My View of Life on the Dock
Quote of the week, September 20, 2010:
Each of us literally chooses, by his way of attending to things, what sort of universe he shall appear to himself to inhabit.
—William James 1842-1910
Brother of novelist Henry James, Godson of Ralph Waldo Emerson, James taught at Harvard most of his adult life and was a leader in the Pragmatic School of Philosophy.
He wrote The Principles of Philosophy in 1890, The Will to Believe in 1897, and the influential Varieties of Religious Experience in 1902.
More Fish Box Derby Photos….
Click on the below Photos to enlarge the Finalist
This might be too easy, but then again….. Have fun! And thanks for playing!!
Wilson Running for a 1st down, The freshmen suffered a loss against the Andover Warriors!
The Freshmen host Winthrop on Thursday at 4pm.
FOB George Writes In-
Hi Joey, Found this in the barn at the Gloucester property, Do you know the Amero family
It Reads 38 Bass Ave.
The iPad sure is sexy. I’ll spare everyone from making any inappropriate jokes about tampons in this space and focus on the tablet gadget that Apple came out with back in April of this year.
Some folks take the Microsoft vs Apple thing way too far much like some folks take the republican/democrat things way too far and let the principles that each faction stand for blind them to any good there may be in the opposing camp.
Before Windows 7 came out I had crazy lust for a macbook because I couldn’t edit HD movies on my windows based computer like I could on a mac. Walking past the Apple store at the mall without popping in was and is not very likely for me.
When the Mrs’ laptop shit the bed this winter I priced out mac laptops for her as a replacement and as much mac lust I was having at the time, a $1000 laptop was/is overkill for her very simple web browsing and Facebooking needs. So I went out and bought her a Windows 7, 17 inch laptop with 500 GB of storage space and 4GB of RAM for $550.
It wasn’t long after messing around with her windows 7 laptop that my mac lust had up and left the building. It baffles me that Microsoft is not crowing more about the success of it’s new operating system. They made the file system so incredibly easy to use, they added a slew of useful tools that to steal the Apple phrase “just work”. I can easily bang out content for the blog twice as quickly on a Windows 7 machine than I can on an old Vista machine. Every single Microsoft operating system up until Windows 7 truly sucked ass but Microsoft really hit a home run with Windows 7.
The iPad still intrigued me as a pretty neat tool but once I dug into the specs and what it can and can’t do I similarly can’t justify the expense. Sure it is visually stunning, sure it is light weight and portable but consider the price for the base model-
$499 for a wifi version with only 16GB of capacity. $599 for a wifi version with 32GB of capacity and $699 for 64GB of capacity. The screen’s display is 9.7-inch (diagonal) and is really a thing of beauty to look at but if you were going to carry the thing around in a bag you would need to get some sort of case for it to prevent it from getting scratched up.
All this begs me to ask the question- Why would someone spend $499 to get a machine that can only do a fraction of what you could do with a windows based laptop that demolishes the iPad on just about every single statistic?
Here’s where I answer my own question-
The reason people are buying these things is because for 90% of the users out there they don’t need all the specs that a power user or someone that actually creates content needs. My guess is that 90% of home based computing is for browsing the internet and consuming content and for those people the iPad is pretty damn good. The interface IMO trumps anything that is out there for a internet content consumer.
My needs as a heavy content creator cannot be met by a $499 16GB of storage iPad that does not (as of this writing) allow you to edit video. It also does not have a usb port which means you can’t even use a portable external drive. That is a huge failure for MY needs but for most of the computing public it’s of no concern at all. Apple to their credit is smart. They aren’t trying to capture every single person in the universe. they don’t care about the power user in this space or else they would at the very least up the RAM and provide a USB post. They are producing quality products for the masses that are slick and extremely easy to operate and for the vast majority of users, my guess is that they never take a bit of video off their video cameras and edit into a movie on their computer.
Poll time-
You can’t argue with the recent study by Morgan Stanley Research which showed how much US Retail Notebook sales have decreased since the announcement of the iPad. Those numbers are staggering. I guess that will be good news for those of us power users who will probably be able to get incredibly powerful machines for very little scratch due to an abundance of supply while all the consumers of digital content add the sexy iPad to their Christmas wish lists.
So to sum it up-
If your computer usage only consists of browsing the internet and you never edit pictures or save pictures to your computer but want a slick viewing experience (and money to burn) the iPad is pretty sweet.
If you plan to do any serious content producing and/or can only own one device buy yourself a laptop. They are pretty damn cheap and you can do a whole lot more.
Now if in future generations of the iPad they choose to up the RAM, give us a usb port, and a movie editing app similar to iMovie I might reconsider my stance.
You never know, it could happen.
Good Food, Music, Family and Friends
Before you all read this next announcement I’d just like to state for the record that I’m a little skeptical about this whole event. 🙂
Rick Sagall writes-
Cape Ann Skeptics
The first meeting of Skeptics in the Pub will be September 21, beginning at 6:00 PM at the Dog Bar, 65 Main St. The meeting will kick off with time to meet, greet and order food, then Rich Sagall will give a talk entitled "What is Skepticism" followed by short videos, Q and A’s and discussion. This gathering is sponsored by Cape Ann Skeptics and is the first of the regularly scheduled meetings to be held every 3rd Tuesday of the month. All skeptics or those interested in skepticism are invited. For more information or to join our mailing list, visit www.capeannskeptics.com or email rich@capeannskeptics.com.
Thanks,
Rich Sagall, MD
Don’t worry. The boy’s dad was nearby at all times.
No, not MY Mum, the fantastic Sue Lufkin, but chrysanthemums–and they are lovely, just like my Mum! Did Fall come too fast for you to get your mums yet? One day it was Summer and then BAM–Fall!
Anyway, the Essex Merchant’s group is holding their annual “Mums The Word” campaign to not only bring added beauty to our lovely town with the addition of flowers everywhere but to raise a few dollars for the group as well.
Last night a hardy group of citizens braved the wind and showers to raise a glass to kick off the “Mums the Word” campaign and help with the pick up of some of the pre-order flowers–but there are lots and lots of lovely plants, just waiting for YOU!
So here’s the deal. Stop by Joshua’s Corner–it is the shop with the gold trim up on the hill on the corner of 133 and Southern Ave (the road to Manchester) and purchase your mums during store hours, 10-5 daily and 12-5 on Sundays. Mums are $3.95 for 1-20 8″ pots or $3.50 each for over 20 plants.
As you can see by my pictures, the plants are gorgeous and ready to go, full of blooms to provide color for your yard and neighborhood. Pick up a few for a friend who needs a little cheering up and leave them secretly on their front steps. Decorate the little island at the end of your street or fill a neglected planter that passersby will notice when driving along the road.
Spread the Love, buy some Mums—–remember…..Mums the Word!
Let me tell you, I am one lucky girl. I get to do fun things and cook with great people and chefs that not everyone gets to do–and believe me, I appreciate the opportunities!
A little while back, I got the chance to tour the Steve Connolly Seafood facility in Boston–what an impressive operation–and even better than that the chefs cooked three delicious recipes that they shared with me to give to you right now. The show with these recipes will air again this Friday at 4:30 and then again Sunday at 11:30 am on Cape Ann TV and then next week, another show with a new recipe and more of our tour.
These recipes are easy to make at home using readily available ingredients and fairly simple techniques. Trust me– you want to make these recipes and they will be a HUGE hit with your friends and family! I took lots of photos on our visit so that you can see how the finished dishes should look.
Please let me know if you make these recipes and how they came out–and as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
And a HUGE thank you to Chef Michael and Chef Carlos for interrupting their busy schedules and sharing their delicious recipes with all of us and to David Coombs and his staff for showing us around–thanks a million to all of you!
ASIAN LOBSTER AND MELON SALAD
Lobster Meat, fresh
Diced ¾ inch……………………….1 cup
Honeydew Melon, ripe
Diced ¾ inch……………………….1/2 cup
Cantaloupe, ripe
Diced ¾ inch…………………..…..1/2 cup
Mango, ripe
Diced ¾ inch…………………..…..1/2 cup
Ginger , minced………………..………1 tsp
Orange zest, fine julienne………..……… 1 TBSP
Cilantro leaves…………………..……..1 TBSP
Mache or Baby Spinach…………….3 oz.
Dressing:
Orange Juice…………………………1 oz.
Rice wine vinegar…………………..1 TBSP.
Canola or Peanut oil……………….1/2 cup
Sriracha sauce………………………..1/2 tsp.
Sea salt and black pepper…………to taste
For dressing:
Place orange juice, vinegar, Sriracha sauce, salt and pepper in a stainless steel bowl. With a wisk, blend in the oil until emulsified.
For the salad:
Toss the Mache or Spinach leaves with a little dressing and place on a platter. Put Lobster, Fruit, Ginger, Orange zest, and Cilantro in a stainless steel bowl. Add rest of the dressing, and toss until coated. Put the Lobster Salad over the Greens, and garnish with edible flowers. Serves 2
And here is another gorgeous and easy recipe–you can use halibut as Chef Carlos did or he said you can use any other firm fleshed white fish–just watch the cooking time if it is on the thinner side.
Nova Scotia Halibut with Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa
2 Halibut portions skls/bnls…………………….2 each, 9 oz.
Olive oil………………………………………………….2 TBSP
For Chive sauce:
Unsalted Butter…………….….4 TBSP
Shallots, minced……………….2 TBSP
White Wine, dry…..……….….2 TBSP
Chives, chopped……………….2 TBSP
Sea salt and Black Pepper….to taste
Salsa
Corn, shucked …………………………….…….2 ears
Olive Oil……………………………………………2 tsp
Plum Tomatoes, peeled & seeded………..2
Chives, chopped……………………………..…2 TBSP
Sea salt and Black pepper…………………..to taste
For the Salsa:
Slice off the corn from the cobs and break up the kernels.
Dice tomato into ½ inch pieces and put in stainless steel bowl with chives.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan until hot, and add corn, tossing and pan
roast until lightly caramelized, and add to bowl with tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper and mix together. Reserve.
Wipe pan clean for next step.
For the Halibut: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Season Halibut with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan until hot and place Halibut in pan flesh side down and pan sear until nicely browned. With a non stick spatula, turn Halibut over gently onto skin side, cover fish with foil, place pan in oven, turning temperature down to 350 degrees and cook 10 minutes until just done. Do not overcook.Remove fish to warm plate and cover with foil. Return pan to stovetop, add 2 TBSP butter and shallots and sauté until transparent. Add wine and reduce by half, add remaining butter, and swirl in the pan. Add chives at end, correct seasoning and set pan aside off the burner.
Plating:
Place large spoonful of Corn Salsa to one side of plate. Place Halibut on plate leaning on the salsa, spoon butter sauce over the fish, and garnish with fresh chives. Serves 2
The Elks of Gloucester win the Golf Tournament, but also give back to the community by hosting a Blood Drive Monday, Sept. 20, 2 to 7 p.m., at the Elks at Bass Rocks, 101 Atlantic Road.
Massachusetts State Elks Golf Champions: John Davis, Jan Collins, Nate Collins and Mike McCarthy
What year was this Horribles Parade photo taken? Try to figure it out from the clues within the picture. Have fun!
I know Joey. This post isn’t about Gloucester. The definition of a blog includes Sharing something; Personal, an intrest, hobby or something found on the web. I found this on the Web and I’m sharing it with you. It is Ocean related and an intrest.
Rest In Peace Charlie. Prayers go out to your family.
Here’s A Video of The First Two Minutes of Tonight’s Show
click the link below (not the picture)-
Survivor: Nicaragua – First Two Minutes.
JIMMY T IN THE HIZZY Y’ALL!!!!!!
Good Morning Gloucester 