Michael Barrett Simple Pie Crust
This recipe is a modification of an adaptation of the recipe found in the joy of cooking. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour 1/2 cup of room-temperature shortening 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons (approx) cold water Equipment Pastry ‘cutter’, food processor, or a couple of butter knives Mixing bowl Pie plate Plastic food [...]
Mac Lab at Microsoft's Mac Business Unit
I ran across this today:http://davidweiss.blogspot.com/2006/04/tour-of-microsofts-mac-lab.html Basically a virtual tour of the Mac lab at Microsoft. Pretty impressive. It reminds me a little of when I was teaching (though our lab was a little — er — less well equipped) It’s also a good reminder that Microsoft and Apple are not mortal enemies, or polar opposites. [...]
We've got a piper doon
I just re-watched “So I Married An Axe Murderer” which is one of the best under-rated movies of all time. Back when the earth had just cooled Mike Meyers had yet to become the buck-toothed Austin Powers, and had — dare I say — a modicum of restraint. This movie has everything. Beat poetry. Funny [...]
The case of the mysterious OS X Dock Freeze
I have been having this weird recurring glitch on my laptop. Periodically, with no recognizable pattern, the OS X Dock would become totally unresponsive. Dashboard wouldn’t come up, Exposé wouldn’t work, the application switcher woudln’t work, and I couldn’t click an icon to launch or bring an application forward. Also, it seemed like any operation [...]
Spring Cocktails
I threw a cocktail party last night, and pictured above would be the ‘spread’. Paté, Quiche, Pizza, chicken skewers, brie and crackers. I had this bright idea to pre-mix all the cocktails into their requisite liquor bottles, and store them all in the freezer. Mental note: Without shaking cocktails over ice, they are significantly stronger. [...]
I’m a Frickin’ Genius
I’m planning a cocktail party this weekend, and I wanted to make all the cocktails up in advance, so I don’t have to spend my party with a shaker instead of mingling and cracking wise. Also, one’s ability to mix a cocktail greatly diminishes after one has consumed one or two (or four). Best not [...]
Easy Cheese Ravioli
The secret to quick and easy ravioli is wanton wrappers. You can find them in the cold case near tortillas and the like. They’re technically a little different from pasta dough made from semolina flour — but not much different. Also they come rolled out super thin, and pre-cut into little squares. Ingredients 1 package [...]
Game review by a non-gamer.
Every once in a while I’ll rent a game for the Xbox. Usually for a Sunday afternoon when I have some serious procrastinating to do. I rented “From Russia With Love” — which is naturally an adaptation of the James Bond movie of the same name. The game recreates the movie loosely, adding bits here [...]