Reviews

I upgraded to Windows 10 and it’s not as great as I wanted it to be. It’s like all the pieces were there, they simply didn’t come together in a way that’s useful to me, or even convenient.

Take Cortana for instance. It’s a nice idea to have a digital personal assistant, but there’s definitely some flaws. Like, she requires an internet connection. That’s not so bad on its own, but for simple tasks it’s kind of a pain. Plus, most of the time she doesn’t even respond when you call out “Hey Cortana” or click the little circle.

Then there’s the way Windows 10 completely changed how my live tiles appear. It’s like they forced the tiles on me in the first place, then when I get used to the way things work, they change everything around and give me a smug look “Now what are you going to do about it?” Uh, I’m probably going to hate you forever and write horrible(ish) things on my blog. You’re welcome.

The minimize/maximize/x-out options look a bit strange, and I can’t get the Microsoft Store or half of the apps to work anymore. I’m assuming that my antivirus is interfering with things, so I hope I’ll be able to fix the problem. If not, a large chunk of my computer just became useless bloatware.

I guess I just wanted to say that I’m not very pleased at the moment. Windows 10 better shape itself up, or it’s going to be facing a serious backlash from the whole of the PC world. There’s a reason why some people refused to leave XP behind. And right now I’m wishing I had held off on the upgrade and stayed with Windows 8 at least a few months longer.

Fortress in the Eye of Time at Amazon

I am madly in love with my Instant Pot IP-DUO60. It should be renamed the “Magic Pot” as that’s what it does — magic. Raw ingredients go in and delicious food comes out. It was well-worth the purchase price of $135 at Amazon [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/?tag=harperkingsley-20].

The first day I got it, I checked it over and cleaned it up, then I threw in the included rack, 4 still slightly-frozen Cornish game hens, 1 cup of water, and a sprinkle of salt, then hit the Poultry button. It switched to On as it got up to pressure, then it was 20-minutes of cooking (I maybe should have lessened the time, but whatever) and when I quick released the steam and opened the lid, I was presented with fall-off the bone chicken.

I stuck the hens on a pan and into the oven for a quick broil to add some color, then we feasted like Walt Boggis from Fantastic Mr. Fox [http://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Mr-Fox-Meryl-Streep/dp/B001QOGYBI/?tag=harperkingsley-20] — though we only ate one chicken each.

After that, I took the bones I’d saved and tossed them back into the pot with the drippings (removing the rack first) and added about three cups of water. I hit the Soup button and let the machine go to work.

When the ding sounded, I released the pressure and carefully took the bowl out to rest on the counter (it’s stainless steel, so it cools down quickly once it’s out of the Instant Pot). I let the broth cool a bit before covering it and putting it in the refrigerator for about 30-minutes. Then I skimmed the surface fat and removed the bones and put the bowl back in the Instant Pot. I hit the Saute button to heat the broth back up while I chopped up some vegetables — carrots, celery, zucchini, white onion, radish, potato. I tossed the vegetables into the pot and sealed it back up, then I hit the Soup button again.

On the first day of enjoying the Instant Pot, we ate whole Cornish game hens for lunch and chicken vegetable soup for dinner. It was only the start.

So far, I have cooked:

* pork chops from frozen — I put the chops on the rack and hit the Meat/Stew button. (Again, I probably should have used less time, since the meat was definitely fall off the bone tender.) Once the pork was done, I lifted them out and onto a plate. (I covered them with tinfoil and left them on my stovetop warmer to rest.) Then I tossed on some sweet potatoes I’d cut into big chunks and hit Steam, using the same water I’d used for the pork chops. Once the potatoes were done, I lifted them out into a bowl and removed the rack. I hit Saute to heat the pork dripping-rich water and stirred in some flour mixed with water, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to make a quick gravy for the pork. It was very tasty, and not much work.

* chicken chili — I rinsed and sorted 1-pound of dried pinto beans and threw them into the pot with enough water to cover (the water was about to my first knuckle above the beans) and hit Bean/Chili. When the ding sounded, I hit the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn off the heater and let things cool. Once the lid unlatched, I dumped the beans into my strainer and gave them a quick rinse (they were fully cooked in less than an hour, plump and tasty) before throwing them back in the pot. I tossed in about 1/2 to 1 pound of frozen chicken fingers (I buy a $10> family-sized package of chicken breasts and cut them into enough chunks and fingers to make up 4 Ziploc bags and freeze them), chili spices, chopped white onion, and three cans of diced tomatoes (1 plain, 2 with jalapenos and bell pepper), and 1-cup of chicken broth. I kind of stirred the tomato/spice mix around, but not much because I didn’t want to mash my beans; I only wanted to bury my chicken a little. Once I was sure things weren’t poking up past the Max-Fill line, I closed the lid and hit Bean/Chili again and let things work. When the ding sounded, I let the pot sit for another 30-45 minutes before opening the lid and giving everything a stir. I could use my mixing spoon to break up the chicken, which was fully cooked. Then I let the chili sit a few minutes with the lid off so it could thicken, then served each bowl with a topping of chopped white onion, chopped green onion, and some shredded pepperjack cheese. The rest of the chili I let cool, then used to fill Ziploc bags that I froze. Very easy.

* white rice — The pot has a Rice button, and it makes some very nice rice. I have to tweak things a little because there is a bit of a learning curve for me, but the Instant Pot works. So, no complaints.

* baked apples — I break off a square of tinfoil for each apple I plan on making, then I quarter the apples and remove the cores before slicing into 8ths (as in, each apple produces 8-slices), carefully keeping the pieces together. I make a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. Then, kind of cupping the tinfoil in my hand, I start reassembling the chosen apple, leaving off the last two slices. I add a spoonful of brown sugar and cinnamon mix in the middle of the apple, then place the missing slices and wrap in tinfoil. When I was done I had four tinfoil apples that I put in the Instant Pot (always use the rack!) with a cup of water and hit the Steam button, adjusting to 15-minutes. The apples were cooked, but a little mushier than I like. Next time I might just hit Manual and give them 13-minutes that way. I’m not sure. Still, baked apples were a success with a little adjustment for the future.

Some things I plan on making: yogurt (because why not?), beef stew, pressure cooker pho [http://steamykitchen.com/31369-vietnamese-pho-pressure-cooker-noodle-soup-paleo-recipe.html], beef roast with potatoes and carrots, steamed buns, and 18-minute baby back ribs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Cnz2_AyJM).

Right now my next purchases include an extra bowl for my Instant Pot ($34) [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-6-33qt-Stainless-Pot-Bottom/dp/B008BKHGX0/?tag=harperkingsley-20], a glass lid ($17) [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Tempered-Electric-Pressure-Cookers/dp/B008FUJ2LK/?tag=harperkingsley-20], and an extra sealing ring $10 [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot®-Silicon-Sealing-Ring/dp/B008FUUQJW/?tag=harperkingsley-20]. Considering the use I’ve already put this machine to, I think it’s well worth the expense ($61) to have a few of the extras.

Instant Pot IP-DUO60 specs: http://instantpot.com/benefits/specifications-and-manuals/instant-pot-ip-duo-series-specifications/.
7-in-1 options include: Soup, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Slow Cook, Saute, Pressure, and Yogurt (seriously, this thing makes yogurt! Here’s a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHca_wJJg48).

Witch King at Amazon

Based on a manga, I just watched Usagi Drop (or Bunny Drop if you’ve got a Viki movie pass) and it was adorable. Featuring the guy that played L in the live action Death Note, and the little girl that played young Mako in Pacific Rim.

Usagi Drop

Daikichi (Kenichi Matsuyama) is a 27-year-old office worker that goes home for his grandfather’s funeral, only to find out that his grandfather has a 6-year-old daughter Rin (Mana Ashida) that no one in the family wants to take in. After listening to the older members of his family coldly discuss dropping the girl off at an institution, Daikichi steps up and takes her home with him.

It’s a hard road, but he finds love in his life as he takes care of Rin. He’s still kind of a weird guy, but it’s adorable how he becomes a father — or a “Daikichi!” — to a little girl that doesn’t have anyone else.

Based on the manga “Usagi Drop” by Yumi Unita.

This movie was adorably uplifting. They’re two people that don’t have anyone else, but find happiness with each other. Daikichi didn’t even realize how empty his life of work and play was until he had Rin there with him, counting on him to take care of her. He may have spoken up before he’d thought about it, but he really stepped up with the responsibility and the love. As a result, Rin goes from being a solemn child that’s constantly afraid of being left behind, to smiling and laughing as she knows Daikichi will always be there for her.

Hogfather at Amazon

When I was a teenager, the movie Hackers was the greatest thing ever to me and I loved it. I still have a copy on DVD.

Sexy Burn, vibrantly dressed Crash, and a bunch of brightly cheerful pseudo-hippies/anarchists. What wasn’t there to love? This movie had it all, including a red leather motorcycle suit, close ups of dewy stomach skin and near kissing-close conversation. Plus a crazy alternate state version of the Internet and reality.

Though considering the direction graphic interfaces are taking, the rise of vblogging, and the changing state of technology, maybe Hackers is closer to reality than it was back when it was made. Sure, it’s full on cheese, but there are some aspects that spark a strange echo in my chest.

xkcd: Hack

http://xkcd.com/1337/

So when I saw “xkcd: The Hack,” my heart did a little skip-beat and I was filled with such happiness that I just had to share it with the world.


Links of interest:

IMDB: “Hackers (1995)” – Hackers. Starring: Johnny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie. I had such a crush on Johnny Lee Miller at the time, and Angelina Jolie was completely mesmerizing. I wanted to see more of Joey, which meant I stalked Jesse Bradford for a time. Plus Matthew Lillard will always be my favorite Cereal Killer.

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Wikipedia: “Hackers (film)” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_%28film%29. Spoiler alert?