Youtube for cooking

All right! It's Thanksgiving! Time to make special dishes for the holiday. Let's see. What should I serve to my invited guests? Let's try "Baked Pasta with Turkey and Three Cheeses". I'll just grab my cookbook and...wait a second there's no picture. No problem, I'll just look at the ingredients and...hold on. What's a fettuccine and what's a turkey cut into "julienne strips"? What do these ingredients look like? Overall, what is this meal going to look like when its done? That's where cookshow.com comes in. According to this article from TechCrunch, cookshow.com is the youtube version of cooking. The website is fairly new so only a few number of recipes are available. In the long run, I know more recipes will be uploaded so the possibilities are endless.

When I want to cook something, I don't like the idea of grabbing a cookbook and reading the process of cooking the dish. I want to see how the process is done whether be it on television, actual (like mom's cooking) or on video online. Cookshow.com will revolutionize the whole idea of cooking. Watching certain dishes made in video will make cooking simple. Personally, cookshow.com will make my life easier when it comes to cooking. I don't have to struggle to read or to hold the cookbook while I'm cooking. All I have to do is watch and listen to the video and I can easily get a clear idea of what the ingredients look like as well as what the dish look like when it is finished. To get a clear idea of what I'm talking about, be sure to check out the video within the article on flank steak. Yum! It will make any mouth water!

Moreover, Cookshow.com lets amateurs or professional cooks upload their favorite recipe. The audience can rank these recipes to see which one is the best. I think this idea is great because in this process it makes great recipes easier to find. Obviously, if the ranking of the recipe is high, that means that the recipe is excellent. Overall, I think the concept is amazing.

So, if you're like me and you want to cook something without reading a cookbook but by visually seeing the recipe being done step by step, go to cookshow.com and watch the recipe on video. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a video or two from me in the future.

Be careful of what you read on the airplane

I swear I was not reading the November 2006 issue of House and Garden magazine inside the Philippine Airlines during my flight back from the Philippines. I just know from my basic knowledge that painting the living room walls red bring out the color from black furnitures and accessories. I swear I was reading Import Magazine, the magazine about fine-tuning and upgrading cars. Besides, that was last year and there are no evidence to prove that I was actually reading a magazine on home improvement. What was that? There's an article within Slashdot about US Airport screeners watching what I read on the plane? Wait, the government has been doing this for years? Damn it, busted!

That's right. The statement mentioned above is true. US airport screeners are watching what people read on the plane. According to the article, "newly revealed records show the government is storing such information for years". In addition, there are evidence "showing that the government routinely records the race of people pulled aside for extra screening as they enter the country, along with cursory answers given to U.S. border inspectors about their purpose in traveling". I think that the government is doing too much. The government has become obsessed over the idea of safety and is violating each persons' personal privacy. On the other hand, I don't blame the government from being cautious because I know they want to prevent another 9/11 incident and further terrorist attacks.

Apparently, the government uses ATS ( Automated Targeting System) which "scrutinizes every airline passenger entering or leaving the country using classified rules that tell agents which passengers to give extra screening to and which to deny entry or exit from the country". Yikes! Talk about being meticulous. I feel like an item being carefully inspected before going through cargo. In addition, I wonder about the "classified rules" that agents use for screening each passenger. The fact it is classified means it is top secret. Man these guys are strict!

Moreover, the government implemented the ATS last fall even though it was started in the late 1990s. Not much information was known about the system during the late 1990s that's why it was just recently put into action. Personally, I'm torn with the subject. On one hand, I like the system because the government wants to secure the safety of the US and its citizens. On the other hand, I don't like the idea of the government spying the reading materials that each passenger reads while on board the plane.

With that said, next time you ride the plane, be careful of what you read because the government is watching you!

Future Jetpack

Imagine hovering in mid air without being on an airplane, a jet or a helicopter. Well, you can using Germany's prototype strap-on jet wing called Gryphon. According to an article from http://slashdot.org and the link within the article, researchers from a German company called Elektroniksystem in Germany (ESG) created the Gryphon to let users cruise the sky (click here for the article).

The Gryphon has a six-foot wingspan and "hand-held rotary controls for the rudder." In addition, the Gryphon features "onboard oxygen and helmet" that includes "heads-up display." The system has an attached backpack containing a parachute. The Gryphon weighs 44 lbs and can fly in the air at speeds about 135 mph. ESG is planning to add small jets to the wing to make it "a true jetpack of the future." Moreover, the researchers are saying that "the Gryphon is aimed at the military and could also become an extreme sport system."

Personally, I think it will be really cool to cruise through the air at 135 mph in a Gryphon. A 20 minute drive from San Mateo to SFSU would be cut down to a 20 second flight with the Gryphon. On the other hand, I think the idea of using the system is dangerous. Obviously, the system is still on the final stages of development and I am not willing to risk any chances.

In addition, the link within the article mentions the Gryphon "could become an extreme sport system." I am not surprised with this statement because the Gryphon has a potential of becoming an extreme sport just like base jumping or sky diving. As for the military aspect of the system, I can see the Gryphon being used in stealth or surveillance applications. Overall, I think the Gryphon will be great when it is complete.