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Recent Posts

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1501
Living Room / Re: Homebrewing
« Last post by Renegade on August 16, 2014, 12:54 AM »
Hey you guys.

I get a newsletter, Free Kindle Books, and occasionally they list titles about making things of an alcoholic temperament.
Do you use written material in your endeavors or are you true pioneers, bare-knuckle, man to man, toe to toe beer makers that don't need no freaking books?   :huh:
It's an email newsletter and a list containing a recipe for brew might be rare  :huh:

I've got the freebie, Kindle for PC, and Amazon sends anything I order right to my Amazon account. ...all free  :o

I'll be glad to post it, refer it, whatever, if anyone is interested.



Free you say? ;D

I was just reading more about brewing. I just finished bottling a Chimay Blue batch, and was looking to start something new in the fermenter. Kind of hoping that I can make it over to the brew store to pick up some malt extract & supplies if I can figure out what I want to brew in time.

So, heck yeah! Post it!  :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup:

1502
I think it will be a good thing to see multiple programs doing the same thing there. Competition is good.

Bittorrent has a big name though, so that's not going to work in their favour for Tox.
1503
Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Last post by Renegade on August 15, 2014, 08:47 PM »
There's got to be a site out there that does repurposing...

Speaking of repurposing, buy yourself another one of those shave brushes and use it exclusively for this. ;)

Given the price of them here (everything here is expensive compared to there), a cheap, small paint brush might be better, but yes - definitely an idea.

We've got a calligraphy paint brush around here somewhere. It would likely be ideal as it's long and thin enough to get into those tighter spots, e.g. between components.
1504
^^ Hahaha!
1505
Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Last post by Renegade on August 15, 2014, 09:23 AM »
A couple weeks ago I bought a new productivity tool. It's probably one of my most valuable productivity tools, and helps me get so much done that I couldn't even begin to describe just how amazing this is.

http://www.logitech....ltimedia-speaker-z50

multimediaspeakerz50galler7.jpg

 :tellme: Productivity?!?

As an information junkie, and being incapable of not having information streaming into my glassy eyes at every waking second, it is very difficult to do things like, oh, say wash the dishes, etc.

So, this sits in the kitchen where it gets plugged into my tablet so I can play podcasts and videos of interviews. e.g. The Tom Woods show, The Corbett Report, etc.

I have to turn up the volume full blast if I've got the tap running in the kitchen, so it's not really loud, but it's about loud enough.

That it's a single speaker makes it a bit more compact, though there is still that volume issue. Overall, it's about the right volume for a room at full volume if you're cleaning. Vacuuming is out of the question though. Also, the Thermomix is loud, but that's only for 3 seconds (usually less).

I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for great stereo audio quality for music while you're cleaning. It's much better suited to podcasts and talks.

1506
Living Room / Re: App vs Program vs Process
« Last post by Renegade on August 15, 2014, 08:16 AM »
I often wonder what value the 1,000,000th article on a topic has.
1507
Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Last post by Renegade on August 15, 2014, 07:32 AM »
After my "bag holder opener" gadget post, DC members ewemoa, app103, and I were brainstorming about ways to use existing kitchen tools to hold open bags more effectively.

I believe we came up with an ideal solution, which is to use some thin flexible plasting cutting mats, and roll them up and place them INSIDE the bag like an expanding tube.
 (see attachment in previous post) (see attachment in previous post)
The solution is pretty great because:
  • It maximally holds open the bag (this is a huge advantage over the gadget, which only holds open the bag a tiny bit).
  • It takes up NO storage space (compared to gadget which does) and requires no setup.
  • It is super easy to clean and acts like a funnel.
  • Works on any size bag (you could even trim the plastic cutting mat to make a smaller size one for small quart bags.


Tips on buying the flexible cutting mats: Just make sure the ones you buy aren't too brittle (as you will have to roll them up) or completely limp/silicone (as you want them to try to unroll in the bag to provide tension). Some samples on Amazon.com:
 (see attachment in previous post)http://www.amazon.co...sorted/dp/B00337YF7Q
http://www.amazon.co...rd-Set/dp/B00011RTE8



As ewemoa has pointed out, one drawback of this approach is that you have to wash the cutting mat after use.  One alternative would be to use an INNER bag draped over the "tube".  That will work providing the mat is not too oversized.  Of course this will also work if you happen to have a pitcher of the right radius and height -- without need for mat at all.
 (see attachment in previous post)

That's a great idea, and I've even got those flexible cutting 'boards'. 

On a meta level, I've been wanting to figure out more things like that, i.e. repurposing things for other than their intended uses.

Probably the most obvious is the cardboard box - it is most easily repurposed as a toy for small children! :D "Hey. Here's a box. Have fun!"

There's got to be a site out there that does repurposing...
1508
Living Room / Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Last post by Renegade on August 15, 2014, 07:22 AM »
Thermomix. Totally insane. Just crazy what you can do with it. Off the hook. No words to describe it. I'd heard about it and thought, "Meh, whatever." No... It's simply mind-blowing.

So, how has this one been since your original post?

Simply. Amazing.

I use it all the time. All the time. It's simply so much better than any food processor I've ever used.

Yesterday I used it to prepare everything for the slow cooker. Did a large slow cooked roast in salsa that I made in the Thermomix very quickly. It was super easy and fast, and man... I think it was some of the best cooking I've done.

Salsa in the TM - roast in the slow cooker - just to clear that up.

e.g. For the salsa...

Quarter an onion & throw it in with some garlic cloves. Chop it finely with the TM - level 7 or so.

Throw in coriander/cilantro. Same deal - chop finely again.

Quarter or halve up the onions, roma tomatoes, and chop bell peppers into large chunks --- you can be as sloppy as you want there. Chop at level 4.

Done.

That takes less than a minute.

Doing that manually would take an extra 15 minutes easily. Depends on how much you make. With the TM, it doesn't really matter whether you spend 1 minute or 2 for double the amount.

Oh... and creating a base for sauces... super easy. Here's one:

Garlic cloves & halved onions --> Chop at level 7 for, oh, 3 seconds. Pour in 30 grams of olive oil - the TM measures it for you! Saute in TM for 3 minutes while you get other ingredients ready.

I'd say that I pretty much use it for 75%+ of all the cooking I do. It's insanely versatile.

There are a huge number of recipes here:

http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/

However, once you get used to the TM, you can do almost any recipe in it.

Oh! Steaming! Great for that! Steam meat or cabbage rolls while you cook the sauce in the TM --- doing 2 things at the same time.

It also makes cooking a lot more fun. I've learned to cook a LOT more things with it. Stuff that I never would have imagined trying.

Oh, and ice cream or sorbet! Super easy to make in the TM.

Another few nice things:

  • it's DRM free,
  • has no licensing restrictions,
  • no royalties,
  • no embedded tracking software,
  • doesn't require me to login before I use it,
  • doesn't require 2FA,
  • has no remote kill switch,
  • has no back doors,
  • works without a network connection,
  • has no outside dependencies,
  • doesn't require an installer,
  • uninstalling is as simple as putting it back in the box,
  • can resell it without licensing issues,
  • doesn't require connecting to a licensing server to work,
  • has no unwanted bundled packages,
  • and it doesn't phone home to the NSA. :P

The silly thread is leaking... ;)
1509
Living Room / Re: Do you use a Portrait mode monitor?
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 12:06 PM »
In theory it seems perfect for coding.
But I have a 27" monitor; in portrait mode it's just too tall to comfortably look at -- at least on my desk and viewing distance.  It's too much of a neck strain to look up to top.

I can see that.

I recline in my chair, so looking up is zero effort for me.
1510
Living Room / Re: Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face from Space
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 12:04 PM »
This is just silly. The resolution is roughly the size of your face, which means that in the resulting image, it'll be represented by a single pixel. It won't be possible to recognize who is who, or even if you're wearing clothes or not.

I don't think that you're looking at the "big picture". ;)

Combine that with mobile phone "location services" and you have identities pretty much guaranteed.

This is just 1 aspect of the total surveillance system.

1511
Living Room / Re: Do you use a Portrait mode monitor?
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 12:01 PM »
Tried it, abandoned it.

Really? Why?

I find it so much easier to read in portrait mode.

Coding when I have to look across multiple methods is nicer in portrait when I split the screen. I can have part of the window 500 lines above and code in the lower half as I look at the top for a reference.

As a coder, I'd have though that you'd like it.
1512
Some people think politicians are feces-tious.

BWAHAHAHA! Love it!  :Thmbsup:

...and political humor is even more so.

Love may make the world turn around, but humor lubricates the bearings.

You should chime in on the political humour thread in the Basement.

Political humour is great. There's nothing that you can't ridicule, and nothing that doesn't deserve ridicule. :D
1513
Living Room / Do you use a Portrait mode monitor?
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 11:03 AM »
I have 2 monitors that pivot to portrait mode and a third that is landscape only. I keep 1 monitor in portrait mode, and it's my main monitor for most of what I do. My only complaint is that it is sometimes a bit thin for some sites, but most are fine on it, and I can read a huge amount very quickly and easily.

Anyone else use portrait mode?
1514
Some people think politicians are feces-tious.

BWAHAHAHA! Love it!  :Thmbsup:
1515
Living Room / Re: Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face from Space
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 08:42 AM »
That won't help either, they'll just switch to thermals or something. Personally I say take up nude sunbathing and put up a sign that says "Kiss Me' that points to your ass. That's my plan for the weekend. :D

Hay, if they really want to be that nosey...Then I say they should be emotionally scarred for their efforts too!

They say most of space is empty.  But I expect soon a couple of these will collide over South Beach.   :Thmbsup:

Nude beach anyone?

https://www.google.c.../maps/place/Gunnison
+Beach+(Nude+Beach)/@40.4600165,-73.9893911,209m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!1m2!2m1!1snude+beach!3m1!1s0x0:
0x377ab7ade01bddb6

1516
Living Room / Re: Does anyone here use Bitcoins?
« Last post by Renegade on August 14, 2014, 08:37 AM »
This is pretty good. Christopher Cantwell talking about "how to tell people about bitcoin". He boils it down pretty simply, but his presentation is, well, just him. Or, maybe not completely "him". This is SFW whereas a lot of his stuff is NSFW. (He speaks pretty fast - it's entertaining.)



1517
General Software Discussion / Re: Chrome and Malware detection
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 11:30 PM »
They have a similar message that blocks a download unless you specifically reaffirm it. It's used for uncommon downloads. I get those all the time, but haven't seen what you're seeing with it absolutely blocked. I've also downloaded software that is flagged as malware, but only gotten the "are you sure" warning.
1518
Just being able to create synaptic mesh networks does not make a functional intelligence.

Although we know what the human gray matter is made of, we don't have anywhere near a complete mapping of its connectivity to use as a template for intelligences.

Developing artificial intelligence using these new synaptic chips is going to be a bit of a guessing game for quite some time until someone finally stumbles into it.

It's a fascinating field. Roger Penrose argued in "The Emperor's New Mind" that AI was a pipe dream in the sense of actual consciousness.

But, who knows?
1519
Living Room / Re: Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face from Space
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 10:59 PM »
My ugly face on google?  :-\

It's always good for when mom misses you!  :-* Y'know... for the greater good of moms everywhere!
1520
Living Room / Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face from Space
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 08:57 PM »
It's 1982 and a British band releases one of the heaviest albums produced to date.

The album starts with a short, heavy instrumental and then picks up the pace with an ominous foreshadowing...

Up here in space
I'm looking down on you

My laser's trace
Everything you do

You think you've private lives
Think nothing of the kind
There is no true escape
I'm watching all the time

...

Always in focus
You can't feel my stare
I zoom into you
You don't know I'm there



Well, apparently zoom levels are about ready to include your face. From orbit.

http://motherboard.v...your-face-from-space

Google's Satellites Could Soon See Your Face from Space

Google will soon have an unprecedented ability to spy on you from space. Theoretically, at least. How?

Two months ago, after much lobbying by the biggest satellite company in North America, DigitalGlobe, the US government relaxed restrictions to allow for commercially available satellite imagery up to 25 cm resolution—twice as detailed as the previous limit of 50 cm.

Now, the first commercial satellite set to capture these high-res images, DigitalGlobe's Worldview-3, will launch this Wednesday. Six months after that, private businesses willing to fork over the money will be able to get their hands on hyper-detailed photos and videos of the globe.

That, of course, includes Google.

Google—along with Microsoft, NASA, and numerous US federal agencies such as National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which played a pivotal role in the seizure of Osama Bin Laden—is a regular DigitalGlobe customer. It signed a multiyear imagery contract with the colossus satellite company in February to use satellite imagery for apps like Google Earth, Maps, and Street View.

...

The satellite behemoth is now making a push to relax the rules even further, down to 10 cm resolution, about the height of an iPhone 4.

DigitalGlobe currently has five birds in the sky, and one, GeoEye-1, has the ability to capture images at 41 centimeters. The company lobbied hard to loosen restrictions to 25 centimeters so that it could compete with foreign firms that will be blasting their own satellites into orbit soon...


But, the really good quote from the article... the one that will have you in rolling on the floor laughing...

Google, for its part, claims it will use satellite image and video capabilities for the greater good.

More at the link.

It's pretty cool tech, but...

1521
Living Room / Re: Everyone is brokenhearted.
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 11:22 AM »
Not sure if media like the Telegraph should talk about that without any irony.

If it bleeds, it leads.
1522
Hopefully they can combine this new technology with those self-replicating 3D printers...   :P

You mean like Replicators from Star Gate? :D
1523
Living Room / Re: Homebrewing
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 11:20 AM »
Even without the alcohol, soft-carbonated (and preferably unsweetened) lemonade is a treat on a hot day. :-*
Learned about that one from a expat French client of mine. I understand it's big on the Continent.
Have you ever tried drinking shandy? It's a mixture of beer and lemonade. Very refreshing drink, and reduced alcohol content too - e.g., if mixed 50-50.

Heh! In Korea we used to drink a lemon beer mixed 50-50 with beer. Even better! ;D
1524
Living Room / Re: Knight to queen's bishop 3 - Snowden charged with espionage.
« Last post by Renegade on August 13, 2014, 08:31 AM »
Snowden: I Left the NSA Clues, But They Couldn’t Find Them

...

Ouch.

When WIRED asked an NSA spokesperson to comment on Snowden’s new claims or its internal estimate of the size of his leak, spokesperson Vanee Vines responded with this statement: “If Mr. Snowden wants to discuss his activities, that conversation should be held with the U.S. Department of Justice. He needs to return to the United States to face the charges against him.

BWAHAHAHAAHAHA~!

Umm, maybe he should come home to help prosecute the real criminals?

Bitch, STFU.
1525
Touchy-feely, but still good:

http://www.huffingto...ir=Canada%20Business


"Can I ask you a favor?" said the waitress.

The three CEOs glanced at the clocks on their smartphones, then at the tiny cafe, which was deserted at 6 a.m.

"I just got a call from the day care center, and my two-year-old is sick. I have to go. Would...?"

The raised eyebrow of one CEO said it all. They had worked hard to carve 60 minutes out of their schedules to begin discussions on a merger. Now this.

"I know it sounds weird, but if one of you would stay and cover for me, I'd really appreciate it. I'll lose my job otherwise." She sounded desperate. "The manager's on vacation, the morning rush starts in about 10 minutes and there's just me and the cook till lunch. If I leave now, we'd have to close."

Two of the CEOs stood immediately. They both said they had meetings back to back that morning. The third looked at them, but stayed seated. "Let's reschedule," he said to the other CEOs. Then he looked at the waitress and started rolling up his sleeves.

"Do you have a clean apron?"

---

The waitress returned around 11 a.m. after taking her son to the doctor and dropping him with Grandma on the other side of town.

The cook and the CEO sat drinking smoothies in the kitchen. She thanked them both profusely for covering her shift.

The cook said it was nothing, though this CEO was the worst waiter in the history of humankind. Total disaster, said the cook. Then he and the CEO burst out laughing. When the laughter died down, the CEO turned to the waitress. "I'm the one who should thank you," he said.

She looked at CEO's expensive shirt splattered with food stains. She looked at the big half-moons of sweat under his arms. "Why?"

"I spilled coffee into bowls of oatmeal. I dumped scrambled eggs and bacon in one woman's lap. I took the wrong food to the wrong tables. I forgot the syrup and the salsa and the check. I was so bad as a waiter I got desperate. So I used your strategy."

"What's that?"

"I asked for help."

She smiled.

"Only one woman said yes. The one I dumped eggs on. She was great. Hard worker. Good communicator. After the rush finished, we got to talking, and it turns out she's from the tech world too. In fact, I liked her so much I asked her to apply for a management position at my company."

"Because she's good at waiting tables?" said the waitress.

"Because she understands that asking for help and offering help are two of the best ways to do business. Because she can see that relationships are created through giving and receiving service."

The waitress nodded.

"Now can I get you a little something to eat?" The CEO stood, draped a napkin over his arm and winked.

"Depends," she said. "If I let you dump eggs on me, will you offer me a job?"
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