Brewing Battle: Starbucks vs. McDonald's - TIME

"Over my morning coffee (a grande nonfat latte), I read the news this week that a battle is brewing between Starbucks and McDonald's. According to the story, McDonald's is planning to capitalize on the public's willingness to pay $4 for a cup of coffee by hiring baristas and dropping espresso machines in 14,000 of their fast-food outlets. Meanwhile, Starbucks, with business lagging, is fighting back with an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy, by offering heated breakfast sandwiches and adding drive-thru windows to some of their locations."

The Time article is really missing the point here. McDonald's is putting coffee shops in their restaurants so it can directly compete with the fascination of a country trying to get it's caffeine fix. If you can drop by a McDonald's and grab 2 Double Cheeseburgers and a latte so be it. The key here is that McDonald's is serving their drinks at a lower price point per oz cup that what you can get a Starbucks. (it at least appears that away, I don't have any concrete prices at this time to verify) It might not be the same quality of coffee is as Starbucks, but it is pretty damn close. With Starbucks switching over to the auto espresso machine, and McDonald's using some auto espresso/latte/cappuccino machine you may get similar results. Plus McDonald's concoction is a lot sweeter, and we know American's like sweet liquids in any form.

I just think McDonald's is trying run with what Starbucks essentially misses out on.
Plus can you go to Starbucks on Mondays and get a free drink?

The Bender Brewer Project

Image owned by original author http://www.asciimation.co.nz/bender/

"Good news, everyone! Here is a story about building my very own Bender. This, as everyone should know, is the foul mouthed, cigar smoking, booze drinking, shiny metal arsed, bending robot from the programme Futurama."

This is freaking awesome. A Bender robot that has a built-in compartment to brew beer. Also the person built a computer out of old parts to make Bender talk. The person even uses a 6502 processor, which is referenced in Futurama as Bender's own processor.
Some people just have to much time on their hands.

Post over at /.

Obama's Victory Speech

A really good speech!

This T-shirt can make a statement

The news last month that a famous hotel chain had teamed up with one of the casino proposals got me excited about being able to wear a T-shirt that declares: 'Hard Rock -- Kansas City, KS.'

But if the Kansas Lottery Commission chooses the Kansas Speedway casino proposal and a Hard Rock hotel is built here, will the shirts and knickknacks read 'Hard Rock -- Kansas City'?

To some, such semantics wouldn't matter; to others, a minor detail. To me, and I would venture to say other Kansas City, Kan., natives, the details are a big deal.

Hell yeah it is a big deal of the T-shirt reads Kansas City, or Kansas City, KS. For years I have always hated when bands play out at Sandstone and put Kansas City, MO on the back of their T-Shirts, Pearl Jam being one that I can recall. Someone on the council should make a deal that if the casino does come with the Hard Rock Cafe, that the only way that it can build in KCK is if they put Kansa City, KS on the T-shirts.

Just as all those bankrupt crack-heads that live down south declare they live in Kansa City, you live in Overland Park or Olathe, but not the city Kansas City. For some reason that if you make weekend trips to the "Plauza" that you can declare that you live in the city of Kansas City. Yes you live in the Metropolitan area, but get your cities name correct.

Hard Rock Café Kansas City, KS

Original Article can be found at the Kansas City Star.