Reader Rainbow

[I've neglected this blog for far too long, and have never done an opinion/ranting post before, so here goes nothing]

As I sit in a very warm living room that has just begun to cool down, light fading in the summer twilight, I browse Google Reader for one last goodbye and reflect on what this might mean to the avid Readers and RSS subscribers.

I signed up for Reader on June 30th, 2008, almost exactly 5 years ago. In quintessential Google fashion, they've done us the favor of tracking just how much we've used this service, and the analytics say I've used it quite a lot: over 165,174 items have passed through my feed and my eyes. If we assume a light estimate of casual 30 second skimming through each piece, that's a staggering 1376 hours. Spread over 5 years, that's an average of 45 minutes per day. In reality, I can attest to days where I've spent a LOT more time than that (how on earth did I ever graduate? or finish my co-op work assignments?)

Reading through my own feed was a bit like a sanctuary (I'm not the only one who feels this way), filled with news and articles on topics that I chose for myself; a feel that resonates best with few others in this world. I would never suggest RSS reading a replacement for books, but I do attribute much of my continued growth in skills and knowledge to my Google Reader feed. As one of my favorite authors famously said, "We, the human race, have not ever invented anything that can surpass reading as a way of learning." -Stephen E. Ambrose

The worst-kept secret in web strategy is Google wants to channel more traffic through Google Plus to pump steroids into its social game, and try to "catch up" with the rest of social media. The growing trend of emphasizing social media makes me rather pessimistic, because social media values don't align with meaningful, thought provoking, and educational content. Reading and synthesizing  your own thoughts requires focus, isolation, and an area free from distraction. In a world where influence measured by seeing who can gather the most followers (Justin Beiber sigh) and who can scream the loudest, the carefully crafted essays get drowned out or glossed over in favor of snappier and more "exciting" content. We don't value both sides of the argument. We never spend enough time in the same place to think critically or explore different approaches to the same question.

Now, at the 11th hour, no one was prepared to have to fill this role. RSS is no longer sexy, it can't be monetized easily, and yet so many of us will find it very hard to imagine life without it. Most worryingly, I don't think Google is ready either (barring some huge unannounced G+ feature launch tomorrow morning). Google Plus remains a mess (I genuinely try and try again to use it), and when I look at the Pages that my news sources own, they're neglected and devoid of their content feeds. Some will move on to the latest "new" thing, but others will be stranded in less than ideal RSS territory. I hope us refugees will find a proper new RSS home as soon as possible.

Corn & Bacon Griddle Cakes

strange is how we like it

This recipe was so far out when I came across it on Google Plus (yes, I still occasionally use it; this recipe discovery might be justification to use it more!). My close friends know that I rarely pass up a recipe that seems strange and unconventional, and this one was not an exception.

These stuffed pancakes look very involved, but the batter comes together surprisingly quickly once the ingredients are assembled. The cakes themselves are full of structure from the corn and bacon, almost like an okonomiyaki.

The recipe calls for Monterey jack cheese, but rest assured that this recipe works handsomely with bolder cheeses as well; I used a blend of asiago and parmesean.

After the cakes are finished cooking (just like how you'd make other stuffed pancakes, such as banana, blueberry, or chocolate chip), be sure to top with some extra bacon and plenty of maple syrup

[Recipe from RecipeGirl.com]
Ingredients:

8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 cup frozen, canned or fresh corn
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
warm maple syrup, for serving


Directions:
1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon pieces until they begin to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onion is softened. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the bacon mixture for topping the griddle cakes upon serving- and set it aside.
2. While the bacon is cooking, combine the flour, chives, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, egg and oil, just until moistened. Stir in the bacon mixture, corn and cheese. The mixture will be thick. If you'd like the griddle cakes to be slightly thinner than those pictured, add a little more milk to thin out the batter.
3. Heat and grease a griddle or large skillet. Pour a heaping 1/4-cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook until it is golden brown- 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining batter.
4. Serve stacks of griddle cakes topped with a sprinkle of the reserved bacon/onion and a good dose of warm maple syrup.

New Year, New Cookies

Hello everyone/anyone who still follows my blog; what a hiatus it's been (since April 2011!) and my how time flies.

In the past year, I seem to be surrounded by friends amid a craze for French macrons. I was at first confused and underwhelmed by all the fuss, after trying a few bland ones. As a mutual friend of mine Alex Woo aptly put it:

(credit: Alex Woo; http://www.woopictures.blogspot.com)

However, after sampling a few properly made ones, I think the light, crisp yet chewy and flavorful creations grew on me. When the boys at Sorted Food did a video on how to make them and made it look so easy, I decided I had to have a go at it myself.

First attempts? Well, not great. The batter was runny and ended up with macaron halves that looked like cells caught in the middle of mitosis...

This was a good lesson for me: be patient with beating egg whites! Make sure they are whipped to the point of undoubtedly stiff peaks. However, if the piped cookies flow together, you can still cut them apart once they have cooled.

 

Other than that, this recipe is actually really simple, but remember simple doesn't always mean easy; work with precision and neatness, and you will save yourself from heartbreak and a nightmare cleanup job. Once you have the basic steps down, then the flavors and varieties are only limited by your imagination.

Flavor + Filling combinations I've tried so far:

• Vanilla + Nutella
• Raspberry + Berry Jam
• Spiced Bourbon + Pumpkin
• Pistachio + Nutella Buttercream
• Lemon + Lemon Curd
• Orange + Chocolate Buttercream

Pistachio + Nutella Buttercream

Recipe (via Sorted Food)

Project Doduo: The Making of My Own iPad Case

A few weeks ago, I finally dipped my feet into the world of tablet computing with the purchase of an iPad 2. I did not buy a cover/case for it because I was rather dazzled by how many choices are out there. Apple's Smart Cover seemed enticing, but I couldn't justify spending $40 on a product that only covers half of the product. I remembered deep down from my blog reading about a DIY Moleskine Case for the first iPad, and decided to give it a try for myself with my own twist: splicing the Smart Cover with the Moleskine/Dodocase.

A New "J" in the J&M Herbal Kitchen

Last week, Jerry and I made scones!

I've decided to post the details of this adventure on Jerry and Maciek's blog of their homemade food and drink adventures. Check it out! :)

http://herbalkitchen.wordpress.com/

mini-project: Binder Clip Phone Holder

Even though I read Lifehacker frequently, I can't remember the last time I tried one of their proposed hacks for electronic accessories. Countless ideas for $2 laptop stands, iPad holders, and phone cozys have come and gone, but today's post for a quick and easy in-car phone mount finally seemed like a good fit for what I've been looking for... Here's what I've cooked up using the article for inspiration

Chinese New Year

I am a terrible blogger, but once in a while I feel the need to write down my thoughts... Usually I'm lazy and reach for Twitter, but this time 140 characters doesn't quite cut it, so I'm pulling out the big guns...

Yesterday was Celebrasia at Northwestern, something that has been a highlight of sorts during a school year. I remember the work that I would put in both as a CSA member and with the Lion Dance group that I led. Spending the evening at home and seeing all of the excited posts on Facebook certainly made it hard to not feel nostalgic. Was it a mistake to decide to miss it this year? perhaps

I think what makes this year the most different, however, is the way that I feel so uninvolved with New Years in general. This will be the first Chinese New Year season in eleven years where I am not actively involved in performing and spreading the cheer. The first year that I am not spending hours planning, practicing my routine,  locked up in front of a computer furiously editing a skit, or making final checks in the wiring of the Lions' eyes. This realization didn't really sink in until last night, when I went to Milpitas Square for dinner and saw some kids waiting outside of a restaurant, fully decked out in their Lion leggings and Happy Buddha costume and warming up to do a lion dance through a restaurant. Right then, I felt the most homesick and separated from the friends and family that are far away now.

I realize that CNY isn't here till Wednesday night, so maybe there's still time to do something. (I think I need to find some firecrackers, NOW! :P ) In the mean time, I wish everyone a wonderful Spring Festival-- 恭喜发财!

 Our Lion Dance for Celebrasia 2008; Photo courtesy Kurt Qing 

Getting back up to speed pt 2: Bike Project!

For those of you following my bamboo bike project progress, I previously left off at how my inspiration came about.

For the engineering classmates, my "BME" inspiriation was not Biomedical Engineering (sorry!), but rather a fellow by the name of Brano Meres. From is "About BME" page, you can easily tell he is a seriously smart bloke, and has produced some truly drool-worthy pieces from carbon fiber and bamboo. http://www.bmeres.com/bambooframe.htm

I took the inspiration from him to build my frame jig, though mine is probably nowhere near as robust as his. Still, it got the job done and I was ready to do the carbon fiber layups.

The layup process was very similar to his (using perforated electrical tape to apply pressure, etc), so with some help from my roommate, we finished the first layer for a couple of the joints in this time lapse:

After the first layer of CF, I added some high density foam to help fillet the corner and reduce stress concentrations...

As the project stands now, I've finished almost all of the layups... It's just waiting for a final sanding (to smooth out the CF and get rid of excess resin..) and then it'll be ready for assembly. The project is a bit of a standstill now because it is physically difficult to work on something when it's over 1000 miles away...

Getting back up to speed: Summary of Summar

Once again, I've fallen waaay behind in blogging; a LOT has happened in the past few months so I don't know if this is enough to fit in to one post.... I'll start with some summer summary (alliteration ;P)

Summer was spent with my last co-op term at Fenwal. Work was pretty chill, and we were on summer hours ( M-Th 9hrs, Fri 4hrs) so I had a lot of free time on Fridays. One milestone was finally replacing the broken LCD on my car radio with an entirely new unit, so now I have MP3 CD, and in theory an aux in/satellite radio port available if I were to add some more hardware... The surgery went OK; just an afternoon's work.

(picture coming soon!)

I think the highlight of the co-op term was filling one of our boss's office full of balloons to look like the makeup of blood while he was away for his birthday.. Needless to say, he was in for a bit of a surprise when he returned.

(picture coming soon!)

We spent a lot of time playing on weekends. One very interesting weekend was for Chiarng's birthday. We started out with dinner at Buca di Peppo, then drinks at a lounge called Murasaki. Very stylish, and the drinks were pricy, but the atmosphere was great

We crashed at friends' apartments in Chicago, and explored more of Chicago the following day. We went up to Belmont for dinner, and stumbled upon a promotional event by Lexus for the upcoming "sporty" hybrid- two words that I would rarely use together.

Exterior is typical Lexus, but I don't know if younger people would be drawn to this... Lexus sure has some work to do to shed its old lady stereotypes and warm wallpaper paste feeling when driving along...

Verdict? Well, it's a hybrid for sure. Beyond that, I can't really say since we only drove it for a total of 4 blocks on public roads, never exceeding 25 mph. I can't really compare to other hybrids since I personally haven't driven one, but I think the biggest challenge the CT 200h faces is the other "sporty" hybrid: the Honda CRZ. That has the big advantage of a manual transmission (a must for a driving enthusiast!), and most likely a ~$15K price advantage(!!??!!)
And the big question of "sprotiness"?? Doesn't even compare to my big Subaru station wagon, let alone my parents' BMW, so it's a resounding no. Still, being handed the opportunity to test drive cars that are the only two working prototypes in North America is a pretty special ordeal.

Sticky and Buttery

Yesterday Tiffany and I made Sticky Buns!

The dough making process was pretty involved. As Tiffany puts it, you first make the dough, then add a ton of butter to it...! Then there's a lot of waiting involved: 6 hours in the fridge after the dough has come together, and another 2-3 hours after the buns are shaped. The worst wait is of course the last one: 20-30 torturous minutes of cooling in the pan after they come out of the oven.
The result? Beautifully sticky and at the same time flaky. Not bad for our first attempt at making a Brioche dough!

(Buns with raisins shaped by me, Sans raisins by Tiffany)

(I won't mind if you stare at my buns. Just this once)

Tiffany's awesome cinnamon rolls... fun sized!

Sadly, I did not take pictures while we were making them, but we hope you enjoy these pictures of the freshly baked buns.

And just in case the evening wasn't unhealthy enough, here is a key lime cheesecake just in case

Part I: The Beginning and Bambi?

A few people may already know that story behind this project, but I think there are enough people who don't that I shall tell it from the beginning.. As I'm nearing completion of the bamboo bike frame, I've been bouncing around a few names that would be suitable... The first one I've come up with is "Bambi"... (maybe I'll put it to a vote later.. haha)

It was the third or fourth day of lecture when I was sitting in MatSci 201 (Into to Material Science) and the professor pulled out a question, and asked us about material selection. Still a little disoriented from trying to find my way around the Frances-Searle building to the lecture room, I didn't think much into the question: What materials would make a bike frame? My classmates were raising their hands and answering with somewhat obvious answers: titanium! carbon fiber! etc.

Maybe this moment wasn't really as pivotal as I seem to remember, but our professor casually mentioned how sometimes it's good to consider/try out uncommon materials and explore how they perform. That's when he gave the example of using bamboo as material for bike frames.

I went back to my normal routine for a while, and the interesting notion of using a nicely sustainable, yet theoretically ideal material (insert discussion here about axial strength, elasticity under transverse loading, etc etc) for a bike frame kept popping up. A quick internet search led me to Calfee Design (http://www.calfeedesign.com/bamboo.htm) and their beautiful bikes. I was a bit discouraged by their $2500+ price tag, but they were a good inspiration and proof that it can be done.

(Calfee bamboo bike)

This project was placed high up on my proverbial shelf of to-dos and stood there collecting dust for at least a year... Though the next time I revisited this project and found the determination to finish it, it was thanks to BME..

(to be continued!)

Theme of the Quarter

I don't usually make "themes" for academic quarters (though some have been "getting my @$$ handed to me". not by choice, of course), but this one is shaping up with a pretty clear theme of Typing Up Loose Ends

Some may know about my ambitious bamboo bike frame project from the summer. This project didn't get too much time and attention after school started and has been pretty stagnant... Today, however, marked a big milestone in the project with the completion of cutting all of the members to size and coping the connections. The frame is ready to be tacked together with some glue and prepped for the carbon fiber!

Frame in jig, held together with masking tape for now...

(I realize that a lot of the story about this project is missing. I will post those soon!)

Hat tip to Ben for helping me with the tricky coping the final pieces of the front triangle this morning

Hand Pulled Noodles: Success at last!

It's been over two years since I first started seeking the secret to making hand pulled noodles. The recipe for a proper dough has always eluded me, but I think I've finally reached success.

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic pastry flour
1 cup very warm water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
sitting for a day + ~15 min kneading in the mixer

I've seen some new recipes floating about the web now too, so I'll have to give them a try. For now I just need to work on my pulling technique... so uneven!!

noodles, beta release?

Char Siu Fun, Awesome Flop-some, and Travertine

Cooking adventures filled our previous week, starting with some Chinese cooking. Char Siu meat (we used both beef and pork...) and and properly crispy Chinese Eggplant. While we had the oil heated and plenty of leftover flour, we decided to try and make an Awesome Blossom... Will note to self to try again in the future... Perhaps hotter oil? Deeper frying vessel?

I also bought an unfinished travertine stone tile to use as a pizza stone. What better chance to try Alton Brown's pizza dough recipe?

A New Aid (Aide?)

My apologies for this week's update with last week's photos being a little late. I wanted to include a few pictures of a very special new tool/toy that reached my apartment earlier this week: KitchenAid Artisan mixer!! After many years of yearning for one, I finally put down the money and got one.

Gallery below has pictures from the past week: bird of prey sightings outside our apartment, dabbling with mixology, and first use of the new mixer.

Puzzles

Asides from being the best name for a bar, we did work on one this week. And lots of pictures of food, mostly from the nice feast/potluck on Sunday evening.

first day and second day

(posted retroactively, but written earlier today..)
January 5th, 2009 12:55pm

I'm sitting at me desk sipping the first batch of coffee made by the new French Press I got at IKEA, getting ready for an afternoon's work with some real blood runs in the lab.

Last night I went to SPAC for the first time in a while, and I saw all of the different people getting their New Years resolutions on. I don't usually make New Years resolutions (if I need improvement in areas of my life, why wait until the calendar changes to do it??), but I suppose now is a good time to reflect and make some improvements..

Here are some things that I would like to do...

1) Take 1 good photo a day. Digital Photography School mentioned the Photo A Day Challenge, and how dramatically your photog skills improve just by trying to get one good photo a day. Seems like it's worth a try.

2) Try 3 new recipes a week. Every day when I come home from work/class, I feel at a loss of inspiration when it comes to what I should make for dinner... Now that I'm following so many food blogs and have been exposed to so many mouthwatering ideas, it's about time I make a schedule to try them out.

3) Hone the mind+body. A lot fits under this category, (and yes this is a very cliche term) but I guess the biggest thing I'd like to improve is my flexibility... Any believers that I'll be able to do the splits by the end of the year?

4)Finish my bamboo bike frame before the end of Winter Quarter!! I never updated my friends/the world about this project, but I shall do that

For now, enjoy a movie from the year previous. My friends and I decided to take on the task of making the worst movie ever that was still serious (think overdone high school English class project...) Enjoy it if you can :P

New Wall Decoration

I know, I'm a hopeless nerd (maybe even "petrolhead")

first update in a long time

i'm sitting alone tonight in my apartment, bored for the first time in a very long time... (Slu is off to Taiwan, and Vania is out of town taking on the daunting challenge of an International distance triathlon......!)

Life is rather good.. I've settled into the apartment that we'll be living in for the coming year, and now I have some time to think about some projects for the summer and other random things. I think a list will be better.

• Furnishing the apartment has been an interesting experience, with many trips to faraway places like downtown Chicago for furniture, and serveral trips to Home Depot to build our own countertops, etc...
• My bike was recently stolen while parked at a bike rack next to Kellogg :( A spiteful voice in my head says I hope they don't find much value/use out of it since it is missing the seat and lacks a rear axle... furthermore, I sprayed down the chain+gears with WD-40 right *before* i bothered to look it up online to find out that WD-40 is one of the unholy sins of bike maintanence since it dissolves away the lubricant, causing the metal components to grind and rub on each other.... Either way, I am currently searching for a replacement (looking into the possibilities of a road bike?)
• I found a new fascination with the Charcaol Chimney... bascially a open cylinder that you use for lighting your coals for grilling without the use of lighter fluid, and supposedly makes the process much faster. I do find it difficult for me to fork over ~$18 for such a simple device that i could probably make out of a coffee can... maybe more on this project to come...
• I now have the dilemma of whether or not i should tune up my car. In many ways, I really wish my car was a Legacy GT, with the glory of 243 turbocharged horses. That way it would also fit a lot more of the performance components normally found on the STi's. Again, my frugality is getting in the way of any action that i'm contemplating.
• I need to start picking up web design skillz... I have a website overhaul that I need to complete soon! @_@
• Photography has been fun, but i think I'd like to gain a bit more hardware for some cooler results... I'm thinking a nice flash would be a great accessory, but if the photog experts out there have any suggestions, I'm listening :)
  

Mystery Car

My friend sent me this picture of a car near his apartment in downtown Chicago, but we're both stumped. Anyone have any idea what it is?



(here's his brief description: "Sorry for the bad pic... the owner was standing right there and I tried to be discrete. I remember the logo was green. With those tiny tires maybe its some sort of fancy golf cart? Maybe I'll try to get a second look at some point.")