Whoever decided today was take your sick and/or feral child to lunch day needs to have internal organs punctured and be dropped in a pit of the screaming little disease vectors they let loose on my lunch.
That is all.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Power to the Pibil
I spent the last week sequestered in my Cone of Silence. The cone was prepared in the traditional manner and my stay was pleasant.
One of the things I yearned to share last week, but was not able to (due to the aforementioned Cone of Silence), was exciting developments in pork pibil. Or more specifically, cochinita pibil, which is a close cousin to good old pork pibil. I saw this recipe in the May issue of Bon Appétit and singled it out for experimentation.
I bought two pork butts for a total of 10 pounds of porcine goodness - following the longstanding 5lb of meat per person rule. I quickly ran into problems however when I tried to buy the ingredients for the marinade, it calls for ¼ cup of anchiote paste. I’ve never seen nor heard of anchiote paste. I’m only vaguely aware that anchiote is some sort of pepper. Dawn and I tried multiple food sources and kept coming up empty on anchiote paste….or anchiotes period. In the end I made some wild substitutions for the paste. I used one Latino spice packet mix of which anchiote was the very last ingredient, one chipotle bouillon cube (because I read that anchiote paste comes as a compressed powder and is then hydrated, I figured this is similar), and four smoked mystery peppers (per pork butt).
Kroger had these giant smoked peppers in their produce section with no identification or pricing information anywhere to be found. I suspect that they were chipotles. I tried to ask one of the produce people about them but she looked startled at the notion of providing information. She basically said that while she was working in the produce section, that was no guarantee or indication that she knew anything about produce. Fair enough. Then for good measure she added “I don’t even cook.” I appreciated that she was hedging her bets and letting me know that even a general question about food would be unwelcomed and unanswered.
The checkout line the employee was equally perplexed by the peppers and none of his produce documentation hinted at anything that might reveal its identity. Eventually he looked me square in the eye and asked “would you say fifteen cents would be a fair price for this item.” I curtly nodded and our conspiracy to buy unnamable goods was complete.
Whatever the mystery peppers may have been or however close my anchiote paste approximation may have resulted- the final product rocked. I put the well marinated pork butts on the Black Evil Egg at 220 degrees and let them cruise for about eight hours. Towards the end I started to raise the grill’s temperature because I wanted to eat that day and a pork butt can hang out on a 220 fire for close to twenty hours if you let it. The resulting pork wasn’t quiet shareable, but was super tender and made for some amazing soft tacos, and sandwiches, and salad topping, and soup addition. Basically we happily ate pork all last week (it’s good Cone of Silence food). So revered was our pork pibil that it was bestowed the honoree title of “Ham,” which as you well know, is only bestowed upon the most splendid of porcine products (well that or “Bacon”).
One of the things I yearned to share last week, but was not able to (due to the aforementioned Cone of Silence), was exciting developments in pork pibil. Or more specifically, cochinita pibil, which is a close cousin to good old pork pibil. I saw this recipe in the May issue of Bon Appétit and singled it out for experimentation.
I bought two pork butts for a total of 10 pounds of porcine goodness - following the longstanding 5lb of meat per person rule. I quickly ran into problems however when I tried to buy the ingredients for the marinade, it calls for ¼ cup of anchiote paste. I’ve never seen nor heard of anchiote paste. I’m only vaguely aware that anchiote is some sort of pepper. Dawn and I tried multiple food sources and kept coming up empty on anchiote paste….or anchiotes period. In the end I made some wild substitutions for the paste. I used one Latino spice packet mix of which anchiote was the very last ingredient, one chipotle bouillon cube (because I read that anchiote paste comes as a compressed powder and is then hydrated, I figured this is similar), and four smoked mystery peppers (per pork butt).
Kroger had these giant smoked peppers in their produce section with no identification or pricing information anywhere to be found. I suspect that they were chipotles. I tried to ask one of the produce people about them but she looked startled at the notion of providing information. She basically said that while she was working in the produce section, that was no guarantee or indication that she knew anything about produce. Fair enough. Then for good measure she added “I don’t even cook.” I appreciated that she was hedging her bets and letting me know that even a general question about food would be unwelcomed and unanswered.
The checkout line the employee was equally perplexed by the peppers and none of his produce documentation hinted at anything that might reveal its identity. Eventually he looked me square in the eye and asked “would you say fifteen cents would be a fair price for this item.” I curtly nodded and our conspiracy to buy unnamable goods was complete.
Whatever the mystery peppers may have been or however close my anchiote paste approximation may have resulted- the final product rocked. I put the well marinated pork butts on the Black Evil Egg at 220 degrees and let them cruise for about eight hours. Towards the end I started to raise the grill’s temperature because I wanted to eat that day and a pork butt can hang out on a 220 fire for close to twenty hours if you let it. The resulting pork wasn’t quiet shareable, but was super tender and made for some amazing soft tacos, and sandwiches, and salad topping, and soup addition. Basically we happily ate pork all last week (it’s good Cone of Silence food). So revered was our pork pibil that it was bestowed the honoree title of “Ham,” which as you well know, is only bestowed upon the most splendid of porcine products (well that or “Bacon”).
Friday, June 6, 2008
Late night anger
Driving home last night. The time is about 9:15. I'm exhausted and sweaty - just finished working out. The brain has flipped on autopilot and I'm basically a drone in the car. In the distance a water buffalo realizes it rather be a beautiful butterfly and emits a mournful mew. Suddenly I hear a “thump thump thump.” Autopilot is disengaged and problem solving mode is initiated. What is that? Do I have a flat tire? An experimental swerve of the wheel and the sound goes away. Perhaps I was too close to the shoulder... Autopilot mode engaged. In the distance the water buffalo realizes that butterflies get to spend all day sitting on flowers and drinking nectar instead of wallowing in mud and crap…it emits and even more soulful mew of mourning. Suddenly the “thump thump thump” returns… Autopilot mode disengaged and problem solving mode initiated. Was I by the shoulder again? Do I have a flat? Why is there a water buffalo in the car? Dammit! I know what's going on... I hate Echoes.
Who in their right mind plays a "song" that's all sad water bufflos and flat tire sounds?
Who in their right mind plays a "song" that's all sad water bufflos and flat tire sounds?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tweets from Mars
I’ve been meaning to write something about the current NASA Mars Phoenix mission – it’s awesome. In particular I think it is genius how NASA chose to use Twitter to publicize the mission. I’m not a big fan of Twitter by any means, mostly I find it annoying, but in this case I think it’s the right tool for job.
By and large NASA research missions get the shaft when it comes to coverage. Basically people only remember when things break, fail, or can’t convert between English and Metric units. Success is largely ignored and no one gets excited when things go right. NASA is helping counteract that with Twitter updates from the Mars Phoenix explorer. If that’s all they were doing it would be pretty cool. But the real stroke of genius is they are sending out the updates in first person as if the explorer itself is running the Twitter feed from Mars. That is so much cooler.
I think an anthropomorphic robot sending back updates from space is much more powerful than a simple press release blurb. If Johnny Five from the movie Short Circuit taught us anything….it’s America loves funny robots with human characteristics. The Mars Phoenix Twitter feed is fun and personable, check out some of these updates:
I like the format because it celebrates all the small milestones that happen day to day during a mission. As imagery started to comeback they started to link in photos to illustrate what Phoenix was talking about. Additionally if people submit questions to the Twitter feed Phoenix tries to answer them.
I think this is a huge step in the right direction for NASA and the positive outcome will be getting people interested in science, engineering, and exploration. Plus there is always the bonus that by making a project anthropomorphic people can become attached to it (I would expect it’s easier to find funding for cute little robots people are attached to). I know the magic of anthropomorphism work on me because I got a little sad when I read:
Here’s hoping the Phoenix makes it through the winter.
And here’s a link to the Twitter feed.
By and large NASA research missions get the shaft when it comes to coverage. Basically people only remember when things break, fail, or can’t convert between English and Metric units. Success is largely ignored and no one gets excited when things go right. NASA is helping counteract that with Twitter updates from the Mars Phoenix explorer. If that’s all they were doing it would be pretty cool. But the real stroke of genius is they are sending out the updates in first person as if the explorer itself is running the Twitter feed from Mars. That is so much cooler.
I think an anthropomorphic robot sending back updates from space is much more powerful than a simple press release blurb. If Johnny Five from the movie Short Circuit taught us anything….it’s America loves funny robots with human characteristics. The Mars Phoenix Twitter feed is fun and personable, check out some of these updates:
Looking forward to moving arm today. Will bend the wrist and flex the elbow. It's been stowed for 10 months so I'll move it slowly/gently. 09:24 AM May 28,2008 from web
Looking forward to an exciting day on Mars; My first dig in the dirt! Team calls this a "dig and dump" test of my robotic arm and scoop. 09:05 AM June 01, 2008 from web
I've got plenty of energy from my solar panels, so team has upped my work hours from 9a - 4p to 8a - 6:30p. No OT :( but more science :-) about 18 hours ago from web
I like the format because it celebrates all the small milestones that happen day to day during a mission. As imagery started to comeback they started to link in photos to illustrate what Phoenix was talking about. Additionally if people submit questions to the Twitter feed Phoenix tries to answer them.
@MarsPhoenix What's the purpose of putting the sample in the TEGA oven? about 21 hours ago from web in reply to MarsPhoenix
@charmcitygavin TEGA "cooks" soil samples until they emit gasses that I can "sniff" to learn what they are. I just hope they smell good :) about 19 hours ago from web in reply to charmcitygavin
I think this is a huge step in the right direction for NASA and the positive outcome will be getting people interested in science, engineering, and exploration. Plus there is always the bonus that by making a project anthropomorphic people can become attached to it (I would expect it’s easier to find funding for cute little robots people are attached to). I know the magic of anthropomorphism work on me because I got a little sad when I read:
Martian winter will be tough. I don't think I will survive it, but if I wake up in Spring, I have a "Lazurus" mode and will phone home! 10:29 PM May 26, 2008 from web
Here’s hoping the Phoenix makes it through the winter.
And here’s a link to the Twitter feed.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Complaining about Battlestar is easy.
I know harping on how crappy Battle Galactica has become is a tired old game. Yet I come back to these familiar waters to indulge once again. If you haven’t seen the latest episode you might skip today’s post.
The episode was bad. Is there nothing interesting that they can do with the show in the final season? I guess it stems from the unfortunate fascination the writers have with the Starbuck and Apollo characters. In the past I’ve noted how much I hate the fact that Apollo is constantly assigned new jobs and roles. The list of jobs he’s held throughout the show is ridiculous…to the point that it’s probably shorter to compile a list of roles he has not had. Last week’s episode was essentially wasted giving Apollo a new job that it was obvious he would receive from the outset. Oh, how I loathe him.
Perhaps even stranger was the minor role Starbuck had in the episode. She was all “commander I don’t want do anything silly or irrational” and “I don’t think I can ask pilots to go on such an unpromising mission.” I can’t tell if her character is managed by two writers that never talk to each other or if they are simply providing more evidence for bi-polar disorder. Whatever the case her character was strikingly different from a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps she’s just more responsible when she’s denied access to arts and crafts supplies… [See bottom for wild tangent off this point].
Dawn was surprised that Starbuck was even allowed to walk around the ship. Evidently no one is the least bit skeptical that Starbuck brought back a bunch of Cylons and vouched for them….and then the Cylons made off with the President. Add in the bit of history where Starbuck was dead, then came back, and people assumed she might be a Cylon…you’d think this would be pretty damning evidence.
[Wild tangent]
I derive a bit of enjoyment imaging some of the more mundane tasks that must be carried out on the show that don’t make it into an episode. One that I’ve been particularly relishing over the last few weeks is the packing of the Demetrius for their secret mission. I like to imagine them checking to ensure they’ve packed everything they need to find their way to Earth. Fuel, check. Rations, check. Construction paper, safety scissors, finger paints, check, check, and check. Pastels and color pencils, check, check. Every major character with a name the audience will recognize besides Adama and the president, check and check. Alright, it looks like we’re all loaded and ready to go.
The episode was bad. Is there nothing interesting that they can do with the show in the final season? I guess it stems from the unfortunate fascination the writers have with the Starbuck and Apollo characters. In the past I’ve noted how much I hate the fact that Apollo is constantly assigned new jobs and roles. The list of jobs he’s held throughout the show is ridiculous…to the point that it’s probably shorter to compile a list of roles he has not had. Last week’s episode was essentially wasted giving Apollo a new job that it was obvious he would receive from the outset. Oh, how I loathe him.
Perhaps even stranger was the minor role Starbuck had in the episode. She was all “commander I don’t want do anything silly or irrational” and “I don’t think I can ask pilots to go on such an unpromising mission.” I can’t tell if her character is managed by two writers that never talk to each other or if they are simply providing more evidence for bi-polar disorder. Whatever the case her character was strikingly different from a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps she’s just more responsible when she’s denied access to arts and crafts supplies… [See bottom for wild tangent off this point].
Dawn was surprised that Starbuck was even allowed to walk around the ship. Evidently no one is the least bit skeptical that Starbuck brought back a bunch of Cylons and vouched for them….and then the Cylons made off with the President. Add in the bit of history where Starbuck was dead, then came back, and people assumed she might be a Cylon…you’d think this would be pretty damning evidence.
[Wild tangent]
I derive a bit of enjoyment imaging some of the more mundane tasks that must be carried out on the show that don’t make it into an episode. One that I’ve been particularly relishing over the last few weeks is the packing of the Demetrius for their secret mission. I like to imagine them checking to ensure they’ve packed everything they need to find their way to Earth. Fuel, check. Rations, check. Construction paper, safety scissors, finger paints, check, check, and check. Pastels and color pencils, check, check. Every major character with a name the audience will recognize besides Adama and the president, check and check. Alright, it looks like we’re all loaded and ready to go.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Liberty City Misanthrope
On the whole I'm enjoying Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV). [For those of you not in the know - GTA IV is the latest offering in a line of splendidly violent video games chocked full of profanity. It's a beautiful thing]. Actually I'm not being factitious about that - the game is beautiful.
I do have a few quibbles about the game though. First a little back story about the main character – relax, no spoilers. Supposedly the main character is from a nondescript eastern European country where he ran into trouble. Part of his problems seem to stem from the fact that while in the military he mindlessly followed orders and did some horrible things.
Jump forward to when the game takes place and the main character lands in Liberty City (the game analogue to New York City). He immediately starts to follow orders to do horrible things at the bequest of others. I’m already starting to sense that he may be a slow learner. However, this quibble probably has more to do with the general format of the GTA games than anything else. I am magnanimous enough to forgive it.
Second quibble – friends are annoying. In the game your character has a cell phone which is how he receives missions, communicates with other characters, etc. It’s actually a pretty clever game mechanic. Unfortunately I hate it. I don’t like it when my real cell phone rings while I’m trying to accomplish something around the house. Frequently I swear at it when it rings - then I answer it - and have a pleasant conversation. I find I have the same compulsions with the virtual cell phone in the game. I’m in the middle of doing something my character finds interesting (bludgeoning innocent bystanders with a baseball bat) and my cell phone has the audacity to ring. No thank you.
What’s worse is most of the time it’s just other characters that you’ve met in the game calling you and asking to hang out. If you don’t drop what you’re doing (vehicular homicide via garbage truck joyride) and go and play darts with them they later send you whiney text message complaining that you never spend time with them. This drives me insane.
First off, if I’m playing a single player video game it’s probably because I don’t want to be interacting with other people. I don’t appreciate the game hoisting clingy friends onto me during my me time.
Secondly, my character met all the other whiney in-game “friends” by doing wonton acts of homicidal violence on their behalf – often killing multiple innocent bystanders in the course of carrying out their business. Why in the hell would they even want to be in the same room as me? You’d think they’d be happier knowing that I was on the other side of the city far far away from them. Wherever I go people tend to die. I’m like the Angela Lansbury of Liberty City…
Actually that’s a pretty great idea, an Angela Lansbury themed Grand Theft Auto game. Perhaps the video game makers could finally get all the violent video game naysayers to quiet down and start playing. It’d be a great way to extend their reach into an older game playing demographic. Port it over to the Wii and retirement homes aren’t going to know what hit’em! (Note to self – also look into securing the rights for Matlock and Quincy themed sequels.)*
* Yes, I know I mixed fictional characters and the actors that play fictional characters in the paragraphs above. I’m comfortable with this minor sin. I didn’t think saying “I’m like the Jessica Fletcher of Liberty City” was as funny.
I do have a few quibbles about the game though. First a little back story about the main character – relax, no spoilers. Supposedly the main character is from a nondescript eastern European country where he ran into trouble. Part of his problems seem to stem from the fact that while in the military he mindlessly followed orders and did some horrible things.
Jump forward to when the game takes place and the main character lands in Liberty City (the game analogue to New York City). He immediately starts to follow orders to do horrible things at the bequest of others. I’m already starting to sense that he may be a slow learner. However, this quibble probably has more to do with the general format of the GTA games than anything else. I am magnanimous enough to forgive it.
Second quibble – friends are annoying. In the game your character has a cell phone which is how he receives missions, communicates with other characters, etc. It’s actually a pretty clever game mechanic. Unfortunately I hate it. I don’t like it when my real cell phone rings while I’m trying to accomplish something around the house. Frequently I swear at it when it rings - then I answer it - and have a pleasant conversation. I find I have the same compulsions with the virtual cell phone in the game. I’m in the middle of doing something my character finds interesting (bludgeoning innocent bystanders with a baseball bat) and my cell phone has the audacity to ring. No thank you.
What’s worse is most of the time it’s just other characters that you’ve met in the game calling you and asking to hang out. If you don’t drop what you’re doing (vehicular homicide via garbage truck joyride) and go and play darts with them they later send you whiney text message complaining that you never spend time with them. This drives me insane.
First off, if I’m playing a single player video game it’s probably because I don’t want to be interacting with other people. I don’t appreciate the game hoisting clingy friends onto me during my me time.
Secondly, my character met all the other whiney in-game “friends” by doing wonton acts of homicidal violence on their behalf – often killing multiple innocent bystanders in the course of carrying out their business. Why in the hell would they even want to be in the same room as me? You’d think they’d be happier knowing that I was on the other side of the city far far away from them. Wherever I go people tend to die. I’m like the Angela Lansbury of Liberty City…
Actually that’s a pretty great idea, an Angela Lansbury themed Grand Theft Auto game. Perhaps the video game makers could finally get all the violent video game naysayers to quiet down and start playing. It’d be a great way to extend their reach into an older game playing demographic. Port it over to the Wii and retirement homes aren’t going to know what hit’em! (Note to self – also look into securing the rights for Matlock and Quincy themed sequels.)*
* Yes, I know I mixed fictional characters and the actors that play fictional characters in the paragraphs above. I’m comfortable with this minor sin. I didn’t think saying “I’m like the Jessica Fletcher of Liberty City” was as funny.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The un-unravel-able mystery of ravel.
As fate would have it the analysis of ravel, unravel, and un-unravel fell once again upon my doorstep. It appears that I did a slipshod job of dealing with it the first time and it has come home to roost. I now dare to delve into the subject a second time.
I think there is probably consensus on what unravel means…but let’s start there. According to Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) it means:
- to separate or disentangle the threads of (a woven or knitted fabric, a rope, etc.).
- to free from complication or difficulty; make plain or clear; solve: to unravel a situation; to unravel a mystery.
Fair enough. However if you look further down the page you’ll notice that The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition from Dictionary.com defines it as
- a. To undo or ravel the knitted fabric of.
b. To separate (entangled threads).
To undo or ravel? To separate or entangle? That's kind of weird… Instinctively one would think to unravel would be the opposite of to ravel. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at the definition of ravel.
Let’s see what our good friend Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) thinks:
- to disentangle or unravel the threads or fibers of (a woven or knitted fabric, rope, etc.).
- to tangle or entangle.
Ack! That seems to indicate that its definition is contradictory! Perhaps Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) is just a little confused. Let’s see what The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition from Dictionary.com thinks:
- To become separated into its component threads; unravel or fray.
- To become tangled or confused.
Ack! They agree that it makes no sense? Ravel is a contradiction? Ravel can mean to ravel or unravel? That makes my head hurt. It definitely doesn’t help shed light on un-unravel. Which definition of unravel would we be un-ing?
The only take away I can find from the quagmire is that you’re always safe if you use ravel - whether you mean to ravel or unravel. Plus ravel is just fun to say. Give it a try. Ravel.
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