Cherry Tomato Tart with Burnt Scallion Ricotta
2 weeks ago
Monday, March 30, 2009
Odd Laws
When in Canada, count your pennies well. In Denmark, don't wear a mask in public. More foreign laws that you should heed while in the country...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Undo E-mail
Now you can 'undo' any Gmail account e-mail you send. A very handy feature!
And while you're in the "Google Labs" to enable the 'undo' button, check out the other helpful features like "accessing Gmail while offline" and the "forgotten attachment detector."
And while you're in the "Google Labs" to enable the 'undo' button, check out the other helpful features like "accessing Gmail while offline" and the "forgotten attachment detector."
Maestro's Return
The Phantom of the Opera has been running on Broadway (and provoking tears) since 1988. And now there's going to be a sequel! Who would have thought? Love Never Dies opens in October this year. Unfortunately, Paris has been replaced by Coney Island...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Glitz and Grub
Here are a few sites I've just discovered that I will be going back to quite often.
The first, I stumbled upon when Googling details for the NY film location of Salt (starring Angelina Jolie). I've never found such a comprehensive site that offers location specifics, so this was an unexpected treat. (Despite living in NY for a few years and sighting various celebrities, I've only once, to my knowledge, walked by a movie set (it was a car chase scene from the 3rd Bourne film), and I never found any Web sites that disclosed such insider information.) Here's the site: http://www.onlocationvacations.com/category/daily-filming-locations/.
The second, http://eater.com/, is a restaurant/bar blog. Updated regularly, it features reviews and news on local establishments.
The first, I stumbled upon when Googling details for the NY film location of Salt (starring Angelina Jolie). I've never found such a comprehensive site that offers location specifics, so this was an unexpected treat. (Despite living in NY for a few years and sighting various celebrities, I've only once, to my knowledge, walked by a movie set (it was a car chase scene from the 3rd Bourne film), and I never found any Web sites that disclosed such insider information.) Here's the site: http://www.onlocationvacations.com/category/daily-filming-locations/.
The second, http://eater.com/, is a restaurant/bar blog. Updated regularly, it features reviews and news on local establishments.
Mine Magazine
Hurry and get your Mine. Time is offering a customized magazine (digital or print, your choice) for readers, the material culled from a handful of its existing magazines like InStyle and Sports Illustrated. Oh, and it's free.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hesperonychus elizabethae
No, no relation to me. This was supposedly a dinosaur, the smallest known one in North America. Based on the picture, it sort of resembles a ferret.
Article: Nicholas R. Longrich and Philip J. Currie, "A microraptorine (Dinosauria–Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America," PNAS, March 16 advanced online edition
Article: Nicholas R. Longrich and Philip J. Currie, "A microraptorine (Dinosauria–Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America," PNAS, March 16 advanced online edition
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Climate Changes
Thanks to global warming, the Atlantic Ocean circulation will be altered "in a way that will move more water to New York by 2100," according to a study by Florida State University. The Bloomberg article is here. Other places including Florida and California, not to mention island nations, will be similarly affected.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Just Not Into You
I recently (and finally!) saw He's Just Not That Into You at the movie theater. The film certainly won't win any Best Picture or Best Acting nominations, but it was a cute chick-flick and better than a great deal of the fluffy romantic movies churned out nowadays. I don't think it deserved the heavy criticism it provoked from some critics.
The most notable point about my viewing of the film, however, is that I saw it at Regal Battery Park where they were offering it with OC (Open Captions). This was my first time there. Similar to when you go to a foreign film and the English subtitles appear on the screen, this film had green (?) subtitles for everything being said. The problem was that the subtitles were very hard to read: almost transparent, and green. This is opposed to the typically strong, white captions like in foreign films or on DVDs when you click on the subtitle option. I really had to strain my eyes to read the captions. I am assuming that this poor mode of captioning is due to the manufacturer's desire not to "bother" or distract people who don't need the captions. If that's the case, then don't go to that particular showing of the film! (The film was being shown in non-OC theaters at the same Battery Park place at different times, so it's not a big deal to find an alternate showing.) And also, many people who don't have any hearing loss still enjoy captions, so I really don't understand the theater's reasoning for such terrible captioning.
In the absence of better OC film captioning in the city, I will continue to frequent the few theaters (Chelsea Clearview and AMC on 42nd St.) that offer Closed Captioned (CC) films. This is also known as Rear View Window (RVW) captioning because the viewer uses a small screen to reflect the captions coming out near the projector in the back of the room. Because it's only visible to the viewer with the RVW device, it's not as "intrusive" and known as CC rather than OC. I have enjoyed this form of captioning and haven't had much of a problem with it.
In summary, I'm just not that into Battery Park's use of OC.
The most notable point about my viewing of the film, however, is that I saw it at Regal Battery Park where they were offering it with OC (Open Captions). This was my first time there. Similar to when you go to a foreign film and the English subtitles appear on the screen, this film had green (?) subtitles for everything being said. The problem was that the subtitles were very hard to read: almost transparent, and green. This is opposed to the typically strong, white captions like in foreign films or on DVDs when you click on the subtitle option. I really had to strain my eyes to read the captions. I am assuming that this poor mode of captioning is due to the manufacturer's desire not to "bother" or distract people who don't need the captions. If that's the case, then don't go to that particular showing of the film! (The film was being shown in non-OC theaters at the same Battery Park place at different times, so it's not a big deal to find an alternate showing.) And also, many people who don't have any hearing loss still enjoy captions, so I really don't understand the theater's reasoning for such terrible captioning.
In the absence of better OC film captioning in the city, I will continue to frequent the few theaters (Chelsea Clearview and AMC on 42nd St.) that offer Closed Captioned (CC) films. This is also known as Rear View Window (RVW) captioning because the viewer uses a small screen to reflect the captions coming out near the projector in the back of the room. Because it's only visible to the viewer with the RVW device, it's not as "intrusive" and known as CC rather than OC. I have enjoyed this form of captioning and haven't had much of a problem with it.
In summary, I'm just not that into Battery Park's use of OC.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Green Ogre on Broadway
I'm glad I'm not an ogre, even after watching the happy ending of Shrek on Broadway. Ogres are sent away from their parents to assert their independence a full 10+ years earlier than humans (at age 7). Shrek forged a solitary lifestyle until the entire kingdom's worth of fairy tale characters were dumped on his land (AKA, swamp) because of the prince's decree against them. Shrek travels to appeal to the prince, and on the way meets a talking donkey who befriends him. Once at the palace he's promptly dispatched to go rescue the Princess Fiona, whom the prince had chosen as a bride. Fiona is locked away in a tower guarded by a dragon. Fast-forward a bit and Shrek falls in love with her after the rescue; Fiona also falls for Shrek. Then there's the fight and misunderstanding and almost-wedding to the prince, and then ultimately a happily ever after for the two (yes, two!) ogres.
I haven't seen the first of the three Shrek films for years, so I had slightly forgotten the plot before seeing the musical a week ago. I am fuzzy on the details of the movie, but I believe that the play followed the events of the film dutifully (although, of course, the film doesn't include multiple songs, like the musical does). The songs were average in terms of the lyrics and catchiness of the tunes; nothing stood out, and I wasn't humming any song from the evening after I exited the theater. However, the actual voices (singing) of the cast were superb. The costumes and scenery were vibrant and colorful, and if all of the costumes were not overly creative, it nevertheless was a treat to feast my eyes on the diverse fairy tale characters crowded on the stage during their scenes. (My favorite of these characters, the gingerbread man/boy, looked exactly like his counterpart in the movie. He tosses a few good lines back and forth with the prince when he's being tortured, regarding the muffin man.)
Like the film, the musical is not just for kids. (It's not even G rated as a film.) Many of the jokes will go over kids' heads, or at least I hope so, because otherwise kids are getting more jaded and too worldly before their time. Much of the musical's punch comes through mocking the traditional fairy tales and conservative values as expressed in the classic Disney animated films for decades. However, the high point of classic fairy tales -- boy wins girl, a happy romantic ending, and peace for the community as good defeats evil -- isn't relegated to the back shelf in Shrek, but instead rightfully reigns supreme, just as in the past, in this 'modern fairy tale.'
I haven't seen the first of the three Shrek films for years, so I had slightly forgotten the plot before seeing the musical a week ago. I am fuzzy on the details of the movie, but I believe that the play followed the events of the film dutifully (although, of course, the film doesn't include multiple songs, like the musical does). The songs were average in terms of the lyrics and catchiness of the tunes; nothing stood out, and I wasn't humming any song from the evening after I exited the theater. However, the actual voices (singing) of the cast were superb. The costumes and scenery were vibrant and colorful, and if all of the costumes were not overly creative, it nevertheless was a treat to feast my eyes on the diverse fairy tale characters crowded on the stage during their scenes. (My favorite of these characters, the gingerbread man/boy, looked exactly like his counterpart in the movie. He tosses a few good lines back and forth with the prince when he's being tortured, regarding the muffin man.)
Like the film, the musical is not just for kids. (It's not even G rated as a film.) Many of the jokes will go over kids' heads, or at least I hope so, because otherwise kids are getting more jaded and too worldly before their time. Much of the musical's punch comes through mocking the traditional fairy tales and conservative values as expressed in the classic Disney animated films for decades. However, the high point of classic fairy tales -- boy wins girl, a happy romantic ending, and peace for the community as good defeats evil -- isn't relegated to the back shelf in Shrek, but instead rightfully reigns supreme, just as in the past, in this 'modern fairy tale.'
I Scream, You Scream
This site lets you create your own ice cream or gelato and will ship directly to you or a gift recipient. It's like visiting a Coldstone Creamery or Maggie Moo's, where you walk in and watch the servers add fun 'mix-ins' like Snickers bar bits or candy sprinkles to the flavor(s) you choose, but without the instant gratification of eating the dessert after making your selections. Ecreamery.com also features a great deal more flavor choices (Butter Brickle? Egg Nog, Chocolate Malt, Pumpkin Pie, Root Beer, and Black Walnut are just a handful of the many available) than typically seen in stores. The downside is the cost -- a 1/2 gallon will run you a minimum of $50, and that's not counting the mix-ins (examples include Pop Rocks candy, Oreo cookies, Fruity Pebbles, and even several types of cheese).
Friday, March 6, 2009
Ridiculous
This woman was so upset about not getting her McNuggets and a prompt refund that she actually called 911 to tattle on McDonald's.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Etymology
Wondering about the origin of the phrase 'plumb forgot'?
The word 'plumb' (pronounced 'plum') derives from the Latin 'plumbun (lead), the same word that 'plumber' derives from, because a plumber works (or used to) with lead pipes.
Since a plumb line is completely or absolutely perpendicular, the word 'plumb' became an adverb meaning 'completely or absolutely' in phrases like 'plumb forgot' or 'plumb crazy.'
The word 'plumb' (pronounced 'plum') derives from the Latin 'plumbun (lead), the same word that 'plumber' derives from, because a plumber works (or used to) with lead pipes.
Since a plumb line is completely or absolutely perpendicular, the word 'plumb' became an adverb meaning 'completely or absolutely' in phrases like 'plumb forgot' or 'plumb crazy.'
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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