Dear PIPA/SOPA,
Looks like you've had a hard couple of weeks. You probably thought it would be an easy trip to the President's desk since most of your cousins have made the trip with so little resistance.
I guess it just goes to show you that government can work - as long as there are companies with money on both sides of the issue.
Kind of makes me wonder what intellectual property law would look like today if the DMCA anti-circumvention clause didn't interfere with innovation. Or if that one company that allowed you to make your own mix tapes in the store hadn't been sued out of existence.
Anyway, I can't say I'm sorry your trip has ended short of becoming law. You need a little time to mature yet. No one wants artists to not get paid for their work. But legal tantrums are hardly the solution.
Hopefully the next time we meet you'll have worked out some more of the details.
Megan
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, December 2, 2011
Menu planning, automated
Dear fellow busy cooks,
On a good week, I pick out the recipes I want to make and carefully make a list of all the ingredients I need before going to the grocery store. Of course, picking out the recipes that meet the requirements for a particular week can be difficult. Sometimes I have twenty minutes to cook a meal three nights, sometimes I can make one meal that takes longer and two shorter meals. And sometimes I have specific ingredients I need to use up - like pumpkin or turkey.
This sounded like a job for a perl script. XML was the natural choice for the recipes - and luckily someone had already made an XML schema for recipes. I made a few changes to it - adding some fields for preparation time, crock pot or not, and a few other things.
How does this script differ from a bunch of the other menu planning tools available? You can make very specific requests - for instance, 2 meals that have 20 minutes of preparation of time or less and 50 minutes of cook time or less plus 1 meal that has 30 minutes of preparation time or less. Or you exclude specific ingredients. Or prioritize an ingredients - like maybe it's the week after thanksgiving and you have some turkey to use up.
My menu planner takes in an XML file that defines your preferences. The preferences file can have as many preference blocks as you want so that you can choose as many distinct sets of recipes as you want. So if you can have one meal with cheese a week, but the rest have to be cheese free, you can do that.
Need a sample? Here are 8 meal plans of 3 meals that have twenty minutes of preptime or less - one for turkey leftovers. :) Here are 8 meal plans for 2 meals with short prep times and 1 with long prep time.
Feel free to adapt the script. Or send me your ideal menu plan. :)
Happy eating!
On a good week, I pick out the recipes I want to make and carefully make a list of all the ingredients I need before going to the grocery store. Of course, picking out the recipes that meet the requirements for a particular week can be difficult. Sometimes I have twenty minutes to cook a meal three nights, sometimes I can make one meal that takes longer and two shorter meals. And sometimes I have specific ingredients I need to use up - like pumpkin or turkey.
This sounded like a job for a perl script. XML was the natural choice for the recipes - and luckily someone had already made an XML schema for recipes. I made a few changes to it - adding some fields for preparation time, crock pot or not, and a few other things.
How does this script differ from a bunch of the other menu planning tools available? You can make very specific requests - for instance, 2 meals that have 20 minutes of preparation of time or less and 50 minutes of cook time or less plus 1 meal that has 30 minutes of preparation time or less. Or you exclude specific ingredients. Or prioritize an ingredients - like maybe it's the week after thanksgiving and you have some turkey to use up.
My menu planner takes in an XML file that defines your preferences. The preferences file can have as many preference blocks as you want so that you can choose as many distinct sets of recipes as you want. So if you can have one meal with cheese a week, but the rest have to be cheese free, you can do that.
Need a sample? Here are 8 meal plans of 3 meals that have twenty minutes of preptime or less - one for turkey leftovers. :) Here are 8 meal plans for 2 meals with short prep times and 1 with long prep time.
Feel free to adapt the script. Or send me your ideal menu plan. :)
Happy eating!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
I'm touched
Dear Vikings -
I was touched when I heard your radio ad for the upcoming benefit for the Vikings Children's Fund. It'd be even more touching if you weren't currently asking the state to pay several million for a new stadium at a time when the state is having to cut social programs to save money.
I was touched when I heard your radio ad for the upcoming benefit for the Vikings Children's Fund. It'd be even more touching if you weren't currently asking the state to pay several million for a new stadium at a time when the state is having to cut social programs to save money.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Countdown to waste
Dear Bags on Board and competitors,
I should probably hold on to this idea (it could be profitable) but I'm going to share it anyway because I don't think I'll be breaking into the dog waste bag business anytime soon. I don't mind paying you for the privilege of having specially sized bags rolled up neatly around a little dowel that fits into a bone-shaped dispenser that hangs on a leash.
My one complaint is that there's no way to know how many bags are left in the bone-shaped dispenser. Because the roll tends to loosen up as you use up the bags, the dispenser looks full until there's only one or two bags left.
If I were you, I'd label the bags on the roll with numbers that count down as you use the bags up. That way, people would know when they need to refill the dispenser.
Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?
I should probably hold on to this idea (it could be profitable) but I'm going to share it anyway because I don't think I'll be breaking into the dog waste bag business anytime soon. I don't mind paying you for the privilege of having specially sized bags rolled up neatly around a little dowel that fits into a bone-shaped dispenser that hangs on a leash.
My one complaint is that there's no way to know how many bags are left in the bone-shaped dispenser. Because the roll tends to loosen up as you use up the bags, the dispenser looks full until there's only one or two bags left.
If I were you, I'd label the bags on the roll with numbers that count down as you use the bags up. That way, people would know when they need to refill the dispenser.
Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?
Monday, October 10, 2011
Garden experiments
Dear fellow gardeners -
I've been experimenting with a few methods to make the work part of gardening less work so I can concentrate on the fun part of gardening - you know, the harvesting and eating part.
And what good are experiments if you can't share what you've learned with other people?
So here's a couple things that have and haven't worked over the last two years. Steal any ideas you think might work for you. :)
Worked: Using earth anchors to put in tomato stakes/poles
Unfortunately, I didn't get around to trying this until after the gardening season had wrapped up. But I plan to use this stake design for next year because I'm tired of spending ten minutes digging a hole deep enough to keep the tomato stakes from leaning. My test stake even stood up to a week of heavy winds. I've decided to call this stake design the Better Stake. Basically, you cut a groove at the bottom of a 2x2 and drill a few holes for the U-bolts. Instead of digging a hole for ten minutes, screw the earth anchor in to the ground, bolt the 2x2 to the earth anchor, twist the 2x2 a couple of turns, and move on to the next stake. Of course, my mind is already jumping to possible improvements for the design (a slot cut in the bottom of the stake maybe?), but overall the experiment was a success.
Worked: Marsh hay for mulch
This is the second year I've used marsh hay for mulch and I'm still impressed. Cocoa bean mulch is my favorite kind of mulch, but the cost of buying enough cocoa bean mulch to cover by a 15' x 20' plot is high. Also, cocoa bean mulch tends to fall in and fill holes you dig to plant things - fine for things like small plants that already have stems and leaves but it will cover anything you try to plant from seed. Marsh hay was about $7 a bale this year and it took three bales to cover the soil in the spring with another two bales to freshen up the garden mid-season. Once it's been wetted down, you can easily push it out of the way to plant things from seed. So marsh hay hits the sweet spot between functionality and cost. My source for marsh hay is Mother Earth Gardens. They also have a good selection of other gardening stuff, too.
Didn't work: Bubble tea straws for planting from seed
This one should have been obvious from the beginning, but I forgot about one basic lesson in my botany class. There are two types of seedlings - some seedlings leave the seed in the soil when they sprout, some seedlings form a U-shape and bring the seed out of the soil. The bubble tea straws work okay for the first kind of seed - a little tricky to pull off without damaging the seedling, but not too bad. But for the second kind of seed, the straw is too confining. The stalk of the seedling never gets a chance to straighten out.
Didn't work: Using paint can liners to protect young plants
I thought the clear paint can liners I found at the hardware store would be perfect for protecting young seedlings from bunnies and other predators. I drilled holes in the bottom for ventilation and turned them upside down over the plants, staking them down using holes drilled at the sides. As it turns out, even using them in spring was too warm. All of the plants inside the paint can liner domes died. One of my garden neighbors pointed out that greenhouses sometimes paint their windows in summer to keep the sun from heating up the greenhouse too much. The paint can liners might benefit from a similar treatment. I'm not really sure and I don't intend to try next year, but if you do and it works out, let me know. :)
Worked: Sawhorse Greenhouse
Most of the time, I enjoy living in a smaller house. Less to clean, less to maintain, less to break. Mid-winter, when it's time to start my seedlings, I start to wish for a greenhouse room. Of course, you can buy a nice, expensive indoor greenhouse setup. Or just buy all your plants from a nursery and be at the mercy of their selection for that year. What I needed was a reasonably priced greenhouse setup where I could easily adjust the height of the grow lights and easily store the pieces out of the way until the next growing season. Thus, the Sawhorse greenhouse was born. Basically, I built a tall sawhorse and attached two hooks to the horizontal 2x4 to hold the chains that suspend the light fixture. You can easily adjust how tall the the light is by adjusting the length of the chain. And when you're not using it, the sawhorse setup folds into three pieces that can be stowed in a closet or underneath a table. Add a fan to toughen up your seedlings before they go out into the garden and you have a reasonable, cheap greenhouse setup.
I've been experimenting with a few methods to make the work part of gardening less work so I can concentrate on the fun part of gardening - you know, the harvesting and eating part.
And what good are experiments if you can't share what you've learned with other people?
So here's a couple things that have and haven't worked over the last two years. Steal any ideas you think might work for you. :)
Worked: Using earth anchors to put in tomato stakes/poles
Unfortunately, I didn't get around to trying this until after the gardening season had wrapped up. But I plan to use this stake design for next year because I'm tired of spending ten minutes digging a hole deep enough to keep the tomato stakes from leaning. My test stake even stood up to a week of heavy winds. I've decided to call this stake design the Better Stake. Basically, you cut a groove at the bottom of a 2x2 and drill a few holes for the U-bolts. Instead of digging a hole for ten minutes, screw the earth anchor in to the ground, bolt the 2x2 to the earth anchor, twist the 2x2 a couple of turns, and move on to the next stake. Of course, my mind is already jumping to possible improvements for the design (a slot cut in the bottom of the stake maybe?), but overall the experiment was a success.
Worked: Marsh hay for mulch
This is the second year I've used marsh hay for mulch and I'm still impressed. Cocoa bean mulch is my favorite kind of mulch, but the cost of buying enough cocoa bean mulch to cover by a 15' x 20' plot is high. Also, cocoa bean mulch tends to fall in and fill holes you dig to plant things - fine for things like small plants that already have stems and leaves but it will cover anything you try to plant from seed. Marsh hay was about $7 a bale this year and it took three bales to cover the soil in the spring with another two bales to freshen up the garden mid-season. Once it's been wetted down, you can easily push it out of the way to plant things from seed. So marsh hay hits the sweet spot between functionality and cost. My source for marsh hay is Mother Earth Gardens. They also have a good selection of other gardening stuff, too.
Didn't work: Bubble tea straws for planting from seed
This one should have been obvious from the beginning, but I forgot about one basic lesson in my botany class. There are two types of seedlings - some seedlings leave the seed in the soil when they sprout, some seedlings form a U-shape and bring the seed out of the soil. The bubble tea straws work okay for the first kind of seed - a little tricky to pull off without damaging the seedling, but not too bad. But for the second kind of seed, the straw is too confining. The stalk of the seedling never gets a chance to straighten out.
Didn't work: Using paint can liners to protect young plants
I thought the clear paint can liners I found at the hardware store would be perfect for protecting young seedlings from bunnies and other predators. I drilled holes in the bottom for ventilation and turned them upside down over the plants, staking them down using holes drilled at the sides. As it turns out, even using them in spring was too warm. All of the plants inside the paint can liner domes died. One of my garden neighbors pointed out that greenhouses sometimes paint their windows in summer to keep the sun from heating up the greenhouse too much. The paint can liners might benefit from a similar treatment. I'm not really sure and I don't intend to try next year, but if you do and it works out, let me know. :)
Worked: Sawhorse Greenhouse
Most of the time, I enjoy living in a smaller house. Less to clean, less to maintain, less to break. Mid-winter, when it's time to start my seedlings, I start to wish for a greenhouse room. Of course, you can buy a nice, expensive indoor greenhouse setup. Or just buy all your plants from a nursery and be at the mercy of their selection for that year. What I needed was a reasonably priced greenhouse setup where I could easily adjust the height of the grow lights and easily store the pieces out of the way until the next growing season. Thus, the Sawhorse greenhouse was born. Basically, I built a tall sawhorse and attached two hooks to the horizontal 2x4 to hold the chains that suspend the light fixture. You can easily adjust how tall the the light is by adjusting the length of the chain. And when you're not using it, the sawhorse setup folds into three pieces that can be stowed in a closet or underneath a table. Add a fan to toughen up your seedlings before they go out into the garden and you have a reasonable, cheap greenhouse setup.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
An Unlikely Pairing: Avocados and Chocolate
To Avocados -
Who would have thought you'd make such a wonderful pairing with chocolate? When I saw the recipe for chocolate pudding made with avocado puree I was skeptical. But I'll try most any food once and it turned out to be one of best puddings I've ever had. I've adapted the recipe from Deceptively Delicious, where I originally found it. Unlike some recipes with healthy ingredients in them, the chocolate doesn't cover up your wonderful flavor or texture, it just complements your rich, creamy buttery flavor.
Because you have a stubborn streak when it comes to pureeing and I found the pudding needed to be thinner, I changed the directions so the milk that thins the recipe is added to the puree. Also, I wouldn't dream of making a dessert with margarine when there's real butter in the house. So if anyone ever gets sick of guacamole, dear avocaodo, just refer them to the directions below.
Avocado Chocolate Pudding
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 ripe avocados
.25 cups milk
1 cup powdered sugar
3 ounces of baking chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
.25 cups cornstarch
Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender and puree with the milk. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the squares of baking chocolate over low heat. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch. Cook until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cornstarch. Eat warm or cool.
Who would have thought you'd make such a wonderful pairing with chocolate? When I saw the recipe for chocolate pudding made with avocado puree I was skeptical. But I'll try most any food once and it turned out to be one of best puddings I've ever had. I've adapted the recipe from Deceptively Delicious, where I originally found it. Unlike some recipes with healthy ingredients in them, the chocolate doesn't cover up your wonderful flavor or texture, it just complements your rich, creamy buttery flavor.
Because you have a stubborn streak when it comes to pureeing and I found the pudding needed to be thinner, I changed the directions so the milk that thins the recipe is added to the puree. Also, I wouldn't dream of making a dessert with margarine when there's real butter in the house. So if anyone ever gets sick of guacamole, dear avocaodo, just refer them to the directions below.
Avocado Chocolate Pudding
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 ripe avocados
.25 cups milk
1 cup powdered sugar
3 ounces of baking chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
.25 cups cornstarch
Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender and puree with the milk. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the squares of baking chocolate over low heat. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except for the cornstarch. Cook until the mixture thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cornstarch. Eat warm or cool.
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