Enough Already

It's been that kind of week...

In our Oracle Time Tracking system (you know, the place that we book the hours to the various projects we are working on for recording and billing purposes), we have a brand new functionality: "Suggested Time Card."

And it is ....well...somewhat helpful. At least it helps because I don't have to search for all the project billing numbers if it in fact is suggesting them accurately.

But this week I had to laugh at the suggestion. Take a look.



According to my staffing in Oracle for this week, I should have worked 83 hours.
Granted, at the end of the day, sometimes it feels like you have worked a 16 hour day (and in fact this week I did hit 12 hours one day), but thankfully this is not currently my real life.

The ironic part...is that I just heard from a colleague that the system is not calculating "utilization" correctly. So if you are booked 83 hours and you only work 48 (as in my case), it calculates your utilization at only about 55%. ARGH!!!!! (Yes, anyone who is a consultant or an attorney knows why this is a problem...)

iPhone + Google Translate = Awesome

Just came across an article mentioning that an app for Google Translate just came out for the iphone. For free, of course. And to make it even more interesting, the app lets you speak the words you want translated. Already loaded with tons of languages, it was an OBVIOUS immediate download. It's not perfect, but still already pretty damn impressive.

And at least so far, with my limited tests, seems to work like a charm.

Examples here.
First tests:
I wanted to see if it could understand my "Americanized" German accent. Started out with an easy one. I said "Ich habe schon gegessen." And it got it.






















Second test didn't go as well. I wanted to check and see if it would get my umlauts...so said "Was denkst du darüber?" The app heard:






















So I tested it without the last word: "Was denkst du?" And there it had no problem:






















Thought maybe if I try again a really CLEARLY say the umlaut....and indeed, second time it was ok:






















Finally, decided to test out a bit of chinese. But this time english to chinese. So said: "I have eaten." Yup, looks good. And what's awesome is that the app will also read you the results if you also press the little speaker icon.






















And then I got curious - would the app be able to tell if I asked a question? So I said: "Have you eaten?" And results show...no, app can't tell...because there should have been the word "ma" at the end of the results below...Hey, Christian - please download and test it out - tell me what else you discover on the Chinese language translation. :-)

___________________________
Next day...

Oh my - just read another article about the Android equivalent...

"The iPhone app, however, lacks a few features that the Android version boasts: namely SMS translation and the experimental Conversation Mode, which is supposed to allow you to talk with a nearby person in another language."

HEY GOOGLE - PLEASE ADD!
___________________
And later this evening:
I belatedly wondered how it would translate "curse" words...
So told the app "**** you!" in English. :-)
It translated it into "German" too: Funny that it bothers to use "Sie" rather than "Du" when cursing at me...

Cocktails, The Unexpected

Coincidentally came across two cocktail recipes today that made me look twice. I would never make either of them myself, but could imagine trying both of them in a bar. I know a few people who like to mix cocktails, so maybe they would be inspired enough to try one or both of these out for me and tell me how they were. :-)

The first: The "Cold Night In" which I just read about in the New York Times. It's a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup cocktail made with rum. Sounds crazy, but looks beautiful.

If you don't want to make it yourself, apparently you can go try it out here: Clive’s Classic Lounge, Chateau Victoria Hotel, 740 Burdett Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia

and the second,

The "Moogarita" - a beef stock and tamarind concoction that sounds...unusual. But interesting.

Waiting for reviews.

Milagros

Just got back from lunch. As much as I enjoy eating at Manam - the amazing Thai restaurant around the corner from work - I just couldn't eat Thai again today. Had a craving for Mexican, which is almost impossible to find in any authentic version here in Munich. On a whim, did a google search for Mexican in Munich and found a relatively new restaurant - Milagros - that was relatively close to work. With not much on my plate (in terms of work) today, I figured I'd run over there and try it out. Glad I did! Very good food, beautiful restaurant, very nice staff. Will head back there soon.

Had some simple tacos and a glass of horchata - a very light rice drink made with lots of cinnamon. Everything very delicious. Of particular note were the homemade salsas - one with habanero peppers and the other with a milder pepper.

Facebook Hacked and I Lack a Sense of Humor

This morning at around 10 am, a strange person appeared in my facebook newsfeed.

ROY CASTILLO.

You know him?

Yeah, me neither. And apparently a whole buncha other people don't know him either.

This person or someone posing as this person apparently hacked their way into thousands of accounts and posted a short message:








So I looked at his profile. No more news really there...

















And then I tried to block him, but he seems to have figured out a way around that:


















Meanwhile, looks like Zuckerberg's fan page was hacked around the same time:












But I cooled off when i started to read what people were tweeting about the hack....and had to laugh...take a look:




























And finally, I sent a friend who works at Facebook a quick message asking what to do...his reply: a solution is in the works...

Were you fooled?

So in the grocery store a few days ago, I was standing next to the refrigerated fish delicacies considering if I was in the mood to buy some smoked salmon. Since there are no real bagels in this country (although I have heard rumor that they do exist in Berlin), the whole bagels with cream cheese and lox (yeah, that's how they spell "smoked salmon" in the US) thing gets kind of...lost. Nevertheless, I have learned to enjoy a piece of smoked salmon on German bread. Alas, one must adapt. And in the end...the brown whole grain bread is significantly better for me than a bagel.

Anyway, so I was standing there considering when suddenly I noticed a new product: Russian caviar. Not a "new" product really, just new to the corner grocery store where I shop most of the time. I buy caviar once in awhile - I like the salmon and trout caviar they sell - just the cheap stuff - and also eat it on a piece of dark german bread once in a while. I've never really been one to spring for the 50 bucks an ounce beluga caviar in a fancy restaurant - caviar is nice, but nothing that sends me over the moon - neither the expensive or the cheap variety. And spending that kind of money on fish eggs feels sort of as wasteful and superfluous as that liquor you can buy with gold flakes in it. What is it called? Goldwasser or something...yeah, Goldwasser.

Russian caviar is generally expensive stuff. So I was perplexed at the price tag for a fairly sizable portion (about 2 ounces): 5.99 euros. Russian caviar - even the sort of medium grade quality...if it comes from sturgeon...should go for at least 30 euros or so... First thought was..."oh, must be some sort of farmed variety?" I picked it up. Beautiful packaging. Heavy glass, good print on the metal top...well, you can see for yourself. It took me about a minute, but I finally saw it and had to laugh. :-)


It's not caviar. It's "caviar substitute." Check out the back of the packaging:


Ok, I'll translate for you.
"Tzar Caviar is a pleasure on potatoes, with egg, or served as the classic Russian variation with blinis. It is also a true delight simply eaten pure."

"Caviar substitute with mackerel meat protein refined with 10% olive oil, formed and colored."

"Ingredients: water, mackerel, olive oil, salt, thickener e440, preservative e202 e211, coloring - ink from octopus, and acidifier - citric acid."

Ok. QUITE interesting. And it reminded me of two things: Ferran Adria, the famous el Bulli chef from Spain who spends a good portion of the year in his chemistry lab creating all kinds of crazy food forms. I think he and Thomas Keller and lately Rene Redzepi of Noma in Denmark have all become quite famous because they are able to create the unexpected - "food as experience." (As well as delicious food...) And...it reminded me of a recipe I saw a few months back and intend to try out. Because I think it is with this method that that fake caviar was created.

So the critical question: did I buy it? I did. Had to at that point. And? Well, not bad but also not good. It lacked the perfect texture of caviar (not enough bite - the "eggs" didn't pop when you bit down on them like the real stuff) and also the flavor was close...but not close enough. I do wonder though...if someone had served it to me and I hadn't known it was fake, would I have noticed? I would like to think so, but I can't be positive. So...to conclude, with the terrible pillaging of sturgeon and other deep water fish that occurs these days such that the fish will soon face extinction...this is a reasonable substitute for those who can't live without....fish eggs.

8MM for iphone - nice!

Just downloaded this cute little app. Nothing very creative here, just a couple quick videos taken in the office, but the potential is pretty cool. I have to start working more with some video editing software. Looks like fun.

Hibernation

Taking a break for a bit. Back some time in Jan.

One Two Three Four (courses)

Wein Cantina.
Nice place. We were there last night (group of colleagues and I) to celebrate with a team dinner. Some of the nicest food I have had in a while and some great company. Isn't it nice when you can honestly say that you like your co-workers? And that many, in fact, are your friends in "real life?". I, for one, say that is a sign of a successful workplace/job.

Anyway, so were were spoiled a bit last night with 3 official courses and to start also an amuse bouche. You see here: 1) the amuse bouche - a vitello tonato with a sprig of Japanese shiso leaf, 2) a really divine salmon tartar with some sort of lemon butter dressing....3) duck breast on barley with thyme jus, and 4) a molten chocolate cake with a maracuja (passion fruit) sorbet. I think my favorite was the first course - the salmon tartar. I was tempted to ask for the recipe...maybe I can "taste it out...." somehow....I have some ideas.

L&I

Big bummer tonight. Supposed to have a dinner here tonight which was canceled last minute (was supposed to be a nice celebration with clients) because too many couldn't make it. I've heard about this place again and again. They serve a 4-course menu every night, which is a surprise. You sit down, tell them if there is anything you don't eat, and then get served. The chef is Austrian, and has a reputation for cooking with only seasonal ingredients. He even shops (at least it is said) at the Viktualienmarkt around the corner from the restaurant.




I hear we'll make it up next month sometime, so certainly hoping that is true. I first heard about the place some years back, from the woman who cut my hair (at that time). Her boyfriend was the chef. :-)

Groupilarious

Some months back I signed up for the daily email from Groupon - both in Munich and in the bay area - just to see what kinds of deals would come through. FYI: Groupon is the company with a pretty cool new(er) business model. It's a "group buying" concept - the idea is that a business can offer a deal to a large group of people just because it is a large group of people buying it - the company is profiting because so many people are buying. When the minimum number of people sign up for the offer, the deal is "on" and everyone who participates get the thing/service (e.g., 50% discount on a meal in a restaurant). I have yet to actually take part in a Groupon deal. But I like the idea and even though most of the daily email has ended up in my email trash can without a second glance, occasionally I click and consider.

Long story short, I was getting sick of the emails. Got around 3 or 4 per day and I never purchased, so I thought...ok, let's give it a rest and unsubscribe.

But these guys are really THE MASTERS.
Look what happens when you click "unsubscribe."


Ok, no big deal. I am unsubscribing. Little guilt. Oh, but look, I can "PUNISH DEREK." Jeez. Obviously a joke. But let's click to see what happens.

Ah. Derek gets a talking to and some hot coffee poured on him. Not nice.

I quickly signed up for the newsletter/daily deal again. :-)))) (So I could write the blog....I unsubscribed a second time. Ooops.)

That time of year...

At 4 pm on a Friday a month before Christmas....and it's getting dark already outside. Motivation to work slowly dissipates. Here in Munich, we've been blanketed in snow already - pretty early in the year for us. But I hear most of Europe is getting slammed with snow. Just down the road from our building there is a little Christmas market...that sells nice hot Glüwein...that was too tempting for all of us an hour ago. So we packed ourselves into our jackets and hats and mufflers and gloves and took a time out drinking a mug of the steaming wine....and now back to work. For...an hour max...

I love eBay

I've just become an eBay seller. (Don't ask why, just accept this).

Had a lot of fun this morning putting together a bunch of offers. Everything costs 1 euro.

Check 'em out:


1) Wine Bottle.
Empty wine bottle.
Original wine was very nice.
From Peter Lehmann - an Austrailian Vintner. It was a 2008 Shiraz. Lovely label design and bottle cap particularly nice touch - a screw on top, black club symbol on a red background.

Description on the back is "This wine honours the unique role of "The Weighbridge" as the meeting place for vignerons at Peter Lehmann Wines Limited. The 2008 Weighbridge Shiraz is made from quality south Australian vineyards with the resultant wine rich and flavoursome but smooth and satisfying to drink.

The wine had a hefty 14.5% alcohol, which means that when I drank it (cause it's GONE NOW...You're only buying the BOTTLE), that I was probably already a bit tipsy after one glass.


2) Used headphone case.
I don't remember when I bought the headphones...maybe a couple years back. The headphones themselves are missing, I must admit. I think I lost them somewhere.
But...the case was so cool that I kept it to use with other headphones. It's nice and small and compact and only a slight pain in the ass to use (you kind of have to jam the headphone wires into the thing which takes a while.)

Please note, that the items in the background of the picture (gorgeous 27" Apple computer and magic mouse) are not included in this offer.

Color: off-white (dirty)


3) Partially grown avocado plant.
I started growing this avocado pit about 2 months ago, I think. I eat avocados on toast with a sprinkle of salt for breakfast quite often, so I tend to have a lot of avocado pits lying around. One morning, I was feeling sort of enterprising, so I stuck a couple of sticks in one of the pits and hung it over a glass of water. Two months later, the pit has rewarded me me with one measly root. (But I think there are more coming.) I guess I need to talk to it/sing to it more so it'll grow quicker. But now it's your turn. I hear that it takes about 7 years until you get usable fruit and I am not actually sure if avocados can be successfully grown in Germany, but I really wish you the best of luck.


4) Broken Iron.
I really need to get rid of this thing. It's been sitting around the apartment forever. I think the iron itself actually works, but the cord is shooting off sparks every time you plug it in and I was afraid of being electrocuted when I used it. I bought a new one meanwhile (this time a Braun although I like Philips advertisements more these days). Haven't wanted to throw the broken one away because I would feel bad - it wouldn't be very green and environmental of me. But I have been too lazy to take it to the recycling center. Maybe you want to do it for me. Actually, I am asking you to do so. Please buy it, pick it up and recycle it for me. Thanks.

P.S. That's Sam, one of my cats, next to the iron. No, you can't have him.


5) Used Toothbrush.
This is a used toothbrush. I think if you put the toothbrush in really really hot ...well...boiling water...for about 5 minutes any germs on it will be killed immediately. Alternatively, you could throw it in the dishwasher when you next do your dishes and that'll get rid of any nasty microbes for sure. The bristles are more or less intact. I think it's a "medium" hardness.

The tiles in the background are from the market in Istanbul - which we picked up in April of this year. Aren't they beautiful? They are *not* included in this sale. I am only selling the toothbrush.


6) Coffee Grounds.
I am selling the used coffee grounds in the picture. (I didn't have a choice on the item condition in this listing, so I had to lie...not good, I know.)

I grind coffee beans every morning because I think it tastes better than the pre-ground stuff. I hate the sound the coffee grinding makes in the morning but you simply can't get around this problem if you want freshly ground beans.

I use espresso beans because I like a really deep dark strong and bitter coffee - it helps wake me up. Most people like something a little milder. So I was thinking that if you use these ground beans a second time you could get a more normal cup of coffee out of them. Therefore I am selling these grounds from my coffee this morning. I will be happy to dry them out a bit and put them in a plastic baggy for you.

You don't have to use the grounds for coffee either. My mom told me that coffee grounds can simply be put in the compost bin to be used as fertilizer in the future. So you could use them for that.

The coffee machine and grinder are not included in this offer.


7) Goblin Gold.
I actually only have found one of these, so I can't offer you a sack full of them. But I am pretty sure that this one specimen is extremely valuable. It has a secret word printed on it: "Obi" - which I think is goblin code for "worth a hell of a lot of money."

I've actually been using this coin occasionally instead of a one euro coin to unlock a shopping cart when I go shopping. It's just the right size and really convenient when I don't have a euro on me.

I am willing to sell it now because I think it is bringing me bad luck. But it'll probably bring you good luck.


8) Used Tea Candle.
This is a standard tea candle. It's about 50% used, which means that it'll probably burn for about 45 minutes more. Normally, for one euro you could probably buy about 10 of these, so I don't think this is a very good deal. I wouldn't recommend you buy it. But if you really really want to buy something from me and the other 9 items I have on offer don't suit your taste, then this item is probably good for you.


9) I will let you hold the PEZ.
My mother gave me this PEZ lamb a couple years back and I haven't known what to do with it. So it has been in the cupboard with the cat food for all this time. It's still in its original packaging and there is even a price-tag on the back which shows me she bought it for $1.49. I hear these things are collector's items, so it is probably better if I don't sell it. But I will let you hold it for about an hour and examine it as long as you don't take it out of its original packaging. If you want, I will let you remove the price sticker, since I don't think that is part of the value of the item. Just in case you're curious, the Nutrition Facts on the back say that one serving is 35 calories. However, Pez appear to be fat free.

The PEZ have been placed next to the Buddha as an offering. So just keep in mind that if you come to hold the PEZ for an hour, you might upset the Buddha. That would not be a good thing. And the Buddha is not for sale - just an fyi.

Camouflage Carrots

Check it out. These guys are RED! Red on the outside, orange on the inside. And sweeter than "normal" carrots. You would think that they had been soaked in wine or genetically engineered, but in fact, they are neither.

My quick research on carrots produced this info:
Red carrots are tinted by lycopene, (another form of carotene) a pigment also found in tomatoes and watermelon; lycopene is associated with the reduced risk of macular degeneration, serum lipid oxidation, helps prevent heart disease and a wide variety of cancers including prostate cancer. Originally from India and China.

Orange carrots....on the other hand...: contain beta carotene, with some alpha-carotene, both of which are orange pigments. High in Vitamin A essential for well-being, healthy eyes. These carrots originate from Europe and the Middle East.

I had no idea. I've heard about/maybe even seen red/white/purple carrots before (and purple potatoes are even more brilliant...) but never eaten them. Bought three of them to try out. Ate one when I got home and last night I peeled and chopped up the other two. Tossed the beauties into a salad:

2 red carrots, washed, peeled, sliced into thin coins.
Handful cilantro, chopped
Handful parsley, chopped
handful arugala, chopped
5 or 6 dried dates, chopped
2 Tablespoons pistachios - toasted in a pan until lightly brown, chopped

Dressing:
Tablespoon or so of olive oil
1-2 teaspoons orange marmalade
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 half lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the dressing ingredients together and then toss with the rest. Check salt and pepper after done tossing.

I roasted a couple halibut fillets with some lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper, lay them on top of the salad...and that was dinner.

The early bird...I mean cat...

Wah! Quinoa

I am not sure if I have ever eaten this stuff before...maybe once or twice sometime in the past. And maybe it is just a trend right now, but it seems like every morning or evening when I am scrolling through food images on the various blogs I visit, that I see yet *another* recipe with quinoa.

In particular I wanted to test out one of the breakfast recipes. Apparently, quinoa is a very viable replacement for oatmeal....in fact much healthier because of its really high protein content.
Saw a bunch of recipes...here, here, and here, for example.
Ended up doing a variation on the first - I didn't have pomegranate in my fridge, but I did have persimmon - which worked just as well.

Admittedly, it's not as fast as toast and avocado, my usual standby, but it was yummy.