Installing Wordpress on my new webcomic
I finally got around to setting up a page for my comics. You can read all the hilarity at www.addbutter.com. I figured I would do a quick write up of how I got it running since this blog hasn't seen much action lately.
First, I downloaded the newest version of Wordpress (2.8.6). I then uploaded it to my site hosted by 000webhost's free hosting service. The nice thing (since they are required to run Wordpress) is that their free hosting offers PHP and MySQL. The connection kept getting reset, so I had to copy Wordpress over several times (I would encounter PHP errors, most likely caused by data corruption due to a bad connection/server troubles). A good program to use for FTP (also works for SFTP and SCP if the host allows the protocols) is WinSCP.
Once I finally got a basic Wordpress install running, I uploaded a previously downloaded copy of Comic Press, a theme with a set of widgets intended to run a proper webcomic. I just recently discovered Comic Press, so expect some updates as I learn about its features.
After uploading and activating the theme, I added my first post, a Thanksgiving themed comic just in time to be only a week after Thanksgiving!
I tried to view the post to make sure everything posted ok, but was receiving an error on the page reading as follows:
Warning: reset() [function.reset]: Passed variable is not an array or object in /.../wp-content/themes/comicpress/functions.php on line 433
After searching google for similar errors, I found this forum post. Following the directions to edit functions.php using my FTP client, I changed the code as suggested and MY SITE IS UP!!!!
New style of wind turbines
http://crispgreen.com/2009/09/flodesign-triples-efficiency-of-traditional-wind-turbines/
Roasted Tomato Soup
2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut in halves and cored
Cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, optional
Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove from oven, peel garlic, and transfer all but cherry tomatoes to a large stock pot. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Add basil leaves. Puree the soup until smooth (with hand blender if possible). Return soup to low heat, add cream. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.
Next time I may try slow roasting the tomatoes instead
Add citrus to green tea, says Purdue study
According to a study done in previous years at Purdue, green tea's catechin content is mainly destroyed in the human digestion process, but adding citrus juice to green tea helps catechins reach our bloodstream in a usable form.
From the article:
"The study compared the effect of various beverage additives on catechins, naturally occurring antioxidants found in tea. Results suggest that complementing green tea with either citrus juices or vitamin C likely increases the amount of catechins available for the body to absorb.
...
Catechins (pronounced KA'-teh-kins), display health-promoting qualities and may be responsible for some of green tea's reported health benefits, like reduced risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke. The problem, Ferruzzi said, is that catechins are relatively unstable in non-acidic environments, such as the intestines, and less than 20 percent of the total remains after digestion."
Lemons helped preservation the most, followed by orange, lime and grapefruit juices.
The phenomenon seems to result from a combination of the acidity of the citrus and the vitamin C content, and not just one or the other.
Squash, tomato, corn with basil
1 lb. yellow squash, sliced 1 inch thick
1 lb. tomato, cored
1/2 cup corn
1 med. yellow onion
1 T fresh Basil
oregano, salt, pepper, butter, oil
Slice onions and cook in oil and butter until soft, 5 minutes.
Chop tomatoes and add to onions.
Add squash, corn, oregano, salt, pepper and cook until soft, 8 minutes
Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
Add basil and serve
Eggplant Parmesan
* 2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants, sliced 1/4" thick
* Salt
* 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
* Olive oil
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 lbs mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1 Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the bottom of a colander and sprinkle evenly with salt.
Repeat layering and salting with remaining eggplant.
Weigh down the slices (I use a bowl full of water).
This will press out the bitter eggplant juices
Let drain for 2 hours minimum.
2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce.
Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, rinse if desired and wipe off the excess salt, laying the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture.
On a plate, combine flour and breadcrumbs; mix well.
Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil.
When oil is heated (test by splashing with water droplets, droplets should boil off instantly), dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg.
Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once.
Drain on paper towels.
4 While cooking eggplant, preheat oven to 350°F.
In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce.
Top with one third of the eggplant slices.
Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices.
Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves.
Layer the remaining ingredients as desired.
I recommend this layering (from bottom to top):
sauce> eggplant> mozzerella> parmesan> basil> eggplant> sauce> mozzerella> parmesan> basil> eggplant> sauce> parmesan
6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes.
Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
This recipe is based upon this Eggplant Parmesan recipe
Last.fm goes paid for non- US, UK, and German users
Now that formerly free internet radio service Last.fm has begun to charge users outside of US, UK and Germany, Techie-buzz.com dishes up a list of free alternatives to Last.fm.
Tip of the day month year
Keep steel wool from rusting by immersing it in baking soda dissolved in water. Or freeze it after use. Or put it on Aluminum foil (I will test this one)
Pizza dough
3 1/2 cups flour
1 c warm water
2 T yeast
2 T honey
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t salt
Mix 1 cup water with the 2 T honey and 1/2 t salt
Add 2 T yeast and mix and let it sit for 30 seconds or a minute
Add 1 cup flour and mix
Add 1/4 cup olive oil and mix
Add the remaining flour and mix in a food processor for about 2 minutes
You can also add other ingredients and blend them in at this point (think rosemary, or garlic, or calamata olives, etc.)
The dough should turn into a ball. If it is still runny, add flour 1 T at a time. If it is crumble and not staying in a ball, add water 1 T at a time.
Once you get a good dough ball (it will be a little sticky, but should hold its form) take it out and knead it for about a minute.
Place it in a bowl and let it rise for about an hour. I put a wet towel over it, but I don't think that is necessary.
It should significantly increase in size. Give it a good punch to deflate it, and let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half.
After waiting the hour or hour and a half, you can repeat the previous step if you like (and have the time) but it should now be ready to either roll out, put in the fridge for up to a day, or freeze indefinitely (just bring it back to room temperature before using).
Once rolled out, cover it in toppings and bake it until the crust and (assuming you use it) cheese are golden.
Really, the ingredients are limitless for pizza. The last one I made was red sauce, red bell peppers, sliced onions, sliced Italian sausage, garlic, calamata olives, and mozzarella. I also really enjoy a Basil pesto, eggplant, mozzarella, and onion pizza, sometimes with ground Italian sausage.
WindowsPager: an open-source Windows Virtual Desktop manager
Lifehacker just posted (via Freeware Genius)about a windows VDM called WindowsPager. I have been using AltDesk which I picked up for free from Giveaway of the day . com.
For anyone who does a lot of multi-tasking or projects that require multiple applications open at once, a VDM is a godsend, second only to multi-monitor setups (for which I would recommend a great app called Multimon)
For anyone who doesn't know what a VDM (Virtual Desktop [wiki] Manager) is, basically, it allows you to have several "virtual" desktops running at once. So I can have Photoshop open on a desktop, and Flash open on a second desktop, and firefox running on a third.
I would highly recommend at least trying a VD setup out. I will try it out this week, since I start my new job tomorrow and need to sleep =)