The Knockbox

"Caffeine gives you powers. Take in enough of it and your twitching, vibrating body is capable of amazing feats. This highly scientific *cough* test determines your level of caffeine intake by measuring how fast you can click your mouse. The test will last for 30 seconds, during which you must click the button below as many times as possible."

Click Here to take the test

I clicked the button 237 times in 30 seconds. According to this test I have Delusions of Godlike power (which of course is true).

That tells me two things:

1. I drink too much coffee

A great article in today's New York Times that dispels the myths of coffee and health:

"But as with any product used to excess, consumers often wonder about the health consequences. And researchers readily oblige. Hardly a month goes by without a report that hails coffee, tea or caffeine as healthful or damns them as potential killers.

Can all these often contradictory reports be right? Yes. Coffee and tea, after all, are complex mixtures of chemicals, several of which may independently affect health."

The whole article can be read here.

A post by our wonderful South Portland Manager, Kate Brown:

Why is is that lattes are used by the media represent all that is wasteful and slothful about daily conspicuous consumption?

http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2008/20080721170338.aspx
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/21/earlyshow/living/money/main4276979.shtml
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/4287774/detail.html


This morning I was watching "Good Morning America", and there was a short piece on the show about the National Deficit. According to this show segment, if every American gave the government $2,000 in a year, we would be able to signicicantly pay down the National Deficit.

Cut to a graphic of the U.S. Animated latte cups start popping up all over the screen. The attractive, young newscaster says, " . . . or every American could give up 666 lattes a year and the National Deficit would be paid off!"

WHAT! Funneling cash into the middle east and subsidizing a failing agricutural system, among many other things, is putting our nation deeper into an economic pithole. But not to fear! According to the media, the solution is to give up the one tasty pleasure that you can still afford for yourself. Give up that latte, and everything will be fine - except you may have an overwhelming sensation of wanting to kill someone between the hours of 7 - 10 am.

Lattes are not responsible for the war, the current economic recession, or high gas prices. Lattes are creamy and nice. Often, lattes have caffeine in them, so by consuming them, we are actually contributing to the productivity of our country. Lattes are patriotic.

Lattes are not harmful, unless your barista sucks and makes it too hot. But in that case, its not the latte that is dangerous, it's the barista who is. Trust me, I make about 50 lattes a day.

"MAKE LATTES, NOT WAR!"

Too bad Starbucks bought the company...

That's right, in celebration of the Yarmouth Clam Festival, and to show appreciation to the residents of Yarmouth, we'll be serving the rarest of all coffees, Kopi Luwak, at the regular brewed coffee price all weekend.

Flavor:

The world's most exotic and expensive coffee delivers an adventurous flavor that's rich, complex, earthy and a heavy body. Once you try this unusual cup, you'll never forget the experience.

Facts:

Owing to a production method that is clearly limited in volume, Kopi Luwak is a rare coffee that demands by far the highest price of any coffee on the world market -- currently around $300 per pound retail roasted.

Why is this coffee so much more exotic than any other? Because the unusual flavors are attributed to the natural fermentation the coffee beans undergo in the Asian Palm Civet, or luwak's, digestive system. it is believed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste.

The Freaky Bean is proud to support the Portland Green Streets initiative. Portland Green Streets is a grassroots effort to encourage the use of alternate transportation - and is comprised of people who commute through, live, work, study, or send children to school in Greater Portland.

On the last Friday of each month, supporters are encouraged to

* Wear Green (shirt, pants, socks, whatever!)
* Get Around Green (walk, bike, bus, carpool, telecommute, etc.!)
* And then to Celebrate (by signing in for freebies, discounts, & raffle items from local businesses).


The Freaky Bean and Maine Roaster locations will be offering a free small cup of coffee to participants who bring in their own travel mug.

Great coffee and a great cause. What could be better?

On Monday night, Jon Stratton had the honor of being the final speaker of the night for the ceremony announcing Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program. The program, founded with ACCION USA, the country's leading not-for-profit micro-lending organization, has a mission to partner with low and moderate income microentrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry to provide the tools they need to help them grow and succeed.

During his speech, Jon spoke about the exhilaration you feel starting your first business, and the trials you face trying to find money as a small business. He also spoke about the issues with funding the Freaky Bean faced while first starting out, and how ACCION's belief in supporting small businesses helped the company to get off the ground.

For more information, please follow this link for the press release

From the NewScientist.com news service: A strong cup of coffee in the morning can feel like a life saver. Now, one of the largest and longest studies of coffee drinking suggests that coffee may indeed boost your lifespan – providing you drink enough of the stuff, that is.

The study tracked 129,000 men and women over two decades. It found that people who consumed several cups of coffee every day were less likely to die of heart disease than those who shied away from the stuff. Heart disease is an umbrella term for conditions including heart attacks, stroke, and arrhythmia.

The researchers found that women who drank four to five cups per day were 34% less likely to die of heart disease, while men who had more than five cups a day were 44% less likely to die.

Music fans can help out the local scene by drinking their morning cup of coffee. The Freaky Bean Coffee Company has collaborated with the Portland Music Foundation to release the PMF Musician's Blend, available in 12-ounce bags at Freaky Bean and Maine Roasters Coffee Co. locations and that will be available at the end of June online at www.freakybean.com.

One dollar from the sale of each bag of PMF Musician's Blend will go toward the foundation's efforts to educate area musicians on such topics as booking, press relations, publishing, recording and legal concerns.

The blend is part of Freaky Bean's partnership with the PMF, which also includes hosting PMF networking events at its locations and supporting area singer/songwriters with in-store performances.

Freaky Bean operates three retail locations — 855 Main St., Westbrook; and 360 U.S. Route 1 and 2 Cabela Way in Scarborough. The company will soon open another location, on Broadway in South Portland.

Today marks the last day Jackie will be working with us at the Freaky Bean. Jackie was one of the first people hired by us when we first opened. Technically the second redhead (The first was bald) in a long line of redheads that have worked for us,  she gave the Freaky Bean a spark of energy and enthusiasm that will be missed. She also had a penchant for giving us guff, sometimes well placed, when she felt we needed to be put in our place. 

A recent article in Wired states frequent small doses of caffeine throughout the day can make you "clearheaded and calm, both of which enhance mental performance." What does this mean for you? This means I expect to see all of you at the Freaky Bean at least 3 times a day. No excuses.

I'm all for trying new things... but this just seems like a bad idea. Although I'm digging the old-school pull tab.