Saturday, December 27, 2003

Wunderlich knew that during the late 1800s, pus or bits of scabs from smallpox patients with mild cases were implanted in the skins of healthy people to generate a mild illness that bestowed lifetime immunity. The practice, used in the early 18th century, predated the cowpox-based vaccine that later became standard. [...]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-12-26-smallpox-in-envelope_x.htm
posted by Irdial , 11:47 AM Þ 
Friday, December 26, 2003
posted by Irdial , 10:42 PM Þ 
Thursday, December 25, 2003

Chris, you are the man of the day!!!!!

cooking music today is oscar peterson ........... do you have a favourite ? does it depend on what you're preparing ?

What a coincidence, I to have just heard Oscar Peterson (night train) preparing my duck...Blogdial is everywhere.... Uhhh
The music really depends on what I am cooking - I dont have any favorite, but for sunday breakfast (one of my favorite times in the week) while eggs are boiling, my boyfriend in bed sleeping, looking so lovely...toast...butter...fresh coffee...Herbie Hancock "Mr Hands"...

And never mention Christmas again to me...Next year... I am outta Denmark...
posted by Alison , 10:32 PM Þ 



Spent the day again helping out at a dinner for people who are alone at Christmas. It's mostly pensioners from sheltered accomodation and some people with learning difficulties. It's been a buzz to see familar faces again. [attending and helping]. A good time was had by all!

My flatmates are visiting relatives so I have a nice, quiet flat to myself, with a fridge full of beers.


Hope you're all having a good day!

This is 100 yards from my flat!!




posted by chriszanf , 7:36 PM Þ 


Christmas Duck After
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 4:23 PM Þ 

Well I had to switch on, if only to read this. Still, fingers crossed.
posted by captain davros , 11:29 AM Þ 

It's 12:30 AM here. Happy Christmas everyone! I will try my best to NOT turn on the computer tomorrow.
posted by Barrie , 7:29 AM Þ 

Normally my grandmother in Preston sends over a big christmas cake every year, usually they are very very old indeed and INCREDIBLE. It seems that it will be arriving late this year, but oh well.

then however many per pound
I heard an interview with an English doctor who has discovered the most accurate why to cook any round meat-like thing is to calculate time in relation the square of the diameter. That's all I can remember though, which is fairly useless.
Henkel ????
Henckels are a German knife brand. They are generally very good, there are quite a few in my house. Very sharp. Good for cutting all manner of delicious food. MMmm, duck.
posted by Barrie , 12:02 AM Þ 
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Ah, see, everyone is in spirit! and Alex, you just have to be there, and your parents will be happy. And you can also give them something of yours, if you feel so inclined ... a well-loved novel is not a bad thing to pass on.

My cousins are coming over tonight, we are having snacky things, like baked brie and chicken wings. I bought silly Christmas crackers, each has a differently toned whistle inside, and sheet music, so we can have a whistle band. Fun! Or it could be aural hell ... I am going to bake the absolutely-must-have butter tarts and some ginger cookies right now.

Merry Christmas everyone!
posted by mary13 , 9:53 PM Þ 

posted by a hymn in g to nann , 6:04 PM Þ 

!
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 3:03 PM Þ 

thermidor
oh yes ...

yup, good thick smoked bacon ( although that's for today's lunch ) ... uhm, they must have wishbones mustn't they ? ( don't know why i'm so sure, can't say i've actively sought it out before ) ... the fruit is incredible; all mushy & duck-fat-juicey, the perfect accompaniment to the meat, and yes, the skin is the best bit, or rather, a fork full of meat, skin, fruit and 6-hour stewed red cabbage is verrrrrrry hard to beat, is really made by that bit of salty crunch ........ giblet gravy is an absolute must, anything else would be sacrilege; the addition of port & redcurrant jelly to finish a must

Henkel ????

The horse shoe-shaped thing top right is one of these ... we went through two or three of the cheap things you can buy in most department stores before finally taking the plunge ( it's a little expensive ), but are glad we did; it is an amazing thing, weighs a ton, is indestructible ...

I couldn't hear that clip unfortunately, have a deep dislike of the real audio player; i do have a soft spot for blur

must admit to being very slightly envious of your managing to keep a christmas pud for 6 years ... we'll be attacking a 3 year-old tomorrow, two more of the same age in the cupboard that may well last 'till next year ... it is an unbeatable dish ... do you make brandy butter ?

cooking music today is oscar peterson ........... do you have a favourite ? does it depend on what you're preparing ?
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 2:43 PM Þ 

MMMMMMMMM!!!!! I see bacon too, isn't it?

I took photos last year of every stage of Lobster thermidor, from live crustacean to eaten-out-of empty shell... they still make my stomach rumble. Do ducks have wishbones? How is the fruit afterwards? Do you love the skin? Will you make giblet gravy? What about the smells! What's your cooking music? Is that a Henkel? Oh my... it's lunchtime.



Anthony, bits of this remind me of your music. Hope you don't take that too badly, it's by Blur!

Happy Landings!
posted by Alun , 1:44 PM Þ 


Christmas Duck Before

To ensure good crispy skin :

the night before, pour over 2 or 3 kettles full of boiling water (this helps separate the skin from the flesh), leave overnight uncovered in a cool spot so as to thoroughly dry out

following day, rub with salt, fill cavity with as much fruit as it'll hold (plums, oranges, an onion, cranberries, etc), roast as normal, very high to start for 20 mins, then however many per pound

to be continued ...

i LOVE christmas
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 1:26 PM Þ 

Excellent idea - I have printed out hospitality vouchers in the past for people, like "I promise to take you somewhere very cool indeed" when I've been stuck for what to get them.

Dazzle Ships by OMD, incidentally. What a great album!
posted by captain davros , 11:52 AM Þ 

to be frank I love the spirit of christmas and I hate it in real life, last year I was all alone (and really it was the best christmas ever in my life), year before in London with people I didnt knew... This year I really am going to try to be good and celebrate it at my place having my mum, sister and a friend coming over for danish traditional food.. My sister is already getting on my nerves, I have to get drunk on redwine and smoke a lot of weed...


This could be the coolest christmaspresent in the future, why have kids when you can have QRIO?

Alex, I have an idea for presents to your parents - give them someting you can pay for in the future, like a fancy dinner out, the movies... an expirence of some kind...

Merry Christmas Blogdial
posted by Alison , 11:28 AM Þ 

Coil ANS
Want it. So bad.

Since I'm still at the top, I'll just edit this:
Oh shit since it's christmas no one is posting. I hope everyone is having fun. EVEN YOU, ALEX. I hope things are going well or become well... good.
posted by Barrie , 3:54 AM Þ 

I used to really like Christmas. I used to like giving people nice presents and spending time with my family and the great food and playing all the new console games for days on end.

But today I feel crap. I left everything to the last minute because I am lazy and selfish and went out too much this weekend and spent too much money on drinking, so I ended up running out of money today during my shopping. Now I know that it doesn't matter how much you spend on people, but I just feel awful that I haven't gotten presents for my mum or my dad or my sister. I could make them something, but I can't think what. Hopefully my brother will be able to lend me some money tomorrow so I can buy them something quickly. I wish he would get home from work and phone me!

I think I feel crap because my girlfriend is in Burma, so I can't even speak to her on the phone and I am all alone and all my friends have gone home for Christmas now so I can't go out anywhere.

Bah Humbug. Maybe everything will change tomorrow.
posted by alex_tea , 12:41 AM Þ 

You've probably all guessed I love Christmas. I like it more though, when I am not rushing around, and I spread out the preparation and the celebration. It is always such a let down when you rush around for 3 days, and only celebrate on one day. Not really the point. And could you imagine not having this special time? What a drag the winter would be. But I do love Christmas because usually, most people are happy, or at least try to be happy and positive, and everything seems just so much easier. The trick, I think, is to carry the spirit all year.
posted by mary13 , 12:00 AM Þ 
Tuesday, December 23, 2003



very beautiful..
posted by Irdial , 8:02 PM Þ 

Wow, UserLand is hardcore/oldschool.

I tend to like Christmas, even though it has been much distilled from me in the past years. It's been split up into at least three different "christmas days" due to my split up family, and my steady dwindling desire for material goods has lessened the thrill of getting presents. I do like getting together though, it is fun most of the time. I had christmas day at my mother's on the 20th, and we had some steak instead of turkey, and a simple gift exchange that was one gift per person. Two more christmases to go.
posted by Barrie , 7:27 PM Þ 
posted by Alun , 6:00 PM Þ 

"Black people are brown, light yellow and all different colors in the United States," said Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. [...]

Whats wrong with this sentence??!?!

ROTFL!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/12/23/thurmond.folo/index.html
posted by Irdial , 5:54 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 4:44 PM Þ 

Of the 32 Xmases I've had, the majority have been excellent; family, kindness and relaxation being the operative words. I've had a few crappy ones, but life wouldn't be life without the odd crap Xmas here and there now would it? During those times of course Xmas is *bad*, and the remedy is never simple.

New Year I find to be more annoying generally, maybe because as a non drinker the focus is more towards those who worship the vine.
posted by captain davros , 3:57 PM Þ 

What's your verdicts on christmas?
Happy Happy Joy Joy...

Or not so...

I have swung to and fro over the years and at the moment lean towards the former. Mostly I love being at home, seeing friends and family, no work, and seeing people happier than usual.
posted by Alun , 2:08 PM Þ 
posted by Alison , 10:12 AM Þ 

Which brings up the point that I have Norwegian ancestors (tthhpppbbbpptpbpbp to the comments, Alun), and I have never been there. My grandmother tells me there is an amazing park in Oslo, a must see.

Nice re-post of Whistler. I love to ski there. Masses of snow just now. But never go to the Longhorn for apres-ski, disgusting place. The Brewhouse is much better. We are off in 3 days for the First Annual Christmas Ski Trip to Big White Mountain (no laughing at the name) for a week of skiing (yes, this is bragging). Next year, I want to go to Europe, so hopefully a stop in Norway will be enroute. Austria seems to be the popular vote, but if we are going to drag all that gear around, I think we should go a few places ...

AND the party was really great, thank you for asking! I looked smashing, the food was perfect and it was just super to see everyone. The first of many gatherings I am sure.

AND cute card M. Davros!
posted by mary13 , 12:53 AM Þ 

Wenche

That was my mom's name. But you say it like "when-khe", soft on the "kh" sound and not a really long "e".
posted by mary13 , 12:47 AM Þ 
Monday, December 22, 2003



Season's Greetings Blogdialers!

posted by captain davros , 11:52 PM Þ 

If Christiania goes, I'll cry.

California rocked by earthquake. Spokesman says 'This evil-doer, Richter Scale, may have links to Al Quaeda'. News Update: Earthquake now believed to be San Andreas' Fault.


Sorry.
posted by Alun , 10:52 PM Þ 

There'd better be some seriously good pay off for such a waste of a day.

hgggghhhh.

-

So why did the kurds leave the $750,000 with Saddam?
posted by meau meau , 6:10 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 5:24 PM Þ 

HERB
Why did you want to go to breakfast if
you're not hungry?

DAN
I just wanted to come here.

HERB
To Denny's? I wasn't going to say
anything, but why Denny's?

DAN
This Denny's.

HERB
Okay. Why this Denny's?


DAN
It's kind of embarrassing but,

HERB
Go ahead.

DAN
I had a dream about this place.

HERB
Oh boy.

DAN
You see what I mean...

HERB
Okay, so you had a dream about this
place. Tell me.

DAN
Well ... it's the second one I've had, but
they were both the same......they start
out that I'm in here but it's not day or
night. It's kinda half night, but it
looks just like this except for the
light, but I'm scared like I can't tell
ya. Of all people you're standing right
over there by that counter. You're in
both dreams and you're scared. I get
even more frightened when I see how
afraid you are and then I realize what it
is - there's a man...in back of this
place. He's the one ... he's the one
that's doing it. I can see him through
the wall. I can see his face and I hope
I never see that face ever outside a
dream.

Herb stares at Dan to see if he will continue. Dan looks
around nervously, then stares at his uneaten food.

DAN (cont'd)
That's it.

HERB
So, you came to see if he's out there?

DAN
To get rid of this god-awful feeling.

HERB
Right then.


posted by Alison , 3:59 PM Þ 

I'll never ride into London.

I was only going to the town centre. The only time I do ride into London is for Critical Mass!
posted by chriszanf , 3:16 PM Þ 

Ouch. I've witnessed so many bike/vehicle comings-together I'll never ride into London.

In other news, those cheeky NOrwegians do it again.
posted by Alun , 3:09 PM Þ 

On my way cycling into town, I got knocked off my bike by a car driver doing a three-point-turn [in a main road] to avoid traffic.

As I was approaching, I slowed down as I 'knew' that they would just reverse and not bother checking for oncoming traffic. She did exactly that and hit me, knocking me off my bike and almost crushing it in the process.

When she got out to see if I was ok she even said that she saw me and just kept reversing.

In the shock of the situation, I failed to get her name, address and car reg and I now have a bruising on my left shin and my leg hurts a bit.

My bike also sustained minor injuries.

posted by chriszanf , 2:55 PM Þ 

I like that Blogdial is going in a new design direction
Huh?... but I cant see any? What is going on?

I need help for verification, 51 minutes in the Omnus Carwash MM, there is a wonderful track - But who made it? and I WANT IT BADLY.... Please if someone knows the verification, I would be so happy...

the magnetic children running about, who made them so cute?
That is the pure power of nature, convincing us ( is it only women or does men also think like that) to have them... some day... maybe...?
Mary how was the party? In spirit I was there... Trust me...


posted by Alison , 2:28 PM Þ 



Did it himself with All New BackTrimmer!
posted by Alun , 10:34 AM Þ 

Barrie, an excellent post. And I have replied on your own blog. But for those reading here and contemplating OGG, remember this.
posted by captain davros , 10:05 AM Þ 

AM, you were not far wrong.
posted by captain davros , 9:56 AM Þ 

THE VERDICT IS IN! After lots of encoding and acute listening today through Grado headphones, Vorbis is the CHAMPEEN that renders mp3 obsolete. I wrote up a long-winded description of my tests but posted them on my blog instead since I don't imagine many people are actually interested.
posted by Barrie , 7:36 AM Þ 
Sunday, December 21, 2003

20 years is the window.
posted by Irdial , 11:57 PM Þ 
posted by alex_tea , 8:02 PM Þ 

I believe FLAC is affiliated with Xiph, being the "hi-fi" equivalent for Ogg.

This is just... well, well, well...
FINALLY! God bless science. A once DANGEROUS and tedious procedure is now easy as pie. *falls down the stairs*
posted by Barrie , 6:05 PM Þ 

cd, you featured in a very peculiar dream i had last night ... you were moonlighting as a zookeeper, birds of prey i think, were mid-40s, balding with grey hair, grey neatly-trimmed beard, small round glasses, very rotund, extremely jovial ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 2:03 PM Þ 

SOLDIER LETTERS

From: Jerry Oliver
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 11:05 AM
To: mike@michaelmoore.com
Subject: Iraqi Vet. Wants to make films

Dear Mr. Moore,

I have just returned home from "Operation Iraqi Freedom". I spent 5 months in Baghdad, and a total of 3 years in the U.S. Army. I was recently discharged with Honorable valor and returned to the States only to be horrified by what I've seen my country turn into.

I'm now 22 years old and have discovered America is such a complicated place to live, and moreover, Americans are almost oblivious to what's been happening to their country. America has become "1984." Homeland security is teaching us to spy on one another and forcing us to become anti-social. Americans are willingly sacrificing our freedoms in the name of security, the same Freedoms I was willing to put my life on the line for. The constitution is in jeopardy. As Gen. Tommy Franks said, (broken down of course) One more terrorist attack and the constitution will hold no meaning.

Computers are running our lives. There literally isn't anything we can't do online, and now we're becoming dependant on computers. And this is forcing us to become anti-social. And people who notice this become paranoid of One World Government conspiracy. Then the people who don't notice call the paranoid, “crack pots” and bury their nose back in the football section of the newspaper instead of reading the headline. Americans read a Maxim Magazine "How To ...fix the sink" and they truly believe they're plumbers. It's an illusion of intelligence.

They are convinced they control their lives when in reality they've never even left the city limits of Culpepper, VA. When just outside the city there's a station that's controlling them. Hell they know more about Peyton Manning's family history than about their own.

I wanted to take 2 months and travel all over this great country of ours, but I see no need to now... Because the McDonalds in Arizona is the same as the one in New York. We're losing our culture. And this convenient and sterile Wal-Mart environment that should be an alternative, is now common place and even worse, we're inflicting it on other cultures and pressuring them to drop their thousand year old heritage.

Americans accept anything the television tells them. The media can put a spin on any topic to suit their opinions and feed it to the people. People don't research the subjects on their own, they take the easiest route.

And it just seems like nobody cares that their dreams are being crushed by a society and a system. We're pressured to conform to a standard. Go to school for 12 years. Go to college, get a diploma, get married, use the degree to get a job you hate to work at for 40 years making somebody else rich, and then have your kids shuffle you into a retirement home where you wait for your turn to die. I know that's not the american dream.

Don't conform to a standard because you're told, conform if you want. Stop telling me what's appropriate and not. If two guys want to get married, I don't care, how does that affect me ? If I want to smoke a cigarette when I walk down the street, don't tell me to put it out, my freedom, you don't like it, try walking on the other side of the street. Do what you want in life. It's your country.

Remember there are some things you'll get arrested for. But if you feel you need to make a stand by doing so, more power to you.

Jerry C. Oliver Jr.

A Militia Man in the making methinks!

Hmmmmm!
posted by Irdial , 1:22 PM Þ 

Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops

Sat Dec 20,11:00 PM ET

Add Mideast - AFP to My Yahoo!

LONDON, (AFP) - Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British Sunday newspaper said. [...]

An unnamed Western intelligence source in the Middle East told the Express: "Saddam was not captured as a result of any American or British intelligence. We knew that someone would eventually take their revenge, it was just a matter of time." [...]

Yahoo News

posted by Irdial , 1:15 PM Þ 

Software Drop


May 14, 2003

iTunes 4 compatable Ogg Vorbis decoder plugin for Quicktime 6.2+ under MacOS X 10.2+

This will allow you to play Ogg Vorbis music with iTunes.

This version uses the latest Ogg Vorbis and Core Audio SDK and has been only lightly tested. It was compiled with a much newer compiler and seems to be a wee bit faster.
posted by Irdial , 1:04 PM Þ 

That pussycatmagazine had something about shaving around there - for blow job purposes.

There you go the sexualisation of youth and the infantilisation of adulthood.

It seems MPlayer only nees to buffer the FLAC file, that should be KNEES shouldn't it?
posted by meau meau , 12:08 PM Þ 

Monkey's Audio is good, but windows only.

OGG is excellent. Shurely we have not forgotten OGG?

This is just... well, well, well...
posted by captain davros , 12:01 PM Þ 

Guardian's best of british blogging

No.

-

I've got MacFLAC on my machine I'm just testing it again I recall that MPlayer wanted to decode the flac before playing so it seems best for transfer use. The losslessness makes it better than mp3 in these days of broadband.
posted by meau meau , 11:51 AM Þ 

I

Blogdial.



Thank you all very much for thoughts, comments, help... This is a Very Good Place™®
I'll post some images as soon as I can, but probably that'll be after January as I'm off on hols for the first couple of weeks of 04.

Et tu casse... and you break? WTF?
Aunt Mary, how was your party? We were there in spirit...

on your own terms
Anthony, this is something we should all be reminded of every day, the moment we wake up. Yes.

Blogdial is everywhere.
And don't you forget it.

I only just noticed the AlpineCam is updating... doh.


We had Sarah's parents here for an early Christmas Day...

Crispy shellfish risotto cakes with saffron, champagne and prawn sauce
Roast monkfish in Parma ham with sauerkraut
Three-year old home-made (by Sarah and I) christmas pudding with brandy and double cream
Port

We're having goose for Christmas Day proper.
posted by Alun , 10:57 AM Þ 

FLAC! FLAC! Free lossless audio codec.
Anyone have any opinions on this code? I'm gonna start testing and comparing this with mp3. mp3 is... old.
posted by Barrie , 9:39 AM Þ 
Home
 
People
 
Services
 
Articles
 
News
 
About


Subscribe to “Irdial-List” Our Mailing List.
The Blarchives are here.
The Blogs on irdial.com are powered by WordPress.
Here is the Blogdial Atom XML feed.
Here is the Blogdial Feedburner XML feed.
Open Content 1995-2005 Irdialani Limited. All Rights Relinquished where applicable.
Links: STAND FIPR PI PF NUFORC M2M SB FTT FFF RMS A-SCROB ONGAKU Blogroll BLOGDIAL WOE CHEZ MANNING