The fun never stops at PCJM:
Gael has had some really splendid links the past few days. The
Diary of a Chef is really interesting.
It's notes from a journalist about the internship part of the cooking
school program she enrolled in.
If you like perfume, or online quizes, check out the Fragrance Finder. The general types of fragrances they
suggest you'll like are interesting, though the specific suggestions tend
to be pricey.
Bejeweled is easily the most
addictive online game I've seen recently. Swap adjacent gems in a grid to
create color matches of three in a row or more, and the matched gems
disappear and new gems fall in from the top of the screen to fill in the
holes.
Greg is just telling me stuff I could figure out for myself if I
could just get over the idea that there is a handbook of "correct"
answers to all my nagging questions. It seems to me that the
professional kitchen is less like a train and more like a road trip. In
the train scenario, everyone gets onboard and rides along the same
track and arrives simultaneously at the same place. In the road trip
situation, everyone's on the road, but each individual car might take
a slightly different path or periodically stop for gas and some
smokes. It doesn't matter, as long as you get to where you're going.
Cascadilla
Raindrops
Where did that damn knight go?: The Playmobil website has a java game on it - one of those card matching deals. Addictive fun for the whole family! [via PCJM]
Want Fries With That?: If you thought McDonald's lost their minds when they tried that McRib thing, you probably don't want to check out this list of special additions to their menu in other countries. Some of them sound really yummy, until you remember that it's McDonald's making them. [via PCJM]
Does Rover seem bored?: Perhaps he needs a hobby... I couldn't find the article from their newsletter on the SPCA website (which is set up to route you to listings of the animals needing homes in your area based on info from your browser - pretty snazzy!) so I'll quote here, because I found this very funny:
Ever wonder how artistic your pet is? Use this step-by-step guide to creating "pet art" and you'll soon find out. Remember, it's best not to force your pet to create - but give him or her an opportunity and who knows what your little Picasso can do!
Buy nontoxic, water-based paint and acid-free paper from an art supply store.
Make sure your pet's feet are clean. If your pet has long nails, make sure to trim them so the paper doesn't get torn.
Select a location. Avoid porous surfaces such as wood, tile or concrete. Paint will get everywhere.
Clear the area of dirt and debris that might get tracked onto the paper.
Lay a large fabric drop cloth. Do not use slippery materials like plastic.
Place the paper on the drop cloth where the pet can walk easily across it.
Assess temperament. Let the pet investigate. If it is afraid of the paint or simply doesn't like it, don't force it to participate. You can encourage it with a favorite toy or treat.
Place large amounts of paint on a separate piece of paper near the target paper. Put out several colors and see what happens.
Be calm. Your excitement or nervousness may divert your pet's attention or make it too overzealous.
Bathe the pet to remove paint from its feet and body. Even though the paint is nontoxic, it may upset the animal's stomach if a large amount is ingested.
Frame the art. Don't throw anything away until you've seen what it looks like framed.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: If you like political cartoons, check out this gallery of the history of the genre. It's quite extensive, with lots of interesting examples of the form. [via BookPeople]
And The Matrix too...: This is a music video of a guy trying to get to a concert, and an homage to classic 80's video games. My understanding is that the music is entirely made up from sounds from Atari games as well.
More fun with GPS: The Degree Confluence Project is collecting photographs of each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, as a "catalog the world" project. They already have over 400 intersections covered from 38 different countries. Check out the confluence closest to you, or the one furthest away... Hmmmm - looks like I have another addition to my Site of the Week list. [via Red Rock Eater]
Hostile Vegetation: A friend who is always attributed with a much better sense of humor than mine loves the Bob the Angry Flower comic. I don't quite get it. What do you think?
Back me up here people - I need to know if I'm humorless or my friends are weird. [Go check out the poll results...]
Visions of mazes dance in their heads...: You know how, after you spend too long playing Tetris or Minesweeper, you keep seeing the pieces and board in your dreams? Rats do too... [via Sigma Xi: In the News]
Top of the Gorge Trail
Tree
"It's hard being the human extension of tradition." -- The Paper Chase
Letter 'W' missing from White House keyboards: I'm not a big prank person, but this one is beautiful. I knew a cat that stole the 'M' key off a laptop, but I don't think he's in D.C.
Finally, something to do with that new toy: Go treasure hunting with your GPS unit or set up your own treasure cache and announce its coordinates here. [via Red Rock Eater]
They always pick on the little guy: The American Museum of Natural History has demoted Pluto from a planet to an "icy body". [via Sigma Xi: In the News]
It Makes Cubicles Seem Luxurious: Looking at the effect of working conditions on productivity, a study of software developers showed they were significantly more productive when put together in close, "war room" conditions with the clients present. Sound like an unpleasant work environment?
"There had been some concern that workers would balk at such a setting, feeling a need for privacy in order to concentrate on their work. Some did express apprehension in the beginning, Teasley said, but at the end of the project they reported they were "less distracted" by co-workers and were "pretty satisfied with the experience." " [via Sigma Xi: In the News]
My Fans
"You are not brought upon this world to 'get it' ": Coming at the end of the movie, this quote was clearly a meta-message telling me not to think too hard about Big Trouble in Little China. If you just sit back and let it sweep over you, it's actually quite funny.
Republicans Can't Web-design:
Seriously, you'd think they could have hired someone to throw together something
a little more impressive than this. They've been in the
White House for a day and they can start making major (objectionable....)
policy moves, but they can't set up some simple PR. I hope this
bodes ill for them.
The 6th is always elusive: The Set card game is frustrating to play with people who are much faster than you (you know who you are), but this online version is really fun. There's a new puzzle posted every day. Quiddler, the other puzzle at this site, appeals to me less. But the site in general makes my "Site of the Week" list...
Monday Simpson's Quote: "It's going to take a lot of fireworks to clean this mess up."
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