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Tinypliny's Journal
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08/06/2010 23:06 #52378
Lights. Art. Music!Category: art
08/04/2010 22:34 #52365
French Press Mesh Vs. Permanent Mesh FilterCategory: the odes
The wikipedia entry on the French Press reads...
So does this mean that using a mesh filter instead of paper filters will produce better coffee in a regular coffee maker?
Reviews for this gold mesh coffee filter on Amazon don't really address the question of taste.
Has anyone tried the mesh filter instead of paper and noticed their coffee tasting better?
A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical beaker usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a "plunger", made of metal or plastic, which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh filter.
Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters.
So does this mean that using a mesh filter instead of paper filters will produce better coffee in a regular coffee maker?
Reviews for this gold mesh coffee filter on Amazon don't really address the question of taste.
Has anyone tried the mesh filter instead of paper and noticed their coffee tasting better?tinypliny - 05/28/11 18:44
That was very insightful! Thanks so much, (e:Elmware)! I broke my entire coffee filter soon after this post so buying any sort of filter didn't make any sense. ;-) But good info to know for my next coffee machine!!
And WELCOME to (e:strip)!!! :-))
That was very insightful! Thanks so much, (e:Elmware)! I broke my entire coffee filter soon after this post so buying any sort of filter didn't make any sense. ;-) But good info to know for my next coffee machine!!
And WELCOME to (e:strip)!!! :-))
Elmware - 05/28/11 18:39
I found that with mesh filters, the finer grinds get through leaving this chalky bit in the bottom of the cup. I also found that if you buy a filter for dripping, the ones with a solid bottom are best instead of having the mesh on the bottom because if you are brewing less than 6 cups of coffee, the water from the coffee maker just pushes the grinds to the side and drip straight through the mesh instead of the coffee resulting in weak coffee. I prefer the paper over the mesh if I grind the coffee myself, however, the mesh is fine medium to coarse ground coffee.
I found that with mesh filters, the finer grinds get through leaving this chalky bit in the bottom of the cup. I also found that if you buy a filter for dripping, the ones with a solid bottom are best instead of having the mesh on the bottom because if you are brewing less than 6 cups of coffee, the water from the coffee maker just pushes the grinds to the side and drip straight through the mesh instead of the coffee resulting in weak coffee. I prefer the paper over the mesh if I grind the coffee myself, however, the mesh is fine medium to coarse ground coffee.
tinypliny - 08/05/10 15:48
I didn't think of that! That's a good point. Maybe its all about contact time. I am trying to determine why exactly all these coffee snobs prefer the press.
I didn't think of that! That's a good point. Maybe its all about contact time. I am trying to determine why exactly all these coffee snobs prefer the press.
jenks - 08/05/10 08:32
disclaimer- I am not a huge coffee connoisseur. That said, the differences I notice when using the gold filters are-
they let more sediment through. So you have more 'stuff' in the bottom of your cup.
you have to, obviously, wash them, instead of just throwing them out, which is a bit of a pain. But, more environmentally responsible.
I haven't noticed any big difference in taste, though. I think what makes french press different is more that the grounds stay in the water longer, than the filter being mesh.
disclaimer- I am not a huge coffee connoisseur. That said, the differences I notice when using the gold filters are-
they let more sediment through. So you have more 'stuff' in the bottom of your cup.
you have to, obviously, wash them, instead of just throwing them out, which is a bit of a pain. But, more environmentally responsible.
I haven't noticed any big difference in taste, though. I think what makes french press different is more that the grounds stay in the water longer, than the filter being mesh.
08/03/2010 22:57 #52360
Avoid Verizon in BuffaloCategory: opinion
Okay, so you are thinking of moving to Buffalo, or are in Buffalo and looking for a high speed internet service? Well, let me make your decision a little easier with simple and easy-to-remember points.
1. Verizon has the WORST dsl service in Buffalo and Western New York.
2. Their technical help is non-existent and they put you on hold for an average of 1/2 hour.
3. After 1/2 hour or more of holding, they transfer you to an outsourced call center where people speak with strange made-up imitation American accents - that are even more difficult to understand than what their regular accents might have been.
4. Most of Verizon's technical support personnel have a flowchart in front of them that automatically assumes that the customer is an idiot and needs to be told to check their wall sockets a zillion times over.
5. Verizon's technical service representatives are masters at evading the real issue and waste as much of your time as they possibly can.
6. And as for Verizon's DSL service, you seldom get more than 1/4th of the speed you paid for and they couldn't care less about your concerns - as amply demonstrated by their mind-numbingly inept technical "support".
Avoid Verizon. Ditch them if you have them. I am not sure if Time Warner is good but I am pretty sure that no one can be worse than Verizon in Buffalo and the whole of WNY.
Update on RoadRunner: I just phoned them and in spite of what their web page here: says about their rates, they outright denied that the Road Runner Lite and Basic packages even exist and tried their surly best to sign me on to their TV-Phone-Internet bundle. The fact that I don't have a TV and don't plan to get one just to put their service on seemed incomprehensible to the bloke I spoke to. Seems to me that both Verizon and Time Warner run their shoddy off-peak time technical/sales support services through the same herd of insolent and rude technical representatives. This has been one totally frustrating evening. Maybe I need to start making plans to poison entire call centers of both Verizon and Time Warner. Both of you, I hope all your employees are cut off internet services when they really need it.
1. Verizon has the WORST dsl service in Buffalo and Western New York.
2. Their technical help is non-existent and they put you on hold for an average of 1/2 hour.
3. After 1/2 hour or more of holding, they transfer you to an outsourced call center where people speak with strange made-up imitation American accents - that are even more difficult to understand than what their regular accents might have been.
4. Most of Verizon's technical support personnel have a flowchart in front of them that automatically assumes that the customer is an idiot and needs to be told to check their wall sockets a zillion times over.
5. Verizon's technical service representatives are masters at evading the real issue and waste as much of your time as they possibly can.
6. And as for Verizon's DSL service, you seldom get more than 1/4th of the speed you paid for and they couldn't care less about your concerns - as amply demonstrated by their mind-numbingly inept technical "support".
Avoid Verizon. Ditch them if you have them. I am not sure if Time Warner is good but I am pretty sure that no one can be worse than Verizon in Buffalo and the whole of WNY.
Update on RoadRunner: I just phoned them and in spite of what their web page here:
says about their rates, they outright denied that the Road Runner Lite and Basic packages even exist and tried their surly best to sign me on to their TV-Phone-Internet bundle. The fact that I don't have a TV and don't plan to get one just to put their service on seemed incomprehensible to the bloke I spoke to. Seems to me that both Verizon and Time Warner run their shoddy off-peak time technical/sales support services through the same herd of insolent and rude technical representatives. This has been one totally frustrating evening. Maybe I need to start making plans to poison entire call centers of both Verizon and Time Warner. Both of you, I hope all your employees are cut off internet services when they really need it.tinypliny - 08/04/10 22:24
So much frustration once you run into problems with these ISPs! I located a company called Buffalo Wireless Inc. :::link::: They list residential services. :::link::: The installation sounds a bit pricey at nearly $200 but if it saves me from having to deal with Verizon and TWC induced-stress and chaos, I think it might be worth the extra price. The problem is they are not really a 24 hour call center company. So I can't call them for information any time I want. But then, we all know what kind of "service" a 24 hour call center provides. Heh.
So much frustration once you run into problems with these ISPs! I located a company called Buffalo Wireless Inc. :::link::: They list residential services. :::link::: The installation sounds a bit pricey at nearly $200 but if it saves me from having to deal with Verizon and TWC induced-stress and chaos, I think it might be worth the extra price. The problem is they are not really a 24 hour call center company. So I can't call them for information any time I want. But then, we all know what kind of "service" a 24 hour call center provides. Heh.
metalpeter - 08/04/10 19:54
my mother has the phone jack thing. I don't know if it is the computer or version but it seems no mater what browser I use (firefox won't work no matter what I do) at some point everything frezes up, I bet it is verizon............
my mother has the phone jack thing. I don't know if it is the computer or version but it seems no mater what browser I use (firefox won't work no matter what I do) at some point everything frezes up, I bet it is verizon............
paul - 08/04/10 10:01
Now you can appreciate mobile broadband. Even if your home line is down, at least you phone connection works.
I do have a funny story about verizon tech support. One night the internet was down back when we has DSL. I called and had much the same experience as you. I was even jerky with the people after the long wait. Long story short, the problem was the modem was unplugged ;( I felt so dumb I hung up.
Now you can appreciate mobile broadband. Even if your home line is down, at least you phone connection works.
I do have a funny story about verizon tech support. One night the internet was down back when we has DSL. I called and had much the same experience as you. I was even jerky with the people after the long wait. Long story short, the problem was the modem was unplugged ;( I felt so dumb I hung up.
vincent - 08/04/10 09:51
Yea, tell me about getting screwed over by TWC, I just got a notice in the mail today informing me that the monthly rate will increase from $49.99 to $54.95 for internet only customers. F'ing Bastards!
Yea, tell me about getting screwed over by TWC, I just got a notice in the mail today informing me that the monthly rate will increase from $49.99 to $54.95 for internet only customers. F'ing Bastards!
libertad - 08/04/10 07:18
I hate Verizon. They are awful just as you say. I would say though that I haven't had any problems with my DSL connection and the speed is good enough for my needs. I never checked whether the speed is what they advertise. Their customer service for sure is wretched but they can get away with it because really they don't have much competition. RoadRunner is too expensive and yes they screw you if you don't get a tv bundle.
I hate Verizon. They are awful just as you say. I would say though that I haven't had any problems with my DSL connection and the speed is good enough for my needs. I never checked whether the speed is what they advertise. Their customer service for sure is wretched but they can get away with it because really they don't have much competition. RoadRunner is too expensive and yes they screw you if you don't get a tv bundle.
08/03/2010 18:55 #52359
Golds, reds and greens soup.Category: eating in
This is an easy low glycemic index, high protein soup, especially for (e:leetee).
You will need:
1. Split yellow peas (soaked overnight and steamed with salt till soft) GI: 32
2. 1 big zucchini GI: 15
3. 1 big green bell pepper GI: 15
4. Several ripe tomatoes blended GI: 15
5. 1 white onion Gl: 10
6. Curry leaves
7. Less than a teaspoon olive oil
8. Black Mustard seeds (a pinch)
9. Dried red chillies
10. Minced garlic
11. Turmeric powder
12. A bunch of Kale
13. Powdered coriander/cilantro seeds
- Heat the olive oil in the pan
- Drop in several torn shreds of dried red chillies and mustard seeds.
- Give it an occasional stir, till mustard seeds just about start to sputter.
- Add the chopped curry leaves (a good bunch of them), powdered coriander seeds, minced garlic and chopped onions.
- Saute till onions are translucent.
- Add the chopped zucchini, finely chopped kale, a pinch of turmeric and green bell peppers. Saute for a couple minutes.
- Add the blended tomatoes and the cooked yellow peas, give it all a good stir, bring to a boil.
Add salt to taste. And that's it - a soup that is guaranteed to be tasty, satisfying and that will not tax your insulin stores. :-)
PS: Split yellow peas don't taste like green peas at all, they are extremely rich in protein and have a very low glycemic index.
PPS: I am going to try and post more recipes for you (e:leetee). Being vegetarian is probably the easiest way to keep the diabetes in check.
You will need:
1. Split yellow peas (soaked overnight and steamed with salt till soft) GI: 32
2. 1 big zucchini GI: 15
3. 1 big green bell pepper GI: 15
4. Several ripe tomatoes blended GI: 15
5. 1 white onion Gl: 10
6. Curry leaves
7. Less than a teaspoon olive oil
8. Black Mustard seeds (a pinch)
9. Dried red chillies
10. Minced garlic
11. Turmeric powder
12. A bunch of Kale
13. Powdered coriander/cilantro seeds
- Heat the olive oil in the pan
- Drop in several torn shreds of dried red chillies and mustard seeds.
- Give it an occasional stir, till mustard seeds just about start to sputter.
- Add the chopped curry leaves (a good bunch of them), powdered coriander seeds, minced garlic and chopped onions.
- Saute till onions are translucent.
- Add the chopped zucchini, finely chopped kale, a pinch of turmeric and green bell peppers. Saute for a couple minutes.
- Add the blended tomatoes and the cooked yellow peas, give it all a good stir, bring to a boil.
Add salt to taste. And that's it - a soup that is guaranteed to be tasty, satisfying and that will not tax your insulin stores. :-)
PS: Split yellow peas don't taste like green peas at all, they are extremely rich in protein and have a very low glycemic index.
PPS: I am going to try and post more recipes for you (e:leetee). Being vegetarian is probably the easiest way to keep the diabetes in check.
07/24/2010 23:43 #52276
Grocery rampageCategory: grocery
Yes, I really did go on a rampage. I have been eating so unimaginatively this past month. I had to break the pattern and went power-walking to Guercio's today. On the way, I thought I saw the (e:twins) ambling down the other side - but I was in tearing haste to beat the thunderstorm and didn't verify their identities - they could well have been these two. Who knows...
I got the most delightful looking aubergine at Guercio's. Apparently, it comes from Sicily.
But everybody knows it was grown near New Jersey. At least, I know I am 95% right because that is the % of things that claim to be from Italy but turn out to have some plebeian connection to all and sundry in NJ.
And I got the St. Dalfour orange marmalade sweetened with grape juice.
It's okay - not splendid. I should have got the Scottish brand. The frogs don't always get it quite right. Especially the old ones who probably devised the old recipe. Maybe it was a recipe of convenience and they didn't use the traditional bitter Seville orange? Still, it's probably better health-wise than the sugar-laden Scottish version, which probably has deep fried orange bits in it. One never knows, what with their obscene fondness for everything greasy and all.
Got the mascarpone once again. I swear I am becoming addicted to this awesome cheese. I especially like it with coffee. Hmmm... let's see, what else was exciting... Oh yeah, the Coop had purple bell peppers. They colour-matched the NJ aubergines so I had to get them. I also found that the Coop sells bulk wheat bran. I got a pound because I can then add it to my bread and pretend that it's more healthful for me. The Coop coupons are such a joke though. You think you save a dollar with the coupons, but really, they have marked up the prices to more than double the general market price of anything with a coupon. Very underhand.
Some old man wearing an open shirt with cut-off sleeves, many bead necklaces and some missing teeth thought I was an old acquaintance and gave me a thread bracelet with a plastic fish on it. I can't, for the life of me, remember where I have met him before.
Guercio's was magical, as always. I got this olive oil.
I hope it doesn't turn out as bland as the one I got last time. I have learned to stay well away from blended olive oils. They are a slap in the face of decent olive oils everywhere. Talking about olive oils, I noticed that there is a sign for a new store on west side of Elmwood near Lafayette that will apparently sell only olive oils and vinegars. Interesting... I wonder what their business plan will be. I hope not: "buy everything from Guercio's and sell it at an atrocious mark-up". That does seem to be the MO of everyone operating on the strip, in general. I saw Guercio's home-brand olive oil at the Coop - they were selling it for a whopping 60% more.
Oh and the Coop was giving out samples of their merchandise in the morning. I sampled something called the Tofu-cashew spread. What a cool idea. I am making up my own recipe for this - but with almonds or maybe chick-peas or maybe sunflower-seeds... (e:leetee), if I blunder ahead with this, the recipe will be dedicated to you. :-) I wanted to go and hang out at the harbour, but the weight of the groceries dragged me back home.
So (e:lilho), there you have it. I shall be joining the mini-me's now.
I want to be evil... little evil me!
I want to see some dissipation in my face...
And in the theatre, I want to change my seat
So I can step on everybody's feet....
Just as mean and evil
As I can be....
I got the most delightful looking aubergine at Guercio's. Apparently, it comes from Sicily.
But everybody knows it was grown near New Jersey. At least, I know I am 95% right because that is the % of things that claim to be from Italy but turn out to have some plebeian connection to all and sundry in NJ.
And I got the St. Dalfour orange marmalade sweetened with grape juice.
It's okay - not splendid. I should have got the Scottish brand. The frogs don't always get it quite right. Especially the old ones who probably devised the old recipe. Maybe it was a recipe of convenience and they didn't use the traditional bitter Seville orange? Still, it's probably better health-wise than the sugar-laden Scottish version, which probably has deep fried orange bits in it. One never knows, what with their obscene fondness for everything greasy and all.
Got the mascarpone once again. I swear I am becoming addicted to this awesome cheese. I especially like it with coffee. Hmmm... let's see, what else was exciting... Oh yeah, the Coop had purple bell peppers. They colour-matched the NJ aubergines so I had to get them. I also found that the Coop sells bulk wheat bran. I got a pound because I can then add it to my bread and pretend that it's more healthful for me. The Coop coupons are such a joke though. You think you save a dollar with the coupons, but really, they have marked up the prices to more than double the general market price of anything with a coupon. Very underhand.
Some old man wearing an open shirt with cut-off sleeves, many bead necklaces and some missing teeth thought I was an old acquaintance and gave me a thread bracelet with a plastic fish on it. I can't, for the life of me, remember where I have met him before.
Guercio's was magical, as always. I got this olive oil.
I hope it doesn't turn out as bland as the one I got last time. I have learned to stay well away from blended olive oils. They are a slap in the face of decent olive oils everywhere. Talking about olive oils, I noticed that there is a sign for a new store on west side of Elmwood near Lafayette that will apparently sell only olive oils and vinegars. Interesting... I wonder what their business plan will be. I hope not: "buy everything from Guercio's and sell it at an atrocious mark-up". That does seem to be the MO of everyone operating on the strip, in general. I saw Guercio's home-brand olive oil at the Coop - they were selling it for a whopping 60% more.
Oh and the Coop was giving out samples of their merchandise in the morning. I sampled something called the Tofu-cashew spread. What a cool idea. I am making up my own recipe for this - but with almonds or maybe chick-peas or maybe sunflower-seeds... (e:leetee), if I blunder ahead with this, the recipe will be dedicated to you. :-) I wanted to go and hang out at the harbour, but the weight of the groceries dragged me back home.
So (e:lilho), there you have it. I shall be joining the mini-me's now.
I want to be evil... little evil me!
I want to see some dissipation in my face...
And in the theatre, I want to change my seat
So I can step on everybody's feet....
Just as mean and evil
As I can be....
MAN! They killed one of my favourites! What is this? The medieval version of Spooks?!
Ohhhh - you mean the ridiculous Macbeth-like premonition dream?! Yeah, too melodramatic and too Shakespearean... I wish they had not put that in but they use it as a plot-device to fake-garrote the redhead. Apparently, that didn't happen in the book where people didn't have Hamlet-like scenes and their dead-uncles preaching to them through a curtain of blood streaming down willy-nilly.
Well... I don't think you need your tongue to project your voice into a tune. Think about it. Birds do it all the time. There is no enunciation required - just adjustment of the air columns for the right frequencies. Also, I think the stones singing is an analogy - as he explains to the Earl's daughter. He follows the hollows and thickness of the stone to find the right carving line. Many of the ancient sculptures in India are carved out of natural stone that could not be moved and the technique of "listening" to the stone was widely used for carving in many temples across the country. So I guess Follett did his research well when he wrote the book. The red haired bloke is able to carve his father because his mum describes that singing scene to him and the rest of the bunch in detail - remember? I thought the carving was intentional.
I am sure no one else is religiously watching the series on here as both of us seem to be. ;-) So what is the biggest one?? And I don't really care about spoilers. I am more inclined to watch things if I know something. Heh.
There are a few super natural things going on, but I guess they could be called Miricales not that they have been called that. Guy with no toungue (witness) sings and somehow his son who doesn't know about it makes the statue of it. It is as if some how the rock (or something else) talks to him and that is how he makes it. The Biggest one I can't mention cause it is to much of a spolier (4 episodes so far for me but not sure when the newest one airs so...)
book. not back. ugh.
ooh, I've always been meaning to read that back... didn't know they've made it into a show!
I am caught up as well and can't wait for the next ep!
All the whingers on the net seem to be nitpicking about the book-screen discord; some even going to the lengths of saying that the story is incomprehensible. I can only say, what a herd of blind sheep bleating in discordant unision! Have they even heard of the term artistic license and variation? Besides, a novel is not really a play. You can't really translate any book to screen word for word. Everyone interprets each book and its characters differently. It's an impossible task to please everyone. I guess, not having read the book is an advantage in this case.
I think the series, by itself, is beautifully made. The acting is spot on because the villainous bunch are creeping me out and the good guys are getting some empathy - always a good sign. I remember some of the other costume dramas in the past which have been so hilariously off-track and so badly acted that I have laughed through "tragedies" and "tortures".
I agree, it does have an old school look about it. I actually like that there is no crazy supernatural omg-what-the-hell-was-that stuff going on. That is probably what is hilarious and off-tune about some of the other period dramas. I am not counting the Austen dramas of course - even ordinary plots in them are so unbelievable that they are unnaturally hilarious.
I'm kinda caught up, I watched 4 episodes. With out giving anything away the story seems good with a lot of twists and turns but maybe that is just me, but I have no idea if it follows the book or how closely. The battle scenes are good. In terms of look it is kinda dark and kinda looks like a movie you might have seen in school, not that it is a bad thing, kinda looks like and older style. It could also be that since it is supposed to be england that it is dark and gloomy and so that effects the look, I like it so far.....
that is strange. I can still watch the video. Can you watch it on my channel --> :::link:::
Hoping to watch this this weekend sunday, you tube pulled the video or atleat on here they did