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Dear Sirs- There are a total of 19 APs interspersed throughout the hotel, not including extra devices occasionally set up by catering. Depending on the unit, they’ll support from 12-36 users on the wireless (multiple internals). This has been the design at the Flamingo since its initial design and installation, almost as if we knew what we were doing… Please inform the users that the codes will be bound to the MAC address of the NIC they use at the time of connection and entry of the code. They cannot switch computers and use the same code. The time in contiguous and not broken up to when they are using the connection, ie: 3 hrs ≠ 9 hrs of 15 minute usage periods. Also, be aware that the total bandwidth for the Hotel Guests use is 6mb/3mb. Therefore, this should not be a time for these “HEAVY internet users” to download all the Richard Simmons or Jane Fonda videos as this type of abuse will naturally hinder the enjoyable experience that such a convention should foster, human dialogue and contact. I hope that you enjoy your stay at the Flamingo and that all elements of your convention are a total success. JJMaybe its me, I don't know... Updated: The hotel worked on the service provider to create a parallel network in the main conference area that will be supported by additional APs on non-adjacent channels and they committed to having staff on hand throughout the entire conference should this network shit the bed. I feel better about the chances of success.
Now you might think this seems odd, but everytime I taste Waterbrook Melange it tastes like Autumn in Walla Walla. And don't ask why or what Autumn tastes like, but there must be something about the taste that seems to trigger a special moment or event in that time frame.Check out her Washington (state) selection Waterbrook Melange, produced in the Walla Walla Valley. Erika Strum of StrumErika.com goes with a Gnarlier Head 2005 Dry Creek Valley Old Vine Zinfandel which she attributes some of the "relaxation" to the high alcohol content. I disagree, unless you get lit off a glass or two. In which case we need to watch out when the Strum sisters hit Vegas again! Michelle at Wine-Girl gets into the groove by starting with her comfort food - for her Mac and cheese or chicken or dumplings - and she seems to be having a heck of a time herself so I'm glad this posting made you sit down and reflect Michelle! Carol at PourMore analyzes her comfort foods as well to arrive at a good QPR, accessible Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel and she catches on to a theme through out a bunch of these submissions - comfort wine should be easy enough to add to "relaxing" experience...unless judging a wine competition is your idea of relaxing then easy isn't a bad way to go! Sean at Interwined video submits a tasting of California Bordeaux blend 2000 St. Clements Bordeaux blend (Meritage) which he uses to get comfy and cozy on those cool London evenings. Nice job on the video! After my software crashed I wish I just video taped this round-up! Diane at Loveswine gets into the spirit of things with a really comforting sentiment. She has her Calgon moment (Calgon was an old bath soap brand that had a relaxing commercial that chimed "Calgon, take me away!" probably 20 or so years ago...man I watch too much TV) with a a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 10 year old Tawny Port. I can definitely picture this scene - "I fill the glass to the brim and slip into the tub. Aahhh. I’ll stay there for half an hour, and sometimes I’ll call to my husband to bring me a little more. The nutty, caramel flavor and stronger alcohol work like charms for me." That's what I'm talking about. Did I mention my new home addition includes a 72" spa tub with German fixtures. Why 72"? Because I'm 6' 3" and Diane and I have similar rituals! Farley at BehindtheVine goes for a flight of Sparkling wines with the support of fellow sparkling wine lover Michael at FoodandWine who kicks in a Avinyo Brut Reserva Cava, while Kori at WinePeeps dives into a good wine (2002 Peter Lehmann Shiraz) while picking up a book he's been meaning to read for while. Marcus of Doktor Wiengolb tries to get us to think about which kind of comfort we're looking for with some extensive, well wriiten notes on cozy Grenache and Luxurious Chauteuneuf du Pape. Lia Huber takes that concept one step further exploring several wines with several situational relaxation postures - First day of summer, gathered around a fire, on a picnic, eating crab, with a winter braise, or just eating pizza on a weeknight Lia knows her relaxation wines! Now this is in stark contrast to Alex from Leeds in the UK who say that if she were to relax it would be with Château de Goëlane Bordeaux Supérieur. Alex, take my advice - you'll save two hours of debugging code for 30 minutes you take to enjoy the wine life! When you're going to that vineyard in the sky and taking your last breaths I'm pretty sure you're not going to say "I should've commented my code better...", but you might say "I wish I had finished that last bottle of Enkidu 2005 Syrah that's in the cellar...." Ryan and Gabriella go down the path that Marcus started and suggest that "comfort" of wine suggests the characteristic of the wine and therefore there are several that fall in that class. That wine that is just plain good and allows you to enjoy what makes you happy rather than think about the intricacies of the wine are what you're looking for. Nice post, definitely worth a look. Roija brings Hank from Honest-Foods back to a time when he was first venturing into wine. When things seemed simpler as each and every bottle he opened (from Roija) was solid. I think we all have a similar memory. Its runs like that which spark our collective passion and we end up spending the rest of our lives in pursuit of more runs of that nature! Hank breaks out a nice 2000 Herederos del Marques de Riscal Riojo Reserva which sounds like something Ryan would enjoy because, according to Hank, "It lets you do the thinking; all it does is listen." John at CorkDork has his take on on a similar idea. While not necessarily advocating going with the straight forward, he wants to simplify the wine choice to enhance the experience. To that end, you'll find John relaxing with a wine he knows will be consistently good so its more a matter of what you want that good wine to go with rather than worrying about if the wine is good in the first place. I can get with that logic! RichardA at Passionate Foodie gives a counterpoint to that opinion. Reflecting on his favorite comfort wine is actually what relaxes him. Thinking about the complexities and the sheer artwork of his Pleiades XVI without the pressure to write up a note or judge it for any competition is what recharges his soul. Tim Elliot of Winecast.net agrees and chooses the muscular yet balanced Ridge Vineyards, Zinfandel, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley 2004 as it takes him back to his early journeys in wine. A few entries roll in that get straight to the point: Andrew at Rougeandblanc goes for simple, uncomplicated with good QPR 2003 Royal Oporto Douro Porca de Murça Red, Dale from Drinksareonme is more than ready for the ultimate relaxation time - summer - with his 2006 Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc, Catherine at Purple Liquid just gets back from France and perks up with a glass of 2004 Chinon Domaine de la Noblaie Les Chiens-Chiens, Sharon the Bloviatrix is new to wine (be sure to head over and welcome her with tips!) so she submits a recommendation she received - Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cote du Py Vieilles Vignes 2006, all while Joe in Montreal warms up the cold winter nights with 2000 Penfolds Bin 389 by the fire (great picture of the Penfolds in a snow bank!). Jeff at GoodGrape (my American Blog Awards Graphics arch-nemisis ;-), goes for something that he feels the need to defend a bit, but I think if he reads through this he'll realize that the are many that go with straight forward and easy when they relax and you really don't need to defend it! His choice? 2005 V. Sattui “Crow Ridge Vineyard” Zinfandel. I mean, even Dave at Winections agrees and goes for a "fruit bomb" that is so straight forward that there's no need for analysis, he just likes it! And yes, Jeff beat me out for ABA Graphics last year. I'm just having a bit of fun. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a stalker. Turns out that when she's not boiling the ocean, Megan of Wannabewino is knockin' back her favorite varietal. She had to go with a whole varietal because of he tendency to boil the ocean... just kidding - who says there are no inside jokes embedded in WBW write ups. She chose it because it (Zinfandel) evokes good memories, puts a smile on her face, and almost always puts her in a good mood. Don't worry because Jill of Domain547 is right there with you Megan! In fact, she goes even broader detailing why the pursuit of wine is in and of itself the fulfilling adventure. Jim Eastman kicks back in Ohio, listening to Nina Simone, with a very unique selection - a wine from Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin who produces a Prairie Fume off-dry white wine made entirely from seyval. He explains what Seyval is and the fact that its hard to find outside of Wisconsin, USA!! My wife's from Green Bay so I'll have to give this one a try personally. You can't tell a CA brother he can't find a certain type of wine! Now I HAVE to find it! David McDuff relays how a bottle accidentally cellared (i.e. you know that one you threw in there a little too far back and 10 years later, when you're reorganizing, you stumble across it?) can lead to a very rewarding and comforting experience. Its not something thats re-occurring but a serendipidous addition to the "comfort wine" theme. Very interesting read. Marta from RecentlyConsumed is making me jealous - a great blog design, a great pairing of three great wines with three bad movies, and the ability to enjoy them all, as she puts it, in "a night of comfort between cynical newlyweds enjoying their pre-children freedom". Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. You're cute, you're young, you're still in "that phase" of marriage. Thanks for reminding me... ;). In all seriousness, nice addition to the comfort stories and definitely a blog to check out! And contrary to what others might tell you, when you're with the right person you MAKE the time to remember "that phase". In fact, this post is one that makes me say "yeah, I'm gonna do that!", so personal theme objective achieved! So thats it. I have to say, I am really happy that the topic was so thought provoking and for all those that had to sit back and take a moment to realize how much wine is actually a part of your life and your relaxation all I can say is I hope you take more occasions to Enjoy the Wine Life! Cheers!
First of all, Gary V., congrats – this is a good acquisition for you and your retail business. Very forward thinking. You have a lively “Vayniac” community and a thriving retail business. This functionality you’ve acquired is very very smart. Its a robust technology that will serve your community very well and it was put together by some thought leaders in the Web 2.0 world. Now your existing community can really do some great things including the notes and sharing comments and Twitter and all the rest. I actually thing that this can position you as a real challenger to the “Wine.com”s of the world. You’ll actually have a useful wine e-commerce site thats more than a wine clearing house.
That brings me to the thesis of this post. This acquisition is actual proof that a site based SOLELY on tasting notes and hoping to attract alot of users is, in reality, of little value (financially). What Gary did was acquire technical functionality to enhance his pre-existing community – savvy move by Gary but what amount do you think the 20,000 pre-existing registered users brought to the deal? Gary’s got a community and following already. There’s a remote
Cork’d had (and has) some very advanced technological features and, like I said above, the synergy with Gary’s site is to help create fanatical WineLibrary customers. Gary’s business is retail. It pays the bills. At the end of this, Cork’d was a short cut for Gary to build the features he needed for his site without paying for a custom contract to re-create. Gary made a “build versus buy” decision. In this case, its a simple decision for Gary – How much to get a gaggle of engineers and pay them to re-create Cork’d for me, add some percentage on top of that and offer that to Cork’d. Any decent private equity guy/gal could do that calculation for you.
Do the 20K registrants of Cork’d add any value to that equation? Answer is a resounding “NO”.
So if I may be so humble, if you’re working away on a site that collects tasting notes and is attempting to create a community with a business plan of marketing to that community and creating ads for them you need to be careful. Step back, do some deep analysis, write a business plan and flesh out exactly what your goals and missions are before you spend a year on creating custom functionality for a real business person. If you can create the site on your own and you don’t have a business plan written they you’re better off consulting because you’re obviously a talented programmer. Your opportunity cost of spending all your time on a site like Cork’d is going to be painful when you could’ve been billing $100 per hour for your time.
Enjoy the Wine Life!
