uninvitedsaint

Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things: "Jim Bumgardner (the creator of the Flickr Colr Pickr) sends word of his latest project, 'an experimental interface for browsing thru about 3500 science fiction book covers from the Visual Index of Science Fiction Cover Art (VISCO). The covers are arranged horizontally by time, and vertically by color. Position the mouse over a micro-thumbnail to see a normal-sized thumbnail. Click the thumbnail to see the full-sized cover.'

This. Is. Amazing. I just lost an hour of my life to playing with this and had to close the window or I would have lost another. Bravo! Link Link
(Thanks, Jim!) "

Cool Hunting: "Alcoholica Esoterica
alcoholica.jpg

Ian Lendler's new book Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History and Consumption of All Manner of Booze is a new book in the 'did you know?' category of miscellaneous and random facts that are essential while stalling client meetings, chatting up the person next to you on the plane, and adding to your already impressive knowledge of all things. Similar to Schott's Food Miscellany, it's an essential addition to the bookshelf.

Around $14 at Amazon

* by Evan Orensten"

Yahoo! News Photo: "A dog sits in a model toy car during a dog show in Dortmund October 14, 2005. More than 6,200 dogs met to compete for the title of the best pedigree hound. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender"

Dogs At Work And Play on Yahoo! News Photos: "A colorful pet dog. This year has seen an explosion of new pampering products for man's furry friends, among the more unusual of which is a fragrance designed to neutralise the sexual scent of female dogs, a study said.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)"

Panda Bears on Yahoo! News Photos: "An Oct. 1, 2005 file photo released by The National Zoo, of Tai Shan, The National Zoo's male giant panda cub. The National Zoo's giant panda cub, known to its keepers simply as 'the Cub' since his birth 100 days ago, finally was given a name Monday, Oct. 17, 2005: Tai Shan, which means 'peaceful mountain.' (AP Photo/The National Zoo, Jessie Cohen)"

// posted by uninvitedsaint @ 9:39 PM 0 comments

Feb 2003

New urban exploration book: "Mark Frauenfelder: Jim Munroe says: 'The editor of the zine Infiltration (the zine about going places you're not supposed to go) and the guy who coined the term 'urban exploration' has self-published a how-to book being launched next week. Like his zine, it's a very well written, funny, and responsible guide to a slightly illicit hobby.'

Pumpkin Pandemonium on Yahoo! News Photos: "My-thai, an elephant at the Cincinnati Zoo, holds a pumpkin in its trunk as he prepares to smash and eat it at the Zoo in Cincinnati Thursday Oct. 13, 2005. The pumpkin smash is part of Halloween celebrations at the Zoo. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Panda Bears on Yahoo! News Photos: "wo giant pandas play at China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Wolong National Natural Reserve, southwest China's Sichuan province, in this May 14, 2005 file photo. China's Taiwan Affairs Office on October 13, 2005 presented pictures and resumes of 11 pandas in the running to be sent as a gift to Taiwan. A list of 23 of the endangered animals was whittled down to 11 and the lucky winners, a boy and a girl, will be picked.

Bookish Lighting: "

Light Reading, designed by the conveniently-named Sam Johnson, is a clever lamp (with a built-in pun) that fits right in alongside other books on your shelf. When turned off, it looks like a book; when turned on, it offers a soft light that warms up a bookcase.

Yamaha unveils hybrid electric motorcycle and limousine scooter: "October 11, 2005 Yamaha is to reveal a hybrid motorcycle concept at the Tokyo Show which is quite unlike any form of two wheeler seen to date. The motorcycle, to be known as the Gen-Ryu, uses the high output lightweight compact YZF-R6 600cc motor and an electric motor to deliver the type of performance normally associated with a much larger cpacity engine, and is packaged as a futuristic cruiser with advanced aerodynamics and some form of noise cancelling in the cockpit area to enable voice activation of the navigation system, mobile telephone, intercom communications with the pillion and other similarly equipped riders plus a dazzling array of advanced technologies such as headlights which turn to the inside of the corner and rear cameras playing through LCD screens in the dashboard. The Gen-Ryu will be joined on the Yamaha stand by the previously reported and equally radical stretching and shrinking DEINONYCHUS and the limousine-styled Maxam scooter. With massive overhangs, plush white leather upholstery and long, feet-first styling, the Maxam is the most distinctive two wheeler we’ve ever seen..."

Anxiety Disorders Discoverable by Blood Test: "Tomer Yaffe writes to tell us that researchers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have discovered a technique to diagnose anxiety disorders with a simple blood test. From the article: 'The researchers hope that the anxiety blood test will soon make its way into hospitals and E.R. rooms and give doctors and psychiatrists a quick and precise tool for examining, and eventually treating, these disorders.' The team has also set their sights on depression, hoping for a similar technique to detect these types of disorders as well."

Ukuleles made from demolished buildings: "Mark Frauenfelder: marcus says: 'Japanese artist, Nabuaki Date, make ukuleles out of parts of soon to be demolished houses and buildings. The ukulele is then given to the owner of the house as a physical and acoustic embodiment of its memories and history.

'They are beautifully crafted and unique. If you follow the links to the flickr page you can find a few more that I have scanned in.'
Link"

Reader: "Peruvian dessert - Alfajores

cesarcarlos Oct 03, 2005 - Show original item
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lima is home of a huge variety of traditional desserts. I already showed you Mazamorra which is made out of our very peculiar purple maize. This time I want to introduce you to a very different dessert, an easy delight for all the people who enjoy baking every once in a while.

I remember when I was a little boy. I was an only child and lived alone with my mother so every weekend she'd take me to the mall where she had her hair done. After they were done with her, on our way to the car, we'd stop by a bakery and most of the times she's buy me a treat which was very sweet, very tasty. I'd receive it onside a napkin pocket and I'd go at it trying not to make too much of a mess.

I'm talkin about the alfajor. Basically an alfajor is nothing for than a sandwich of sorts, at least that is the principle. You are not using bread nor jam here. The key ingredient to the alfajor is blancmange (what we in Peru know as manjarblanco). For those who have never heard of it, like my friend Sury, blancmange or manjarblanco is basicaly cooked condensed milk. You take a can of Nestle condensed milk, put it inside a pot with boiling water and two hours later when you open the can you will see that the milk is thicker... and brown. This is blancmange.

The other part of the alfajor are the "lids", mainly two cookie like discs. You make a wheat flour based dough, let it rest, then go back and work the dough with a rolling pin (as if you were preparing the crust for a pie). When your dough is flat and nice (1/2 cm thick) you take a round cutter (or a glass) and u cut several discs. Make sure you cut in pairs. Put them on a tray, pinch them with a fork so they don't inflate, and take to the oven. After about half an hour you take them out of the oven and you let them cool down completely.

The making of the alfajor itself is very simple. Just imagine you are eating a cracker with jam. Take a knife, scoop up some blancmange and spread it onto a lid. For best results the blancmange should be thick. You do this with another lid and then bring them together as if it was a sandwich. Then just make sure you clean the edges. Finally, the finishing touches. Powdered sugar, tons of it. Sprinkle it generously on both sides of the alfajor till it's completely white. Another finishing touch: shredded coconut. Put some on a plate and roll the edge of the lfajor so the coconut sticks to the blancmange. And there you go. You can also try adding a bit of shredded lemon skin to ur dough mix and you'll get alfajores with a very tasty hint of sour.


Make them big, or tiny. I've seen then small as a nickel or big as a coaster; perfectly round or with little protrusions, like an asterisk or star. Whichever shape and size, dig in. You will like them.

Alright. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while, tell a bit about some very traditional dishes from my country, in particular from Lima which is where I live. This time we'll take a glance at the causa.

Before I talk about causa I need to get something clear. Peru is home of the potato. We have an uncountable diversity of this root, and many types of it can only be found here. One of these is the "yellow potato". Smaller than a regular "white" potato, the yellow potato is unique. It has a brown skin and it's surface has a lot of dents instead of being completely smooth. Think of many small balls of playdoh stuck together. Our yellow potato not only produces dishes which are (for obvious reasons) more colorful, but is much softer, which makes it excellent to mash.

Causa starts as mashed potatos. You cook the taters and then you press them until this "dough" results. Then comes the traditional part. You add lemon to the dough (again, Peruvian lemon, not the usual kind which are big and sweet; our lemons are the size of ping pong balls and are very sour) and then you add a special type of pepper called ají. The result is a very compact, very bright dough with this unique hot-sour taste.

From what I've been able to gather, causa was eaten by our ancestors (prehispanic cultures), back when potatoes were a very, very, important part of meals (not that they are not today). Back then it was made only with potatoes and aji. When the Spanish arrived they brought lemon. When that lemon was planted on our soil it resulted in this unique breed I mentioed above.

The origins of today's dish causa rellena is much fuzzier however. According to some, back in the days of our independence (1821), the women from Lima served a variation of the causa; it had been stuffed. The people who enjoyed the feast didn't know what it was and they asked for a name. When no one replied, it is said they exclaimed "For the cause!" and thus the name causa (cause) was adopted.

Nowadays there are many ways you can prepare stuffed causa (our causa rellena). You can use chicken, fish, vegetable, seafood, the list goes on and on.

So now you know. When you come to Lima, Peru make sure you ask for it (my recomendation, try the crab filling, it's delicious).

Pass the ... lemon!

Slashfood: "Sushi By Dummies - Wet Nap Included

The servers bring steaming hot towels when we first sit down at the sushi bar, and though I am for some reason, always tempted to lean back in my chair and lay the towel over my face to relax just a little, I don’t. This isn’t Burke-Williams.

I do what normal people do and wipe my hands, fold the towel back neatly and leave it there, just below my water glass for easy access. That’s right, easy access. Because if you’re sushi-smooth, then you know that you can eat the nigiri sushi (the mounds of rice with sliced fish on top, as opposed to sashimi) with your fingers, wiping them every once in a while on your towel. Just look at what the September issue of Food and Wine magazine sketches out.

Don’t be afraid to do it. You might get some horror-stricken looks from the noobs sitting near you, but you and the sushi chef can just share a knowing smile. Licking your fingers clean, though? I’m not so sure about that."

Slashfood: "Sushi By Dummies - Chopsticks: Rub Them the Wrong Way


Hopefully, you’d never find yourself at a sushi bar that actually gave you those horrible disposable wooden chopsticks in a paper wrapper that has a three-step diagram of how to hold and use them. (1. Hold one chopstick like a pencil....)

If you do happen to find yourself at such a place, perhaps for a quick lunch because it wasn’t, God forbid, your choice, resist the urge to rub the chopsticks together to “sand” them down. That's just rude.

So then what do you do about possibly piercing your cheek with one of those splinters?! My recommendation is to stay away from that restaurant, duh. Oh, okay, just put the chopsticks down and use your hands instead. We already said that was quite alright."

Eat your sushi in one bite: "Attention, sushi fans (raising own hand) -- there's a right way to roll, and a correct way to eat. Whether served via polite staff or conveyor belt, the sushi dinner has its pitfalls -- and woe betide those who either flout convention or appear rude in their ignorance thereof. Before your next showdown with sashimi, head on over to Slashfood and have a peep at Sarah J. Gim's Sushi By Dummies series, in which we learn today to consume our sushi in one bite. I admit it -- I'm guilty of having taken a half bite, and yes, even returning the uneaten portion to the plate in the midst of conversation. I hang my head in shame, but armed with the new knowledge of how better to please my sushi overlords, I rest easier in the relentless pursuit of wasabi.

LaCie 1 Terabyte USB Porn Drive: "Billed as 'the most powerful Hi-Speed USB 2.0 hard drive of its size', the LaCie Big Disk 1TB offers an affordable storage solution to budget-minded porn geeks.

Now they can download pornos galore from the Usenet with reckless abandon, and never have to remove the old stuff. Folks will accumulate so many files, they'll have to use the 'Find' feature on their file manager to locate movies. 'Gee, I know I have that Jenna Jameson flick somewhere!'

I suppose there could be other reasons why people would need a whole freakin' terabyte of external storage attached to their PC. But when Olivier Mirloup, the company's Senior Product Manager, says...

There isn't a drive on the market that can offer the affordability, design, versatility, convenience and performance of the LaCie Big Disk Hi-Speed USB 2.0. Who else do you think they have in mind?

The Big Disk 1TB can be purchased online from LaCie at a price of $929.00. No word yet if they ship it in a discreet plain-wrapped box."