After our usual Sunday morning whammy biscuit donuts before church, Andy and I had egg burritos for lunch to use up some stuff: eggs from our chicken, red and yellow tomatoes from our garden and some leftover avocado.
08.13.11 Dinner
Meg and I were home alone last Saturday night, so we made about 5 gallons of Southwest casserole and had some for dinner with an avocado.
08.12.11 Dinner
Since I’m only home to cook a couple of nights a week now, I try to pack a lot into those meals! This one was fresh corn casserole (a little chewy, though), shells and cheese, and steak.
Living In The Cloud
I find myself getting less and less patient with having to move data around between devices. I want to have access to things where I want them, when I want them. A lot of this has been building up over recent months, but I think the recent death of my old laptop (it’s GPU died…sad, sad day…) has brought it to a head.
Once the laptop died, I transferred some games to a desktop PC, but one I don’t leave on all the time. This computer used to be my Linux web server, so this 5+ year old system is hardly up to heavy gaming…but that’s another story. The new Linux server runs all the time, so it provides what we need for internet use, but there are a few key things it won’t do: card reader functionality and iTunes. I only have one device that has an SD card reader in it now, and it’s our netbook (Brooke has a USB card reader…somewhere…). That, and iTunes is Windows and Mac, exclusive, so I can’t use it under Linux.
This means I’m relegated to using the netbook until I get some replacement parts to help speed up what is currently serving as my Windows machine. And that netbook only has a 10″ screen, making it less than ideal for any kind of photo editing, or messing with an iTunes library. Sure, it’s fine in a pinch, but netbooks weren’t really designed for heavy use. Also, this poor netbook apparently won’t run Picasa: it actually “Blue Screens” Windows XP every time I try. Because of these shenanigans, I haven’t been able to move pictures from our Nikon DSLR from the SD card up to the interwebs because the Picasa program is how I generally do this.
Which brings me to the point at hand: I love me some cloud computing. Products like Dropbox (or Ubuntu One) to act as online storage, allowing me to share my files between the netbook, my Linux server, my work computer and my phone on the fly. Google Music, so I can sync music from the cloud with my phone, and never mess with iTunes again. Google+, which will automatically upload my photos from my phone to their servers (including Picasa) without me having to do anything. Google Docs, which is where I’ve been typing countless cover letters and maintaining a spreadsheet of various jobs I’ve applied to, giving me access from anywhere on any device, including my phone.
Case in point: I could have transferred those pictures from the SD card to the netbook, and then in turn to a USB stick, and then to the Windows desktop that’s capable of actually running Picasa (or I could have found the cable to plug the camera directly into the computer…but seriously…who knows where it is…), or I could just transfer those pictures to my Dropbox folder on the netbook, allowing them to “magically appear” on whatever computer I wanted to use. So much easier, and just as fast.
In short? I’ve become too lazy for USB sticks and SD cards. The act of physically connecting one thing to another has become a chore. I’m in the 21st century and want everything, including my hard drive, to be “wireless.”
I have fully embraced the cloud.
The only thing keeping me from going “all the way” is my iPod Nano. As our Kia Sportage doesn’t have an auxiliary jack, I can’t plug my phone into the stereo system. My radio transmitter will only accept iPod-like devices: not my phone. Thus, in order to listen to 8 GB of music or podcasts in my car, I have to use the iPod, which means I have to use iTunes, which means I have to use a cable to switch things around and update the playlist.
That, or I spend $250+ to get a new car stereo with an auxiliary jack, or $20,000+ on a new car.
I think I’m just spoiled…
Fish Fry
A new fish place recently opened off of Mark Twain Avenue in Hannibal that my father-in-law, Mark, has started to frequent. The proprietors go fishing on the Mississippi River daily, haul in their catch, clean it all for you, and open for business around 10:00 am. So if you want fresh catfish in that general area, this is apparently the place to go.
Anyway, Mark decided he wanted to host a fish fry this past weekend, so many of us descended upon Hannibal, MO to have a mix of catfish and buffalo fish, among other things.
Mark borrowed the equipment, but basically, we were outside heating up canola oil in a dutch oven over an outdoor propane burner. This one is very similar to the one I just got for my birthday to use in beer brewing. It took a little while to heat the oil up to the desired temperature, but he had an issue with the candy thermometer we were using. As in, it wasn’t working properly, so the first few fish didn’t quite fry correctly.
After he turned the burner down a bit, things improved. It only took a few minutes for each fish fillet to be cooked through. I was kind of amazed how the smell of fried fish permeated the air surrounding the frying rig. I mean, you can smell fried fish in a restaurant easily, but that’s an enclosed space. This was very easy to smell from 30 feet away. Mmmmm…
The buffalo fish isn’t one I’d ever had before: it’s the “wavy” one in the picture above. The catfish looked like your typical filet, so nothing too special there…except for the flavor, of course. Brooke also made hushpuppies, and those were pretty spectacular. The hushpuppies didn’t go in until after the fish was done, so as to not mix the flavors too much.
Brooke really wanted to try corn fritters, though. They’re similar to a hushpuppy, but not quite. She made up the corn mix and took it out with a little scooper, dropped it into the fryer, and they turned a nice, golden brown. I think they were a bit softer and less dry than a typical hushpuppy, but in the end, they’re pretty similar entities. Is there a reason to have both? Probably not. But hey, they were both spectacular, so I didn’t complain.
In all, the food was excellent. I can’t say I get fresh catfish very often, especially fish that was caught on the same day. I think I preferred the catfish over the buffalo, personally, but they were both really good. I think the corn fritters went over best with people, but the hushpuppies were almost gone by the end, too.
I don’t think we’ll have to try too hard to get Mark to make this a yearly (monthly?) event. 🙂
An “Auction-packed” Afternoon
I haven’t attended a ton of auctions in my time. Most of them have been for family members that passed away, so the kids were trying to get rid of all the stuff they had around the house. Old toys. Old magazines. Especially old farm tools and implements, many of which were rusted beyond any usefulness.
This past weekend, Brooke’s Dad and I went by an auction hosted by a guy getting rid of some collectibles, among other things. So, in some ways, this was my first auction for things I could actually have some interest in owning. He had an assortment of different items available, ranging from movie posters and artwork, to yard equipment, to two boats and a van, and so on.
It was very interesting seeing what people pay for things, especially prints. One guy spent $20 on a framed picture of Marilyn Monroe. Not signed. Not a particularly nice frame. Just a picture. Signed posters of sports “stars” (as in, I’d never heard of these people) from a car dealership in Independence, MO ranged from $10 – $30 or so. An oil-on-canvass portrait of some random guy sold for $300 to a man who looked slightly older than me. Surely he had some idea of what that thing was really worth, as the tears and condition of the painting made “$300” look like “too much.”
We arrived after most of the cooler things had already sold. The Corvette shown above had a photocopy of a magazine listing values for such things, placing the car in the $15,000 to $24,000 range. No clue if it actually sold for anywhere near that. It was a Pace Car in the 70th Indianapolis 500 and looked like it was in pretty good condition. There were a few small children’s cars that had already sold, as well. I didn’t take pictures, as they were being loaded up by the time we got there. They were your “Flintstones“-type vehicle, where your feet would propel you forward as you sat in this metal and wood contraption. Looked cool and was surely antique.
I think Mark was interested in the Betty Boop waitress statue. It was maybe 5 feet tall and looked to be in great shape. We couldn’t tell how much it eventually sold for, but we were told that someone called in a bid of $2000 for it. Not the kind of money I would pay, but still…good to know how much I need to save up if I eventually want something like it.
All in all, it was a worthwhile experience. We were only there for maybe 30 min, and that was all we needed to tell that most of the interesting stuff had already sold, and most of what was left wasn’t worth much to us.
It’s just interesting to know that what isn’t worth anything to us is worth something to someone else.
07.30.11 Dinner
Scrambled egg from our chicken. She’s been eating mostly grass and bugs so her eggs are super bright!!
We had the eggs with sausage and peppers (from the garden), homemade bread that I froze awhile back, and mandarin oranges. Andy was disappointed we didn’t have all home grown things, but someday we’ll have our own fruit. Probably not oranges, but fruit of some sort!
07.29.11 Dinner
Fried chicken, fresh green beans, and mashed potatoes and gravy. The potatoes were sort of polka dotted since I threw in a yam to give them a little nutritional value since Meg has decided mashed potatoes are her favorite food!
A Bit Conflicted
A few months ago, Amazon launched their own Appstore for Android phones, however it took me until a few weeks ago to actually get it. Long story short, Android users have the Android Market pre-installed that allows them to download free and paid apps to their phones, and the Amazon Appstore is a separate entity that does the same thing: just through Amazon. AT&T, in their infinite wisdom, denied users the ability to install apps that weren’t from the Android Market (including the Amazon Appstore), but they finally reversed course at the end of May and decided to start allowing such things. However, it took over two months for the update to finally make through AT&T’s network to my phone that would allow the change. I was in constant contact with AT&T and my phone’s manufacturer, HTC, trying to get this stupid update. They even sent me a replacement phone, but no dice.
Finally, one day I checked, and I had the ability to install the Amazon Appstore. All of the sudden. Lovely.
Since that time, I have grabbed a few apps and checked out some others. There are some apps that are exclusive to Amazon’s store, and others that are only available through Android Market. The killer feature of the Amazon Appstore, however, is their “Free App of the Day,” where Amazon allows you to download one free (normally paid) app during that 24 hour period. Sometimes it’s a productivity app (like, today, it’s “iCooking Barbeque,” which gives you recipes. Normally, it’s $0.99). This past Monday, however, the free app was a game called Guitar Hero 5, which normally sells for $8.
You can hopefully see why I was anxious to get this appstore. Sure, there are frequently things I don’t want, but sometimes, something comes along that’s normally $8 that you can get for free. You don’t even have to install it: you just have to “buy” it and Amazon will remember that you own it. If anything, you can just get everything and never use any of it, and not even take up the virtual space on your phone.
I am, however, at odds with what Amazon is doing with their appstore. Sure, as the consumer, I like free stuff. It gets me to use their service and I end up purchasing more through them than I would otherwise. This is Amazon’s strategy in doing this in the first place (and they are paving the way to release their own tablet at the end of this year, with full integration of their own appstore, effectively bypassing Google).
But what happens to the developers of these apps? You know, the folks that actually made the app that Amazon is giving away for free for that day?
There are more than a few horror stories out there on the internet. One company put their app up on the store and would get a few hits a day. Amazon offered to host their app as a free app for the day, and they decided to go ahead and do it (so, yes, it’s voluntary). Amazon tells the developer that “We have seen tremendous results from this promotion spot and believe it will bring you a great deal of positive reviews and traffic. It is an opportunity to build your brand especially in association with a brand like Amazon’s. The current price of this placement is at 0% rev share for that one day you are placed.” So, basically, Amazon gives the app away, and neither Amazon nor the developer makes anything for it on that day. And this is what happens:
This particular developer was making some money from a few sales a day, and then effectively gave away 100,000+ copies of their app. Almost $55,000 of product, given away. After that sales spike, the developer says the sales returned to the original levels.
And this developer is not alone, In another case, the developer ended up giving away 180,000 copies of their app, but they ran into a separate problem from the first example. The Amazon Appstore apparently doesn’t discriminate between Android phones, so in some cases, a given application won’t be fully compatible with your phone…and Amazon may not tell you this. If you download the app and it doesn’t work, you tend to review the application unfavorably. This particular app didn’t work on a certain set of Motorola phones, which meant that anyone that downloaded it gave it a bad review. All the sudden, these guys ended up with thousands of bad reviews for their application, on a product that shouldn’t have been on some phones in the first place.
So, am I happy I have the Amazon Appstore? Absolutely. However, I’m also conflicted about it. I have heard folks on podcasts that watch the store for updates in order to hear about new products, and if a particular app comes up that they want, they wait until the next day and go ahead and purchase it in order to make sure some revenue makes it to the developer. Amazon also offers a nifty “Test Drive” feature for many of the apps they host that allows you to actually try the app out for 30 min on your Windows PC before buying it. Thus, you can try it out on the free day, and if you like it, choose to wait to buy it the next day. Others will get the free app, and then if the developer makes another application, they will be sure to buy that one also (which is kinda the whole purpose of this model…you get a free app, decide you like it, and then go to the developer’s page and buy more apps from them. Doesn’t always work, obviously…).
Just something important to keep in mind. What’s free to us, as Consumers, isn’t free to the people that made it. Someone is losing money when we are given things for free.
07.23.11 Dinner
Mmmm, brats…can’t go wrong. A side-product of Mom sending me to Hy-Vee with her card, we had both pineapple and beer brats, as well as corn on the cob and sweet potato chips.
Thanks again for everything, Mom! They turned out really well! 🙂