Mexican Potluck Dish: Cornbread Pie

Sounds fantastic (http://www.homeschoolspot.com/showpost.php?p=126084&postcount=22):

CornBread Pie

• 2 pounds ground beef or turkey, browned, drained and seasoned with a packet (1.25 oz) of taco seasoning.
• 2 cups self rising corn meal mix
• 1 3/4 c milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 can refried beans
• 4 oz shredded cheese of your choice
• sour cream, salsa and onions, if desired

Once meat is cooked and you add the taco seasonings, preheat oven 375 degrees. Mix corn meal mix, milk, eggs stir until well blended. Add cream corn, mix until blended. Place 1/3 of corn meal mixture in bottom of large casserole dish. Add meat. Spread refried beans over meat. Sprinkle cheese. Pour rest of cornmeal mixture over top. Bake for 40 minutes. You can serve with sour cream, salsa and onions if desired.

This recipe easily can be cut in half. (except the cream corn and refried beans)

Voids In the Solder Plane

The picture above is an x-ray from a HP nc6000 laptop's MAXIM MAX1987 chip, which "shows up what look to be voids in the solder plane underneath the MAX chip."

The MAX1987 chip lives on the bottom of our HP nc6000 laptops. Opening and closing the laptop flexes the motherboard near the hinges. Over time, this causes the MAX1987's connection to the motherboard to break. The chip costs ~$8. The cost of a motherboard costs ~$100. x_x

The MAX1987 chip regulates power to the CPU (see link below and search for "Thomas Rolfe"). So if it fails, the CPU freezes and cannot recover. Even worse, the faulty connections prevent system start up. The short-term workaround is to press down on the section of the laptop where this chip lives while pressing the power button. The pressure reconnects the chip to the motherboard long enough to start up. Everything works fine as long as the motherboard does not get flexed too much.

The permanent solution is to re-solder the chip. Since this chip does not have "legs" like other chips, it needs to be heated, then cooled, using a hot air gun. Other reports say that they have clamped a pin to the end of their soldering iron and heated the chip that way with success.

Last but not least, no thanks to HP for this solution. It came from dedicate users of the link below. HP continues to ignore this issue, to their discredit.

Forum post: http://forums13.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?admit=109447627+1232937065039+28353475&threadId=1046903

CSUS Spring 2009 Course: Computer Organization

Computer science 137, "Computer Organization". Get your computers organized, peoples!

Current Catalog Description: An introduction to computer organization and
architecture. Topics include combinational devices, sequential and synchronized circuits,
memory, bus structures, input/output and interrupt structures, CPU organization, control
unit design and organization, and an introduction to modern processor and memory
features. Projects include construction of complete simple system using a schematic
simulator and HDL. 4 Units.

As I mentioned in July 2008, my grad school plans have shifted out a bit. I plan to take CSC 137 this spring, then CSC 130 in the fall, get A's in both, then enroll in grad school in the spring of 2010. I was not able to fit in a class last fall due to work pressure.

Important dates to remember:

Open University Registration dates: February 9 - 13, 2009

OneCard Center Hours:
Monday - Tuesday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Hearts of Space Favorites

And while I am on Hearts of Space, here is the list of favorites I accumulated at that time:

718 NORDIC CIRCLE wintry orchestral spaces from the far north 2005
717 HARMONIC VOICES 2 the subtle world of harmonic overtone singing 2005
713 INVOKING THE MUSE the timeless, heartfelt sound of the female voice 2004
698 DESERT VISION 3 more romantic transcultural exile music of the Middle East 2004
694 THE SILK ROAD a Central Asian journey to the past and the future 2004
693 BAROQUE VOICES 17th & 18th century sacred classics for Easter 2004
692 FINGERSTYLE a laid-back acoustic guitar excursion 2004
676 WHALE RIDER an immersive journey on waves of change 2003
654 ETHEREAL CHAOS a journey in the neo-Tibetan soundscape 2003
652 ICELANDIA tundra music from Scandanavia, Iceland and Alaska 2003
651 KLAUS SCHULZE: CONTEMPORARY WORKS new work by the dean of German electronic spacemusic 2003
650 SPIRIT VOICES radiant sacred vocal music for the holiday season 2002
648 MEDIEVAL WAVES a Celtic/Scandinavian/Middle Eastern winter's journey 2002
637 THE WOOD the Arabic oud and its progeny, ancient and modern 2002
626 ARCHETRIBE another report from the ethno-ambient frontier 2002
624 GUITAR MEDITATIONS another journey into contemplative acoustic guitar music 2002
622 A TRAGIC BEAUTY another journey into the expanded world of Celtic music 2002
583 SACRED TREASURES 3 the floating sacred chorales of the Russian church 2000
583 SACRED TREASURES 3 the floating sacred chorales of the Russian church 2000
569 AFRICA WEST the music of Western Africa, and African music in the West 2000
546 NORTHERN NIGHTS a Scandinavian winter's journey 1999
537 WEIGHTLESS an anti-gravity journey on floating electronic waves 1999
536 THE PRAYER CYCLE The Prayer Cycle: a eulogy for the 20th century...and a prayer for the 21st
531 AFRICA NORTH an Arabic desert-rim journey to Africa North 1999
501 ALTIPLANO a journey to the high Andes plateau 1998
497 OVERTONES a vocal odyssey from Bulgaria, Tuva, Mongolia and beyond 1998
496 SLIM WESTERNS an Ambient Rodeo from the Mythic West 1998
485 SACRED TREASURES choral masterworks from Russia 1998
472 TWILIGHT EARTH 2 a dark ambient journey for late Scorpio; tribal electronic music 1997
467 CANTATA MUNDI a journey on the edge of world vocal music 1997
463 AFRICAN TRANQUILITY the contemplative side of African music 1997
456 BARBER'S ADAGIO 8 versions of Samuel Barber's profound 'Adagio for Strings' 1997
419 RESURRECTION Russian sacred choral music for Easter 1996
408 ANCIENT AND MODERN choral spacemusic--ancient and modern 1995
386 TERRA AUSTRALIA tracking the didgeridoo from Terra Australia to the ambient frontier 1995
380 THE SOUND OF MA spotlight on the audiophile label MA Recordings 1995
355 ON WINGS OF STEEL a languid, bent, bluesy, cruisey steel guitar journey 1994
347 ELECTRONIC DREAMS electronic spacemusic in the grand tradition 1994
340 SPIRITS OF EUROPA accordion-friendly expressions of the European spirit 1993
328 TRANCE MISSION trance-dance rhythms echoing in cyberspace 1993
325 FLOATING WHISPERS 2 star-cruising electronics and floating spaces 1993
296 AMAZON PASSAGE ambient impressions from the South American subcontinent 1992
291 DISTANT DRUMS an ambient/tribal/electro-rhythmic journey 1992
290 THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES an inspiring true story of persistence and hope 1992
272 DARKTIME LULLABIES darktime lullabies from the Australian subcontinent 1991
254 SPIRIT CATCHERS music inspired by the aboriginal landscapes of Australia 1991
225 FAR OUT WEST a journey to the Far Out West 1990
204 RAINFOREST the lush ambience of the tropical rainforest 1989
194 FIELD OF DREAMS a space to dream 1989
180 SACRED TREASURES OF THE RENAISSANCE A cappella choral spacemusic of the Renaissance 1988
173 FROM DUSK TIL DAWN a Classical spacemusic night journey 1988
172 NUEVO TANGO (TANGO: ZERO HOUR) Astor Piazzolla's bittersweet spacemusic from Argentina 1988
171 DREAMTIME RETURN Steve Roach's spacemusic classic for the 80's 1988
168 KINGDOM OF THE SUN a journey to the Andean high plateaus and Chilean jungles 1988
158 TOUCH new piano music and the sensitivity of touch 1988
153 PROMISED LAND we journey deep into the American soundscape 1988
142 WHALES ALIVE music and literature inspired by whales and the ocean, featuring Paul Winter's WHALES ALIVE 1987
141 DISTANT VILLAGE African-influenced spacemusic with an electronic edge 1987
134 DESCENDING PHASES the lovely feeling of falling gently in electronic space 1987
124 MUSIC TO DISAPPEAR IN... dangerously subtle music to disappear in... 1987
105 NOVUS MAGNIFICAT a classic of symphonic/choral spacemusic for the holiday season by Constance Demby 1986
103 AIRS AND GRACES an early Celtic program 1986
100 A PACHELBEL CONVOCATION eight versions of the Classical classic 1986
078 EARTH, MOON AND STARS from the glory days of Windham Hill, the real stuff 1985
077 THE PULSE early world fusion and terrestrial spacemusic 1985
072 A JOURNEY HOME warm, spacious mostly keyboard program 1985
032 JAPAN/CALIFORNIA HEARTMUSIC East or West, the heart knows best 1983
018 A JOURNEY THROUGH THE BILLOWS rich mix of contemplative, Celtic revival, and classic Ambient sounds 1983

Hearts of Space Timeline

A few years ago, I listened to every single Hearts of Space episode available through Hearts of Space (link: http://hos.com). No joke. At some point during that journey, I started a compilation of various trivia. It remains incomplete, but I thought I would list it below as a starting point for fans of the show.


Moments in Hearts of Space history, 1983-Present


Pgm 605, "Terror and hope": First show after Sep 11, 2001.

Pgm ~450-500?xxx, "": Stephen sick with a cold :(

Pgm 445, "Drifter": Steve Davis' first show. Rick Kovacic leaves show to continue academic studies.

PGM 168 : "KINGDOM OF THE SUN": First BAY AREA WEATHER : Sizzlin and drizzlin

Pgm xxx, "": First mention of the web site, hos.com.

Pgm xxx, "": First mention of the HOS phone information line.

Pgm xxx, "": First mention of the tagline, "Slow Music for Fast Times."

Pgm 436, "Vox Nova," Last mention of the 1-900 Listener Information Line, "1-900-40-SPACE."

PGM 217 : "INTO THE CENTER" First "Safe journey, space fans, wherever you are."
PGM 134 : "DESCENDING PHASES" First program produced entirely on compact disc.

Some random bits:

PGM 118 : "DONA NOBIS PACEM" -- Anna Turner's last program as narrator.
PGM 109: "DEPARTURE" -- Anna Turner and Stephen Hill's last dual-narrated program.
Pgm 478, "New World": Promo bit at the end.
Pgm 453, "Sunyata": Promo bit at the end.

PGM 176: ENCOUNTER : Spoken in Alfred Hitchcock voice. XD

Pgm 091, c. 1996-01-01, "Anna Turner Tribute (Crystal Light)": Produced by Stephen Hill and Anna Turner (I choked up reading that line after reading of her death)

PGM 155 : "ORIENT EXPRESS": Last advert of the 1-800-87-ORBIT phone number
Pgm 358, "Pearls of the Soul": First advert of the 1-900-40-SPACE phone number to order the playlist.

Pgm 294, "Caravan": Program list cost increases to $3. "Inflation has hit us...."

Pgm xxx,(1992) "": Last intro of "From San Francisco, it's music from the Hearts of Space, an hour of contemporary space music. I'm Stephen Hill."

Pgm 264: "Lost Frontier": Last "Heartbeats Catalog subscription" program

Taglines
"Timeless music for a changing world"
"Slow music for fast times"

Various "endings"

Pgm 444, "Safe journey, ambient traveler, wherever you are."
PGM 172 : "NUEVO TANGO (TANGO: ZERO HOUR)", "Safe journey, Astor, wherever you are."
Pgm 332, "Safe journey, space fans, in the deep forest, or wherever you are."
Pgm 413, "Safe journey, space fans, from the magnificent void, or wherever you are."
PGM 168: KINGDOM OF THE SUN , "Safe journey, space fans, from the kingdom of the sun, or wherever you are."
PGM 208: THE FALLING DARK, "You know, it's easy to find someone to make noise, but a good listener is hard to find. So thanks for listening, and join me again for more music from the Hearts of Space.

Questions:

What is the hardest composer name to pronounce and what language in general?
Do you still think that Terry Riley is "least known and most influential American composer of the last 20 years?" as you did in 1985?

Blower Motor Resistors and the Art of Ford Escort Maintenance

The 2nd Generation 1.9L Ford Escort blower motor resistor, in all its glory:



Image credits: http://www.feoa.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=56420&highlight=resistor

Purchased two of these today from a Pick-n-Pull "self-service recycled auto parts store" (junkyard) for $5 each. New they cost ~$18. The benefit of getting them from a junkyard is that I get to make all the mistakes of self-repair on cars that are already junked. It is a lot of fun for me to tear apart cars and see how things work and get the original parts.

I also salvaged several lights for our heating and cooling control module. They burned out about six months ago. Ford (per a mechanic) says that to replace the lights requires the replacement of the entire module. As for a price, the Ford rep said "I do not want to scare you." So I salvaged about six of the lights for free today (no charge items).

The scariest part of self-repair for me is installing the parts on our car. :X Especially when it is something that I see every time I use the car. Hoping all goes well tomorrow.

The other most recent repair is stopping the rattling in the rear spoiler. Over time the plastic lugs that hold the spoiler to the trunk disintegrate. 3M makes double-sided mounting tape which does a great job of assisting the anchors. No more rattle.

Long Hair

Growing my hair out. The original idea I had was this one:



Link: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=43569808&albumID=1306932&imageID=22560655

So it is sort of half-way there. I am not sure I want it that long now.

Ideas:


I like the scruffy Japanese look.


Dawn really likes the above hairstyle.

Radio Song

Santa Barbara, CA-native Kate Perry's "Hot N Cold" from her 2007 album "One of the Boys". Video. "Staccato rollercoaster." x_x I guess it is really "Stuck on a rollercoaster." I like the original way I heard it.

There is No Charge for Awesomeness

Dawn and I saw this sequence of Kung Fu Panda today at CostCo and laughed. Now I want to watch the movie even more.

Stanford Masters Program

Drooling over Stanford University's distance education program:

http://scpd.stanford.edu/becomeAStudent/tuitionAndFees.jsp?expandMenu=becomestudent

For those in public service, federal loans are forgiven after ten years:

http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml

Hmm.

Of course, I will still need to get accepted, and take the GRE.

Thank You Mr. Lumley

Friday night confessions: when I shop at Safeway, I tap in my old telephone number on the pad, and it always comes up with "Bernadette Lumley" on the receipt. The cashier never fails to say, "Thank you Mr. Lumley," just as the cashier also never fails to see that my surname is not Lumley.

Turn Your Name Into A Face

Just like looking in the mirror! Try it!

Link: http://turnyournameintoaface.com/

GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) Public Key

Here: http://kevinschultz.com/schultkl-public-key-gpg-1-4-9.asc

Running Journal, Saturday, 2008-12-27

Running Journal, Saturday, 2008-12-27
Resting heart rate: 65 bpm
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Weather: partly sunny
Temp: 4 C
Time: 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Terrain: flat

Comments: Exercised at the gym this morning. Five minute warmup and cooldown. In between, a 45 minute workout on the arc trainer. Worked hard after warming up and did an interval workout. By the half-way point, I was slowing down on the hard parts and speeding up on the easy parts, which felt good. I tried to stay comfortable. During the second half I watched a program produced by LatinoAmerica.TV and felt a craving for green chile and cheese tamales. I burned about 875 calories today, then went home and ate about 900 calories of tamales (two). I guess that is 900 calories that will not add to my daily total.

Weight (after exercise): 81.8 kg (180.3 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Muscles behind my right knee felt sore a bit after workout.

Wishing Everyone A Patrick Swayze Christmas

For those celebrating today, Merry Christmas, courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

KYDS Radio Songs

Heard this evening around 5:15 p.m. on KYDS 91.5 Sacramento:

Nutbush, Tennessee native Tina Turner's "Whatever You Need" from her 1999 album "Twenty Four Seven", on the Parlephone Records and Virgin Records labels. Video.

San Diego-based Angels & Airwaves' "Lifeline" from their 2007 album "I-Empire" on the Geffen label. Video.

Running Journal, Thursday, 2008-12-25

Running Journal, Thursday, 2008-12-25
Resting heart rate: 58 bpm
Body Mass Index (BMI): 24.0 (upper normal weight)
Weather: mostly sunny, moderately windy, chilly
Temp: 11 C
Time: 4:00-4:45 p.m.
Terrain: flat

Comments: Decided to get some exercise as my Christmas present this year. Apparently, this represents the first time I have run since early November. I walked quickly for five minutes to warm up. The first 15 minutes went by slowly. I ran quickly to warm up against the brisk wind. At the half-way point, 22 minutes, I could not imagine running around the American River College track any longer. The ARC campus became the stage for the next 12 minutes, with two and one-half laps at the track to complete the run. The track has poor drainage. The north end's lane nine always seems to have a squishy section following rain, and the west side collects water in pools between the track and the bleachers. I cannot imagine that is good for the long-term health of the stadium track. A few people were out walking, some with dogs. One person practiced their tennis serve. A soccer player was practicing their foot skills on the fields to the east of the school. Someone had left on the scoreboard next to the college pool, so all the digits were lit up like a Christmas display. As I ran around the campus, I felt like I hit my stride around minutes 25-30. I was running strong and comfortably. It felt very wonderful. It felt even better to finish.

Goal Time: none
Distance (running): ???
Total Running Distance For Year: 64.79 km (32.25 mi)
Weight (after exercise): 82.6 kg (182.1 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore calves near the end.

Winter Tires

Flat tire on the way home this evening, so investigating tires:

175/65R14 XL Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 Blackwall

Only $550 shipped from TireRack.com (with black steel rims and wheel covers).

Purchasing just the four tires from a local Firestone costs $405 (with tax). x_x

Letters from Iwo Jima

60th Reunion of Japanese and American Iwo Jima Veterans in 2005 (Wikipedia)

Iwo Jima means "sulpher island" in Japanese. Over the course of nearly 40 days, the island became the stage for a pitched battle between 21,000+ Japanese and 100,000+ American soldiers. Only 216 Japanese soldiers surrendered. Close to 3,000 Japanese soldiers remained in hiding in the complex tunnel network of the island after the battle. The rest of the Japanese forces were killed in action or through suicide.

Notes and Thoughts

• General Kuribayashi, through attrition, hoped to deter American forces from invading Japan. I wonder, though, if the losses incurred at Iwo Jima played into the use of the hydrogen bomb at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
  
  
• The remains of 10,000 Japanese soldiers reported missing-in-action still exist on the island.
  
  
• The movie clearly conveys the Japanese soldiers' desire to protect their families from harm, which resonated with me.
  
  
• General Kuribayashi is the tragic hero of the film (along with tank commander Takiechi Nishi), sent to his death to delay American forces.
  
  
• Desparation, panic, fear, resignation, acceptance, anger, rage, cynicism, horror.
  
  
• Practically speaking, a civilian's best bet of visiting Iwo Jima is through military tourism.
  

Pictures of the island today: http://www.iwojima.com/today.htm

Brown Butter and Pasta Recipe (Old Spaghetti Factory)

Image credit: http://flickr.com/photos/kurtasbestos/2793267607/

Recipe Review

• Trés Bon. One of my favorites. This represents the second time we have made it.
  
  
• The smell of the caramelizing butter represents a heavenly experience.
  
  
• It tastes just as good or better than that served at The Old Spaghetti Factory.
  
  
• We added a bottle of Pinot Grigio, a tossed salad, two tapered candles, and streamed classical music via Shoutcast.com for ambiance.
  
  
• This open source recipe below comes from CD Kitchen: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/23/Spaghetti_with_Burnt_Butter38272.shtml. I did not write anything below unless otherwise noted.
  

Recipe Overview

There is a terrific dish served by The Old Spaghetti Factory chain, called Spaghetti with Browned Butter. It is served topped with shredded Mizithra cheese (a Greek hard cheese). If mizithra is not available (I am able to easily locate it St. Louis at cheese shops and some supermarkets), a blend of ricotta salata and romano is suggested.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup unsalted butter
2. 1 cup mizithra cheese (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizithra)
3. Pasta of choice (spaghetti works great)
   

Directions

1) Brown the butter

• Cut 2 sticks of butter into 8 pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan.
  
  
• Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat.
  
  
• Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).
  
  
• Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise.
  
  
• Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.
  
  
• Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.
  
  
• Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.
  
  
• Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan. (Kevin: I used a paper towel over a measuring cup for this step.)
  
  
• The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.
  

2) Boil the Pasta

• Boil the pasta of choice until Al Dente (depends on pasta).
  
  
• Drain pasta and divide into four servings.

3) Combine and Eat

• Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving.
  
  
• Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter.

Serves/makes 4.