Monthly Archives: March 2009

Two New Nerd-Tech Discoveries

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I have of late been unhappy with the tools available to access Internet radio on the ol’ Treo. Windows Media Player Mobile does not access all file types and requires entering long URIs with a stylus and/or those teeny keybord buttons. Pocket Player (huh-huh, huh) is not too much better for that, neither. I was about ready to give in and buy one of those iThings because radio is about 97 percent what I use my gizmo for.

See, here’s my situation. I’m a webmonkey by trade. Now, when they named me thus at my organization, I tried to negotiate for a better title: Master of Time, Space, and Dimension (MTSD). I figured at least with that title, I’d have a better shot at getting an office with a window. No avail. So there’s no radio waves, satellite or analog, getting into my office. Now, they’ve lifted the restriction of streaming, but I still like to lean on my own unlimited data plan, for one because I don’t think the Web guy should set that kind of example, and for two because if I use my own radio all day, it gets me better versed on what my own hardware can do. So.

Enter…WunderRadio.

If you’re a radio bug with a Treo, Android phone or, iPhone, you’re going to want this thing. It flawlessly tunes in radio stations from all over the place. It can search for specific call letters. It can browse by genre and by individual program. And it tunes in without a furrowed brow or a “god-damnit.”

This thing lets me tune in just about anything I’d like aside from Howard Stern and Radio B.O.N.K., but I have other apps for those. I can get my moonbat radio programs, C-SPAN Radio AND all the SPANs as well, WTOP, WKSU, and just about anything. And it’s not a subscription service. You just plunk down a few bucks for the software. I don’t know how they can afford to do that…I’d pay for a subscription to this thing.

Of course, the standard warning applies: Have an unlimited data plan, or your radio obsession will put you into the poorhouse. But, tell you whut, I’ll be paying for this app. It is simple, it does only one thing and does it well, and it works. Can’t ask for more than that.

Next: FxIF.

This is a Firefox extension that extinguishes a frequent frustration in my professional life.

I often need to know how big an Internet graphic is. But most browsers do not give up this info in the Properties check by default. So, the old-fashioned way to find out this information was to save it to my hard disc, open it in Photoshoppe, then Image-Size; or to screenshot it and paste it into Photoshoppe and then Image-Size.

Which is just a little bit easier.

(I didn’t link to it because I don’t want to pick a bad Web site and lead anyone to a booby-trap. Probably best to get there with a search on “FxIF” from your “Add-Ons” menu.)

Subtle Social Cues in the Heartland of America

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Yorktown man arrested on exposure charge
By NICK WERNER | March 11, 2009

YORKTOWN — A man arrested for allegedly masturbating at his mailbox Tuesday afternoon told police he was showing his neighbors “who was boss,” according to police reports.

Daniel T. Doster Jr., 42, 8501 W. Pleasant Road, faces preliminary charges of vicarious sexual gratification, a class D felony carrying a maximum three-year prison term.

According to witness accounts, Doster’s behavior took place while a 19-month old neighbor boy was playing in his yard with his mother.

Tuesday was Doster’s second arrest since Jan. 20 on allegations that he was masturbating by his mailbox. Doter is facing a charge of public indecency in Muncie City Court in connection with the Jan. 20 arrest.

Yorktown officer Mike Daugherty arrested Doster around 4:30 p.m.

“Once I read him his rights, Daniel admitted to me that he was standing at the mailbox masturbating to show his neighbors who was boss,” Daugherty wrote in the probable cause affdavit.

By the way, if there are any bands out there looking for a really cool name, may I suggest “Vicarious Sexual Gratification?”

A Method For Perfect Hamburgers

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Making hamburgers at home is a complicated deal. You wouldn’t think so. But it is. You need the correct mixture, the correct spice, and the correct shape and width. That’s hard to do unless you work for MacDaniels.

Unless you own a KitchenAid and a couple of saucers, like you put under a coffee cup. Then it’s easy.

First, chop up a couple of onion pencils with the scissors and throw them into the KitchenAid bowl with the egg. Throw in three quarters cup bread crumbs or stove top or something. Three teaspoons of evaporated milk. Half teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper, preferably fresh ground. A dash of horseradish or some other acerbic tango you can stand. Goosh it up with the awesome power of the KitchenAid. You’ll start on speed one but will eventually have to resort to speed three as you throw in the two pounds or so of ground forkfull by forkfull.

Then, get a bunch of saucers and pull some of the meat mix out with a fork and beat and shape it into the saucer. Use less meat than you think you need. Spread it thin and beat on the edges. Don’t be afraid to mash it deeply into the plate. I’ve tried this before only to struggle to slip the mess into the skillet. It won’t come loose with a spatula. But you’re not worried about that. Just pack it tight and thin as possible.

Then flip it upside-down onto a hot skillet, saucer and all.

Within five minutes, the meat will cook enough that it will fall off of the plate of its own accord. And you will have a patty that is thin enough and of the absolutely perfect shape.

What if you’re doing this for the grill? I figure you can pre-cook the meat to very rare this way and then drag them out to the fire. Not to mention, this is a practical way to prepare patties at 2 p.m. that are meant to be consumed at 5 p.m. That would leave less guesswork to the barbecue chef and fewer burgers under or over cooked.

As I said. Learning is yummy.