Monthly Archives: November 2013

Laptop vs Tablet

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I have been doing my best to incorporate a “tablet” into my workflow but am still coming out short on a few tasks. Namely:

  • Managing & Arranging my flickr pix
  • Blogging (either WordPress of Blogspot), specially when I am trying to create links
  • Remotely accessing servers via ssh

The ssh access would be very useful but at the same time is NOT the top of my priority.

Other than trying to come up with an excuse so that I can get a new toy / gadget (the tablet is a great gadget), I am really trying to find a way to NOT have to use my phone. I realized a while back that I use the phone for almost everything else more than I use it as a phone (to make or receive actual phone calls). And I do it because I am NOT in front of my laptop. The tablet would be the perfect solution – it’s way more convenient to have around than a laptop while at the same time it has a much bigger screen size than my iPhone.

The only drawback of a tablet – cannot make regular calls 😦 Yes, there are solutions, but none that actually replaces having my phone. If I am going to have to give up on that front, the tablet needs to be significantly more functional that a smart phone. The larger screen size if definitely a good starting point, but not enough.

So, my solution is to get a smaller / lighter laptop. My current laptop, 13″ MacBook Pro, is less than an inch thick, under 13″ x 9″ and weighs less than 5lbs. I newer version would make the laptop about a pound and a half lighter. But would mean forking out $1,500 😦

– manzoor

Pumpkin Cookies

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Ingredients:

  • Cookie:
    • 1 Cup Softened Butter
    • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
    • 1/2 Cup White Sugar
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1 cup Canned Pumpkin
    • 2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
    • 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • Frosting
    • 3 Tsp Butter
    • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
    • 1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
    • 1 Cup Confectionary Sugar
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Direction:

Cookies.

Heat Oven to 350F.

Mix the Butter, Brown Sugar and White Sugar. Add Egg, Vanilla Extract and mix all the ingredients again. Add the canned pumpkin and just mix it all with a fork. Set the bowl away.

In a separate bowl add the flour, baking soda, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Clove, Ground Ginger, Salt and Ground Cinnamon. Stir all the dry ingredients together.

Pour the dry ingredients into the Pumpkin mixture and mix it all.

On a lightly greased baking pan scoop out individual cookies. Put the baking pan into the heated oven and bake for about 10min.

Caramel Frosting:

Add the Butter, Heavy Cream and Brown sugar in a saucepan and heat till it starts to boil. Then let the saucepan cool completely and add the Confectionary Sugar, Vanilla Extract and mix it all together.

To frost the cookie, make sure that the cookies have cooled completely and apply the frosting on the cooking with a butter knife and set aside for the frosting to set.

– manzoor

Desire

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Take the simple example of going out to eat as a group. As you are deciding where the go, it is very unlikely that everyone will agree on a place off the bat. If anything, more than likely everyone’s response will be – “I’m fine with whatever”. You can be sure that’s a lie. Very few, if any, are really OK with any choice – restaurant or otherwise.

What they really mean by “I’m fine with whatever” is that they are too lazy to have categorized all the choices into:

  1. Totally not in the mood for
  2. Are OK with, but would prefer to NOT
  3. Places that they would really like to try
  4. The 1 or 2 places that is really what they are craving

The last may not be in everyone’s mind, but the other 3 definitely are. And there is a simple proof. Next time you are going out with your friends and no one is suggesting anything go ahead and suggest something totally ridiculous. A place that that everyone is over dressed for or something. My trick is to suggest McDonalds. Don’t get me wrong, I like McD just as much as the next guy, but it is usually not a place we go to when we go out.

Soon as I mention McD most will immediately say – “anyplace but McD”. To which I respond, “so, how about <any generic fast food burger place>?” and the response to that is usually, “well, not really in the mood for fast food”.

So, that’s #1 and #2.

– manzoor