Articles by GCurtis

As an academic who teaches both political science and computer science, this is has been an interesting week as my two academic fields have collided in real life. So, I thought this would be a good chance to examine what, exactly, Bitcoin is, and why China has recently banned trading it and other cryptocurrencies. Let’s get the technical definitions out of the way first. Bitcoin, like other cryptocurrencies, are currencies, or coins, that are based on technologies that cross-verify...

Taking this series in a somewhat new direction, I’m taking a look at a beer this week. Specifically, I want to consider craft beers that you can still find in your local stores without too much effort. That way, this isn’t just some academic exercise, and you can try these out for yourself. As usual, I’ll start with some information about the drink. From there, I’ll jump into tasting procedures, which are a little different between beer and spirits. After that, I’ll offer some of my...

As a home chef, I’ll maintain that it’s way more about skills and effort than it is about spending money. But, as you develop your skills, you will begin to outgrow the gear you have and might find yourself looking for some new stuff to upgrade in the kitchen. Here, I’ll offer ten things that have helped me improve my culinary results, and why I’ve made the leap on each of them to get better meals consistently.

Today, I’m doing something new and reviewing a Tequila. In particular, Tequila Mi Campo’s Reposado. Despite this being a new kind of spirit for these reviews, the format will be essentially the same. I’m excited to branch out this review series: you can read it as a kind of guide to building your at-home-bar I’ll start the review with a little bit about the brand and the drink, followed by my procedure for tasting to try and be consistent across spirits. From there, I’ll offer my tasting...

As an academic in addition to being a writer, one of my greatest pleasures is sharing books that I’ve found interesting with others. Here, I want to share ten of those with you. I don’t follow any one theme or genre, but here are some works that have been influential in how I see the world today.

I was supposed to do a tequila review this week. That was the plan until I walked into my local liquor store (try to support small businesses when you can) and was presented with a truly phenomenal deal on Kraken rum, which was being offered one a buy-one, get-one deal. Not being one to turn up my nose at a free bottle of rum, here we are. Tequila will come next week, I promise! As always, with these, I start off with what knowledge I can find out about the spirit. From there, I walk...

Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to get to travel a fair bit. I’ve seen a dozen countries and about half of the US, and will finally see the Pacific Ocean in a few weeks with a trip to Seattle for a work conference. In those travels, I’ve experienced a lot of things I wish that I’d have known sooner. Today, I want to share ten of those with you.

With the start of the new school year, it was pretty clear that I’d have a lot to do. Currently, I’m teaching five classes at two different universities, wrapping up my dissertation in political theory, and writing fairly actively for a number of clients. All of that, combined with maintaining a decent life and a relationship with my partner meant that I’d have to make the most of every day to make it work. Usually, I’m not a morning person at all. I’ve never been late to work or class in...

As of September 5, 2021, the United States has largely withdrawn from Afghanistan after two decades of combatting the Taliban. The Taliban have now become the de facto government in the country, leaving many to question what happened and how the US came to become so involved in a twenty-year war. In this piece, I plan to do just that. First, I’ll cover some of the basic facts and figures of the war. From there, I’ll trace the history of US involvement in Afghanistan, with an eye to...

As you all know by now, I love cooking. I’ve also been blessed in life with an Argentine partner who loves red meat and red wine. When you combine my hobby with her love of the good things in life, I have the opportunity to experiment and make some awesome food. These short ribs are now, by far, my favorite way to consume beef. A brief note for my fellow Americans: these ribs are not what you usually think of when you think ribs. Instead of long-way cut racks of ribs, beef short ribs are...

At this point in my life, I’ve been studying and teaching philosophy for a decade. In that time, I’ve also grown from a student into an experienced teacher who mentors others on a daily basis. Over that time, there have been lots of works that have influenced the way I understand myself, the world, and the people in it. I’m not going to pretend it’s a ten-best list or something like that: there are simply too many excellent books out there for me to make that claim. Instead, here are ten...

One of my favorite dishes at Chinese restaurants has always been egg drop soup. Especially with some Crab Rangoons, it’s one of the better appetizers in the good industry, at least in my opinion. But, most home chefs don’t bother trying to make it themselves. Today, I’m going to walk you through making egg drop soup that stands up well even to restaurant quality, and you’ll see that it’s pretty simple. First, we’ll start with ingredients, then walk through the process, and I’ll wrap up...

With summer in full swing, it’s barbecue season for sure. Authentic barbecue is usually done in a smoker and should take all day. For most of us, that makes doing it well at home pretty hard, since we have neither a smoker nor the time to stand by one all day. But, it’s still possible to get excellent barbecue results at home. I’ve worked out a technique that uses a slow cooker and I think comes out excellent every time. The work with this one is upfront, but if you take the time for it...

I know it’s unbearably hot in most of the world at the moment, but, thankfully, fall is coming. With that in mind, now is the perfect time to look for some fall essentials. Men’s fashion changes slowly, so last year’s stock, which retailers are looking to sell, is pretty likely to be on sale to make room for new fall looks in just a few weeks. So, let’s take advantage of those deals and pick up some great pieces.

In this series of whisky reviews, I give my impressions of some widely available whiskies so that you can get some idea of new things you might want to try. Today, I’m reviewing Tullamore Dew’s green label Irish Whisky. As usual, I’ll start off with a bit of history on the product and the company. Following that, we’ll walk through my tasting procedure and notes. To wrap things up, I make some recommendations on how I’d choose to drink this Irish whisky, and end with some final thoughts on...

If the last year and a half have taught me much of anything, it’s that sometimes, to stay sane, we need hobbies that we can do by ourselves. Work-from-home can all-too-easily become a deeply unhealthy cycle of being inside all the time, simply switching from work applications to fun ones when the clock strikes the appropriate hour. Instead, I want to suggest ten hobbies that I have used to try to balance work out with healthy living and keeping my mind engaged. While not all of these...

With the world recovering from Covid, albeit slowly, international leisure travel is coming back. I, for one, welcome this return to something like normal. Here, I want to share with you ten cities that I have been lucky enough to visit, and what I like about each of them. There are hundreds of amazing places in our world, and my travels haven’t taken me to enough of them yet, but I hope this helps spark your wanderlust all the same.

One of my favorite foods is, of course, chicken wings. But, sadly, my love of wings sometimes conflicts with my want to eat healthily. Since most restaurants deep fry their wings, the sheer amount of calories from a plate of wings can end up pretty staggering. I’m not willing to give up on wings entirely, so, I’ve been working on a way to make wings that is at least somewhat healthier and, most importantly, is at least as good as those that you get at a restaurant. So, here is my take on...

If you go into any liquor store in the country, right now, you will find Jim Beam. It is, in many ways, an introductory whisky. As a bourbon, it has a bold flavor profile and can be a little bit intimidating for some palettes, but the fact that it can be found, affordably, at nearly any place where liquor is sold, makes it one of the classics. Here, I’ll briefly cover the history of the brand and the product. From there, I’ll offer some of my ideas in terms of tasting notes as well as the...

In mid-July 2021, unrest began in the streets of most Cuban cities. As a political scientist living in Miami, I’m waiting with bated breath to see what happens. In the meantime, this can be a learning moment for us all. In this piece, I’ll try my best to explain what’s going on in Cuba as of this moment. To do so, I’ll walk through a brief history that gives you some context, as well as explaining the importance of Cuban to Americans. Once that’s done, I’ll briefly cover the events as best...