I don’t post book reviews per se but I’m all for recommendations. I’ve just finished Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie and enjoyed it thoroughly. This space opera follows the humanoid remnants of a self-aware starship on a quest for justice. Well-written and beautifully developed, it was an entertaining and unexpected read. Worth reading for the reprogramming of your neural pathways around gender alone, and it’s so much more than that.
Recommended.
Posted in Likes, Writing | Tagged Ann Leckie, awesome, books, Fiction, genre fiction, recommendations, science fiction, sff, spaceships, speculative fiction, writing | 1 Comment »
Posted in Writing | Tagged artists, finishing, inspiration, Michael Faraday, quotes, Thoughts, work, writing | Leave a Comment »
My brain’s a little under-caffeinated today so I thought I’d bring you a recipe. Because chocolate cake, warm, soft, and straight out of the oven? Delicious. Also, I’ll admit to being a little snacky right now:) Enjoy!
Chocolate Cakes with Liquid Centers
The original version of this recipe was made famous by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who says that this oozing molten chocolate cake happened completely by accident. The idea is fairly common now but it’s a great dessert for, say, Valentine’s Day. It’s quick, impressive, and can be pre-made and baked at the last minute, another big plus. These little cakes are tasty but easy to overcook. If that happens, well, you’ve still got chocolate cake.
115g / ½ cup unsalted butter, plus additional butter to grease molds
113g / 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
50g / ¼ cup sugar
16g / 2 T. flour
cocoa for dusting (or use flour, but cocoa will look better)
1. Microwave the butter and chocolate together on low heat (I use 30% power, stirring every couple of minutes) until the chocolate is melted. In the meantime, beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar until light and thick.
2. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.
3. Butter four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins, then dust with cocoa and tap out the excess. Divide the batter among the molds. (At this point you can cover and put these in the fridge until you are ready to bake; I’ve done this up to a day in advance.)
4. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bake the molds on a tray for 7–10 minutes (depending on ramekin size and batter temperature); the center should still be soft, but the sides will be set.
5. Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds, then unmold. Serve immediately. Excellent with ice cream and strawberry sauce.
Makes 4 individual cakes.
Posted in Food and..., Holidays | Tagged cake, chocolate, food, nom!, Valentine's Day | 1 Comment »
This is the coolest thing: a designer decided to tackle fifty problems in fifty days. I think it’s terrific when creative people find ways to use their talents to fix problems, particularly when they focus on challenges most of us have been living with for years. It’s easy to get used to doing things one way even when that way is not optimal, and once acclimated it can be hard to even see the issue, much less fix it.
This is what happens when creative people look at the world with fresh eyes, and decide that they can, and should, do something to make it better. Constructive creativity for the win.
What “fifty problems” would you choose?
Posted in Likes | Tagged constructive creativity, creativity, design, innovation, inspiration, Peter Smart, practical, problem solving | Leave a Comment »
Busy, busy today, but I don’t want you to miss this photo from Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin:
Wow. Just, wow. And unlike the Fairyland they resemble, anyone can visit these caves. Enjoy!
Posted in Likes | Tagged Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, awesome, ice caves, Lake Superior, nature, sea caves, winter, Wisconsin, wow | Leave a Comment »
The Onion does it again, succinctly summing up what so many of us have felt at one time or another in hilarious fashion.
Report: Today The Day They Find Out You’re A Fraud
While experts agree you’ve been remarkably successful so far at keeping up the ruse that you’re a capable, worthwhile individual, a new report out this week indicates that today is the day they finally figure out you’re a complete and utter fraud.
…
“They’re all on to you,” the report continues. “You do understand that, don’t you?”
Whatever, impostor syndrome, I’ve got work to do.
Posted in Funny, Writing | Tagged creativity, funny, impostor syndrome, The Onion, Thoughts, work, writing | Leave a Comment »
Another year, another free Campbellian download!
Stupefying Stories has just made available M. David Blake’s “The 2014 Campbellian Pre-Reading Anthology.” This collection contains more than 860,000 words of fiction by authors eligible for this John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer award. Fabulous fiction, and all free free free!
Limited time offer, get yours today!
Posted in Writing | Tagged books, campbell award, free, genre fiction, inspiration, literature, science fiction, sff, short stories, speculative fiction, Stupefying Stories, Writers, writing, yay | Leave a Comment »
I got into knitting a while ago and loved it (making things, yay:), so much that I would keep working even when my hands, wrists, and shoulders asked to stop. Then they forced me to stop, and decided they would make typing a challenge too. Obviously, Something Had to be Done.
My issues are well controlled now that I’ve cut back on knitting, but I do sometimes need to massage a muscle knot. I use a tennis ball or a frozen lime against a wall to target trigger points in my back, but because pain can be referred from the real problem area, getting just the right spot can be a bit of a challenge.
Enter this handy interactive trigger point map, which I found quite useful for my shoulder issues. Once I figured out that the pain actually originated from a point two inches to the right, the situation improved dramatically. If you have similar problems, I hope you find this tool helpful. Because writing, to paraphrase my grandmother’s comments on old age, is not for sissies.
Posted in Likes, Other, Writing | Tagged knitting, RSI, Thoughts, tools, Writers | Leave a Comment »
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