July 2008 Archives

So, your kid decides to disclose the fact that she/he has been assigned the duty of bringing two dozen cookies to school, tomorrow. But, the relay of this assignment is revealed about an hour before bed time. No worries! Here is a quick and easy way to make two dozen cookies, in about 20 minutes (depending on prep time). What you need:

• One box of cake mix.
• Dos huevos. (two eggs)
• 1/2 cup of veggie oil.
• Non stick spray (or similar)
• Two cookies sheets (could use one, this made 13 cookies for me)
• Oven

1. Heat over to 350 2. Mix the cake mix, two eggs, and the vegetable oil in a bowl 3. Stir and fold until dough-y like substance is there 4. Apply anti-stick stuff to cookie sheets 5. Put the dough-y like mix on the cookie sheets, as if it were cookie dough. (little dollops) 6. Pop sheets in oven for 10 minutes. (Once it hits 350, of course) 7. Remove and let cool. Done, two dozen cookies ready for deployment. Mission Accomplished!

The 3G iPhone is finally here, and I've been reading all the reviews, blogs and tweets about how not as happy people should be with the third attempt. (Third attempt woah woah woah!!! Don't woah woah woah me. Did you forget about the 2G iPhone 16GB?) Battery life seems to be the biggest complaint. I'll review that later. Let me start out with me list of loves, likes and dislikes with the new Apple product. Note: Some of these are software features, and I'll note them as I go through them. I want to cover the "royal we" of features for the individuals that are new to the iPhone, and are deciding on whether to buy one. Loves: (s = software, h = hardware) Exchange, Mobile Me (s): My work uses Microsoft Exchange, bless them. With the addition of a true Exchange client, instead of the fake IMAP-like one they had before, my contacts, calendar events and mail will be stored on the server. If I modify or add anything, it is updated in seconds. If my iPhone goes south, I just reset the account info and BAM! all information is back on the phone. A-GPS (h): There is a GPS chip in the new iPhone that uses satellite signals assisted with cellular signals to pinpoint and track your lacation. The previous GPS-like software was a hit or miss in some areas. So far, the new GPS is amazingly accurate. Speaker (h): I can hear!!! When someone calls me, I can hear!!!!! Likes: (s = software, h = hardware) Apps (s): This is the best thing about the most recent iPhone software upgrade. The doors have been opened to freely make applications on the iPhone, and already there is quite the selection in the App Store with more being added daily. My favorites include: Pandora, Last.fm, Twitterific, Jott, and Super Monkey Ball. Casing (h): The back is now this glossy curved number. Man, does it feel natural in my hand. Buttons (h): Previously, the buttons were tiny and easy to press. When a case was used the buttons were pressed by accident, or the case would end up obstructing the buttons in some way to prevent access. The new buttons are a little harder to press, but they stick out a little more making access very easy. Airplane Mode vs. Wi-Fi (s): The 2G network has a lot of interference with speakers to car and home sound systems. It seems like the new iPhone is worse. The other day I was in a meeting and my iPhone was making that alien chatter across the conference room computer. I was forced to put the phone in airplane mode, and that also means no twittering during the boring parts of the meeting. I completely forgot about the airplane mode and went to the twitter homepage. An alert came up and told me to turn off airplane mode, or to use Wi-Fi. I went to the settings and WOW!!!!! I can twitter to my heart's desire, and I won't bother the computer speakers. Dislikes: (s = software, h = hardware) Battery (h): Still battery reliance is not what it should be. The hope was that the battery would be upgraded along with the 3G chip set, but from what I've experienced it hasn't improved at all. My first full charge lasted about a half a day with normal use on the 3G network. So, this leads to a little update to a previous post I made about adjusting the iPhone configuration to prolong daily battery life. How To Extend The Daily Battery Life Of Your NEW iPhone 3G: 1. Auto-Brightness — Turn off the Auto-Brightness detection. If this feature is turned on, it will constantly check the brightness level of your environment. If you set it to manual, the power to do the continuous detection will be saved.

Steps: Setting icon --> Brightness --> Auto-Brightness --> Turn To Off Position

2. Brightness — Your display brightness setting is a factor of the battery life. Set your brightness towards the left/lower side to gain that power back. I have mine set to the ‘g’ in “Auto-Brightness” below the brightness slider.

Steps: Setting icon --> Brightness --> Slider right above Auto-Brightness --> Slide To The Left

3. War Driving — In the Wi-Fi department there is a setting that will constantly scan for an open Wi-Fi connection, and then it’ll ask if you’d like to connect. I’ve never been to an area where looking for an open Wi-Fi was a must, plus around here Wi-Fi areas aren’t dense enough. Well, at least not with open Wi-Fi signals.

Steps: Setting icon --> Wi-Fi --> Ask to Join Networks --> Turn To Off Position

4. Enable 3G, When Needed — The 3G pulls more power than 2G (Edge). If you use the Edge instead of 3G, your battery will last longer. Also, due to the lack of speed on the Edge network you will most likely use it less. If there is any way for you to use another resource for Internet access, by all means, do it! This 3G/2G difference includes talking. The benchmark shows five hours of talk time on the 3G, but ten hours of talk time on the 2G! That's double the talk pleasure! So, use the 3G only when needed.

Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Network --> Enable 3G --> Turn To Off Position

5. Mobile Web — Use the mobile version of the websites you visit. Sure, the iPhone can handle the standard website format, but most mobile versions look pretty sharp on the iPhone. Plus, they are faster on the Edge you just dedicated yourself to using on a constant basis. 6. Text Messaging — If you follow Twitter or BrightKite, instead of text alerts use the web interface. They both have mobile ports and are fast on the Edge. (See how I work it around here? Combining these tips like a pro.) Besides Twitter is getting worse and worse at spitting out those texts in a usable fashion. It would be better to web based tools like Summize to get your track on. 7. Bluetooth — If you aren’t using bluetooth for headset or connection to your computer (for no reason). Turn it off.

Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Bluetooth --> Bluetooth --> Turn To Off Position

8. Vibrate — The other day my co-worker shut off the vibrate mode on his ringer. He noticed a difference in the battery life. He put two and two together and realized the vibrate feature drained the battery. So, don’t take my word for it.

Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Sounds --> Both "Vibrate" under ring and silent --> Turn To Off Position

9. Email Auto Check/Push — Unless you are expecting an important message, why have auto email check on? When you check it manually it’s pretty speedy, and anticipation is sometimes better than the actual event. This also goes for the new feature for Exchange and Mobile Me. The "Push" feature sends a message to your phone when a new message or a new calender event is created on the server. Set this feature off, and check all of your mail manually to save energy.

Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Fetch New Data --> Push --> Turn To Off Position Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Fetch New Data --> Fetch --> Manually is checked.

10. Music Volume — It takes energy to deliver that music at bloodletting levels. Just like every other iPod the volume level will determine how long the battery will last. The higher the volume the more pull, so knock it down a couple of notches. You’d be surprised how much it’ll improve. Bonus: Call Forwarding – If the phone is constantly talking to the cellular servers, it’s using power. If you are near another phone, try forwarding the calls to it. When you leave move it back to the iPhone.

Steps: Setting icon --> General --> Fetch New Data --> Call Forwarding --> Turn To On Position, Set the Forwarding To number.

Try a few of those options to see if the battery life improves. Last Call: Is the iPhone 3G worth it? For newcomers to the iPhone world, yes! Go out and get one! To the old Edge-y owners, the free software upgrade to 2.0 alone is worth a hold out for a while longer.

The city lights go dim. The asphalt grows dark. For each turn of the fork burns a mark on the road. Yellow after yellow middle marker, I can count the miles. Estimated same number of bugs on my teeth. A rider’s life is not measured in years. Each service station a mile stone, a degree of manhood. My surroundings and seasons change. One thing will always be. My Vincent Black Lightning.

One time during my college years, I was studying with a classmate at the Tivoli Student Union. We decided to take a break and get some food in the lower level of the building. My study-mate, named Jen, couldn't decide what to eat, but there really wasn't much of a choice to begin with. So, Jen decided to go to McDonald's. She wasn't a big fan of onions, and asked me if the hamburgers had onions on them. I hadn't enjoyed a hamburger from MickeyDs in a long time, so I wasn't quite sure if they put onions on them. Jen decided to ask the person at the counter if onions were, indeed, on the hamburger. She returned empty handed, and I assumed that the hamburgers contained onions. Me: So, I take it they had onions on them? Jen: When I asked the guy he said, "Yeah, but they're reconstituted." That is a mighty big word, must have been a psychology major. And, how is it that he made it sound that reconstituted onions are less of an onion than a non-reconstituted onion?

Continuation of 100 Things To Do Before I Die. Part 1, 1-50 51. Pass up some grade A cougar 52. Cover my car with contact paper. So I can get away from the coppers 53. Golf naked 54. Use a ouija board 55. Eat a crawfish 56. Fire a gun on the 4th of July 57. Meet an original Brady Bunch member 58. Do that thing where you put shaving cream in a sleeper's hand, and then tickle their nose with a feather 59. Wear M.C. Hammer pants 60. Dress drag and go bowling 61. Play the Mario theme on an instrument 62. Build a ship in a bottle 63. Marry Felicia Day, yes by Issac Hayes!! 64. Work as a bounty hunter 65. Indoor Skydiving 66. Meet xgobobeanx, from YouTube 67. Find someone that looks like me and do that mirror trick with them 68. Go camping in Canada 69. Sponsor a kid's soccer team 70. Proove Love=Chocolate 71. Rig a friend's car to honk the horn every time they use the turn signal 72. Karaoke "Minnie The Moocher" 73. Play Monopoly with real $$$ 74. Tour a haunted battle ship, stay the night 75. Go on that Grand Canyon Skywalk thing 76. Work for Coors 77. Raise a duck 78. Beat the Devil at fiddlin' 79. Teach someone to meditate 80. Make a clock out of garbage 81. Cancel my phone contract, and care less about the $200 fine 82. Run with the bulls, in Spain 83. Join the polar club 84. Meet Kevin James, the comedian 85. Do one of those plate spinning tricks 86. Eat at an In-n-Out Burger 87. Wire a cell phone to something, so that when I call it that something triggers 88. Buy a broken fountain, repair it, and then sale it for a high price 89. Sale used cars 90. Meet James Taylor 91. Eat a t-bone steak and onion rings from Tijuana restaurant - Enid, OK. 92. Drink from The Stanley Cup 93. Smoke a cigar in front of the Bellagio Casino fountain 94. Gaze upon the northern lights 95. Make a cup out of ceramic 96. Whistle successfully with crackers in mouth 97. Get a tattoo on my leg 98. Eat a live bug 99. Give not one but two Iodas! 100. Say the words, "Let's dance!" before kicking much-o ass-o!!

1. Lay 6Gs on a horse named slow-poke 2. Win a water gun fight with only a turkey baster 3. Visit NYC 4. Visit LA 5. Eat a cuban pork sandwich in Miami 6. Own a Pug named Dexter 7. Get an ultra-violet light tattoo 8. Cook duck la'ronge 9. Spend the night in a cemetery 10. See a ghost. 11. See an UFO 12. Play chess against a computer, and win 13. Publish a novel 14. Wear a ninja outfit to work 15. See Neil Diamond in concert 16. DJ at a night club 17. Clean an animal affected by an oil spill 18. Sale a painting of mine 19. Direct a movie 20. Write a screen play 21. Toast to a best man 22. Go on a cruise 23. Date a stripper 24. Make an application for the iPhone 25. Read War and Peace 26. Make a fountain pen by hand 27. Watch the full series of Battlestar Galactica 28. Own a coffee shop 29. Learn three fonts in Calligraphy 30. Plant a tree 31. Race a remote boat 32. Steal a well known street sign 33. Own a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label 34. Make wine 35. Brew beer 36. Write a poem with a Krone Pen 37. Throw my Mom a surprise birthday party 38. Make paper 39. See a Las Vegas boxing match 40. Get married in Las Vegas by Isaac Hayes 41. Bar hope in Miami 42. Learn a language enough to call a foreign land, and have a ten minute conversation 43. Enter a contest where I have no skill, like singing 44. Pet a dolphin 45. Visit Graceland 46. Win a round of Chubby Bunny 47. Make a pin hole camera 48. Drink the whole Sam Adams Line 49. Owe a gambling debt enough for a muscle to visit me 50. Watch all the movies starring Frank Sinatra 51 through 100, Tomorrow Tuesday!

The simple steak is a grill item that can be cooked perfectly or ruined beyond any hope. You don't really find the "it'll do" steak. Well, least not at my house. When you ask the question, "How do you like your steak?" You are asking for a taste of that person's identity. If you can't produce that request. You might as well question the person's given name. In my early years of grilling, I wanted to achieve the perfect steak right away. So, I dedicated a lot of time to research the best way to steak bliss. I found many methods to test and try, but only one true method worked for me. I read many of guides to grilling custom order steaks, and most deal with time based on the size and thickness of the steak. I couldn't tell you the difference from an inch to an inch and a quarter steak to save my life. Let alone successfully complete the challenge of organizing the time limits of seven plus steaks on one grill. So, to me this method is weak, and leads to steaks that end up being well done. Even though the guests eat it with honor, the outcome should be more of enjoyment than respect. The method that works best for me involves not time but dedication to the actual grilling process. I choose the watch the steaks. Have the steaks tell me when they are done to order. Before I begin to explain, I'd like to set some guidelines. 1. Pre-heat the grill. I laugh when I mention this, but this is so crucial. Start the cooking on a hot, very hot, grill. 2. Clean the grill. Once the grill is hot, scrape off the previous grill leftovers. If you do this after each grill, least check to make sure you didn't miss anything. 3. Apply some non-stick oil. I use simple Pam. 4. DO NOT lay and cover. I hate it when the grill is closed. No no no, let them breathe. Plus, how can you see them and tell they are done when the grill is perfection blocking? Also, the aroma will drive the neighbors crazy. “Oh, yeah. Cooking perfect steaks here!” 5. Never walk away from the grill. Live in the moment. If you are wanting company, drag someone out there with you. Just make sure you keep your eyes on that steak. The Method: Place the steak on the grill. The blood will "pool" on the top. Based on the condition of the pool, turn it over and let the blood pull on the other side. The goal is to only flip the steak one time. How to determine how done the steak is (when to flip): Medium-Rare: When the blood starts to pool. Medium: The blood is a nice red pool on top on the steak. Medium-Well: The pool of blood starts to turn less red and a little more watery. The red is still apparent. Well: No red is visible in the pool. Mostly water or sweat. You'll probably notice that I didn't list rare. Rare is a little harder to see in a steak. Most of the time when people say rare, they are shocked that the center is cool. I find that they meant medium-rare. If you really need to make a rare steak, here is my method: Put he steak on last. The grill is super hot by this time, and you’ll need the searing power. Place the steak on the grill and push down the edges of the steak slightly. This way the edges are cooked faster as well. When the steak starts to sweat (not pool), turn the steak over and push down the edges. Once the other side starts to sweat, it’s done. Make sure the top and bottom of the steak doesn’t have any raw spots on the surface. This method takes a little more finesse than the others. But, if this order is truly desired, give it a shot. If you question it, cook it a little longer. They’ll be happy with a medium-rare steak. There you have it. My choice method to grilling the perfect steak. Enjoy those summer grills, and feel free to comment. By all means reveal your steak grilling method.