Moe: Why don't you try...Moe's hobo chicken chili. I start with the best part -- the neck -- and then I add secret hobo spices.
Marge: Ooh. Tres bien.

The Simpsons, episode [3F02] Bart Sells His Soul

Sometimes I want to post a simple, quick post, but the mad association engine that resides in my brain makes it much, much longer than it should be.

Recently Kevin Kelly launched an awesome new blog, Street Use. It's about various street hacks, from improvised fishing carts (I own a somewhat more refined one) to Soviet Era bootleg records made out X-ray film (I actually remember those).

Here's are some examples of "street use" that I encountered. It's an amazing matching set of postal tape and cardboard luggage.

Notice the variety of sizes, ergonomic features and uniformity of design.

This luggage set reminded me of Dimitri Mendeleev, the famous inventor of the periodic table of elements. A lesser known fact is that he's also responsible for vodka's standard 40% ethanol by volume content. An even less known fact about him is that he was a master luggage maker. I've encountered a story about Mendeleev purchasing leather in a crafts supply store: another customer asked the storekeeper - "that man looks familiar, do you know who he is?", and the salesman saying - "Oh, he's a very famous man. He's the best luggage craftsman in all of Russia."

Here's another example of beautiful hobo design: this street dwelling is probably the most elegant one that I've ever seen. Clean lines, functional design. It could win a design award.

I played around a little with Advanced Poll, a free perl script that is automatically installed by Dreamhost, only to realize that it's not particularly advanced. You can't even have a dropdown-stlyle multiple choice question! Also, I could not find a way to make it work in an RSS feed. Then I installed a Democracity plugin for Wordpress, which, while a bit easier to work with, is even more limited in features. Do you, my loyal readers have any suggestions or do I need to write the stupid poll software myself?

Meanwhile, the current poll is a pretty simple question. Go vote.

Recently I jumped into my minivan and took a road trip on the BQE to visit Cafe Grumpy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It used to be impossible to find a decent espresso in all of Manhattan, but now even Brooklyn boasts several world class cafes, of which Cafe Grumpy is one.

Located in a handsome three story circa 1890s Renaissance Revival (correct me if I am wrong) building, Cafe Grumpy takes up the whole first floor. Notice a movie prop truck - apparently "The Brave One" starring Jodie Foster is being shot in the surrounding streets.

Greenpoint is a formerly bad/industrial neighborhood that is being gentrified like crazy. Notice a fresh crop of condos in the background. I bet having Cafe Grumpy across the street is a strong selling point - it's probably enough for a bloodsuckerRealtor^TM to take the clients for a cup of coffee to seal the deal.

Inside you find a typical Victorian interior of a high end cafe: pressed plaster ceilings, exposed brick and plastered walls, hardwood floors, schoolhouse lights, and mac-toting hipsters.

The big selling point is not food.

It's the combination of the best espresso machine money can buy (Synesso Cyncra),

freshly delivered coffee roasted by some of the best roasters (Counter Culture in this case) and highly trained staff.

As I was enjoying an impeccable espresso and a latte with a perfect textured milk rosetta (made from two different types of beans), fresh beans arrived. I bought 3 half pound bags of Counter Culture-roasted goodness.

There's also an art gallery in the back, but I am not particularly into the local arts scene.

Cafe Grumpy is holding a "Coffee Nerd Fest" on Wednesday, September 6th, at 7:30 pm. There will be a cupping (sounds dirty, but it's actually a technical term for coffee tasting) and beer. And maybe they'll let me pull a shot or two on that Cyncra.

They are located at 193 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn, NY. They have a website and a blog.