tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63797672024-03-07T15:47:20.417-08:00Save It For Your Blogbchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-88040573554799721392011-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:002011-02-09T18:27:30.646-08:00Unique baseball featsAs I try to remember the name of the host of <span style="font-style: italic;">Connections </span>without the help of the internet (I think it was James something-or-other), a post in honor of "Neon" Deion Sanders, who was recently elected to the Football Hall of Fame.<br /><br />1. ...Deion was fast. In addition to football, he played professional baseball. A testament to his speed: in 1992 he hit more triples (14) than doubles (6)...<br /><br />2. ...thanks to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/season_finder.cgi?type=b">this</a>, modern man is able to easily determine who else in Major League Baseball history has hit at least 14 triples and no more than 6 doubles in a single season. The answer: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/season_finder.cgi?type=b#gotresults&as=result_batter&offset=0&sum=0&min_year_season=1871&max_year_season=2010&min_season=1&max_season=-1&min_age=0&max_age=99&lg_ID=lgAny&lgAL_team=tmAny&lgNL_team=tmAny&lgFL_team=tmAny&lgAA_team=tmAny&lgPL_team=tmAny&lgUA_team=tmAny&lgNA_team=tmAny&isFA=either&isActive=either&isHOF=either&isAllstar=either&bats=any&throws=any&exactness=anypos&games_min_max=min&games_prop=50&games_tot=&pos_1=1&pos_2=1&pos_3=1&pos_4=1&pos_5=1&pos_6=1&pos_7=1&pos_8=1&pos_9=1&pos_10=1&qualifiersSeason=nomin&minpasValS=502&mingamesValS=100&qualifiersCareer=nomin&minpasValC=3000&mingamesValC=1000&orderby=HR&c1criteria=3B&c1gtlt=gt&c1val=13&c2criteria=&c2gtlt=eq&c2val=0&c3criteria=&c3gtlt=eq&c3val=0&c4criteria=2B&c4gtlt=eq&c4val=6&c5criteria=&c5gtlt=eq&c5val=1.0&c6criteria=&location=pob&locationMatch=is&pob=&pod=&pcanada=&pusa=&ajax=1&submitter=1">no one in the 139 years of professional baseball has done this, except for Deion Sanders</a>....<br /><br />3. ...however, there have been other players who hit a lot more triples than doubles. There is only one instance of a player hitting five times as many triples as doubles in a season. In 1871, <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bassjo01.shtml">John Bass</a> hit <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ten times </span>(!) as many triples (10) as doubles (1)...<br /><br />4. ...extreme trivia: John Bass was the first professional baseball player to <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/John_Bass">die in Colorado</a>. The second was Asa Brainard, a former star pitcher who <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Asa_Brainard">died in Denver of pneumonia</a> two months later....<br /><br />5. ...Brainard pitched for the Excelsior of Brooklyn on October 14, 1862 against the Unions of Morrisania (from da <a href="http://www.baseballchronology.com/baseball/Leagues/NABBP/Clubs/Morrisania_Unions.asp">Bronx</a>). During the game Excelsior teammate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Creighton">Jim Creighton</a> injured himself (a ruptured inguinal hernia) with <a href="http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&bid=770&pid=0">a mighty home run swing</a>. He died four days later. As far as I know, he is the only person to have ever killed himself in the process of hitting a home run.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-21667015113274877892011-02-06T15:15:00.000-08:002011-02-06T12:56:02.324-08:00Pain and Pain<div><br /></div><div>1. While running <a href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4273781">this loop</a> yesterday, these words echoed in my head:</div><div></div><blockquote><div>"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/quotes">What is pain?</a>"</div><div><br /></div><div>"French bread!"</div></blockquote><div>2. ...which reminds me of one of the better bakeries in Los Angeles, <a href="http://www.lamaisondupain.net/press.php">La Maison du Pain</a>. Or, as my friend Erica likes to call it, "The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Pain">House of Pain</a>." The House of Pain is known for their croissants...</div><div><br /></div><div>3. ...As you may know, <i>croissant </i>means <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croissant">crescent</a> (I did not know this). And there is an unexpected reminder of the French origins of the Crescent Roll on Pillsbury website: the highest rated Crescent Roll recipe with more than 10 votes is "<a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/pear-havarti-crepe-squares/d12ef47b-9539-4eef-a8ab-4e66dd40baa9/">Pear Havarti Crêpe Squares</a>" (complete with circumflexed e!). Sadly, the only winner of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillsbury_Bake-Off">Pillsbury Bake-Off</a> ($1,000,000 grand prize) with her own wikipedia entry is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellie_Mathews">Ellie Matthews</a> (b. 1945)...</div><div><br /></div><div>4. ...Ms. Matthews's winning dish has a horrible name, "<a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/salsa-couscous-chicken/9a67f834-8771-4fc8-b183-a08910ff2a4f/">Salsa Couscous Chicken</a>." The recipe itself looks fine--it's apparently aiming to be a chicken <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Tagine-with-Apricots-and-Almonds-234649">tagine</a>. El Paso Salsa is the only Pillsbury ingredient in the recipe, which blows a hole in the <a href="http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f123/pillsbury-bake-off-31436.html">theory</a> that a winning recipe needs to include lots of Pillsbury ingredients...</div><div><br /></div><div>5 ... Ms. Matthews is an author, winner of the 2007 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed_Editions">Milkweed Editions Award </a>for children's fiction (it appears the award = getting your book published by Milkweed). Milkweed, the plant, is also known as <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias">Asclepias</a></i>....</div><div><br /></div><div>6. ...<i>Asclepias </i>is named after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius">Asclepius</a>, the Greek god of healing. According to Plato, Socrates's last words were, "Crito, <a href="http://philosophy.eserver.org/plato/phaedo.txt">we owe a cock to Asclepius</a>. Pay it, and do not forget."These words got Nietszche <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=p-b2Jn8qg_AC&lpg=PP1&dq=the%20problem%20of%20socrates&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q=the%20problem%20of%20socrates&f=false">pretty riled up,</a> and <a href="http://www.markvernon.com/friendshiponline/dotclear/index.php?post/2007/09/16/715-never-a-last-word-on-socrates-last-words">puzzle the rest of us.</a>..</div><div><br /></div><div>7. ...unlike Plato, I don't think pain is intrinsically <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/value-intrinsic-extrinsic/">bad</a>. When I remarked to a friend that I've grown to like the pain of running he told me that it isn't the pain I like but the endorphins. I find this strange. In addition to pain I also like <i>pain</i>. No one would say, "you just like the <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/neuroanthropology/files/2011/01/NIDA-Reward1.gif">dopamine</a> that's released when you eat <i><a href="http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/painauxraisins">pain aux raisins</a></i>."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-45117689459446953422011-02-04T08:07:00.000-08:002011-02-04T08:57:06.221-08:00Two Interesting Men, Two Mermaids, and Two Health NutsAs per Zed's suggestion, I'm going to attempt to start blogging my daily internet trains of thought. Today we begin with...<br /><br />1. ... a <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2011/02/07/110207ta_talk_paumgarten">fun short piece</a> in this week's New Yorker on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jonathan Goldsmith</span> (b. 1938), the interesting actor who plays the "most interesting man in the world" in Dos Equis's ad campaign. Goldsmith clues us in on the source of his inspiration...<br /><br />2. ...<span style="font-weight: bold;">Fernando Lamas</span> (1915-1982), 50's matinee movie idol and father of Lorenzo, who is pretty charming in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJXtQ6I9qY">his appearance on "What's My Line?"</a><br /><br />A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Lamas">choice quote</a> from the original most interesting man in the world:<br /><br /><blockquote>In one of his most memorable moments on The Tonight Show, Lamas<br />intimated that "sometimes other men said that he was gay, and nothing<br />pleased him more than proving them wrong with their own wives."<br /></blockquote>Speaking of wives...<br /><br />3. ...one of Lamas's wives was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Esther Williams </span>(b. 1921), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Williams">swimmer turned actress,</a> dubbed the "Million Dollar Mermaid," because she once portrayed....<br /><br />4. ...<span style="font-weight: bold;">Annette Kellerman</span> (1887-1975), the original "Million Dollar Mermaid," the first woman to attempt to cross the English Channel ("<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annette_Kellerman">I had the endurance, but not the brute strength</a>"). Kellerman was named "the perfect woman" by...<br /><br />5. ...<span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Dudley Allen Sargent</span> (1849-1924) , of Harvard, <a href="http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/%7Ehua02003">who really liked to measure people</a>. Sargent was keen on physical fitness, and claimed that Kellerman's measurements were the closest to the Venus de Milo of any woman he had measured. The Venus de Milo's proportions also figure prominently in the work of fellow health guru...<br /><br />6. ...<span style="font-weight: bold;">John Harvey Kellogg</span>, inventor (along with his brother) of corn flakes cereal. In his book, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Living Temple,</span> Kellogg, arguing against the use of corsets, says that the popular view that women have smaller waists (relative to their heights) than men is mistaken, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=L3oUAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA348&ots=G-XYLeMiDn&dq=venus%20de%20milo%20proportions&pg=PA348#v=onepage">citing measurements of non-corset wearing women around the world, and the measurements of the Venus de Milo.</a>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-26723887197195592072009-11-20T05:55:00.000-08:002009-11-20T08:03:31.194-08:00Prejudices about "Precious"My brain has been cluttered with a few obsessive thoughts for the past two days, which I'm trying to offload here:<br /><br />I feel pressured to see "Precious." I will see it, mostly because I can't go on saying to anyone who'll listen that I think it's probably terribly critically overrated without seeing it. But here is what I predict will be disappointing about the movie:<br /><br />1. The fact that it might be good for people to see this movie doesn't mean it's a good movie. What leads me to think that the movie is overrated is that it has the hallmark of a chronically overrated movie, namely, it's a picture that critics think is (morally) important for audiences to see. In this case, it's because the protagonist is a person whose "voice" is not heard in our society, whose image is buried, whose life is systematically hidden from view. This doesn't make for a good movie; even if it achieves the purpose of somehow voicing the voice of the voiceless, that makes for a good piece of propaganda (albeit a laudable kind of propaganda). Which is to say...<br /><br />2. It's not going to be art. Or more precisely, it's going to be missing what I'm pretty certain is a cardinal virtue of art: raising new questions that the artist/audience does not know, or does not purport to know, the answer to.<br /><br />3. It's not going to be artful. "Raw" and "naturalistic", which are being used as compliments in the reviews I've seen, can be code for "artless depiction of someone whom I don't know anything about". By 'artless' I mean: the particular depiction of the events in the movie does not reveal anything important which wouldn't be evident in any other representation of those events.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-21787677958303781152008-10-19T10:36:00.001-07:002008-10-19T10:36:19.489-07:00Not so sticky buns<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2955346068/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/2955346068_077d059bcc_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2955346068/">Eating</a> <br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/bc1979/">Benito Chandwani</a></span><br clear="all" /><p>I woke up with an urge for sticky buns, so I decided to make some. I skipped the usual gooey topping though, and added some lemon zest to the brown sugar, so I wound up with these fluffy lemony buns instead. I must say: they're quite good.</p>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-54395678652708164642008-10-07T22:53:00.001-07:002008-10-07T22:57:33.776-07:00Two cents on televised debatesAs many have noted, the winner of these presidential debates can generally be determined by watching with the sound turned off. If teams were being chosen--the activity doesn't much matter--and the debaters were the captains, which team would most people want to join?bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-29667254126156135942008-09-22T20:30:00.001-07:002008-09-22T20:30:26.824-07:00Monday 6pm PB and Olive<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2880524401/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2880524401_e606c2940d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2880524401/">Monday 6pm PB and Olive </a> <br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/bc1979/">Benito Chandwani</a></span><br clear="all" /><p>Could scarcely taste the olives. I've experimented with many gross-sounding combinations in my life--this one, like most of them, turned out to be boring rather than offensive.</p>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-19787146241264138962008-09-22T01:30:00.001-07:002008-09-22T01:30:05.274-07:00Sunday, Blueberry & cheese donut, with milk<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2877850595/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2877850595_e0c494a370_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/2877850595/">Sunday, Blueberry & cheese donut, with milk</a> <br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/bc1979/">Benito Chandwani</a></span><br clear="all" /><p>I got a nice new camera to play with, but don't have much time to play with it. So I'll be taking photos of <a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/bc1979/'>absolutely everything I eat this week</a>. This was a fantastic donut, by the way.</p>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-47310199715864794092008-09-18T23:24:00.000-07:002008-09-18T23:27:29.956-07:00Philosophy Bas Relief, LA Public Library<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UfODPpuxI1QLZ3xQ7udS-RxnjbCEG4kEaKP0_JdXErQ0jqYXWmZQlVdOu38unYn2c8Jda7Sx2UeMxW6IJGJtei3Q0Kjwk3UvgaDevHdXKqx1suoMpUubYljvJlnhx4rrgf7EgA/s1600-h/2830256676_824790368a_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UfODPpuxI1QLZ3xQ7udS-RxnjbCEG4kEaKP0_JdXErQ0jqYXWmZQlVdOu38unYn2c8Jda7Sx2UeMxW6IJGJtei3Q0Kjwk3UvgaDevHdXKqx1suoMpUubYljvJlnhx4rrgf7EgA/s320/2830256676_824790368a_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247614892961037970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTF5kQADuuBBQBGsEyw71K-zrHvjDlUAuFkp-sbfzhSAQkIacRsxQnQdO0KAQsVOetPEvJRLF3IFGxYiKtW7NcbhfQKSkmTVX348QRLJeSX4lSI9tEloXMudYu7VrYeoY9RcjHw/s1600-h/perspectiveadjustment.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTF5kQADuuBBQBGsEyw71K-zrHvjDlUAuFkp-sbfzhSAQkIacRsxQnQdO0KAQsVOetPEvJRLF3IFGxYiKtW7NcbhfQKSkmTVX348QRLJeSX4lSI9tEloXMudYu7VrYeoY9RcjHw/s320/perspectiveadjustment.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247614994943164594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Original photo courtesy of Nat, quick and dirty perspective fix courtesy of me via digiKam.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-89793251437019876272008-09-02T21:12:00.000-07:002008-09-02T21:13:02.522-07:00Collage of My Sis's Wonderful Wedding<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9QBEXngAPeWT_Eq-VDkBll1tx6RI16bcbd705ERm1aUsug-Jjp9CI9eqNunYrryWrd7AtHLxryH0NS_OUtSpNT55D1TCYwLi8o-petVozZHUZvhxh0XXvi2RAjCNekoFvj6kDA/s1600-h/mycollage.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9QBEXngAPeWT_Eq-VDkBll1tx6RI16bcbd705ERm1aUsug-Jjp9CI9eqNunYrryWrd7AtHLxryH0NS_OUtSpNT55D1TCYwLi8o-petVozZHUZvhxh0XXvi2RAjCNekoFvj6kDA/s400/mycollage.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-21319343360678784812008-07-17T02:44:00.001-07:002008-07-17T02:47:28.693-07:00A slide from my lecture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgb0iXXhuqehXyTr6lQ9FKk0kves8sg2O2TCIUyJrF5mb9wQYw__pD7wcUnKseoRtCdCFWS2fouqGqKQoATaMIGZZ31aLVXm3UKxMIqHKzPUQjK5WnFaCe9zeV96EFHQyFZegjQ/s1600-h/lecture8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgb0iXXhuqehXyTr6lQ9FKk0kves8sg2O2TCIUyJrF5mb9wQYw__pD7wcUnKseoRtCdCFWS2fouqGqKQoATaMIGZZ31aLVXm3UKxMIqHKzPUQjK5WnFaCe9zeV96EFHQyFZegjQ/s400/lecture8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223917311499386210" border="0" /></a>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-19027564177168830482008-06-28T22:42:00.001-07:002008-06-28T22:53:11.801-07:00Cooking today, for the week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtQlQxzqGHU0j2659NxetSExoP88_sNAVAKb2oaUH1A_6tBbmEpa9kBhdsx_6-l1rQNuVyUlbCCHSIVzCxa3ubPkvdcDuhVMKBQoayACM-uHlfdG5c3cY2fD2YUvdVYwVQiPZNw/s1600-h/shuigao.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtQlQxzqGHU0j2659NxetSExoP88_sNAVAKb2oaUH1A_6tBbmEpa9kBhdsx_6-l1rQNuVyUlbCCHSIVzCxa3ubPkvdcDuhVMKBQoayACM-uHlfdG5c3cY2fD2YUvdVYwVQiPZNw/s200/shuigao.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217176269780875314" border="0" /></a> Pork/chive dumplings, Book tripe with chili/garlic, Bitter melon w/ black bean sauce, mantou.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HSQNLX9SkD3FSf7k8JnBijUiWbqI_iUwHqajPHxdbzh9yIEhJU_NYXMELx6duojwcwE3ngIr4gjHQFCjRIxg27jBlZ9WxyyJsh4sS58tGVPBdkvlkZDT53xJm-30K267GIizxA/s1600-h/shuigao2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HSQNLX9SkD3FSf7k8JnBijUiWbqI_iUwHqajPHxdbzh9yIEhJU_NYXMELx6duojwcwE3ngIr4gjHQFCjRIxg27jBlZ9WxyyJsh4sS58tGVPBdkvlkZDT53xJm-30K267GIizxA/s200/shuigao2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217176180417800610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR06ie9UVDR6JPp1JMQqNqLlhBRlzULLAOEotueYH7WoMfHhs-s5OEiTg2MYXMH9oKaPhzj4FK8aqrHO4-dTmsjCjJT3I6UI3x2nZtYrAwRCghtlBUoqj4gI2VFVAG_tkOj-LeCg/s1600-h/booktripe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR06ie9UVDR6JPp1JMQqNqLlhBRlzULLAOEotueYH7WoMfHhs-s5OEiTg2MYXMH9oKaPhzj4FK8aqrHO4-dTmsjCjJT3I6UI3x2nZtYrAwRCghtlBUoqj4gI2VFVAG_tkOj-LeCg/s200/booktripe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217175257241336610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7FLTvmvfUvPOsxq5j1WnRgVIEqo60uv1nT90DoUwlZp9L1GelAWwcnPMZUVst5xmN_c6gjn6Cwi9bS614JsIcJdZ786cLJ8sU5fU0K8x3jD2CsQNNADw_s7wAVeTq8l68J6M7Q/s1600-h/fugua.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7FLTvmvfUvPOsxq5j1WnRgVIEqo60uv1nT90DoUwlZp9L1GelAWwcnPMZUVst5xmN_c6gjn6Cwi9bS614JsIcJdZ786cLJ8sU5fU0K8x3jD2CsQNNADw_s7wAVeTq8l68J6M7Q/s200/fugua.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217175258477309794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc6V-2fqVD1Tk6fOemLjBOjr-g9LtpayNtP7Z68NGb07wpzSv4Kz5rDkzsfaJ9dtQPK-qNqeFB2oveVdMgTNbGwg2U257PwZ_3T9dj8rwQKJxUMccz8bgkfVQ3FHi2MiMeJ9CiQ/s1600-h/mantouraw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc6V-2fqVD1Tk6fOemLjBOjr-g9LtpayNtP7Z68NGb07wpzSv4Kz5rDkzsfaJ9dtQPK-qNqeFB2oveVdMgTNbGwg2U257PwZ_3T9dj8rwQKJxUMccz8bgkfVQ3FHi2MiMeJ9CiQ/s200/mantouraw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217175261543494882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNUhVtRtTCElEB0Z-fkh8h69OcvVBX6r35JkuvEoSrNdNGpERDQPpDarNtjo0tVo8n6AzdpE9K6KHmowqBJGsLFwuceuO1rUW4O97BByT_lfWUqgyYQWQ09CwWxgODo3HFSiT-Q/s1600-h/mantousteam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNUhVtRtTCElEB0Z-fkh8h69OcvVBX6r35JkuvEoSrNdNGpERDQPpDarNtjo0tVo8n6AzdpE9K6KHmowqBJGsLFwuceuO1rUW4O97BByT_lfWUqgyYQWQ09CwWxgODo3HFSiT-Q/s200/mantousteam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217176179323666066" border="0" /></a>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-1816833015621825962008-06-19T15:06:00.000-07:002008-06-19T15:22:20.801-07:00What makes for a good action scene?I like action movies, for the action. Unfortunately, the action in many of them is horrible (e.g., Iron Man, the last Indiana Jones, every Superman movie). So one of my persistent itches is to figure out what makes for a good action scene. Starting with some exemplars (The Incredibles, Raiders of the Lost Ark), I've come up with two ingredients:<br /><br />--restricted arenas with logical dynamics (e.g., the rolling boulder in a cave or hanging from a moving truck).<br />--the combinatorial use of well-defined abilities (as when the Incredibles fight as a family, or in some X-men sequences).<br /><br />Both of these ingredients are reminiscent of the truism that creativity is most highly expressed within boundaries, whether formal (as in literature) or physical (as in sport).<br /><br />Thus, it's hard to make good action scenes with Superman, because his abilities (flying, limitless strength) makes it such that no arena can confine him. It's also worth noting that the cool scenes with Superman are those where he combines his abilities (e.g. when he freezes a lake, and then picks it up drops it onto a fire). In general, the ability to fly is a hindrance to satisfactory action (see also Iron Man).<br /><br />Any other ingredients?bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-29403789697203604852008-05-24T21:55:00.000-07:002008-05-24T22:09:48.614-07:00Commonsense morality?<span style="font-size:85%;">I was playing 20 questions with an internet program that learns from<br />previous games (<a href="http://www.20q.net/">www.20q.net</a>) and tried to see if it could guess that I was<br />thinking of morality. It didn't, but what was pretty interesting was how<br />my answers were inconsistent with previous users', and the list of similar objects:</span><br /><big><b><br /></b></big>"Does it have a spine? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br />Can you control it? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br />Do you know any songs about it? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br />Does it deal with imagination? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br />Does it come in many varieties? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br />Is it a part of something larger? You said No, 20Q was taught by other players that the answer is Yes.<br /><i><big><b>Contradictions Detected</b></big><br />The opinions of the 20Q A.I. are its own, and are based on the input of players. 20Q's answers reflect common knowledge. If you feel that 20Q is in error, the only way to correct it is to play again! </i><br /><hr align="center" width="90%"> <big><b>Similar Objects</b></big><br />an hour <small>(time)</small>, sympathy, a yawn, patience, logic, honesty, truth, anorexia, procrastination, time, a sneeze, boredom."<br /><h2><br /></h2>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-69949596750366899642007-11-29T13:11:00.000-08:002007-11-29T13:16:37.479-08:00It's Organic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoArV9jaj92yKQjHzTHv2KJBp4zjhl4QJHdCWAk1Wdup34f2QqiAtIajGk9l0uOV7duy9i-ENwhWBJT3SwHGhmJX2HKPb8HnApoUI6EO6K2pGLlh7qoWGl3KdM_L2Igelqgu2L7g/s1600-h/batter-blaster-722705.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoArV9jaj92yKQjHzTHv2KJBp4zjhl4QJHdCWAk1Wdup34f2QqiAtIajGk9l0uOV7duy9i-ENwhWBJT3SwHGhmJX2HKPb8HnApoUI6EO6K2pGLlh7qoWGl3KdM_L2Igelqgu2L7g/s200/batter-blaster-722705.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138373595339775650" border="0" /></a><br />The unfortunately named <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.batterblaster.com/">Organic Batter Blaster</a>.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-11300014200471505522007-11-27T14:26:00.000-08:002007-11-27T19:52:38.442-08:00Turkey and pie--I'm not a food stylist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7x8P3B5tX3s0ylCakvkskQhTSBQ0LPkevT9D3NklKChsmBWGUZl3E_bV5Zpg20Z9aTM5wZmdkDOpBF-fynGYoO3nXaUBIUmcqqMWVM5jiPZ7rtSwOLYXkKriSB64Ai5Z4fs9wA/s1600-h/turkeylabeled2007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7x8P3B5tX3s0ylCakvkskQhTSBQ0LPkevT9D3NklKChsmBWGUZl3E_bV5Zpg20Z9aTM5wZmdkDOpBF-fynGYoO3nXaUBIUmcqqMWVM5jiPZ7rtSwOLYXkKriSB64Ai5Z4fs9wA/s400/turkeylabeled2007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137651366524182146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid635s1wTo8Vydb0A7MwYAu-EMpHfnS5BgwfpXOK1zHUz2d-nsyc89VpUefRkqGkYtgnc4y_6q96zydyMnMcmPeyambedTM3tFQrR3Mb4q7vbTPd2vT-zPQWVelHMml9KeQZJw9w/s1600-h/appie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid635s1wTo8Vydb0A7MwYAu-EMpHfnS5BgwfpXOK1zHUz2d-nsyc89VpUefRkqGkYtgnc4y_6q96zydyMnMcmPeyambedTM3tFQrR3Mb4q7vbTPd2vT-zPQWVelHMml9KeQZJw9w/s320/appie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137651048696602226" border="0" /></a>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-30880624380431523552007-11-08T09:11:00.000-08:002007-11-08T09:34:55.775-08:00like a meatball subMy roommate was preparing his section on maximin and the Difference Principle. I told him he should ask his students to think of an example of maximin reasoning in everyday life. The closest example I could come up with is having to order an entree from a restaurant whose quality is unknown, and thus ordering the item that's probably going to be okay even if the cooks are not good (such as a meatball sub), rather than a dish that is likely to be better, but could be much worse (such as fried chicken) . I have often regretted my optimism in not following maximin principles in such situations. Any better examples?bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-62073742400691453152007-10-28T18:13:00.000-07:002007-10-28T18:17:49.400-07:00all green<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5NjJmspecOqVh5dUQQSQyVZGTqLK9rPp5nxARl28SjlxphIp-3kkZ9zQdGa2OHnR-QGziJDFjcJ6130CEoPUmrquctPYVBkFO0dr4oy4htztFEDII0BzMdGJAeGVXi6QktNZqw/s1600-h/latraffic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5NjJmspecOqVh5dUQQSQyVZGTqLK9rPp5nxARl28SjlxphIp-3kkZ9zQdGa2OHnR-QGziJDFjcJ6130CEoPUmrquctPYVBkFO0dr4oy4htztFEDII0BzMdGJAeGVXi6QktNZqw/s400/latraffic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126561083085602530" border="0" /></a><br /> 6:00pm Sunday. I've never seen so much green on the LA traffic map.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-88633902341105542082007-10-25T17:34:00.000-07:002007-10-25T17:41:55.381-07:00Sweet MelonFrom the Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/sports/playmagazine/28nash.html">article on Steve Nash</a> and the Yao/Nash charity game in China:<br /><br /><blockquote>Carmelo Anthony is known as Sweet Melon, and in what is clearly the most telling evidence of Chinese basketball acumen, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/tim_duncan/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Tim Duncan.">Tim Duncan</a>, nemesis of Nash and his fellow Suns, is known as Stone Buddha.<br /><br />...it was to be a recurring theme, the players constantly assembling for pictures with strangers and with one another, the last of the morning a semi-comical group portrait at the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where a giant picture of Mao looked out over Tiananmen Square. “I’m gonna do that,” Baron Davis said. “Buy me some property way out in the middle of nowhere and put up a big-ass picture of myself!”</blockquote><br />The list of Chinese NBA nicknames is <a href="http://www.nba.com/features/chinese_playenicknames_070329.html">here</a>.<br /><p></p>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-33467771665817289612007-10-19T21:36:00.001-07:002007-10-19T21:48:27.165-07:00Twice-cooked spareribs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3XPTB1r5erE/RxmF_smqymI/AAAAAAAAAFE/ZFPMja2Y_qc/s1600-h/twicecookedspareribs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3XPTB1r5erE/RxmF_smqymI/AAAAAAAAAFE/ZFPMja2Y_qc/s400/twicecookedspareribs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123273380462250594" border="0" /></a><br />Made these pork spareribs for dinner tonight, as I had a bunch of ribs sitting in my freezer and nothing else to eat. The recipe calls for deep-frying then steaming, but I didn't have a steamer large enough to accomodate all the ribs, so I braised them instead of steaming them, which was quite serendipitous. The recipe is simple: cut the spareribs into little pieces, deep fry until browned (3-4 minutes), reduce soy, shaoxing wine, sugar (2:1:1 ratio) plus a generous amount of black pepper and braise the ribs in that mixture for 30-40 minutes in a covered pot in a 350 degree oven. I found the texture of these braised ribs more pleasing than in the steamed equivalent.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-28978089358071124502007-10-17T22:22:00.000-07:002007-10-17T22:31:57.651-07:00Around the department<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-DzEsDes5TABLl0jKDT84pNVIhxlbzJFn70SVPTCEsAqHy6_1ObpstdLNsgkHaU8qzw1m3CbV28XkWiTSmJyW5Gq70YqgG1ECR4QbSp69kKwxxTRFhxYowi42SQ5gLhnIAxyvQ/s1600-h/citrusclean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 461px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-DzEsDes5TABLl0jKDT84pNVIhxlbzJFn70SVPTCEsAqHy6_1ObpstdLNsgkHaU8qzw1m3CbV28XkWiTSmJyW5Gq70YqgG1ECR4QbSp69kKwxxTRFhxYowi42SQ5gLhnIAxyvQ/s320/citrusclean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122545220296821330" border="0" /></a><br />Question that came up today: is it possible to have a mental illness while having none of the symptoms of that illness? J.D. claims that unlike the case of certain non-mental-illnesses (where one can have the disease without having the illness), mental illnesses are such that they cannot be segregated from their symptoms. I am unpersuaded by his arguments, but I don't understand them, so I can't repeat them here.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-41638363720322669722007-08-16T12:45:00.000-07:002007-08-16T12:45:36.496-07:00The only good article on espn.comSadly, I still surf on over to espn.com everyday -- it's a hard habit to break. Sad, because it features truly abominable writing for a major media site. But <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=olympianpartseven">this article <br /></a>, a seven-part (and still going) autobiographical piece about a woman's attempt to make the 2008 Summer Olympics in any sport that she can, is fantastic. I've linked to the seventh part of the series, because, true to the crappiness that is espn.com, you cannot get to all seven parts from any of the previous entries.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-7018858467510092142007-08-14T23:18:00.000-07:002007-08-15T17:24:52.408-07:00Big Tuesday Part II: Two Fine RecipesI tried two new recipes over the weekend, which were so successful on the first go-around that I prepared them again today for a dinner party. The first, is a Rum Sour from The Velvet Tango Room <a href="http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/08/the-best-bar-in.html">by way of ruhlman.com</a> (at least I think it's a Rum Sour... it goes unnamed on the blog).<br /><blockquote>Fill a shaker 3/4s full of ice, add an egg white (30 grams is ideal, says Tatiana), 3/4s of an ounce of lime juice, 3/4s ounce of simple syrup (Paulius makes his with a 2:1 sugar-water ratio) and 1.5 ounces of Mount Gay rum. Shake it well and thoroughly, for two to five minutes, and pour into a chilled glass.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xu8qDTYKGx3866SiGw_Uf-4D2iQaI4HSYDbT2p3YC7zgUrNI_m21HFxc8WtXrpo4LEUEu-CEJ-cXRinzNVBZufEUIqvfGykkxoNxHAbaLkJ5tTh42gMicmne-GBQ2RU2qWwF6Q/s1600-h/keylime.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Xu8qDTYKGx3866SiGw_Uf-4D2iQaI4HSYDbT2p3YC7zgUrNI_m21HFxc8WtXrpo4LEUEu-CEJ-cXRinzNVBZufEUIqvfGykkxoNxHAbaLkJ5tTh42gMicmne-GBQ2RU2qWwF6Q/s200/keylime.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098810361368808098" border="0" /></a></blockquote>It's delicious, even without the Mount Gay rum. The egg white is key:<blockquote> It not only makes the concoction something of a health food or protein drink (yea, verily!), it adds some viscosity to the alcohol, which has very little tensile strength. The egg white shaken to a delicate froth seems to spread out the flavors and allow them to linger for a much longer finish.</blockquote>The second recipe is for Banana Cream Pie, adapted from the excellent (but somewhat pricey) Clementine Bakery here in L.A. (Century City, to be exact), by way of The New York Times Magazine. The recipe produces four layers of pie that compliment each other perfectly. The first layer is a dense, rich graham-cracker crust; the second: soft ripe bananas, the third: bananas folded with thick pastry cream, the fourth: an unsweetened whipped cream tarted up with creme fraiche. I made one on Friday afternoon and brought it to a picnic that evening at the Getty Center, and made another for dinner tonight. Added bonus: making the pie will leave you with egg whites for two Rum Sours.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP80JkFghEnwfilBKg_xfrd3E12XPnkqbEFRMErcZ3Vq8pAoOAXpliwwtw0gL-K_GeZHTDsSGk0fC0Jx6jraN1LG7ZAnO_-7f_QknKRuoA3GLEIvbRtodvR-NQF2PAcH7qHwCKUQ/s1600-h/BananaCreamPie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP80JkFghEnwfilBKg_xfrd3E12XPnkqbEFRMErcZ3Vq8pAoOAXpliwwtw0gL-K_GeZHTDsSGk0fC0Jx6jraN1LG7ZAnO_-7f_QknKRuoA3GLEIvbRtodvR-NQF2PAcH7qHwCKUQ/s200/BananaCreamPie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098813187457288882" border="0" /></a>From the NY Times Magazine, 1/14/2007:<br /><blockquote>Banana-Cream Pie <p>For the graham shell: </p><p>1 1/4 cup graham-cracker crumbs, about 10 or 11 whole crackers<br />1 teaspoon sugar<br />4 tablespoons butter, melted </p><p>For the pastry cream: </p><p>1 2/3 cups milk<br />1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar<br />1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved<br />3 tablespoons cornstarch<br />1 large egg<br />2 large egg yolks<br />1 1/2 tablespoons butter </p><p>For assembly: </p><p>1 1/2 cups heavy cream<br />1/4 cup crème fraîche<br />3 1/2 medium bananas, sliced into 3/8-inch-thick rounds. </p><p>1. For the graham shell: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar. Add the butter and mix, first with a fork, then with your fingers, until the crumbs are moistened. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, using a flat-bottomed cup to press the crumbs evenly. The edges of the shell will be crumbly. Bake until lightly browned, 9 or 10 minutes. Cool completely. </p><p>2. Prepare the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cup sugar and the vanilla bean and seeds and bring to a simmer. Over a small bowl, sift the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar with the cornstarch. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and yolks. </p><p>3. When the milk comes to a simmer, discard the vanilla bean. Add the cornstarch mixture to the eggs and whisk until well combined. </p><p>While whisking the egg mixture, slowly pour in about 1/4 of the milk. Transfer this mixture into the saucepan, set over low heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until it reaches the consistency of thick pudding. (Be careful not to curdle the eggs.) Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until incorporated. Pour into a shallow bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill. </p>4. To assemble: Using an electric mixer or a whisk, whip the heavy cream and crème fraîche into peaks. Transfer the pastry cream to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream. Line the bottom of the cooled pie shell with a layer of bananas. Fold the remaining bananas into the pastry cream, then spoon it evenly into the shell. Mound the remaining whipped cream on top, swirling it decoratively. Chill and serve within 24 hours. Serves 8. </blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-4904453469690155532007-08-14T22:57:00.000-07:002007-08-14T23:18:21.396-07:00Big Tuesday Part I: Naples-Style Pizza without Self-Clean Cycle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-ez9oJWKVKvExkA97p8f8XiEsdYMTdqtqvbIr2z1fWOpMfbrsL7gfurAB10OxzU_b81ms-sjOCYiiwL0rw3Blxz01XYJMIGnw39GMKoetRNVf96qWubxod14LkhEibB3lJpDkQ/s1600-h/CastIronPizzaXSection.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-ez9oJWKVKvExkA97p8f8XiEsdYMTdqtqvbIr2z1fWOpMfbrsL7gfurAB10OxzU_b81ms-sjOCYiiwL0rw3Blxz01XYJMIGnw39GMKoetRNVf96qWubxod14LkhEibB3lJpDkQ/s200/CastIronPizzaXSection.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098803910327929474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInPjEdtbFwvj6plOB581IgN7vBsY0VeTtHu9TEwPaLP_ao3vKldu3i-qSIE1fw_atBjbSV2O0xGZlo9_HwRBb2y5DaRAGvvTuB8_kPVpmLDwOcdy2V1W2G9wkhU3SxMAd5fzNHg/s1600-h/CastIronPizzaTop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInPjEdtbFwvj6plOB581IgN7vBsY0VeTtHu9TEwPaLP_ao3vKldu3i-qSIE1fw_atBjbSV2O0xGZlo9_HwRBb2y5DaRAGvvTuB8_kPVpmLDwOcdy2V1W2G9wkhU3SxMAd5fzNHg/s200/CastIronPizzaTop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098803910327929458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4hXRZUDY3HzXjRmHvKPHAAw9CZmXagvlZmwQ99ZHkqWVuaKN-9ONMFcya5jrjtCKC4bLkpMBrfpAedKGpnyo5u1W1Z-ReJ78XFpiDSUVIPFMTCUZcDdv774TjSIX3k37_U4KBw/s1600-h/pizzashadow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4hXRZUDY3HzXjRmHvKPHAAw9CZmXagvlZmwQ99ZHkqWVuaKN-9ONMFcya5jrjtCKC4bLkpMBrfpAedKGpnyo5u1W1Z-ReJ78XFpiDSUVIPFMTCUZcDdv774TjSIX3k37_U4KBw/s200/pizzashadow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098805817293408914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSq4JfLjWD3nYY6DUzE7lOYfpuL8mirAHoC2tcj6h74mcT8scbEcqY1TPZMcX7O8BG9E02mdg8PERbmoXecAgcSoTu7bI4ncwKA7u8QOZAP0XBH3q_7XqESzvb0Fly07NcN9LNQ/s1600-h/CastIronPizzaBottom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSq4JfLjWD3nYY6DUzE7lOYfpuL8mirAHoC2tcj6h74mcT8scbEcqY1TPZMcX7O8BG9E02mdg8PERbmoXecAgcSoTu7bI4ncwKA7u8QOZAP0XBH3q_7XqESzvb0Fly07NcN9LNQ/s200/CastIronPizzaBottom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098803906032962146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After a little thought, experimentation, and nagging from those without a 1972 G.E. Oven, I think it is possible to do a Naples-style pizza in an oven without utilizing the self-clean cycle. The "theory": pre-heating a heavy cast-iron pan on the stove and setting it as close to possible to a firing broiler in an oven pre-heated to 550 degrees should produce a pocket of air surrounding the pizza that gets very close to the desired 800 degrees or so. The results were very promising. As you may be able to tell from the photos above (click to enlarge), the top crust, rise and interior texture of pizza is almost spot on: soft, airy, and chewy. Unfortunately, the bottom of the pizza was burnt crisp. (It actually tasted fine, as the charring was superficial.) I believe the theory is sound: firing broiler + pre-heated cast-iron skillet = hot enough for Naples-style pizza. Next step: tinker with the temperature of the cast-iron skillet and techniques (foil?) to prevent charring... I don't have an infrared thermometer, which is needed to make this technique reliable, so that one can gauge the temperature of the skillet.bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6379767.post-18608065260859918502007-07-30T23:04:00.000-07:002007-07-30T23:19:09.460-07:00Beer in the butt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRb7ugCfTV2dGz4DxFwCgyzrCpr5-sb1MudCiDVeymRXEBs1iK7TQhZ7w8kkpjdlFyrViP40gpE1Eohzly2gDd3zTBNXKuir1uufr_KEpTPQVt7ACyHh6ebLp72_Mg_qH9iB3_w/s1600-h/beerinbutt"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRb7ugCfTV2dGz4DxFwCgyzrCpr5-sb1MudCiDVeymRXEBs1iK7TQhZ7w8kkpjdlFyrViP40gpE1Eohzly2gDd3zTBNXKuir1uufr_KEpTPQVt7ACyHh6ebLp72_Mg_qH9iB3_w/s320/beerinbutt" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093240025009097282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqBn0gg8H3egOS5YojeuNHyKn_4ovn6OISEqUPPlijKNiiisn3ew2QZHLQ1w27jzRtpcJipwVjdCtO4WNRNue4RieElk2LcmXxjeZjGmGecds4Q3300rUGA8cOREmijSKxg93bA/s1600-h/cutting"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqBn0gg8H3egOS5YojeuNHyKn_4ovn6OISEqUPPlijKNiiisn3ew2QZHLQ1w27jzRtpcJipwVjdCtO4WNRNue4RieElk2LcmXxjeZjGmGecds4Q3300rUGA8cOREmijSKxg93bA/s320/cutting" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093240166743018066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I am still alive. I made a beer-in-the-butt chicken (aka beer can chicken) this past Saturday at Zed and Meredith's swanky temporary abode. It turned out well, after a smoky beginning which necessitated some repositioning on the grill. The chicken is grilled standing-up with the grilled covered, so it's important to position the coals off to the side of the grill. That way the chicken can be placed at the center of the grill (so that the dome will fit without touching the bird) without being directly over the coals (which will cause a nasty smoky fatty fire).bchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16502340342220452252noreply@blogger.com3