Some folks are out to prove that you can deep fry anything. here are some deep fried strawberries. Yumm!
Jan 13, 2010
Deep Fried Strawberries
Some folks are out to prove that you can deep fry anything. here are some deep fried strawberries. Yumm!
Pig in a Poke
It is an offering or deal that is foolishly accepted without being examined first. 'Don't buy a pig in a poke' might seem odd and archaic language. It's true that the phrase is very old, but actually it can be taken literally and remains good advice.
The advice being given is 'don't buy a pig until you have seen it'. In British commercial law it is 'caveat emptor' - Latin for 'let the buyer beware'. This remains the guiding principle of commerce in many countries and supports the view that if you buy something you take responsibility to ensure it is what you intended to buy.
A poke is a sack or bag. It has a French origin as 'poque' and, like several other French words, its a diminutive is formed by adding 'ette' or 'et' - hence 'pocket' really means 'small bag'.
Poke is still in use in several English-speaking countries, notably Scotland and southeastern USA, and describes a type of bag that would be useful for carrying a piglet to market.
A pig that's in a poke might not be a pig. If a merchant tried to cheat by substituting a lower value animal, the trick could be uncovered by letting the 'cat out of the bag'. Many other European languages have a version of this phrase, with most of them translating into English as a warning not to 'buy a cat in a bag'. The advice has stood the test of time and people have been repeating it for at least five hundred years.
The advice being given is 'don't buy a pig until you have seen it'. In British commercial law it is 'caveat emptor' - Latin for 'let the buyer beware'. This remains the guiding principle of commerce in many countries and supports the view that if you buy something you take responsibility to ensure it is what you intended to buy.
A poke is a sack or bag. It has a French origin as 'poque' and, like several other French words, its a diminutive is formed by adding 'ette' or 'et' - hence 'pocket' really means 'small bag'.
Poke is still in use in several English-speaking countries, notably Scotland and southeastern USA, and describes a type of bag that would be useful for carrying a piglet to market.
A pig that's in a poke might not be a pig. If a merchant tried to cheat by substituting a lower value animal, the trick could be uncovered by letting the 'cat out of the bag'. Many other European languages have a version of this phrase, with most of them translating into English as a warning not to 'buy a cat in a bag'. The advice has stood the test of time and people have been repeating it for at least five hundred years.
Robots
The socialization of robots was an important area of research during 2009. Researchers believe that giving robots social skills will make them better at assisting people in homes, schools, offices, and hospitals. Andrea Thomaz created robots that can learn simple grasping tasks from human instructors who use social cues, such as verbal instructions, gestures, and expressions.
Another robot, made by a group at Carnegie Mellon University, guides conversations by making "eye contact" to suggest that it's time to speak.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, created a machine-learning program that lets a robotic head develop better facial expressions. By looking in a mirror, the robot can analyze the way its motors move different parts of the face, and create new expressions.
Some robots developed a quirky social skill, knowing when humans are angry. Researchers at the University of Calgary used a headband with physiological sensors to program a modified Roomba (that automated vacuum cleaner) to move away from a user when it detected stress in the form of muscle tension.
Researchers created a robot to check for signs of breathing and to deliver oxygen, if needed. The robot, based on a system originally developed for heart surgery, attaches to a stretcher so the patient can be monitored during transport.
Researchers from Harvard and Yale Universities have developed a simple, soft robotic hand that can grab a range of objects delicately, and which automatically adjusts its fingers to get a good grip. The new hand could also potentially be useful as a prosthetic arm.
Scientists at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) made a robotic "skin" out of a thin, flexible carbon that changes its resistance depending on pressure. This allows the robot hand to tell the shapes of an object, the amount of force placed upon it, and the direction of that force.
There is even a mini-robot vacuum picks breadcrumbs and more from your table.
Miniature robots will soon see the inside of our human bodies, and will send back images to everyone else, as the Technion company have created one of the world's smallest robots for use in surgery. Reminds me of an old Raquel Welch movie.
The ViRob robot, measuring 1mm in diameter, has been designed to move its way through spaces within the body as small as 3mm wide. It will be able to travel through veins, which can have a width of 6mm, and other passages with ease. It is powered by external magnetic fields and uses its 'arms' to crawl along the innner linings of the body.
A project was launched in 2005 and aims to make available to the general public at an affordable price, a humanoid robot with mechanical functions, electronic, and cognitive worthy prototype research. Nao should be available to the general public soon. It comes standard with basic behaviors, and is slated to become an autonomous companion for the whole family.
Japanese researchers said they have developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second. It is controlled with an infrared sensor and can turn up, down, right or left.
Another robot, made by a group at Carnegie Mellon University, guides conversations by making "eye contact" to suggest that it's time to speak.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, created a machine-learning program that lets a robotic head develop better facial expressions. By looking in a mirror, the robot can analyze the way its motors move different parts of the face, and create new expressions.
Some robots developed a quirky social skill, knowing when humans are angry. Researchers at the University of Calgary used a headband with physiological sensors to program a modified Roomba (that automated vacuum cleaner) to move away from a user when it detected stress in the form of muscle tension.
Researchers created a robot to check for signs of breathing and to deliver oxygen, if needed. The robot, based on a system originally developed for heart surgery, attaches to a stretcher so the patient can be monitored during transport.
Researchers from Harvard and Yale Universities have developed a simple, soft robotic hand that can grab a range of objects delicately, and which automatically adjusts its fingers to get a good grip. The new hand could also potentially be useful as a prosthetic arm.
Scientists at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) made a robotic "skin" out of a thin, flexible carbon that changes its resistance depending on pressure. This allows the robot hand to tell the shapes of an object, the amount of force placed upon it, and the direction of that force.
There is even a mini-robot vacuum picks breadcrumbs and more from your table.
Miniature robots will soon see the inside of our human bodies, and will send back images to everyone else, as the Technion company have created one of the world's smallest robots for use in surgery. Reminds me of an old Raquel Welch movie.
The ViRob robot, measuring 1mm in diameter, has been designed to move its way through spaces within the body as small as 3mm wide. It will be able to travel through veins, which can have a width of 6mm, and other passages with ease. It is powered by external magnetic fields and uses its 'arms' to crawl along the innner linings of the body.
A project was launched in 2005 and aims to make available to the general public at an affordable price, a humanoid robot with mechanical functions, electronic, and cognitive worthy prototype research. Nao should be available to the general public soon. It comes standard with basic behaviors, and is slated to become an autonomous companion for the whole family.
Japanese researchers said they have developed a "hummingbird robot" that can flutter around freely in mid-air with rapid wing movements. The robot, a similar size to a real hummingbird, is equipped with a micro motor and four wings that can flap 30 times per second. It is controlled with an infrared sensor and can turn up, down, right or left.
Jan 8, 2010
Canadian Healthcare
Couldn't help but share this one about our neighbors to the north. Seems like we are not the only ones with healthcare woes.
Health records scandals making all Canadians sick
Posted By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN Nov, 2009
Nine years ago, the feds and Canada's 13 provincial and territorial governments announced a $10-billion plan to develop computerized medical records for every Canadian.
Federal Auditor General Sheila Fraser will report next year on the progress of the Electronic Health Records (eHealth) project, based on her audit of federal efforts and similar probes by her counterparts in five provinces. But what we already know suggests billions of taxpayers' dollars may have been wasted.
Ontario Auditor General Jim McCarter has just issued a scathing report on his province's EHR efforts, concluding the government lost control of the project, which began in 2002, and has spent $1 billion with little to show for it, leaving its future mired in controversy.
The scandal included the awarding of untendered contracts to high-priced consultants, in which public servants broke rules, similar to the federal sponsorship disaster. It has prompted the resignations of the health minister and chairperson of the agency in charge of the project, and the firing of its CEO.
Now, opposition parties want the head of the previous health minister, who oversaw the project from 2003 to 2008.
In Alberta, Auditor General Fred Dunn recently issued a report sharply critical of that province's EHR project, on which an estimated $615 million has been spent.
Dunn cited the province's inability to calculate the total cost of the initiative, make a business case for it or demonstrate it's achieving the expected results.
In British Columbia, a former top health ministry bureaucrat who oversaw that province's $200-million (at least) EHR project, is under investigation by the RCMP for alleged breach of trust, while a contractor is being probed for fraud. B. C.'s auditor general and comptroller general are also investigating.
These fiascos are not what Canadians were promised in 2000 -- a seamless EHR system allowing doctors and hospitals across Canada to instantly and securely access a patient's medical records, saving $6 billion annually by eliminating unnecessary duplication in diagnostic testing, while dramatically reducing deaths and suffering caused by prescription drug errors.
It's time to either fix or scrap EHR -- before Fraser uncovers even more horrors.
Health records scandals making all Canadians sick
Posted By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN Nov, 2009
Nine years ago, the feds and Canada's 13 provincial and territorial governments announced a $10-billion plan to develop computerized medical records for every Canadian.
Federal Auditor General Sheila Fraser will report next year on the progress of the Electronic Health Records (eHealth) project, based on her audit of federal efforts and similar probes by her counterparts in five provinces. But what we already know suggests billions of taxpayers' dollars may have been wasted.
Ontario Auditor General Jim McCarter has just issued a scathing report on his province's EHR efforts, concluding the government lost control of the project, which began in 2002, and has spent $1 billion with little to show for it, leaving its future mired in controversy.
The scandal included the awarding of untendered contracts to high-priced consultants, in which public servants broke rules, similar to the federal sponsorship disaster. It has prompted the resignations of the health minister and chairperson of the agency in charge of the project, and the firing of its CEO.
Now, opposition parties want the head of the previous health minister, who oversaw the project from 2003 to 2008.
In Alberta, Auditor General Fred Dunn recently issued a report sharply critical of that province's EHR project, on which an estimated $615 million has been spent.
Dunn cited the province's inability to calculate the total cost of the initiative, make a business case for it or demonstrate it's achieving the expected results.
In British Columbia, a former top health ministry bureaucrat who oversaw that province's $200-million (at least) EHR project, is under investigation by the RCMP for alleged breach of trust, while a contractor is being probed for fraud. B. C.'s auditor general and comptroller general are also investigating.
These fiascos are not what Canadians were promised in 2000 -- a seamless EHR system allowing doctors and hospitals across Canada to instantly and securely access a patient's medical records, saving $6 billion annually by eliminating unnecessary duplication in diagnostic testing, while dramatically reducing deaths and suffering caused by prescription drug errors.
It's time to either fix or scrap EHR -- before Fraser uncovers even more horrors.
Bottled Water
The smug greenies have done it to themselves again. Many folks are back to opting for tap water, or filtered tap water, because of the nasty environmental effects of producing and shipping bottled waters and the cleanup of the bottles themselves.
An increasing number of restaurants are offering only filtered tap water to customers these days. Mario Batali (from TV fame) stopped selling bottled water at his New York City restaurants in 2009, and eateries in Florida and Massachusetts are also serving only tap.
New York is the 11th state to require a bottled-water deposit, and the list is expected to grow. Americans last year threw away an estimated 2.5 million bottles an hour, according to data provided by the Clean Air Council.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors voted in June, 2009 to recommend that City Halls stop serving bottled water even at special functions. I always said bottled water was the pet rock of the decade, now it looks like some folks are beginning to agree with me.
An increasing number of restaurants are offering only filtered tap water to customers these days. Mario Batali (from TV fame) stopped selling bottled water at his New York City restaurants in 2009, and eateries in Florida and Massachusetts are also serving only tap.
New York is the 11th state to require a bottled-water deposit, and the list is expected to grow. Americans last year threw away an estimated 2.5 million bottles an hour, according to data provided by the Clean Air Council.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors voted in June, 2009 to recommend that City Halls stop serving bottled water even at special functions. I always said bottled water was the pet rock of the decade, now it looks like some folks are beginning to agree with me.
Speaking of greenies
I heard of a new bumper sticker. "Go Green - Recycle Congress." Seems like great advice.
Cheese is not Green
Cheese of any type, made from the milk of cows, or goats, or sheep has a significant impact on the environment compared with other food products according to some "researchers." According to them, sheep cheese is especially bad.
Environmentalists are saying cheese may do as much harm to the environment as some kinds of meat. Based on figures from Sweden, the production of a 1.5 ounce serving of cheese might be expected to produce around 16 ounces of carbon dioxide equivalent. Depending on which study you consult, a 2 - 3 ounce serving of cooked, boneless chicken meat should yield between 4.3 and 31 ounces of CO2-equivalent, although you get about the same number of calories from each.
According to them, raising a milk-bearing animal puts out a significant amount of greenhouse gases, thanks in large part to the methane the animals emit. Feed production also contributes to global warming, and animal waste has implications for both water and air quality.
Steve Zeng, a dairy researcher at Langston University, says feta cheese is one of the best options in terms of processing impacts and notes that Chèvre, Brie, and Camembert are also pretty green. John Beck, from Papa Murphy's, will be pleased to know that mozzarella is also on the 'green' list, since it doesn't require aging.
Sheep cheese is going to be worse for the planet than cow or goat varieties according to researchers from MTT Agrifood Research, Finland. They estimated that greenhouse gas emissions per unit of cheese would be roughly the same for cows and goats, but sheep might emit twice the amount of methane as a cow or a goat, per unit of milk produced. Soon we may all be required to eat grass. Wait, that is what causes methane emissions from livestock. I think we need to tell these "environmental researchers" to get a life! Next I am expecting a study that compares which is worse - cutting the cheese or making cheese.
Environmentalists are saying cheese may do as much harm to the environment as some kinds of meat. Based on figures from Sweden, the production of a 1.5 ounce serving of cheese might be expected to produce around 16 ounces of carbon dioxide equivalent. Depending on which study you consult, a 2 - 3 ounce serving of cooked, boneless chicken meat should yield between 4.3 and 31 ounces of CO2-equivalent, although you get about the same number of calories from each.
According to them, raising a milk-bearing animal puts out a significant amount of greenhouse gases, thanks in large part to the methane the animals emit. Feed production also contributes to global warming, and animal waste has implications for both water and air quality.
Steve Zeng, a dairy researcher at Langston University, says feta cheese is one of the best options in terms of processing impacts and notes that Chèvre, Brie, and Camembert are also pretty green. John Beck, from Papa Murphy's, will be pleased to know that mozzarella is also on the 'green' list, since it doesn't require aging.
Sheep cheese is going to be worse for the planet than cow or goat varieties according to researchers from MTT Agrifood Research, Finland. They estimated that greenhouse gas emissions per unit of cheese would be roughly the same for cows and goats, but sheep might emit twice the amount of methane as a cow or a goat, per unit of milk produced. Soon we may all be required to eat grass. Wait, that is what causes methane emissions from livestock. I think we need to tell these "environmental researchers" to get a life! Next I am expecting a study that compares which is worse - cutting the cheese or making cheese.
Speaking of Cheese
I just saw a New York Times statistical map from the latest data in 2008 that shows Americans spend more (.3% of their income) on cheese than (.2%) on computers. Cheese spending was up 12.5% for the year, while spending on computers went down 12% for the year. It comes from an interactive diagram of all spending. LINK
Jan 7, 2010
Friends
A friend is: a push when you've stopped;
a word when you're lonely;
a guide when you're searching;
a smile when you're sad; a song when you're glad. . .
and someone who knows enough to end an email before you are totally bored.
a word when you're lonely;
a guide when you're searching;
a smile when you're sad; a song when you're glad. . .
and someone who knows enough to end an email before you are totally bored.
Quotable
An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the single brain cell it occupied.
TV History
As we look to the new year, it is interesting to look back on how TV has changed our lives, for better or worse.
Philo Farnsworth, Idaho, invented television and filed for patent in 1927.
The first commercial TVs were produced in the US in 1938.
RCA 12 inch TV, 1939. Cost $600 (that would be like $9,337.00 in 2009).
The first public broadcast was made in London in 1936 and 1939 (on a 6 inch screen) in New York.
The FCC declares 1941 as the actual first broadcast and declares anything before that as 'experimental'. Also, the first commercial, from Bulova watch was seen in 1941. Maybe that is what made the FCC change its mind.
TVs were not produced from 1942 - 1945, due to the war, and tv stations broadcast only 4 hours per week.
Howdy Doody premiered on TV in 1947, The Lone Ranger in 1949, and the first coast-to-coast TV broadcast was 1951.
Commercial color TV was first seen in 1953, but less than 1 percent of TVs could view color. Most of the country had 4 VHF stations to watch, and none were available 24 hours a day. They ended the day with the national anthem, or the following. Then they showed test patterns until the next day's broadcast.
Do you remember - "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of . . . " John Gillespie Magee Jr.
LINK to "High Flight" above from KSAT TV signoff. Poem begins at about 1 minute in.
Ronald Reagan was host of "General Electric Theater" from 1953 - 1961.
1955 ushers in the first TV remote control from Zenith. Whoopee!
NBC announced in 1965 that 96% of its programming was in color, but it wasn't until 1977 that 75% of TVs in homes could receive color. Color TV sales first outsell black and white in 1972.
First pay TV was 1972 and it caused an uproar.
Cable TV broadcasting came in during the 1940s and 1950s for stations owners, first home cable, 1948, and was deregulated in 1984. Cable reaches 50 percent of households in 1987. CNN is first cable 24 hour programming. UK produces first 24 hour broadcasts in 1987.
1991 begins the first real-time commercial broadcast of war (the Persian War) and most major advertisers pull their spots as they were not willing to sponsor war coverage. NBC lost millions in advertising. Viet Nam coverage was all from film, not live broadcast.
18 inch satellite dishes are introduced in 1996. First web TV is introduced in 1996.
98% of households have at least one TV in 1998 and 67% have cable.
In 2005 A 42" Plasma HDTV usually retails for $4,500.00 - $7,000.00, with regular plasma flat screen of 42' at about $1,400.
LCDs surpassed sales of old CRT type televisions in 2008.
All digital TV is the only type of TV available as of 2009. As of 2009 you can also watch TV on your cell phone.
Philo Farnsworth, Idaho, invented television and filed for patent in 1927.
The first commercial TVs were produced in the US in 1938.
RCA 12 inch TV, 1939. Cost $600 (that would be like $9,337.00 in 2009).
The first public broadcast was made in London in 1936 and 1939 (on a 6 inch screen) in New York.
The FCC declares 1941 as the actual first broadcast and declares anything before that as 'experimental'. Also, the first commercial, from Bulova watch was seen in 1941. Maybe that is what made the FCC change its mind.
TVs were not produced from 1942 - 1945, due to the war, and tv stations broadcast only 4 hours per week.
Howdy Doody premiered on TV in 1947, The Lone Ranger in 1949, and the first coast-to-coast TV broadcast was 1951.
Commercial color TV was first seen in 1953, but less than 1 percent of TVs could view color. Most of the country had 4 VHF stations to watch, and none were available 24 hours a day. They ended the day with the national anthem, or the following. Then they showed test patterns until the next day's broadcast.
Do you remember - "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of . . . " John Gillespie Magee Jr.
LINK to "High Flight" above from KSAT TV signoff. Poem begins at about 1 minute in.
Ronald Reagan was host of "General Electric Theater" from 1953 - 1961.
1955 ushers in the first TV remote control from Zenith. Whoopee!
NBC announced in 1965 that 96% of its programming was in color, but it wasn't until 1977 that 75% of TVs in homes could receive color. Color TV sales first outsell black and white in 1972.
First pay TV was 1972 and it caused an uproar.
Cable TV broadcasting came in during the 1940s and 1950s for stations owners, first home cable, 1948, and was deregulated in 1984. Cable reaches 50 percent of households in 1987. CNN is first cable 24 hour programming. UK produces first 24 hour broadcasts in 1987.
1991 begins the first real-time commercial broadcast of war (the Persian War) and most major advertisers pull their spots as they were not willing to sponsor war coverage. NBC lost millions in advertising. Viet Nam coverage was all from film, not live broadcast.
18 inch satellite dishes are introduced in 1996. First web TV is introduced in 1996.
98% of households have at least one TV in 1998 and 67% have cable.
In 2005 A 42" Plasma HDTV usually retails for $4,500.00 - $7,000.00, with regular plasma flat screen of 42' at about $1,400.
LCDs surpassed sales of old CRT type televisions in 2008.
All digital TV is the only type of TV available as of 2009. As of 2009 you can also watch TV on your cell phone.
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