Nature Don't Mess Around
But the other side of the coin is that nature creates such intricately beautiful structures that its hard not to marvel at how amazing they are. Just in existing they are astounding. And there's a lesson to be found in there somewhere, if you felt like finding one that is.
Tags: nature, thistle, macro
Just Keep Poking
This is a pretty stupid little diversion but it got funny after a few minutes of playing Poke The Bunny. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.
Tags: bunny, poke, game
Jun 24, 2006Tags: bunny, poke, game
The Battle I Won With a Finger
As any father that has gone through the newborn stage, there is an art to putting the baby down. Some nights it is all about a sort of motion, a rocking with a jiggle. Other nights its about a noise or an angle of the body.
And then there was tonight when Sully was quite insistent that he be held as he fell asleep. Until I slipped my finger into his hand. He settled down almost immediately, closed his eyes, his body relaxed and he made his little way off to sleep.
And tonight was the least cry-filled night of the last few in putting him down. A gassy little guy is he. Which means he gets the leg pumps before he'll settle down and sometimes he's just going to be upset for a little while.
But tonight was quite sweet watching him go from bunched up little wrinkle faced unhappy baby to peaceful little angel in the space of a couple of breaths.
Which means that something's got to happen with Grady. So he woke up with a croup-y cough, we did a steam and then I put him back down with the humidifier blasting in his room.
It really does never end. But that's alright. There is much to write on but not right now
Tags: newborn, baby, sleep trick
Jun 22, 2006And then there was tonight when Sully was quite insistent that he be held as he fell asleep. Until I slipped my finger into his hand. He settled down almost immediately, closed his eyes, his body relaxed and he made his little way off to sleep.
And tonight was the least cry-filled night of the last few in putting him down. A gassy little guy is he. Which means he gets the leg pumps before he'll settle down and sometimes he's just going to be upset for a little while.
But tonight was quite sweet watching him go from bunched up little wrinkle faced unhappy baby to peaceful little angel in the space of a couple of breaths.
Which means that something's got to happen with Grady. So he woke up with a croup-y cough, we did a steam and then I put him back down with the humidifier blasting in his room.
It really does never end. But that's alright. There is much to write on but not right now
Tags: newborn, baby, sleep trick
New Word of the Day - Clueser
Clueser - short for clueless loser or someone who's so dense they need a clue to figure out that they're a loser. Nice, eh?
Tags: clueser, fictionarium, new words, inventing language, NWotD
Jun 21, 2006Tags: clueser, fictionarium, new words, inventing language, NWotD
The Doom 'Pod!
You can load up Doom on your iPod!
Or it can be, it can also be Zelda'ed if you prefer! ipodlinux.org has ported Linux to the iPod (for Linux, Windows and Mac) and, once its installed, you can load up all kinds of good stuff including the aforementioned Doom, as well as the entire Wiki or use your iPod as a Gameboy! And all without screwing up your existing music files (though there are no guarantees).
Tags: ipod, Linux, Doom, Wiki, Gameboy
Jun 20, 2006Or it can be, it can also be Zelda'ed if you prefer! ipodlinux.org has ported Linux to the iPod (for Linux, Windows and Mac) and, once its installed, you can load up all kinds of good stuff including the aforementioned Doom, as well as the entire Wiki or use your iPod as a Gameboy! And all without screwing up your existing music files (though there are no guarantees).
Tags: ipod, Linux, Doom, Wiki, Gameboy
Know Your Rights and Protect Yourself
We all know what a crappy feeling it is to get pulled over by the police for some reason. And we all further know that the police will bend the law a little bit to make their lives easier. By coercing permission to search your vehicle or other means of stepping by the law to get more dirt on you.
However, the police do not have absolute authority and they are as subject to the law as you and I am.
To help protect you from being walked over by the cops, here is a statement you can make to the officer that pretty clearly states your wishes and that they need to allow you representation as the law requires if you ask for it. And do not, under any circumstances, allow the police to tell you what is best for you. They are not paid to look out for your best interests, your lawyer is. And don't allow yourself to be persuaded by the old ridiculous saw "If you've got nothing to hide then you should allow me to search your car". That's crap and it presupposes guilt which is the antithesis of the American Way (you know, innocent until proven guilty).
So here we go.
The Fifth Amendment pertains to Due Process and the Sixth Amendment pertains to rules for prosecution in federal courts (which I don't really see as all that applicable in the instance of a traffic stop but I didn't write the refusal to submit to search that I posted above, I got it from a local lawyer's office).
I am not advocating trying to keep the police from doing their job but I am advocating that you stand up for yourself and do not allow your rights to be circumvented by a cop trying to avoid paperwork or to get a bigger fine levied against you.
Know your rights and help to protect yourself. And there's more info you can use over at Flex Your Rights. Where they have an excellent page detailing exactly what to do if/when you get pulled over. And they invoke Fourth Amendment Rights, those that prohibit illegal search and seizure.
Tags: know your rights, police, coersion, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment
Jun 18, 2006However, the police do not have absolute authority and they are as subject to the law as you and I am.
To help protect you from being walked over by the cops, here is a statement you can make to the officer that pretty clearly states your wishes and that they need to allow you representation as the law requires if you ask for it. And do not, under any circumstances, allow the police to tell you what is best for you. They are not paid to look out for your best interests, your lawyer is. And don't allow yourself to be persuaded by the old ridiculous saw "If you've got nothing to hide then you should allow me to search your car". That's crap and it presupposes guilt which is the antithesis of the American Way (you know, innocent until proven guilty).
So here we go.
I refuse to consent to any search of my premises, the location of my arrest, my car or effects. I wish to exercise my Fifth and Sixth Amendments to remain silent and to have my attorny present during any questioning or lineup. If you ignore my exercise of these rights and attempt to procure a waiver, I wish to confer with my attorney prior to any conversation with the law enforcement agenst on the subject of the waiver.
The Fifth Amendment pertains to Due Process and the Sixth Amendment pertains to rules for prosecution in federal courts (which I don't really see as all that applicable in the instance of a traffic stop but I didn't write the refusal to submit to search that I posted above, I got it from a local lawyer's office).
I am not advocating trying to keep the police from doing their job but I am advocating that you stand up for yourself and do not allow your rights to be circumvented by a cop trying to avoid paperwork or to get a bigger fine levied against you.
Know your rights and help to protect yourself. And there's more info you can use over at Flex Your Rights. Where they have an excellent page detailing exactly what to do if/when you get pulled over. And they invoke Fourth Amendment Rights, those that prohibit illegal search and seizure.
Tags: know your rights, police, coersion, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment
Wrapping Up a Good Father's Day
Today was a good Father's Day for me, I hope all the other dads out there in the world had good days as well.
A quick rundown?
We got to sleep in until 9 which was really quite nice. After house time with the active boy until he crashed out for his nap.
I went and rode my motorcycle up into Santa Cruz and met some pals out on the beach. When we all lived together we'd play beach volleyball at least once a week and sometimes more. Sundays were the day, we'd play all day and then bbq and party all night. Those were good times.
Anyway, we played a couple of games and I was able to retire undefeated on the day and maybe the season since its tough to get out and play now. But it was a good time either way. The beach was busy but not crowded, the sun was out but not roastingly hot (yet) and my legs weren't fried from running in the sand for hours. Oh yeah, and I had good hands on the court, not good brain as I made some mental errors but my hands were pretty decent.
After volleyball I rode back home to a cranky baby and a very active toddler and a tired momma. I got to making some dinner on the bbq, the ribs from CostCo? Kickass!
I also made some bruschetta and used the grill (as /J suggested) to toast up the bread before rubbing it with garlic, topping it with bruschetta, a little mozzerella and then a broil. It was freaking fantastic! Again.
And we made mojitos, several of them. Yummy little buggers!
Oh yeah, and my neighbors are inconsiderate pricks. I cannot wait to leave this house and them in my rear view mirror. Take that to mean that the housing or land search is being kicked back into gear. I wantee new space!
But it was a good day and this next week should be a good week with a couple of appointments, a hearing and I get a bar (well, a handed down desk from the salon but it'll be a bar soon enough) though I had to trade my desk for it but that's fine because I need a better, bigger desk with some drawers, ya know? Nah, probably not but that's cool. I also took a bunch of great pictures yesterday when Grady was having so much fun with his cousin at the park!
Update: I forgot two important additionals that I wanted to get in here. One, I had a great call with my family who are all vacationing in Florida together. We would have been there too but Sullivan sort of made things a little too tough this time around. But it was great and fun to talk with them.
The second is that I got the best and coolest Father's Day card ever. A handmade card of my family's hands all together and colored in. It is really wonderful and captures who the three most important people in my life are. I will cherish it forever!
Tags: Father's Day, beach volleyball, ribs, bruschetta, bbq
Jun 16, 2006A quick rundown?
We got to sleep in until 9 which was really quite nice. After house time with the active boy until he crashed out for his nap.
I went and rode my motorcycle up into Santa Cruz and met some pals out on the beach. When we all lived together we'd play beach volleyball at least once a week and sometimes more. Sundays were the day, we'd play all day and then bbq and party all night. Those were good times.
Anyway, we played a couple of games and I was able to retire undefeated on the day and maybe the season since its tough to get out and play now. But it was a good time either way. The beach was busy but not crowded, the sun was out but not roastingly hot (yet) and my legs weren't fried from running in the sand for hours. Oh yeah, and I had good hands on the court, not good brain as I made some mental errors but my hands were pretty decent.
After volleyball I rode back home to a cranky baby and a very active toddler and a tired momma. I got to making some dinner on the bbq, the ribs from CostCo? Kickass!
I also made some bruschetta and used the grill (as /J suggested) to toast up the bread before rubbing it with garlic, topping it with bruschetta, a little mozzerella and then a broil. It was freaking fantastic! Again.
And we made mojitos, several of them. Yummy little buggers!
Oh yeah, and my neighbors are inconsiderate pricks. I cannot wait to leave this house and them in my rear view mirror. Take that to mean that the housing or land search is being kicked back into gear. I wantee new space!
But it was a good day and this next week should be a good week with a couple of appointments, a hearing and I get a bar (well, a handed down desk from the salon but it'll be a bar soon enough) though I had to trade my desk for it but that's fine because I need a better, bigger desk with some drawers, ya know? Nah, probably not but that's cool. I also took a bunch of great pictures yesterday when Grady was having so much fun with his cousin at the park!
Update: I forgot two important additionals that I wanted to get in here. One, I had a great call with my family who are all vacationing in Florida together. We would have been there too but Sullivan sort of made things a little too tough this time around. But it was great and fun to talk with them.
The second is that I got the best and coolest Father's Day card ever. A handmade card of my family's hands all together and colored in. It is really wonderful and captures who the three most important people in my life are. I will cherish it forever!
Tags: Father's Day, beach volleyball, ribs, bruschetta, bbq
The Christian Couple That Fists Together, Fits Together
This has got to be a joke, there's just no way it can be real. But it made me laugh and that's generally not a bad thing.
With a healthy dose of NSFW and WTF? I offer you a glimpse at Fisting and God's Will. But wait, oh ye of rectal faith, there is more. Try Threesomes and God's Will or Bondage in Christ. Or just start at the bottom with Anal Sex in Accordance with God's Will.
Not that there is anything in the least wrong with people exploring the various ways in which their bodies can deliver intense pleasure, just that its framed within the context and supported by Biblical passages. Choice ones like, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalms 145:16).
I just don't see how this can be anything but an elaborate and well-written joke. But if it is not then wow, just wow. You go, Christians Gone Wild!
Tags: ChristiansGone Wild, WTFFilter, fisting, NSFW
The Bad, The Good and The Stupid
With a healthy dose of NSFW and WTF? I offer you a glimpse at Fisting and God's Will. But wait, oh ye of rectal faith, there is more. Try Threesomes and God's Will or Bondage in Christ. Or just start at the bottom with Anal Sex in Accordance with God's Will.
Not that there is anything in the least wrong with people exploring the various ways in which their bodies can deliver intense pleasure, just that its framed within the context and supported by Biblical passages. Choice ones like, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (Psalms 145:16).
I just don't see how this can be anything but an elaborate and well-written joke. But if it is not then wow, just wow. You go, Christians Gone Wild!
Tags: ChristiansGone Wild, WTFFilter, fisting, NSFW
I wanted to collect some good and bad commercials to see if maybe we can raise the bar, if only a tiny fraction of an inch.
Let's start with the bad because its way more fun.
Geico - the gecko is done, please find something new. And why does he have an Aussie accent? That's just stupid. So this is a bad and stupid ad campaign. Not that Geico was going to get my business in any case but their ads make me change the channel instantly, about the last thing an ad exec wants.
Golden State Warriors - the 24 second shot clock commercial of the straight razor shaving barber is horribly difficult to watch and makes me hate basketball even more. Besides, Golden State Warriors = GSW = Gun Shot Wound, that always bothered me too.
VW's Safe Happens ads - look, we get it. Your cars are pretty safe. Please stop with the shock tactics and go back to the UnPimp My Ride series, those were funny. Same thing with My Fast. Which, by the way, is a stupid and contradictory train of progress from My Fast to the Safe Happens ones.
Bud Light's Ted Ferguson - the first one was mildly entertaining, every commercial since has been awful, stupid and unwatchable. Besides, Bud Light is piss-water.
Nextel's Jump for Joy - making your customers look and behave like idiots is a bad marketing plan. Plain and simple. I would avoid Nextel like the plague if I were in the market for a new cell and plan.
Diet Pepsi with Jay Mohr and Jackie Chan - These ads are so incredibly stupid that they defy any attempt at redemption. And I would really, really like to kick Jay Mohr in the balls, he's really a smarmy prick.
Mercedes' Burger & Milkshake Ad - Where all the people in the town drive $50,000 Mercedes and two rich white people fall in love. Do I really need to rip this one apart? Well, how about just one aspect, where the guy is working on his engine and sees the hottie. Hello? These are fucking expensive cars and they break that easily when they're brand new? What the hell was Mercedes thinking? Aside from that, in their UberWorld everyone will own an overpriced car and fall in love in their 50's at a burger joint with someone from their exact same demographic? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Aflac - the duck is not and has never been funny. Please stop making those bad ads.
And there are plenty more. Ads that start with wholly unrealistic premises and then end with buy this product and it will solve all your problems. Ads that begin with retarded expectations like Jaguar trying to get people to give cars to their spouses for Mother's Day or Christmas. Ads that try to be funny and are not, at all. Any ad that features Ben Stein is bound to be stupid. Any ad that features Gilber Gottfried or his voice is bound to be stupid.
And now, some good commercials.
VW's Unpimp My Ride - I understand not everyone likes these but I think they are excellent and funny.
Southwest's Ding Ads - these are marginally funny the first time around. And then you go and check out the site and find out that their "deals" suck, badly.
Sonic's Drive Thru Vignettes - These ads are generally excellent, funny and would make me go to Sonic for their goodies. Only problem is that there is no Sonic anywhere near here. The closest one is like forty miles away. And that annoys me but the ads are money.
Okay, so I'm having a brain fart right now and those are the only decent ads that comes to mind. What ads have you seen recently that worked for you? Or made you laugh? Or, better, made you rush out and buy whatever product was being hawked?
Tags: bad ads, commercial, review, retire the gecko
Jun 15, 2006Let's start with the bad because its way more fun.
Geico - the gecko is done, please find something new. And why does he have an Aussie accent? That's just stupid. So this is a bad and stupid ad campaign. Not that Geico was going to get my business in any case but their ads make me change the channel instantly, about the last thing an ad exec wants.
Golden State Warriors - the 24 second shot clock commercial of the straight razor shaving barber is horribly difficult to watch and makes me hate basketball even more. Besides, Golden State Warriors = GSW = Gun Shot Wound, that always bothered me too.
VW's Safe Happens ads - look, we get it. Your cars are pretty safe. Please stop with the shock tactics and go back to the UnPimp My Ride series, those were funny. Same thing with My Fast. Which, by the way, is a stupid and contradictory train of progress from My Fast to the Safe Happens ones.
Bud Light's Ted Ferguson - the first one was mildly entertaining, every commercial since has been awful, stupid and unwatchable. Besides, Bud Light is piss-water.
Nextel's Jump for Joy - making your customers look and behave like idiots is a bad marketing plan. Plain and simple. I would avoid Nextel like the plague if I were in the market for a new cell and plan.
Diet Pepsi with Jay Mohr and Jackie Chan - These ads are so incredibly stupid that they defy any attempt at redemption. And I would really, really like to kick Jay Mohr in the balls, he's really a smarmy prick.
Mercedes' Burger & Milkshake Ad - Where all the people in the town drive $50,000 Mercedes and two rich white people fall in love. Do I really need to rip this one apart? Well, how about just one aspect, where the guy is working on his engine and sees the hottie. Hello? These are fucking expensive cars and they break that easily when they're brand new? What the hell was Mercedes thinking? Aside from that, in their UberWorld everyone will own an overpriced car and fall in love in their 50's at a burger joint with someone from their exact same demographic? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Aflac - the duck is not and has never been funny. Please stop making those bad ads.
And there are plenty more. Ads that start with wholly unrealistic premises and then end with buy this product and it will solve all your problems. Ads that begin with retarded expectations like Jaguar trying to get people to give cars to their spouses for Mother's Day or Christmas. Ads that try to be funny and are not, at all. Any ad that features Ben Stein is bound to be stupid. Any ad that features Gilber Gottfried or his voice is bound to be stupid.
And now, some good commercials.
VW's Unpimp My Ride - I understand not everyone likes these but I think they are excellent and funny.
Southwest's Ding Ads - these are marginally funny the first time around. And then you go and check out the site and find out that their "deals" suck, badly.
Sonic's Drive Thru Vignettes - These ads are generally excellent, funny and would make me go to Sonic for their goodies. Only problem is that there is no Sonic anywhere near here. The closest one is like forty miles away. And that annoys me but the ads are money.
Okay, so I'm having a brain fart right now and those are the only decent ads that comes to mind. What ads have you seen recently that worked for you? Or made you laugh? Or, better, made you rush out and buy whatever product was being hawked?
Tags: bad ads, commercial, review, retire the gecko
Abandoning an Email Address
Actually, this isn't really about abandoning an email address, that'll come later on this week when I give up my longtime account with Yahoo.
Nope, this is about turning off a spigot for spammers to piss me off. My previous contact email jh @ intellectualpoison dot com is no longer a functioning email address, the new one is posted on the right side there. Just remove the spaces and change the at to an @ and the dot to a ., crazy huh?
Some spammers decided to set their Reply-To address to my email address which means I've been getting hundreds and hundreds of irritating bouncebacks from their pathetically stupid shotgun marketing tactics. To the point where I set up spam filters in several languages to try and catch the majority of "Undeliverables".
I really wish there were an easy and satisfying way to return the annoyance that spammers inflict on the world. I'd think putting convicted spammers in a box in a public place and selling rotten tomatoes and eggs would suffice.
People who spam do nothing but ruin the internet for the rest of us, much like the people who piss in public pools. In fact, exactly like that.
So, if you've got my jh address in your address book, please update it to the new one. Otherwise, your important (real) emails will never make it to me.
Tags: spammers, email, quelling iritation
New Word of the Day - Beautidull
Nope, this is about turning off a spigot for spammers to piss me off. My previous contact email jh @ intellectualpoison dot com is no longer a functioning email address, the new one is posted on the right side there. Just remove the spaces and change the at to an @ and the dot to a ., crazy huh?
Some spammers decided to set their Reply-To address to my email address which means I've been getting hundreds and hundreds of irritating bouncebacks from their pathetically stupid shotgun marketing tactics. To the point where I set up spam filters in several languages to try and catch the majority of "Undeliverables".
I really wish there were an easy and satisfying way to return the annoyance that spammers inflict on the world. I'd think putting convicted spammers in a box in a public place and selling rotten tomatoes and eggs would suffice.
People who spam do nothing but ruin the internet for the rest of us, much like the people who piss in public pools. In fact, exactly like that.
So, if you've got my jh address in your address book, please update it to the new one. Otherwise, your important (real) emails will never make it to me.
Tags: spammers, email, quelling iritation
Today's new word is....
Beautidull - the utterly vacuous hottie. Someone who got more than their fair share of looks at the expense of cognitive power. Let's see, I suppose Paris Hilton might qualify to some though I find her repulsive and plastic. Actually, I know the perfect beautidull person, Kelly Ripa. She's like a mini-Barbie doll but is about the most shallow tv personality I've ever seen. Congrats Kelly, you're beautidull! Woot!
Tags: beautidull, fictionarium, new words, inventing language, NWotD
Jun 12, 2006Beautidull - the utterly vacuous hottie. Someone who got more than their fair share of looks at the expense of cognitive power. Let's see, I suppose Paris Hilton might qualify to some though I find her repulsive and plastic. Actually, I know the perfect beautidull person, Kelly Ripa. She's like a mini-Barbie doll but is about the most shallow tv personality I've ever seen. Congrats Kelly, you're beautidull! Woot!
Tags: beautidull, fictionarium, new words, inventing language, NWotD
Hands Off Sesame Street, GOP
The Republicans are trying to slash the budget that includes the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the makers of Sesame Street, again. They tried this last year and got smacked down for it by angry parents all across the country.
Well, they didn't learn their lesson and need another smackdown. Go sign this petition to let the Republicans know to keep their damned tentacles off the CPB.
Make no mistake, they are targetting entities that they disagree with. One of the named reasons for wanting to kill the CPB? A show called "Postcards from Buster" had the audacity to show a lesbian couple on the show. The shame of it all, if we're not careful, the children might realize that there are......gay people in the world.
Another facet of the CPB is National Public Radio which the Republicans think is nothing liberal yapping. When, in reality, its an excellent source of programming for classical music, news and information that you can't get elsewhere.
And where's the cut money going to go? How about to fund yet another rich people's tax cut? We lose NPR, Sesame Street and many other great kid's shows so that some already rich jerks can get a little bit richer? How utterly pathetic and sad of the Republicans.
Don't you, at some point, just have to say enough is enough? Its not enough that they are gutting the nation, that they've driven us into unparalled debt, that they've mired us in a pet war so Bush could show his daddy what a tough guy he is, now they want to kill off Sesame Street.
Please go and sign the petition.
Tags: Republicans want to kill Elmo and Big Bird, NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Yahoo Mail and The Lost Art of Serving Your Customers
Well, they didn't learn their lesson and need another smackdown. Go sign this petition to let the Republicans know to keep their damned tentacles off the CPB.
Make no mistake, they are targetting entities that they disagree with. One of the named reasons for wanting to kill the CPB? A show called "Postcards from Buster" had the audacity to show a lesbian couple on the show. The shame of it all, if we're not careful, the children might realize that there are......gay people in the world.
Another facet of the CPB is National Public Radio which the Republicans think is nothing liberal yapping. When, in reality, its an excellent source of programming for classical music, news and information that you can't get elsewhere.
And where's the cut money going to go? How about to fund yet another rich people's tax cut? We lose NPR, Sesame Street and many other great kid's shows so that some already rich jerks can get a little bit richer? How utterly pathetic and sad of the Republicans.
Don't you, at some point, just have to say enough is enough? Its not enough that they are gutting the nation, that they've driven us into unparalled debt, that they've mired us in a pet war so Bush could show his daddy what a tough guy he is, now they want to kill off Sesame Street.
Please go and sign the petition.
Tags: Republicans want to kill Elmo and Big Bird, NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
There's nothing quite as fun as having to deal with a monster company that absolutely refuses to ever let you speak directly with someone. No, everything has to be carried out via email and will take weeks and weeks and weeks.
About five and a half weeks ago, Yahoo decided to lock my long running email account. One that I was forced into paying for them to keep open for me after a merge of mine and my wife's accounts. So I pay Yahoo for this email address that they locked on me, five and a half weeks ago.
And then I started playing the email game with their utterly useless customer service morons who tell you to do the exact same worthless steps as on the webpage. USELESS. And after many weeks of one moron after another emailing the same worthless "help" they'll send a demand email with a whole bunch of information that Must Be Perfect Or They Cannot EVER Help. Nevermind the fact that they are being paid to administer this account, nevermind that I've had it with Yahoo for like six years now. No, none of that matters in the least. They must have their hoops leapt through properly.
Things like the zip code on the account which normally wouldn't be a problem except we've moved like six times since I opened the account at least. Things like the alternate email, which has been changed a few times as well.
But, in the end, if you do jump through their stupid hoops, they will actually restore access to the account. That was yesterday.
Today the account broke again.
And strangely enough, my free account is working perfectly fine. Its the pay one that keeps breaking and requiring a note from GOD to get Yahoo's moron techs to do something about it. What a fucking joke!
If you do some searching (well alot of searching) you will realize pretty quickly that there are no phone numbers for customer service anywhere on the Yahoo "Help" site at all. None. All customer service support must be dealt with via email. Why? Because I'm sure they got tired of irate customers screaming at them for not doing their freakin' jobs and fixing accounts. There are even websites dedicated to helping people find their flippin' numbers. What is wrong with this picture?
Yahoo is supposed to be on the cutting edge of the internet revolution and they can't even be bothered to give their customers a direct means of contact? Instead Netfolk have to make websites to get the information out? Is Yahoo from Planet Idiot or something?
No wonder Google is kicking their ass all over the place. Though I should mention that I find Gmail far worse that Yahoo Mail. Did they think people would never want to file email into places? What a stupid, stupid idea. I hate using web-based Gmail.
So, I found them over here so you don't have to. Here are phone numbers to get in touch with Yahoo people live on the phone (try not to abuse them too badly).
408-349-1572 Customer Care (call this for any question, they can direct you to
the appropriate # as well)
408-349-3300 Media Relations (has a lot of Yahoo divisions listed to connect
to)
408-349-5151 Billing customer Service
415-345-4793 Yahoo Press release line (for members of the Press only)
866-800-8092 Small business customer service (tech support, billing, sales,
cancellation, etc..)
Tags: Yahoo sucks donkey nuts
Diapers, Your Days Are Numbered!
About five and a half weeks ago, Yahoo decided to lock my long running email account. One that I was forced into paying for them to keep open for me after a merge of mine and my wife's accounts. So I pay Yahoo for this email address that they locked on me, five and a half weeks ago.
And then I started playing the email game with their utterly useless customer service morons who tell you to do the exact same worthless steps as on the webpage. USELESS. And after many weeks of one moron after another emailing the same worthless "help" they'll send a demand email with a whole bunch of information that Must Be Perfect Or They Cannot EVER Help. Nevermind the fact that they are being paid to administer this account, nevermind that I've had it with Yahoo for like six years now. No, none of that matters in the least. They must have their hoops leapt through properly.
Things like the zip code on the account which normally wouldn't be a problem except we've moved like six times since I opened the account at least. Things like the alternate email, which has been changed a few times as well.
But, in the end, if you do jump through their stupid hoops, they will actually restore access to the account. That was yesterday.
Today the account broke again.
And strangely enough, my free account is working perfectly fine. Its the pay one that keeps breaking and requiring a note from GOD to get Yahoo's moron techs to do something about it. What a fucking joke!
If you do some searching (well alot of searching) you will realize pretty quickly that there are no phone numbers for customer service anywhere on the Yahoo "Help" site at all. None. All customer service support must be dealt with via email. Why? Because I'm sure they got tired of irate customers screaming at them for not doing their freakin' jobs and fixing accounts. There are even websites dedicated to helping people find their flippin' numbers. What is wrong with this picture?
Yahoo is supposed to be on the cutting edge of the internet revolution and they can't even be bothered to give their customers a direct means of contact? Instead Netfolk have to make websites to get the information out? Is Yahoo from Planet Idiot or something?
No wonder Google is kicking their ass all over the place. Though I should mention that I find Gmail far worse that Yahoo Mail. Did they think people would never want to file email into places? What a stupid, stupid idea. I hate using web-based Gmail.
So, I found them over here so you don't have to. Here are phone numbers to get in touch with Yahoo people live on the phone (try not to abuse them too badly).
408-349-1572 Customer Care (call this for any question, they can direct you to
the appropriate # as well)
408-349-3300 Media Relations (has a lot of Yahoo divisions listed to connect
to)
408-349-5151 Billing customer Service
415-345-4793 Yahoo Press release line (for members of the Press only)
866-800-8092 Small business customer service (tech support, billing, sales,
cancellation, etc..)
Tags: Yahoo sucks donkey nuts
Today is a brand new day for us, today we saw the horizon and somewhere on it, somewhere we are looking at a child moving up from his diapers.
Today, Grady peed in his potty for the first time! Sure, its just a first step towards diaper divestiture but it is the first step and that's awesome.
We also covered brand new and thoroughly scary ground yesterday when Graydon learned a very frightening lesson about gravity. He threw a ball down the stairs too hard and his momentum carried him down the stairs as well. He tumbled out of control down the stairs and landed at the bottom, very, very shaken up but, thankfully, unhurt. In fact, he was laughing and playing about two minutes later after the initial shock of the tumble had worn off. But it is my wish that the lesson sticks with him for a little while as I have absolutely no desire to see him fall down again, it was horrifying to watch, more so because he was just out of my reach.
And Graydon is also starting to really enunciate his words. He seems to be adding several words a day to his vocabulary. Which means that we've gotta be extra careful about using words we'd just as soon he didn't repeat out in public. But he's amazing in how quickly he's expanding his world and figuring out new ways to interact with his toys, my toys and everything else.
I always laughed it off when people said that kids grow up too fast but they really and truly do.
Tags: baby, milestone, pottytraining
Jun 11, 2006Today, Grady peed in his potty for the first time! Sure, its just a first step towards diaper divestiture but it is the first step and that's awesome.
We also covered brand new and thoroughly scary ground yesterday when Graydon learned a very frightening lesson about gravity. He threw a ball down the stairs too hard and his momentum carried him down the stairs as well. He tumbled out of control down the stairs and landed at the bottom, very, very shaken up but, thankfully, unhurt. In fact, he was laughing and playing about two minutes later after the initial shock of the tumble had worn off. But it is my wish that the lesson sticks with him for a little while as I have absolutely no desire to see him fall down again, it was horrifying to watch, more so because he was just out of my reach.
And Graydon is also starting to really enunciate his words. He seems to be adding several words a day to his vocabulary. Which means that we've gotta be extra careful about using words we'd just as soon he didn't repeat out in public. But he's amazing in how quickly he's expanding his world and figuring out new ways to interact with his toys, my toys and everything else.
I always laughed it off when people said that kids grow up too fast but they really and truly do.
Tags: baby, milestone, pottytraining
IP Tech Update
There have been some changes in the IP arsenal of technology of late and I wanted to share the upgrades and reasons for them.
The first upgrade was a replacement for my aged and cantankerous Linksys wireless router. We got our money's worth from the little thing but it was old, slow, didn't broadcast or recieve especially well (think a 38% signal strength from about fifteen feet away) and then, one morning last week, it expired. The box was dead, no amount of resetting or unplpugging and replugging could even revive a light on it.
So the router has been replaced with a Netgear 1008 Mbps Wireless Router that was absolutely kickass easy to set up and has been providing superb throughput for my networked machines. It was also a piece of cake to lock it down to wandering surfers looking for an open wireless signal to latch on to.
The other new tech from this week is a replacement for my Canon S2 IS. I took the S2 back to Staples because I just didn't carry it with me, it's too big and ungainly and I'm just not the kind of photographer that works well with a bigger camera like that. So I'm back on the pocket Canons, this time an SD450. It was a good deal, has that super sweet huge 2.5 inch screen on the back, is faster than the SD500 I got rid of before the S2 and is a smaller camera to boot. I've gotten reasonably good results with it so far too. Nothing to write home about yet but I'm getting there. And, because its tiny, I take it with me everywhere I go.
Next tech is to figure out how to download our Tivo shows to one of the computers for transfer to DVD so we can free up some disc space on the Tivo. Ought to be interesting as it has to be done on a PC and the PC here at home isn't wireless-enabled. But that's alright, it'll be nice to get a few Sesame Street DVD's pulled together.
Tags: tech, replacement, Netgear, Linksys, Canon, S2 IS, SD450, Tivo
A ReCommitment
The first upgrade was a replacement for my aged and cantankerous Linksys wireless router. We got our money's worth from the little thing but it was old, slow, didn't broadcast or recieve especially well (think a 38% signal strength from about fifteen feet away) and then, one morning last week, it expired. The box was dead, no amount of resetting or unplpugging and replugging could even revive a light on it.
So the router has been replaced with a Netgear 1008 Mbps Wireless Router that was absolutely kickass easy to set up and has been providing superb throughput for my networked machines. It was also a piece of cake to lock it down to wandering surfers looking for an open wireless signal to latch on to.
The other new tech from this week is a replacement for my Canon S2 IS. I took the S2 back to Staples because I just didn't carry it with me, it's too big and ungainly and I'm just not the kind of photographer that works well with a bigger camera like that. So I'm back on the pocket Canons, this time an SD450. It was a good deal, has that super sweet huge 2.5 inch screen on the back, is faster than the SD500 I got rid of before the S2 and is a smaller camera to boot. I've gotten reasonably good results with it so far too. Nothing to write home about yet but I'm getting there. And, because its tiny, I take it with me everywhere I go.
Next tech is to figure out how to download our Tivo shows to one of the computers for transfer to DVD so we can free up some disc space on the Tivo. Ought to be interesting as it has to be done on a PC and the PC here at home isn't wireless-enabled. But that's alright, it'll be nice to get a few Sesame Street DVD's pulled together.
Tags: tech, replacement, Netgear, Linksys, Canon, S2 IS, SD450, Tivo
I am hereby putting a stake in the ground on this day, the eleventh of June (ha! three months to my birthday), that I am publicly and internally recommitting myself to a healthier lifestyle and fitness regimen.
Its been too easy to let things slide these last couple of months from quitting work to having a new baby, I've had alot of other things on my mind. But I was thinking that its about time I started riding my damned bike again. I may not really enjoy where I am here but I can still figure out a way to get out on my bike and burn some. I have been interested in seeing what the other side of the slough looks like and how far the new pathway extends.
Yesterday was a kind of bad day for me overall. I couldn't shake being in a crappy mood and things just kept making it worse. To the point I just stopped talking altogether. I know its because I feel trapped sometimes, not by my family, nah, I haven't gotten there at all. Yet. No, I feel trapped by this house, by this neighborhood, by this town, by the truly ridiculous price of real estate here.
No really. Do you have any idea? Try $300,000 for five acres, four of which are utterly useless and vertical and the remaining acres is fractured so your building site is, a, right on the road and b, about forty feet by sixty feet. Or how about $100,000 for a near 40 degree 2 acres with minislides down at the bottom already and a likely estimate of a half million to make a buildable foundation. Foundation, not house. Six hundred thousand dollars to get a plot of land ready.
Or you could buy a house already built and start your bidding at, hmmm, how about $450,000 for 500 square feet just off a busy road? No? Okay, how about $750,000 for a bitchin' house on a corner lot on the far end of a beach neighborhood (two miles to the beach)?
Anyway, can you see the itch growing again? Yeah, I really, really, really want to change our living surroundings and replace them with something about fifty times less crowded and busy. Sometimes its alright, sometimes my neighbors are cool and sometimes I think they're cool because we all kind of have to be. Nobody wants strife on their doorstep, not owners, not renters but less so.
I know where I'd like to go and what I'd like to do but I just don't think its all that doable where I want to do it and that is the bummer. I don't want to leave Santa Cruz, I really do love it like a home. I want to raise my kids here but the costs are just so freaking crazy and out of control.
However, that also means there's an awful lot of money to be made. Its just figuring out how to get some.
By the way, beachfront condos in the Dominican Republic can be had for under a hundred grand. Anyone want to go foursees and get one?
Tags: fitness, mental and physical
Jun 10, 2006Its been too easy to let things slide these last couple of months from quitting work to having a new baby, I've had alot of other things on my mind. But I was thinking that its about time I started riding my damned bike again. I may not really enjoy where I am here but I can still figure out a way to get out on my bike and burn some. I have been interested in seeing what the other side of the slough looks like and how far the new pathway extends.
Yesterday was a kind of bad day for me overall. I couldn't shake being in a crappy mood and things just kept making it worse. To the point I just stopped talking altogether. I know its because I feel trapped sometimes, not by my family, nah, I haven't gotten there at all. Yet. No, I feel trapped by this house, by this neighborhood, by this town, by the truly ridiculous price of real estate here.
No really. Do you have any idea? Try $300,000 for five acres, four of which are utterly useless and vertical and the remaining acres is fractured so your building site is, a, right on the road and b, about forty feet by sixty feet. Or how about $100,000 for a near 40 degree 2 acres with minislides down at the bottom already and a likely estimate of a half million to make a buildable foundation. Foundation, not house. Six hundred thousand dollars to get a plot of land ready.
Or you could buy a house already built and start your bidding at, hmmm, how about $450,000 for 500 square feet just off a busy road? No? Okay, how about $750,000 for a bitchin' house on a corner lot on the far end of a beach neighborhood (two miles to the beach)?
Anyway, can you see the itch growing again? Yeah, I really, really, really want to change our living surroundings and replace them with something about fifty times less crowded and busy. Sometimes its alright, sometimes my neighbors are cool and sometimes I think they're cool because we all kind of have to be. Nobody wants strife on their doorstep, not owners, not renters but less so.
I know where I'd like to go and what I'd like to do but I just don't think its all that doable where I want to do it and that is the bummer. I don't want to leave Santa Cruz, I really do love it like a home. I want to raise my kids here but the costs are just so freaking crazy and out of control.
However, that also means there's an awful lot of money to be made. Its just figuring out how to get some.
By the way, beachfront condos in the Dominican Republic can be had for under a hundred grand. Anyone want to go foursees and get one?
Tags: fitness, mental and physical
Another Perspective on Immigration Reform
I thought I had heard most all of the views in regards to immigration reform but there is always room for another perspective. Especially one from the Salutatorian of the 006 Princeton graduating class, even more so when he turns out to be an illegal immigrant himself.
Upon reading his extraordinarily eloquent and well thought out arguments, I have to say that my overall point of view hasn't changed substantially. Except to be reminded that the founding tenet of this nation was doors open to all and the American Dream was theirs to embrace.
The only failing here is that Dan-El, the Salutatorian, would have become a citizen in an instant if he could and even had high-end lawyers working on his behalf to give him citizenship.
His story is an excellent read, even if only for the expansion of the horizon his unique perspective provides. I wish him well and hope that he is able to gain full citizenship and continue his studies.
What will continue to bother me about the immigration reform issue is that people want to granted amnesty for being already in place, that just crazy to me. Its like granting squatters the deed to your house because they are in it. Maybe they have some right to work to stay permanently but I don't see that they have any right to demand any instant clemency.
Tags: Princeton, salutatorian, immigration
Jun 7, 2006Upon reading his extraordinarily eloquent and well thought out arguments, I have to say that my overall point of view hasn't changed substantially. Except to be reminded that the founding tenet of this nation was doors open to all and the American Dream was theirs to embrace.
The only failing here is that Dan-El, the Salutatorian, would have become a citizen in an instant if he could and even had high-end lawyers working on his behalf to give him citizenship.
His story is an excellent read, even if only for the expansion of the horizon his unique perspective provides. I wish him well and hope that he is able to gain full citizenship and continue his studies.
What will continue to bother me about the immigration reform issue is that people want to granted amnesty for being already in place, that just crazy to me. Its like granting squatters the deed to your house because they are in it. Maybe they have some right to work to stay permanently but I don't see that they have any right to demand any instant clemency.
Tags: Princeton, salutatorian, immigration
Eradicating Poverty One Bead at a Time
Bead for Life is the website of a poverty eradication program for Ugandan women and children.
BeadforLife is largely a volunteer organization inviting people in the resource abundant world to partner with hardworking but impoverished women in Uganda. We do this through the making and selling of gorgeous handcrafted paper beads.
On the site, you can Meet the Beaders or look through the gallery of beaders or learn how this project is trying to make Uganda a better place for all.
There is also, of course, a Bead for Life store in which to directly purchase some of these beautiful beads and, in September, a CD of Beaders Music.
Tags: Bead for Life, Uganda, poverty eradication, handmade beads
Jun 5, 2006BeadforLife is largely a volunteer organization inviting people in the resource abundant world to partner with hardworking but impoverished women in Uganda. We do this through the making and selling of gorgeous handcrafted paper beads.
On the site, you can Meet the Beaders or look through the gallery of beaders or learn how this project is trying to make Uganda a better place for all.
There is also, of course, a Bead for Life store in which to directly purchase some of these beautiful beads and, in September, a CD of Beaders Music.
Tags: Bead for Life, Uganda, poverty eradication, handmade beads
Emotional Adventure Television
Extreme sport are for surface dwellers, you want to get to the tough stuff, start watching shows like Shalom in the Home and see what real families are like when they get broken.
Its something like Nanny 911 or SuperNanny but its more on the whole family and not just the insane kids
Its horrible tv but its also compelling and good because it always delivers the goods in the end and Schmuley leaves yet another once-breaking, now-united home again. The guy is so earnest you just want to hug him. And he's also very bright and can see right through people and their walls. He's good.
But its also difficult to watch people go up and down and expose their anger, their insecurities and their fear of failure. Seeing someone breakdown emotionally and then get rebuilt into a better, nicer, happier and just all around more human person is a great story.
It would be completely unwatchable if it didn't end well. So he had better not ever pull the two episode doozy.
And while I like the premise and cool aging sequences on Honey, We're Killing the Kids, they need to rethink the look of the show, an abandoned warehouse? Why? It should be a clinical setting, not some warehouse. But its a good show despite the decor and the severity of the host.
Tags: good tv, shalom, shalom in the home
An Early Birthday Gift
Its something like Nanny 911 or SuperNanny but its more on the whole family and not just the insane kids
Its horrible tv but its also compelling and good because it always delivers the goods in the end and Schmuley leaves yet another once-breaking, now-united home again. The guy is so earnest you just want to hug him. And he's also very bright and can see right through people and their walls. He's good.
But its also difficult to watch people go up and down and expose their anger, their insecurities and their fear of failure. Seeing someone breakdown emotionally and then get rebuilt into a better, nicer, happier and just all around more human person is a great story.
It would be completely unwatchable if it didn't end well. So he had better not ever pull the two episode doozy.
And while I like the premise and cool aging sequences on Honey, We're Killing the Kids, they need to rethink the look of the show, an abandoned warehouse? Why? It should be a clinical setting, not some warehouse. But its a good show despite the decor and the severity of the host.
Tags: good tv, shalom, shalom in the home
To my big brother, I thought you might like an interesting birthday gift for this week when you, my dear brother become 40 years old.
The public part of my offer to you is: A week of nothing but the positive. No rants, no annoyed screeds, no peeved dispatches. A new post everyday that celebrates the positive and the good.
How's that sound?
Tags: early, birthday, gift
Jun 4, 2006The public part of my offer to you is: A week of nothing but the positive. No rants, no annoyed screeds, no peeved dispatches. A new post everyday that celebrates the positive and the good.
How's that sound?
Tags: early, birthday, gift
Ryan Seacrest = Necessary Rat
No, I'm not being unkind, not in the least. Ryan Seacrest anagramizes (that is, the letters can be reformed) into Necessary Rat. The fact that it is funny and appropriate is all the better.
Here's some more fun. Simon Cowell = "Lemon!" I scowl. Paula Abdul is All Up a Baud.
Or how about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes = Hedonist miracles make out. Scientology = Isn't ecology. George W Bush = He grew bogus. Some painful ones, Tara Ried = A Dire Rat, Tom Cruise = I'm so cuter, Natalie Portman = An animal potter, Cesar Millan (the dog whisperer) = Carnal slime. And then there's the perfectly appropriate, Arnold Schwarzenegger = He's grown large 'n' crazed, Lindsey Lohan = Hold insanely, Oprah Winfrey = Hype worn fair, Dr. Phil McGraw = Grr! Wild champ.
Have some fun and load a name or phrase into the Anagram Bot and see what you come up with.
Tags: anagram, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Tara Ried, Natalie Portman, Cesar Millan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lindsey Lohan, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil
Jun 3, 2006Here's some more fun. Simon Cowell = "Lemon!" I scowl. Paula Abdul is All Up a Baud.
Or how about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes = Hedonist miracles make out. Scientology = Isn't ecology. George W Bush = He grew bogus. Some painful ones, Tara Ried = A Dire Rat, Tom Cruise = I'm so cuter, Natalie Portman = An animal potter, Cesar Millan (the dog whisperer) = Carnal slime. And then there's the perfectly appropriate, Arnold Schwarzenegger = He's grown large 'n' crazed, Lindsey Lohan = Hold insanely, Oprah Winfrey = Hype worn fair, Dr. Phil McGraw = Grr! Wild champ.
Have some fun and load a name or phrase into the Anagram Bot and see what you come up with.
Tags: anagram, Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Tara Ried, Natalie Portman, Cesar Millan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lindsey Lohan, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil
IP Bruschetta
I have almost certainly written posts about bruschetta before but I'm going to write another because I've been living in bruschetta heaven for the last 18 hours or so.
I mixed up a small batch of bruschetta yesterday afternoon. The recipe is simple.
1 hot house tomato, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
a bunch of basil, chopped
garlic, 2 cloves fresh, minced or equivalent
shredded mozzerella
olive oil
salt and pepper
dash of Worchestire Sauce
a double dash of red wine vinegar
hot sauce of choice to taste (not much is needed at all)
sourdough baquette, sliced diagonally to maximize surface area and it looks cool
Mix everything together but the baquette and some mozz) and let it sit together in the fridge for at least an hour or two.
Toast the sourdough slices on both sides until they are firm. Then rub one side of the toast with a peeled glove of garlic, top with bruschetta and then some extra mozz. Set under a broiler until the cheese is melted and then serve immediately.
They totally kick ass.
Tags: bruschetta, tomato, sourdough
Jun 2, 2006I mixed up a small batch of bruschetta yesterday afternoon. The recipe is simple.
1 hot house tomato, diced
1 roma tomato, diced
a bunch of basil, chopped
garlic, 2 cloves fresh, minced or equivalent
shredded mozzerella
olive oil
salt and pepper
dash of Worchestire Sauce
a double dash of red wine vinegar
hot sauce of choice to taste (not much is needed at all)
sourdough baquette, sliced diagonally to maximize surface area and it looks cool
Mix everything together but the baquette and some mozz) and let it sit together in the fridge for at least an hour or two.
Toast the sourdough slices on both sides until they are firm. Then rub one side of the toast with a peeled glove of garlic, top with bruschetta and then some extra mozz. Set under a broiler until the cheese is melted and then serve immediately.
They totally kick ass.
Tags: bruschetta, tomato, sourdough
Sorry Steve, Ya Lost Me
So there's this race for the Democratic nomination to take on California's biggest embarassment, the Governator. The race is between Phil Angelides and Steve Westly and, according to the polls, its pretty well dead even right now.
Only Westly's campaign is starting to not only sling mud but to sling bullshit mud, the worst kind. Westly's campaign is airing an ad right now that purports Angelides was part of a development scheme to dump more than a million gallons of toxic waste into Lake Tahoe.
The reality is that the Angelides family bought a condo that had been developed by these crooks, when Angelides found out about them, he brought his own lawsuit against them.
Sorry, Steve, but you actually had my vote until this. And, while I was just typing this up, another commercial aired in which Westly claims to be endorsed by the Sierra Club of California. No mention on the home page, strange.
I don't know, in many ways, I don't care which of the two it is so long as they beat Arnold and get that flippin' meat headed asshat out of office (so he can prep for his 2008 Presidential Bid, I'm sure).
And oh yeah, I'm not the first but Gubernatorial is a really, really stupid word.
Tags: California, Gubernatorial, election, Westly, Angelides, Governator, Schwarzenegger
IP Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream
Only Westly's campaign is starting to not only sling mud but to sling bullshit mud, the worst kind. Westly's campaign is airing an ad right now that purports Angelides was part of a development scheme to dump more than a million gallons of toxic waste into Lake Tahoe.
The reality is that the Angelides family bought a condo that had been developed by these crooks, when Angelides found out about them, he brought his own lawsuit against them.
Sorry, Steve, but you actually had my vote until this. And, while I was just typing this up, another commercial aired in which Westly claims to be endorsed by the Sierra Club of California. No mention on the home page, strange.
I don't know, in many ways, I don't care which of the two it is so long as they beat Arnold and get that flippin' meat headed asshat out of office (so he can prep for his 2008 Presidential Bid, I'm sure).
And oh yeah, I'm not the first but Gubernatorial is a really, really stupid word.
Tags: California, Gubernatorial, election, Westly, Angelides, Governator, Schwarzenegger
It isn't a secret that I'm a fan of coconut flavored stuff in general. And coconut paired with pineapple is almost never a bad combination. With that in mind, I tried my hand at making some coconut pineapple ice cream. The recipe is pretty straight forward.
1 2/3 1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
vanilla to preference
2/3 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Mix and chill well before putting in ice cream machine. During the last five minutes of the chilling and stirring, add just under 3/4 cup crushed pineapple. I used unsweetened but a light syrup might work as well or better.
The resulting ice cream is strongly coconut and secondarily pineapple. The coconut milk gave it a rich and creamy texture and, overall, I'm quite happy. I'd like to figure out how to keep the pineapple bits from freezing though, that would be nice.
Update: Okay, after letting this new ice cream harden in the freezer some, I realized that the coconut milk to cream ratio needs adjusting. As it was, the coconut flavor was nearly overpowering and, worse, the ice cream "broke" when you tried to scoop it, that is, it didn't scoop, it broke apart. That was no good.
But it sure did make for some excellent pineapple coconut milkshakes this afternoon!
Tags: homemade, coconut, pineapple, ice cream
Jun 1, 20061/2 cup sugar
vanilla to preference
Mix and chill well before putting in ice cream machine. During the last five minutes of the chilling and stirring, add just under 3/4 cup crushed pineapple. I used unsweetened but a light syrup might work as well or better.
The resulting ice cream is strongly coconut and secondarily pineapple. The coconut milk gave it a rich and creamy texture and, overall, I'm quite happy. I'd like to figure out how to keep the pineapple bits from freezing though, that would be nice.
Update: Okay, after letting this new ice cream harden in the freezer some, I realized that the coconut milk to cream ratio needs adjusting. As it was, the coconut flavor was nearly overpowering and, worse, the ice cream "broke" when you tried to scoop it, that is, it didn't scoop, it broke apart. That was no good.
But it sure did make for some excellent pineapple coconut milkshakes this afternoon!
Tags: homemade, coconut, pineapple, ice cream
Quick Rant
Can someone please tell every musician who thinks they are being cutting edge or kewl or whatever by starting a song with 20 seconds or so of really unpleasant feedback or some other noise intended to make people go "What the FUCK is that?" and then the music starts playing.
Please stop it. No, not even please. Stop it. Play music, don't, don't, don't put crappy, annoying tones in or over your music. Nothing makes me move ahead or delete a track faster than stupid, stupid "techniques" that are annoying.
And yes, I am looking at you Beck. I know you're totally, like, outthinking everyone and everything but that shit is fucking irritating. But Beck isn't the only perp here, there are plenty that think its cool to lay sine wave noises over their bands and other stupid and annoying tricks that serve to do nothing but piss me off and make me change the station or delete the track from my library.
So there.
Tags: annoying, music, intro
And With That, #2
Please stop it. No, not even please. Stop it. Play music, don't, don't, don't put crappy, annoying tones in or over your music. Nothing makes me move ahead or delete a track faster than stupid, stupid "techniques" that are annoying.
And yes, I am looking at you Beck. I know you're totally, like, outthinking everyone and everything but that shit is fucking irritating. But Beck isn't the only perp here, there are plenty that think its cool to lay sine wave noises over their bands and other stupid and annoying tricks that serve to do nothing but piss me off and make me change the station or delete the track from my library.
So there.
Tags: annoying, music, intro
Barry Bonds has taken over sole possession of the #2 spot on the all-time home run list after crushing a ball against the Rockies.
There was an article the guys at the Mint linked to from Page 2 (ESPN's less polite and prettied up site) that purports to calculate how many non-juiced homeruns Barry Bonds would have. It is, obviously, many, many below his current number of 715.
Notwithstanding the absolute fact that Bonds has yet to fail a drug test. Ever. But let's just pronounce him guilty in spite of the unfairness of doing so.
I read most of the article before drifting off to Don't-Give-A-Shit-Anymore-Land. And I don't. I don't care that Bonds has passed Ruth and that many people think he should be taken out back and shot for having juiced himself up to greater power and feats (allegedly). So-fucking-what? Its a game.
In the light of the greater misdeeds being carried out everyday under the aegis of Patriotism and protecting the country, Barry Bonds using designer steroids to hit a ball further seems pretty damned unimportant.
And maybe that's just because I'm so godawful tired of the "controversy". Maybe I'm just tired of seeing the Dodgers keep winning (they're supposed to be on the "Fade" part of "Sparkle and Fade" now). And funny, you never hear even a mention of PED's (performannce enhancing drugs) in regards to Albert Pujols and his utterly SICK start to the season. I'm not saying he's juiced because I don't think he is but his numbers are almost twice where they were last year at this time when he was the league MVP. Something's up and its the moonshot homeruns he keeps hitting.
But, for the record, I don't think Pujols is enhancing his performance. I do think he's one of the best pure hitters ever who also happens to have big bat power too.
PS. I'm starting a "Funky Stats" baseball league. Leave a comment or drop me an email if you're interested in playing, there are only a few teams left.
Tags: baseball, Barry Bonds, steroids, PED's, performance enhancing, Albert Pujols
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There was an article the guys at the Mint linked to from Page 2 (ESPN's less polite and prettied up site) that purports to calculate how many non-juiced homeruns Barry Bonds would have. It is, obviously, many, many below his current number of 715.
Notwithstanding the absolute fact that Bonds has yet to fail a drug test. Ever. But let's just pronounce him guilty in spite of the unfairness of doing so.
I read most of the article before drifting off to Don't-Give-A-Shit-Anymore-Land. And I don't. I don't care that Bonds has passed Ruth and that many people think he should be taken out back and shot for having juiced himself up to greater power and feats (allegedly). So-fucking-what? Its a game.
In the light of the greater misdeeds being carried out everyday under the aegis of Patriotism and protecting the country, Barry Bonds using designer steroids to hit a ball further seems pretty damned unimportant.
And maybe that's just because I'm so godawful tired of the "controversy". Maybe I'm just tired of seeing the Dodgers keep winning (they're supposed to be on the "Fade" part of "Sparkle and Fade" now). And funny, you never hear even a mention of PED's (performannce enhancing drugs) in regards to Albert Pujols and his utterly SICK start to the season. I'm not saying he's juiced because I don't think he is but his numbers are almost twice where they were last year at this time when he was the league MVP. Something's up and its the moonshot homeruns he keeps hitting.
But, for the record, I don't think Pujols is enhancing his performance. I do think he's one of the best pure hitters ever who also happens to have big bat power too.
PS. I'm starting a "Funky Stats" baseball league. Leave a comment or drop me an email if you're interested in playing, there are only a few teams left.
Tags: baseball, Barry Bonds, steroids, PED's, performance enhancing, Albert Pujols