La Vita Dolce Come Il Miele

How Percival drinks his latte foam.

2008-04-24T17:16:16Z

Bike Commuting

2008-04-22T23:57:34Z

Being that next month is Bide To Work Month, Seattlest has a great article on Bike Commuting in 10 Easy Steps. Here's my favorite:

5. Your life is actually quite good.
The thing that bothers me the most about bike commuting is the angry people in cars that you encounter about once every three months. They love to yell at you as they speed by, only to come to a complete stop about five seconds later at the light. I finally realized that someone that feels the need to roll down their window and yell at me (while I am riding lawfully) is having a really bad life. I'm glad I'm not that upset and angry.

What'd You Call Me?

2008-04-22T23:35:34Z

I'm also twittering today: http://twitter.com//radamant

I Think Therefore Ikariam

2008-04-21T18:30:33Z

Seriously, how cool is Ikariam? It's maybe the best thing on the internet, ever.

Notebook: Raw Food Diet for Dogs

2007-06-13T16:49:55Z

A year and half ago I was researching raw food diets for dogs. I had read about the health benefits associated to raw food diets, and wanted to get my dog, Stella, started on a raw diet.

I started researching on the internet, and using google notebook to record and organize my research. I have decided to publish the notebook, so if you're interested for your own dog, or just out of curiousity, check it out.

Raw Food Diet for Dogs Notebook

WikiHow

2007-06-04T19:50:51Z

WikiHow just got a new makeover making the UI far more tolerable than before. I was working on something very similar as a pet project until I saw how far along this site has come with the idea of distributing instructions. It's worth checking out.

T-Storms

2007-06-02T18:32:15Z

I'm in St. Louis right now. In the last 15 minutes the weather changed from gorgeous, sunny, blue skies to thunder storms and clouds so dark we had to turn the lights on at 1:30pm. Crazy stuff.

The Four Ms

2007-05-24T18:24:43Z

I like mnemonics. This one was Scraped from home-barista.com

The Four M's
The principle elements of making espresso are captured in four
Italian words:

Mano dell'operatore (hand of the operator)

Macinadosatore (grinder-doser)

Miscela (blend)

Macchina espresso (espresso machine).

Each of these elements plays an important role and the strength in
one rarely compensates entirely for the weakness in another.

Death To Dandelions

2007-04-30T01:06:17Z

If, like me, you a) don't want to use pesticides and b) have a neighbor who seems to take pride in letting their dandelions go to seed-- seeds that blow into your yard on a daily basis-- then you're going to need one of these.

Grandpa's Weeder

Note: this isn't the exact model i'm using. I got mine at Sky Nursery and it has a longer handle, probably about 5 ft. It was also cheaper!

This thing pulls dandelions like you wouldn't believe. We spend about thirty minutes each day continuing the eradication. It makes the activity more like a game rather than a chore. The trick is to get the whole root; when you do it's a real score.

After I pull them up, I lay them out to dry, roots-up to ensure that they die. Here's a shot of my day's work:

Cornelius at El Corazon last night

2007-04-25T17:14:27Z

For her birthday, I bought Terra tickets to see Cornelius. The show was at El Corazon and was titled something like "Cornelius Sensual Synchronized Show". The show itself was the man, Keigo Oyamada, backed by a live band perfectly synchronized with video elements and lighting.

Live, Cornelius' material was given a rock treatment, but still played with uncanny precision, almost as if each of the four members was an automoton synced to a master midi clock. It was not a jam session.

It was indeed sensual.

Listen: Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

2007-04-20T02:08:54Z

I'm currently enjoying Beirut's Gulag Orkester. I heard some of it in the coffee shop and decided instantly that it warranted more intimate listening.

On the album band leader Zach Condon can be heard playing trumpet, ukelele, piano, organs, vocals, percussion, accordion and mandolin. It was recorded in Albuquerque, NM; impressively when he was only nineteen years old.

The album style can be described as "eastern european folky", lots of horns, reeds and swampy reverbed percussion. If that's your thing, check it out! If not, check it out anyway.

Zen Tip Of The Day: Parallelize Work and Fun

2007-04-17T20:26:54Z

Like it or not, your attitude at work has a large impact on how your contributions are perceived. How can you make your work day a little brighter, even when you've been given a less-than-desirable task? Parallelize work and fun. Make lemonade.

For example, here is part of an order invoice I just put together to test some of our ordering systems.

[snip...]
Payment method: Credit card

Reference:

End Client: Yo, It's Me, TROGDOR!

Sometimes it's the little things...

Tip: Don't get the lump sum

2007-04-04T22:23:07Z

In a conversation with Terra on the intangible, unquantifiable infinity, i received the following tip which I will share with you:

"If you win the inifinity lottery, i highly recommend taking the payment plan over the lump sum."

Nevermind if it is or isn't possible, just accept it.

Check your windows updates with FileHippo

2007-04-03T18:24:34Z

Thanks to a tip from Lifehacker, I have updated much of my software today easily with FileHippo's new update tool. The tool examines your system, then loads a web page with links to applicable updates.

The best part about the service is the instant file download. No longer do you need to navigate Adobe, or Real's labyrinthine home pages to find the download!

Coffee and (Sour) Cream

2007-03-24T18:38:47Z

If like me, you put milk in your coffee and take it to go in one of those insulated cups then this tip might be for you. I have noticed that if I have forgotten to rinse out my cup, I end up with a noxious sour post-milk smell in my cup at the end of the day. If you don't have time to rinse out your cup, or if there's no sink around, simply do this:

After you've finished your drink, leave the lid off of your cup and let the milk dry out for the course of the day. You'll end up with a dry, non-odorous vessel which will still be easy to wash at the end of the day.

Peace, and happy smells.

Here's a tip: get a chicken

2007-03-19T22:05:14Z

Did you know that you can raise chickens on your Seattle city lot? I heard from word-of-mouth that this was illegal, but that is incorrect. It's even legal to own roosters. Check out this page at the excellent Seattle Tilth website for more information.

Visit the Minimalayas

2007-03-14T21:08:28Z

If you want to listen to my minimal techno and/or tech-house, subscribe to my podcast at feedburner. The feed is browser-friendly with links to add to any podcasting/reading software that you can imagine. Please enjoy, there is a new set of mine from this month!

MinimalSherpaRadio

A great quote out of context

2007-03-13T23:49:26Z

While I've been focusing on trying to post only useful tips to my blog, I'd like to post this quote out of context because I believe there is some art to it:

"you can just call her "little one" for now. back to the kitchen duty. it will be corned beef and surprise cake unless we hear something different soon. love. mama"

Neti Pot

2007-03-10T19:41:00Z

If you have sensitive sinuses like me, then you ought to be using a Neti Pot. I used to get several sinus infections per year, but since I started using one I only get one every 16 months or so, and they're not nearly as bad.

I only use "stage one" as described in the wiki entry. The others sound a little more difficult and, well, gross. The pot itself doesn't need to be anything special. I think mine cost about 8$ at Whole Foods.

A few tips on Neti Pot use:

Use only non-iodized salt, or else it will hurt.
Make sure to dissolve the salt into the water by swishing your finger in it. Failing to do this leaves granules that irritate your sinus cavities
Use water that's just above blood heat. It should only feel slightly warm on the back of your hand.
If you taste salty water, or feel it running down your throat, nod your head forward and let gravity fix the flow for you.

Using one of these things has benefits even if you don't get infections. It leaves your nasal passages feeling extra fresh and clean-- and I swear it enhances my sense of smell.

Technorati Tags: sinus, tips

Out of the Box

2007-03-10T01:46:37Z

Pandora
It only took three of my best friends to recommend Pandora before I became wise enough to try it. The concept is simple:

Tell Pandora a song you like
Pandora finds the song in its database.
Pandora creates a playlist for you with other songs matching the original's various qualities.

In order to do this, Pandora leverages the data from Music Genome Project which breaks music down into various qualities, or genes. Every song in the project is analyzed by a real human being.

I initially entered my all-time top favorite song, 10cc - Dreadlock Holiday, and here is a sample of the playlist it created for me:

The Clash - Cool Confusion
The Viceroys - Slogan On The Wall
Eddy Grant - Killer On The Rampage

Each song was musically similar enough to my input that it made for a perfectly palatable listen. At one point Pandora decided that I should listen to some really terrible stuff-- luckily it gives the user the option to rate and skip songs.

I'm not sure exactly the breadth or depth of the music selection, but it's been pleasing enough for the last two hours of listening.

Pandora Boy
If you're a MacOsX user, and you dislike having Pandora running in your browser, or want to use hotkeys or your apple remote to skip songs, you can use PandoraBoy which hosts Pandora's flash app inside a macosx application. The app also supports growl notifications so you don't have to keep an eye on the UI to know what you're listening to.

Technorati Tags: music, apps, tips

Allergies?

2007-03-07T00:04:20Z

NW Asthma shows "Very High" tree pollen count for today, specifically alder pollen. My state of health today has made it apparent that I'm allergic to this pollen.

Another (Denny-Renton) Brick In The Wall

2007-03-05T21:52:52Z

I did a lot of digging this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday I tilled a 5' x 12' plot in our back yard going as deep as 18", but being sure to leave the soil on the top layer of the tilled land. It was a lot of work, and I'm thankful that my back is still in one piece today.

In addition to the reward of being ready to plant seed beds, I also now have discovered that our yard is full of treasure. I found worms, bottles (broken) and bricks. One of the bricks was clearly identified "Denny Renton". Terra looked it up and it appears to be from the "Denny Renton Clay & Coal Company".

According to the internet, Denny-Renton Clay & Coal was the result of the Denny Fire Brick Company's acquisition of Renton Clay Company in 1905. It was acquired in 1927 by Gladding-McBean & Company. If these sources are accurate, then this brick is somewhere between 80 and 100 years old! I'll try to get pictures of it sometime this week.

Supply and Demand; Dirt and iPods

2007-03-03T21:08:55Z

Thanks to my iPod and a Shovel, I concurrently brushed up on economics and tilled half of our garden-to-be. Now I have blisters and a better understanding of the effects of rent control and farm subsidies.

I just wrote a long post about the greatness of this book only to hit cmd-left which simultaneously erased it from memory and took me back to my LJ home. Arg! At any rate, if you're into gardening around here, it's a wholly worthwhile purchase. Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades is what it's called, and it's by Steve Solomon.

While I haven't personally read it, I have heard that one of Solomon's other books, Gardening When it Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times is also particularly good.

And now for something completely different

2007-03-03T18:35:02Z

I would like to draw your attention to the notes on this photo. The brief backstory: my brother and i were driving from Phoenix to Prescott, AZ and found this black bronco.

Mad Sea Apron

2007-03-01T22:32:23Z

Somehow, orewaanpanman got me hooked on anagrams today. I'd recommend wordsmith's advanced anagram generator. It allows you to configure all sorts of options, including words to exclude ("a", "an", etc.)