Yeah, it's been awhile. Sorry about that.
I hope to be able to publish some things worth reading over the next few whatevers.
If you're new to this site, you can see from the older material here that I really had no idea what I was doing. Seriously.
There are some recipes that, if you are interested in that sort of thing, you might find quite nice, actually. Apart from being an engineer, I am also a rather good cook. When I actually decide to cook, it's edible.
From here out I would like to present more blog-like posts to this... well... blog.
blog
The word itself bothers me. It's WEB-LOG, goddammit. The emergence of the word "blog" signified the start of the downfall of technical language. Don't believe me? Let's have a look at the term "cloud." There was a time when it actually meant something specific.... or at least much more specific than it does now. It meant virtual machines running in a data center with a very robust internet connection. This gave you access to a network backbone you could not possibly duplicate for anything remotely close to the cost of the "cloud" service.
Since about 2011... "Cloud" means nothing more than "someone else's computer." Rather pointless, isn't it. We have marketing departments from all over the country to thank for that. Thanks, morons.
I am pedantic about many more things, but I will stop now.
More soon.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Why news is biased. All of it.
It is rare these days to happen upon the comments section of a news post, particularly one related in any way to politics, where you do not see a news organization being called out for favoring a particular political point of view.
They are almost invariably right. And as long as modern news channels are revenue driven, regardless of medium, this sort of thing is to be expected.
In order to better illustrate my point, I am going to have to go back in time a bit to the mid 1970s. Some of you can take the ride with me, some will have to just take my word for it (or perhaps refute me with research).
This may come as a shock to some, but for a very long time all you needed to watch television was a television. What there was of any semblance of cable television was quite expensive and not by any means universally available.
There was no cost aside from the television itself. No monthly fees. Nothing. Everything was broadcast to your set for free. The for-profit broadcast companies stayed in business by selling advertising time, and the more viewers they had, the more money they could demand for said time. Some others supported their cost of operations with public funds and/or private donations.
Because the signals were broadcast over the air, whatever it was you were watching was relatively local in origin, with networked stations showing a mix of local and network productions. The three big networks then were ABC, CBS, and NBC, and each reserved a few hour-long blocks of time each day dedicated to reporting the news. For the most part, as is today, the news was a locally produced program.
The news itself didn't make the networks any money. It was a public service, for the most part. Every network had the same sources for news, be it a local event or something that came off the wire (think Reuters). The competition for viewers was not over the content of the news, it was over the network programs. The networks figured if you were already watching their station when the news came on, and you wanted to see the news, you'd stay put. And they were right to think that way.
In that sense, the news was rather generic. This was a good thing.
In the 1980's, cable television started to gain a real foothold as it expanded its area of availability. Offering a much wider array of channels, all of which came in crystal clear without the need for adjusting a set of antennae. I could be mistaken, but I believe the first cable news network of note was CNN. For *YEARS* it sat on the cable dial, nearly ignored. Who would bother watching 24 hours of news when the local coverage, which is still available through the broadcast networks, is also carried on cable?
Nobody really did... Until the first Gulf War, anyway. This was a HUGE news event, and CNN was in the perfect position to bring around-the-clock coverage. They had reporters in Iraq, who's broadcast occurred through no shortage of luck and amazing perseverance. The movie, "Live From Baghdad" presents an interesting vision of what happened. For the first time, a 24 hour news station found the ultimate 24 hour news story, and the broadcast made history.
It wasn't long after that before other channels dedicated solely to reporting the news popped up, and they invariably found themselves presented with an interesting problem.... How to attract viewers when all your selling is the news....
This is a problem now faced by any content provider, on any medium, that professes to relay the news as its sole function.
Not surprisingly, most of these sites/stations take the approach of trying to appeal to a narrow demographic in order to build a loyal following. This influences every facet of how they present their programming.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the only way you are going to get unbiased news is if the news itself is not the predominant source of revenue for the broadcaster. Stick to local channels if you can, and you at least have a chance.
In all fairness, even local news does its best to attract viewers. The difference is that the stations have a fair bit more to work with than just the news, and they have no need to use politics as a factor in their production related decisions.
They are almost invariably right. And as long as modern news channels are revenue driven, regardless of medium, this sort of thing is to be expected.
In order to better illustrate my point, I am going to have to go back in time a bit to the mid 1970s. Some of you can take the ride with me, some will have to just take my word for it (or perhaps refute me with research).
This may come as a shock to some, but for a very long time all you needed to watch television was a television. What there was of any semblance of cable television was quite expensive and not by any means universally available.
There was no cost aside from the television itself. No monthly fees. Nothing. Everything was broadcast to your set for free. The for-profit broadcast companies stayed in business by selling advertising time, and the more viewers they had, the more money they could demand for said time. Some others supported their cost of operations with public funds and/or private donations.
Because the signals were broadcast over the air, whatever it was you were watching was relatively local in origin, with networked stations showing a mix of local and network productions. The three big networks then were ABC, CBS, and NBC, and each reserved a few hour-long blocks of time each day dedicated to reporting the news. For the most part, as is today, the news was a locally produced program.
The news itself didn't make the networks any money. It was a public service, for the most part. Every network had the same sources for news, be it a local event or something that came off the wire (think Reuters). The competition for viewers was not over the content of the news, it was over the network programs. The networks figured if you were already watching their station when the news came on, and you wanted to see the news, you'd stay put. And they were right to think that way.
In that sense, the news was rather generic. This was a good thing.
In the 1980's, cable television started to gain a real foothold as it expanded its area of availability. Offering a much wider array of channels, all of which came in crystal clear without the need for adjusting a set of antennae. I could be mistaken, but I believe the first cable news network of note was CNN. For *YEARS* it sat on the cable dial, nearly ignored. Who would bother watching 24 hours of news when the local coverage, which is still available through the broadcast networks, is also carried on cable?
Nobody really did... Until the first Gulf War, anyway. This was a HUGE news event, and CNN was in the perfect position to bring around-the-clock coverage. They had reporters in Iraq, who's broadcast occurred through no shortage of luck and amazing perseverance. The movie, "Live From Baghdad" presents an interesting vision of what happened. For the first time, a 24 hour news station found the ultimate 24 hour news story, and the broadcast made history.
It wasn't long after that before other channels dedicated solely to reporting the news popped up, and they invariably found themselves presented with an interesting problem.... How to attract viewers when all your selling is the news....
This is a problem now faced by any content provider, on any medium, that professes to relay the news as its sole function.
Not surprisingly, most of these sites/stations take the approach of trying to appeal to a narrow demographic in order to build a loyal following. This influences every facet of how they present their programming.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the only way you are going to get unbiased news is if the news itself is not the predominant source of revenue for the broadcaster. Stick to local channels if you can, and you at least have a chance.
In all fairness, even local news does its best to attract viewers. The difference is that the stations have a fair bit more to work with than just the news, and they have no need to use politics as a factor in their production related decisions.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Dumplings
This is a very rich and satisfying soup. While it can be frozen, it wont be as good as fresh because the potatoes will soften the longer they are in the soup. Recipe for the chicken stock is here.
Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup
This is a hearty and healthy soup perfect for curing what ails you.
You can use store-bought stock, but I suggest you use home made, for which there is a recipe here.
You can use store-bought stock, but I suggest you use home made, for which there is a recipe here.
Recipe: Chicken Stock
This recipe is the first step in preparing any soup which requires chicken stock. I post it here for use in two specific recipes, chicken noodle and creamy chicken and dumpling, but you can use it for anything.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
How to proof yeast
When making breads, you should ALWAYS proof the yeast. If the recipe calls for water, sugar, and yeast, you have no excuse not to, and if the yeast is dead you have just saved yourself from wasting other ingredients.
If done properly, this also ensures that the yeast is fully dissolved and as such will be distributed evenly within the dough.
If done properly, this also ensures that the yeast is fully dissolved and as such will be distributed evenly within the dough.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Recipe: Italian Meatballs
These meatballs are best used in tomato sauce, but don't let that stop you from serving them as appetizers :)
This is written as a base unit. A pound of meatballs is about right for a three quart batch of sauce.
Two important bits of info I am going to warn you about ahead of time:
1) These take awhile to make. You might want to make these a day in advance of when you intend to use them.
2) This will make a mess.
Read on!
This is written as a base unit. A pound of meatballs is about right for a three quart batch of sauce.
Two important bits of info I am going to warn you about ahead of time:
1) These take awhile to make. You might want to make these a day in advance of when you intend to use them.
2) This will make a mess.
Read on!
Recipe: Simple Tomato Sauce
This very simple sauce recipe is just the base. You can add almost anything you like to it. Alone, it is a fabulous pasta sauce that you can make in about an hour.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Simple White Bread
There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like home made bread. It's very easy to make, probably doesn't take nearly as long as you think, and the final product is just amazing.
You can also use this recipe to make rolls instead of loaves. You'll want to be mindful of shorter baking times if you do.
In this recipe, I will also show you how to prepare the dough and then freeze it. This is really handy when making a holiday meal. You'll be busy enough with everything else.
No pictures though. My phones battery was dead while I made this.
Yield: 2 loaves
You can also use this recipe to make rolls instead of loaves. You'll want to be mindful of shorter baking times if you do.
In this recipe, I will also show you how to prepare the dough and then freeze it. This is really handy when making a holiday meal. You'll be busy enough with everything else.
No pictures though. My phones battery was dead while I made this.
Yield: 2 loaves
Bagels
These are pretty easy to make if you don't mind ugly bagels.
This was my first attempt, and as you can plainly see, the results were not very visually attractive. I am sure had I been a little more careful when shaping them, they would have been fine.
That said, they taste amazing!
This recipe is for 6 bagels. Do the math if you want more.
This was my first attempt, and as you can plainly see, the results were not very visually attractive. I am sure had I been a little more careful when shaping them, they would have been fine.
That said, they taste amazing!
This recipe is for 6 bagels. Do the math if you want more.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Recipe: Pork & Mashed Potatoes
If you like pork chops and mashed potatoes, try this quick meal for one....
Ingredients:
1 Pork chop (One thick cut chop is usually enough for one person)
2/3 Cups mashed potatoes.
A small glass of water.
Instructions and pictures after the jump.
Ingredients:
1 Pork chop (One thick cut chop is usually enough for one person)
2/3 Cups mashed potatoes.
A small glass of water.
Instructions and pictures after the jump.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tony Soprano sleeps with the fishes... :(
James Gandolfini has died :(
Article
IMDB Entry
The Sopranos was one of the greatest shows ever made. Sorry to see ya go, Tony...
Article
IMDB Entry
The Sopranos was one of the greatest shows ever made. Sorry to see ya go, Tony...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Baking Powder - Make Your Own
Yes, I know it is a very common ingredient, and is certainly not very expensive, so why make your own?
One reason, all of the ingredients that go into it have myriad other uses, so why buy four things when you can buy three?
Another reason is that you only have to make as much as you need, and if you just want to do that, you then only need two ingredients.
The thing to know is what the differences are between baking powder and baking soda. Baking soda reacts to moisture and acidity and produces carbon dioxide, which makes it an effective leavening agent. Baking powder is baking soda with an acidic element added already. The choice of which one to use in your recipe is dependent entirely upon the acidity of your ingredients, and most breads are not acidic at all.
A very basic baking powder formula is: 1 teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons cream of tartar = 1 tablespoon of baking powder. You will need to use this pretty quickly, as moisture in the air will cause the two ingredients to begin reacting almost immediately, albeit rather slowly.
If you want to make some to store for a bit, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the mix, which will act as a desiccant powerful enough to keep the reaction quiet, so long as you store the mixture in a relatively airtight container.
So making stuff for long term storage, think of how much you want to make. Take that number and divide it by four. For example, lets say you want to make 1 cup of baking powder. In that case, the recipe is:
1/2 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
I would run them through a sift to mix them well.
Put them in a jar and shelve :)
One reason, all of the ingredients that go into it have myriad other uses, so why buy four things when you can buy three?
Another reason is that you only have to make as much as you need, and if you just want to do that, you then only need two ingredients.
The thing to know is what the differences are between baking powder and baking soda. Baking soda reacts to moisture and acidity and produces carbon dioxide, which makes it an effective leavening agent. Baking powder is baking soda with an acidic element added already. The choice of which one to use in your recipe is dependent entirely upon the acidity of your ingredients, and most breads are not acidic at all.
A very basic baking powder formula is: 1 teaspoon baking soda + 2 teaspoons cream of tartar = 1 tablespoon of baking powder. You will need to use this pretty quickly, as moisture in the air will cause the two ingredients to begin reacting almost immediately, albeit rather slowly.
If you want to make some to store for a bit, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the mix, which will act as a desiccant powerful enough to keep the reaction quiet, so long as you store the mixture in a relatively airtight container.
So making stuff for long term storage, think of how much you want to make. Take that number and divide it by four. For example, lets say you want to make 1 cup of baking powder. In that case, the recipe is:
1/2 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
I would run them through a sift to mix them well.
Put them in a jar and shelve :)
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