Shadiest Batteries Ever?

I needed some AA batteries. It was late, so I knew the usual places wouldn't be open. I came across a slightly unsavory looking convenience store. Went in, asked for batteries, paid and went on my way. I got home, and got a chance to take a closer look at the batteries and I noticed that something wasn't quite right. First, all the asian script makes the batteries seem slightly unofficial. Second and most importantly, there's a fuzzy pink bunny wearing a yellow "Duracell" tank top. I'm pretty sure the only brand of battery to feature a fuzzy pink rabbit is Energizer. Ah well, I'm pretty sure they'll work just the same.

Streaming Movie of the Week - "RiP! A Remix Manifesto"

This week I'm picking a documentary about modern copyright. It looks at copy right, and creative commons in a very cultural and media savvy way. I think it's a great watch for everyone, especially for those with strong connections to the internet. It's also a pseudo biography on mash-up maestro Girl Talk, who is featured throughout much of the documentary. So here it is friends, "RiP! A Remix Manifesto."

Brief Thoughts

A public health system in America simply will not work. It's totally true, in fact, 9 out of 10 people that have absolutely no idea what they're talking about agree.

Editing Photos - What Have I Been Missing?!

So, I recently got a 17" MacBook Pro, and suddenly I see the world differently. Lights are brighter, colors clearer, edges more defined... in my photographs that is. I kept reading about all this work people did on their photos after they took them, but I had no idea what they were doing. So I was flipping through my photos in iPhoto (it's a Mac thing, no big deal) and I noticed a little button that said "Edit." I though "what a novel idea, editing photos." I picked a picture I took a while back and away I went, and subsequently, never plan to return. First there was the RGB scale, sliding the bars up and down effortlessly, as if a Ouija board guiding me to the perfect spot. Then, a tri-force of tuning; EXPOSURE, CONTRAST, SATURATION! What wonders! What idle hands could have crafted such witchcraft. Then definition, followed by highlights, and on and on until resting at de-noise. My breaths short, and my heart beats shorter I thought surely that was it, surely there couldn't be more... but then, there it was. Each letter sounded a symphony as I read it in my head, "Temperature." Doth mine eyes deceive me? With all disregard for my cardio-vascular systems, I slid the slider a cool, or should I say hot, 10 degrees to the right. I did not see a warning when I received my MacBook, I did not feel empty inside, yet I knew my soul had to have been taken, because this could only be the work of the devil himself. Beauty; simple and uncompromising. I am in love... with editing my photos.

Indie Film Watch - "A Spare Moment"

This beautiful short comes from a very close friend that I've worked with on a few projects. His name's Sunny and I found "A Spare Moment" to be very true to life. I'm a big fan of calm and quiet video pieces, especially when they're shot in HD. Great work Sunny.

Indie Film Watch - "Death to the Tinman"

Here's a student's short film I came across on my travels through the internet. It's called "Death to the Tinman," and I wish I had something like this under my belt. It's a little weird, maybe even a little creepy, but it's also a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy (hopefully).


Watch Death to the Tinman in Entertainment  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Adventures in (Un)questionable Eating

My normal questionable eating post involves some less than savory meals that come from a general lack of effort or ingredients... or both. This time around, however, I actually made a proper meal with all sorts of ingredients. I took the recipe from a book series I'm currently knee deep in. The book series is The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, and the meal is called Spice Soup. Mr. Goodkind actually had the original recipe up on his site that he created some years before writing the books but worked it in. Here we go...

1. The Ingredients

2. The Spice -

Frying some peppers in oil. After letting the peppers brown and release their heat into the oil. Then take out the peppers. We'll be mixing the oil in with the main soup.

3. More Flavor-

After taking out the peppers I put in the mushrooms and onions to saute everything for a bit.

4. Chop Chop -

I chopped up some pototaoes, carrots, celery, and zuchini.

5. So Much -

To the pepper oil, mushrooms and onions I added all the chopped ingedients along with a bag of frozen corn. This turned out to be more than this pot could handle...

6. Relocation -

So I moved to a cauldron and added a half head of cabbage.

7. Blood Red -

To the mix I added a large can of diced tomatoes.

8. Even More Flavor -

Here's where the soup bit comes in. I added a container of chicken stock.

9. Mix It Up -

Give everything a good stir.

10. Stew It -

I then let it simmer on the stove for about 3 hours.

11. Killing the Time -

While stewing and stirring I decided to do some reading. And in light of the situation, I was reading book 4 from the Sword of Truth series from which this soup came.

12. Sights & Sounds (sadly no smells) -

Here's a video of what I was listening to and looking at for the time it was simmering. It half looks and sounds delicious, but it also sounds kinda creepy. Yum!

13. And Then -

After simmering for a while, this is what it looked like.

14. Can I Get Some Herbs or What? -

For a finisher while I let it sit, I added some green parsley.

15. Enjoy!

In retrospect there are a few things I would have done differently. I would have used Chicken Base instead of Chicken Stock. The base is better for tweaking how much chicken flavor you get, slightly more complicated, but the soup could have used a little more punch. To the oil, in the beginning, I should have added some garlic for a little more body. I found that added a little vinegar to a bowl really helped. I think I would also have used more peppers to the oil just to add a little spice and heat. Overall though, I'm really happy that I made the soup. Now when I'm reading, and he describes sitting around a fire waiting to enjoy a hot bowl of Spice Soup, I'll know exactly what he means.

Here is Terry Goodkind's original recipe: http://www.sword-of-truth.com/spice-soup