Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch

A very interesting (and entertaining) article about the popularity of cooking shows coinciding with the decline in actual cooking in American homes.

The Food Network carries a whole slate of so-called dump-and-stir shows during the day, and the network’s research suggests that at least some viewers are following along. But many of these programs — I’m thinking of Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Sandra Lee — tend to be aimed at stay-at-home moms who are in a hurry and eager to please. (“How good are you going to look when you serve this?” asks Paula Deen, a Southern gal of the old school.) These shows stress quick results, shortcuts and superconvenience but never the sort of pleasure — physical and mental — that Julia Child took in the work of cooking: the tomahawking of a fish skeleton or the chopping of an onion, the Rolfing of butter into the breast of a raw chicken or the vigorous whisking of heavy cream.

Handwriting

Reading this Lifehacker post about cursive handwriting (and the related comments) has made it clear that I've been ignorant about the current status of script writing. Is it seriously not taught anymore? I already know that most people in my own generation gave up on it, which I assume is due to a lack of use (or a motor cortex compromised by crack addiction), but... yeesh.

It was taught when I was in elementary school. In fact, my 5th grade teacher had a sign on the classroom wall stating "Cursive writing is a must!" I don't remember any other teacher making a big deal out of it. It was kind of an unspoken expectation that good students wrote in script, and that we would be doing it for the rest of our lives. Of course, starting in the 7th grade we had a computer lab available to us, so some teachers started the expectation that larger assignments (reports, etc.) would be typed. Fortunately for me, I was a spoiled little geek and had a computer at home.

Segue: In the television series Babylon 5, there was a group of people called the Technomages. They had methods of integrating technology with their bodies in such a way that they appeared capable of magical feats. That's beside the point though. The point is this: Foreseeing battle and hardship in the very near future, they chose to seek out a hiding place where they could preserve their secrets/way of life. I sometimes think that would be a good idea for humans... like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, but for knowledge.

Our technological and sociological evolution is taking place at an incredible pace. Less useful things will get left behind, and I accept that. It's supposed to be that way. Roman numerals lost their place in society and, given enough time, I'm sure handwriting will as well.

A lot of things are worth preserving: handwriting, making a radish rosette to garnish your plate, properly holding a fork and knife, or using chopsticks. These things are inessential when you think about survival, but they make us interesting. Every time we forget something like that I feel like we become a little less refined.

Noodle condiments

Noodle condiments
Originally uploaded by davethebad

Toppings for our delicious lime-peanut noodles tonight: red pepper, cilantro, peanuts, and scallion.

Pizza of the gods

Pizza of the gods
Originally uploaded by davethebad

Tonight's dinner: pizza with kale and swiss chard (both from our garden), red bell pepper, garlic, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Elephant Car Wash

Full article here.

Foster kitten

Kitten
Originally uploaded by davethebad

The foster kitten, playing by the door this morning. He's going back to the shelter tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be adopted by a family who likes being bitten constantly by a crazy kitten.

Forgotten operating systems

Oh, BeOS... I still mourn for thee.

Forgotten Operating Systems (Silicon Alley Insider)

Summer smells and mostly unrelated stuff

Lauren mowed the lawn today, so as I sit at my computer I am enjoying the smell of fresh mow-y-ness. It's a definitive scent of summer, much like the smell of lighter fluid (for charcoal grills) or Ruffles potato chips. Our aunt Bev always has Ruffles chips at BBQ parties... it's a (cherished) childhood memory.

Something about me:
I still use Windows Notepad. A lot. It even has a quick launch button on my keyboard at work. Perfect for taking notes while listening to voicemail messages.

Been playing a whole lot of iPhone games recently. The guys of the AppSlappy podcast were talking about I Dig It in the latest episode and I thought to myself, "Gee, that sounds just like a Flash game I used to play called Motherlode". And sure enough, it is the same game... except with better graphics, sound, options. And also, iPhone. Can't get enough of that.

Bed Bugs is also very fun. While gameplay is fairly simple (squish the bad guys, leave the good ones alone), it rapidly gets challenging trying to keep them all straight, and figuring out how to dispose of each bad guy. Some require a simple squish, others need to be tapped in unison, others still need to be tapped at the right moment or they will do more harm than good.

Bought myself a new keyboard/mouse combo this week and am enjoying it very much. The stock keyboard that came with my PC (last August) was simply not doing it for me anymore. We fall out of love with computer peripherals sometimes, and we have to move on. So it goes.

For you to check out:
These super-colorful salt production ponds in San Francisco are really groovy.