"Greens techniques" written by Tinypliny on estrip.org

12/15/11 02:12 - ID#55747

Greens techniques

There are two top-chef attested methods for cooking greens.

Common step: Wash them thoroughly

Method one: Blanch away

Don't chop the greens
Bring a HUGE pot of water to a boil with a VERY generous dusting of salt. ("Shockingly salty": that's how one of the chefs whose name I forgot, describes the level of salt in the blanching water).
Dunk the unchopped greens into the boiling water for a brief span of time till the greens reach the peak of their green colour.
Fish them out as fast as you can and wash them in cold water.

That's it. They are ready for further brief methods of cooking.

Method two: Toss 'em and forget 'em.

Chop the greens very roughly
Heat a pan on high
Drop in some oil and swirl around (add some seasoning to the oil if you want too)
Drop in the chopped greens.
toss till covered in oil. Splash in some water or soy sauce.
Cover with a sturdy lid till the greens are intensely green. They are steamed to crisp-tender at the top and slightly charred/caramelized where they come in contact with the pan.
Take the lid off the pan after around 2 minutes.
Take off heat - don't let the greens sit around in the pan and season with with spices/sauces. Serve hot.

I haven't yet tried either methods. I usually keep stir-frying because I don't want to char them, and I don't blanch them because it seems like such a waste of micronutrients that inevitably leach out in the water.

Maybe this weekend, I will try both.. I am curious about the differences in taste with both methods.

Permalink: Greens_techniques.html
Words: 276
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/15/11 02:14

Category: i-tech

12/15/11 12:15 - ID#55745

Longpress Longpress

All the features I keep looking for in Android are usually found by a...

longpress.

I need to remember this when I go hunting all over the web looking for a solution to some commonplace difficulty on Android.

Longpress Longpress Longpress. Guess that "intuition" that people keep talking about doesn't come that easily to me or maybe I am just not hardwired for a mobile device.

Permalink: Longpress_Longpress.html
Words: 66
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/15/11 12:16

Category: the odes

12/15/11 09:43 - ID#55744

Metric units, non-metric spelling

US doesn't follow SI or metric units but yet, MS Word and other US spell checkers insist that I spell metres as meters.

A meter is usually a suffix for an instrument that measures something.. like a thermometer, an odometer etc. The SI units of distance is always spelled metre.

Enforcing a blatant misspelling of units you don't even use borders on the ridiculous.

tinypliny writes at 02:17:28 12/15/11 - Comment #66771: OMG!! I want to write in Polish!! Some vowels need to be shown their rightful place... with the eraser or backspace button! :)

uncutsaniflush writes at 02:09:05 12/15/11 - Comment #66770: Thanks for sharing Pat Naughtin's thesis on meter versus metre. I love stuff like that. I've been fascinated by language and linguistics since I was a child. I find English to be a capricious and arbitrary language. Just like Mr. Spock from Star Trek, I find that I am drawn to the illogical; but, unlike him, I think I see beauty in the chaos where others only see confusion.

fwiw, English is my second language and Polish is my first. So I'm no native speaker of any sort of English rising up to defend my native tongue.

uncutsaniflush writes at 02:02:31 12/15/11 - Comment #66769: I suggest that you don't write your Thesis in Polish, the bloody wanker euro-trash Poles don't even have an "e" in the word "metr" So ha!

tinypliny writes at 01:37:16 12/15/11 - Comment #66764: Here is a 15 page thesis that touches a bit on my obvious lack of delight, given my background. :::link:::

Enjoy! :)

tinypliny writes at 01:34:14 12/15/11 - Comment #66763: If you had to make 142 replacements in a document you just slogged through, delight isn't particularly high on the agenda. lol

uncutsaniflush writes at 12:37:53 12/15/11 - Comment #66762: My 1971 compact edition of the Oxford English Dictionary lists meter as an alternate spelling for "metre" and also that "meter" is is the U.S. spelling of "meter". If meter is good enough for the fine folks at Oxford, it's good enough for me.

I suggest you direct your complaints to them using the contact information at :::link::: since many of the world's English speakers view the OED as THE reference for English.

I, for one, delight in the all the regional variations in spoken and written English. I think it is a testament to both the strength of the English language itself as well as a testament to the uniqueness of human beings.

I am saddened that the diversity in the world's Englishs doesn't delight you as it does me.

Permalink: Metric_units_non_metric_spelling.html
Words: 64
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/15/11 09:43

Category: eating in

12/15/11 12:50 - ID#55740

We probably can't save starving kids in Africa...

by not wasting food, but we definitely can make small positive individual contributions to bringing down the staggering proportion of food that is wasted in America, in particular.

I stumbled upon this site:

(wastedfood.com) and the statistics are shocking... till you think back to the time you wasted food. It was probably waste that was entirely avoidable by a few wise measures such as:

not buying more food than you can eat or store properly.
realizing the practical limitations of storage in your kitchen and fridge
following a simple weekly schedule and fridge/pantry accounting plan to finish the older food before you go and get a newer version of the same food.
having a good idea of what is in your fridge and on your kitchen and pantry shelves so you are not always in doubt at the grocery store. If it helps, take a weekly picture of your fridge shelves and kitchen shelves before you go grocery shopping. (Oh yeah, don't forget to replace these pictures with new ones every week.)
(if memory is still fickle, maybe use small post it notes ON the fridge with days and dates by which specific food must be consumed.)
checking all stored (even supposedly non-perishables) for infestation and mold every fortnight.
storing nuts, grains, beans and lentils in PLAIN sight or in airtight containers in the freezer
researching proper storage techniques for all kinds of food and religiously sticking to best practices of storage for various kinds of food,
giving away the food you know you are going to waste to people who will eat them!
and again, making a pledge to not buy more than you will use in a practical span of time,

More nifty tips about how not to waste food are here at this

and this

It breaks my heart every time I have to throw out something because I have forgotten to follow even just one of these guidelines.

Permalink: We_probably_can_t_save_starving_kids_in_Africa_.html
Words: 340
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/15/11 07:04

Category: the odes

12/14/11 09:08 - ID#55739

A bit too much...

for that one woman in the corner, don't you think?

Permalink: A_bit_too_much_.html
Words: 12
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/14/11 09:11

Category: the odes

12/14/11 07:40 - ID#55735

I want (fill whatever here) for a bogus gift-giving day.

Christmas should be called Consumermas.

I still can't get over the weirdness of people demanding random things from other people in their lives for the birthday of some random bloke from waaaay back that most of them don't emulate in real life and worse, don't even identify with.

When did shameless extortion get associated with a religious icon's birthday? Why not just call it what it is and not candy coat the entire extortion cycle in some pretentious gift-wrap of religion (that most are actually leery about)?

What I find even more laughable is people who place seemingly "reasonable" things on their extortion list. As if it is okay to extort "gifts" if it is some "reasonable" thing.

I am an outside observer but I find the whole culture of extortion and consumerism surrounding one's own birthday and the birthday of some centuries old hippie as extremely weird and venal.

Permalink: I_want_fill_whatever_here_for_a_bogus_gift_giving_day_.html
Words: 150
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/14/11 07:45

Category: eating in

12/13/11 10:06 - ID#55730

Sprouts

Super easy sprouts sautÃ©.

The toughest part is perhaps waiting for the mung beans to sprout. This is 2 days growth.

Heat a pan on high medium.
Drop in a tbsp of olive oil and swirl it around.
Add chopped ginger, red hot chillies and jalapenÃµs.
Add cumin seeds
SautÃ© for 20-30 seconds
Add sprouts.
SautÃ© for 2-3 mins or so.
Add chopped green and red bell peppers.
SautÃ© till crisp tender.
Add salt and chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) halfway through.

Garnish with finely chopped raw red onions, lemon juice and Haldiram Bhujia! Serve hot.

Permalink: Sprouts.html
Words: 97
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/13/11 10:16

Category: e:strip

12/13/11 08:04 - ID#55729

Dragging and Dropping in Chrome

Take a look, (e:metalpeter):

::Download Flash Video::

I just noticed that I don't drop the image when there is a + symbol. I drop it when there isn't any and it is just an empty box. Sorry about that oversight. I guess I wasn't paying attention.

And this is the result:

Can you replicate these steps? I captured the screencast using ScreenCast-O-matic

.

Permalink: Dragging_and_Dropping_in_Chrome.html
Words: 69
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/14/11 07:47

Category: i-tech

12/11/11 06:53 - ID#55722

Firefox, the slow monster.

It takes 2 minutes or forever in internet-time-units for e-strip and gmail to load in Firefox. I have to stare at this appalling animation all the time.

Granted, I don't have a fast connection but 2 whole minutes?? 2 Freaking MINUTES!??? I have never seen this incomplete phase of the (e:strip) homepage in the past couple years.

The last time I remember seeing it was in... Firefox. before I ditched it. There was a reason I hated you so much. This is it. You are a slow monster.

I booted up chrome at the same time and gmail and estrip loaded instantly, even though I emptied the cache before. (i.e. nothing was pre-loaded in the cache).

tinypliny writes at 08:08:20 12/13/11 - Comment #66726: What is a wends? I just posted a screencast for you. I was giving you wrong directions. Sorry! You don't drop it when there is a + symbol. You drop is when there isn't any! Can you post back and see if that works?

metalpeter writes at 07:56:57 12/13/11 - Comment #66725: it will be a Wends.. Thing for me now...

tinypliny writes at 07:54:55 12/13/11 - Comment #66724: I will try and do a screencast... Hold on.

metalpeter writes at 07:29:32 12/13/11 - Comment #66723: It takes me back to the site I was on... Maybe I need small thumb nail sized pix?

metalpeter writes at 07:26:56 12/13/11 - Comment #66722: When I did it It changed from the little box with lines to the plus and I thought I let it go on the plus but maybe I didn't... I'll try again....

tinypliny writes at 07:24:28 12/13/11 - Comment #66721: ^keep it clicked and then unclick when you are over the orange bar AFTER you see the box with the + symbol.

tinypliny writes at 07:23:20 12/13/11 - Comment #66720: When you drag and drop things you have to
a) click on the image you want to drag and drop
b) keeping it clicking you *hover* over the large orange area that says: "DRAG MEDIA HERE TO ADD TO ENTRY".
c) You will see the mouse pointer changing to a small box with a + on it. Do you see this? If you don't see this, dragging an image will simply load it in a new page. If you see the small box with the + on it, only then can you drag and drop successfully. This is true in both chrome and firefox.

Can you post back about whether you see the mouse cursor changing to a box with a + symbol (just over the big orange bar)?

metalpeter writes at 05:17:11 12/13/11 - Comment #66718: Yeah No Luck either way.... Firefox won't let you even slide anything so... No big deal oh well.....

metalpeter writes at 04:56:25 12/13/11 - Comment #66717: Yeah Got the newest Version of flash but not a big deal that it doesn't seem to work in Chrome ........ You can drop and drag it to (e:strip) but it will only show up as it own page.... I'll see what happens with fire fox.....

metalpeter writes at 07:56:09 12/12/11 - Comment #66708: Hoping to try on Tuesday and see what happens.....

tinypliny writes at 07:41:44 12/12/11 - Comment #66706: You can find out here: :::link:::

What version does it say you have? Visit the page in Chrome as well as Firefox on every computer you have and post results. It could be a flash-related issue. Those buttons are flash based.

metalpeter writes at 07:31:51 12/12/11 - Comment #66704: Not sure....

tinypliny writes at 07:15:08 12/12/11 - Comment #66703: Yes, it definitely works in chrome. I would have been the first one to whine if it hadn't! :) Do you have the latest version of flash?

metalpeter writes at 06:29:20 12/12/11 - Comment #66702: Oh it works on Chrome as Well? I tried it on the chrome the other day and drop and drag didn't do anything.... Thought it was only of firefox.... Also didn't know chat lost that? That being said though I also may not have had the window sizes set up right.... Maybe when I have time to play around a bit I'll try again.....

tinypliny writes at 06:06:25 12/12/11 - Comment #66699: LOL, yes. Getting a cup of tea is an old-fashioned option. :) Back in the day, when I was on dialup that is exactly what I would do. Slightly greater speeds on DSL has spoilt me.

I am not sure I understand the second bit about firefox completely. What were you trying to do? Adding an image works in 2 ways on (e:strip). One is through the file upload button (that needs flash to be working). The second is through the drag and drop way. It works the same on both Firefox and Chrome. Chat lost the whole display images functionality a long time back...

metalpeter writes at 04:39:00 12/12/11 - Comment #66698: Couple of things since you know it takes a few minutes to load try opening those pages first then go onto something else and then it will be ready.... Also I thought there where some things that I don't remember how to do that you can only do on firefox like that you can drop pictures from internet by dragging them into chat and it makes a link and then if you do it to the blog it shows up in the blog?

uncutsaniflush writes at 10:22:46 12/11/11 - Comment #66692: Without a millisecond stopwatch both firefox and chrome seem to load gmail and estrip at around the same speed on my Fedora 16 box using roadrunner cable internet.

I'm with (e:paul), as I wrote elsewhere, try chrome without extensions.

paul writes at 10:13:07 12/11/11 - Comment #66690: I use firefox 80% of the time and both gmail and estrip load instantly. Maybe chrome is somehow better optimized for choppy or slow connections?

Maybe this is why people are still using desktop apps for writing and programming.

I wonder if its a chrome extension. Have you tried the browser in safe mode or without extensions?

uncutsaniflush writes at 09:51:06 12/11/11 - Comment #66688: not a bug but a feature too

uncutsaniflush writes at 09:50:35 12/11/11 - Comment #66687: Well, look on the bright side. If Firefox is slower than Chrome, you will have a longer mean time between crashes. You know that during those two grusomely long minutes, your fedora system won't crash. It's not a but, it's a feature. (sad but evil grin)

Permalink: Firefox_the_slow_monster_.html
Words: 119
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 12/11/11 07:03

Category: linux

12/11/11 02:39 - ID#55720

Switching to Firefox on Fedora 16

With continuing problems on fedora 16 with Google Chrome, I am going to give it one more shot before switching back to fedora 15 by switching my browser to Firefox. Maybe it is the Chrome-Fedora 16 dynamic that is causing all the trouble.

I have not been on Firefox for the past many years. Chrome is my absolute favourite but right now, I am kind of desperate for a system that doesn't keep hanging and crashing on me when I try and write online.

It helps that the firefox homepage is this pretty orange that I love. :)