BestBlogPosts

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:51:25 GMT

A Chef's Philosophy

Two comments on Season 5 of Top Chef have given me pause to consider my own philosophy on food in general and meat in particular.  Some readers, especially if you have seen my posts over on Growers and Grocers may know that I do not eat meat.  Granted, when I started it, it was for health reasons, but that does not mean I am entirely unaware or unmoved by the horrible conditions livestock live in before they die.But I"m not here to proselytize.  I"m here to talk about head judge Tom Colicchio and Fabio, one of the show"s contestants.  But before I do, I felt it important to frame the discussion so that it would make more sense why their comments struck me as powerfully as they did.

Up until Episode 7, every time I had ever heard a non-vegan chef speak about food, meat was a "thing."  It might be a tasty thing, but it was always slave to a dish.  In all my culinary education and in all the countless hours of culinary television I had watched, I had never heard a non-veg chef pay homage to the fact that the meat was once a living, breathing thing.  I have read a few books that talk about this idea, but no instructor of mine had ever said anything remotely like that. Posted by: Editor      Read more     Source

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:47:10 GMT

Hektor, The Spray-Paint Output Device

Hektor, The Spray-Paint Output Device.Hektor is a portable Spray-paint Output Device for laptop computers. In 2002, it was created in close association with engineer Uli Franke for Jürg Lehni"s diploma project at ecal (ecole cantonale d"art de Lausanne).
"Hektor"s light and fragile installation consists only of two motors, toothed belts and a can holder that handles regular spray cans. The can is moved along drawing paths just as the human hand or old plotters would."

More.
More.
More. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:45:42 GMT

A Golf Revolution

Peter McEvoy is on the verge of something huge.

Peter is a former England amateur champion - in fact, he's won just about every amateur tournament and cup that means anything in the game, both as a player and team captain - turned course designer and marketer.

He is also the brains behind PowerPlayGolf, the first major modification to the game of golf in decades.

I have written about PowerPlayGolf before in this space, changed my thinking on it 180 degrees and now believe it could be the critical component to reviving the sport at the recreational level.

Rather than go into details here about what it is, I refer you to the website for full details.

What I want to do instead is invite you to listen to my interview with Peter in which he talks about the thinking behind PowerPlayGolf, its enormous worldwide growth in 23 months and its vibrant future.

We talked at length, so I have created essentially two parts. Tomorrow, we will resume our conversation and Peter will describe his course design work as it relates to PowerPlayGolf and the potential for major TV deals around the world.

Posted by: Chris Henry      Read more     Source

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:44:50 GMT

Oh! Disneyland

good evening! i just got back a few minutes ago from the happiest place on earth - disneyland! oh yes it"s a very happy place - although i don"t think it"s the happiest place ever (maui is definitely happier than anaheim....) but overall i had a great time!

Iwas worried saturday at the park was going to be super packed but actually it wasn"t all that bad (plus the weather was perfectly warm - i"m trying to send good weather vibes to all my peeps on the east coast - it sounds oh so cold there right now) unfortunately two of my favorite attractions - "the haunted mansion" & "it"s a small world" were both closed (i was like OH NO!) and then just as i was boarding "splash mountain" (i literally was seated) the ride broke down and everyone had to leave after waiting in line - ugh! thankfully my boyfriend"s niece & nephew (ages 4 & 6 - visiting from australia) both had an excellent time - the park really is for kids - so i"m glad they enjoyed themselves and were well-behaved (i seriously need to go back to the california adventure park which i"ve never been to - i think i"m done with disneyland for awhile) below are two pictures of moi - chillin" with an adorable billy goat at the mini petting zoo they"ve got - i could have hung out with "em all day - i love goats and their cheese (but i didn"t like how their horns were cut off - you could totally see and feel the stumps - poor goats) tomorrow i have a bunch of things to catch up on - i so need it to be a productive day - popbytes over & out for tonight....xoxo Posted by: Popbytes      Read more     Source

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:35:47 GMT

License Plate Bags

License Plate Bags.If you are looking for a unique bag, then here is something which will interest you: "License Plate Bags". These bags are made from car license plates and each of this is unique (no two are the same; all the plates are different) as correctly stated by designers of Little Earth show on their website. They start from 45 euros (plus shipping and handling). Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:22:04 GMT

Chitown, back again

I"ve been meaning to show you my articles from the Fall issue of Chicago Fashion, which has been out for a few months now.  (Oh, lax me.)

I have an article on Audrey Fosse (she founded HomeMade Pizza Company with her husband) where we peek at her lovely wardrobe (the story looks better in actual layout, but for online viewing be sure to click on the photo gallery), and another on Tim Long of the Chicago History Museum, and his Chic Chicago exhibit, and also a story in which I virtually track one incredibly luxurious cashmere cape from a baby goat farm in Mongolia to a boutique in Chicago....  Plus a few small items on trends and such. Care for a clutch made out of recycled yoga mats?  A cutting edge cuff?  Wanna know how to wear drapey pants? Or how the Ballets Russes inspires designers of today?  You"re in luck. 

On a related note, I"m in Chicago right now, working on the Spring 2009 issue. I find that Chicagoans are generally a placid and optimistic bunch, but between a Monday morning bankruptcy announcement (I work at the Tribune Tower, home of the Chicago Tribune) and a Tuesday morning Blagojevich arrest, it"s a little dizzy around here.  Monday night I was watching the local news while on a treadmill at the Tribune gym and there was this great kicker before they went to commercial, something like "Is it doomsday for the Tribune corporation?" Strange to have so many eyes on the shiny top that is Chicago right now. 

Otherwise, it"s snow, snow, snow, ack - seems much wetter and colder than in previous years and it"s really beating me down, but tonight I"m going to the Art Institute for their free, late night Thursday nights and I was just invited to join my editor friend at a Steppenwolf show this weekend starring John Mahoney and Tom Irwin. I haven"t seen My So Called Life in ages, and I"m wondering how my inner teen will react to seeing Angela Chase"s father in person! 

[image: Chicago magazine] Posted by: Elisabeth Fourmont      Read more     Source

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:41:17 GMT

Bitchier than UK ones: Emma Watson

Brit actress Emma Watson has revealed that she finds US starlets her age bitchier than the ones in UK.

Watson also said that life in Britain was totally different, and that a bitchy attitude was never tolerated there.

Gosh, I could never be that bitchy! I think that living in England, it""s very disconnected from Hollywood, the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

There"s a very different approach and attitude towards it. Acting in a starry way is just not tolerated. You will just have the piss taken out of you. People will just laugh at you, she said.

The 18-year-old Harry Potter star admitted that she enjoyed visiting California and loved to go there for work.

She, however, said that a permanent move was something she had not thought about as yet.

Never say never, but I can"t imagine it. I think that it""s a wonderful lifestyle that you have here - the weather is amazing and everyone seems very healthy. It seems like a really nice place to live, she told AOL""s Moviefone.com

Obviously, if I had a film here or whatever, then that would be great. But I don"t really know a lot of people here, she added. Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:56:44 GMT

Personal Branding

If you're struggling with the question of personal branding at all, Paul McCord over at the Sales and Sales Management Blog has an excellent approach to figuring out the issue....

Paul points out that personal branding has been around a long time in some industries - like insurance and realty. But it's, well, spreading at the moment into new industries where management isn't as familiar with the practice.

So how should you feel about it? Paul looks at a variety of factors that should help you decide.


Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Angelika Schwarz Posted by: Greg Cruey      Read more     Source

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:37:21 GMT

Russian Rocks Souvenirs

Russian Rocks Souvenirs.
Here are few images from the series of rocks that are painted to resemble consumer products such as a chewing gum, a hamburger and others. These paintings are called Russian Souvenirs by ''English Russia''. And here is ''Stone Art'' which we posted quite sometime back, if you recall, features rocks painted to resemble various animals. Posted by: Venus       Read more     Source

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:40:46 GMT

Success Comes from Social Advantages

and Blink, has a new book coming out called Outliers: The Story of Success.

Which means that shortly people will start asking if you''ve read it. So you need to read the following paragraph excerpted from the Observer interview:
"Gladwell''s contention is not only that success is the result of a complicated mix of social advantages but also that the insistence that some individuals have extra-special gifts and talents, are geniuses in particular fields, or pull themselves up by their bootstraps, is incredibly destructive to society''s idea of itself. ''No one,'' he says, ''not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses - ever makes it alone.''"
Oh, and this one:
"To truly master any skill, he suggests, leaning on various pieces of research, requires about 10,000 concentrated hours. If you can get those hours in early, and be in a position to exploit them, then you are an outlier."
There is also an edited extract from the book here. Posted by: Jerry      Read more     Source