Last week I was questioning the practices of the local police; questioning how they spent their resources (Crime in Progress). This morning a PC was knocking on my door, letting me know that they had found my stolen bicycle and needed my help to make an arrest.
SEO and Google dance
I am doing the google dance right now. My recent and home brewed SEO (search engine optimisation) has paid of. Searching for David Kaspar will put DavidKaspar.com on second place of the results.
It was a bit disappointing that a search on Google for my name returned the true resource for David Kaspar only as item 75. Not many people have the patience browsing to page 7 so being on first page is grand.
Rancilio Silvia for us coffee connoisseurs
Life is too short to be drinking bad coffee and having a decent espresso machina is half the story of good coffee. The other half being of course having good beans (and knowing the lingo).
When my old Krups gave up it was time to upgrade to a big boy machina and the Rancilio Silvia had been very praised in the price class (affordable). Only one store was selling it in London so there I went. For £300 you expect a lot and Ms Silvia does not disappoint because of her heavy built, brass boiler and all stainless steel design.
Rancilio is a renowned name in the industry and this is their only consumer model. The steam power is amazing and will froth your milk very quickly. The machina consists of several large parts that are easily taken apart for cleaning.
The espresso making can be a bit tricky. It will take several runs to get any good at brewing good shots. There are several factors you will have to watch out for in order to succeed. The amount of coffee you are using, how well it is ground, how hard you pack it in the filter and what temperature you are brewing are just some.
I have sampled many different coffees like Lavazza, Illy, Blue Mountain, Segafredo and various blends from local shops. While I like the different characters of many coffees I always keep coming back to Illy. Rich aroma, little bitterness and great crema make it a favourite.
Necessary Lingo
- Americano: An espresso diluted with hot water.
- Barista: Espresso bartender (your goal)
- Espresso/Caffe Con Panna: Espresso topped by a dollop of whipped cream.
- Caffe Latte: An espresso made with steamed milk, topped by foamed milk.
- Espresso/Caffe Macchiatto: An espresso with a teaspoon or two of foamed milk.
- Caffe Mocha: A latte with chocolate.
- Espresso/Caffe Ristretto: A short, very intense shot. With the same amount of coffee as a full shot, half the water.
- Cappuccino: A shot of straight espresso with foamed milk ladled on top.
- Crema: The tan-coloured foam that forms on top of an espresso shot, as a result of the brewing process. Protects the espresso from being exposed to air.
- Espresso: The original one shot coffee brew. Hot water is pressed by means of a pump through ground, firmly packed coffee.
- Mochaccino: A cappuccino with chocolate.
Booty
You may have come here due to your incorrect interpretation of the word booty. I just wanted to remind you that the word actually has more meanings than the one your naughty mind always associates it with.
Yes, it is a common (Afro American) slang for buttocks or casual sex but there is also an earlier meaning: Goods taken by pirates or plunder taken during time of war!
[Listening to: Groove Armada-Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)-01-Suntoucher – – (06:32)]
[Mood: Bouncy]
[Mood: Bouncy]
Sweden says no to Euro
The Euro referendum in Sweden is decided. The voting ended Sunday 18 PM GMT and the votes were counted 3 hours or so later.
More than 5.4 million out of 7 million votes were cast. Over 56% of the voters said No which means that Sweden will NOT adopt the Euro (€) as its currency. The Yes backers might have been hoping for a late surge in support due to the killing of Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh but that didn’t happen.
Madame Butterfly – Puccini
I have not seen many operas and am in no way an opera enthusiast but this piece speaks a universal language that any human being can understand. As such I would recommend it to a first time opera goer.
Funny how sorrow, despair and powerful music can make you feel alive and wanting to live.
La Poule au Pot – London
This was the second time we were dining at this restaurant and I was looking forward to it since I remembered what a nice time we had had last time. It doesn’t get much more French in the middle of London!
Tourist hat on
One of Carla’s best friends from Brasil is visiting us for the next 10 days. Once again we get to put on our tourist hats and venture down town London to pick some of it’s many ripe offerings. Grand buildings, theaters, restaurants, museums, parks and bars are some of the things on the itinerary. Of course, the party hat is neither never far away when guests are visiting.
Washing machine fixed and that is very pleasing. The joy of clean and warm socks in the morning will be here again. How I have missed you and your humming my big, white and heavy friend.
Work has been tough the past week with long hours and frantic typing. Well, it has to be done.
Internet Is Shit
Something to reflect upon:
“Give an infinite number of monkeys typewriters and they’ll produce the works of Shakespeare. Unfortunately, I feel like I’m reading all the books where they didn’t. I can’t wait for the day when the internet makes me rejoice in its possibilities again. But right now, it’s shit.”
http://www.internetisshit.org/
How to connect your Plasma TV
A plasma screen is really a computer screen and thus not as easy to connect to your video units as a traditional TV. After a lot of researching and browsing and asking, below I have summarised how to do it.
Ranging from lowest quality to highest these are various video signals that a Plasma TV should handle. Since you have invested in an expensive TV you should really try to use RGB quality or above:
- Aerial antenna.
- Composite video. Usually one single cable with yellow connectors
- S-video lead. Is usually a black lead that actually carries the video information on two separate leads.
- RGB SCART. Carries the information on 3 separate leads (red, green, blue).
- (Progressive) Component video. Also carries the video on 3 separate leads but has more bandwidth for the signal due to better use of colour space.
- DVI. Digital video from a computer
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Just do it
- Identify which of your video devices can do RGB out. Your digital TV, sky digital, DVD player, PlayStation 2 and Xbox should be able to do this. Your VCR will not
- Get enough SCART leads that are fully wired to support RGB and connect the devices to each other, resulting in one SCART
- Get the RGB to Plasma VGA converter form The Media Factory. This will convert your SCART contact to a VGA contact with correct synchronisation signal that your Plasma TV needs. Expect a cost of £125
- Get a good quality VGA lead. Around £50
- Connect the devices that do not support RGB with S-video or composite in the worst case
- Use a cheap SCART switcher if some devices lack a second SCART socket
Theoretically you should be able to us a SCART-to-3 or 5 leads converter and plug this into your Plasma TV. The problem is that Plasma TVs require a stronger synchronisation signal than most SCART carry so even if you find a Scart-to-5-RCA lead it does not guarantee success.
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My case
One progressive DVD player that connects straight to the Plasmas BNC contacts. Playstation 2 via Sky and a second satellite receiver to a SCART switcher, via the above mentioned RGB to VGA converter and then to Plasmas VGA contact. Composite and S-video leads connected to a video switching amplifier for easy connecting of portable video sources, e.g. camcorder and digital camera.
Update 28/01/04
The comments are now closed. Please post any new questions in the forum.