Easter

You've got the brawn
I've got the brain
Let's eat chocolate bunnies!

 

Recipe: 4 Cups of Custard

Recipe: 4 Cups of Custard

Start with a solid glass 4 cup measuring cup.

Add ½ cup of sugar, and 4 eggs. Beat until smooth, but don't get air in.

Gradually mix in milk until the mixture reaches the 4 cup mark.

Carefully add flavoring. I like 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon of almond extract, and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg.

Put the cup in the microwave. give it 8 minutes on low. if you don't have a turn table do 2 minutes at a time with a quarter turn in between.

This is the tricky part because microwaves vary so much. Give the mixture another 3 minutes and check the temperature. If you have a thermometer you're looking for just over 200 degrees. Otherwise observe how it steams and judge when it looks about to boil. Until you reach that point, keep zapping it. But stop as soon as you reach it.

Wait half an hour. It should be set but not very hard. Scoop it out and eat it warm.

This is very soothing to the stomach and easy to digest. It's i had when i was really down with the nasty bug that's been going around.

TV: Robot Combat League

TV: Robot Combat League

Robot Combat League has a cool name. Unfortunately, that’s about all it has going for it. I think almost anyone contemplating the name would automatically imagine something much more interesting than the reality.

First of all, this is not like the robot competitions that have been going on at universities in the past decade. This is not lawnmower sized machines built by engineering students hacking and cutting at each other. This is not a competition among teams working independent under a few simple constraints. Nope, this is just a supersized version of Rockem Sockem Robots.

All of the robots were built by the same group and have pretty much the same design. Two arms, two legs, hydraulic movement, and rear support beam attached to a dolly. So while they do walk, it’s a hunched over walk, with the beam and dolly providing balance. An umbilical provides power. These are animatrons really, not robots. Each is operated by a team of two. One uses a joystick to operate the legs, making the robot move forward and backward, left and right, but there’s no actual turning. The other operator uses a waldo to move the arms and torso. Since this is a punchout, a lot of camera time is spent demonstrating how the robot’s arms follow the movement of the operator’s arms. The operators are referred to as the “robo pilot” and “robo tech” I forget which is which.

There is an anonymous staff of referees and mechanics, plus a moderator, one Chris Jericho. Jericho is a professional wrestler with lots of experience in over hyped commentating. Also he was in a movie once playing an industrial service robot who enters a pit fighting match and gets beaten to death by ticked off factory worker.

The competitors do a lot of bragging. “I actually built robots for NASA.” “I’m a combat helicopter pilot, I can handle powerful machines.” “I’m a professional auto racer, I’ve got lightning reflexes and nerves of steel.” “I play a lot of video games.” “My dad is George Lucas.” But come on-- engineering knowledge means very little if you didn’t build the machine. Not to mention, the machines on Mars are real robots, with intelligence and autonomy. And the only physical skill you need is the ability to play Tag. Strategy does help, but only a little.

`As I said, the robots are built very similarly. The differences are meant to interest the audience. This one has extra heavy fists. This one has a longer reach. This one has thicker armor. This one has minimal armor but it’s fast.

So rockem sockem. The upper body operators yell to their partners: Charge! Back off! Right! Left!. Sometimes their partners respond in perfect synchronization. Swing those arms— it’s a hit! Sparks fly when a fist connects, but that’s just for show. The cover pieces, which are referred to as armor, get knocked off, which makes no difference except that the hydraulics get exposed. Damaged hydraulics limit a robot’s movement. “That left arm is dangling uselessly!” Jericho unnecessarily informs us. Oh and the hydraulic fluid is slippery, so a robot standing in its own blood loses traction. So far none has actually fallen, but that’s surely coming.

A match is three rounds. In between there are 20 minutes for repairs. The staff does most of that but the operators usually do some. Mostly it’s tightening bolts, replacing broken hydraulics, refilling the hydraulics, and popping back on the fender like armor pieces— if they aren’t too badly bent. The important thing is that if there is a lot of damage, there will not be time to fix everything. Unequal scoring in the first round often leads to the worse of robot being rendered totally disabled in the second. That’s referred to as a knockout.

But, and here’s my biggest complaint, there is no duct tape! What kind of supposedly engineering/geeky competition has no duct tape? With duct tape you could have those twisted armor pieces back on in 5 seconds. You could cover that crack, splint that rod, reinforce that pressure seal. Jury rigging is the true test of machine related skills, not part swapping.

I had a really old car once that developed engine trouble. The mechanic said that the head gasket wasn’t properly sealed because the cover was warped. Replacing the cover would have been really expensive, not to mention the downtime while waiting for delivery. So instead the mechanic took a head gasket of a thicker size and shaved it down to match the bend in the cover. Worked nicely. That’s the kind of activity I want to see in a robot match.

Otherwise, it’s about as “technical” as crashing model trains.

TV: Smash

TV: Smash

Smash is a drama about an attempt to make a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. It gets a lot disparagement. and low ratings. I don't know why, personally, i like it.

There are three main groups of characters, each seperated by about a half generation in age, and each with its own set of motivations.

The oldest group consists of finance and production. Old hands, on first name terms with everyone who counts. Unfortunately, the power couple that first took on the project got divorced, and now the show is caught up in their feud.

Next is creative: script, music, choreography, and direction. In their stratum, everyone is a genius and their employability depends less on how many hits they've had than how recently they've had one.

Then there are the performers. Apparently, until the show opens, they live on a $200 a month stipend, out of which they have to come up with food and lodging and additional acting/singing/dancing lessons to improve their chances at auditions. In New York-- i don't see how they can do it. Plus, until the show settles in with a guaranteed season they have to be ready to jump on a moment's notice. The backup performers are always looking to jump anyway-- to something that will give them more exposure.

Also, who will be Marilyn? The more experienced Ivy, who's a buxom blonde even without the costuming? Or Karen, who's kind of scrawny, but has freshness, eagerness, and the burning desire to never need to look for a job back home in Iowa. Yeah, kinda like Norma Jean.

Karen the newcomer is played by Katherine MacPhee, also a newcomer. Not that it matters, i didn't recognize anyone in the show except Debra Messing, the creator and main writer. So MacPhee was just someone else i'd never heard of and i was surprised at the hate out there for her. Apparently she came up through American Idol and that leaves a stigma. I don't know why, i don't watch any of those shows, but i thought the idea was to reward talent that might otherwise go overlooked. Apparently the Internet thinks she was unfairly rewarded because there are some awful things being said about her speech, movement, facial expressions, emoting, and even the way she stands still. I don't get it, she seems fine to me.

So, drama, intrigue, bed hopping. And music.

The music has gotten bad responses too, but i think it's wonderful. Each song perfectly fits the mood of the scene it's in. Some of the songs are meant to be part of the musical and some are sort of dream sequences triggered by stress between the characters, which makes the outer story sort of a musical too.

Finally there's a lot of genuine discussion on the meaning of Marilyn in our culture. Is she a true role model? Was she just a commodity? Or did she manage to outgrow the men who treated her like one?

Smash is nearing the end of its second season. There may not be a third. That would be sad.

My Dishwasher

I am so unorganized. It's really hard to feel i've made progress on anything. And i spend more time trying figure out how to get something done, than i do doing it.

That's why i like my dishwasher. I put the dishes in, run it, and behold, they're clean! No uncertainty there.

Codfish Cakes

Codfish Cakes

I was thinking about codfish cakes a few weeks ago. My father used to make them when i was a child. You start with dried salted codfish. Rinse it in clear water to remove most of the salt, then mix it with mashed potatoes, eggs and sour cream. Cook in a skillet and serve with applesauce. It was hearty, filling, a nice traditional working class dish.

Well, last week, for the first time in years, i found the same brand of codfish, dried and salted in a wooden box, at a local grocery store. It was ten dollars a pound! Working class no more. That's what we've come to, fish is a luxury. I recently read a claim that by mass, the amount of fish in the oceans is just one tenth of what it was a hundred years ago. I saw a very compelling set of photographs, trophy fishing pics from tourists at a single Florida resort over the decades. The fish get smaller as time goes on. I wonder if anything can be done.

Roman Catholic Idol

Roman Catholic Idol

And Now...

It's time for the latest installment of Who Wants to be the Pope?

Welcome back to the island of Santo Dorito, 40 miles off the coast of Italy, where only the candidates, Vatican officials, and our production team are allowed for the duration.

In our previous episode, Cardinal Mancucci was eliminated after failing a Faith Challenge. He appeared really confident when he stepped off the dock, but he fell right into the water.

The post session voting was once again a deadlock, and the rocket launched high over the island, once again trailed black smoke.

So let's get to it. Remember, Brother Salazar of the Green Order has immunity today, thanks to his successful healing of World of Warcraft of a deadly virus. Brother Salazar is considered by many to be the dark horse in this contest. On the other hand, there are those who consider his success to be a one time fluke. Certainly, Cardinal Adrianalli, with his steady string of effective blessings, continues to be the favorite.

And here come the candidates, coming to the chapel for the morning Mass. Wait-- i'm getting a bulletin, slow down please, i can't make out-- what? Say that again? Ladies and Gentlemen, i have just received word that one of the candidates may actually be the Antichrist! Investigators at both Mother Jones and The Daily Beast are working now to confirm the information and to try to identify who it is. Folks, this could be a real game changer!

This is my other journal

This is my other journal. I created The Escapist Club for gaming related subjects. This is for everything else.

The name of this journal refers to the trouble i have coming up with the right words when i'm writing. Speaking is a lot easier, but when i need to commit something to the possibility of extended existance, i often find myself stuck at critical points. It always seems vitally important that i express myself properly. So i write and rewrite, consult the dictionary and the thesaurus, and even set the work aside. Setting aside is not an actual creative strategy for me, btw, i have a lazy subconscious that doesn't like to tick away at a problem in the background whiile i'm doing something else.

Even naming this journal was an example of that. I didn't necessarily intend to use that theme. But other things i thought of, like the names of Steely Dan albums, or references to attitudes, or to the miscellany i'm planning to put here, were all taken as Blogger addresses. So were references to this problem as well. No surpirse, i can't be the only one. But eventuially i found a name that was available and meaningful so i decided to run with it.

The folks at National Novel Writing Month refer to this problem as "your inner editor". I have failed twice to finish the project because i couldn't suppress mine. We'll see how i do this year.