Sharekoube Candies Secret Stash

I bought this, it came via Amazon Wireless and it got to my place by Dec. 20th.

There’s a lot I could say but let me keep it real brief.

• Screen is easy to scratch, so be careful.
• It’s way too big. If I have issues navigating it with one hand, a lot of other people will too.
• It’s fast? Yea it’s fast. Does it lag? It can. In fact at this point I think no android phone will escape this, just like you can make any PC lag.
• Great screen, but I guess that is par for the course. Still kinda oversaturated though.
• It’s not thick or heavy. And the flimsy build is not a real concern–the back cover is the thinnest and whimpiest back cover I’ve seen on a phone, but it gives a good hand feel once clipped in.
• WTB a legit car kit.
• I don’t see the point to the soft nav buttons if they’re lit all the time and that you can’t trade it out for screen real estate. Wallpaper and apps have to cut itself out of those number of pixels. The real benefit is just that when your phone is off, it looks like a cool slate. Except it isn’t even that cool since you still can see where the screen and camera is.
• Never liked the way samsung placed the power button, but I’ll live.
• Volume rocker is fine, although I tend to hit it accidentally if I don’t use a case.
• Battery life is actually pretty good if you turn off LTE. Better than my N1.
• LTE is fast when it works. It doesn’t always work I think. VZW 3G coverage is pretty solid though, so that has been a big help.
• LTE on, it uses power like a laptop uses power. But it’s not going to drain even if you plug it into your car, unlike certain review used to claim.
• ICS is awesome
• The MTP thing is not a big deal, but it is a minor annoyance if you copy files to your phone all the time.

This phone is pretty okay, and like all previous Nexus phones nobody would buy this phone if it didn’t come with the latest version of Android and first-party support.

This is more like a hybrid of this easy-to-do recipe with a touch from Bobby Flay’s Food Network entry.

From about.com

From Foodnetwork

It’s pretty simple. I gimped Flay’s recipe to begin with, and just simplified the bits. I used pre-made sauce, but it’s always nice to see a good sauce recipe independently as to how it’s coupled. That said I haven’t even tried it, so I don’t know. I do know my tastes are not too different than what Flay typically aim for, so that probably is a safe bet.

The only real modification is in the sauce, again. I tried to score some fresh parm, but it’s harder than it seems. I went to a corner grocer (Korean, natch) for the moz, and Target for the parm. Mainly because it was convenient, and I will never again buy cheese at a corner grocer in Manhattan if I can help it.  Typical Tyson’s frozen chicken breasts will do. As for bottled sauce, I think anything normal will work, just make sure it doesn’t have other meats (maybe except chicken) in it. I wonder if a white sauce version would work? Probably.

Frying with panko is the only way to go IMO. That said it’s kind of expensive. I think my $5 bag lasted me a good while, so it’s a worthwhile investment.

Basically, I recommend both recipes. Flay’s shorter oven time needs to be respected. I think if you do it hot it shouldn’t take more than 7 minutes at 400F. With that said I don’t know if I would double-barrel fry this, it isn’t a big deal. Flay’s ingredients can pump out an extra 2 mid-small size breasts if you maximize everything, so there’s also that.

I’ve been using this recipe for a while now and I just want to copy it here for reference. I think the next step is to sub the panko (it tastes great but I think normal American-style bread crumbs might be better both in cost and in terms of filling and texture) and maybe try it with nutmeg. I haven’t had it with the nutmeg yet, although I don’t think it’ll make all that much of a difference.

Source: http://www.lovelylanvin.com/2011/01/25/japanese-hamburger-steak/

[Copypasta begins]

Ingredients:  (Makes 2 large or 4 small patties)

1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon canola/vegetable for frying

Hamburger Steak Sauce:

1 cup good red wine
1/4 cup ketchup
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

[Comment: I've not actually followed through with the sauce/gravy. Ketchup works surprisingly well as a substitute and it's cheaper and easier to ...squeeze out of a bottle.]

To make Hamburger Steaks, in a small bowl combine panko and milk, mix to soften, set aside until needed. In a frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, panko mixture, cooled onion, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Using your hands, mix to distribute all ingredients evenly. Divide the meat mixture into two large or four small equal portions. Form each portion into a patty about 1 1/2 inches thick.

In a frying pan large enough to accommodate the patties without crowding, heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the patties and cook until a nice brown crust forms on the bottom, 4-5 minutes. Turn the patties over and cook until a brown crust forms on the second side, 4-5 minutes longer. Remove patties and keep warm in oven while you make the sauce.

To make the Sauce, in the same frying pan over medium high heat, (drain frying pan of excess oil if needed) add red wine and deglaze the pan scraping up the brown bits at the bottom. Cook until the wine is reduced and thickens slightly. Add ketchup, soy sauce, butter, salt and pepper and stir well until combined. Drizzle sauce over Hamburger Steak and serve.

[end copypasta]

I did try the ketchup/soy mix, it gets most of the tastes but it’s important to have that red wine I think, as I didn’t have any. Going to try some seasoning wine (mirin substitute) next. Probably not going to taste too good.

I got my Nexus One back in April 2010. It was my first smartphone and it changed the way I work and play. It also gave me this habit of staring at it while nothing is going on. It’s probably a bad habit.

With my 1.5 yr mark coming up (well it’s up technically but the 6-month-to contract renewal time is in November) it’s time to shop for a phone. I’m definitely interested in Verizon’s Nexus Prime and Droid RAZR. I also have some partialness to a GSM style device that AT&T provides. Sprint is a dark horse with good 4G plans and prices. All three, as of now, have good devices.

Current problem with my phone and service. Ranked:

1. It only supports  HSPA, which is really terrible especially as an AT&T customer in this area–it  is simply unusable on large strides of the northeast corridor. And on the train is where I use my phone the most.
2. It could be a little faster, although I can run most anything I want to at this point. Even more if I hack it and run a 3rd party ROM
3. It’s finally dropping out of the googly heaven, but it’s still a well-oiled and well-hacked machine.

Long story short, these are the devices low-down:

• I like those Galaxy S II’s, even if we’re 6 months into its life cycle already. AT&T’s LTE version launches next week and it is probably the one I would buy if I am sticking to that device. It’s also available starting 11/6.
• Pluses: Nice screen, Available next week. Probably best supported non-Nexus phone you can get.
• Minuses: LTE won’t roll out in this area until probably late next year, so feeling a bit wasted with just HSPA+. Kind of big. 6months in the cycle. Feels tinny.
• I like a Nexus Prime because I’m coming from a Nexus One, and I like my googly updates. I tinker with my phone enough even if I’m running stock vanilla right now. No release date yet though.
• Pluses: Google Heaven experience. Good phone all-around.
• Minuses: Probably has one of those fatal flaws that mars all Nexus phones. A gambit on a Samsung CDMA-LTE phone. GS2 has better screen. No MicroSD slot
• I think the Droid RAZR is a top notch device coming from the hardware perspective. Google’s “partnership” with Moto bodes well for Moto owners. It would be more desirable than the Nexus Prime if it had the added devices like a gyro and a compass. out 11/10.
• Pluses: Good hardware, doesn’t feel like a POS, better than Nexus Prime basically in terms of hardware quality.
• Minuses: Lack of a gyro and a compass, no NFC.

In terms of network, pros and cons:

AT&T:

• I am an existing AT&T customer, so upgrading to anther AT&T phone saves me the ETF. The ETF for me is actually very low due to the fact that my 2-yr is not with an advance device. (I got $50 out of this supposed contract). But another $80 or whatever it is now (150 – 4*number of months, or 150-4*16=86).
• I am grandfathered into their unlimited data plan. This is a huge deal potentially.
• I can stay with the family plan (it’s better value for everyone on the plan, but not necessary the cheapest option for individuals).

VZW:

• Full LTE coverage in my area, way better coverage on commute. Even in the tunnel!
• See above, ETF.
• About the same cost as AT&T on the individual basis.
• 2gb data limit most likely.

Sprint:

• Cheapest on the individual basis, unlimited data.
• See above, ETF.
• Worst coverage for my area. I don’t even think I get 4G at my folk’s place.
• But unlimited all that jazz.

The picture is more complicated if I also splurge for a LTE mobile device like a laptop/portable hotspot or a tablet as a holdover. But that is like another $50/mo on the device. That solves the immediate service issue needs (I would get a VZW mifi type thing with LTE) but if I upgrade my smartphone to a LTE device then it kind of is just redundant. Or I can buy a VZW iPad2 and do pay-as-you-go, and resell the iPad when I renew. Something like that.

Damn, those Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTEs are pretty tempting! Only if I have $700 to throw around.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/people/2011/07/beautiful-freaks

To be fair, Otakon is a con that used to be older and is now trending down. Most anime cons in America trends much younger; glorified proms for college age kids sometimes.

I think AX is a little older, if just by the price of admission.