Ken Selke's Blog

Fossil Fuels Brewing Company

kenselke — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:36:15 +0000

Fossil Fuels is a brewing company based out of Manteca, California. The company was started by two men, Cal Poly scientist Raul Cano and brew master Lewis “Chip” Lambert. While Lambert had the expertise in brewing, Cano had the differentiation. During his microbiological work involving fossilized amber, Cano made an astonishing find. Bacteria in the stomachs of ancient insects was actually still viable, after laying dormant for 45 millions years. His work caught the attention of writer Michael Crichton, who eventually adapted Cano’s work into the box office hit, Jurassic Park. After receiving international commendations for his discovery, Cano began to look more into fossilized amber, and its applications to today’s world, perhaps through pharmaceutical applications. He discovered it was not only bacteria that could live 45 million years but even micro organisms such as yeast. We all know the applications that yeast has, and one of those applications is brewing. While playing around one day with Lambert about the possibility of using this 45 millions year old yeast to brew a beer, the joke turned real, and Fossil Fuels saw it’s beginning. Batches of the beer have been produced and submitted in brewing competitions and featured in select pubs in Northern California, and the remarks it generates are nothing short of stupendous. Now, Fossil Fuels is at a turning point, beginning the processes of transforming from a small time novelty into a nationally recognized company offering a truly unique and superior product.

Men’s Business Suits

kenselke — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:31:33 +0000

I recently purchased a Men’s business suit from a local tailor in San Luis Obispo, California. Though I spent over $500 for the suit, there is no price worth the feeling I got trying it on after alterations. A business suit really can make someone feel completely different, more confident and more ready to take on the world.

My Business 451 Class Project

kenselke — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:29:18 +0000

What if every student was able to research professors before they registered for their classes, to avoid taking those teachers which may have lost their knack for teaching in the student’s eyes? That was the main goal of a project that I and three other teammates developed in my 451 business class at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Our idea basically consisted of a website that would allow, and eventually deem mandatory, students to go on and evaluate their professors on many different criterion at the end of each term. After many rounds of evaluations, a teacher would be rated on these different criterion and be given an average score on each topic, along with an overall rating that would be used at a glance to measure the professor’s effectiveness in the class room and their capabilities of teaching. In college, we as students are spending thousands upon thousands of dollars every quarter to take these crucial classes, it should be our right to choose the best teachers and refuse to take the proven sub-par ones.

San Luis Obispo

kenselke — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:20:54 +0000

SLO Town- the place I call home.
I love it here. From the weather, to the people, to the nightlife. No where else are there so many attributes that can draw one to a particular place. I Love it here.

World Series and its heartbreak of California

kenselke — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:40:33 +0000

Being a native Californian, I was very disappointed with the 2009 postseason baseball results. At the time the NLCS and ALCS occurred, four Californian teams were left in the running. The Los Angeles Dodgers were left to face the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League pennant. After a very disappointing showing from the Dodgers, they were eliminated after 5 games, winning only 1 against the Phillies in the NLCS for the second year in a row. The Angels put up a better showing against the Yankees, but inevitably the Yankees came out on top, setting the World Series up as the Yanks Vs. Phils. Needless to say California is upset about baseball right now, on this, the day that no Dodger or Angel will play in the World Series. In fact, I was surprised to see that in two local newspapers in San Luis Obispo, California, no articles about the World Series were even featured on the sport’s page. Needless to say, I love baseball, and will be watching tonight as game 1 occurs. I would have loved to root for the Dodgers or the Angels, but maybe next year. Who do you think will win the Series? Who would you have liked to have seen face off in the World Series.