PicoBlog

📚 THE SPIRITS (i.e. the book that inspired this newsletter) is available once more! You can find it at: Bookshop.org, Foyles, Blackwells, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon and even WH Smith. Makes a great Christmas present, just saying. ~ BRANDY MILK PUNCH ~ 50ml brandy 15ml cinnamon-infused syrup 125ml full-fat milk Dash vanilla extract (optional) Nutmeg I want you to put the brandy, syrup, milk and possibly vanilla in the shaker, now. Throw in just a single ice cube and ‘whip shake’ for 30 seconds or so - this will give you decent froth and not to much dilution.

Share ~ THE VAMPIRO ~ 50ml tequila 25ml orange juice 25ml tomato juice 15ml lime juice 15ml grenadine 5-6 dashes of hot sauce Salt Prepare a salt rim on your glass: empty out some high-quality salt (Maldon, Cornish Sea Salt, etc) into a saucer, wet the rim of an old fashioned glass with some citrus and dip it into the salt so it sticks. Place this glass in the freezer to chill while you make the cocktail.

If you ask someone to visualize the word "influencer" they will probably think of someone with a hyper curated persona, posting gorgeous photos from exotic locations, they’ll also usually picture someone posting sponsored content.  We’ve all seen sponsored content around the Internet whether it’s gummy bear hair care vitamins or luxury bags or travel destinations. Often these photos or videos are accompanied with the hashtag #spon, or #ad, and most of the time it's not labeled at all.

The visual: a bald older guy (maybe with a hat on), sitting with his back to you, staring at a screen alit with audio files and wave forms, surrounded by machines and bookshelves and cabinets…piles of CDs and tape boxes and records…lair of a true sonic alchemist.  He doesn’t move around much apart from slightly lifting his head while focusing on part of the screen…moving and clicking his mouse in hand….

Hey there, valued Machine Shop subscriber! Just wanted to drop a quick line and let you know that my latest book, The Stars Did Wander Darkling, is out today (September 19) as a paperback — so if you’re the sort who likes theirs books smallish, flexible, and slightly less expensive, this guy’s for you! In case you missed my endlessly going on about it this time last year, I’ll recap: it’s a middle grade novel about a small town on the Oregon Coast that is visited by a cosmic evil and the group of kids who have to try and stop said cosmic evil.

Since I promised more and shorter posts, I will keep today's post very short. But I just wanted to share this captivating moment with you. I took this photo this morning, just outside Ottawa. It was already warm, and today will be a hot day. I love this small lake and its perfect reflection of the trees in the water. Then, add the sounds of dozens of birds, all singing their own songs.

Big cats. Top row: Panthera leo, Panthera uncia, Puma concolor. Bottom row: Panthera tigris, Panthera onca, Acinonyx jubatusBig cats are some of the most majestic (and frankly cool) creatures on Earth. They’re also some of the most imperiled: all seven big cats are listed as “population declining” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, this writer noticed that it was difficult to find a good single source summarizing how each of these species is doing in the never-ending quest to survive and thrive in the Anthropocene, a general check-in on “how they’re doing.

Buy the Book (UPDATED TO INCLUDE MISSING MATCHES) Zach’s new book was released yesterday on Amazon. Please support independent authors and artists. I can still remember the first time I saw “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in living color. It was my girlfriend’s birthday and we drove an hour up the road to Charlotte so she could see her bald-headed favorite in action, giving a random kid five dollars to park on the grass of a nearby lot.

Among the countless piano covers and video game remixes on YouTube, one pianist stood out from the rest in the late 2000s. With his technical brilliance and adaptable improvisational skills, Tom Brier took familiar tunes and transformed them into complex, high-energy rags filled with racing embellishments. For fans of classical and ragtime piano, as well as gamers who loved hearing their favorite soundtracks jazzed up, Tom became a YouTube sensation.