Helpful Hints for Readers
January 24, 2020
I'm not a great baker, but....
Slashdot.org led me to an article on the ABC website concerning a subject that is near and dear to our hearts - baking cookies in space! From the ABC article, "First space-baked cookies took 2 hours in experimental oven" By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer, January 23, 2020 4:57 PM, come a few excerpts explaining the "experiment".
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The results are finally in for the first chocolate chip cookie bake-off in space.
While looking more or less normal, the best cookies required two hours of baking time last month up at the International Space Station. It takes far less time on Earth, under 20 minutes.
And how do they taste? No one knows.
Still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container, the cookies remain frozen in a Houston-area lab after splashing down two weeks ago in a SpaceX capsule. They were the first food baked in space from raw ingredients.
....
Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano was the master baker in December, radioing down a description as he baked them one by one in the prototype Zero G Oven. The first cookie — in the oven for 25 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) — ended up seriously under-baked. He more than doubled the baking time for the next two, and the results were still so-so.
The fourth cookie stayed in the oven for two hours, and finally success.
One of my first cookbooks - circa late 1950s.
I make no pretense at being a great baker...or, even, a good baker...but, baking cookies for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F sounds just plain crazy to me. Having lived at an altitude of about 6,000 feet (Albuquerque, foothills of the Sandias), I thought that I recalled having to use higher temperatures and longer cook times. Since "Betty Crocker" has been a household name for as far back as I can recall (at least the mid 1940s), I went to see what "Betty" had to say. From her website comes this advice, below.
Baking at High Altitudes
Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased. Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy. Gases expand more, so doughs rise faster. Jan 10, 2017
Even "Betty" confuses me, though, when I read part of a table (below) that was included in her article. (I've added highlighting to the confusing part.)
|
Cookies
|
Cookies generally bake well at high altitudes. You may notice: • Cookies have a drier texture • Cookies may spread too much • Cookies may not spread enough • Cookies may overbrown • Cookies may be underdone |
• Decrease butter or shortening (2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup) if cookies spread too much • Decrease sugar slightly if cookies spread too much (amount depends on size of batch and other ingredients) • Increase liquid by 1 to 2 Tbsp only if dough is too dry and cookies don’t spread • Increase flour (starting with 1 or 2 Tbsp) if cookies spread too much • Increase bake time by 1 to 3 minutes • Decrease bake time by 1 to 2 minutes |
I guess the message is that one needs to vary parameters to produce the best result - something that the experiment in space was not set up to do very well. My final comment is that, perhaps, I shouldn't be comparing baking in space to baking at high altitude.
January 19, 2020
Posting for Bogie - no more shrieking auxiliary sump pump battery controls
For the past umpteen years, Hunky Husband and I have endured the shrieking from the battery controls of our auxiliary sump pump. We had had the same issue with the previous system; so, we finally gave up and decided to live with it. Since the shrieking was at about the same frequency as my tinnitus and as HH's hearing notch (from jet engines), it wasn't a big deal to us. However, when we have guests, I try to remember to disable the shrieking thing. I forgot to do that before Bogie arrived; so, quickly performed the disabling when she mentioned the noise. That set HH on edge. He lost sleep obsessing over the possibility that the main sump pump would fail and, without our knowing about it, would cause the basement to flood. Never mind that, in 20 years, AFAIK, the auxiliary has been activated only when we checked it out. Since we did, in fact, receive a couple of inches of rain during the couple of weeks around the holidays, he was on edge. As soon as Bogie departed, I re-wired the auxiliary pump system. (Elder Brother is hard of hearing; so, I didn't bother disabling the auxiliary sump pump system during his short stay.)
Wednesday, we had the whole sump pump system replaced. We should have done that long ago for the comfort of our visitors. The technology is a vast improvement. Not only are we no longer assaulted by the shrieking (which we really can't tell - lol); but, the installation is much neater than was the system that had remained basically unchanged (except for removing/replacing parts) since its installation in 1999. Originally, each of the pumps had a separate exhaust standpipe through which the water was discharged, joining at a point about 30" from floor level. Now, the two pumps share the same exhaust pipe. In addition, the backflow valve of the new system is supposed to be much quieter than the old valve - which made a distinctive "thunk" when it closed. HH is happy, I am happy, and HH's wallet is so much easier for him to carry since it is $2K lighter, now!
P.S. The shrieking supposedly signaled the need for water to be added to one or more cells of the battery - regardless of the fact that HH, without fail, serviced the battery every month. It was on his computer notification listing. This shrieking condition had obtained through two different auxiliary pump systems that I recall (same design, though). This battery is, supposedly, a sealed unit that will require no servicing. Another reason for HH to be happy.
January 14, 2020
January 12, 2020
What Elder Brother Wanted
I'm sure that Elder Brother (EB) was happy to see us; but, the real reason he made the effort to drive here through treacherous weather was revealed shortly after his arrival when he said, "The laptop computer that [CC] gave me is driving me crazy! Norton keeps nagging me. I'd throw the machine away except it's the only machine that I have from which I can print!" Hunky Husband (HH) advised EB to do as he does. Said HH, "When I have a computer problem, I snivel and complain until [CC] fixes it for me." Replied EB, "That's exactly what I'm trying to do."
Image from MARZ [The nc6220 is a 14" laptop rather than, as shown in the graphic, a notebook.]
HH brought the ancient laptop, a Compaq nc6220, in and we set it up on my non-computer desk. The computer OS is Windows 7 which most of us know has only until the 14th of this month left on its "life". Microsoft has announced that it will no longer support Windows 7 after that date. That said, it is the only (of three or four) computer in EB's stable that runs anything more recent than Windows 98. You wouldn't believe what contortions EB goes through to do what he wants to get done. He still uses the single-floppy (5.25", for Pete's sake) version of Lotus 1-2-3 that I gave him when we both lived in New Mexico (Hint: I left NM 30 years ago!) The laptop that I gave EB in 2015 when I departed his Colorado home following a month of observing EB's recovery from cardiac arrest is slow and, because I had installed Norton 360 on it, it virtually choked whenever EB tried to do anything with it. [Truth be said, EB's patience is terribly thin and as is true with many of us engineers, he can't understand why anyone would design equipment/software in a manner other than the precise way in which he would have done so! Did I tell you that EB eschews use of a mouse, preferring to use keystrokes and touchpad? He also uses the DOS emulator to look at the directory, did not know how to delete a file or a folder, and did not have the first clue about several other things that we "normal" folk take for granted on computers. He worked on nuclear weaponry, of course!]
It took a while; but, by last evening, "we" had managed to uninstall all Norton files, install Firefox (which EB had been unable to accomplish), remove some stragglers of my own old files, and defrag the hard drive. At that point, EB was a happy camper who stowed his laptop in his car for cartage home. I hasten to add that EB connects to only one URL with that machine. He uses that machine, only, to access data that are available at the Wall Street Journal's website; thus, he isn't much worried about acquiring viruses online.
December 31, 2019
December 23, 2019
A tale of the season
This afternoon, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items - mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only was there a great deal of traffic on the streets, but the grocery store was crowded and bustling. As I placed the last of my items onto the conveyor belt to the cashier, I suddenly realized that my purse was still at home. This is an annoying, but not unusual, occurrence with me. During my years of graduate school, working for a living, and volunteering, I didn't need to carry a purse: everything fit into my brief case or office bag. Admittedly, on the rare occasion when I toted a purse, I was apt to leave it in a store or restaurant; but, usually, if I forgot about my purse, it was at home.
I would not have minded running home to get the money; but, it would have involved my placing all of the items back into the shopping cart, replacing items on the shelves, going home and returning, doing the gathering again, and unloading the basket again - which, I was sure, the people behind me in line would appreciate ever-so-much. While I was asking the checker if he had a counter check with which I might pay, the woman in front of me turned back to the checker and said, "Put it on my bill." I asked the woman to please write her name and address on my grocery list, thanked her profusely, and promised to get a check into the mail pronto. She had just saved me and several other people an inconvenience - without really knowing that she would ever be repaid.
When I arrived home, it occurred to me that it would be silly to make my benefactor await delivery of a check. I put together two sets of cash - one set for the amount that I owed the nice woman (Pennie) and an equal amount for her to have on hand the next time she sees me (or someone like me) forlorn in a grocery checkout line. I stuck them into a greeting card and delivered it to her house, leaving before she had a chance to open the card - but - not before we had the chance to exchange a warm hug!
They say that no good turn goes unpunished. Pennie has picked herself up a "Secret Sister" for 2020!
December 18, 2019
Woodpeckers in the USA
Of the woodpeckers that one is apt to see in the USA, the largest is the Pileated Woodpecker that is usually 16-19 inches long with wingspan of 26-30 inches. Bogie recently was visited by a pair which she documented at Trees and Birds. Coincidently, in yesterday's mail, Hunky Husband and I received a greeting card from (my) Elder Brother, the front of which is shown, below.
Mind you, the pileated may not be the largest woodpecker in the USA; but, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker (20 inches long, wingspan of 30 inches) is either extinct or so near extinction that convincing evidence of its existence hasn't been found in several years. Personally, I recall having sighted fewer than 10 Pileateds - the first when I was a teenager in the Kansas City, Missouri, area; the last, several years ago flying over our current back yard. I also saw at least one in the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area of Pennsylvania while working there in 1988. Bogie is well ahead of me in such sightings since she lives in an area in which the Pileateds are less rare.
At the other extreme, the smallest woodpecker in the USA is the Downy, of which I've seen abundant numbers, including at our birdfeeders over the years (photo, below, taken in December, 2012, with female House Finches in the background.)
There are woodpeckers in the USA and, particularly, in our own area (south, central Kansas) that fall in size between the extremes of Pileated and Downy. Within our own yard and woods we've noted Hairy Woodpeckers (Downies on steroids), Northern Flickers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Yesterday was an unusual day. I noticed that a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was working its way through the sugar maple in our front yard. That's a good place for it to be since the tree has been ailing for several years and exudes great quantities of sap - which quantities attract insects on which woodpeckers might feast (as well as eating the sap, itself). Below is a photo of the tree (using the greatest magnification available on the zoom lens that was installed on my Nikon 1 at the time).
Isn't the little woodpecker cute? What? You can't find her? I'll help you by cropping the photo to feature the shy Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
My experience has been that it's easier to find a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker by sound than by sight. It has a syncopated drumming rhythm which you may hear by going to Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sound and clicking on "Drum". Other woodpeckers, not being into jazz, drum in a rather regular beat.
December 17, 2019
Bogie knows more about this than do I because...
she has experience from within a corporate "returns" structure.
Following is an item from my old favorite, Slashdot.org.
Returned Online Purchases Often Sent To Landfill (www.cbc.ca) 90
How is the boom in online shopping influencing how much good product just goes to waste? Adria Vasil, an environmental journalist and managing editor of Corporate Knights magazine, answers: It's pretty staggering. The increase of the volume of returns has exploded by 95 per cent over the last five years. And in Canada alone, we are returning $46 billion worth of goods every year. And you think, OK, what's the big deal? Well, the problem is that -- especially when we're returning online -- a lot of these products end up going in landfills.
Why? You're returning something that's new and fine?
It actually costs a lot of companies more money to put somebody on the product, to visually eyeball it and say, is this up to standard, is it up to code? Is this going to get us sued? Did somebody tamper with this box in some way? And is this returnable? And if it's clothing, it has to be re-pressed and put back in a nice packaging. And for a lot of companies, it's just not worth it. So they will literally just incinerate it, or send it to the dumpster.
Do you have an example of something that we might all be doing that could lead to this kind of a waste?
Have you ever bought any clothes online? Further reading: The Painful, Costly Journey of Returned Goods -- and How You End Up Purchasing Some of Them Again.
Why? You're returning something that's new and fine?
It actually costs a lot of companies more money to put somebody on the product, to visually eyeball it and say, is this up to standard, is it up to code? Is this going to get us sued? Did somebody tamper with this box in some way? And is this returnable? And if it's clothing, it has to be re-pressed and put back in a nice packaging. And for a lot of companies, it's just not worth it. So they will literally just incinerate it, or send it to the dumpster.
Do you have an example of something that we might all be doing that could lead to this kind of a waste?
Have you ever bought any clothes online? Further reading: The Painful, Costly Journey of Returned Goods -- and How You End Up Purchasing Some of Them Again.
I could not have formulated my reasoning as succinctly as was done in the above posting, but I've acted as though I could by nearly never returning anything that I purchased online. Most of my clothing (other than shoes which are exceedingly difficult to find to fit my feet) are purchased new, online, or used from a charity thrift shop (usually Goodwill or Disabled American Veterans shops). About one-third of the time, my purchases don't fit - either because I ordered the wrong size (through idiocy or lack of attention) or the size didn't run true (I use the guidance provided by the merchant in determining sizes.) Just now, I have two shirts that, despite my going through the exercise of following the merchant's delving into my figure's configuration and providing a recommended size, did not come close to fitting. A third shirt, the same item number but different color/pattern, fit snuggly in the bust; but, since I wear those shirts over a knit tank top (as a "great shirt") and do not actually button them, came close enough to a proper fit that I will wear it.
(Please note that the model doesn't look nearly as good in the shirt as would I!)
What will I do with those shirts? I'm not quite sure, yet; but, the answer will most probably NOT be to return them. In the past 30 years, I've used several options: 1) while working, I might offer item(s) to a co-working friend OR leave the item in a sack in a women's restroom in the factory clearly marked, "FREE - Cop Car"; 2) in retirement, I might use those two methods at the agency with which I volunteered or at the local senior center that I frequent; 3) I might give the clothing to a charity that provides working clothes to financially struggling women - especially for them to have/wear when interviewing for a job; or 4) I might donate the clothing to the previously mentioned thrift stores.
Why do I do that, rather than return clothing items? The biggest reason is that I am too lazy to go to the bother of making the return; but, I also know from conversation with Bogie that the process followed by the merchant when receiving a return is expensive to them.
How about non-clothing items? In general, they are either low-value, in which case I use the same methodologies, or higher-value, in which case I might return item(s) to the merchant. Right off hand, the only high-value item I can recall returning was a chair that was purchased in Wichita and proved defective (as did the replacement chair!) I gave up on that particular model chair and eventually purchased a similar (but different brand) chair from a different merchant in Wichita.
In other words, my methods of disposing of new merchandise is nearly the same as my methods for disposing of clutter. I always believe that someone can make good use of things that I do not want! BTW: Family would get first offer on clothing if anyone was the appropriate size. Half of the women in our family are much smaller than my current size; half of the women are larger. Once, I was able to pass along a couple of pairs of pants; but, only because inexplicably I had ordered size extra small - which might not have fit me even in the days when I weighed 110 pounds!
December 14, 2019
The end...
The end is near here! At least, that's what I'm reading on Slashdot.org.
Windows 10 Mobile Reaches End of Support (androidauthority.com) 49
We've known Windows 10 Mobile has been a dead platform for years now. Even Microsoft themselves have been telling people they need to switch to Android or iOS. But yesterday, we saw the final blow to Microsoft's mobile OS -- it officially reached its end of life and is no longer supported. From a report: There is some good news for the two of you still running Windows 10 Mobile though. The platform's office apps will receive updates and security patches until January 12, 2021. This includes Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. That means you still have a little more time before you absolutely need to migrate to another mobile platform if you just can')t break your Windows 10 Mobile addiction. Though we still recommend you take the leap as soon as possible.
I am less alarmed than, perhaps, I should be. My own smart phone still runs on Windows Mobile 6 Professional. The last time I was able to update my Windows Mobile was at 9:28am on 7/18/2019 - which is more recently than I would have thought. One of the Windows 10 updates on my desktop computer wiped out the capability of syncing my Palm Treo 700WX phone to my desktop. Whenever I have gone into the local Verizon store during the past several months, whoever is helping me has called everyone over to look at my antique! They told me a few months ago that they would stop offering phone service to my TREO within about six months. Verizon doesn't make enough money off of me. I probably have the last smart phone in Kansas that doesn't require a data service. I get plain vanilla phone service, with texting capability turned "off" by Verizon. The only smart feature that I use is being able to carry/consult Microsoft Office files. That's the beauty of running a Windows OS. Too bad that no Windows-based phones have come out in the past umpteen years!
Recent Posts
- I'm not a great baker, but....
- Posting for Bogie - no more shrieking auxiliary sump pump battery controls
- More from Slashdot.org - Google finally plans to pull the plug on tracking cookies & User-Agent Strings - and NAS report on biobots
- What Elder Brother Wanted
- A couple of weeks in review - 1/12/2020
- Week in Review - 2019Dec31
- A tale of the season
- Woodpeckers in the USA
- Bogie knows more about this than do I because...
- The end...
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