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*.BAK Hardware

Please don’t turn off your PC

Today I received new motherboard. Spent 1.5 hours to installing it. And the symptoms are still there.
Also, this is a reminder why you should never buy Asus Prime boards, and only Asus ROG. The quality is atrocious, from the almost non existing heat sinks to the fact that you need to install back panel yourself.
If not motherboard, then what? I read some more. Seems some 5900X CPUs are faulty.
The problem? For RMA you need S/N, which is on the box, but I don’t keep boxes for CPUs, only for motherboard. So I had to remove cooler again to get S/N. And since I already started doing it, I replaced ROG motherboard back. Now it only took me 45 minutes. Improvement.
I disabled C-State. It helped, for now.

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Vault City Barleywine 2024

I was eyeing Vault City beers for some time now, because their Imperial Stouts sounded like something right down my alley. I wasn’t mistaken. I went with the safer choice of Barleywine, without the additions. It’s fantastic: smooth, sweet, full-bodied, and with very little gas. Yes, it will make you sleepy, but in a good way.

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Brew By Numbers 12 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

It’s a bit pointless to review Brew By Numbers, because every year they would produce a completely different Imperial Stout. But still.
This year it’s ages in Rye Whisky barrels, which gives it a smoky (expected) slightly sweet (expected), but also almost Lambic level of sour taste (completely unexpected).
It’s still good, though.

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Averbode beer

I have no idea where I’ve got this beer from. Look, sometimes I just spot something in a shop. Or sometimes I do an online order, and I just add a bottle I find interesting.
In any case, it’s a very nice beer at 7.5%. Not sure if it’s considered a Trappist, but it feels quite similar to me, with an orange sweetness to it.
Maybe not something I’d buy again on purpose, but a nice experience nevertheless.

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Tamdhu 12 Years Old

20th whiskey in the calendar was Bunnahabhain 12, which I know pretty well, it’s a very solid Scotch whiskey, but not one of my favorites.
So we jump straight to Tamdhu 12 Years Old. It is light and smooth to the point I would think it’s a blend, with a very sweet fruity taste. One of the more pleasant whiskeys from the calendar. I had to check that it is matured in Oloroso Sherry casks, because the colour is quite light. At 45GBP, it’s a bargain. Would definitely like to try the 15 years or Cask Strength of this one.

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Silent Hill

Makes me laugh every time 😆

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Sixninja transformer (MF-27)

As many kids in the 90s, I was into Transformers. Most transformers could transform just into one form, although ironically the most popular transformer in my hometown was Blitzwing, that could transform into both a tank and a jet. Generally, though, the more forms, the more awesome. And the most awesome of them all was Sixshot. It was also very expensive and rare, so my family couldn’t possibly afford it.
But now I’m a grown up men. So despite the fact that I don’t collect figurines generally, I decided to fulfil my childhood dream and get this one in particular.
Obviously I didn’t go for the original. Those are collector pieces, if you get one sealed, you wouldn’t dare to open it, and if it’s unsealed, it would probably be in a bad shape.
Instead, I went for the knock-off first, which is why it’s called Sixninja and not Sixshot.
It is still impressive piece of engineering. Aot of transformers couldn’t bend their knees or elbows. This one moves in all directions.
It has also very smart design. The body is hollow to stow away the head. The arms are hollow, and so are the legs. The legs also have a few catches that click together.
The robot still looks awesome. I honestly think it’s one of the coolest designs ever produced, and a true masterpiece. The forms, though… Well, not so much. You need quite a lot of imagination to see what they represent. The case when more doesn’t necessarily means better.

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Whiskey Advent Calendar

I don’t plan to buy another Whiskey Advent Calendar this year. I’m still going through the one from last year, although I’m getting closer.

If I were, though, I’d go with this one:
Whisky Advent Calendar – Premium Edition (2024 Edition)

There are some whiskeys I can vouch for in it, like the Berry Bros. & Rudd 12 Year Old Sherry Cask, and some interesting options like Fettercairn 22.

Is it worth 200GBP? Probably not. But if it goes down to 150GBP, it would be a nice deal.

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Salomon Ultra 360 Mid

Salomon Ultra X is probably my most favourite shoe. In fact so favourite that I just bought a second pair once the first one wore down, which happened pretty quicly as those aren’t very durable.
Despite a similar name, Mid shares very little with the Salomon Ultra X. Different design of the toe, different lacing system, different sole.
Hiked twice in them, 10-12km, been in deep mud, no issues whatsoever.

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WiFi

I have so many devices connected to the WiFi now that I’m dreadful of the day I would need to change its password.

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Hentai commissions

There is a hentai about every character imaginable. And I’m not talking about “fanart”, drawing that are both obscene and childish at the same time. For every new character in a matter of days or weeks there will be probably well drawn hentai available.
And for a rather funny reason.
There are plenty of professional comics artists sitting around. To get a contract for a new comics is extremely hard. There are a bunch of well know artists with a queue of comics, but most get none. But then you can get maybe 50 or 100$ for drawing that Rei girl from Star Wars without much clothing at all.

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Highland Park Viking Honour

Highland Park is a household name, but I don’t remember ever trying their whiskey.
It’s a typical Scotch whiskey, I would say, a bit smokey, a bit sweet, maybe warmer than usual, but nothing above its price.

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Stille Nacht, Brouwerij De Dolle

Yes, I drink so much I’m having this Christmas beer in October.
It’s fantastic. Not as dark as I expected, but full of taste and gives you a good light feel. The interesting bit is it’s more sour than most quadruples.

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Chivas Regal XV

18th taster from the advent calendar. For me, Chivas is something you drink at weddings because there is only that and Johnny Walker Red. This isn’t much different. Yes, it is smooth, as expected from a blended scotch, and it has some sweetness and smokiness, but not much it terms of warmth. Not something I’d buy.

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Ename Blond

I didn’t particularly enjoyed this beer, and it gave me a runny nose. That’s all I’m gonna say about it. Wish I went with classic La Chouffe instead today.

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Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whiskey

17th bottle from the Advent Calendar. I thought that I tried another Balvenie already, and I was right. It was the Balvenie 12 Year Old Double Cask. This one is what I’d call “supermarket grade whiskey”. It’s rather smooth for a Scotch, with plenty of sweetness and some warmth. A decent whiskey for sure. But for 63GBP, there are much better options, in my opinion.

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Berry Bros & Rudd Sherry Cask Whiskey

16th bottle from the Advent Calendar.

I love Sherry Casks. But at first I was warry of this one, because the smell was very sharp and alcoholic, despite just 45%. Must admit though, the taste is very sweet, and it makes your head light as if it was all 60%. For 45GBP, it’s a no-brainer, and probably one of the best whiskeys from the calendar yet.

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Dragon’s Milk beer

I love Imperial Stouts. So naturally, when I was in Trader Joe’s in the US and saw an the Dragon’s Milk Imperial Stout, I decided to try it out. Of course, because it’s the US, they were only sold in packs of 4.
Was it worth shipping it across half the world? Absolutely. I know there’s a misconception that Americans don’t understanding anything about food, but that’s all it is, a misconception. It’s everything you expect from Imperial Stout and more. Glad that I still have 3 more bottles left, should keep me until the end of the year, I hope. And if you’d thought that 11% is their limit: they’re also producing a 18% one.

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Glenfarclas 12 Year Old

15th taster from the Advent Calendar. All I can say, it’s a whiskey. It’s not particularly good or bad, in my opinion, maybe has a bit longer aftertaste and warmth than most, but nothing that would amaze me.

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Misono UX10 knife

Decided to use my visit to the US to purchase Misono UX10 knife, that isn’t sold in the UK. For those that don’t know, this knife is heavily promoted by America’s Test Kitchen:

What’s interesting about this knife is that although it’s made in Japan, the steel is from Sweden. Also, it has an asymetrical edge: 12 degrees on one side, 20 degrees on the other. Most European kitchen knives are 20 degrees, and Japense are 15 degrees. It is also much lighter than any other knife of comparable 18cm length. Hell, Wusthof Icon 16cm weights 179g, and Misono UX10 is only 155g.
But… the knife isn’t very sharp. Which is funny, because out of the box, they should be the sharpest you can get them. But Global is sharper. And Wusthof is more comfortable.