Lazy Hacker Babble

Couldn’t remember if I wrote this, but awhile back Google open source’d its software update engine, Google Updates. The project name is Omaha.

The OSX update engine is a subset of this project.

Download the image here.

Firefox 3.5 is out and since those of us working on the web usually have multiple versions of the browser installed, having an icon with the version number on it makes it easier to identify the instance we’re loading.

This is inspired by http://browserversionicons.com/firefox/

With the icon from Mozilla.

Instructions for running multiple instances of Firefox are here.

Found original recipe here: http://www.redcook.net/2008/01/18/hong-shao-rou-red-cooked-pork/

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lb. pork belly meat cut into two inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 3 cloves of garlic peeled
* 1-2 whole star anise
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce (老抽)
* 1/4 cup rice wine (紹興酒)
* 1 1/2 cups water

Preparation:

* Melt the sugar with some water in a small pot over medium high heat. Continue heating until the sugar is slightly brown.
* Brown the cubed pork in the pot
* Add brown it with the caramelized sugar. About 8 minutes.
* Put the garlic, star anise,soy sauce, rice wine and clear stock into the pot. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat. Cook for about 40 minutes. Stir the meat every 10 minutes to make sure the bottom of the pot does not get burnt. Remove the cover and turn the heat to medium high. Cook the meat for another 10 minutes until the sauce reduces to a smooth consistency.
* This dish, like most stew dishes, is better if left overnight and reheated the next day.

This is a popular Chinese summer time treat.

1.5 cup green beans (mung beans)
10 cups water.
5 T sugar.

Wash the beans.
Bring water to boil.
Add beans and simmer at low heat for 45 minutes or until bean is soft.
Add sugar and stir.

Can be served hot or cold.

Every post-game interview last night asked how this championship is different from the 3 Shaq-Kobe ones. As a fan, this one was different then those three since this one came after a loss in the previous finals that led to an entire season where the focus is just on winning the championship. Maintaining the focus throughout an entire season must be so difficult that it should set this one apart from the others.

A couple of observations from Game 4.

Beyond D-Fish’s clutch 3s was how much energy and effort he brought to the game. He out hustled everyone in that 3rd quarter. Everyone, go watch him again. That’s heart.

Kobe showed a little frustration when Howard had his arms wrapped around him during a foul, but it was through a complaint to the ref. He must have the patience of a saint because to have people draped over him on every play like that would piss most everyone off. I would guess that most players would’ve retaliated under that kind of foul and harassment.

I ran across this article through Hacker News by an entrepreneur who had sold his previous company and realized that he needed to start a new company. The author definitely has that entrepreneur spirit of wanting to take action on ideas, but a few of his statements are also examples of the negatives views adopted by many who are in management and leadership positions.

“I hated having 85 employees. It had become a little hell. I needed to get away and clear my mind.”

How sad to hear from their leader that he hated having to deal with them. Being in management and leadership positions means having a degree of power over the employees, but it also comes with a responsibility for those employees. Employees are people and not just pawns to fulfill the manager’s whims.

Before accepting the job of a manager, think about what that position means because it can be very different from what your existing role is.

I’ve been using Google Apps for Domains (don’t confuse it with just apps I.e. Docs) and it is excellent. It is a great solution for small businesses or start-ups especially those with limited IT budgets.

Recently Google added support with Blackberry and with today’s announcement that they are adding Outlook sync, the barriers to business adoption continue to fall.

I’ve done an unsual amount of traveling (for me) this past month. I spent two weeks in Taiwan and after returning to the states for a week I traveled to Seattle. These trips allowed me to test my travel gears including the Android G1 phone and the iPhone.

I have had the G1 for awhile but no phone service for it. Since it is unlocked I decided to get a SIM card for it in Taiwan and use it while I was there. Getting and installing the card was super simple and I did it at a 7-11 store. It was a matter of putting the card in and turning it on.

As a phone device I found it to be excellent. Sound was clear and it was easy to use. The screen was sharp and overall responsive. One annoyance was that it accidentally dial too easily unless you lock the touch screen. The other annoyance was that the contact list was not easy to navigate and search. I am not sure why Google struggles with contacts on both its site and the phone.

The camera on the G1 is super especially compared to the iPhone. With 3MP and autofocus, it is a real camera. Its excellent intergration with Google means that it can hold its own as a PIM. Add to it the wifi and browser capabilities and you have a nice portable computer that fits into your pocket. For traveling, the G1 is very well suited.

The screen can be a bit larger as it’s current size limits its use as a portable dock reader. The UI of its apps are not as uniform, and Android is not as polished as the iPhone. Its marketplace needs to be improved so more apps get built. Battery life is short and needs improvement for it to be a true road warrior.

The experience of using the G1 vs IPhone is like using a PC vs Mac. The advantage of a open platfom is variety but initially a less polished user experience.

3 large or 4 regular size over ripe bananas
1.25 C sugar

0.5 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla

1.5 C all purpose flour
0.5 tsp kosher salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 C chopped toasted walnut (optional)

1. Preheat 325. 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan.
2. Melt butter then let slightly cool.
3. Whip bananas and sugar in mixer.
4. Mix butter, eggs, vanilla together.
5. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, nuts
6. Whip (4) well and scrape down sides of bowl.
7. Add (5) to bowl and mix
8. Pour into pan and bake for ~1 hour.

(muffin pan: 16-20 mins)
(4 small loaf: ~20mins)