Planet Mikix

Jen & Ben: Last Minute Wedding Update!!

2010-08-30T16:20:29+00:00

Hi friends and family! This will probably be the last blog post before the wedding so enjoy it for all it’s worth! Just an upfront warning, you will see lots of exclamation points and incoherrant rambling (due to my brain being filled with all things WEDDING). If that makes you nauseous, read no further. And lastly, we wish that all of our friends and family in the entire world could be there to celebrate with us and we will really miss everybody not there with us.

Over the past few days things have been winding down, but we have been able to fit in a little fun as well! My wonderful girl friends and sisters (yup, already calling Emily my sister) threw me a wicked fun bachelorette party. Thank you so much for a night filled with delicious food, tasty girly drinks, and tons of laughs and happiness. I am so glad you could turn a stressful week into one of my most fun weeks ever. I can’t wait to see you all next weekend! Currently Ben is away for his bachelor party and I am sure his friends are having a nice relaxing weekend on the lake. Enjoy it honey…this is the LAST time you’ll ever have this much fun with your friends!!! Married life begins in T-6 days

After about 9 months of planning, almost everything is all set. This means on Sunday there will actually be food to savor, music to dance to, and drinks to help our guests dance better than they already can! It’s hard to believe there is less than a week left and I know it is going to go by fast. We are leaving for Van Hornesville on Wednesday morning, we’ll meet the guy setting up the tent, and from there things are just going to get rolling. Ben’s parents also leave on Wednesday, followed by my family on Thursday. Our first friends arrive on Friday and I can only imagine that we’re going to have 3 straight days of partying with everyone around. What else might you need to know before you leave for upstate NY?

The weather is going to be on the cool side. The weather predictions say it’s going to be around 65 so bring a sweater or wrap to keep warm! The tent will have sides if it’s too cold, and you can go into the carriage house, but neither will be heated in the evening.
There is a pool that we will be able to enjoy with us and there is a lake at our rehearsal dinner. Don’t forget your suits! Also at the rehearsal dinner there are fields for playing in. You should bring frisbees or wiffle ball sets. Also, get ready for some games of “Ninja” which we learned at Eric and Clarissa’s wedding.
If you have a cooler, we can probably use it! Would you mind bringing one for us to borrow?
If you are looking to meet up with other people in the area for our wedding, or would like to set up a hiking trip up the creek (I know Amy might be interested!) post a comment here or on Facebook to find others who want to go too. There are tons of really amazing things to do outdoors and I am hoping many of you can take advantage of the outdoor beauty.

We can’t wait to see you all and spend a wonderful weekend with everybody we love. See you soon!

Jen & Ben: C is for Cupcakes!

2010-07-22T21:52:46+00:00

Wow- it’s been a long time since I last posted here. Ben and I have been extremely busy with wedding planning, work, and other peoples’ weddings. For our own wedding, we’ve accomplished a TON of tasks lately and it really feels good to have so much finished, however after attending Eric and Clarissa’s wedding, it became very clear that we are nowhere near finished!

Before we left for California Ben and I worked on our invitations and favors. The invitations were designed by Ben, and I proofread and edited them. He’s a bit more talented when it comes to using Illustrator. I think we got what we wanted in the end! The invitations were printed on Fino Cream paper from Paper Source, and stuck onto a Pool backing. Inside we included directions and a map as well as a little postcard for RSVPs. We left a space blank for our guests to write an Exclamation! (ad lib style) and have gotten back some great responses! We love all of you!

After returning from Eric and Clarissa’s wedding (which was beautiful!) I decided it was time to get down to business. My sister and I made cupcakes and cookies today! We tried a revamp of the key lime cupcakes and I am happy to proclaim that these are a success! First, I made my own cake mix, which is very easy, and probably a lot cheaper. (All recipes are posted below.) We added the normal oil, water and eggs to the mix, but threw in some key lime juice and zest for flavoring. Key limes are so delicious! They’re so tiny and cute that you know they must be tasty. Once they came out of the oven we let them cool for an hour. This is key in order to make the filling work. The filling is just sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. To insert the filling, this time we skipped the pastry bag and went for the big guns– a cookie press gun. I don’t know why I did the following, but in order to prime the gun and make sure there weren’t bubbles I started pulling the trigger, but didn’t think about what would happen when the air was gone. I shot a nice stream of key lime filling straight across the kitchen. We were entertained by the line of white creamy filling covering my kitchen floor. Oh, how I love vinyl flooring…. After the mess was cleared we put the cupcakes in the fridge for awhile to let the filling chill. Becky and I both thought it would be better to frost them once the filling had set.

Then it was time to test the cupcakes...YUM!

Success! We now know which two recipes we’re going to serve at our wedding. The only thing left is to figure out the cherry filling for the chocolate cupcakes. Hey you chefs out there– have any suggestions for me?

I am also making spritz cookies for the wedding. So far, I’ve made two kinds- cream cheese sugar cookies, and baby chocolate chip cookies. They’ve both turned out pretty good, but I think I am going to need more variety for the wedding. What kinds of cookies tickle your fancy? I have 7 weeks to make as many cookies as possible so don’t hold back, folks!

Without Further Ado here are the recipes:

KEY LIME CUPCAKES
1 large lime, scrubbed (for 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
4 eggs
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix or 2 cups of your homemade mix (see recipe below)
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring (optional)

FILLING
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Key lime juice

CAKE MIX
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup Crisco
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 teaspoons salt

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Jen & Ben: Stop Being so Picky!

2010-06-10T16:04:36+00:00

As many of you know, I used to be very, very, very picky. Over the years I’ve been overcoming my fears of trying new foods, or foods with weird textures and funny smells. Meeting Ben was something that really helped since his father is a chef and makes all kinds of foods that I had never been exposed to.

So here I am today, once again a vegetarian, about to go on a trip to a foreign country where the food is guaranteed to be totally different from what I am used to. Ben always thought that my biggest problem travelling would be the food since I was so picky. Well, we’re going to Peru, and word is that they cook lots of strange things, from Guinea Pigs to Quinoa. I’ve done some research and talked to people who also say that they cook a lot of corn in many different ways, and I love corn. But what about those other things? Quinoa? Small rodents? I can safely say I will not have the Guinea Pigs, since I don’t eat meat now, but quinoa I can deal with.

Quinoa is a pseudo-grain that you cook like rice (you eat the seeds). Ben and I have been experimenting with it over the past few months, and are slowly getting used to it. It comes from Peru so there will be tons of it on our honeymoon. It’s really really healthy for you and has tons of protein, so for a veggie like me you can’t get anything better! Since I am not a big fan of tofu quinoa and beans are perfect! It’s so tasty and can be eaten hot or cold.

This is our quinoa! It looks yummy

Here’s a recipe we made last night:

2 cups quinoa

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced (I had none, so I used scallions from the Farmer’s Market instead)
3 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (Fresh Hadley Grass I got this weekend!!)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (Again, no thyme, so I added my own spices)
8 ounces feta, crumbled (ok…we had nothing. Not even feta, so I used goat cheese instead)
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Bring 4 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in medium saucepan. When the water boils, add the quinoa and stir. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all the water, 15-20 minutes. Set aside covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot and shimmering, stir in the shallot. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot is light brown, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the asparagus and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is tender but still bright green, 8-10 minutes. (Add a tablespoon or so of water halfway through cooking to steam the asparagus a little).

4. When the asparagus is done, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the quinoa, then the crumbled feta, lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Edit: I forgot to mention that there is a restaurant in Union Square called Machu Picchu that we want to try. Who’s in?

Michael Terry: Lady Gaga Needs to Wise Up

2010-04-29T14:29:59+00:00

So I get why no one told Lady Gaga before the video for “Telephone” came out, because naturally, no one wanted to prevent that work of art from seeing daylight. Now that it’s been out for a while, I think it’s finally safe to tell her.

OMG, your phone has a silence mode. Also an off button!

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Nightview at Ritz Carlton

2010-04-17T02:29:06+00:00

boloboh posted a photo:

It was an expensive dessert.

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Mike after Onsen

2010-04-17T02:29:05+00:00

boloboh posted a photo:

Isn't he relaxed?

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Earthernpot Rice

2010-04-17T02:29:04+00:00

boloboh posted a photo:

900 Yen and took 30 minutes. It was just rice.

Michael Terry: Back from Japan

2010-04-17T01:43:23+00:00

Just FYI!

David Gucwa: John vs Dave 2010 — Thoughts

2010-03-28T16:51:40+00:00

2010-03-30 update: HD footage of the event
http://vimeo.com/10558068
2010-04-02 update: Gameplay-only footage (both screens)
http://www.youtube.com/user/InstantAwesome

There are too many people to thank to fit in one tweet, so here we go.

Thank you Nick Garner and Stephen Swift for providing color commentary, and extra thanks to Nick for reserving the spot in advance and making sure that the PAX dudes were cool with it. Thank you Joseph Canadas for doing player interviews throughout the match and for bringing in a second copy of Mega Man 2 from home so that we actually had two to use. Thank you Daniel Danger, whom I didn’t even ask for help, but showed up anyway with an HD camcorder and took some amazing footage of the event, and thank you Rob DeVita for also taking video on your camera, not knowing that some dude was wandering around with an HD camcorder. Thank you Casey Malone (whom you might have seen on the Harmonix panel at 10am on Sunday) for both live-tweeting the event and doing pre-game player interviews, which are available here — with me and with John.

A very special thank you to the PAX East Enforcers, particularly the dude with the shaved head and skirt whose name I’m sorry I didn’t get, who not only gave us the go ahead to have the event and bring in our own PA equipment, but also helped us set up the games and surrounding area. You guys embodied the DIY spirit of the gaming community and helped us do something that was both unsanctioned and awesome, and probably bent the rules a little for us.

Thank you, all my friends and coworkers, who showed up to cheer at my victories and gasp at my mistakes.

Thank you John Emhoff for getting wrecked by me at Mega Man 2, and for coming up with the idea to do this in the first place.

And, as always, Thank you for playing!

Elaine Leung: Eavesdropping on Facebook

2010-03-23T21:21:21+00:00

Today I was on Facebook reading some of the various discussions between a few old high school contacts on the recent healthcare reform bill. I read this comment that really outraged me, but I don't really want to start arguing with these people on their walls, so I will just rant here:

Comment: The FDA needs to have the same quality standards, but with two new labels - "FDA Approved" and "Non-FDA Approved." Under my plan, the FDA would not have the authority to withhold drugs they haven't approved yet from the market.

My response: ARE YOU BAT SHIT FUCKING CRAZY? This is clearly a remark from someone who is not educated about the drug approval system in the USA. Less than 1% of drugs which reach human trial receive regulatory approval by the FDA. To put this into perspective, my company since 1997 has worked on over 2500 studies, and only 7 have received regulatory approval. And we're just talking the imaging side. Who knows what the hit rate is for my parent CRO. And what do you think clinical trials are. THE STUDIES OF DRUGS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE FDA ON HUMANS. And holy shit! THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY WHO SPONSORS THE TRIAL PAYS FOR EVERYTHING.

Comment: Right now, there are cancer patients suffering with potential medications clogged in the bureaucracy called the FDA. If they don't approve (allow) a drug, you can't have it, even if it might be a wonder drug.

My response: OK, I get really aggravated at people who shit on the FDA and blame its bearacracy for keeping drugs off the shelves. Do you know how easy it is to lie about your efficacy results? You get a couple of crooked doctors together and BAM you have yourself a miracle compound. I for one am 100% glad the FDA makes it so difficult to get regulatory approval. These are still DRUGS that you are putting into your body. I don't care how many rules and restrictions regarding lawsuits you put up. No self respecting oncologist is going to recommend a drug which he did not already have faith in (ie gone through the requirements for clinical trial set forth by the FDA). Hello? Hippocratic Oath? WATCH HOUSE MUCH???

Ok rant over.

Michael Terry: On Happiness

2010-03-17T16:02:24+00:00

There is an excellent TED talk about happiness and the tension between the “remembering self” and the “experiencing self.”

It touches several things that I happen to have been talking about with people recently: the distinction between the pursuit of “shallow” and “deep” pleasure (experiencing and remembering selves respectively); moving to California; what sort of vacations are good; how much money one needs to be happy.

To live a life you remember fondly, apparently you must make sure there is change, significant moments, and a happy ending. Hedonism is not enough.

I like his point about a two week vacation where the first week was relaxing and great and the second week was much the same. Experientially, that was a great vacation. Twice as good as just going one week. But recalled as a story by your memory, you might as well have gone just one week.

I think this tension is in part what Reason (with a capital R) tries to diminish. It strikes me that reason argues for the experiencing side of the equation, while feelings argue for the remembering side.

Elaine Leung: Cooking with Boloboh: Pad Thai

2010-02-23T23:45:02+00:00

Boloboh Style Pad Thai

Pad thai is so delicious. I have such fond memories of getting crispy chicken pad thai from Rod Dee in the Fenway (RIP). Unfortunately, Mike does not like Thai food, so it is fairly infrequent I get to go to one of the tasty Thai places in Arlington Center. I came up with this recipe one night when I was too cheap to get take-out but really wanted peanuty noodle goodness. Shockingly, Mike actually likes my version.

Ingredients and Where to Buy
Wide Rice Vermicelli: You can find the skinny version in almost any supermarket with an Asian foods section, but I have found the wide versions a harder find. Whole Foods in Fresh Pond, but sells out frequently. H-mart and Hong Kong Supermarket carry this in abundance.
Soy Vay Island Teriyaki: I have only found at Whole Foods. Trader Joe's has their own label (and $1 cheaper than WF), but the quality has not yet been tested.
Crunchy Peanut Butter (or Creamy with fresh chopped peanuts): Any grocery store, also convenience stores and gas stations.
Sugar Snap Peas fresh provides a nice crunch to this dish, but frozen is cheaper and just as tasty
Bean Sprouts (optional): fresh only
Chicken (optional): white meat, cut into bite size cubes
Chopped peanuts (optional)

Prepare the Noodles. The rice noodles will need 10-15 minutes to soak in boiling hot water. I start this first while preparing the rest of the dish. I'll also heat up the sugar snap peas in the same boil and refresh the hot water as it cools down.
Heat up the sauce. Heat 1/2 cup of Soy Vay Island Teriaki with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in a medium sautee pan. This should cover 2 servings of noodle. I have found the sauce varies from batch to batch - add peanut butter to taste if too sour. If adding chicken, stir fry the chicken in the sauce.
Stir Fry it up. Add the noodles and sauce to a sautee pan. Be sure to really drain the noodles, too much water will water down your sauce. Combine until sauce coats all the noodles. If not enough to coat, add Soy Vay as needed. Cook until heated through.
Garnish and eat. Garnish with optional bean sprout and chopped peanuts. Yum yum!!

Excellent appetizer dish are pot stickers, but that's another post!

Elaine Leung: Cooking with Boloboh: Chi-Fan

2010-02-22T16:27:08+00:00

Shanghainese Chi Fan

Chi fan are basically Chinese rice sandwiches. Kind of like Japanese onigiri, except without the weird raw fish and seaweed wrapping. The absolute best chi fan I have ever eaten was back in 1996 at a Shanghainese restaurant in Markham Place, Toronto. The idea is pretty simple, so I decided to replicate it for my home kitchen.

Ingredients and Where to Buy
Glutinous (sticky) rice: Whole Foods in Fresh Pond definitely sells this, but you can also find it in a Shaws or Stop N Shop where they have a larger Asian section of groceries
Fried Crullers ('you tiao'): I got mine at Hong Kong Supermarket (once known as Super88) in the refridgerator section. Decent quality.
Preserved (pickled) vegetables: You could make your own, but H-mart has a fabulous selection of pickled vegetables.
Dry Preserved Pork String: I got a huge box of this from H-mart, but if you want a smaller supply, Hong Kong Supermarket sells it in smaller tubs.

Cook the rice. I prefer a rice cooker, but follow the packaging for stove-top instruction. I typically like a 1 cup of rice to 1.25 cup water ratio, then adding water as the rice dries out, to get the right consistency. But if you're lazy, add all the water at the beginning. Let the rice cool to the touch.
Lay the foundantion. Take a large piece of cellophane wrap and lay it down. On the cellophane, spread out rice until you have a 6 inch x 3 inch squarish layer, approximately 0.5 inch thick.
Fill it up! Put a 5 inch double cruller (I made the mistake of dividing my cruller in half lengthwise, don't do this!) onto the rice (shorten cruller as necessary). Along or on top of the cruller, put some pickled vegetable and pork string.
Wrap and twist. Using the cellophane, wrap the rice around the cruller filling into a burrito looking thing. Twist the ends to close.

Let it cool. Best if cooled and reheated slightly in the microwave. Yum yum.

This pic totally stolen off the interweb:

Nick Garner: Stir Fried Robot

2009-12-10T20:57:47+00:00

I admit, I've only tried this with Merrin Robotics Model WVG-3, but I think it would be good with just about any authentic Merrin maintenance bot.

Ingredients:

Merrin WVG-3 Maintenance Bot (or any Merrin bot)

1 cans WD-40

1 sticks cinnamon, ground (cassia variety is fine)

1 head bok choy (napa cabbage is OK, too, maybe even better)

2 carrots, grated

salt

Hong Kong style stir fry noodles

Cooking:

First, pull off the bot's solar panel and rip out the battery underneath. Tear off any wires that got yanked and put them in a glass bowl.
Remove all the bronze plating and store it somewhere; you can sell it later
De-bolt and de-wire: carefully remove all bolts with your screwdriver set, and yank out any wires you come across on the way. Put them into the glass bowl
Cut all pieces of the bot into thin strips with your diamond cleaver
Mix your Hong Kong style noodles into the glass bowl with the wires
Heat up some WD-40 in your wok and add some of the cinnamon
Put in the bot strips, cook until brown
Add the bok choy and carrots; stir fry 3 minutes
Turn the heat up to high and add the noodles and wires. Stir fry about 2-3 more minutes.
Add some salt and more cinnamon to taste. Soy sauce could be added, too, but is optional.

Done! Serves one.

Steven Terry: DAMN YOU PANDORA!!! shakes fist at sky

2009-10-24T09:01:39+00:00

Many years ago, I started using Pandora, the internet radio station. It was cool and introduced me to lots of new music while gradually getting a better handle on my musical taste for future recommendations. Then it started sucking more... introducing ads, then instituting a monthly limit to the hours you could use it. I continued using it reluctantly... I could give in and buy a subscription to make the annoying stuff go away, but that seemed like caving to terrorist tactics. Today, though, after exhausting my monthly limit, I gave in and bought the subscription. They do provide me with a valuable service that I would be happy to pay for... but god damn do I hate feeling like I was coerced by their successful attempts to irritate me :-(.

Steven Terry: the office effect

2009-10-13T11:53:38+00:00

So why is The Office such an effective comedy? For the first several seasons, they were constantly struggling with the threat of cancellation, but now the pseudo-documentary style has proven popular enough to not only make that show thrive, but spawn numerous imitation shows like Parks & Recreation, Modern Family, Community, etc. Has drama somehow evolved (or perhaps reverted) in some fundamental way that leaves actors free to acknowledge the camera, offer soliloquies, and otherwise mess with the fourth wall indiscriminately? I don't have any good insights, but this seems like an important shift in modern entertainment, and I harbor the drunken hope that this attempt at Socratic inquiry would spark discussion amongst my smarter friends.

David Gucwa: Who Would Win in a Fight? (Followup)

2009-09-08T13:21:17+00:00

Over four years ago, I noticed a very striking similarity between The Incredibles and The Fantastic Four.

Looks like collegehumor.com just picked up on it.

Four years too late, guys.

Jen Lak’s Photos: Test2

2009-08-21T15:30:52+00:00

jlak posted a photo:

Posted via web from ihatelettuce's posterous

Jen Lak’s Photos: Testttttt

2009-08-21T15:29:44+00:00

jlak posted a photo:

Posted via web from ihatelettuce's posterous

Jen Lak’s Photos: Test2

2009-08-21T14:10:38+00:00

jlak posted a photo:

Posted via web from ihatelettuce's posterous

Joe Hebert: Macs need to show POST info

2009-07-25T04:26:23+00:00

The Apple® MacBook® Pro® I use for work probably takes about the same amount of time to start as my Windows 7 machine, but it feels like my hair is going grey as I wait. Why? Because it just shows me that stupid Apple logo and a little spinning indicator that actually only indicates that I need to be patient. For a company so obsessed with how they are perceived, you’d think they’d get that the lack of a proper POST screen makes perceived startup time stretch on forever. All that POST info on a Windows or Linux machine serves to distract, even if you aren’t really looking at it carefully. It’s the difference between skimming through a magazine while in the doctor’s office lobby and just staring at the wall.

Maybe they want us to feel like the computer is going through painful labor to give birth to it’s deformed baby, OS X.

Joe Hebert: Western Media and Chinese Confirmation Bias

2009-07-25T04:25:16+00:00

I’ve posted at length about why Uyghur people may be unhappy, but you may have noticed that I’ll always end these posts with something along the lines of “they aren’t so innocent” or “that doesn’t excuse the killing of innocents”. Well, I was just reading a post on Global Voices which I think really hammers home the cruelty and viciousness of the recent riots. It features some translated stories of Han Chinese finding themselves in the middle of what seems like a one-sided war against them. Pretty terrifying stuff.

Following these enlightening stories, we get the Chinese reaction to Western reports of the incident, which many once again feel are unfair to China. I expressed in a recent post how I felt the reporting of the Urumqi riots was much more balanced than the ‘08 Lhasa riots reporting was, so I was a little surprised to see basically the same sort of anger. Why this response again despite improvement? I have some theories:

First, as always, a lot of Chinese are very xenophobic which makes them suspicious of the West in particular and also very receptive to attacks on the West, factual or not. Second, I think a small number of people are pulling the strings. I suspect that while many Chinese can read and speak English, most cannot read well enough to read and fully understand a newspaper. This means that a smaller number of internet users are finding examples of Western media bias and posting them. For that small number of people, there’s probably some confirmation bias at play, and this would result in a very biased look at Western media for everyone else, so the kneejerk reaction kicks in. Oddly, the New York Times is cited as an offender, but if you’ll look back a posts or two at Sympathy for Han, you’ll see that I posted an article from that publication that highlighted the horrors that Han Chinese experienced in Urumqi during the riots. Currently, the top Google News article for “Urumqi Riots” is titled “Han Chinese emerge as the main victims as Urumqi riots death toll rises‎”. There may also be some ignorance among Chinese about how more than one viewpoint may be printed in Western media. Perhaps they know this but see one viewpoint as mainstream and any others as fringe. Or maybe they’ve been coddled by only having to hear the Party’s opinion important issues on CCTV. No matter what the cause of this (IMO misguided this time around) anger with the Western media, I don’t think it will go away any time soon. Chinese xenophobia, inferiority complex due to much 20th century humiliation, unwillingness to accept opposing viewpoints, and thin skin will almost certainly lead to many years of hating on foreign media, especially Western. Unfortunately for everyone, this plays right into the CCPs hands because they clearly desire control over the flow of information they don’t like.

One more thing, one comment on the first link compare the riots to 9/11, “To kill civilians on the street for no reason is 100% equal to 911 Twin-tower attack”. Obviously a bit of hyperbole here as casualties were less than 1/10th those in the 9/11 attacks, but whatever; ultraviolent L.A. Riots is probably more appropriate. Really I wonder what that Chinese would think if he knew that there existed Western media outlets at the time which explored the reasons behind the attack and the motivations of fundamentalist Muslims. Sure, it may not have been a mainstream thing to discuss at the time (some people complained such exploration was “blaming America”), but it was very much in the media. Would that Chinese think that such reporting was biased or irresponsible? Probably not, but just the same, the media is not allowed to look at Uyghur motivation beyond “someone foreigner masterminded it” (that may well be true about the protests, BTW, but whether the actual violence was planned, well, who knows).

Hopefully this is my last post on this. I will make my thoughts clear: The Uyghur violence was cruel and unnecessary, and I suspect that the police response was just as the violence had clearly gotten out of control. By turning violent during the protests, the Uyghur probably hurt their own cause because now the Chinese will definitely never listen to them (they already kind of weren’t, but it’s probably worse now). It seems likely that a foreign entity had a part in planning the protests (and maybe the violence). So what we’re left with is nearly 200 dead (mostly Han), over 1000 injured, lots of renewed hate for the Uyghur people, and zero understanding of why they are protesting because any meaning was lost in the cruel violence. Lose-lose.

Nick Garner: On behalf of the lady from California

2009-07-23T06:17:07+00:00

With a single post my dear friend Jordan is about to surpass my contributions to this blog for the year by about 100 words.

That's on the heels of having a pretty busy month already; she drove across a continent, saw Ben Folds perform live, visited Ikea, swam in 76 different US states, patted the dog you see to the right, and cooked this delicious sounding meal:

I made a great shrimp dish last night. A scampi of sorts, I suppose. Here's what I did:

First cut up one green and one red pepper and a half a pound of mushrooms. Sautee until about 2/3 of the way done. Remove from heat. In the same skillet as more olive oil and about 4-5 cloves of garlic (depending on size). When the garlic is 1/2 way done, throw in a pound of peeled, raw shrimp. Once the shrimp starts turning pink, add the vegetables, the juice of 1 and 1/2 lemons, a bunch of fresh chopped basil, about 1/2 cup of white wine, and some salt and pepper. Cook this until the shrimp is done. While you are doing all of this, cook some linguine. I like to serve this on a platter like this: bed of mixed greens (spinach and arugula preferable), then pasta, then shrimp mix. The greens wilt but add a fantastic bite! I also top the dish with some parmesean and leave it out for people to add their own. Enjoy!

The bottom line is, she's been busy.

David Gucwa: DA Bomb Products (exerpt)

2009-07-16T16:23:23+00:00

Jacob303: speaking of the guy in regulate
Jacob303: http://www.bombblunts.com/
^Daverd: hahaha
^Daverd: amazing
Jacob303: what i really like is their mission statement, it had to be written by a suit/tie marketting guy
Jacob303: “Not only are the names catchy, they also have your mouth watering in anticipation of firing em up. As an added benefit our unique inner packaging forms a double seal keeping our precious wraps fresh long after the competition is all dry and cracked up.”
^Daverd: wait a minute, the front page says they have 22 flavors
^Daverd: but the flavors page says 20
^Daverd: i’m being robbed of 2 flavors
Jacob303: well, thats the thugg lyfe, son.
^Daverd: true dat.

Joe Hebert: Xinjiang Riots

2009-07-15T01:02:19+00:00

First, I’m probably wrong about much of this and certainly am missing a lot of facts. I welcome any additions, edits, corrections to be posted in the comments if anyone actually reads this.

You’ve probably heard something about the rioting of Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China over the weekend in which at least 156 (supposedly mostly Han Chinese) were killed.

Internal strife in China often gets blamed on the outside (foreign influence). The US is sure to be a target of many conspiracy theories. One already ties the CIA to Xinjiang separatists. What do I think? People believe such speculation because the CIA has such an unfortunate history of secretly meddling in foreign affairs (you probably already know some examples like Afghanistan in the ‘80s, Tibet in the ‘50s). It seems premature to say whether or not the CIA is involved because there’s not any hard evidence, but I think it is fair to say that the history of strife in Western China offers enough explanation without necessarily bringing US conspiracy into the picture. Many Chinese will NEVER admit that this is a possibility, and will always blame it on foreign influence. I’d rather not sound high and mighty, but I can’t avoid it here: Chinese are conditioned from a young age to be xenophobic. There are a lot of intelligent Chinese who see through this conditioning and will tell you quite directly that it is a part of the education in the mainland. Having said that, it doesn’t mean it’s out of the question that some foreign power might be helping to nudge the separatists.

Why are Uyghur and majority Chinese so furious?

Uyghur anger? Aside from the immediate trigger (Han/Uyghur fight in Shaogun resulting in a few dead Uyghur) Poverty is one obvious reason. The Uyghur do not have as much money as the Han people and they presumably see that every day in the city. Han Chinese have flooded into Xinjiang over the decades in a way that the minority may feel is threatening to their culture or way of life (this should not be a strange concept to the Chinese as they are notoriously militant about maintaining their own culture after all that’s happened in the past century). Despite all the development and money the Han bring, it’s hard for an non-mandarin-speaking ethnic minority to get a piece of that pie (this is also likely a reason for the unrest in Tibet). It’s not hard to imagine how resentment, justified or not, might build in such a situation.

The Chinese anger? Aside from the obvious (the murders), many seem to feel that the Uyghur minority are ungrateful for the development they have brought to Xinjiang. This mirrors feelings that were expressed by majority Chinese about the Tibetan riots last year. Many Han have trouble grasping why minority people would not appreciate the money that flows into their regions thanks to Han-spearheaded development. They feel they are doing good, so it is no doubt shocking to them that the favor is met with violence and protest. Also, I can say from personal experience that many Chinese see Xinjiang people as thieves and cheaters. It’s probably true that there are a lot of Xinjiang thieves in the big cities, but I can’t say for sure as I’ve never seen the stats or had any such experience.

One more thing can’t be ignored: Chinese nationalism. As I said before, propaganda in China tends to be very xenophobic. One of the key fears tapped into is the fear of China being broken up. The threat of Taiwanese independence feeds into this fear, as do both Tibet and Xinjiang. I’ve been told by a Chinese that when she looked at a map of China, she felt ashamed because “borders incomplete”. Those places are the rightful territory of China, and no one better touch them, whether they were there first or not! Of course, that reason is just for the people. The government is most definitely more interested in Xinjiang as a strategic military position and the large amounts of oil it potentially holds.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m in support of the Uyghur violence or Xinjiang independence; I’m not. I sincerely doubt they are the innocent victims some are bound to make them out to be. It’s probably in the best interest of everyone for the Uyghurs to just grin, bear it, and try to adapt.

To my Western friends, be wary of trying to talk about this with Chinese people. Only the most intelligent and open of Chinese will be capable of discussing this without getting incredibly defensive and attacking Europe for formerly occupying foreign countries and the US for it’s treatment of Native Americans and blacks, and saying how it’s a double standard and just not fair that all those countries got away with it. A decent analogy would be trying to discuss criticism of the US with a redneck nationalist: the result is a very shallow conversation and an avoided topic.

Nick Garner: Give me back my bread!

2009-07-13T19:20:27+00:00

I made a loaf of bread in my breadmaker, but it refused to dislodge itself from the pan. After much violent shaking, the loaf finally thunked onto the table. The breadmaker crankle that kneads the dough was missing; it was inside the loaf.

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.........................,/...............................................”:,
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.................../...........................................................,}
................./......................................................,:`^`..}
.............../...................................................,:”........./
..............?.....__.........................................:`.........../
............./__.(.....“~-,_..............................,:`........../
.........../(_....”~,_........“~,_....................,:`........_/
..........{.._$;_......”=,_.......“-,_.......,.-~-,},.~”;/....}
...........((.....*~_.......”=-._......“;,,./`..../”............../
...,,,___.`~,......“~.,....................`.....}............../
............(....`=-,,.......`........................(......;_,,-”
............/.`~,......`-...................................../
.............`~.*-,.....................................|,./.....,__
,,_..........}.>-._...................................|..............`=~-,
.....`=~-,__......`,.................................
...................`=~-,,.,...............................
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.....................................`=-,...................,%`>--==``
........................................_..........._,-%.......`
...................................,

BTW, post title should be read a la Mel Gibson in Ransom "Give me back my son"

Cranky Joe: Women and babies

2009-07-12T18:18:25+00:00

What up with women and babies? Babies stink and are stupid, yet women are still proud of themselves for making them. I mean, you can't even have a discussion with a baby. You have to teach them to speak and walk and go to the toilet. If you're thinking of having a baby consider this: once that baby pops out, you are responsible for it and if you don't take care of it you will be in deep shit. If you do take care of it, chances are it will never appreciate it; It probably won't even like being alive. Lose-lose.

And who even cares if the human race of dies off? Does that really change anything for you? Once you're dead, you're dead, and you don't get to experience this spoils of human advancement, so why not be bitter about it and refuse to make any babies?

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3900

2009-06-30T01:23:31+00:00

mterry posted a photo:

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3897

2009-06-30T01:23:16+00:00

mterry posted a photo:

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3896

2009-06-30T01:23:03+00:00

mterry posted a photo:

Steven Terry: ice cream trucks

2009-06-18T00:29:03+00:00

I took a walk to the library today, and noticed an ice cream truck ambling through the neighborhood blaring its jingle. I've never really thought before about how nefarious a business model they represent: creeping past your home broadcasting an inducement to panicked demand for the ice cream RIGHT NOW MOMMY HURRY!! I imagine a roomful of fat, cigar smoking men trying to determine the exact volume level and truck speed that would allow for practical purchasing but optimize the instilled sense of urgency. Ok, that might be a paranoid fantasy, but I like the image.

At the library I got a collection of John Irving short stories. Supposedly these are all the short stories he's ever considered "finished," and given his reputation as a methodical stickler for story structure I'm eagerly anticipating some highly polished nuggets of literary bliss.

Ben Wilson: Craft Story

2009-01-06T04:29:05+00:00

While sifting around in the old documents on my PC I recently found the beginnings of one of a series of Craft fictions that we wrote in 2003 and 2004. This was unfinished at the time, and will most likely remain so for all eternity, but that's no reason not to flesh out the Craft universe as fully as possible. So without further ado, presented in its original form:

Things That Mean Nothing to Me:
Corduroy Craft IV:
Arduous Holiness:
Twinkle Tinkle, Little Dog
By: Ben Wilson IV:
The guy that needs to read III

    Craft lay in the snow, weeping. The full moon shone down through the trees, reflecting off of the forest floor and illuminating the morbid scene around him. Everything was blue. Especially Craft.
    “Are you sure?” asked the pencil-thin man standing amongst the trees behind him.
    “Don’t,” Craft pleaded.
    “Are you sure?” persisted the man.
    “Yes I’m sure, damn it!” shouted Craft. “Now leave me be!”
    “Then it is done,” replied the man, fading back into the forest. In seconds Craft was alone.
    Pushing himself up off of the ground, Craft wiped the tears from his cheeks, leaving a smear of blood. Glancing at his hands Craft realized (not for the first time) how much congealed flesh resembles marmalade. He shuddered.
    “You may look like Craft, but you don’t have his heart!” he scolded himself. He looked down at the frozen body at his feet. Anger quickly replacing the sorrow he had felt moments before, Craft clenched his fist and shouted to the sky, “You have no power over me now. I’m coming for you!”
    An earthquake shook the forest, its single deafening roar stopping almost as abruptly as it began. A challenge, thought Craft. Good.

That's all there is. Maybe I'll send this to Matt's agent and see if it reignites the passion.

Ben Wilson: Separated at birth?

2008-12-19T17:41:45+00:00

For a while Jen, myself, and several people at work were playing the web-based strategy game Ikariam. Our original goal was to build up an alliance of cities ("NVTS") large enough to launch a successful surprise attack on the Harmonix alliance; raping, pillaging, and otherwise griefing as much as possible. This kept us going for a month or two before we eventually ran out of gas and gave up. For the most part this was due to some missing features and poor game design linking the economic and military mechanics.

But that discussion is for another post. For now I'd like to highlight the similarity between Ikariam's Diplomatic Advisor icon and the profile picture of our friend Dav that his job keeps on their website:

Truly uncany.

Meg Price’s Photos: living room

2008-08-25T02:40:36+00:00

FreakinYeahDude posted a photo:

Meg Price’s Photos: front door

2008-08-25T02:40:31+00:00

FreakinYeahDude posted a photo:

Meg Price’s Photos: hallway

2008-08-25T02:40:29+00:00

FreakinYeahDude posted a photo:

Nick Garner’s Photos: An older woman

2008-06-02T23:24:30+00:00

warren_the_head posted a photo:

Nick Garner’s Photos: Sarah, w/ Brendan

2008-06-02T23:24:19+00:00

warren_the_head posted a photo:

Nick Garner’s Photos: Chris, interrupted

2008-06-02T23:24:09+00:00

warren_the_head posted a photo:

Meg Price: Rockin Out

2008-01-30T14:23:58+00:00

So here’s what’s sweet:
Harmonix (by way of one Casey Malone) has offered to donate a copy of Rock Band to my school. A friend from home (thanks Chris) is offering to donate a PS2 so that we can have something to play it on.
Video games are awesome at our school because they help with a lot of things- they’re great for hand-eye coordination, fine motor development, age-appropriate cooperative play, and as a reinforcer for hard work. A lot of the teachers already play Rock Band and are psyched to be able to teach our kids.
Thanks, Casey and Chris! This is going to be so sweet.

David Gucwa’s Photos: Snakes on a Train

2007-11-21T00:26:17+00:00

DavTheGook posted a photo:

David Gucwa’s Photos: Let her sleep

2007-11-21T00:25:51+00:00

DavTheGook posted a photo:

David Gucwa’s Photos: one for the dumb face collection

2007-11-21T00:25:31+00:00

DavTheGook posted a photo:

Meg Price: it’s time to look at my website.

2007-05-20T15:29:13+00:00

Hi guys.
So like a month ago it was my birthday and dave made me a fucking incredible website. You should probably go look at it.

Check that shit out.

word.

Ben Wilson’s Photos: NA Christmas Get-together

2007-03-29T18:01:05+00:00

bwilson posted a photo:

A large portion of our north andover group of friends.

Meg Price:

2007-03-16T23:27:38+00:00

I live in a house with two 50 year old ladies. I have my very own room and my very own bathroom. About once a week or so, I find my bathroom trash can stuffed to the brim with things that I have not put there.

For your consideration:

Things I Have Found in my Trashcan

bubblewrap

some fancy crackers

an empty box from nitrous cartridges

shards of a broken mirror

uno cards

fin

Ben Wilson’s Photos: trailerdeck5

2006-09-12T22:22:16+00:00

bwilson posted a photo:

Ciernia family (cousins) + me + jen

Ben Wilson’s Photos: trailerdeck1

2006-09-12T22:22:16+00:00

bwilson posted a photo:

Relatives + Jen at the vacation "trailer" during the Van Hornesville squaredance/Nana's memorial service '06

Planet Mikix

Jen & Ben: Last Minute Wedding Update!!

Jen & Ben: C is for Cupcakes!

Jen & Ben: Stop Being so Picky!

Michael Terry: Lady Gaga Needs to Wise Up

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Nightview at Ritz Carlton

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Mike after Onsen

Elaine Leung’s Photos: Earthernpot Rice

Michael Terry: Back from Japan

David Gucwa: John vs Dave 2010 — Thoughts

Elaine Leung: Eavesdropping on Facebook

Michael Terry: On Happiness

Elaine Leung: Cooking with Boloboh: Pad Thai

Elaine Leung: Cooking with Boloboh: Chi-Fan

Nick Garner: Stir Fried Robot

Steven Terry: DAMN YOU PANDORA!!! *shakes fist at sky*

Steven Terry: the office effect

David Gucwa: Who Would Win in a Fight? (Followup)

Jen Lak’s Photos: Test2

Jen Lak’s Photos: Testttttt

Jen Lak’s Photos: Test2

Joe Hebert: Macs need to show POST info

Joe Hebert: Western Media and Chinese Confirmation Bias

Nick Garner: On behalf of the lady from California

David Gucwa: DA Bomb Products (exerpt)

Joe Hebert: Xinjiang Riots

Nick Garner: Give me back my bread!

Cranky Joe: Women and babies

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3900

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3897

Michael Terry’s Photos: DSCN3896

Steven Terry: ice cream trucks

Ben Wilson: Craft Story

Ben Wilson: Separated at birth?

Meg Price’s Photos: living room

Meg Price’s Photos: front door

Meg Price’s Photos: hallway

Nick Garner’s Photos: An older woman

Nick Garner’s Photos: Sarah, w/ Brendan

Nick Garner’s Photos: Chris, interrupted

Meg Price: Rockin Out

David Gucwa’s Photos: Snakes on a Train

David Gucwa’s Photos: Let her sleep

David Gucwa’s Photos: one for the dumb face collection

Meg Price: it’s time to look at my website.

Ben Wilson’s Photos: NA Christmas Get-together

Meg Price:

Ben Wilson’s Photos: trailerdeck5

Ben Wilson’s Photos: trailerdeck1

Steven Terry: DAMN YOU PANDORA!!! shakes fist at sky