This post is to record my creation of the word Socialbonics. I’m sure you’re familiar with Ebonics. Well, socialbonics refers to the widespread use of abbreviated words in social media such as text messages, twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. Example: Wht r u up 2?, Hw r u?, C u ltr. Etc.
Via Gizmag:
Professors at the University of Missouri are developing a nuclear battery the size and thickness of a penny. This is great since in it will provide a very clean form of power for small devices like cell phones.
Now if they can just determine the difference in size/thickness between a penny and a dime.
My little Mrs. (hot geek) bought me a PogoPlug for my birthday. No, get your mind out of the gutter; it’s a home network attached storage device. Even more than that, it is essentially a small Linux server which allows you to access your files from any computer or even iPhone via the internet! Here’s how it works: Connect the device to your home router, connect a usb hard drive to the plug, register it on the PogoPlug site and your set. You can upload files to it via any web browser along with viewing, renaming, deleting etc. Or you can download a small installer which maps your Pogoplug as a network drive on your pc or Mac. I had intended to connect a couple old 120Gb ide drives to it but quickly discovered that the cable I planned on using was USB 1.0 instead of 2.0 so I need to get new cables to use those. In the meantime I was anxious to try this bad boy out. So, I connected an old 30GB iPod video to it. It instantly connects and is available via my browser or network drive. The really big selling point for me on this is that a usb hub can be attached so that multiple drives can be mounted. The company also offers a free iPhone app which allows you to upload pictures to it as well as stream music, view pictures etc. right on your phone from anywhere in the world. That was one of the first features I tried and must say it works great. The device is managed using the My Pogoplug site which really just acts as the mediation server for connecting to the device. Your data is as secure as it would be on your home computer.
Here’s a shot of the mypogoplug management site:
If you’ve been looking for a good backup that is easy to use and is extremely accessible I can’t recommend the PogoPlug enough.
As you know, I have an iPhone. As I am certain you also know, I like wine and cooking. What do these have in common? Well, the bottom line is my waistline. Stay with me here. A like, ok love of wine and home cooked meals combined with an over 30 sluggish metabolism certainly don’t equate to abs of steel, rock or any other solid adjective. So in an attempt to shed a few and maybe even tack on a few more years in the process I installed an iPhone app called LoseIt. I really like the app because it makes calorie & carb counting easy. So far in the month since I really starting faithfully tracking food intake I have lost 7 pounds. Keeping track of what I eat is something I have always done anyway (being type 1 diabetic) however with this app it doesn’t leave it to guesswork and often times poor memory.
I started at 185 and my goal is to get down to 150 which is about what I weighed when my wife and I were dating. I have found it really amazing how much I was eating before. 2000 calories a day, hell probably more like 2400.
This was what we had for dinner last night and usually have at least 1-2 times a month. It’s basically an adaptation of a few recipes I’ve seen. Peppered lemon tilapia with green beans.
2 tilapia filets
1 lemon with 2 thin slices cut and set aside to place on top of the fried filets and the rest juiced.
1 can of French sliced green beans. Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of butter.
An individual serving for this meal with a 10 ounce glass of chianti is only 503 calories. Hence the title.
Even if you aren’t a fan of fish you will probably like this as tilapia takes on the flavor of whatever it is fried or seasoned with.
The green beans just get heated up in a small pot.
For the tilapia place 1-1/2 tablespoons in the frying pan. The other 1-1/2 should be heated (microwave 15-20 seconds) in two small containers for pouring over the green beans and fish when done.
On medium to med-high heat place the two frozen tilapia filets in the frying pan with the butter. Generously season the top if the filets with ground pepper.
Fry for about 3-4 minutes* on the one side the flip. Again season the current side with pepper and allow to fry for another 3-4 minutes.* Pour the lemon juice into the pan and allow it to cook until it has reduced to a slight paste consistency. Flip once more. Season with more pepper if desired. After another 3-4 minutes* it should be thouroughly fried to an almost blackened appearance.
Place the fried filets and cooked, drained, greenbeans on plates. Place 1 lemon slice on top of each filet until you are ready to eat. Place the small dishes of melted butter on each plate. This can be poured over both the fish and beans or the fish can be dipped in it. (My wifes preference)
*Depending on the size and thickness of the filets you may need to add or reduce frying times. The filets cool rather quickly so I reccommend placing them on the plates immediately before serving.
Here are pictures of the entire process:
A recent speech by President Obama I feel applies to many children in the current generation:
“Our kids can’t all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States.”
Indeed.
That is the French translation for dandelion. Lately I have been drinking a couple mugs of dandelion & spearmint tea since I have no shortage of either and it is actually quite good. It turns out that dandelion leaves contain almost every vitamin and mineral a person needs, kind of the multivitamin of the plant world -they are very high in potassium. Basically I take four to six large washed dandelion leaves along with the same number of spearmint leaves, tear them up then let seep in hot water for 10-15 minutes. I have to say I’ve been feeling pretty darn good since I started drinking it. It supposedly stimulates the liver and kidneys. It is a diuretic so yes, you will pee more which the French name nicely implies.
Back in March I posted about how I installed something called a PowerSave unit. This is supposed to help reduce the amount of electricity one uses each month by decreasing the amount of power that is drawn from the grid when a motor starts up and runs. Inductive loads. Well, I am thrilled to report that it really does work as advertised.
Here are the comparison’s of last year versus this year for April & May:
May 2009: 515 kWh
May 2008: 758 kWh
243 kWh reduction
$.117630/kWh
$28.58 Savings
April 2009: 840 kWh
April 2008: 935 kWh
95 kWh
$11.17 Savings
Yesterday I installed a capacitor based power saving device. This should help to reduce my monthly electric bill by a minimum of 10% and hopefully as high as 25% Here you will find a brief overview of the install.
My Spider Rifle which was published in the Make Magazine Volume 06 now has a video tutorial thanks to KipKay of Makezine.
It’s a very good video which shows how easily you can rid your home of Spiders and other nasty insects/arachnids.
Ok, that may be my saying but it fits in this case.
I started further excavating in our basement today underneath the bathtub. After hauling out a dozen or so 10 gallon buckets of dirt and sand I came across the usual garbage such as tar paper, lathe, siding, mortar, bricks and insulation.
I also found a couple small beads and some bones. Yes bones.
Read all about it.