Douglas on New Media Tea Time Ep. 19 - Limoncello, Ning.com and more

From New Media Tea Time...

"Where high tech meets low tech for tea and chocolate. Part 2 talking with the amazing Douglas Welch about Ning communities, how he set his up and how the rest of us can do so too."

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Download New Media Tea Time Episode 19 - iPod Ready Video

Douglas guests on New Media Tea Time...again!

From the New Media Tea Time web site...

"Our resident New Media Expert, Doug Welch (DouglasEWelch.com) is back! Hosts Tracy Pattin and Danielle Gruen talk about eBooks and eBook trends (good news!) widgets, websites, blogs, themes, and of course tea!"

Watch New Media Tea Time Episode #18 with Douglas E. Welch

Video: Mathemagician Art Benjamin on the Colbert Report

Our friend, Mathemagician Art Benjamin, talks about his book, The Secrets of Mental Math on Wednesday's Colbert Report.

CareerCampLA Registration is now open!

CareerCampLA 2010

Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Congregational Church of Northridge
Northridge, California

A hybrid conference/unconference dedicated to "helping you build the career you deserve". The day will include scheduled speakers, ad hoc presentations and breakout sessions on all aspects of building your career. CareerCamp is for anyone who wants to build and/or improve their career.

Visit the CareerCampLA Web Site to register!

Please note, there are special fields for people who would like to volunteer and people who would like to speak at CareerCampLA. Make sure you fill those in if interested.

I look forward to seeing many of you at CareerCampLA.

At the end of the day Ep. 1 - Viruses and how much we learn when we teach

Watch "At the end of the day Ep. 1 - iPod Ready Video

This is the "pilot" episode of a new series I am working on where I take a few moments at "the end of the day" and think about something that has happened, thoughts that have arisen that day and what lies ahead.

In this first episode, I talk about viruses and my computer consulting clients and also a little bit about how we learn a lot when we reach out to teach others.

Mathemagician Art Benjamin on the Colbert Report - Wed, Jan 27, 2010

Our friend, Art Benjamin, is scheduled to appear on the Colbert Report this Wednesday, January 27, 2010. I assume he will be talking about his work as a Mathemagician and his book, The Secrets of Mental Math.

Here is a re-post of the blog and video I write when Art was doing a book signing here in Sherman Oaks.

Previous Post:

In case you missed his presentation last night at Barnes & Noble Encino, here is a short video of Art Benjamin, Professor at Harvey Mudd College and Mathemagician, presenting "magic squares", just one of the concepts taught in his book. The Secrets of Mental Math.

Watch Mathemagician, Art Benjamin - iPod Ready Video

Art regularly performs his MathMagic act The Magic Castle in Hollywood and is a frequent speaker around the country. He also presented at this year's TED Conference in Monterey, California.

Video: Places LA - Malibu Pier

We had dinner tonight down at the Ruby's on the Malibu Pier, just to see and the hear the ocean for a little while. I grabbed this short video to give a little feeling of what it is like.

Watch Places LA - Malibu Pier (iPod Ready Video)

Recipe: Douglas' Christmas Chili

Friends recently asked for the recipe to my Christmas Chili that I make each year for our annual Cookie Party Open House. I have never really written down the recipe, as I tend to wing it each year. I have made it enough that I sort of "know" what goes in it. That said, since I typed it up for our friends, I figured I might as well share it with you, as well. The recipe scales up nicely. I regularly make 20 quarts for our party, as seen in the photo.

Douglas' Christmas Chili

2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Large onion
4-5 cloves garlic
1 lb ground turkey
1 - 12oz package Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

Finely chop onions and garlic (I use a food processor) then saute until lightly browned in the olive oil
Add turkey and sausage and brown until no sign of pink

Add 1/2 cup red/white wine

Cook until wine is absorbed

(Here is where it goes a bit by look and feel. Add more sauce and beans if you want to make more chili and then adjust the spices accordingly)

Add 5-6 14oz cans of your favorite plain tomato sauce. I get Hunts from Costco, which we always keep around the house.

Add 4-5 cans of black beans

Spoon up the meat, sauce and beans mixture and look at the ratio between the 3. You want to get a good mixture of all three in each spoonful.

If needed, add more black beans

Add splash of vinegar (under a tsp, probably. I have used everything from apple cider to balsamic, It just adds a little "tang" to the final taste.

Spices:
(again, taste this as you add the spices until you get taste you like)

5-6 Tbls Chili powder (not mexican chili powder, but the traditional one with cumin, etc included)
2 Tbls Dried Basil
3 Tbls Oregano
PInch Red pepper flakes
Small pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp Black pepper

Bring pot up to boil and then turn down to low simmer

Typically, it will cook down by about 1/3. The longer you simmer it, the better it tastes. It also tastes better the second day when you reheat it. (SMILE)

I serve this with extra sharp cheddar cheese. Some people like chopped onions on it.

I usually eat this by itself the first day, then have it over some sort of pasta the next and then chili dogs after that. It freezes well so make as much as you want and then store it away in meal-sized containers for a quick dinners.

Video: Train plowing snow off tracks

The snow has to be removed from the rails and this video shows us exactly how it is done. Quite a dramatic video.

Blue Dog Beer Tavern in Sherman Oaks

This post over at FoodGPS, Blue Dog Beer Tavern and Boneyard Bistro, prompted me to write this short comment.

I have been enjoying regular visits to the Blue Dog Beer Tavern since it opened a few months ago. I live nearby and find myself taking lunch there whenever I want a special treat. I like the fish and chips a lot and I have also tried the burgers and sampled the mac and cheese with chilies.

I also like the chance to sample the out of the ordinary beers along with the food. It is slowly becoming my regular “local” either alone, with family or friends.

Visit the Blue Dog Beer Tavern

Top 10 Posts from My Word for 2009

Here is a list of the Top Posts of 2009 for My Word.

1. Elsewhere Online: 10 Ways to Add Variety to Your Digital Photography
   
2. Norton Internet Security Problems
   
3. Deceptive Food Packaging - Welch's Concord Grape
   
4. YUM! - Ferrero Rocher reviewed on CandyBlog
   
5. Protection (and style) for your iBook
   
6. Video: Arduino + Chumby = Fun! with Brian O'Connor
   
7. Palm Trees Sketch from May 2006
   
8. The Ultimate Paper Airplane
   
9. Web: Free Paper Organizer Templates
   
10. A rare warning - Avoid 1and1.com web hosting
    

Video: Douglas and some friends play "Brown Eyed Girl"

Douglas and some friends play "Brown Eyed Girl" at a end-of-year jam session at David Fortin's art and music studio.

Watch Douglas and friends play Brown Eyed Girl - iPod Ready Video

Playing music with Lorilyn

Playing music with Lorilyn
Originally uploaded by dewelch

Last night, we headed over for our friend Dave's studio to do a little jamming and noshing. Dave usually hosts a monthly Thurd Thursday event at his studio, but an opening in his schedule allowed for a end-of-the-year jam session.

Our other friend, Lorilyn, is in town from Hawai'i, and she has been drumming for a few years now. She joined me and some others on several songs during the night.

Playing music with others is always a great way to work on your music skills, so I always make myself available when the opportunity arises.

Video coming soon.

Do It Right! LA City Christmas Tree Pickup and Recycling

My friend, Keri Dearborn, over at Animalbytes has pointed out this great information for City of LA residents about Christmas tree pickup, dropoff and recycling.

In the past, many Christmas trees were simply dumped curbside, on lawns or in empty lots. They would often site there for a month or more until someone decided to clean them up.

The best action to take, of course, is to cut up, or chip/shred your tree for use as mulch in your garden or compost pile. While I have the ability to do that here, I realize some other city dwellers might not be equipped for such things.

If you can't mulch or compost your tree, the City of LA has 3 different ways to dispose of your Christmas Tree.

1. Cut it up and place it in your standard green garden bin
   
   
2. Leave it curbside, if it is too big to fit in the bin (or you are unable to dismantle it)
   
   
3. Take your tree to a long list of drop-off sites around the city incuding various Parks and Recreation and Fire Station locations. This is a limited time option, though. You will only be able to do this on Saturday, January 2, 2010 and Sunday, January 3, 2010.

Here is complete information on City of Los Angeles Christmas Tree Recycling Program. Dispose of your Christmas tree properly!

Photo Credit: Flickr picture by Shira Golding

Food: Eggnog Cake

I noticed we had almost a half gallon of eggnog left in the fridge yesterday and knew it was probably going to go bad before we drank it. So, I looked into the Bakespace recipe vault and came up with this EggNog Cake recipe.

It was very easy to put together, and I think it looks wonderful baked in our "Cathedral" bundt pan. It smells wonderful, too. We haven't tasted it yet, but I am pretty sure it will taste wonderful, too. Can I say wonderful enough? (SMILE)

Eggnog Cake (Recipe at Bakespace.com)

Video: Douglas guests on New Media Tea Time: Part 3

I had a great time recording 3 episodes of New Media Tea Time on Friday with Tracy Pattin and Danielle Gruen. Here is episode 3. You can watch it below or subscribe to the New Media Tea Time podcast in your RSS Reader.

Video: Douglas guests on New Media Tea Time: Part 2

I had a great time recording 3 episodes of New Media Tea Time on Friday with Tracy Pattin and Danielle Gruen. Here is episode 2. You can watch it below or subscribe to the New Media Tea Time podcast in your RSS Reader.

iPod Ready Video

Video: Making the Christmas Lasagna

My wife is of Sicilian descent, so every year instead of turkey, ham or goose, we make our traditional Christmas Lasagna. Over the years we have taken a fairly plain recipe and dressed it up more and more, while still keeping it fairly traditional.

While my wife, Rosanne, puts the lasagna together, I contribute in 2 large ways. First, I make a big batch of my red sauce, which we use in everything from spaghetti to pizza and I also make homemade pasta sheets. I learned how to make pasta at home several years ago and this has become yet another Christmas Eve tradition for us.

In this video (15 mins) you'll see us making the pasta and assembling the lasagna itself. Enjoy!

Making the Christmas Lasagna - iPod Ready Video

Food: Christmas Morning Oatmeal

The last thing I do before I head to bed on Christmas Eve is put together a batch of what I have come to call, Christmas Morning Oatmeal. This recipe, adapted from one by Alton Brown, worked so well the first year that I made a part of our Christmas for the last 6 or 7 years.



With a kid in the house, having to wait until breakfast is made could make them burst with excitement and anticipation, so this oatmeal allows us to get up, grab a bowl and some coffee and move right on to opening presents. I think this is a perfect compromise -- we get some food and the boy gets to move on with the festivities.

This short video was shot by aforementioned "boy", so it is a little rocky at times, but it gives you all the information your need and a little glimpse of our holiday in progress.

You can find a complete and printable recipe on Bakespace.com - Christmas Morning Oatmeal

Christmas Morning Oatmeal - iPod Ready Video

Silent Film Version of A Christmas Carol

While watching today's Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion I saw a group perform in front of a projection of an early silent film version of "A Christmas Carol."

A quick Google search turned up the entire film on YouTube and I have embedded it below. Enjoy!

Caioti Pizza Cafe Portabello

Caioti Pizza Cafe

Caioti Pizza Cafe Portobella Pizza

FOOD: Alt-Malted Milk Balls: The Splendid Table Recipe Box

I am a sucker for malt, especially chocolate and malt so I think I will have to make a batch of this even though my Christmas Cookie baking is over. The fact that they are so simple to make, makes it even more attractive. I wish I would have heard about them sooner. I would have made some for my annual cookie party and maybe even as gifts.

I regularly make malted milk and malted hot chocolate using the steamer on my espresso machine and I imagine this would go well with that, too. I am not sure where I developed my loved for malt flavoring, but it must have been something in my childhood -- perhaps malted milk balls -- as the smell and taste of malt always takes me back to my days growing up in north central Ohio.

If I decide to make these any time soon, I will be sure to grab some photos and perhaps some taste-testing comments from my friends and family.

On another note, if you don't listen to The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, you are missing out on great food talk every week. I never have time to listen on radio, so I get the show automatically via podcast...and so can you!

For links to more recipes I find on the 'net, visit my Google Reader Shared items - All Shared Items or Just Recipes

Alt-Malted Milk Balls: The Splendid Table Recipe Box
from splendidtable.publicradio.org

Recipe for Alt-Malted Milk Balls from The Splendid Table's Recipe Box, an extensive compilation of cooking, baking, and entertaining recipes from American Public Media's The Splendid Table. Hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, The Splendid Table is public radio's culinary, culture, and lifestyle program that celebrates food and its ability to touch our lives and feed the souls of everyone.

Read the entire article