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The rarely updated blog of Joel Dixon
Viewing blogs posted in October, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Chicken Vegetable Curry
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 19/10/2007 14:15:18Another internet find, Chicken and Vegetable curry is one of the nicest meals I've discovered since living in Edmonton.
Chicken and Vegetable Curry
Chicken, cubed - 1/2 lb. (225 gram)
Medium Potato, cubed
Carrots, sliced - 2
Bell Pepper (Capsicum), chopped
Large stalk of broccoli, chopped into smaller pieces
Garlic, minced - 5 cloves
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Curry Powder - 3 tbsp
Corn Starch - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 cups (500 mL)
1. Slice chicken and vegetables.
2. Heat wok or skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic, soy sauce, chicken and vegetables to wok or skillet. Let warm through (2 minutes).
4. Add curry powder, flour, sugar salt, and milk.
5. Stir-fry until chicken is completely cooked.
6. If vegetables are still too firm, reduce heat, cover and simmer.
7. Add additional milk and curry if needed for desired taste.
8. Serve on a bed of basmati rice.
The mixture bubbled up a little bit, which dirtied my saucepan, but it was still delicious!
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Recipe
Nokia releases N810 Internet Tablet
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 19/10/2007 08:22:136 days after my post about mobile phone options, Nokia has upgraded the internet tablet that I had pretty much decided on (until Hoff unhelpfully suggested the TyTN
).
The N810 is based on a Linux OS (so no worries about Nokia's openness or lack thereof), comes with a retractable thumb QWERTY-keyboard, bundled GPS and a Skype interface preloaded.
Of course, it isn't actually a phone, so I will still have to carry around my trusty 6230 - but for $500 the N810 is looking like a bargain.
Due out in November - I might have to fudge the budget a little bit!
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Gadgets
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Mad Max getting it done
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 18/10/2007 16:04:50Pittsburgh lost against the New Jersey Devils 4-5 tonight, the refs having way too much influence on the game (not that I'm blaming them for the loss). Fleury was dolling out huge rebounds again, and the Penguins defense were allowing too many scoring chances through.
But Maxime Talbot is still the leading goal scorer for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tapping in a great pass by Whitney, Talbot scored his fourth goal of the season, obviously assisted by his awesome facial hair. Apparently Maxime's been rooming with Evgeni Malkin, and is trying to convince Gino to go with the chopper style beard. I assume Malkin's resisted which is fair enough (he's leading the team in points and assists - picking up a point in each game so far), but who knows what happens if he hits a slump!
Although both natural centers, Therrien had Malkin and Talbot on the same line for a brief stint in the third period - and I liked what I saw from them. I don't want it to happen often - Talbot's getting it done on a killer checking line with Colby Armstrong and Gary Roberts - but it's a Therrien line tinker that I like the look of.
I still think Crosby's on the verge of a huge night - as he was pressing all over the ice (and picked up two assists). Once again - at this time last year (after 5 games) we were 2-3-0 - so I'm still expecting 105 points
# Posted in the Hockey section and tagged as: Pittsburgh Penguins
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
I have found the Explorers
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 17/10/2007 15:13:39I think it's been bothering me for 5 years now, I can remember wondering about it while I was still in Uni. There was a movie that I used to love as a child, almost as much The Goonies and Flight of the Navigator. I was very young when these movies came out (around 4 I guess) but they received high rotation on the VCR until I was old enough to appreciate them.
While I've enjoyed watching Flight of the Navigator and The Goonies again since these young days - the third movie had completely slipped my mind, and I haven't seen it for at least 10 to 15 years. Every so often it gets stuck in my head - I can remember certain parts but never enough to start a google hunt.
The main thing I remember is that there was two or three kids that built a circular space ship. The ship was controlled by a computer keyboard (very cool back then) and I vaguely remember some kind of spherical field generated by the ship that caused damaged to whatever it touched. I don't remember where they went in this ship, or anything else in the movie after the ship was built. The only other part I remembered was that one of the main characters designed the ship based on a few dreams. Anyone remember this?
Enter the Get This Podcast (I knew I listened to these guys for a reason). Tony Martin mentioned an old movie with Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix called Explorers and I could almost feel my brain fizzle. Eureka!
It feels really good to get that mystery solved! I was pretty accurate in my memory. After some quick research I found that the main character had a dream about a circuit board which is for the actual bubble device (he later dreams another circuit board for a device that creates oxygen). The ship was driven using a computer, and the YouTube video linked below confirmed my suspicion that it was very cool!
One thing I had completely forgotten about was that the main characters go into deep space and meet up with aliens. I might have to find this movie on DVD and give it another viewing sometime!
Explorers
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Movies
Cha-Cha-Changes
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 17/10/2007 13:49:33Thought I'd give a quick heads up - I've added a few small things to the site:
- For registered users that have had their email confirmed there is a new checkbox on the "Add Comment" form. It says something like "" - and the label is very self-explanatory. As soon as someone else makes a comment against that blog post, an email will be sent to you. After you receive an email for a particular blog post - you won't get any more (so that you don't get flooded with emails when the Hoff goes nuts
)- There's an option on your options page that lets you . I put this in for people that might be browsing at work - and find some of our very tasteful avatar images disturbing (I cannot see why!).
Next up - gamertag icons as signatures and a comment count board. Oh - and I never actually got around to designing this site properly before it launched - so one day I hope to make it look barely presentable
# Posted in the General section
Xbox 360 Achievements Lead to Increased Sales
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 17/10/2007 09:32:10Updated by Joel Dixon at 18/10/2007 12:31:06
An interesting article came through my handy feed reader this afternoon - "Xbox 360 Achievements Lead to Higher Scores and Sales". I've made public my love for achievements before, so I actually read this item. Apart from referring to Achievements as "Accomplishments" (which shits me a little), the article did make a few interesting points:
I agree with this to a point - but it's important to remember correlation doesn't imply causation. Just because higher selling and higher rated games have a depth in Achievements - doesn't necessarily mean the Achievements the high sales and rating. I think if a game developer puts effort and planning into the achievements of a game - it's not the only factor that they're trying to get right.
Then again, if I had two next-gen systems and a game came out on all systems - I would probably buy it on the Xbox for the achievement points.
I completely agree with this point - as mentioned for Enchanted Arms - completion achievements can be a huge cop-out. I'd be happy if this research convinced a few more developers to put extra thought into the achievements they use.
But it depends on how they are counting this one (the actual source article is available for purchase, so I didn't check). If they mean 29% of games use only completion achievements - then that's no good. Put if 29% of total achievement points across all games are based on completion of a section of the game - it's a little lower than I would have thought. It's always good to receive a small chunk of achievement points for finishing a level, or game. It's when you get all of your points in this way that annoys me.
This is another interesting thought - though not true in my case. I have 5 completely unplayed Xbox 360 games, and I have taken steps to ensure I don't know what the achievements are until I start playing the game. In some cases I have a basic idea of what they'll be - but I much prefer to find out while playing the game as it makes that "achievement unlocked" much more sweeter when you're not expecting it. Like now:
sweet!
# Posted in the Gaming section and tagged as: Xbox 360
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Bi ... Lingual
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 16/10/2007 13:16:24Canada's official languages are both English and French, even though virtually nobody speaks French in Edmonton (the Francophone population are mainly living in Quebec, and other areas in the east). It's the first time I've lived in a country with two official languages, and it's been an experience.
It's interesting how dual languages affect product packaging and signage around town. Even though I never hear the French language, I certainly do see it. By law, products have to have the text in both English and French which really clutters up their look (I think). Some products have each word copied a line below with the same word in French, whereas others use the front back of the product's packaging as the "front" for labeling purposes.
An example of the kind of bi-lingual packaging I see a lot. It's not too obvious, but does crowd up the packet a little
Also, every automated help line I've had the displeasure of using asks what language you want to use as soon as you start. Maybe that's why I've been having problems with customer service over here - perhaps they're expecting me to speak French!
This environment is actually a good place to start learning the French language. Obviously it would be more advantageous to be living in Quebec (with a lot of the population French and English), but I've been picking up a few words here and there. It's useful having a translation of simple words on each of piece of product's packaging (such as menthe underneath mint, or fromage under cheese).
Some of the translations are quite funny, or the product names are very different for the French label. For example, Chips Ahoy! is translated as something like . Appetizing! There's also occasions that I see the French side of an item and it throws me a little. Like a soda that is raisin flavoured (grape), or a gel that is labeled for the douche (that one put me off a little - it means shower).
I feel like a chocolate nugget right now!
I don't expect to be wearing a beret and hanging garlic around my neck in a striped shirt when I get back to Australia, but I should at least understand Jean Girard a little more the next time I watch Talladega Nights.
Ah, oui oui - I'm home
# Posted in the Travel section and tagged as: Edmonton
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Four out of Five times
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 14/10/2007 11:47:18Updated by Joel Dixon at 14/10/2007 12:35:43 - typo
Pittsburgh just beat the Maple Leafs 6-4, just two days after Toronto beat the Islanders 8-1. This win, combined with Pittsburgh's 3-1 record against the Leafs last year, means Pittsburgh has won the last 4 out of 5 games. While it's not quite 9 out of 10 times - it's pretty close
Crosby finally lit the lamp with his first and second of the short season. Crosby was pressuring all over the ice against Montreal last Wednesday and he kept up the intensity this game. But Crosby's offensive dominance is overshadowed by the team's leading goal scorer - Maxime "Mad Max" Talbot. Still sporting Chopper-esque facial hair, Talbot's leading the team in goals as well as killer French accents (followed closely by Fleury).
In response to Talbot's offensive leadership for the Penguins, Crosby seems to be working on getting his first fighting major of his career - giving Antropov a few face washes against the boards (he might have thought it was Armstrong). Nothing came of it - but you've gotta love the fire in Captain Cros.
Two wins and two losses is the same record Pittsburgh had at this time last year - so now I'm just waiting for the next 45 wins for our estimated 105 points
Tonight's post was brought to you by Mountain Crest Gold Lager. Not as enjoyable as Molson Canadian - but not too shabby.
Yes, I know this post has very little redeeming value - but I do hope Zelks is still visiting the site!
# Posted in the Hockey section and tagged as: Pittsburgh Penguins
Friday, October 12, 2007
Phone Pontificating
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 12/10/2007 10:11:56Updated by Joel Dixon at 17/02/2008 14:48:42
My current phone is a Nokia 6230:
I have mine set to English though
As a phone it's met all of my needs well: MP3 ring tones, basic internet surfing, decent calendar (compared to my last phone) and it's one of the few camera phones that lets you turn off the shutter sound effects (useful for silent up-skirting). The ol' 6230 was also the subject of the 7th entry on this blog.
I've had the phone for just over 3 years, which is a long time for me (the one before this lasted just over 1 year before I upgraded) - but unfortunately I think time's running out. As a phone (for making calls) - it's still perfect for me, but the screen size is too small for Internet use and the built-in calendar can't be synched.
I've been taking an interest in phones again over the last month or so - and have come up with a few alternatives. I have no idea what to choose though
New Phone - Nokia N95
The Nokia N95 has received goodish reviews pretty much all the features I want including WiFi and GPS. Unfortunately runs the "Nokia Web Browser" and the screen isn't as big as I'd like.
Huge Phone - Nokia E90
The Nokia E90 is part of the Communicator brand - and is tailored to business users, but offers WiFi, a range of 3rd-party apps and a gigantically wide screen. The price tag is a big downer at the moment - and the size / weight might be an issue.
Cool Phone - Apple iPhone
I'm not really cool enough to own one of the iPhones, but it sure is hawt. It has a Safari browser, some Google inter operation (maps and video) and apparently it's an ok MP3 player (I still love my iPod). Again, price tag is pretty large - and the phone isn't "open" enough for me.
Not a Phone - Nokia N800
When reviewing phones the Nokia N800 was perfect for me. Nice sized screen, WiFi, Opera browser (and a Mozilla browser available too) and it cost around $400. The only problem is that it isn't actually phone, it's just an Internet Tablet. But I guess I can just keep my phone as a phone - and use the tablet for anything internet related. This one bears further investigation.
Goo Phone
Another one I've been watching for a while, apparently Google are working on a mobile-based operating system and trying to get phone companies to put it on their phones. Rumors and "leaks" are all over the web, but nothing concrete has materialised. This would be great for me (as I use Google software for mail, calendar, RSS reading, instant messaging, online documents etc) - and Google generally do things well. I just don't know how much longer I can hold out for this one.
Geek Phone
This one is very interesting, OpenMoko is a completely open-source operating system (using free software) for phones. Hardware manufacturer FIC have created the Neo1973 which is due to be released this year. With the open-source community behind it - you know it's going to have 3rd-party offerings, and you know it's going to be patched frequently! Not sure if I want my phone to me a proverbial version 0.1 - but it's another phone I'll be keeping my eye on.
Of course - it's possible I'll just purchase the next Banana Phone I see:
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Gadgets, Web
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
It's Funny, laugh
# Posted by Joel Dixon at 10/10/2007 05:30:36Updated by Joel Dixon at 19/02/2009 22:56:57 - fixed dead links
Some of the videos in this post contain profanities
You may have noticed that I've changed my generic subtitle line from "I still doubt that I will post here much" to my original intention of random quotes. They're not so random at the moment, as there's about 40 in total - and they've been selected from the limited source of The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy and some Saturday Night Live sketches.
If you've yet to experience Saturday Night Live's Celebrity Jeopardy, I highly recommend you legally purchase all of the videos, and laugh hysterically. Here's a YouTube compilation video that explains the concept and fits in most of the favourite jokes (except for my personal favourite):
Celebrity Jeopardy!
In another seamless segue, Jeopardy also features in one of my all-time favorite Jerky Boys prank calls (of which there is a lot) - Testing for Jeopardy:
Testing for Jeopardy!
I got into the Jerky Boys during high school, when some friends and I stumbled on the universally-panned feature movie The Jerky Boys. The movie may have been pretty bad, but we loved it. When we found out that they had better stuff on CD - we loved that even more. As soon as I get some extra time I will be adding some Jerky Boys quotes to the site.
Another part-time prank caller (very weak link, I know) is Matt Besser from the Upright Citizens Brigade. A friend from work put me onto the Upright Citizen's Brigade, an improv comedy group originating in Chicago in the early 90's. I'm more familiar with the three seasons of television that they created (based on sketches from the live show) - of which season two is on sale now. UCB is hit-and-miss comedy, so some cause a bit of head-scratching. But these two don't (or maybe they do):
Little Donny
Part 2 and Part 3
Little Donny is a child that has the disability of being unaware of his enormous penis. This video is The Little Donny Foundation's version of a "" style song. The people on the street were asked to sing "enormous peanuts", and the reason Donny is crying in the end is because Tuvok was unable to find his way home in Star Trek.
Astronauts
UCB also have an irrational hatred of astronauts
The UCB crew also founded a Theatre which plays host to a number of improv and sketch comedy groups, including some of the members from Derrick Comedy. Derrick Comedy aren't enormously popular, and are also very hit-and-miss, but I find most of the videos on their site amusing. They've also done a few "rejected TV theme songs".
Mafia
Keyboard Kid
Stick with it - gets funnier after a minute or so
Daughters
There's also some less tasteful ones - so I won't embed them - but provide links (don't say I didn't warn you). Of course, I find the distasteful ones some of the funniest:
Memory Loss - A slightly different version of Memento!
Bad BJ Girl - she's got it a little wrong
Bro Rape - a special report on "Bro Rape"
The Cool Breeze - not necessarily distasteful - but I figured it wasn't worth an embedding
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme - Again, not disturbing - but weird!
I think I've linked enough of the clips - if you still don't like their comedy - I doubt I can persuade you! Enjoy (I hope).
# Posted in the General section and tagged as: Funny, Web
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