I just poured over a very interesting article in the latest New Yorker on “Extreme Brewing” (we touched on the topic in our latest podcast) and it features Delaware’s own beer nut Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. According to this piece, Sam is “the man” when it comes to producing exotic and powerful beers (hey there, 12% alcohol!), and has a cult following in the beer geek community.

Not all beer people drink from the “extreme” vat though, Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, an elder statesmen of craft brewing and more of a traditionalist, also chimes in and gives a pretty fair assessment of this growing trend in beer-making.

So, whether you’re always on the prowl for a growler of the strong stuff or you’re are a purist and content with the traditional brews, you should enjoy this little glimpse into the beer culture. Writer Burkhard Bilger gives a nice history of beer along the way and makes you want to visit your local beverage store posthaste.

Speaking of Dogfish Head, our friends The Afterschool Specialists made an award-winning “Zombie” commerical for the brewery, check it out!

New Yorker Cover – November 17, 2008 by Bob Staake

Order Prints Here

I know the “Airbrushers of America” Union have been complaining about being overworked since they all put in serious OT trying to make Sarah Jessica Parker look presentable the past few weeks. Listen guys, it was just as hard on us having to look at her overly blurred and brushed Photoshopped mug everywhere we went. Grueling!

But, wow! The AOA sure did have some energy left over to do a real number on Dana Carvey. She, I’m sorry, He has absolutely no facial features left. Click the above photo to enlarge, if you dare, to suck in his sweet, baby-bottom-smooth face and soccer mom on the go hair do. Garth, you’re downright sexy! Here’s a pretty good representation of what the 53-year-old Actor really looks like:

Who is HBO trying to fool? Did their focus group reports center on:

“I love Dana, but if he has the wrinkles and lines an average middle-aged man and DARES to go onstage with them, well, there is NO WAY I am sitting through that horror show. Yuck! I demand Miley Cyrus looking entertainers 24/7! Got it!”

This is some major digital nonsense. I think this one promo photo of poor Dana has officially moved this out-of-control artless activity from the “Did she have some work done?” category into the “Holy Christ, that is hysterical!” realm.

Here’s a good New Yorker piece on one of the jokers who makes his living making celebs look like featureless aliens.

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The two covers of the latest issue of The New Yorker should make you happy. (The first cover flaps over the second cover.)

Author and cartoonist, Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), made himself a spiffy retro robot and put it to good use. Allowing technology to be as exciting or mundane as its owner pleases the emerging neo-Luddite in me.

It’s a solid issue with a fairly interesting article on photo retouching in the fashion world. Basically, there’s one hotshot retoucher in the biz, Pascal Dangin, who everyone uses when they want to make sure Drew Barrymore looks ten years younger and ten pounds lighter when she appears on their magazine’s cover.