Tux  1. Solange - I Decided (Part I)2. Ne-Yo - So You Can Cry3. Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle (edit)4. The Jackson Five - Blame It On The Boogie5. Mariah Carey - O.O.C.6. J Dilla - Love Movin' ft. Black Thought7. The Maytals - Sweet and Dandy / The Harder They Come (snippet)8. Dizzee Rascal - Sirens9. Matias Aguayo - Minimal10. Janelle Monae...

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Gomorrah has a hard, broad eye for the kinds of havoc organized crime unleashes on the world around it. People trying to make a better life for themselves, like the tailor who finds ome dignity working for Chinese competitors, are caught in a very tight trap. Garrione's very unglamorized depiction of crime and violence is not a comfortable one, but absolutely worth watching....

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Beef Burgundy the Julia Child way. Browned beef, carrots and onions, with a bouquet of herbs in cheesecloth. Pearl onions and mushrooms sauteed separately on the side. Heat veg in the dish before serving. I prefer the finished result to the CI method, even with just one bottle of Charles Shaw from TJ. Richer flavor and deeper sauce with only a little more...

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Guessing if my pan is hot enough to sear my expensive rib eye steak is now a problem of the past with Rouxbe's free video. Guessing if my pan is hot enough to sear my expensive rib eye steak is now a problem of the past with Rouxbe's free video. ...

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Ender's Game drives forward at a really revved up pace, taking on some conservative, rather disquieting ubermensch conceits in the process.   Although compellingly action-packed, the story really centers around internal emotional states rather than plot points.  Card is good with Ender's conviction within this world of authority and manipulation. While not the most poetic or unpredictable, the book works as a prequel.  ...

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In the vein of the Fractal Cauliflower post, I present the Moebius Bagel. Now you can butter your bread on both sides! ...

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Usually, I would object to the whimsical big little capitalization of the name, but I'm a sucker for great packaging and wAtOSA fits the bill. Since the brand's inception, I've been waiting for distribution in the U.S. but to no avail. One of these days, by some means, I'm going to get my hands on this beauty crack. Usually, I would object to...

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On a tip, I've been using Lush Celestial Facial Moisturizer (everywhere) for the skin conditions that have been plaguing me for years.  The vanilla, almond oil, cocoa butter combo apparently makes me smell a bit like cookies, but the scent is rather gentle.  The cream goes on a little bit greasy but is light and absorbed within 5 minutes or so. I don't...

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The Thick of It is getting mean recently.  Oh wait... meaner.  And why all the malign invective? “Because I’m bored, it’s funny and I hate you. There you are, the Holy Trinity of Why.” --Ben Swain This is a series that apparently couldn't be re-made in America a la British The Office because of scatling fire Malcolm Tucker, with his unimaginably un-PC bollocks...

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laundry paradox = you have no clean pants or underwear but you need to go down 5 floors to the coin laundry so you can do your wash. also applies to: A) breadmaking/cooking - when the next bowl you need is the one which contains the product you are making and the other ones all have food inside. B) you have no money...

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"Fish" no Kasuzuke is a traditional way to serve black cod or Gindara, which Nobu of Nobu fame has sort of turned into a high cuisine. The recipe is actually quite simple, though fresh sake kasu, or sake lees, can be hard to source. I buy mine at the local Japanese grocery in slurpy giant bags for cents on a pound. The below...

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I've been doing pizza lately, trying recipes from the Silver Spoon, New Best Recipe, King Arthur, and Breadtopia (amongst others).  Some specify a short or long rise, with or without olive oil, yeast or sourdough starter, or both. I finally stumbled upon Jeff Varasano's Pizza recipe and I found it certainly the most thorough, easy to follow of the bunch because he offers...

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An ongoing discussion we have at our house, is the American vs Japanese attitude in regards to technology. The Japanese have a particulary voluble relationship to robots -  59 metre mecha angels of soulless kickass vs pneumatic strawberry packing robots for the tedious household chore of moving sushi from the to-go box onto the dinner plate.  Part of the love/hate, I'm sure, is that...

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I'm barely into 20% of the content according to ingame stats, but already Dragon Age feels epic.  The scope of this strategy rpg is massive, with a well devised story and game structure.  The two interact with each other quite well, interspersing game travel, combat, puzzles and cutscenes to move plot yet still allowing the freedom to travel willy nilly.  While the game...

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Milkpail is something of a cheese mecca for me in the two states region (Northern and Southern Californias...)  They have walls of cold cases divided up by region and type, with an un-exaggeratedly vast, as well as deep, international selection of unusual and hard to find cheeses.  (Milkpail tops Whole Foods, Bi-rite, and dare I say it, the Cheeseboard Collective in Berkley in...

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Kin Dza Dza takes a Russian bent on the dark comedic satire, making the most of post-war Soviet social oppression and dissent in a really surprising way, by turning it into great science fiction.  Released a year after Terry Gilliam's Brazil, which is gleefully grotesque and whimsical by turn, Kin Dza Dza maintains a bleak and creaky attitude, the stoic characters slowly unpacking...

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For some reason, I have a fondness for those shrink wrapped crumb cakes you sometimes find while in line at the gas station, the kind with super sweet topping that looks just like rabbit pellets.  Appetizing, I know.... I've plugged away, baking coffee cakes with various streusel, but I could never quite reproduce what I was searching for.  Then, the Cook's Illustrated folk...

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The New Best Recipe Corned Beef and Cabbage came out stellar.  It was so simple I didn't even take pictures.  I used the dry rub method and plain water poach.  Meat was paper towel dried while the whole spice ingredients went into the coffee grinder for a quick blitz, and then pressed on by hand.  I left the meat in the fridge for...

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Posole is great comfort food for cooling nights and gets better with age. However... Big Surprise... The Cook's Illustrated version is a dud for me, crowded with surfeit of pork, as well as burdened with one-note flavor from a soup lacking any chili piquancy or smokiness. I followed the recipe to a T but 6 cups of water really doesn't seem to be...

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Sun Dried Tomato and Pine Nut Beer Batter Breads Mushroom, Olive, White Sauce Artichoke, Sausage, White Sauce ...

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I made some adjustment to timing and temp for this recipe, but I still think it could use more lift.  Next time, I will be adding a tiny bit of yeast to the mix. I dried some starter and crushed them into flakes to send down to LA for a friend. ...

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My very favorite Halloween snack. Heck, maybe my favorite chip ever.  Too bad it only comes around once a year. ...

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More goods from Japan.  The most curious item being the white chocolate covered chips that taste like ruffles dipped in yogurt. Plus, more rice cakes. ...

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Tonight we tried the Sesame Noodle recipe from the ubiquitous New Best Recipes book, a little salty but not bad. However, the winning recipe is this recipe, minimally adapted for our lazy-cooking-night go-to food. Sesame pastes vary a lot. Make sure the consistency is like smooth cream. If it is too thick, add some water. If it is roasted and tastes bitter, add...

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Cheaper and less saturated in cream and butter than its Northern cousin, Southern Indian Food builds on the simple flavors of the ingredients, often vegetables only, revving them up with a wallop of direct chili heat.  Crepes are griddled and stuffed with fenugreek potatoes.  Chickpea dough is deep fried into soft pillowy doughnuts.  Onion and tomato pancakes are perfectly crisped and studded with...

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"Freakism! Freakism!"  - Dr. Robert Verne ...

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At today's Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, I scored a free ticket to the San Jose Museum of Textiles for stopping by their table. I also received a free fat quarter from Fat Quarter Queen because I didn't have any cash on hand and my piddly purchase didn't justify the fee for swiping my credit card. That was a little embarrassing...

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My funny owls are filled with wool scraps and heavy metal washers. I use them for sewing weights. The bottoms still need bits of felt but I like their individual character.Instructions here.Note to self: When using silk for crafty projects, interface first! ...

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Unhappy with the results of my first sourdough bread, I left the loosely covered container on the counter for 12 hours and fed the starter twice in that time. The resulting proof was higher than the first dough. I made this starter just a tiny tad less watery.I turned the temp to 425 degrees instead of 450 degrees, put the dutch oven in...

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After a long rise, the sourdough is wet and bubbly.Sourdough patted out into a rough rectangle on a floured counter. After some time in a hot oven the bread develops a crust on the top and "sings" while it cools. This bread came out too wet in the middle , a little flat, and nicely burned on the bottom. I couldn't invert the...

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