Archive for May, 2005
So I was debating a few things with Rigpa the other day. First of all, would a US NTSC PS2 game play on a UK Pal PS2. This was mainly intended to find out whether my brother could play Katamari Damacy on his system. I found this tidbit that seems to clear up the question
“You don`t need to get the PS2 chipped to play import games, there are several boot loader discs available on the market that operate in a similar fashion, although to use them it does require that you remove a small section of panel from the front of the PS2 (non-destructively, it can be replaced if needed).
You run the boot disc first and then use a little tool with them to unlock the drive tray. Swap the game, push the drive tray back in and relock it and off you go.
I can`t remember which one my friend has, but it cost around 15 quid and works perfectly. Spent far too long this weekend playing the US release of Katamari Damarcy on his PAL PS2.”
This brought up the question of resolution of the two - I insisted they differed, and I was right. Pal - 625 lines/50hz, NTSC - 525 lines/60hz. Though PAL has a lower frame rate (25 vs 30)
May 31st, 2005
The “Experiments in Salsa” continue with a failed recipe. Previously we had used one anaheim and one jalapeno with a mild result. This time I wanted a bit more heat so we bought a Serrano (supposedly hotter) and an anaheim. Much to my dismay, the resulting Salsa had no heat at all…. Quite disappointing. This time round we had put in quite a bit more tomatoes to yield a larger overall batch … But i didn’t expect that there salsa wouldn’t have ANY heat…. The “Experiments in Salsa” must forge onward!
May 31st, 2005
Rapeseed, also sometimes known as Canola (a cultivar - cultivated variety / trademarked) was quite common when we were in France. There is Monsanto (GM Biotech firm) strain of the stuff too, just like with Corn and Soy Crops. Apparently, most the GM stuff we eat ends up as processed foods -possibly about 70% of the processed food we eat here in the USA is genetically modified… All the more reason to stay away from processed crap and eat healthy, local grown food. And even then, who knows with the disproportionately large amount of GM research being done here in Hawaii. The biotech firms like the idea of keeping their test crops away from the mainland - I wonder why….
It would be nice if foods aof all kinds were required to have labeling indicating the GM content - however legistlation is slow on this topic. Though in europe people are very steadast against the stuff - I was quite surprised when I was in London how much selection there was for organic foods (at a high price of course).
May 24th, 2005
The other day at the grocery store, my cohort and I were curious about two new items we noticed - the Pluot and the Aprium. so we picked up a Pluot (Plum with a dash of Apricot) and tried it. Turns out pluots are really good!
Before I continued to eat these strange fruit (also called Dinosaur Eggs apparently) I wanted to find out if they were dreamed up in a lab somewhere…. But my research seems to indicate they are the product of a long period of carefuly natural hybridization, and not a forced genetic mash-up in a test tube. Actually, I was surprised to find out that the Hawaii Papaya that I did a project on in college is the only GM fruit on the market!
May 24th, 2005
As hot as it gets - if you really want to destroy your taste buds, this is the ultimate guide to hot sauces. I get a kick out of some of the names….
May 23rd, 2005
After my better half made me some homebrew salsa (yes, salsa is good and spicy mmmmm), she ended up with xtra spicy fingertips! They were so spicy in fact that they hurt her… So the search was on for chili burn relief. Well, it seems like the culprit isCapsaicin (as we learned once on Good Eats with our fave nerdy chef) Of particular interest is the note at the bottom of the page “Capsaicin high.” maybe my brother has graduated from Capsaicin highs to runner’s high…. ;)
May 23rd, 2005
when I heard about the Hitchhiker’s movie, I was very excited. The trailers looked good and I was ready for some Vogon Poetry slam on the big screen. However, fate intervened and i ended up being on vacation when the movie was released. …. This may have been a forunate turn of events, since I have just been reading reviews of the movie, and I think i would be sorely disappointed at the changes to the plot, character and poor effects… i think I’ll wait till i can watch it without paying extortionate amounts at the theatre and then see what its like…
May 23rd, 2005
OK, It took me a little while to find, but I found the game I’d seen before in ads. Ragnarok seems like a cute game - shame its PC-centric. I guess I could use my PC for it - but then I still have to pay to play *shudder* … wonder if they have a free trial
May 20th, 2005
May 20th, 2005
A new coworker of mine is fresh from Poland, so my boss took him out for soem local fun. This turned out to be going to the Sand Bar at Kaneohe Bay. I’d never heard of that, but I saw some of his photos, and it looks pretty cool! I’d like to go out there and hang out, do some snorkeling… Hard to find inofrmation on the web about it though.
May 20th, 2005
Up late, eatin’ chips ‘n’ salsa and got sucked in to watching vh1. shakira is a freakish dancer. there is an interesting video by (?) Jack Johnson which is backwards, but he is still singing in time to the music. I think they may have used the animal mouth/face mapping technology. Couldn’t tell for sure though. Neat vid.
May 20th, 2005
Although I’m almost done reading William Gibson & Bruce Sterling’s ‘Difference Engine’, I’m not particularly drawn into the story. But the work of Charles Babbage that portions of the book are based on is amazing - especially his Analytical Engine - basically a hugh-genghis (big) mechanical computer, complete with printer that would have needed a steam engine to operate back in te 1830s when it was conceived! Just as moggling (mind boggling) is the fact that the inventors of the modern electronic computer didn’t have any clue of his wealth of similar research!
May 18th, 2005
Google Result that came up with a weird Sponsored Links result - maybe someone forgot to take out some coding? :)
May 18th, 2005
Neat Products from Loreo for your camera - I particularly like the 3D one (of course) and the PC lens cap thingy. This new interest in 3D stereoscopic images stems from buying a stereo postcard at the Pompidou center in Paris. This site has some good quick info, as well as soem links to research the whole phenomenon. The peeps at the Lomographic Society also make some cool stuff - multi exposure per shot, colored flashes - pretty gimmicky stuff, but fun for playin around with!
May 18th, 2005
