Tech Talk: Google Glass

Image from Google Project Glass Google+ page (linked)

Forget tablets.  While I had been debating Android versus iPad for a while as to what tech "toy" to pick up next (yes, I have a Kindle Fire, a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket Android phone, and an iPad 3 for the family, but there's always another toy you can buy), I really came to a conclusion not too long ago that none of those make a sufficient laptop or computer replacement (particularly in terms of writing capabilities, etc.), and that if I were to head down a "PC replacement" path, I might start saving my pennies for an Ultrabook.

That said, there's still a market for "web toys" where I classify all of the tablets, etc., so I still may want to have something to play with.

But Google has now made the decision for me.

Forget 10 inch versus 7 inch.  Forget Android vs. iOS (well, don't forget it because Android's going to win here).  Google Glass has changed the entire game with a completely different device footprint altogether.

With a tiny eyes up display, you can augment your world with the web.  OK, maybe not entirely, but that's the concept.  Overlay information on reality.  It's all futuristic.

With development pre-versions selling for $1500 next year, it will be a while before I grab this little toy, but I definitely want one - wave of the future, wave of the future.

Check out this video that Google released to demonstrate (and potentially oversell, but we will see) the capabilities.




 And then this video from Google I/O just shows some of the capabilities from a video capture format. Enjoy!

Friday Happy Hour: Cucumber Collins

Got extra gin lying around?  Got extra cucumbers lying around?  We did, and that's exactly what caused us to make these delicious summertime beverages.  Cool and refreshing, the cucumber adds a very fresh taste to this cocktail.

So, to start with, you need: cucumber, mint, club soda, gin, simple syrup (don't know how to make that? I'll share later, perhaps), and lemons.  Better if you have a Collins glass, but if not, you can use a rocks/old fashioned glass like I have shown at left.

Ingredients:
5 slices or so of cucumber (halved)
1 jigger (1.5 oz) simple syrup
1 jigger (1.5 oz) fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 jiggers (3 oz) gin
ice
club soda
mint and an extra cucumber slice for garnish

Start by muddling a generous amount of sliced cucumber with one jigger of simple syrup and one of lemon juice in the bottom of a shaker.  To get more cucumber flavor, you should really pulverize the slices.  I like cutting the circles in half first to allow more of the seeds and cucumber to break off easier.

Add 2 jiggers of gin to the shaker and fill with ice.  Shake vigorously until cold.

Here you've got an option:  If you want substantial amounts of cucumber in your beverage, pour it unstrained into a glass about 2/3 full.  If you just want the flavor and don't want the cucumber pieces (my preferred way), strain it into a glass over ice up to about 2/3 full.


Fill the remaining 1/3 of the glass with club soda.  Important step: Dump the entire thing into a larger glass and back to mix the soda into the drink.


Garnish with mint sprig and an extra slice of cucumber and enjoy.

TV Talk: The Newsroom

In case you missed it, HBO launched a new series called The Newsroom, written by Aaron Sorkin.  While I was slow to come around to The West Wing, and I've been ambivalent about some of his projects (though I did enjoy The Social Network), I have to admit that he is an excellent screenwriter.

That said, I had no idea how much I was going to like this new show (The Official Website for the HBO Series The Newsroom | Series Premiere in June:) until we watched it last night.

Wire-to-wire.  Intense.  That's all I really have to say about it.  It certainly has some political slant to it, that seems to underly much of Sorkin's stuff, but looks at some events of our recent past as a kickoff to the show. I am curious if this pattern will continue of using real news events of the recent past as they continue to develop both the show and the characters.  As the show-within-a-show is geared towards a "different" portrayal of the news than our current media outlets, I am intrigued if the goal of the show, in part, is to retell the same news events that actually occurred but through this "different" lens.

Whatever it is, I like it.

Oh, and I think HBO makes the best television on television.

Spring Onions

Our Texas sweet onions aren't ready to harvest yet, but we did need to thin them out. So here's a few Spring onions to throw on the grill with tonight's flank steak.

Turnips!

One of the best "crops" that we've planted in the garden in recent years are purple-top turnips.  Ordinarily, we plant them in the fall and they supply us with a steady stream of turnip greens throughout the winter.  Sometimes, though, I not only forget to thin them out, but I also neglect pulling them up.  So, as we've now hit Spring, it's time to clear out the planting beds and as part of this, the turnips had to go.  I threw my fist in there for reference as I had them sitting outside on top of the smoker, but it still doesn't give full weight to the almost-bowling-ball size of a couple of these giants.  Probably way too much turnip there.

Anyway, after clearing the turnips and chunking the largest ones into the trash, we picked and cleaned up several of the more moderately sized turnips.  Peeled them, then Meredith diced and boiled them to mix with some potatoes in mashers (we froze about half of them as this was still a LOT of turnips).

Onward to Spring plants and planting!  It's the best time for gardens!