By Mick on June 30, 2009
A guide to add a 4th column to your iGoogle homepage:
1. Choose the dropdown arrow on the tab you want to add the 4th column to and hit “edit this tab” to access the settings
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you see “Export / Import”
3. Click on the button where it says “Export.” A window will come up– press okay to save the file on your computer
4. Right click on the file and hit “open with” and choose your favorite text editor (notepad in windows or textedit on mac works fine)
5. find where it says this:
<Layout iGoogle:spec="THREE_COL_LAYOUT_1" />
6. Change where is says THREE to FOUR and save the file:
<Layout iGoogle:spec="FOUR_COL_LAYOUT_1" />
7. Now its just a matter of uploading the edited file so go back to the settings page hit “Browse…” find the file on your computer and hit “Upload” and finally hit “Save” to apply the new settings.
If everything worked you should see a new radio button under “Layout” that says “4 columns” like this and an extra column will appear to add your widgets to.
Posted in Howto
By Mick on June 5, 2009
This is a vegan version of authentic Harira, the traditional soup of Morocco. It is usually eaten during dinner in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to break the fast. It hearty and delicious and considered a meal in itself.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- garlic
- 1/2 TSP ginger
- 1/2 TSP cinnamon
- 1/2 TSP paprika
- 1/4 TSP cayenne to taste (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed & drained
- 1/2 cup lentils
- 1/2 cup orzo pasta (or any other variety)
- 1 TBS cornstarch (or 2 TBS flour)
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBP tomato paste (or ketchup)
Directions
saute onions and garlic in oil. add all the spices and stirfry for a minute until they become aromatic. add the can of tomatoes and stir. cook until you start to see the oil seperate from the tomatoes.
add 2 CUPS vegetable broth, 1/2 CUPS lentils, and 3 CUPS of water. bring to a boil.
reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until the lentils cook and become tender. at this point add in the CAN of chickpeas and 1/2 CUP orzo pasta and cook for about 5-7 minutes until orzo is soft.
in a separate bowl add 1 CUP of warm water and whisk 2 TBS of flour to create a slurry. add in 2TBS lemon juice and 1TBS tomato paste (i always just use ketchup). add that to the soup and stir until it thickens
Posted in Recipes
By Mick on May 8, 2009
My new guitar is a Seagull Coastline S6 Slim CW Spruce QI from my local guitar shop the New Jersey Guitar and Bass Center and besides having ridiculously long names both the shop and the guitar itself are ridiculously awesome.
Look/ construction
This guitar follows the utilitarian philosophy– its beauty comes through in its materials, its simplicity and its sound. The solid spruce top and wild cherry sides/back are topped with a satin matte lacquer that allows the sound vibrations to ring freely and the natural beauty of the wood to show. The rosette and inlays are simple and complementary to the look of the guitar. The neck is made from silver leaf maple and is very fast and smooth.
When you’re buying a guitar especially at this price range pay careful attention to the materials and where the guitar is made. If you see “made in china” or a laminated top please just put the guitar down and walk away. Seagull guitars are made in North America with solid wood tops. I had a lot of trouble finding guitars that fit that criteria in my price range.
I got the “slim” neck but just to clarify “slim” in the seagull vernacular means “not wide” or in other words the neck is closer in width to other acoustics on the market. I have relatively small hands and had no trouble playing either size neck– its more a matter of preference rather than the size of your hands. In my opinion the “slim” seagull necks give a great balance of both worlds: wide enough for finger style and arpeggio but not to wide for easy chord formation and soloing. Again, play both sizes and see what fits your personal style/ preference better.
Sound/ Feel
Of course the main reason for buying a guitar is the sound and feel. I played no less than 30 guitars ranging from $1000 martins down to $200 no-namers and this guitar had the best sound and feel out of any of them. I’m able to slide up and down the neck easier than ever before– its super fast and smooth. The action is perfect; i played a bunch of cutaways where the action was so high below the 12th fret that it was almost impossible to even play down there. Alot of time the action depends on the setup of the guitar though– if you fall in love with one but the action is too high there are easy ways to ameliorate that.
The spruce vs cedar top debate has been going on for ages. Every guitar player has their personal favorite. In my opinion cedar guitars always sound better in the stores but there are disadvantages to it over the long run. I’ve played 10 year old cedar guitars that just start to sound flat and dull after aging. Also, cedar is a much softer wood so it’ll dent and get marked up a lot easier over time. Spruce, on the other hand, may sound too bright at first in the showroom but will mellow out and sound better and better every year you play it.
Conclusion / Final Words
I really couldn’t be happier with this guitar. I overheard some wise advice recently.. he said “buy your second guitar first.” If you’re a beginner and just starting out at guitar the wisest thing you can do is invest in a nice instrument. Nothing is more difficult and frustrating than to learn on a crappy guitar. I promise if you invest in your first guitar it will make the process infinitely easier and more enjoyable and you won’t waste money when you want to buy your second guitar. With that said there are no guitars on the market that are a better value than seagulls (or others under the Godin brand) for beginners and experienced players alike.
Posted in Uncategorized
By Mick on May 7, 2009
the gang and i traveled to new york city for the 42 mile new york city bike tour.
it was the most fun ever even though it rained alllll day long
benjamin – wear that spandex proud buddy
me – rockin’ the poncho
yelena – bumper bike champion of the day
Posted in Uncategorized
