Weatherbug

I installed a weather dealie for Firefox yesterday.

Today it popped up a severe weather alert, because the temperature was going to hit 111.

I live in Phoenix. Is it going to give me an alert every day until October?

I at least wish the initial warning were more specific than "Severe Weather Alert", so I'd know the difference between extreme heat and something I actually need to change my routine for.

Flash Sunday.

Attack on LOL City!

I think this was made by the folks who brought you ROFL Copter.

digg 2.0!

hey! digg 2.0 is out! It has friends list support, and I'm online as Pentomino, so let's exchange usernames if anyone else is on there.

food culture

From Fark: Americans can't cook because our parents never taught us how.

My parents never really taught me anything about cooking. I made sandwiches, and sometimes cookies, scrambled eggs, and macaroni and cheese. Everything else was all done by my parents. My mother would often talk about how she'd help her mother in the kitchen without being asked. But whenever I asked if I could help, no matter how frustrated she was, she just said she had everything taken care of.

I never really cooked by myself until I moved out of the house. Rice, spaghetti, pasta, burgers... all done for the very first time when I was 22. I marvelled at the things I found at the supermarket that my parents never bought.

Through the help of cookbooks, and Alton Brown, I've picked up some good skills. Aside from the usual pre-processed bachelor cuisine, I can also make omelets, risotto, mayonnaise even. I cooked a whole turkey once. I have one or two large recipes memorized, like that curried chicken with peaches I love to make.

But there are still huge gaps. Since I usually eat alone, I don't know whether my results are any good. Does my risotto have the right texture? How do I make the best of leftovers? How can I plan my cooking and shopping so I don't forget to eat my food while it's still fresh? Am I draining my fried food the right way? Did I fry it right to begin with?

See, since I'm learning independently, the only standard I have to compare against is restaurant food. And I'm starting to realize that a lot of restaurants are in the business of putting out barely-edible food. Last week, I was at Long Wong's on Baseline, and ordered a burger, and they ran out of hamburger buns. Rather than suggest I order something else, they made the sandwich on square Wonderbread, just like Eddie Murphy's mother. I burned my hand on soaked-through burger grease a few times before pitching it and leaving. And that place has stayed open for five years. I wonder if it stays afloat because that Cambodian woman is making her daughter work for free.