Rascals & Miscreants: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Art in the Age

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction has two interesting brews for sale, Root, which is manufactured using an original pre-temperance recipe for 'root beer' and Snap, which is a spirit made from the same ingredients as ginger snap cookies.

LeMat

The LeMat revolver is the weapon of the American Civil War which has captured my heart more than any other. It is a fascinating piece of work. rather than the standard 6 shot chamber it has a 9 shot chamber which revolves around a 20-gauge shotgun barrel. It was designed by a southerner from New Orleans, and saw limited production in Europe for shipment to the Confederacy. relatively few made it through the blockade, but those that did were usually found in the hands of cavalry soldiers. A modern working replica is now offered by Cabelas. I would love to get my hands on one of these.

Mercury

In my opinion, the 'Mercury' dime is the classiest, most beautiful coin ever produced by American mints. I am in love with this coin. When I saw that some clever jewelry-makers were using it to fashion cuff links I instantly wanted a pair.

TAD Gear

Three items from Triple Aught Design have caught my attention.

The Survival Spark is crafted from a solid brass billet, and is based on the design of fire starters issued to pilots during the Vietnam war. This is a pretty sweet little piece of equipment.

The NATO SAS Compass is a button compass built to military specifications, and is a NATO standard issue piece of equipment.

The Ti-Card Gen. 2 from Nemesis Knives is a sweet bit of swag which can be used as a blade and a bottle opener... and fits right into one of the card-holders in your wallet. It's made of titanium, so it won't demagnetize the cards in your wallet, but it can still set off airport metal detectors.

Buck 110

This is the classic knife from the classic American knife maker. The Buck Model 110 Folding Hunter is a definite American Classic. As with so many other things, it has been customized and personalized, creating many beautiful variations. Here are the original and a few of those modified versions that caught my eye.

Home-grown

Satisfy your inner-hobbit with fresh home-grown mushrooms. You can purchase grow-your-own mushroom kits in several varieties and harvest crops of delicious mushrooms in your own home. This particular kit is from Mushroom Adventures, and is easily the most popular and easily acquired kit available.

Perk's Gold

The Perk's Gold Fly Selection from Orvis has the 30 most proven fly designs, a set of more than 140 pre-tied flies in a nifty aluminum box.

Hei Matau

The carved bone Maori Hei Matau 'fish hook' necklace is one of my faves.

Ike

The Ike hiking boot by designer Paul Smith has a rugged lumberjack vintage look and feel to it. The leather was tumbled in mud and stones to give it the broken-in appearance. These were allegedly inspired by the 1948 Olympic games. Regardless, they are pretty awesome.

Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit

It's all in the name. This kit is just as epic as the Zippo brand.

Famous Red

A classic axe manufactured by Best Made Co.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Until Then

A haunting melody from Boulder Acoustic Society:

Altoids

Altoids has released a new flavor of mint... Creme de Menthe. I find them to be quite good, definitely worth trying, though I personally prefer wintergreen. I'd also like to try the Cool Honey flavor.

Black Garlic

Garlic turned black by fermentation, which apparently dramatically alters its texture and flavor in addition to its color. Available from Mondo Food

Mean Beans

Spicy pickled green beans, allegedly goes great as a garnish for a bloody Mary or wrapped in salami. $10 from Rick's Picks

Cornbread and Butterbeans

Moravian Spice Cookies

A classic from the Salem Baking Co. of Winston-Salem, NC, these paper thin cookies are one of my all time favorites. I'm very interested in trying the Pumpkin Spice and Maple & Brown Sugar varieties.

Brooklyn Brew Shop

Brooklyn Brew Shop offers home brewing kits for any who have ever wanted to make their own beer. These complete kits will run around $40 (not including shipping), and include everything you need to complete a batch of your of beer in one of many varieties.

Falling Whistles

Falling Whistles - Be a Whistleblower for Peace in Congo from Falling Whistles on Vimeo.

This charity aims to bring normality back into the lives of the small children forced to fight a battle that does not belong to them in the Congo. Buy a whistle, wear your weapon, and become a whistle-blower for peace.

Steer Me

Nautical tee with an awesome screen printed ships' wheel from PrettyRaccoon on Etsy

Hold Fast

A fairly common sailing tattoo from back in the day. Nautical superstition held that getting this phrase tattooed on your knuckles would help you to keep your grip on ropes when you climbed into the rigging, and thus keep you safe...

Appalachian

I discovered the Carolina Chocolate Drops a few years ago, and after expressing only fleeting interest, I return to them again now. The CCD's perform and preserve the music of the African American string and jug bands of the 20's and 30's... wonderful folk music that has since become almost extinct and is unique to the southern states around the Appalachian region. The CCD's hail from Durham, NC. I recommend checking them out.