Donuts and Yoyos

Vancouver to Yosemite

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000+11:00

Despite the fact that I've been in Yosemite for the best part of 2 weeks, I'm only just getting around to writing this. The trip from Vancouver to Yosemite took about seven days, and was a total of about 2,500 km. I left Mitch's place a bit after lunch on the 10th of October and rolled into the valley on the morning of the 17th. I definitely should have taken more time to do the journey, but I did get to see Mt St Helens, some rugged Washington coastline, and the dunes in Oregon. I also had an amazing day driving down the northern Californian coast and through the giant redwood forests, although I haven't uploaded the pics to Flickr yet. I'll get around to it at some stage...

The Future

2011-10-14T08:34:00.001+11:00

The Future
Originally uploaded by duncanmacinnis

Imagine you had a friend who was always saying something like: "Hurrr, remember that time you dropped our dinner while trying to strain the pasta?" To which you reply: "Yes I do Steve, because you HAVEN'T SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT SINCE IT HAPPENED!" Well, check this out - it's a pot lid with a built in strainer. We're through the looking glass here, people. I've seen the future, and it works.

Leaving Vancouver

2011-10-11T05:42:00.001+11:00

I'm a few hours away from heading out of Vancouver and onwards into the US in my sweet new 1999 Ford Explorer (that I've dubbed Betty). I'll do a more complete entry at some stage, but for now here's a summary: I've drank some good beer, eaten some great food and seen some nice stuff. Vancouver is a pretty sweet city. I also spent some time in a suburb called Hastings. Hastings is not sweet. The zombie apocalypse could happen in Hastings and no one would notice. It may already have happened. Seriously, the sheer volume of insane, smacked out, cracked out, weird people in that suburb is hard to describe. They're so good at weird, that they spontaneously invent new craziness - crazy freestyling, as I like to call it. My favourite was the guy in McDonalds who combined impressively good percussion skills, including foot stomping, with realistic duck noises. I also liked the very wasted-looking dude in his mid-twenties getting around on a mobility scooter with an umbrella tied to it. The picture was completed by his jacket: black, with large stylised marijuana leaves all over it, and in case that was too subtle, it was also covered in the word "weed". Gotcha buddy, you like Mary Jane.
I've also discovered that there are no two taps in this entire goddamn country that are the same. The array of levers, knobs and handles suggests that somewhere there's a guy whose sole purpose in life is to dream up new, ingenious, and incredibly complicated methods of dispensing water. He probably lives in Hastings.

Departure

2011-09-30T05:05:00.001+10:00

Here's a probably uninteresting update, mainly about flying from Sydney to Vancouver. On Tuesday night, Mum, Dad, Angus and I went out for dinner at the Manly Pavilions restaurant. I cleverly decided to end the meal with a short black which meant that I got about 3 hours of fitful sleep - never an excellent way to prepare for a 16 hour plane flight. Anyway, everything went fine and I got on the plane for my flight to LAX.
QANTAS seem to have some kind of affirmative action thing going on, as all their flight attendants were, not too put too fine a point on it, quite old. As my friend Seb said recently, it's good to see the airline keeping people out of retirement homes. Entirely unsurprisingly, the food was terrible and I arrived at LAX feeling like shit. Luckily, transit through customs at LAX was as quick and painless as could be reasonably expected, and most importantly it was a lot less, uh, invasive than I was dreading.
The flight from LAX to Vancouver was uneventful and I slept for most of it. The pilot pointed out Yosemite and Mt St Helens as we flew over. Both were huge and unmissable, and I look forward to checking them out from the ground.
Clearing customs and immigration at YVR was made more painful by the utterly inane conversation of two American businessmen behind me in the queue. I managed not to beat them to death with a stanchion, in an amazing feat of self-control. My mate Mitch had said that he'd try and meet me at the airport, but I couldn't see him, so I wandered out to the skytrain. He'd told me to go to a station that was four blocks from his house, but I cleverly neglected to write down the name of the station. I knew it had "house" in it's name, and managed to guess the right one. Wandering out of the station, I realised that I'd also neglected to write down his phone number. Genius. Luckily I found a Starbucks and got me some free wi-fi, getting both his number and confirming that I'd gone to the correct station. I called him and found that he was still at the airport, looking for me. Oops.
After dropping my stuff at his place, we went for a short walk with his enormous but ridiculously well-behaved dog, Tona. Last night we went out for dinner at a Lebanese place called Nuba with Kaila (Mitch's GF), Tim and Andrea. Despite nary a Lebanese person in sight, it was good. Tim and Andrea headed off to see the Kings of Leon, and Mitch and Kaila took me for a bit of a wander. We had a sneaky drink, then, as I was barely able to keep my eyes open, headed home. I crashed out and got an excellent night of sleep, and am feeling a lot more human now.
This afternoon I plan to take Tona out for a bit of a walk along the seawall. I'll take my p&s and get some piccies. As part of his course to become a personal trainer, Mitch needs to run a certain number of boot camp style things, so I'll head out to that this evening too. Word.

Living the dream

2011-09-11T21:28:00.000+10:00

It's on. For a while I've had this idea that I'd like to do an extended road trip around North America (mostly the US), climbing and whatnot. Since finishing my PhD, I haven't been super successful finding a job that I want to do. I have, however, been working - earning the monies. So, I have the cash, I have no (real) responsibilities and no excuses. Tickets booked, I'm heading to Vancouver to meet my mate Mitch and watch him do a sub three hour marathon, then onwards to Yosemite, Bishop, Hueco and a multitude of places in between. My address as of September 28 will be "No fixed abode", and I'll go where my fancy (and my van) takes me. I can't wait.

Six Foot Track Marathon

2011-03-20T12:40:00.003+11:00

Well, I haven't used this thing for more than a year, but it seems a good place to set down some thoughts about my first ultramaraton, the Six Foot Track. A year ago, I bummed around while my good mates Mitch and Brendon did this race. When Brendon finished, he told me it was the hardest thing he'd ever done. This, I thought, sounded like something I should try. So, six months later I ran the Sydney Marathon, finishing in 3:25, comfortably inside the qualifying time of 4:20. Two months or so after that, I won in the F5 lotto that was the registering process this year (the race was full in about 12 minutes), and I was good to go. Dream, believe, achieve. Yeah.

Brendon, being a scholar and a gentleman, agreed to doing support team duties. Driving to UNSW from Hornsby to pick me up was way beyond the call of duty, and very much appreciated. We then battled back across the inner west, through some pretty bad traffic. Once we got to about Penrith things improved a little, but it was still an epic driving effort from the B Man. About half way up the mountains the heavens opened and it started to piss down. Not just light drizzle, but a proper torrential kind of deal. I told Brendon it was just night rain that would go away once it got properly dark. Neither he nor I was really convinced though. Finally we arrived in Katoomba, picked up my race pack and headed for food. It's amazing how different it was up there. Just out of Sydney and it was proper cold - about 12C or so, and foggy as hell. I had a glass of Six Foot Track shiraz with dinner - how could I not?

I slept terribly. I was in bed a bit before 10 and woke up just about every hour. Brendon got a message on his phone at about 11 and I thought it was the alarm going off telling me to get up. When morning did roll around, I forced down an energy gel with some water and an Up'n'Go and we headed off. The weather forecast said 14-21C, so I decided to wear a t-shirt rather than a singlet, which wasn't the best decision, as it turned out (and not just because the t-shirt doesn't show off my massive guns). We saw the guy who won last year on the shuttle bus. Dude makes me look huge, but hell, I'll never win the Six Foot Track.

The starting area was the biggest congregation of blokes wearing short shorts and enormous watches you're ever likely to see. The organisers had made a special request that people not go to the toilet in the bushes this year, so the lines for the port-a-loos were massive. I had some water, buttered bread and a final energy gel before the start, with a further seven Gu's in my pockets. Carrying Gu's turned out to be a mistake, but I'll talk about that later.

The race starts with a steep, treacherous, difficult downhill section called Nelly's Glen. I've never been quick going downhill, so my plan was to just start in the middle of the pack and take it as it came. The rain the night before had soaked this section and it was particularly treacherous and everyone took it very easy. The first kilometer took fifteen minutes, which gives an idea of the pace.

Going down Nelly's Glen. Taking it easy, not that I really had a choice.

Once down Nelly's Glen, my plan was to haul arse to the Cox's River at about 15km. After a quick toilet stop (one bloke joked that there was no need to stop, you could just wash off in the river - at least I think he was joking), I picked up the pace. This section was easily the most enjoyable, with a good mix of fire trail, unsealed road and single track.

Nice rolling singletrack through fields. About 7km in, I think.

I got stuck behind some clown in avaiators with an iPod for a while. He couldn't hear me asking to pass, so I had to sprint past near a stile. I'm not a fan of running with music at the best of times, but during a race where there is a lot of singletrack, it's downright anti-social. Anyway, having got past the guy, I spent the next 4 or 5km unable to see anyone in front or behind me. It was a tad spooky, and the only people I saw were a couple who looked to be struggling already and a guy who started from wave three. He absolutely zoomed past, but when I got to the Cox's River, he'd just stopped there and was chatting to the RFS volunteers.

Fording the Cox's River. About 15km in and still smiling. Shit is about to get serious though.

After the river crossing is where things get serious. The 6FT is renowned for it's hills, but you genuinely cannot appreciate how big, serious, long and steep they are until you're actually on them. They just keep on going and going. I broke them down into running and walking - "I'll run to that tree up there", "I'll walk to the top of this pinch, then run for a few minutes". Most of the training I did was on the Spit to Manly Walk, where the hills are all steps. There aren't steps in the 6FT. Next year I'll do a lot more running up hills and less running up steps.

I was finding it hard to get fuel into my body. Unlike a road marathon, where aid stations are at predictable regular intervals, the aid stations in this race have to be in spots where it's easy to get a car in to. Given that I was carrying Gu's that have to be eaten with water, I was finding it hard co-ordinate the gel-eating and water drinking. This resulted in a retching episode at the top of one of the mini-hills. The solution is easy - next time I'll carry water in my fuel belt.

I actually made pretty good time up the pluviometer, getting to the top in a touch over 3 hours. The problem is that once you get to the top of the pluvi, there's another ~10km of uphill. It's not steep or sustained, but it's still hard. And you've got another ~10km to go after that. It becomes a matter of gritting your teeth and grinding it out. By this stage I was drinking coke, High 5 energy drink and water at each aid station. Coke is surprisingly awesome in this situation.

The entire hill climb and a lot of the 26km - 35km section was in hot sun. Around about 35/36km however, the sky started to look ominous and grey, and not long after that, the thunder started. The grey skies were certainly a welcome relief from the heat, and the rain from the night before meant that it was incredibly humid. Having chosen to wear a dark t-shirt, I think the sun had a particularly strong effect on me. I'll be wearing a singlet next year, regardless of the weather forecast.

From Caves Rd, it became even harder. I knew my optimistic dream of doing sub 4:30 was long gone, and I watched my average time/km slowly blow out to the point where I knew sub 5 was no longer possible either. I'd been doing the maths in my head the whole way and knew that something between 5:15 and 5:20 was likely, so I made it my goal to go sub 5:20. The last few kilometers are fairly steep downhill, and I was certainly feeling it in my quads by that stage. A lot of runners were blasting past me, but as I was starting to stitch up as well, I just took it pretty easy. By this stage I could hear the cheers at the finish line, even if I couldn't see it yet. From last year I knew what the finish looked like, and hearing the bell at the top of the last descent was great. By this stage the rain was hammering down so I was taking it pretty easy.

Almost there. Feeling pretty sore and keen to be done.

I eventually finished in 5:17. It was a slow year, with the winner this year finishing 15 minutes slower than the winner in 2010, but I was still a bit disappointed in my time. To some extent a niggling injury in my foot is to blame, but whatever the reason, the fact is that I didn't do enough training. It's a hard time of year to be out running, and at least two of my planned major runs got canned due to ridiculous heat. This, along with a few tactical errors resulted in a slower time than I hoped for. Still, qualifying is an achievement, finishing is an achievement, doing a fast time would have been icing on the cake.

In comparison to a road marathon, this race is an order of magnitude harder. Of the 3:25 of the Sydney Marathon, maybe half an hour was really, genuinely hard. Of the 5:17 of the 6FT, about three and a half hours hurt. I was totally, absolutely adamant after the race that I'd never do it again. As with the road run though, the pain fades very quickly, and I think I'll be back next year, better prepared and better trained.Finishing in the rain, with a smile for the camera.

2010

2010-01-02T12:11:00.002+11:00

"...it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last."

A Long December - Counting Crows

TOTD: DJ Vadim - Theme from Conquest of the Irrational

2009-12-02T10:45:00.002+11:00

With the hilarious news that the Australian Liberal Party has chosen the one and only Tony Abbott as their leader, "Theme from Conquest of the Irrational" seems an excellent choice for tune of the day. Delicious.

Welcome to the Battledrome

2009-11-27T14:18:00.001+11:00

Further musings on Nick's ill-informed suggestion that Hauritz is anything other than the best spin bowler in Australia.

Gil Scott-Heron

2009-11-21T12:37:00.002+11:00

Probably best known for quasi-spoken word type tracks like "The revolution will not be televised" and "Whitey on the moon", Gil Scott-Heron has been conspicuously absent for about 15 years, due in no small part to being in jail. Now he's back, doing interviews, and releasing a new album, I'm new here. It's getting some pretty good reviews too. In recognition, here's Esther Phillips' version of Scott-Heron's beautiful "Home is where the hatred is".

Ethio Jazz

2009-11-18T10:52:00.002+11:00

With the recent release of Strut's Mulatu Astatke retrospective, and Oh No's Ethiopium on Stones Throw, Ethio Jazz is, if not So Hot Right Now, at least Moderately Warm at This Point in Time. So, in recognition of this slight increase in temperature, here's Mulatu Astatke's "Yegelle Tezeta":

TOTD: Mayer Hawthorne - The Ills

2009-11-11T11:18:00.001+11:00

You know the ills of the world, they can get you down, but then you get back up!

Red Bantoo

2009-11-05T13:22:00.002+11:00

I got an email from ITM HQ the other day asking if I'd mind slapping together an interview for Red Bantoo. This is how it turned out. They are awesome. That is all.

From the vaults

2009-11-03T16:40:00.001+11:00

Brendon on Vitamin C, Sissy
Originally uploaded by duncanmacinnis

I ported across a bunch of pics that I had posted on 0friction.com into my flickr account (and hard drive). Find them here. I don't think anyone in that set climbs any more, except me. Oh and Stu. There's some reasonable pics in there though, taken on a mixture of film and crappy digital camera. Enjoy!

Some bouldering around Manly

2009-10-31T20:55:00.001+11:00

Some bouldering around Manly
Originally uploaded by duncanmacinnis

A few crags in and around Manly that aren't in the guidebook. There's a bunch of stuff being discovered at the moment, and if you don't know the right people you just don't know about them. Hopefully people will stumble upon this head out somewhere other than Sissy or the Frontline.

Xtra Normal

2009-10-28T16:16:00.001+11:00

I converted a gmail chat conversation with Nick into a video with Xtranormal:

In conclusion: eat a dick, Nick.

Havana Cultura

2009-10-27T10:38:00.001+11:00

Gilles Peterson's latest project aims to showcase Cuban music beyond Buena Vista Social Club. Some jazz, some funk, some hip hop and a bunch of other stuff in the mix. Get a taster here.

Goals

2009-10-21T13:41:00.002+11:00

Short-term goals (this year):

30 push-ups
30 v-ups
20 pull-ups
15 knees to elbows
3 minute plank
150 squats
Run this in less than 20 min.

I started the Plank Challenge (see how long you can hold a plank position) with Mitch and some of his friends. I thought I had reasonable core strength from climbing, but I was wrong, so wrong. I managed 2:04 and was dieing - Mitch's mate Pete busted out 4:04, and Mitch said he was aiming for 5 min plus. I dread to think what his brother Fran is going to do. Anyway, it's good to have something to aim for.

I tried to do a half-Chelsea the other night. A full Chelsea is:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
on the minute for 30 minutes.

So my plan was to do that for 15 minutes - a total of 75 pull-ups, 150 push-ups and 225 squats. That was my aim, anyway. I made it to 7 minutes doing proper pull-ups, 8 minutes doing proper push-ups, and stopped after 10 minutes, thinking my delt's would explode. So yeah, that shit is hard. I'll get better though.

Mitch put together this fitness standards spreadsheet (kinda stolen from CrossFit Seattle), which I'm using as a guideline. I'm also running pretty well at the moment, and am happy with my climbing. I'm also going to start playing Ultimate Frisbee with Steve on Monday nights. Good times.

TOTD: El-p - Tasmanian Pain Coaster

2009-10-15T16:48:00.002+11:00

This was the first track El-p played when I saw him play in February. Dope album, dope track. Word.

What they don't show on TV...

2009-10-13T16:41:00.004+11:00

If you google "what they don't show on tv", the first hit is my flickr photo. Why the fuck anyone would be googling that, I don't know. Flickr stats, an endless source of entertainment.

Benchmark

2009-10-12T21:48:00.002+11:00

I'm trying to add some stuff other than climbing and running into my weekly exercise stuff - mainly in a CrossFit kind of vein. So my new benchmark is:

250 m run followed by 3 times:
10 pullups (strict - no kipping)
250 m run
15 pushups
250 m run
25 situps
250 m run
50 squats
250 m run

Today it took me 28:36. Running after 150 squats hurts. I'll add more when I can be bothered.

Go and skate into an AIDS tree, you motherfucker.

2009-10-07T16:48:00.001+11:00

Thanks to Mitch for passing this on.

International Observer

2009-10-05T20:41:00.002+11:00

Where do I start with this guy? Formerly signed to Richard Dorfmeister's (of Kruder and Dorfmeister fame) epic Different Drummer label, formerly of the Thompson Twins and formerly of New Zealand, Tom Bailey has a new album coming out. Rad. I first saw them (they were "them" back then) play all back in the day as support for Lee Scratch Perry, and their "We Know" popped up on the ever-awesome Kog Records (now apparently defunct) compilation, Dub Combintions 3. I then picked up their "All Played Out" album in a mess of other super stuff, on the cheap from Real Groovy Records in Auckland. His music is on a digi-dub kind of tip, and very, very good.

Where was I going with this? I can't remember... oh wait, I remember now - new album. Sweet.

9a Big Wall

2009-10-01T16:05:00.003+10:00

Spaniards Iker and Eneko Pou have climbed a 13 pitch route in Picos de Europa, Spain, with the hardest pitch going at 8c+/9a. It's called "Orbayu" and is protected by "some original bolts, but most of the rest are wooden pitons, copperheads, micro-friends and nuts..."

Badass? Yeah, just a bit.

TOTD: .Hinge - Mea Culpa

2009-09-30T10:27:00.002+10:00

I picked up this album second hand in a 3 for $10 special from Red Eye solely because it was on Creative Vibes (RIP). It's not the sort of thing I'd usually listen to, but it's pretty good nonetheless.

TOTD: Nickodemus - Sun Children

2009-09-25T14:15:00.001+10:00

The lineup for Days Like This! has been released. Oh yes!

In honour of this epic collection of dopeness, here is Sun Children.

TOTD: Midnight Oil - Put Down That Weapon

2009-09-18T16:55:00.001+10:00

For no other reason than that I really like it:

(Live version, because recorded versions have embedding disabled by request).

Battle cats

2009-09-15T21:44:00.002+10:00

I found myself musing this evening that in the pantheon of great human ideas, putting a saddle on a lion, tiger or panther and sallying forth into battle rarely rates a mention. I was somewhat crushed to discover after roughly 136 seconds of googling various permutations of "battle cat", "battlecat", "tiger saddle" and "riding a tiger into battle", that it probably didn't ever happen. I guess that explains it.

TOTD: Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe so, maybe no

2009-09-11T11:46:00.002+10:00

Mayer Hawthorne released his debut LP the other day. The TOTD is a live version of Maybe So, Maybe No, done in the studio for Radio KCRW. Just gorgeous.

TOTD: Quantic presents Flowering Inferno - Dub Del Pacifico

2009-09-09T13:44:00.002+10:00

Quantic, aka Will Holland has made music as Quantic, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Flowering Inferno and most recently as Quantic and his Combo Barbaro. This track is from his Flowering Inferno album, which has a distinctly dubby influence, but retains the soul, afrobeat and latin influences that pervade all his music.

Recovery runs

2009-09-07T21:55:00.002+10:00

An interesting article on recovery runs.

TOTD: Lefties Soul Connection - Fais Do Do

2009-09-07T16:41:00.000+10:00

Get yo' funk on, Dutch styles.

Englishmen don't dive.

2009-09-06T17:51:00.003+10:00

After the brouhaha surrounding Eduardo's "dive" in the Champions League game between Arsenal and Celtic a few weeks back, John Terry, captain of England and Chelsea, has come out and said that English players are too honest to dive. He appears to be entirely serious too. Perhaps someone should tell him to do a search on "Gerrard dive", "Rooney dive" or even "Cole dive" on youtube. Yep, diving is definitely something that the English lads don't do...

This is also worth your time - Arseblog's response to Terry's ludicrous remarks:

I read this before going to bed last night and, being somewhat in my cups, subjected poor Mrs Blogs to a rather lengthy, and I'm sure tedious, rant about what a humungous, plague-carrying cuntmongrel John Terry is. I spelled out, using the most wicked men in the history of the world, how he soared above all of them, his iniquitous existence a blight on the human race, a stain on us all. I used hand gestures, pie charts, graphs, Powerpoint presentations, empirical research and much more to prove, once and for all, that John Terry is the biggest cunt in the world.

"But why?", said Mrs Blogs.

I sighed.

"Because he's a cunt", I said.

How can he say something like that with a straight face? He plays in various teams with the likes of Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole and he says English players are too honest to dive? He plays with Didier Drogba, has played with him for years and years, yet he still thinks it's ok to talk about diving?

That's like being a mafia henchman and castigating those who go around garotting people and stabbing folk in the throat before shooting them in the head, wrapping them up in plastic, weighing them down and dumping the body at sea.

England play Croatia on Wednesday and apologies to any patriotic Englishmen who want to see their national team do well but I hope Eduardo scores a hat-trick, nutmegging Terry for each goal (one of which will see him go around the keeper, stop the ball on the line, then kneel down and head it in off the ground), before an outrageous Terry dive to try and win a penalty for England explodes both his knees and brings about a grave, and hugely debilitating, case of sudden onset polio and a dose of consumption while he's at it.

I couldn't agree more. Come on Croatia!

TOTD: Nina Simone - Feeling Good

2009-09-06T12:22:00.000+10:00

Because I am.

Risk

2009-09-02T20:07:00.002+10:00

As a motorbike rider and climber, risk and risk management are a particular area of interest for me. On Monday my mate Seb, who got his L's at the same time as I did, had a bit of a bingle on his bike, and I'm currently reading the Boardman Tasker Omnibus. These two things have set me ruminating on risk (again). There's a long post about this lurking somewhere, probably on the other side of thesis submission though. Until then, stay safe y'all.

TOTD: NoFX - Don't call me white

2009-08-24T15:43:00.001+10:00

I'm in a punk kind of mood today. Even back when I wasn't a massive fan of Punk in Drublic, I loved this track. Now I've seen the error of my ways and realised that this is NoFX's best album, but this is still the best track on it. Word.

Peanut Butter Wolf's 45 Live

2009-08-20T12:08:00.003+10:00

I own a ridiculous amount of cd's. True, there are many people who own more than me - my brother for example - but seriously, there's a shitload of them. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's pointless for me to try and switch to collecting vinyl. I have way too much music on CD, and if I was going to collect vinyl it would only be so that I could play it out. It's not going to happen.

So when things like Peanut Butter Wolf's 45 Live are released, it makes me sad.

TOTD: Menahan Street Band - Make the road by walking

2009-08-19T16:09:00.002+10:00

Announced today; the Menahan Street Band are touring in September! In tribute, here is their "Make the road by walking":

From their Myspace:

The Menahan Street Band is a collaboration of musicians from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Dave Guy, Homer Steinweiss, Fernando Velez, Bosco Mann), El Michels Affair (Leon Michels, Toby Pazner), Antibalas (Nick Movshon, Aaron Johnson) and The Budos Band (Mike Deller, Daniel Fodder), brought together by musician/producer Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Budos Band, Amy Winehouse) to record hits in the bedroom of his Menahan St. apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. With influences reaching beyond the funk/soul/afrobeat architecture of their other projects into the more ethereal realms of Curtis Mayfield and Mulatu Astatke, the Menahan Street Band creates a unique new instrumental soul sound that is as raw as it is lush. Their debut album, Make the Road by Walking will be released on Dunham Records, Brenneck’s new imprint of Daptone Records, a joint venture devoted to bringing the Menahan Street sound from Brenneck’s bedroom out into the world. The album is marked by eerily quirky arrangements, featuring vibes, horns, piano, organ, percussion and even a strange bling sound that Brenneck creates by tuning and plucking the strings of his guitar on the wrong side of the bridge. However, it is not the textures themselves that make the new sound of Menahan Street so exciting, but rather the way the sounds are incorporated into the heavy rhythms and bold melodies of the compositions.

Support by Dojo Cuts. I'm excited.

Camera toss

2009-08-18T21:06:00.001+10:00

Too Much Beer, Not Enough Talent
Originally uploaded by Eric A James

This is an excellent flickr group I stumbled across some time ago. The premise is simple - chuck your camera in the air with a long exposure, but some of the images produced are just beautiful. I don't think I'll be chucking my dslr any time soon though.

Tune of the day

2009-08-17T17:05:00.002+10:00

I've decided to start adding a few tunes of the day. Today's tune is Amon Tobin's "Lighthouse", from the Splinter Cell soundtrack:

Have a read about the soundtrack in Cyclic Defrost here.

More football

2009-08-16T10:42:00.002+10:00

Well. Mere hours after I voiced my concerns about the strength of Arsenal's title challenge this year, they put Everton to the sword 6-1. Not a bad way to start the season, it has to be said, with a brace to Fabregas and one for debutant Vermaelen. I'm hoping for a similar scoreline when Sydney play Adelaide this afternoon.

Highlights:

Football.

2009-08-15T13:55:00.004+10:00

Just in case you missed this:

and on the eve of the mighty Sydney FC's first home game, wonder kid Kofi Danning's goal against the Fury from last week:

The EPL kicks off this weekend too. Arsenal play Everton. I'm not feeling particularly optimistic about the Gunner's chances this season, what with Wenger selling Adebayor and Toure, and only buying Vermaelen. Add to that injuries to Rosicky and Nasri, and the lack of depth of the Arsenal squad becomes all too apparent. Celtic are first up in the Champions League too...

Dump Bachman

2009-08-13T10:30:00.002+10:00

You may have been worried that after Sarah Palin quit that Anne Coulter would have to carry the flag for hateful, conservative nutjob females in America. It's ok though, because crazy Republicans are thick on the ground over there, and some of them don't have penises! My favourite is Michelle Bachman of Minnesota. Check out the Dump Bachman blog for more insanity than you could fire an automatic weapon at.

It warms my heart to see the Republicans with a leadership void that makes the NSW Liberal Party's choice of Peter Debnam at the last state election look like an inspired decision.

Car and a job.

2009-08-09T11:42:00.002+10:00

I picked up 14 cd's for NZ$50 from Real Groovy when I was in Auckland a few weeks back for a conference. One of them was Surreal and DJ Balance's Future Classics, which cost me the princely sum of NZ$1. "Car and a job" is my favourite track, which is ironic given that I have neither a car nor a proper job - but "Motorbike and some casual teaching" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Anyway, check it out:

Dope? Why yes, I think you're right.

Peats Ridge

2009-08-08T13:24:00.003+10:00

The first release of artists for this years Peats Ridge Festival has me excited. Here's some thoughts/links what have you about some of the artists:

Astronomy Class: Ozi Batla's (of The Herd) side-project. While I haven't heard much of the new album, their album Exit Strategy is a breezy blend of reggae and hip hop. Ozi Batla's stage presence is always amazing, and he'll no doubt be joined on stage by fellow Elefant Traks artist The Tongue. Good times assured.

Blue King Brown: at times I find their political message a touch over-bearing, but Blue King Brown certainly make good music. Equal parts reggae, afro-beat and funk, with just a hint of hip hop, they've always got me dancing in the past.

Circle of Rhythm: when it comes to whacking stuff, these guys are without peers. Bobby Singh and Ben Walsh also play together in The Bird.

Declan Kelly and The Rising Sun: reggae with a little bit of afro-beat. Last years festival saw Kelly joined onstage by Afro Moses - a highlight of the festival for mine.

Deep Street Soul: last years discovery of the festival. Signed to Freestyle Records, they play deep funk in the New Mastersounds/Meters vein. Seriously, unbelievably, utterly dope.

Deepchild: while he's moved away from the beepy-bleepy dub styles that originally attracted me to his music, the deephouse/minimal/techno that he makes now is equally good. One of Australia's least recognised producers. My review of his latest album "Departure" is here.

Harmonic 313: Mark Pritchard has about a million different aliases that span just about all genres of EDM. Harmonic 313 is his dubstep persona, and it's proper heavy business. Steve Spacek lends his voice to the project too - what's not to like?

The Bird: electronic music propelled by the outstanding percussive talents of Ben Walsh. Pure and utter radness hovering somewhere between d'n'b, dub and indian bhangra. Re-Inventions review.

The Nomad: downbeat electronica heavily informed by dub styles. Originally from NZ, now based in Melbourne (I believe). Choice eh, bro? Selected Works review.

Tiajuana Cartel: another band discovered at last years festival. Bits and pieces of world music and good times.

No doubt there'll be more artists to come, but the line-up is already looking pretty damn tasty. Here's hoping the organisers can improve the sound on the main-stage this year...

Deadline

2009-08-05T15:44:00.002+10:00

I received an email from my higher education institution informing me that if I didn't hand in my thesis by December 31st, I will be un-enrolled. This means I have a deadline imposed by someone other than me! Hurrah!

So, I'll do you a deal: don't ask me about my thesis, and I won't hit you with a mace. Deal?

Socceroos!

2009-08-04T20:16:00.002+10:00

Stu's insightful piece on the countdown to the World Cup in South Africa next year got me thinking. And then I found this, and didn't need to think anymore, because someone else did the thinking for me:

When I sit at the brekkie table, in the post-shiraz fog which has characterized my (happy) life, I thank Divine Providence for three things. I am grateful for Vegemite which restores the delicate balance of an athlete’s physiology; I marvel at the effect of black Aspirin (Coca-Cola from the can); and I am just so pleased that God didn’t confer on me the gift of yelling, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Oi, Oi, Oi.”

Now I feel a deep relationship with the land on which I walk, and its people, and its culture. I know that because I feel it. At home, and away. In my travels around the globe, even when the excitement of new places and people has me on a high, I have a strong sense that Australia remains home.

But I don’t feel any need to express that by wearing a big sombrero and a yellow T-shirt and chanting, “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi.”

However I will admit this: although I find jingoism mindless, and the national chest-thumping which accompanies the Commonwealth Games and other folk festivals ridiculous, there are occasions when the jumper leads of an international sporting fixture will jolt me into Frankensteinian life.

And it sometimes surprises me when it happens. (And when it doesn’t.)

My Offsiders' (Barrie Cassidy’s sports show which follows the must-see Inside Business) colleague, Gerard Whateley and I have been musing over the question onto which Australian sporting side are Australians most projecting their nationalist feelings.

It’s not an insignificant question culturally, and certainly not insignificant commercially. This is about national identity and there are rivers of gold for the sporting administration which can garner support by presenting itself as the embodiment of national aspirations.

For a long time it was the cricket team. From the late nineteenth century until that moment – and we can try to pinpoint the time – when cricket became another product in the sports market. A survey of the national news services will show that cricket is buried three-deep in the sports reports behind the football codes and the barney outside the local night club. And we’re mid-Ashes. (If we’re talking about the trend of the graph, S.C.G. MacGill is not doing much to send it north.)

In Queensland and New South Wales it has been the rugby side (if you drink pinot) and the rugby league side (if you drink Jim Beam). I’d argue that people south of the Barassi Line feel a greater connection to the rugby side, and will watch a test match when it is conveniently scheduled for TV viewing, although given the choice between an early-Saturday-afternoon Bledisloe Cup match from Christchurch, and walking the dog to the TAB to put on a Flemington quaddie, the quaddie would start favourite.

This year the industrial dispute that is Australian rugby (not quite as bad as the industrial dispute that is Caribbean cricket – yet) and the fact that Australia is the outsider in Tri-nations betting ($3.55 on Betfair) haven’t served the cause.

Forget about the national rugby league side.

It’s not only teams. Sometimes individuals carry with them a groundswell of nationalist support. There will be some enthusiasm for Adam Scott in the British Open (but that’s not so much nationalist sentiment as it is the best wishes to a bloke who’s found a decent spot for his slippers) as there was for Sam Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon.

Not to forget motor-racing and its appeal to our inner (national) bogan (as Catherine Deveny would say). I was surprised the tabloids didn’t print a lift-out when Mark Weber won pole-position on the weekend. I’d love to know what went on in the editor’s office when he crossed the line first at Nurburgring.

Then there is the slightly different form of attachment precipitated by the national game. Indigenous in nature, it captures something of what it means to live on this continent – for those who find it meaningful. And many at the MCG and sitting in front of TVs from Yelarbon to Yallourn to Yuendumu felt whatever that connection might be during Liam Jurrah’s first half yesterday.

But I think over the next 12 months it will be the Socceroos (as Gerard Whateley suggests) who find themselves the principal national team. Partly because of the respect for the depth of world football. Partly because it is fresh and growing. Partly because the team is on the rise.

But also because the mainstream commercial media have turned: they can no longer ignore the advertising dollars that their coverage of soccer will bring.

While this love of soccer has always existed in sections of the Australian community the mainstream media have worked to protect the minor empires that have been the local skippy codes. That has changed.

Which brings me to the other reason. Enough of us now imagine ourselves to be citizens of a genuinely multicultural nation, and soccer is profoundly symbolic of that.

Sorry Ricky Ponting and Cricket Australia, as important as you are in the national culture, your spot is being challenged.

While it does ignore the fact that our national squad is aging, and their don't appear to be any new Harry Kewell's on the horizon, there's no doubt that The World Game has more support in Australia than ever. Let's hope FFA have the future of Australian football in hand...

Clifford Stoll

2009-07-31T12:49:00.002+10:00

I've found that my data analysis goes much faster if I listen to talks or podcasts while I work. Yesterday I came across Clifford Stoll's TED talk. Clifford Stoll wrote a brilliant book called The Cuckoo's Egg back in 1989 or so about his experiences tracking a hacker. I think I read it in primary school, and remember dad yelling at me because I bent the front cover. Oops. Anyway, he's also an astronomer and an absolute lunatic, but an interesting lunatic. So watch the video, and if you have any suggestions about podcasts etc., hit me back.

More money and football

2009-07-24T10:32:00.003+10:00

According to The Daily Mail, Spanish club Getaffe have struck a deal with Burger King whereby the club strip features a large Burger King logo on the front. All good, if somewhat tacky looking, so far. What's not good is "Burger King" mask on the inside of the shirt, intended to be displayed in the event of a goal being scored. The Daily Mail finish their article with:

If ever there was a celebration that deserved a yellow card, it will be this.

Pretty much.

Map My Run

2009-07-23T10:50:00.002+10:00

Two thingshave resulted in me running more lately. First, I've been spending absurd amounts of time sitting in front of this computer processing data. Not climbing or running would just be unthinkable, plus I'd get fat. I do not wish to get fat. Second, Brendon has moved a) back to Australia, and b) just down the road. That guy brings the psyche. Wait - three things. The dick-snap residents who live near the North Sydney Anzac Club complained about the noise from futsal, so it got cancelled. We're moving to a new venue in August, but no futsal for 4 weeks. Lame.
So I've started using MapMyRun, which, believe it or not, allows you to map and track your runs. It has a godawful user interface, probably designed by a 12 year old kid with ADHD, that makes Windows Vista look like the most intuitive piece of design ever, but hell, it's free. Anyway, my Goal (note big G) for the month when I'm not playing futsal is to run 50 miles. 20km a week ain't really no thang, but it'll help keep the inexorable decline into middle-aged portliness at bay. Brendon still wants to do adventure races, but seeing as neither of us have mountain bikes (and I have no decent stream of income with which to purchase one), that could be a while off. I still have doing a marathon on my list of things to do before I die, but my plans to do the Sydney marathon this year have been abandoned.
Anyway, even if I'm not anywhere near as fit as I was at 18, I still haul arse. It is kinda hard to believe I could do a sub 9 minute 3000m at 16 though. My aim is to find a good balance between stick man 16 year old Duncan, and slightly muscley climber Duncan. I'll let you know how it goes.

Splashing the cash

2009-07-19T20:02:00.002+10:00

I've been paying much more attention to the football transfer market this season. In particular, the ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around by Real Madrid and Manchester City. I hate the "throw around heaps of money and success will follow" mentality of these clubs, and I dislike the fact that players like Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor would go to a club that isn't even playing in the Europa Cup next season. These sentiments are summed up excellently by this fine comic (from the Arsenal FC blog, via somewhere else).

Anyway, I hope Arsenal use the 25 million odd pounds that they're getting for Adebayor to get a decent new striker. Real Madrid's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is after a new home... I also hope that Real Madrid and Manchester City fail abjectly this season.

New rock

2009-07-18T16:08:00.002+10:00

I went out with Brendon this morning in search of some new blocs that were found in Clontarf. We found them, and they're dope. We didn't get to do any climbing due to the fact that they were still wet from yesterdays rain (and I forgot my chalkbag), but we'll be back for sure. We also went and checked out another area I found a few years ago, and it's better than I remembered.

Pysched!

An update

2009-07-16T17:55:00.002+10:00

I've decided to update this thing a bit more often. It's been going since February 2008, and I'm up to like 103 inane and uninteresting posts, cluttering up the tubes. Since I started, Twitter has gained popularity (*shakes fist). In my first ever donutsandyoyos post I said:

I've always thought it rather conceited that bloggers think they have anything worth saying, and hell, I probably don't.

103 odd posts have shown that I certainly do not have anything remarkable to say, but I'm going to continue. If blogging is conceited, however, I don't know what twittering is. Does anyone really give a shit about the everyday minutiae of your existence? Not me, that's for sure. Still, I'm going to use this bad boy to share my ill-informed and poorly written ramblings, as well as cool stuff I find on the intertubes. Just because. Which is the kind of mentality that makes people start twittering (I assume), but at least this thing's only read by like 3 people, and they already know I'm an asshat.

So, in the absence of anything useful to say at this point, I'll direct your attention to totallylookslike instead.

Let's blow this fascist popsicle stand!

2009-07-15T16:12:00.002+10:00

I often use this phrase, but wasn't aware of it's origins, and noone I asked ever did either. So, it's with great pride that I can reveal I googled it, and it's from The Simpsons. That blogger that found the under-aged Chinese gymnast ain't got shit on my internet detective skills, yo. In my interweb travels I also found this. Worth a read, I reckon.

On a completely unrelated topic, I've been loving me some Mayer Hawthorne lately. "Maybe So, Maybe No" and "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" are some kind of super-rad. Hear bits of the upcoming album here. There's also a dope podcast on the Stones Throw channel. Find it.

Uncommon

2009-06-02T12:11:00.002+10:00

I'm sure this has been said before, and almost certainly by someone more eloquent than I, but it's amazing just how uncommon common sense is. Having done a lot of teaching this session, it amazes me just how stupid otherwise intelligent people can be when it comes to practical matters. Don't get me started on common courtesy either...

Conservative nutjobs

2009-04-09T09:00:00.002+10:00

The ever-enlightening Huffington Post brought my attention to the creation of a fund to help Sarah Palin pay her legal fees in the Troppergate probe. Named "Sarah Palin's War Chest", it was set up by the nutjobs at FreeAmericanCitizens.org, at the instigation of Bill O'Reilly. Ha! Anyway, this quote from the HuPo article piqued my interest:

I think she has been abused," he said. "I think she has been abused by the news media. And here is the thing, a lot of people may not like the idea of a woman being a leader. But who is the best protector of the children? A woman on the playground will protect a child in harm and then they say they can't be leaders? But they are the best protectors.... People don't look at that, people don't see it, but mothers are nurturers.

[Clayton Paslay, of FreeAmericanCitizens.org, on Palin]

So I checked out their website. Under the heading "Our Reasons" can be found the delightfully disparate policies of opposing compulsory wearing of seatbelts (no shit), legalising the hiring of illegal immigrants and the promotion of abstinence in sex education. I'm not really going to try and add anything other than pointing and laughing. I'm especially amused that a group supporting Palin is all for illegal workers, and also find it pretty amusing that despite Bristol Palin's baby, these people still support abstinence. Stupid people - they're everywhere.

I have a lot of crap

2009-03-31T22:57:00.002+11:00

Every time I move I become aware of just how much crap I have. Three helmets (bicycle, climbing and now motorbike), nine pairs of climbing shoes, four climbing ropes (two singles and a pair of doubles), some 700 odd CD's, seven camera lenses, five backpacks of various sizes - the list goes on. So I'm rationalising the amount of shit that I have. There's a big bag of clothes going to St. Vinnies and at least three pairs of climbing shoes are being donated to UNSW Outdoors Club. In the unlikely event that someone reading this wants a kit lens from a Canon 350D or Canon 3000 film camera, let me know. I'm keeping all my CD's though.

I am a rolling stone.

2009-03-13T11:56:00.002+11:00

Having lived in about 6 different places in the last 18 months, I thought I'd found a place where I could settle for a while. Wrong. Our douche bag real estate agent has decided that we are a bunch of sketch bags and so sent us an eviction notice. Rami talked to him, and sorted it out, but we've decided to pull the pin anyway, so it's back to Fairlight for me. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as my scholarship runs out at the end of April, but I really like living in Surry Hills. Anyway, here are the pros and cons of moving out:

Pro's
-no rent
-I don't have to pay for food
-I get to ride my motorbike to uni
-living close to the boys from school

Con's
-not being in Surry Hills
-moving back in with Mum and Dad (sorry Mum and Dad, but once you move out it's hard to go back - I'm sure you understand)
-being miles away from radness
-not being able to walk everywhere

Ugh. Anyway, no doubt it will be ok, I'm pretty fucking over moving though.

Woah.

2009-02-24T17:53:00.001+11:00

I felt it was necessary to share this slice of radness: The Enduring Legacy of Point Break. Awesome.

Runnin'

2009-02-21T14:35:00.002+11:00

This dispatch is nothing to do with the awesome Pharcyde track - although I am super disappointed to have missed Pharcyde last week. All four of them, plus Supernatural! Unfortunately they were playing at Good Vibes Festival, and I'd rather slam my dick in a car door than hang out with a Sydney festival crowd these days. Yes, I'm old and jaded and cynical. Fuck you.

Anyway, I digress. I've been seriously lacking psych for climbing for a couple of months, and the lack of physical activity has led to a noticeable increase in body fat. I'm not fat, don't get me wrong, but I've NEVER experienced this before. So, I've started running again. I've always wanted to do a marathon, but I know I can do this, so my goal is more than just to finish. I'd like to do a sub 2 hour half marathon in May, then a sub 4 hour marathon in September, both in Sydney. I'm currently doing about 25km per week, which will need to be up around 50-60km per week in the lead up to the half, and more than 90km per week for the marathon. I'll provide updates over the coming months. Now, I'm off for a run.

Throwing my hat in the ring

2009-02-14T22:39:00.002+11:00

A friend brought my attention to the Richard Casement internship offered annually by The Economist. Their aim is to find scientists who can write rather than writers who can science, so I figure I may as well throw my hat into the ring. Whether or not I will have finished my thesis or will have the money to support myself for 3 months in London is something I'm choosing not to think about at the moment...

Genes and beer

2009-01-21T15:11:00.001+11:00

For your reading enjoyment, the nerdier bit of my thesis intro. Mmm, genes...

Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae important in flavour production

There are a number of genes in yeast that play a pivotal role in yeast metabolism and the associated production of flavour compounds (Verstrepen et al. 2003b; Swiegers et al. 2006; Saerens, S. et al. 2008b). Different strains of yeast have been shown to produce different levels of metabolites under identical growth conditions, and it is genetic variation that is thought to account for these differences (Swiegers et al. 2006). While it is very difficult to source identical raw materials for each brew or wine fermentation, it is thought that a better understanding of how variation in amounts of amino acid content, metal ion levels and so on affect gene expression may lead to the ability to make a more consistent product (Bromberg et al. 1997; Younis and Stewart 1999; Pretorius and Bauer 2002; Verstrepen et al. 2003c; Swiegers et al. 2006).

Genes involved in the Ehrlich Pathway

There are multiple genes able to catalyse each step of the pathway, and the major enzyme responsible for each step depends on the amino acid being degraded (Hazelwood et al. 2008). The initial reversible transamination step is catalysed by BAT1 and BAT2 (branched-chain amino acids), or ARO8 and ARO9 (aromatic amino acids) (Eden et al. 2001; Vuralhan, Z et al. 2005), although both ARO8 and ARO9 both appear to have a broader substrate specificity than originally reported. ARO9 in particular is up-regulated in glucose-limited chemostats with phenylalanine, methionine and leucine as the sole nitrogen source (compared to yeast grown with a nitrogen source not involved in the Ehrlich pathway) (Godard et al. 2007).

The decarboxylation step is irreversible and commits the 2-oxo acid product of transamination to the Ehrlich pathway. There are four genes thought to play a role in the decarboxylation step: the pyruvate decarboxylases encoded by PDC1, PDC5 and PDC6, and ARO10 (Ter Schure et al. 1998; Vuralhan, Z et al. 2005). Previously it was thought that THI3 encoded an enzyme with decarboxylase activity, but recently it has been suggested that it plays a regulatory role instead (Vuralhan, Z. et al. 2003; Vuralhan, Z et al. 2005).

The fate of the resulting aldehyde is thought to depend on the redox state of the cell. While the oxidation of the aldehyde consumes NAD(P)⁺ and produces NAD(P)H, the reduction consumes NADH, yielding NAD⁺. It has been demonstrated that any one of Adh1p, Adh2p, Adh3p, Adh4p, Adh5p or Sfa1p can catalyse the formation of fusel alcohols, and Ypr1p and Gre2p have been shown to have activity towards 2-methylbutyralaldehyde and isovaleraldehyde respectively (Dickinson et al. 2003; Hazelwood et al. 2008). S. cerevisiae also harbours seven putative aryl alcohol dehydrogenases, but these do not appear to play a role in the pathway (Dickinson et al. 2003). It is thought that the aldehyde dehydrogenases, Ald4p, Ald5p and Ald6p are responsible for the synthesis of fusel acids, with Ald6p playing the major role (Saint-Prix et al. 2004; Hazelwood et al. 2008).

The alcohol acetyl transferases

There are two enzymes responsible for acetate ester synthesis in S. cerevisiae; the alcohol acetyl transferases, Atf1p and Atf2p (Mason and Dufour 2000). Acetate esters may be formed by a spontaneous chemical reaction, but their rate of accumulation is too high for this to account for their levels in wine and beer. In 1964 Nordstrom demonstrated that they are formed by the action of an “ester synthase” (Nordstrom 1964), but it wasn’t until 1994 that ATF1 was identified (Fujii et al. 1994), while ATF2 was isolated in 1998 (Nagasawa et al. 1998). Atf1p plays the major role in acetate ester synthesis, accounting for 80% of isoamyl acetate synthesis. Atf2p accounts for the majority of the remaining isoamyl acetate, however the ATF1/ATF2 double mutant still retains some AATase activity (Verstrepen et al. 2003c). At the deduced amino acid level, the two genes are 36.9% identical and both contain a heptapeptide sequence, WRLICLP, which is unique to these proteins in the S. cerevisiae genome (Mason and Dufour 2000; Van Laere et al. 2008). Both also contain the HXXXD motif present in the enzyme superfamily that includes the plant alcohol acyltranferases. However, neither contains the DFGWG motif that is highly conserved in the BAHD enzyme family of plant enzymes (D'Auria 2006).

ATF1

Construction of an ATF1::GFP fusion construct by Verstrepen and co-workers led them to conclude that Atf1p localises to the lipid particles, along with many other proteins, most of which are involved in lipid metabolism (Athenstaedt et al. 1999; Verstrepen et al. 2004). ATF1 expression is profoundly affected by environmental conditions. The presence of oxygen directly represses ATF1 expression, as does the presence of unsaturated fatty acids (both properties shared by the D9 fatty acid desaturase gene, OLE1) (Fujiwara et al. 1998; Mason and Dufour 2000; Verstrepen et al. 2003a). Interestingly, the lower the melting temperature of the fatty acid, the stronger their repressive effect on the transcription of ATF1 (Fujiwara et al. 1999). ATF1 transcription can also be effected by factors as diverse as carbon and nitrogen availability, temperature and zinc availability (Mason and Dufour 2000; Verstrepen et al. 2003a; Verstrepen et al. 2003b). Given that it is the expression of the alcohol acetyl transferase genes, rather than substrate availability, that plays the major role in acetate ester synthesis, any factor that effects transcription also effects final ester concentrations (Verstrepen et al. 2003c).

ATF2

It was recently found that ATF2 plays a role in sterol acetylation, a process necessary for the export of sterols and steroids from the yeast cell. Briefly, ATF2 was found to be responsible for the non-specific acetylation of sterols and steroids. These acetylated compounds are then deacetylated according to the substrate specificity of the deacetylase Say1p, with the acetylated compounds then being exported out of the cell in what is presumed to be a vesicle mediated process (Tiwari et al. 2007). This is in accordance with the earlier findings of Cauet and co-workers, who found that a strain of S. cerevisiae lacking ATF2 was unable to acetylate pregnenolone, and that this led to an observable toxic effect (Cauet et al. 1999). Atf2p is an integral membrane protein of the ER that contains at least two transmembrane domains with both termini oriented towards the lumenal compartment (Tiwari et al. 2007). A mean hydrophobicity index of –0.36 and sub-cellular fractionation data suggests that Atf2p is a mainly soluble protein (Mason and Dufour 2000).

Physiological role of Atf1p and Atf2p

A bioinformatic analysis of AATases from various yeast species found that while Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts have two genes encoding AATases, more distantly related yeasts have only one orthologue. In those yeasts with just one AATase gene, the protein sequence was found to be most similar to ATF2. It is thought that the presence of two AATase genes may be due to a whole genome duplication (WGD) event thought to have occurred during the evolution of ascomycetous fungi (Wolfe 2004; Van Laere et al. 2008). Van Laere et al. suggest that in S. cerevisiae, ATF2 retained the initial function of AATase’s pre WGD, while ATF1 developed a new, specific function, most likely involved in anaerobic lipid metabolism (Van Laere et al. 2008). While these authors do not mention the work of Tiwari and co-workers, it seems likely that function of ATF2 type AATases is to acetylate sterols and steroids for detoxification (Tiwari et al. 2007). The precise physiological role of ATF1, and indeed acetate ester synthesis remains unclear. However, the findings of Delneri et al., that the heterozygous diploid ATF1 mutant is haploinsufficent in glucose limited, ammonium limited and phosphate limited conditions (Delneri et al. 2008), suggest that ATF1 has a physiological role beyond the synthesis of acetate esters.

IAH1

IAH1 is an esterase that breaks down acetate esters (Fukuda et al. 1996). Originally named EST2, the protein was found to lack the GSXSG consensus motif of serine type esterases and lipases. However, it was assumed that the similar AXSXG pentapeptide sequence was the active site (Fukuda et al. 1996). This observation, as well as the fact that the enzyme was completely inhibited by diisopropyl fluorophosphate and partly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, led to the conclusion that Iah1p was a serine type carboxylesterase (Fukuda et al. 2000). Using various overexpression constructs and the DIAH1 and DATF1 strains, it was found that isoamyl acetate production in a sake brew was a result of the balance of expression of these two genes. The authors found that overexpression of ATF1 was more significant in isoamyl acetate ester production than IAH1 levels, however (Fukuda et al. 1998).

Plans

2009-01-20T21:41:00.002+11:00

People say to me: "What do you plan to do when you finish your thesis?" To which I reply: "Get really drunk". Then they say: "No, I mean in the long term." I reply: "Yeah, so do I."

Flying Lotus

2009-01-19T14:51:00.003+11:00

It took me a while to get why everyone is so excited about Flying Lotus. But with every man and his dog listing his Los Angeles album in their top 10 for 2008, I decided to check it out. It is, it must be said, the dog's bollocks. His set at Days Like This festival was an absolute highlight, and he was kind enough to let people take photos with him afterwards (sorry dude, I was pretty drunk by that stage). Also of note is his astoundingly good essential mix done for BBC Radio.

Tracklisting:

Alice Coltrane - Galaxy in Turiya
Charlie Hayden+ Egberto Gisomonti / Gonjasufi - Testament
Flying Lotus - Massage Situation *stripped*
Dimlite - Sun Sized Twinkles
Flying Lotus - RobertaFlack Ft. Dolly
Flying Lotus - RobertaFlack (Mike Slott Reflunk)
Ahu - I know all the bitches (Bullion Remix)
Heralds of change - Amuse
Carlos Y Gaby - Happy Summer Solstice
Pudge - Yung Infamous
Dorothy Ashby - Myself when young
Nosaj Thing - Bach
LL - Turf Day
Flying Lotus - Infinitum (Dimlite Remix)
Clark - Springtime Epigram
Burial - Shutta
Blank Blue - Blank Blue (Flying Lotus Remix)
Daedelus - Im String Struck
MHE - Untitled
Daedelus / Madvillain - Experience/Accordion (Flying Lotus Live Remix) 35:16 “Shit”
Hudson Mohawke - Zoo0000oom
Rustie - Black Block Remix
Teebs+JackHigh - idea 1 (Clutch)
MatthewDavid - tallahassee tapes
Martyn / Flying Lotus - Vancouver+Pet Monster Shotglass
Fulgeance - Chico (Dorian Concept Remix)
Joker - Solid State
Rusko - Moanerz
Daddy Kev - Invite8
Ras_G - Star Messenger
Madlib - Unreleased Gem
SAMIYAM - Cheesecake Backslap
Knowledge - Dawn
FlyAMSam - Princess Toadstool
Sa-Ra - Hollywood
Muhsinah / Flying Lotus - With me/ Melt
Flying Lotus - Dissecto
Flying Lotus - Breathe
Mike Slott - Home
Flying Lotus - Sangria Spin Cycles (ambient mix)
Danny Breaks - Cosmic Dust
Flying Lotus - Beginners Falafel - (Free the robots remix)
SAMIYAM - Falafel Cannon
Flying Lotus - Beginners Falafel
Slum Village - Players (Instrumental)
Flying Lotus - Cackle
Flying Lotus - Raise it up
Osborne - definition of a breakdown
Baron Zen - Burn Rubber (Dam-Funk Remix)
Mono/Poly - NeedsDeodorantBitch
Chocolate Star / Nelly Furtado - Stay with me/Promiscuous
Gonjasufi - Suzie Q
Kiing Midas - Lost (Flying Lotus Live Remix)
Rusko / Flying Lotus - Terminal3 /Tea Leaf Dancers Live Remix
Daedelus - Hours Minutes Seconds (Beat Invitational Version)
Kode9+Flying Lotus - Kryon
Zomby - Spliff Dub (Rustie Remix)
Busta Rhymes - What Up
SAMIYAM - Crystal Lake
Weather Report - River People
SAMIYAM - Flintstone Car
Flying Lotus - Backpack Caviar
Radiohead - Reckoner (Flying Lotus Remix)
Bjork - All is full of Love
Broadcast - Winter Now
Portishead - Elysium
Linda Perhacks - Hey now who really cares
Flying Lotus - Infinitum (Exile Remix)
Flying Lotus - Live Set Practice run

Radness.

Australian Test side

2009-01-15T16:07:00.002+11:00

Reading Stu's thoughts on the Test side, and Christian Ryan's Cricinfo article about the Australian selectors obsession with selecting an all-rounder got me thinking about the Australian team, and more specifically, who I'd select for the SA tour. So, my thinking is that we don't really have a genuine all-rounder like Jacques Kallis, so six batsmen, a keeper and four bowlers, including a specialist spinner.
The first five batsmen are relatively easy:
Katich
Jaques (Hughes should go on the tour to gain experience though)
Ponting
M. Hussey
Clarke

After a glittering 169 against New Zealand last year, Brad Haddin has definitely established himself as Gilchrist's replacement with the gloves and at number seven.

Mitchell Johnson (ranked number 7 in the ICC all-rounder player rankings, and number 4 in the bowler rankings), and Stuart Clarke (third ranked Test bowler in the world) get the first two bowling spots, which leaves three positions: a number 6 batsman, a spinner and another pace bowler.

Despite the fact that it's tempting to pick someone a little younger, it's hard to ignore the mountains of runs that David Hussey has made in both Australian domestic cricket and County cricket. So while it's tempting to pick someone younger (like Hughes, for example), D. Hussey gets the nod due to the fact that the Ashes series follows South Africa, and an in-form David Hussey would be an invaluable weapon for that series. His ability to contribute useful offspin also counts in his favour. Brad Hodge can count himself as one of the most unlucky batsmen in history, but at 34 he's probably just a bit too old.

Spinner: I had a bit of a look at spinners a few months back. Since that time Krejza has been dropped in favour of Nathan Hauritz. I like the cut of Hauritz's jib. He doesn't take heaps of wickets, but he is very economical, and unlike Krejza, he's able to tie down an end. He gets the nod from me, although I still have no idea what Beau Casson did to get pushed down the list of Australian spinners.

With Brett Lee out until the Ashes, choosing a third fast bowler comes down to Hilfenhaus, Bollinger and Siddle. Basically, Hilfenhaus swings it heaps, Bollinger can swing it and bowls good line and length and Siddle is really fast. My pick is Bollinger over Siddle due to the fact that Siddle seems to be a bit hot and cold. So my team would look like this:

Katich (captain)
Jaques
Ponting
M. Hussey (vice captain)
Clarke
D. Hussey
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Clark
Bollinger

with both Hughes and Siddle at least also on the tour. Making Katich captain would allow Ponting to just score a shit-ton of runs, and stop him from making rubbish tactical decisions. Mike Hussey gets vice captain because Clarke's tendency to refer to himself in the third person pisses me off.

President Goofus vs President Gallant

2009-01-15T12:35:00.001+11:00

A link, for your viewing pleasure.

Peats Ridge reveiw

2009-01-09T14:30:00.002+11:00

I spent the end of 2008 at Peats Ridge Festival with Stu and Sonja, and was lucky enough to snag a review spot for ITM. Review is now up here.

The Australian Flag

2009-01-03T21:26:00.003+11:00

I'd like to propose a simple question that should be asked before anyone is allowed to buy an Australian flag:

The Australian flag is:
a) an excellent piece of material with which to make a cape
b) allowed to touch the ground
c) none of the above you disrespectful fucking douche bag

Failure to answer correctly will result in a swift slap to the back of the head, and permission to buy the flag being denied.

Making people explode

2008-12-04T22:21:00.002+11:00

It's been a while since I posted anything. I bought a motorbike. It's rad. However, the reason for this short missive from the 2010 is to share this delectable piece from the Huffington Post. I particularly like:

How screwed are the Republicans right now? Put it this way: the sanest contender in the above list is named "Bush." Yes, Bush: a name that proved to be even less popular this year than the name "Hussein." Yet there he is front and center.

Read it. Read it now - especially you, Foster.

Vrooom

2008-11-14T23:00:00.001+11:00

After doing my pre-learner course last weekend with Seb, I did my motorbike license theory test today. The upshot of which is that I have a learner motorbike license. Oh. Yeah.

Picking a specialist spinner pays off

2008-11-07T18:50:00.002+11:00

Jason Krejza has just returned the 8th best figures for a bowler on debut. Makes you wonder what would have happened if they'd picked a specialist spinner from the off. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but India still managed to compile a solid total for Australia to chase. It's looking like it could be a good Test match.

The search for a spinner

2008-11-05T14:28:00.003+11:00

With both SMH and Cricinfo speculating that off-spinner Jason Krejza may make his test debut in the fourth Test against India, it seems the time is right to have a bit of a look at the Australian spin bowling stocks. Krejza seems an odd choice. The 25 year old has only 24 games of first class cricket to his name, with a bowling average of 50 and a relatively solid batting average of 23. However, in a game earlier in this tour of India against the Board President's XI, he returned the very unflattering figures of 0 for 199 for the match, with the figures of 0 for 76 from 11 overs in the second innings. In the Sheffield Shield last season (well done Sanitarium for giving the competition it's proper name back, by the way), Krejza took 18 wickets at an average of 47 in seven games for Tasmania. He has yet to take 5 wickets in an innings. So who else could fill the gap left by the retirement of Warne and MacGill? Let's start with the current choice: Cameron White.
White is also 25 and currently holds a Cricket Australia contract. He's a handy batsman, with a first class average of 40. His first class bowling average is somewhat less flattering, standing at 38. He became captain of Victoria in 2003/04 at the age of twenty, making him the states youngest ever captain. In 2007/08 he guided Victoria to the finals of all three forms of the game, but returned only 6 wickets at an average of 47 in Sheffield Shield. White has described his own bowling as nothing special, and his returns in the first 3 tests would seem to back this up. Interestingly, Simon Katich has a better first class bowling average (37), while Michael Clarke's bowling performance's at Test level have proved him to be a handy contributor with the ball. White is not an out and out wicket taker, and with Katich and Clarke in the team, his part time leggy's seem superfluous. As a one-day player White has a solid batting average of 26 at a strike rate of 108, with a bowling average of 30, suggesting that he may be more suited to the shorter form of the game at international level. Suitability as a replacement for Warne/MacGill: low.
Next up, another currently contracted player: Beau Casson. Casson, also 25, moved to NSW from WA after the 2005/06 season. His first class batting average is 36, while his bowling average is 41. However, his Sheffield Shield figures for 2007/08 are more impressive: 29 wickets at 35 and 485 runs at 60 made it a good season for the left armer. This led to Casson being selected for the tour of the Windies earlier this year, where he returned the respectable match figures of 3 for 129 on debut. Despite this, Krejza and Bryce McGain were chosen to go to India. Ali Cook of Cricinfo points out that the performance of Katich, especially in the third Test, is proof that Cricket Australia should have taken Casson to India. As a handy batsman and a spinner able to extract good turn, Casson would seem to be a better choice than either Krejza or White. Suitability as a replacement for Warne/MacGill: moderate.
Bryce McGain: A 36 year old, McGain struggled to get a berth in a Victorian side that boasted Shane Warne, Colin Miller and Cameron White amongst its slow bowlers. In 2007/08 he took an impressive 38 wickets at 34 - the most of any spinner in Sheffield Shield. McGain boasts a first class bowling average of 33, but his batting average is only 12. However, with Lee, Johnson and Clark all relatively handy with the bat, McGain doesn't necessarily have to contribute. The main thing that counts against him as a long term proposition is his age. While unable to play in India due to injury, he is still probably the best suited as a replacement for Warne/MacGill, but like Brad Hogg before him, he's just not going to be around for that much longer. Warne and MacGill were wicket takers, and that is what McGain appears to be too. Suitability as a replacement for Warne/MacGill: high (in the short term).
Nathan Hauritz: While Hauritz was left out of the Blues squad for the October 8 Sheffield Shield match, his performance for the Blues in the Ford Ranger Cup game that I went to on the weekend demanded his inclusion here. Defending 270-odd, the Blus got away to a horror start after Burt Cockley and Moises Enriques were taken for more than 10 runs per over each for the first 6 or so overs. Hauritz was brought on and immediately pulled the run rate back, going for 7 runs from his first 3 overs. While he didn't take any wickets, his ability to stem the flow of runs was impressive. Hauritz played a single Test for Australia in 2004, in which he returned figures of 5/103. However, like Cameron White, his figures suggest that he is more suited to the shorter form of the game, a sentiment that the NSW selectors apparently share. With first class averages of 16 and 49 for his batting and bowling respectively it would seem that a Test call-up is unlikely any time soon, but I still like the cut of his jib. In terms of filling the Warne/MacGill void he doesn't seem particularly suitable unfortunately. Suitability as a replacement for Warne/MacGill: low.
Dan Cullen: With Cullen Bailey struggling to hold onto a spot with the Redbacks, Dan Cullen has emerged as the more likely of the two to step up to the next level. After taking 43 wickets at 30 in his second summer in 2005-06, Cullen took only 18 at 49 in 07/08. He has a first class bowling average of 42 and returned match figures of 1/54 in his only Test. While Cullen has undoubtedly dropped down the list, he definitely deserves consideration. Suitability as a replacement for Warne/MacGill: moderate.
In the short term at least it seems that Bryce McGain is the most suitable replacement for Warne/MacGill, but in the longer term is has to be said that Beau Casson is probably best placed after his solid, if not remarkable debut in the West Indies. He also has the ability to contribute with the bat and is still relatively young. Still, it will be interesting to see how Krejza performs, if he's given the chance - it's likely that the selectors know more about cricket than I do...

Attribution of polar warming to human influence

2008-11-04T16:35:00.002+11:00

A freely available article published in Nature Geoscience this week has established that polar warming is due to human activity:

Our findings demonstrate that anthropogenic influence is detectable in Antarctic land surface temperature, and distinguishable from a naturally forced response... In the Arctic, some authors have suggested that observed Arctic temperature changes are inconsistent with climate model predictions and dominated by internal variabilityand indeed so far no formal attribution studies of Arctic temperature change exist. We find that anthropogenic influence on Arctic temperature is detectable and distinguishable from the influence of natural forcings.

While this isn't exactly news to anyone with half a brain, it is undoubtedly an important piece of research, and a compelling counter-argument to those who say that global warming is a myth. The website of the some of the researchers who did this work, from Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, also has some interesting stuff on Climate change myths.

Huffington and puffington

2008-10-30T13:57:00.002+11:00

I've been reading the Huffington Post lately, mainly for it's coverage of election related stuff. But I also came across this interesting article refuting the "end of days" and "America is a declining empire" argument. Foster may feel the need to point out that the writing is somewhat left-biased, to which the obvious response is "no shit".

Palin and fruit flies

2008-10-28T15:55:00.002+11:00

Apart from a special issue in Nature, the stance of the McCain and Obama camps on science have gained relatively little air time. This is fairly disappointing, given just how broad "science" is. Global warming anyone?
However, Sarah Palin has managed to change this with her monumentally stupid comments about "fruit fly research in Paris". It would be unfair to expect a career politician to fully understand the technical aspects of modeling human disease in simpler organisms, but surely someone could explain the concept? I doubt that I can explain the issue better than Adam Rutherford of the Guardian, or even the unashamedly liberal Huffington Post writers. Words cannot describe how angry I am that it is even possible for such an ignorant fool to be anywhere near becoming the most powerful woman in the world - and we haven't even started talking about her views on climate change...

Retard jokes

2008-10-27T15:30:00.005+11:00

What's better than winning a gold medal at the Paralympics? Not being retarded. Having set the tone of this post to "offensive", I present this beauty.

While on the subject of retards, Stu is selling a peg on Ebay. Get in quick.

The World's Second Most Inane Blog

2008-10-27T11:47:00.002+11:00

As I was considering writing a post about how I got bitten by a tick last week, I realised that I blog about some ridiculously inane shit. I'm not the only one - the blogosphere is chock full of some seriously dull motherfuckers. Try clicking on the "next blog" tab in the top left for reassurance that you actually live a pretty exciting life. Anyway, this revelation led me to search for "most inane blog post" and "most banal blog post" on google. As such, I give you "The World's Most Inane Blog" (which actually isn't that bad) and an article about the "most banal blog ever". Now, about that tick bite...

Roy Ayers

2008-10-25T18:40:00.004+11:00

Roy Ayers @ The Forum, Moore Park - 24th October, 2008
Originally uploaded by 'ju:femaiz

Last night I saw Roy Ayers play at The Forum. A bona fide legend of the funk, soul and jazz world, Ayers also happens to be almost 70. I've seen a few other legendary musicians who trade more on their status and past glories than their current ability (Lee Scratch Perry springs to mind), but Ayers was an absolute joy to watch, backed by an astoundingly talented group of musicians.
Joel was shooting the night, no doubt more photos will go up on his photostream in due course (photo to the right is his, I have no idea why the attribution is not showing up properly).

The More kJ Diet

2008-10-15T11:55:00.003+11:00

I've been feeling a little bit rubbish since about last December, coinciding almost exactly with the time that I snapped my collarbone like a twig. It hasn't been anything too major, just a little bit of listlessness and a feeling of weakness when I exert myself. So I went and got a blood test a week or so ago, and the news was not good. Nothing is wrong. At all. This is not particularly helpful - I don't want to hear that I'm healthy and everything is within normal ranges, I want answers. So the doctor basically shrugged his shoulders and went "I dunno. Good luck with that."
So in order to deal with the situation I have formulated what I call the "More kJ Diet", which basically entails me eating more food. Some may call this simplistic, but I would call it elegant. More importantly, what it lacks in complexity, it appears to be making up for by actually working. If you wish to try the More kJ Diet I suggest learning the following phrases: "Are you going to finish that?", "Is there any more?", "Where the fuck did you asshats hide the bread?" and most importantly "Om nom nom nom".

On that note, I think I'll have a snack.

McCain in Rolling Stone

2008-10-08T21:49:00.003+11:00

In my tireless quest to scour the internet for the tastiest morsels and most delectable pieces of high culture I found a piece on Citizen McCain that was published in Rolling Stone. OK, I found it on a bouldering forum. Fuck you, read it anyway.

Make-believe Maverick

Scary shit, yo.

You can also find some solid gold ranting in Mad Dog Palin.

VP Debate

2008-10-04T15:45:00.003+10:00

So the much anticipated Palin vs Biden debate didn't end up being a gaffe-fest. Bummer. The consensus seems to be that Palin succeeded in not failing, while Biden managed not to appear too condescending. Here's an interesting youtube video comparing how the two VP candidates dealt with exactly the same question in an interview:

Fairly conclusive really. Regardless of her politics, she really shouldn't be out in a position of power. Hopefully the people who actually get to vote on it see this.

Flavours

2008-09-30T21:12:00.002+10:00

Alright, I haven't even read over this yet, so if you wish to point out pedantic grammatical errors you can go and get fucked. Otherwise, enjoy:

Yeast organoleptic compounds
Overview

The organoleptic (or flavour) compounds produced by yeast can be divided into five categories: alcohols, esters, aldehydes and ketones, sulphur-containing compounds and acids (Berry and Watson 1987; Verstrepen et al. 2003c). Yeast can also affect flavour by altering compounds already present in the substrate (e.g. wort or must)(Berry and Watson 1987), but it is those compounds produced as a by-product of yeast metabolism that are of most interest here.

Flavour thresholds

The absolute amount of a compound is not the most important determinant when evaluating its influence on flavour, as different compounds have different odour and flavour thresholds. A low flavour threshold means that the compound is detectable at low concentrations, while a compound with a high flavour threshold must be present in large amounts to be detectable (Berry and Watson 1987). However, even if a compound is present at levels below its flavour threshold, it can still affect the flavour profile through synergistic interactions with other compounds (the so-called “matrix effect”)(Meilgaard 1975). Further, some compounds are desirable at low concentrations, but undesirable in large amounts. Ethyl acetate, for example, imparts a “fruity” aroma at low levels, but is described as “solvent-like” at high concentrations (Verstrepen et al. 2003b; Swiegers et al. 2006).

Aldehydes and ketones

The majority of the flavour-active aldehydes and ketones result from chemical reactions in the pre- and post-fermentation stages rather than as a direct result of yeast metabolism. An exception is pyruvate, and to a lesser extent a-ketobutyric acid, which both influence the mouth-feel of beer and wine(Berry and Watson 1987). Acetaldehyde is another important flavour-active aldehyde synthesized by yeast. It has an apple-like and nutty aroma, and can affect the colour of red wines. It is rarely present in beer or wine at values above its flavour threshold (Berry and Watson 1987; Swiegers et al. 2006).

The vicinal diketones, 2,3-butanedione (also known as diacetyl) and 2,3-pentanedione are very important flavour compounds with very low flavour thresholds. However, they are formed by a non-enzymatic reaction that takes place outside of the yeast cell. This conversion of a-acetohydroxy acids released by yeast cells is an oxidative decarboxylation that is enhanced by the presence of oxygen (Swiegers et al. 2006). Yeast is involved in the enzymatic reduction of these compounds into the corresponding 2,3-diols, however (Berry and Watson 1987).

Sulphur-containing compounds

Sulphur-containing compounds are usually present in very small amounts, have low flavour thresholds, and are often associated with negative flavour descriptors such as cabbage, rotten-egg, sulphurous, garlic, onion and rubber. They fall into five major groups: sulfides, polysulfides, heterocyclic compounds, thioesters and thiols(Swiegers et al. 2006).

The major flavour-active sulphur containing compounds, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, are formed as by-products of cysteine and methionine biosynthesis from inorganic sulphate, and can also be formed during the degradation of these amino acids. Many sulphur compounds are formed by the interaction of yeast with hop compounds in brewing, and pesticides and other sulphur containing compounds found in grape must in winemaking (Berry and Watson 1987; Swiegers et al. 2006). While associated with negative flavours, sulphur dioxide is often considered desirable in beer and wine due to its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties (Yoshida et al. 2008).

Organic acids

Organic acids produced by yeast are derived from three areas of yeast metabolism; those derived from the breakdown of pyruvate, those derived from the breakdown of certain amino acids via the Ehrlich Pathway (the fusel acids) and those produced from malonyl-CoA by the fatty acid synthetase pathway (Berry and Watson 1987; Hazelwood et al. 2006; Saerens, S. et al. et al. 2008). It is rare that the acids derived from the breakdown of pyruvate are present in concentrations even close to their flavour thresholds, with the exception of acetic acid. These acids can affect the mouthfeel of beverages however, and also affect the final pH. 2006; Hazelwood

Fusel acids

The breakdown of certain amino acids, including leucine, isoleucine, valine, methionine, tyrosine, tryptophan and pheylalanine, involves a sequential transamination and decarboxylation. The resulting aldehyde can then either be reduced to an alcohol or oxidised to form an acid in a process referred to as the Ehrlich Pathway (Vuralhan, Z et al. 2005; Hazelwood et al. 2006; Hazelwood et al. 2008). The fate of the aldehyde depends on the redox state (essentially the oxygen availability) of the cell (Vuralhan, Z. et al. 2003). Fusel acids (and alcohols) may also be synthesized from a-keto acids derived from the pathway used by the cell to produce amino acids (Berry and Watson 1987). Unlike higher alcohols which freely diffuse across the cell membrane, organic acids are actively transported out of the cell by Pdr12p (Hazelwood et al. 2006).

Short and medium chain fatty acids

This is the major class of acids produced by yeast. In terms of flavour they are important both in their own right and, in their activated form, as precursors in the synthesis of ethyl esters (Berry and Watson 1987; Saerens, SM et al. 2008a). In Saccharomyces, malonyl-CoA is synthesized by Acc1p, a biotin-dependent acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Malonyl-CoA is the substrate for the fatty acid synthase subunit (FAS), encoded by FAS1 and FAS2. This complex is responsible for the production of saturated fatty acids, including palmitic (16:0) and stearic acid (18:0). However, during alcoholic fermentation short and medium chain fatty acids, including hexanoic (caproic, C6) acid, octanoic (caprylic, C8) acid and decanoic (capric, C10) acid may be prematurely released from the FAS complex. (Berry and Watson 1987; Furukawa et al. et al. 2008a). It has been known for some time that these compounds are produced via this route rather than via b-oxidation of longer chain fatty acids(Taylor and Kirsop 1977). Further, Furukawa and co-workers showed that altering the expression of FAS1 and FAS2, by both overexpression and by inositol-induced downregualtion (mediated by the transcription factor OPI1) affected levels of both medium chain fatty acids and ethyl esters (Furukawa et al. 2003). 2003; Marchesini and Poirier 2003; Saerens, SM

Alcohols

While some 45 alcohols have been identified in beer, ethanol, n-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol (amyl alcohol), 3-methyl-1-butanol (isoamyl alcohol) and phenylethanol are the most important from a flavour perspective (Berry and Watson 1987; Verstrepen et al. et al. 2006). While other alcohols such as glycerol can affect the mouth-feel and apparent sweetness of a beverage, the so-called “fusel alcohols” or higher alcohols are the flavour compounds present in beer and wine at the highest concentrations (Verstrepen et al. et al. 2006; Hazelwood et al. 2008). At high concentrations, higher alcohols are associated with solvent-like off flavours but are desirable at lower concentrations. Phenylethanol in particular imparts a floral, rose-like flavour and is particularly desirable in white wines(Berry and Watson 1987; Swiegers et al. 2006). Ethanol is a precursor in the synthesis of both ethyl esters and ethyl acetate, and the fusel alcohols are precursors in the synthesis of acetate esters (Verstrepen et al. 2003b; Saerens, S. et al. 2006; Swiegers et al.. 2003c; Swiegers 2003b; Swiegers 2006)

The Ehrlich Pathway and higher alcohol synthesis

The majority of the alcohols produced by yeast are products of the breakdown of amino acids via the Ehrlich Pathway. German biochemist Felix Ehrlich first noticed the similarity between leucine and isoamyl alcohol in 1904, and proposed that amino acids were split by a “hydrating” enzyme to form the corresponding fusel alcohol in 1907(Hazelwood et al. 2008). The classical Ehrlich Pathway as it is viewed today was proposed by Neubauer and Fromherz in 1911, and involves a sequential transamination, decarboxylation and reduction. Recently the formation of fusel acids resulting from the oxidation of the fusel aldehyde has been included in the pathway (Vuralhan, Z. et al. 2003; Hazelwood et al. 2008). The amino acids broken down via this pathway include leucine, isoleucine, valine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and methionine. Table 1 shows the products of the breakdown of these amino acids.
Fusel alcohols may also be derived from the pathway responsible for amino acid biosynthesis. In this situation the a-keto acid made by the cell for amino acid biosynthesis is decarboxylated and reduced to the corresponding amino acid. Propanol is produced solely by this mechanism, and is not derived from the breakdown of threonine (Berry and Watson 1987; Saerens, S. et al. 2008b)

Esters

Volatile esters synthesized by yeast that are found in beverages can be divided into two groups. Ethyl esters are synthesized in a reaction catalysed by Eeb1p and Eht1p from ethanol and medium chain fatty acids (Saerens, S. et al. 2006). Acetate ester synthesis is catalysed by the alcohol acetyl transferases Atf1p and Atf2p (and LgAtf1p in lager yeasts) from acetyl-CoA and higher alcohols. Because acetate ester synthesis requires an activated substrate, a process which consumes ATP, it is considered to be an energy requiring process (Peddie 1989; Mason and Dufour 2000). The fact that it also consumes acetyl-CoA, an important precursor in lipid synthesis, amino acid synthesis and the TCA cycle (among others), has led some researchers to suggest that acetate ester synthesis is not a futile process (Verstrepen et al. 2003a). Over-expression of the ethyl ester synthesizing genes has no effect on the amount of ethyl esters produced, while over-expression of ATF1 and ATF2 results in a significant increase in the formation of these acetate esters. From this it was concluded that in ethyl ester synthesis substrate availability was the determining factor, but in acetate ester synthesis it is the activity of the enzymes responsible that determine the amount of esters produced (Verstrepen et al. et al. 2006). Increasing substrate availability will also lead to an increase in acetate ester synthesis, but this has a much less pronounced effect than the over-expression of the alcohol acetyl transferases (Verstrepen et al. 2003b). 2003b; Saerens, S.
Ester levels may also be affected by the action of esterases. Both Eeb1p and Eht1p have been found to have ethyl esterase activity (Saerens, S. et al. 2006), while Iah1p (Isoamyl acetate hydrolysing enzyme) has esterase activity against acetate esters (Fukuda et al. 1996). It has been suggested that final ester concentration is a result of the balance between ester synthesis and the action of esterases (Fukuda et al. 1998).

Something weird happened to some of the reference formatting when I copy pasted it - sorry about that.

Reviews all up ins

2008-09-30T19:53:00.006+10:00

Some sounds that have been in my ears recently:
Calypsoul 70 - Caribbean Soul 1969-1970

Brownswood Bubblers vol. 3 - compiled by Gilles Peterson

and the astoundingly good new Hermitude album, Threads.
("Check out the tracklisting" is not mine, btw).
Hermitude are touring with Horrorshow, but unfortunately the Sydney show clashes with Roy Ayers. On the upside, I'm going to see Roy Ayers!
While on the topic of music, check this out - Cyclic Selects: Paradise Lost

And I'm spent.

Python vs Hippo

2008-09-26T16:51:00.003+10:00

For some reason we were talking about snakes in the lab yesterday. I'm not sure exactly how this led to us watching snake videos on youtube, nor why we chose this one in particular, but I think the fact that it's called "Python vs Hippo" may have played more than a small part.

Almost as awesome is "Cobra vs Python"

I told Tom about these, and he passed on "Pelican eats pigeon"

What did people do before youtube? All this crazy stuff was out there and no one got to see it. Three cheers for the interweb! Three cheers for technology! Most of all, three cheers for Friday afternoon.

Ska!

2008-09-25T15:41:00.004+10:00

The sweet thing about having a 160 gig ipod is that I can fit a shitload of music on there. Like, heaps and heaps. So I've been ripping some of the better ska records from my absurdly large collection of cheesy ska. In the process I've rediscovered The Planet Smashers, The Toasters and the Gadjits, as well as The Australian Ska Orchestra. It would appear that the Australian Ska Orchestra is no longer around, at least not in the form that it was in when they recorded "Storm Warning" and "Rainy Night in Horsham" (released on File Under Ska vol. 2). I did, however, discover the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, who suck only moderately. I also have a ridiculous amount of CD's that are, and only ever were, complete and utter rubbish. One example is Ruskabank, who against all reason, are apparently still around. Ha, check this shit from their website:

Warning:
Some of the features on these pages such as the Scroll Bar and Text Formating style sheets, may not work if you are viewing on a Mac. The site was created on a PC and optimized for viewing on IE 5.0 or later. Also, Firefox doesn't display the scroll bars properly.

Classic. I can practically feel Joel's rage from here. He's all "@Ruskabank: You IDIOTS!!!!!11". Unfortunately the fact that I paid money for their music also fills me with rage.

Introduction

2008-09-24T20:50:00.002+10:00

Here is a very small excerpt from the first draft of the introduction to my thesis. Despite the fact that my PhD. is being paid for by a large brewing company, I'm not a brewing expert per se. Maybe you'll find it interesting, maybe you'll give some feedback.

The Brewing Process

History

The brewing process is thought to have been developed some 6000 years ago by the Sumerian people of Lower Mesopotamia (Hough 1985). The fermentation process helped make normally undrinkable water more potable by lowering pH and increasing alcoholic content, thereby reducing the number of potentially harmful bacteria and increasing the nutritional value, especially in beverages in which the yeast was still present (Hough 1985). As brewing spread into Europe, the addition of hops was added to the process, improving both flavour and aiding preservation (Hornsey 1999).

Malting

Malting is the process whereby cereal grain (usually wheat or barley) is germinated in order that an enzymatic degradation of the grain’s endosperm may occur. This process makes sugars and other cellular components easily extractable from the malt. Once this germination has taken place, the grain is kilned to reduce water content and increase the activity of proteases and amylases. The malt is then milled to produce smaller particles known as grist, which are more accessible to enzymes later in the process(Hough 1985).

Mashing

The grist is placed into a large vessel known as a mash tun, and hot water is added until a porridge-like consistency is reached with a temperature of 55-65°C. Insoluble malt extracts are removed by filtration, and the resulting mixture is referred to as wort. The wort is then boiled in order to sterilize it, and to stop any enzyme activity. Hops are then added to enhance flavour and aid in preservation of the finished product (Hornsey 1999).

Fermentation

During fermentation the sugars in the wort are converted to alcohol by the metabolism of yeast. The process begins when a vessel filled with wort is pitched (inoculated) with yeast at a concentration of approximately 300g hl^-1 (Hornsey 1999). It is important that the fermenter is aerated at the beginning of the brew, as pitched yeasts often contain low levels of the essential membrane sterol, ergosterol (Aries and Kirsop 1977). Synthesis of both ergosterol and the essential unsaturated fatty acid oleic acid require oxygen (Andreasen and Stier 1953). Once fermentation begins, cell density rapidly increases and anaerobic conditions are established, and sugars are fermented to ethanol via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (Hornsey 1999). Once fermentation has ceased, the green beer (beer that has not been aged) is removed for maturation, clarification, satabilisation and packaging (Hough 1985; Hornsey 1999).
There are many factors during this process that can have a profound effect on yeast metabolism and the flavour profile of the final product. These include the sugar and amino acid content of the wort, brewing temperature, availability of metal ions such as zinc and the size and shape of the fermenter (Berry and Watson 1987; Verstrepen et al. 2003a; Swiegers et al. 2006).

I'll post the stuff about flavour compounds a bit later.

Rise of the idiots

2008-09-23T21:16:00.001+10:00

I took this out of the Cyclic Defrost post because it didn't really fit.
I came across this recently: Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilisation. While perhaps taking itself just a touch too seriously, it has some interesting points to make. I was reading somewhere the other day that China and India will be the dominant global economic powers by 2040 - as the US government tries to throw almost a trillion dollars at the problem caused by sub-prime loans, it would be sad if hipsters were the last gift from a declining empire. Who's taking themselves too seriously now?

Talk of hipsters would be incomplete without referencing Nathan Barley. Check it out yeah? It's well fucking futile.

"A 'stretch' to say Palin is qualified"

2008-09-23T17:53:00.003+10:00

WASHINGTON - Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said his party's vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, lacks foreign policy experience and called it a "stretch" to say she's qualified to be president.

Full story here.

Cyclic Defrost

2008-09-23T16:20:00.005+10:00

Issue 20 of Cyclic Defrost has just been released. If you frequent some of Sydney's better record stores, you might be lucky enough to pick up a hard copy. Truth be told though, there's something of a dearth of worthwhile articles in this issue. The exception (kind of) is "Sydney and the global networks of contemporary club culture" by Ed Montano, a rather wordy piece that raises some interesting points nonetheless. I particularly like this take on why Sydney is different to Melbourne:

Discussing what it is that makes the Sydney scene unique and different from other scenes elsewhere in Australia and around the world, Seb Chan suggests that it is not so much directly related to the preferences clubbers have for particular types of music, but rather the laws, geographical factors, and meteorological factors that shape the city and the lifestyle of its inhabitants: “It is the geographic specificities of the city [that give the dance scene its unique shape]. Why is Sydney different to Melbourne? Licensing laws, geography, no beaches in Melbourne, shittier weather in Melbourne, or perceived shittier weather in Melbourne, venue spaces, people, demographics, cultural things… Why did a techno scene spring up in Melbourne and die out in Sydney? Why are there more art galleries in Melbourne than in Sydney? Why are there more beachside cafes in Sydney rather than Melbourne? Why does lemon gelato sell more in Sydney than in Melbourne? Sydney is different because it’s got the beach and it’s got the bush close by. People go out more to those kinds of things. They invest less of their time in indoor cultures, like music, art, and books. That would be my blanket statement, which is probably unfounded in many cases, but generally, I would say that Melbourne is an artier city, because there’s not much else to do there. The weather is shit so you’ve got to go out in any case, and you’ll go out when it’s raining. You try putting a club on here and it’s raining, no one comes. Just really simple things like that [make a scene unique].” (Interview, 2005)

Also of interest is The New DIY by Shaun Prescott, a look at people making and releasing their own music "in an age where Ramones and Nirvana shirts are sold at General Pants". I've only had a chance to skim it so far, but I like the cut of his jib.

There's some great stuff to be found in the archives too, including an interview with Burial before anyone knew who he was.

Sonnie Trotter

2008-09-21T21:17:00.002+10:00

Wanna get psyched? Check out Sonnie Trotter's blog. Unfortunately I can't link to specific posts, but read "commited" (sic) if you can find it. Unlike many top-end climbers he's modest and eloquent, as well as being super strong. Read it and get excited.

Seeing things in a different light

2008-09-17T21:50:00.004+10:00

Jill Greenberg is a talented, if somewhat controversial photographer from Canada, who gained some some media attention recently for some photos she took of John McCain. The Atlantic hired her to deliver a shot that made him look heroic, which she delivered. But it was what she did after this that caused the uproar - shooting a number of extra shots, lit from beneath, causing McCain to cast an ominous shadow and resulting in a rather sinister looking image. Ignoring the ethical questions raised by her actions, what is the importance of these images?
Since Richard Nixon lost the 1960 election to JFK due, in part, to his appearance on TV sporting a five o'clock shadow, image and perception has been an integral part of elections world-wide. McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his running-mate, a move that appears to be paying dividends for him. In choosing not only a woman, but an attractive woman, he has changed the perception of his bid. Despite the fact that he's been in Washington for 26 years he gives the impression that, like Obama, he stands for change in the White House. No doubt it helps that having a woman as a running mate is also a handy excuse for white Americans not to vote for an educated man of African-American descent - a thoroughly terrifying prospect for many.
Greenberg's photo brings in to stark relief the very things that McCain is trying to draw attention away from with his choice of Palin. Namely that he is an old white man. I think Greenberg has very much over-played her hand, but somehow I don't think she's particularly worried. That takes us into the rather complex question of whether ends can ever justify means, but I'll have to leave that for another time (although for the record I think she's overstepped the mark).

Large Hadron Collider

2008-09-17T17:39:00.002+10:00

The LHC - so hot right now (well, a week or so ago). Or not, given that it's a bees dick away from absolute freezing. Anyway, Nature have a handy bite-sized podcast that will tell you some shizzle about the LH collizzle. I wonder whether CERN have considered putting Snoop in charge? There wouldn't be black holes, but there would be fat black chicks flashing their tits...

Returns all 'round

2008-09-16T22:33:00.003+10:00

The Wombat is updating his blog again, and it's brick-shittingly funny. Have you ever shat out a brick? Me neither, but I'd wager that it's a lot less amusing than reading about Nick's experience's in a hostel in The Hague. In fact, there are all manner of building materials that would be a lot less fun to pass through your anus than reading the adventures of Bungalow J. Wombat, so put down the vaseline and that bessa block and get to it.
On the subject of comebacks, I couldn't help but notice, while perusing the increasingly tabloidal SMH website, that Britney Spears is releasing a new album. Apparently "Baby One More Time" (I suggest turning your speakers off if you intend clicking through to that) came out in 1998, which means that that she's been around for a decade! Ten fucking years! What the hell people.
Talk of returns would not be complete if I neglected to mention that the mighty Combat Wombats (our futsal team) returned to the field of battle last night. We won mixed 6-2, and drew mens 2-2. For the sake of completeness I feel that I should mention that I scored 4 goals and won the penalty from which one of the other goals was scored. Some other people were there too, I think. In all seriousness, we're starting to get our shit together, and I foresee more wins in the future for both teams of Wombatants. Our future is much brighter than Britney's, that's for sure.

Lomo Fisheye 2

2008-09-14T16:56:00.004+10:00

LSI Fisheye 2
Originally uploaded by slimmer_jimmer

I just bought one of these badboys on eBay for a mere $75. Check out the Lomo Fisheye group for some of the stuff people are doing with it. It's got a hotshoe, so my eBay triggers are good to go. Now I just need to get me some film.

Hmm, it seems that the photo lost attribution when I edited this post. The photo is taken from flickr and was originally uploaded by slimmer_jimmer.

Fairlight super-crag

2008-09-14T15:04:00.003+10:00

I managed to convince the boys to come down and check out a nice looking bit of rock I found in Fairlight. It's not the new Frontline, but it is pleasant and good fun, and one line in particular is particularly worthwhile. I also got this shot of Mick, who was the only one to heed my request that people wear bright shirts. This is why, mofo's. Check it in large on Flickr. I was pretty stoked with the lighting on this badboy. I'm understanding how to set up a single off-camera flash to get the light I want - introducing another one makes the whole deal a lot harder though.
My legs and arms are covered in scratches and I was bleeding profusely after the session, but it was great fun. And isn't that what it's all about?

That light at the end of the tunnel - can someone turn it back on?

2008-09-11T17:10:00.003+10:00

You know what's going to be rad? Finishing this motherfucking thesis. I look forward to the time when I have a real job; 9-5, Monday to Friday. A time when I can go climbing on weekends without feeling guilty. I look forward to pulling myself out of this spiral where I get weaker rather than stronger. I'm going to spend a good amount of time at araps, and head back to Castle Hill. I'm going to get my ripped back.
I'm going to buy a motorbike and a car. Maybe a Citroen Berlingo. Sure, they're seriously fucking ugly and aren't exactly zippy, but they look like sweet roadtrip mobiles. I also look forward to not having to deal with 1 or 2 of the people in my lab. Ragehatekilldeathdestroy.

Good times lie ahead, of this I am sure. But fuck, they seem a long way away at this point.

Have a beer

2008-09-10T23:21:00.001+10:00

So Nick and Foster are overseas and hence are no doubt missing 'Strayan culture. Here's some quality oz hip-hop to cheer you up (seriously, watch it, it's classic)

Some reviews:

2008-09-09T16:20:00.004+10:00

A quick one - some reviews:
Horrowshow - The Grey Space (executive summary: it's awesome)

Yes King - Rock This World (executive summary: OK, definitely not classic)

Still have to do the Unforscene review, and have Calypsoul 70 on the way. Rad.

Bushranger beard

2008-09-07T20:31:00.002+10:00

For no particular reason I decided to grow a beard a few weeks ago. It's getting to the point where there's a little too much of it, so I think it's going to have to go this week.

BY4743

2008-09-06T22:07:00.003+10:00

BY4743
Originally uploaded by duncanmacinnis

I posted this on my flickr photostream a year or so back. It's a photo of yeast cells taken through the microscope. The particular strain is called BY4743; a fairly widely used diploid yeast laboratory strain. My photo is the sixth hit when you do a Google search on "BY4743". Sweet!