the East Coast, particularly in backward Montgomery County. The lack of distribution of this beer highlights a problem I frequently encounter - the beer culture in the DC area just stinks. So, I have taken to homebrewing again to fulfill my thirst for great beer.

If you are not familiar with Fat Tire, check it out at the New Belgium brewery http://bit.ly/eOsvp5. Then, if it's not available in your area, head over to Northern Brewer http://bit.ly/g53lWm and order yourself this delicious extract kit. It is a fine replica of the original and was dead spot on two years ago when they offered the actual yeast strain directly from the New Belgium brewery. I can't wait to try this one.

Next up, I will be brewing for Spring time, specifically St. Patrick's Day. I just ordered an Irish Red Draught and a Breakfast Stout for our St. Patty's Day celebration.

Life is short. Drink good beer.

Movember

Just found out about this great drive to raise awareness around men's health issues. It's called Movember and encourages all men to grow a mustache this month, specifically to help raise awareness and $'s for prostate cancer.

We don't have a long history of prostate cancer in our family, but my dad was diagnosed a couple years back and it was quite scary. The key to his diagnosis and recovery was that he regularly had his prostate checked and kept meticulous records. Remember that you are never too young (or old) to have your prostate checked.

So go out and grow that stache. And Happy Movember.

http://bit.ly/diAM8l

Let's Make 11/11/11 Nigel Tufnel Day

What a brilliant idea. This is the perfect day to celebrate the lovable lead guitar player who coined the phrase, "these go to eleven" in the movie, This is Spinal Tap. Join this group on Facebook and spread the word.

An anecdote from my own life is that I intended for this to be my senior quote, which was misinterpreted by the Brother in charge of the year book and was translated to "Ours go to heaven". Must have been my British accent.

It's Been a Long Time

It's been a long time since I last blogged, but today I am going to get back on the horse. I don't have a whole lot to say other than I am going to start doing this more often. :-)

I am one of those folks who fell victim to the common blog malaise that after a certain amount of time, you just kind of fade away. If I'm still blogging more than 6 months from now, you'll know that this time, I've been able to overcome it.

Cheers!

Insigniaproducts.com Usability Testing

Insigniaproducts.com usability testing is now under way through May 8th. We are conducting usability in an open and transparent way, tapping into the social network of our brand. I invite you to join. Click the link http://tinyurl.com/czdpfk to take the usability survey.

Thanks in advance for helping out.

Open Principles and Insignia update

So, I have been incredibly lame over the last couple months not having posted anything to my blog. It has been a long time recovering from the workforce reduction here at Best Buy, but I feel like today is a new beginning. We’ve finally turned the corner and are moving forward again. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I finally filed my taxes last night.

Today, I want to focus on the Insignia Open Principles experiment. We are getting close to usability testing and plan a soft launch of the new site by the end of April. For those of you who I have engaged on usability testing, I promise that it will be coming soon. I appreciate your patience.

I think the best thing about this experiment is that the community of passionate and engaged supporters is growing with each day. And, each new member brings with them a unique and valued perspective that will make our web experience even better. The list of iterations I have in mind for this site is growing faster than we can get our current site up and running. I cannot wait for launch day!

I am also starting to get a lot of questions within the four walls of Best Buy on “how we did it”. That is, how did we break the mold and deliver a web experience that is materially different from what preceded it. How did we incorporate social media in a meaningful and sustainable way? Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way:

• Successful adoption of social media is about how you approach your business rather than how you apply the tools. If you believe in openness and transparency, and model the behavior, then all else will follow.
• This is about leading. Have a clear vision for the future and rally others around it.
• Don’t get caught up in the hype. That’s about following.
• Don’t let the media part fool you. This is not about advertising.
• Let go. We spend a lot of time as successful business people learning how to manage outcomes and take control of situations. Unlearn this quickly. Learn how to facilitate outcomes and focus resources.
• Focus outward rather than inward. Find your “brand champions”, engage them and reward them. They will reward you over time.
• Just do it.