Skype Still Sucks

So Skype, the Voip folks who came to be from the ashes of Napster, look to take on the world of the telcos freeing up Long Distance charges much as Arthur C. Clarke predicted. Ebay bought into the dream and bought out Skype for $2.6 Billion (with a B). How's that investment doing? Well, let's just say that to get you hooked on Skype they're offering a year of calls in North America for free. There's only one problem. The call quality sucks big time. Actually, scratch that. The call quality on my PC end was pretty darn good. The person on the phone (I "skyped out" to a landline) got an earful of her own voice and told me never to call her again. I'm sure she meant with Skype... not never again, right?
Nope Skype still sucks. If I want cheap long distance I'll stick with my 1010969 prefix. Five cents a minute is small investment in keeping your long distance loved ones still in love with you.

Back to the standards

Bah! I'm back to Internet Explorer. Why? Maxthon sucks. It's too slow. Opera doesn't open a lot of pages I need to visit and won't feature some of the Rich Text editors embedded in sites (like Joomla) that I need. I am on a Program Diet. After years of gluttonous consumption downloading and installing (and filling up my registry and slowing down my computer) every program imaginable I have decided to lose the extra weight. My goal is to get One program for each function. I don't think that's really possible. I'm also trying to do it for free as much as it can be done. Now I have some software titles on hand that are paid for and will be using those, naturally.

Media/MP3 - Winamp (free from AOL)
Media/Pics - Picasa (free from Google)
Media/Movies - Nero (also to burn discs)
Office Suite - Office 2003 (from Microsoft - Open Office just doesn't do it for me)
Graphics Editor - Macromedia Fireworks (I don't understand Adobe software).
PDF Maker - Adobe Acrobat 7.0 (No other PDF maker comes close)
Antivirus - Norton System Works (yeah, it slows down the system, but it works)
AntiSpyware - Windows Defender (Microsoft gets serious)
Browser - IE - (Really, customised it can be good)

And that's it. For now. My computer has been stripped of it's consuming ways and made a Producing machine. Much better.

Maxthon Browser

Maxthon Browser – Tabbed Internet browser software
Twice Maxthon Browser's Third Party add-on plug-in "Blog This" has killed my post and I am now even less enthused to type out evrything again so this time I am going to copy this post before hitting "Publish". You don't know what I'm talking about? Oh. Well that's cuz everything was lost into the e-ther.
I was running on about how Maxthon Browser may be the best of both worlds for my love of Opera's functionality and universal acceptance of Internet Explorer. However, if Maxthon keeps acting up I'm gonna leave it behind and go back to my two browser system.. See... I'm trying to get down to just one of evrything. One Browser. One Media Player. One Office Suite. One Anti-spy. One Anti-Virus. Simplicity.
OK... Copy and Publish... cross fingers.

Democracy Player + BitTorrent + RSS kills cable... I need more bandwith

The Democracy Player is an amazing open source Internet TV application that allows you to subscribe to video RSS feeds from anywhere on the web. The default feeds will keep you supplied with endless viral and music videos from del.icio.us, Videobomb, and Telemusicvison, but with a little hackery, The Democracy Player will make you wonder why you’re still paying your cable bill.

For quite some time, I’ve been using TVRss to download episodes of The Daily Show that I’ve missed. TVRss scours a couple Bittorrent sites for TV shows, and provides RSS feeds of any search result. For example, here’s the RSS feed for recent episodes of The Daily Show. I currently subscribe to this feed in NetNewsWire and download the new shows as they appear.

These RSS feeds don’t work with
The Democracy Player just yet: the feeds simply link to the bittorrent file, but don’t include the critical enclosure element. But with a little help from Feedburner ’s SmartCast service, feeds from TVRss can be plugged into The Democracy Player, effectively creating a Internet PVR.

Now that I’ve sufficiently bored you with the technical details, here’s the simple step-by-step:

How to Subscribe to TV Shows Using The Democracy Player & Bittorrent & RSS

1. Download The Democracy Player


2. Search for a show of your choice at TVRss


3. Right click on the RSS/XML icon link and select Copy Link URL


4. Go to Feedburner, and paste the URL into the text field on the home page, check the “I am a Podcaster!” box, and click next.
   
   
   
   1. If you don’t already have a Feedburner account, you’ll be prompted to create one
   
   
   
   


5. Click “Next” to activate the feed


6. Copy the URL of the feed provided by Feedburner (it should start with http://feeds.feedburner.com/)


7. Open The Democracy Player, click “Add Channel”, and paste the URL of the feed into the field that appears


8. Sleep. In the morning, you should have an episode of The Daily Show to watch!


9. New episodes will automatically be downloaded as soon as they’re available on Bittorrent – I’ve found this to usually be a day after the show airs


10. Enjoy!

In my mind, this is the future of video distribution. The technologies of Bittorrent and RSS perfectly compliment each other: Bittorrent downloads are much faster when concurrently downloaded by a large swarm. Notifying software programs of new Bittorrent files via RSS creates a swarm very quickly, resulting in faster downloads for everyone. The Democracy Player combines all of these technical elements with a pleasant UI, and great video management tools. The result is nothing short of spectacular.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch The Daily Show…

Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste, depending on saltiness of broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 leek or small onion chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or basil
1 bay leaf
6 ounces noodles

PREPARATION:
Place all ingredients except noodles in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Remove chicken and bay leaf from pot; take meat from bones, dice, and return to broth, and add the noodles.
Cook another hour or until noodles are done (about 1/2 hour on high). Or, cook the noodles separately and add them just before serving

OScar - Reinvent Mobility - Home

OScar - Reinvent Mobility - Home

The OScar... hmmmm... I'm curious to see what rejected ideas and backyard tinkerer ideas wind up here. Loads of talent is out there and sweating for a business so far removed from the dream... Now is their chance to shine in building a whole new, practical, functional, applicable, and progressive form of transportation.

French Dip Sandwiches

Using a slow cooker to cook the meat to just-right tenderness, you too can serve a true French Dip to all of your friends and family during the cold winter nights! C'est si bon!'
Original recipe yield: 10 servings.
Prep Time:
10 Minutes
Cook Time:
12 Hours
Ready In:
12 Hours 10 Minutes
Servings:
10 (change)
INGREDIENTS:
1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
20 slices French bread
DIRECTIONS:
Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast, and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. Used reserved broth for dipping.

Proverbs heard today

Had a talk with my friend Chris who is in the restaurant industry. He repeated what his mentor had said to him on how to run a profitable restaurant and I think it has applications to all businesses. That is "Feed the rich and you'll eat with the poor. Feed the poor and you'll eat with the rich."

Southern-Style Pork Barbecue Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
4 to 5 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast
2 large onions, sliced
4 to 6 whole cloves
2 cups water
1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce, your choice
1 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
large split buns, toasted or warmed

PREPARATION:
Place half the sliced onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add pork roastt, cloves, and water. Add the remaining sliced onion. Cover and cook 8 to 12 hours on LOW. Remove bone and fat from meat. Discard onions, cloves and water. Shred the meat and put it back in the pot. Add chopped onion and the barbecue sauce. Cook another 2 1/2 to 4 hours on LOW, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Serve on large split buns.
Makes about 12 to 16 servings.

Sausage Barley Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
1 large carrot, sliced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is evenly brown. Season with Italian seasoning. Remove from heat, and drain.
In a slow cooker, mix the sausage mixture, chicken broth, carrot, spinach, and barley.
Cover, and cook 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

one red paperclip and other schemes

one red paperclip

Too funny that this guy is making it... people will give money too anyone. Maybe I should start a money making site like the Million Dollar Homepage. Now to get the brain working... for those that don't know my buddy Norm has given up his life to you and now you can Choose you Normadventure. Is a Cafepress shirt far behind Norm? How about an eBaying (or better yet feeless Craigslisting) of some busted gear from your trip?

Harvest Pork Stew with Apple Juice - Crockpot Pork Stew Recipe With Apple Juice and Vegetables

This pork stew contains apples and apple juice, along with vegetables and cubed pork shoulder.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut in 1-inch cubes
2 to 3 cups cubed potatoes, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
2 medium to large carrots, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
1 cup chopped onions
1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 9 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
Serves 6.

Creamy Chicken Crock Pot

INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
or 8 skinless, boneless thighs
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 large Green Pepper - sliced
1 large Onion - sliced or diced
equal mount Brocolli
1 or 2 Carrots
Basil
Garlic Salt
Thyme
Parsley
2 Bayleaves
some fresh peppercorns

DIRECTIONS:
Place chicken breasts and vegetables in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup until smooth Pour over the chicken, making sure it is well coated.
Cover, and cook on Low heat for 7 to 8 hours.

Serve over Mashed Potatoes or Egg Noodles.

I'm the cook

So Yukiko is pregnant and today we heard the little One's heartbeat for the first time! I guess I have much to catch many people up on.
OK. First we've known that we're expecting for the past couple of months. It was pretty obvious with the increasingly more frequent nausea attacks Yukiko would have when faced with any smell... I mean ANY smell. So, I've taken over cooking duties. I started back a about a month ago and have decided that I should keep track of what recipes I use (box-top instructions excluded ;) ). Course, I did all the holiday cooking as is our family's tradition (heck, she grew up without an oven and deserves a break a couple of times a year, eh?).
I'll keep everyone posted on the details of our lives... and my indecision of who to vote for as the election comes (Jan 23rd - Do I vote for Potentially Crooked Patriots, Economically Unsound Zealots, Wolves in Turtle Necks, or Not Ready for Prime Time Wanabes? If you don't know which is which then you need to pay more attention).

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp. seasoned salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
1 1/2 qts. hot water

PREPARATION:
Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone.

Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired. Serve garnished with croutons. Freezes well.
Serves 8.

Crock-pot Turkey Soup

8 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes or Chicken broth
1 (10 oz.) can or fresh tomatoes (cut up)
1 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. carrots, diced
1/2 c. onions
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1 turkey carcass

Place everything in crock pot. (Don't bother picking the meat off of the carcass, it will cook off in the pot.) Cook 7-9 hours on low setting.

savory spaghetti sauce recipe

1 to 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large carrots, grated
3 medium onions, minced or grated
10 cup tomato juice
6 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 (16 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, cut up, but no drained
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground basil
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Brown meat over low heat and drain excess fat. Add garlic, olive oil, carrots, onion and 3 tablespoons of water to beef. Saut�over low heat for 30 minutes, covered (checking to ensure there is enough liquid so the mixture doesn't burn).

In a large pan, combine saut�ed vegetables and beef with all remaining ingredients and simmer for 6 hours at the lowest heat setting.

When partially cooled, store sauce in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. Extra sauce may be frozen at this point.

When you are ready to use the sauce, heat it slowly while you boil the spaghetti.

Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive "short" cappuccino. By Tim Harford

Note: I've been doing this for years... wel, not me specifically, but Yukiko has been ordering the "Short" coffees... and not because she's cheap or anything... more that she is caffeine sensitive and the "Tall" is just too much coffee for her. Also I'd like to note that I don't really like Starbucks and find their over-priced coffee high in acidity and bitterness. I much prefer Illy (nice independent chains serving the best mass-marketed espresso I've ever tasted). And may I add that Tim Hortons rocks and I will be buying stock in that company (given the opportunity to). But back to Starbucks, seems most don't know there is a "Short" option. This is an exerpt below from Slate.com.

Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive "short" cappuccino. By Tim Harford: "It's not hard to identify the price-blind customers in Starbucks. They're the ones buying enough latte to bathe Cleopatra. The major costs of staff time, space in the queue, and packaging are similar for any size of drink. So, larger drinks carry a substantially higher markup, according to Brian McManus, an assistant professor at the Olin School of Business who has studied the coffee market.

The difficulty is that if some of your products are cheap, you may lose money from customers who would willingly have paid more. So, businesses try to discourage their more lavish customers from trading down by making their cheap products look or sound unattractive, or, in the case of Starbucks, making the cheap product invisible. The British supermarket Tesco has a 'value' line of products with infamously ugly packaging, not because good designers are unavailable but because the supermarket wants to scare away customers who would willingly spend more. 'The bottom end of any market tends to get distorted,' says McManus. 'The more market power firms have, the less attractive they make the cheaper products.'

That observation is important. A firm in a perfectly competitive market would suffer if it sabotaged its cheapest products because rivals would jump at the opportunity to steal alienated customers. Starbucks, with its coffee supremacy, can afford this kind of price discrimination, thanks to loyal, or just plain lazy, customers.

The practice is hundreds of years old. The French economist Emile Dupuit wrote about the early days of the railways, when third-class carriages were built without roofs, even though roofs were cheap: 'What the company is trying to do is prevent the passengers who can pay the second-class fare from traveling third class; it hits the poor, not because it wants to hurt them, but to frighten the rich.'

The modern equivalent is the airport departure lounge. Airports could create nicer spaces, but that would frustrate the ability of airlines to charge substantial premiums for club-class departure lounges.

Starbucks' gambit is much simpler and more audacious: Offer the cheaper product but make sure that it is available only to those customers who face the uncertainty and embarrassment of having to request it specifically. Fortunately, the tactic is easily circumvented: If you'd like a better coffee for less, just ask."