alcohol posts

Improve Your Marksmanship at the Urinal With New iPhone App

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 6th 2009 at 5:02PM

If you're a grown man, you've more than likely found yourself in this situation: it's 2 a.m., you've had enough booze to knock out Andre the Giant, and your bladder feels like an overfilled water balloon that could explode at any second. What do you do? Stumble to the bathroom, unzip those pants, and say a prayer. Because that urinal looks no bigger than a thimble (if you can even figure out, through your double-vision, which is the real urinal).

Sounds like fun, right? Now, you can relive that experience (minus the alcohol) anywhere with a new iPhone app. It's called 'iPeePee,' and it's not a joke, according to Pocket Gamer. The premise is pretty straightforward. You play a drunk guy trying to pee in the appropriate location. Unlike real life, your reward isn't dry pants or maintaining some dignity; it's a high score.

It's a wonder this app was approved by Apple, but apparently, urine is okay with the App Store overseers. (As we know, boobs and booty certainly are not.) There's no doubt 'iPeePee' will be a hit with the college crowd (as would any apps involving boobs and booty), especially since it costs a mere $.99. We can see it now: Fraternities across the nation using the app as a way to train lightweight pledges. [From: Pocket Gamer, via New Launches]

Tags: alcohol, app store, application, AppStore, bathroom, games, iphone, top, urine

Car Tech

Faulty Breathalyzer May Void Some Minnesota DUIs

by Kaiser Hwang (RSS feed) — May 11th 2009 at 10:27AM

Thousands of Minnesota drunk driving convictions may soon be voided, thanks to an obstinate company's refusal to turn over the (allegedly faulty) source code of its breath-testing device. In light of exposed innacuracies in such devices, a Minnesota court recently issued a ruling allowing defendants in DUI cases to request that the prosecution turn over the source code for the CMI Intoxilyzer 5000, the primary breath-testing device used by Minnesota police. CMI has refused to comply to such requests, stating that the code is a protected trade secret.

Actually, this is the second time that the Kentucky-based CMI has refused such a request: The first time was in January of this year, at the request of a Florida judge. Either CMI believes that it can be competitively compromised if the code is turned over (since it already owes millions of dollars in court fines for not doing so), or its code is just faulty. At this point, it's impossible to know the truth, but given the reports that state the inaccuracy of breathalyzer machines, you can bet that both sides will fight this one to the very end. It's a very gray battle to be sure. While we'd hate to see drunk drivers go free, we think everyone would agree that a court decision based on potentially false evidence is much worse. [From: ScienceBlogs]

Tags: alcohol, breathalyzer, court, law, police, top

Nuclear Testing Helps to Sniff Out Counterfeit Whiskies

by Peter Mychalcewycz (RSS feed) — May 7th 2009 at 9:39AM

Apparently, something positive came out humanity's insane urge to produce and proliferate nuclear arms over the past century.

Carbon-dating has been used by researchers in myriad scientific endeavors, and it turns out that nuclear testing has made the process that much more effective, according to Scientific American. Or, more effective at determining the age of an expensive bottle of whisky, anyway.

Researchers at England's Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit have found that barley grown in the Nuclear Era contains a higher level of carbon 14 than barley grown before the late '40s and early '50s (The first nuclear weapons test was in 1945.). Accordingly, any whisky distilled since 1950, or so, bears an increased level of carbon 14. This hallmark make it easy for researchers to distinguish the poseurs from genuinely old vintages.

Tags: alcohol, drinking, nuclear, top, weird, whisky

Cell Phones, Web

TextsFromLastNight.com Collects Drunken Text Messages

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Apr 29th 2009 at 11:16AM

Those of you who turn into prolific and inappropriate texters after a few drinks, be warned; your SMS ramblings may end up as someone else's entertainment online. Texts From Last Night (TFLN) collects reader-submitted, drunken text messages, similarly to the hilarious FMyLife, and re-posts them (minus identifying info, of course) for your reading pleasure.

And if, for some reason, you're not entertained enough by the absurd things people (supposedly) text while drunk, then check out the TFLN sidebar for drunken tweets and drunken photos from Flickr.

The site was launched by two friends in February, and has already started pulling in a pretty decent-sized audience. Here's hoping we never find our text messages on the site. [From: Texts From Last Night, Via: Textually.org]

Tags: alcohol, drunk dialing, drunk texting, DrunkDialing, DrunkTexting, funny, partying, sites, sms, text-messagin, texting, TextsFromLastNight, tfln, top, tui, twi

Can Synthetic Biology Brew Better Beer?

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Apr 25th 2009 at 5:30PM

Brewing beer at home can be incredibly difficult, as dealing with fickle yeasts and proteins can often result in a skunky, cloudy and unappetizing brew. James Collins, a Boston University synthetic biologist, and a team of researchers investigating synthetically engineered genetic circuits, used beer as a model for developing refining processes that could eventually be applied to biofuels and therapeutic drugs.

The field of synthetic biology focuses on the creation and assembly of biological components like DNA. While we may not fully understand the terminology and the processes involved, we do know that Collins has used the technology to brew beer. Really good beer. Using a computer model, Collins created a genetic network through which they could control yeast flocculation, a process which determines the thickness and color of beer, and occurs after sugar has fermented during the brewing process. In layman's terms, they can create specific beers for discriminating palates, precisely controlling the brew's color and acidity, without the normally required use of chemical additives.

Using the process, beer makers could conceivably brew more efficiently with fewer costs, and without wasted batches. We love the idea of this RoboBeer, but they'd better not start toying around with PBR. You don't mess with perfection. It should be fascinating to watch future developments in this field, but, for now, we'd be happy volunteering for the beer study, preferably as quality control technicians. [From: Technology Review]

Tags: alcohol, beer, brewing-beer, drink, drink tech, DrinkTech, food, food and drink, FoodAndDrink, future tech, FutureTech, genetic circuits, GeneticCircuits, research, synthetic engineering, SyntheticEngineering, top

Web

Twitter Gets Honored With Its Own Beer

by Peter Mychalcewycz (RSS feed) — Apr 7th 2009 at 6:39PM

The 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco has honored Twitter, everyone's favorite microblogging site, with its very own beer. That's exactly what Twitter needs: more random promotion. Spring Tweet is a light and floral spring ale, and it went on sale Monday. The inspiration behind the new brew was the large amount of "tweetups" (face-to-face rendezvouses organized on Twitter) going on inside the bar. Plus, the Twitter headquarters are located right across the park.

The beer-brewing folks first mentioned the idea on their Twitter page; the brewery's founder Shaun O'Sullivan wrote on 21st Amendment's blog: "We tweeted about the idea for the Twitter brew as a lark at first and the response was huge, [sic] then we asked what would be a good name and we received more great responses." Of course, the crew tweeted throughout the entire beer-brewing process.

This is the type of free, target-market advertising that companies dream about. Enjoy the moment, Twitter, and milk it hard. [From: LaughingSquid]

Man Busted for DUI...for Driving a Motorized Bar Stool

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Apr 1st 2009 at 11:01AM

Ohio resident Kile Wygle, 28, learned a difficult lesson this week. Be sure to sober up a little bit before you call the authorities, especially after you've wrecked your motorized barstool. Yep, the ingenious Wygle affixed a rigged-up chassis and a Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine to a barstool, enabling him to cruise home at up to 40 miles per hour, all the while feeling like he never left his cushy seat at his favorite watering hole.

Unfortunately, on March 4th, Wygle took a spill at 20 miles per hour, and called 911 over worries about possible head injuries. When the officers arrived at the scene, Wygle reportedly told them, "I wrecked my barstool." Wygle's next door neighbor told the befuddled authorities that he had noticed someone driving a "strange" motorized machine. Strange? We say awesome.

After Wygle failed field sobriety tests, police charged him with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Fortunately for Wygle (and for our entertainment), however, they didn't impound his homemade ride. We wish we could find footage of the unique arrest to see this baby in action, but, even without a demonstration, we'd be glad to purchase one of these slick stool-scooters, in case he wants to manufacture them to help offset legal fees. It does look like it needs a cup holder, though. [From: The Smoking Gun Via: BuzzFeed]

Related Links:

Tags: alcohol, barstool, diy, drunk driving, DrunkDriving, DUI, dumb, funny, top, weird

Visionaries

Virtual Beer Can Lets You Pretend to Be an Alcoholic

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Mar 28th 2009 at 5:34PM

Bandai, the company that makes Tamagotchi and Power Ranger toys, is targeting a slightly more mature audience (we hope) with its newest novelty item: a beer can simulator. The $9 toy is a plastic recreation of the top of a beer can, complete with a pop top that plays an electronic sound simulating the opening of a beer can every time you pull it. Every 30 times you pull the tab, it plays what we're told is "a special sound" as a "reward" -- your guess is as good as ours. Also, how much does simulated alcoholism deserve to be rewarded.

We're not sure what the appeal of virtual drinking is, but between the success of iBeer and the Wii beer pong game, it seems like the beginning of a trend. [From: OhGizmo!]

Related links:

Tags: alcohol, bandai, beer, drinks, gadget, novelty, top, toy, virtual beer can, VirtualBeerCan

Beer2D3 Droid Full of Geeky Ingenuity, Not Booze

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Mar 21st 2009 at 6:09PM

Beer2D3 is Full of Geeky Ingenuity, Not Booze

You know you've watched 'Star Wars' a few too many times when you start to see droids everywhere you look. This might just be the case with artist Paul Loughridge, creator of the droid you see above, called Beer2D3, which was crafted using a Heineken mini-keg and a lot of ingenuity.

Loughridge, who goes by the handle Lockwasher, has made numerous robots and gadgets for shows and exhibits, mostly from discarded waste (like his Trickle Charger bot and RecycleMan and Son). Beer2D3 was created for the San Jose Super Toy show and features a chrome headlight for a head and loaf pans for feet.

Sadly it's non-functional and won't help you find Obi-Wan, or beer, but it's certainly good for a smile and, in our opinion, would make the ultimate geek dorm room accessory. [From: The Official Star Wars Blog via BoingBoing Gadgets]

Related Links:

Tags: alcohol, art, beer, beer2d3, heineken, humor, lockwasher, party, paul loughridge, PaulLoughridge, r2-d2, r2d2, star wars, StarWars

Computers

New Site Tells You If You Have a Drinking Problem

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Mar 10th 2009 at 8:37PM

Conventional wisdom tells us that, in our direst economic times, the alcohol business does pretty well. Possibly responding to this phenomenon, and hoping worried citizenry won't crawl into a whiskey bottle, the federal government has now launched the Rethinking Drinking Web site, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Operated by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Rethinking Drinking strives to teach folks about booze and its potential effects. Offering answers for such questions as "Is your 'lite' beer light in alcohol?" and "What counts as a drink?," the site also features a brief questionnaire designed to determine whether your drinking places you at "low risk," "higher risk" or "highest risk" for negative health consequences and alcoholism. While the NIAAA doesn't purport to offer a firm solution to those struggling with alcohol intake, it does serve as a hub for alcohol-related information and suggested avenues of help.

Although the site's aim, and very existence, have us slightly concerned about the extent of our countrypeople's alcohol consumption in response to the financial crisis, we were surprised to read on the site that 35-percent of Americans, still, never drink alcohol. Amazingly, some of us still practice what we preach, regardless of whether our leaders do or not. [From: Rethinking Drinking Via: Wall Street Journal]

Next >> '10 Ways Tech Can Help You Lose Weight and Keep It Off'

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Tags: addiction, alcohol, drinking, niaaa, top, web site, WebSite

Alcohol Shot Gun Serves Drinks -- Right to Your Mouth

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Feb 26th 2009 at 3:48PM

Do you love to drink but get exhausted by having to constantly raise your hand to your mouth? Lucky for you, UrbanTrend.com has a solution. Thanks to the new Alcohol Shot Gun, all you have to do is "pour in an ounce of your favorite drink into the cartridge, cock the trigger, point and shoot."

Once armed with the shotgun, you have license to kill as many brain cells as you please without any wearisome lifting. Even better, you can finally shotgun booze like you've always wanted to without the hassle of a drill bit and those annoying glass shards. Stay tuned, though, as no price or availability details have been released yet. [from Dvice.com]

Beer Bong Gadget Turns Drinking to Game of Chance

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Feb 19th 2009 at 4:01PM

We've heard that there are some folks who want to drink alcohol, but, for some reason or another, don't find drinking to be quite fun enough as it is. We're not sure who those people are, but they'll surely jump for joy when they lay eyes on the Russian Roulette Beer Bong.

The glorified, mechanized funnel asks a drinker to fill its reservoir with beer, place the tube in his or her mouth, spin a carousel of plastic handles shaped like beer bottles, and -- once they come to rest -- pull on one of them. At least one of those handles operates a valve that will, upon being opened, funnel two liters of beer down the surprised user's gullet. Or, it could be that the pulled handle is a dud, leaving the user with no beer at all. The idea is for the circle of would-be drinkers to repeat the process and pass the gadget to the next person in the circle.

Really, what happened to the old-fashioned way: Everybody having a beer and seeing who can drink it the fastest? [From: Urban Trend HK via Walyou]

Related Links:

Tags: alcohol, beer, drinking, drinking game, DrinkingGame, novelty, weird

Car Tech, Computers

In-car Fingerprint Scanner Keeps Drunks, Thieves From Starting Your Car

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Dec 16th 2008 at 8:55AM

How's this for dual purpose? Zhao Wencai and Li Zhoumu, two graduate students at the China University of Geosciences, have concocted a prototype device which checks for two important bits of information before allowing a car to start. First, it scans your fingerprint to make sure you're on the authorized driver database; second, it takes a long, hard look (okay, so maybe 20 seconds isn't all that long) at the sweat on your digit to determine just how sober or inebriated you are. There's no telling when this will hit motorcars en masse, but we'd say the whole thing needs to get a whole lot smaller before it's a viable option. [Via Wired]

Tags: alcohol, china, driving, drunk driving, DrunkDriving, research, safety, scanner, university

Audio/Video, Summer Fun

As Volume Increases So Does the Booze

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Aug 8th 2008 at 6:28PM

Here's a bit of information that probably isn't too shocking -- the louder the bar, the more people drink. Now there is hard scientific evidence to back up what to many probably just seemed like common sense.

According to a study being released in the journal 'Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,' an increase in the decibel level of music within the bar directly correlates to an increase in alcohol consumption by its patrons. Researchers, with the permission of the bartenders of course, set up shop inside a couple of bars in the west of France and had the staff pump up the volume on a top 40 station to between 72 and 88 decibels, just shy of the 90 decibels at which hearing loss can be suffered.

As the volume increased the patrons drank greater amounts of booze, and more quickly. Why? Well, that's not entirely clear, but researchers believe it's either because loud music excites people, causing them to drink more, or because the loud volume makes conversation difficult, which causes bar goers to focus more on their beverage than on their fellow drinkers.

Next time you wake up with a splitting headache after a night of partying, you'll know it might not just be from the booze -- obscenely loud music might also be the culprit. [Source: Scientific American]

Tags: alcohol, bar, drinking, health, killer gadgets, KillerGadgets, music, party, research, science, studies, summernews

Computers

The Computer That Tends Bar

by Tom Conlon (RSS feed) — Aug 15th 2007 at 5:29PM

Boy, it's a good thing 'The Love Boat's' Isaac is no longer on the air to see this one: He, like all of mankind in due time, has been replaced by a robot -- minus the sexual innuendo, of course.

The $2,275 MyFountain is an automatic beverage dispensing system. Yes, other attempts at mechanized imbibery have come before it, but this puppy is a cut above the rest, boasting a touch screen, password and child-proofing protection, and separate lines for different types of beverages (instead of piping beer and wine down the same lines as lemonade and Shirley Temples). There's also the ability to program it with portion control. That means Grandma can self serve herself just enough Scotch to stay buzzed and happy, but not enough to make her cranky and violent.

Best of all, MyFountain is networked, which lets it hop online to retrieve drink recipes, or place orders when the bottles get low.

Now if only you could program it to completely ignore you when you want a drink -- then it would really be like a human bartender. Well, if you're not a blond in a tube top, anyway.

From Shiny Shiny

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Tags: alcohol, automatic, bartender, drink, drunk, robot

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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