Human Bean

Don't forget the maltodextrin - a polysaccharide (starch, basically), so that's even MORE carbo-goodness! And there's more maltodextrin than salt according to the ingredients list.

Could the mysterious Mr. Magnet perhaps, by pure chance, be a supplier of magnets to Mr. Clip? Merely a rhetorical question; no way to know, since Mr. Magnet chooses to remain hidden.

Picked up the dead tree version of the guide on my way home from work; haven't had a chance to look at much yet. But I'll note that Jim Dixon wasn't singled out as a "Contributing Foodie;" in fact, ALL the writers are listed in that category. Well, except for the Editor-in-Chief, and the (mere) Editor, who get Editor and Contributing Foodie credits. Now, on to actually reading the thing, and trying to pick out JD's words from the many others...

Regardless of the scientific validity of the results posted thus far, they're very interesting. Some questions have been answered; some still remain. On the question, "Does the clip do anything at all?" Mark's results, surprisingly, seem to say yes. Although I've been an outspoken skeptic about the clip, I'm willing to accept this, even if they're not double-blind ABX tests. Mark's tests were certainly more rigorous than Mr. Clip's demos, and I still don't know any objective (scientific) basis for why the clip may have have an effect. Be that as it may, Mark's testers say that there was a difference, and I accept that. But we're not done yet. The next question is, "Does the clip make the wine taste BETTER?" This is not so obvious from what I've seen thus far; further information is welcome. Diminished nose would seem to be a negative; diminshed tannins would seem to be a positive thing, but only if the wine was overly tannic to start with. If it 'removed' tannin flavor from an already properly-balanced wine, that would obviously be a bad thing. It seems that it only 'removed' tannins in already tannic wine (quite magical indeed), but I probably haven't read closely enough. Next, there's the question of whether the clip does anything that letting the bottle "breathe" for awhile after opening wouldn't also do. The concensus seems to be that the clip accomplishes the same thing as "breathing" but instantaneously. (Personally, not being a wine geek or claiming a particularly refined palate, I have some problems with the "breathing" thing. The amount of surface area in an opened full bottle of wine exposed to the air is too small to have the air make much difference. Maybe if you decant it, or pour it in a glass and let it sit, but that's another matter. I accept that serious oenophiles think that breathing 'works,' but that's probably a matter for another thread, and another set of ABX tests). But finally, there's the consumer reports question: "Is the clip worth spending $20 - $80 for?" Thus far, the answer seems to be a big "No." Again, further information is welcome. Edit: add glass-pouring to mention of breathing - non-negligible change in content

Congrats all; the coverage here was excellent; too bad I was stuck on the wrong coast to be able to attend. Maybe next time. (It seems that Varmint isn't nearly ready to contemplate another one - understandable, but the mind has an amazing way of forgetting any unpleasant stuff, and remembering the good). There WILL be another Pickin' - maybe not soon, but I have no doubt about it. One question though: Apparently, mostly-veggie Malawry found the lure of animal flesh irrestible; it appears that Dr. Mrs. Varmint didn't eat any of the pig though?? While I respect her choice, what about all that propaganda about "the other white meat"?

FG nails it again. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

True, but the point is whether his product is snake-oil or not. True again, but has no relevance to the validity of his claims for the product. Quite so; we've heard much about the product, but little about it's effectiveness outside of the promoter's demos. I presume that this'll soon be remedied. Definitely.

Another unwanted marketing suggestion for Mr. Clip: Since this clip is such a great thing, you're wasting your time retailing it. Go for the REAL gold. Since it can make Chateau Plonk taste like Chateau Margaux, market it to wineries, rather than consumers, but with royalties for each use. Check out the market for laser-eye-surgery (Radial Keratotomy) machines; they sell the machine at a low cost, but charge a royalty for each time it's used. THIS is your true market, and the path to continuing riches. Royalties = riches. Make an industrial version of the clip for Gallo (or whoever) to put on their bottling line. Charge them $100,000 for it. But the really clever part is that you also charge them (say) .1 cent per bottle to use it. They get better wine, you get rich; everybody wins, and you have continued revenue forever. You can still retail the clip to those that insist on purchasing wine from companies that foolishly refuse to use the the clip - additional revenue. I'll pay much more attention to the clip once a major winery adopts it in their production line. This'll require a bigtime finders fee for the idea, but it'll be a drop in the bucket once those revenues start rolling in. (Of course, Mr. Clip has said that he won't reply to me, but you can be sure that my lawyers will be in contact with his lawyers once he adopts this idea and has a continued revenue stream for life. I welcome the lifetime revenue stream also, and take back any negative things I may have said about Mr. Clip. )

Wow - it seems that there's quite a market for used wine clips! I may have been a bit harsh on Mr. Clip, but I'm willing to give it a fair test; if someone wants to send me their clip after they're done, I'll give it a try. If all else fails, it might still be useful to stick things on the refrigerator. If the wood(?) box was also provided, I'm sure that there are uses for that too. NeroW still deserves one due to insistent whining though. SethG too.

Ouch! That wasn't my intention, I was just trying to help. Admittedly, I'm not an award-winning businessperson such as yourself; I'm not fit to lick your boots. It's perfectly understandable that you wouldn't want to reply. After all, you run a respectable business, not a carny con. A true marketer sells the product, by whatever means. I appreciate your efforts to be ethical though. My opinion is that your product is worthless crap. It's an opinion, not a fact. Others whose opinions I respect will be soon be reporting their results. We shall see. The losers are only the ones that don't buy it at the demo, but at a hypothetically higher price at the web site. Glad to see that you wouldn't pay $100 for it; I agree. I'd disagree; apparently you're not familiar with infomercials - gullibility leads to REAL gold, whether deserved or not. But then again, I'm not an award-winning businessperson. You can laugh at me on the way to the bank with the profits from this clip thing; congrats, you deserve it.

Excellent; thanks, Carema. I'd like them to be $10 per bottle or less; that (or less) is my price range for an everyday wine. I'm not rich, and the more subtle qualities of expensive bottles are not important to me in this situation. Keep 'em coming.

No. That's one I'm utterly unfamiliar with, and one that was mentioned as in a different range than the others. But as long as I'm here, I have a possible alternative to the Fetzer Shiraz suggested by Ms. Immer. Most any of the reasonably cheap Australian Shiraz should be drinkable; Rosemount is one I'm somewhat familiar with, and probably costs the same or less. Fetzer, I've never tried. You're welcome to laugh at this, provided that you provide better alternative suggestions. I'm not a wine sophisto, but not totally a newbie either. Hence my request for cheap but good.

What Tommy said. Although Mr. Clip doesn't need (or perhaps want) marketing advice from us, I have some - for free, although a consulting fee would be appreciated : Pricing it at $75 is a brilliant move - people perceive higher price as associated with higher quality. Plus, it helps set expectations; if you're going to buy an expensive widget, you're already primed to expect that it'll work, and that helps guide the user to a favorable conclusion. Marketing via demos at fairs is similarly the best idea. Peer pressure in public is excellent - how many people are brave enough to say in a public demo, "The clip and non-clip samples taste identical." Very few. My ex- was shockingly vulnerable to a good in-person pitch; she bought Ginsu and lots of other crap due to a well-crafted demo (when I wasn't there). But, here's the best part. Sell the clip for $75 at demos, but $100 on the website. Make the rubes (er, customers; sorry) that saw the pitch but didn't immediatly buy, pay extra for their hesitation. You also get the benefit of saying that you're offering a $100 product for $75, but only if you buy right now. Ka-ching, guaranteed sales, and 25 bucks extra from the losers that buy it via the web. (That said, I still think that the clip is crap; I'm not participating in any of the tests here, and wouldn't buy one. But gullibility still leads to gold for a canny huckster-- er, I mean marketer - sorry again).

On the original topic: I have no idea who Ms. Immer is. Commercial whoredom isn't inherently evil, but not clearly disclosing that you're being a shill for corporate agribusiness (um, Sandra Lee???) is definitely is evil. Damage to reputation caused by being a shill is a matter for the individual shill to decide for hirself (paging Rick Bayless, Rocco DiSpirito, etc). On the thread: I don't currently have a local wine shop that I trust, and recommendations for shops 3000 miles away aren't helpful. But eG has the expertise - so, the following wines have been mentioned as picks of Ms. Immer: Robt Mondavi Fume Blanc/ Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc St Francis Merlot Penfolds Grange Fetzer Valley Oaks Shiraz Gallo of Sonoma Chardonnay Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio I'm not familiar with most of those, but my impression is that they're in the 7 - 10 dollar per bottle range at retail. Great! That's about my target for a vin de table. Craig Camp (and others) say of these selections: Okay, so then... Kindly suggest some alternatives. Cheaper is good, half the price is very good, but not required. They need to be widely distributed though, so that everyone can benefit from the selections. This would generally mean domestic (US) wines, but there are also mega-importers that provide reasonable but also widely-available imports.Anyone?

It took a bit of searching, but I found a reasonably good pic of the fish eyes, and a really big fish. Both are halibut, a similar bottom-dwelling flatfish.

Just be very careful after you've done the magnetizing, and stay away from refrigerator doors - imagine having to explain it to the EMTs that have to come pry you off. The "Jaws of Life" up close and a little TOO personal.

Eek! I wouldn't want a blind rabbi to perform MY bris! A double-blind rabbi would be even worse (if that's possible).

Interesting idea. But be careful. VERY careful. You're dealing with Powerful Forces that Science cannot explain, but cannot deny either. If the polarity of the magnetized gasoline matches the polarity of the T-Bird's engine, you'll easily get over 100 miles per gallon. BUT, if you put reverse-polarity gasoline in the T-Bird, the first time you start it, you're likely to blow a hole in the space-time continuum, and End Life As We Know It. The decision is yours...

This clip thing sounds very useful...if you need to hang something fairly thin, but really, really heavy on your refrigerator door. It's got the earth's most powerful magnets, after all. Just be careful; after you stick it to the refrigerator, you may not be able to get it off again. Reviews of $50 refrigerator magnets are also welcome after the tastings are over; they need not be blind or double-blind tests.

Congratulations; I lost 60 pounds in a year of very hard work. Exactly. Let's suppose that you were gaining 5 pounds a year before your diet. It doesn't seem like much, but adds up over time. So you go 'on a diet' and lose some weight. Great, so you don't need to diet anymore; you go 'off the diet' and return to your former habits. Bingo, you're right back to gaining 5 pounds a year again - see the problem here? Either you're eating/exercizing the right amount to maintain a stable weight or you're not. There is no such thing as 'on' or 'off' a diet, as such.

This web page will possibly tell you more than you ever wanted to know about 'real' vanilla. A real vanilla bean has many different chemicals that create it's flavor and aroma. Of these, one, vanillin, is overwhelmingly responsible for vanilla flavor. It's relatively easy to synthesize vanillin in a lab; that's what goes into imitation vanilla (or possibly a minor variation called ethyl vanillin). (And even if created in a factory, vanillin is still vanillin; the exact same stuff the plant makes.) Many imitation vanillas also contain other related vanilla flavoring, whether synthesized or natural.

I think we've been through this before here, but I've never really (um) weighed in on the subject. Eat less, exercise more. That is the essence of it. It sounds glib, it's so simple, but it's true. However, you really want to lose fat, not just 'weight;' that's trickier. Even if you do nothing else (more-or-less), if you can cut your present calorie consumption by 500 calories per day, every day, you'll lose one pound per week. Could be by diet, exercise, or both. Don't overdo it; if you cut calories too radically, your body will think you're starving, and conserve fat at the expense of protein (muscle.) That's bad. Anything you do to increase muscle mass is good; muscles burn calories; fat just sits there (true, but oversimplified). Unfortunately, women's hormone balance isn't designed to add much muscle anyway. And no matter what gender you are; there is absolutely NO danger that you'll wake up one day and suddenly say, "Eww, I look like Schwarzenegger."

Quick (also cheap) meals? Two words (or one hyphenated word): Stir-fry. During a prolonged period of un- and under-employment, I pretty much lived on stir-fry. Chinese/generic Asian/whatever. It generally requires more expensive cuts of meat, but veggies are very cheap. And of course we're talking about real food, not packaged crap. Many's the time I prepared several meals with the same basic ingredients, but with different marinades/sauces/spices-- the same stuff, but the flavor can be very different.

I don't even come close to being a garlic expert, but I know what I like. Fortunately, there are many people at the local farmers market that sell interesting varieties of garlic that you'd never find at the local supermarket. (And it's garlic season right now - ) My general understanding of garlic is that there are two main types - softneck and hardneck. Softneck is what you buy at the supermarket. Hardneck (farmers market) generally has a hard stem in the middle of the bulb, tastes better, but (unfortunately) doesn't store very well. A couple months or so in my experience. I wish I had some variety names to give you, but I don't. Maybe after my next trip to the farmers market. So, try the farmers market, and get some true garlicy goodness.

I get the idea that if you're going to kill an animal and eat it, it makes sense that you should then eat as much of it as is readily edible. Why waste valuable nutrients? Consequently, I don't get the idea of wasting lesser parts in favor of the 'good' bits. But, largely due to my upbringing, I cannot (for the most part) eat guts, blood, brains, etc. There's a reason that 'offal' sounds like 'awful.' I'm a hypocrite, I admit it. But then there's always another creature (hyena, vulture, Bourdain , whatever) that'll eat the parts that I won't, so I guess it's almost okay... Edit: (as always) typo.