Author name: hubs

What Deener Was Talkin’ About

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First of all I have to give mad props out to Billy-Charles for making a favatar plugin that actually works with DreamHost. I wasted half my Saturday trying to get this working. It was definately a case of being too insistant. I have no idea how Billy-Charles got it to work, but somehow he did. Thanks again Billy Boy. What does this mean to you. Nothing really. Only now if you have a favicon, it will show up next to your name when you comment. I think it’s cool but I can’t believe I wasted my entire Saturday morning trying to implement it.

I take that back. My Saturday did involve something extrodinary. I was able to get my grubby, bony fingers on four tickets to the Ween show this Summer! I’m incredibly stoked about seening them. This is what Deener was talkin’ about! Thanks for the password Little Spanish Eddie (Big Black Betty).

Sunday involved a tax appointment that resulted in a ginormous return, a wonderful lunch at Tacos Junior, and about 3 hours of stunt kite flying in 25-30 mph winds.

Denver Public Library Launches eFlicks

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Hip hip hurray for the Denver Public Library! Today DPL becomes the first public library in the nation to begin a new eFlicks service (which is now available on the same site as the eBooks and the audio eBooks.) which will allow you download the library’s volume of digital movies.

If you wish to download and view the library’s movies, you will need the Overdrive Media Console, Windows Media Player, a Denver Public Library card, and a high speed internet connection. Does anybody know anything about the Overdrive Media Console? Is it some sort of crippling DRM software? After this whole Sony CD crippling DRM software fiasco I’m a little paranoid.

The Denver Pubic Library reports that, “There will be two file sizes available for each title. The highest quality and largest file size is for those wishing to view the video on a computer or laptop. The lower quality and smaller file size is for downloading to mobile devices such as Pocket PCs or SmartPhones. The videos can be watched on any device that supports protected Windows Media video. The service is not compatible with Macs or iPods.”

Although the selection of movies right now is relatively limited, DPL claims that their vendor is quickly adding distributors and the library will have a much larger selection to choose from in the near future. However there are already a few title I want to download including the Ramones: RAW, the IMAX Amazon movie, Endless Summer, and Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2.

UPDATE: Somebody made this incredibly helpful bookmarklet that allows you to both search for and hold books books at the Denverver Public Library (there is also a bookmarklet there for JeffCo Public Library) straight from any Amazom.com book page. This will allow me to quickly find out if the library has the book before I purchase it. Definately handy. Thanks Paisley.

Eight Inches Of Hot Italian Beef

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I had my first Italian beef sandwich somewhere on the outskirts of downtown Chicago the first time I went out to visit my brother when he was going to school out there. It was probably on Clark Street. I don’t remember the name of the place, just the experience. You haven’t lived if you haven’t had a real Chicago Style italian beef sandwich.

People in Chicago are serious about their Italian beef sandwiches, the cubbies and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Chicago style Italian Beef sandwiches are difficult to obtain outside of the Chicago area. Supposedly, there are two places to get them in Colorado. One of them is a sandwich joint on west Colfax that I haven’t yet found. The other is Fontano’s (with stores located only in Illinois and Colorado). Fontanos make an incredible Italian Beef sandwich. They don’t know how to make them “wet” but they do have their own homemade hot giardiniera which is nice. I highly recommend you go out and get one of these as soon as possible.

The Italian Beef sandwhich I had for lunch today. Almost actual size.

Boing Bonk

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I finally made it onto Boing Boing. Well sort of. This is what was published:

UPDATE: Hubs writes, “In the alpine areas here in Colorado we have pink snow too. However, here it is an algae called chlamydomonas nivalis that gives the snow a bright pink hue. It’s called watermelon snow and surprisingly enough it also gives the snow a watermelon flavor that is easily digestible (in resonable quantites).” Link

So I was expecting all these hits. And then for my server to get overwhemled. And then for me to have to shut down this blog. And then I’d become famous for losing my blog to algae, kinda like dooce was made famous because she was the first to get fired for blogging even though she really wasn’t the first. And then I’d be the coolest guy ever, probably.

Instead I got 9 hits from Boing Boing today. Maybe it’s because I don’t know how to spell ‘reasonable’ or ‘quantities’.

If you want to learn more about watermelon snow check this out.

Welcome Back, Again

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As you all have noticed, hubsville.com has been abandoned. I spent three nice years there. A pleasant little town hubsville was: gentle breezes, white picket fences, bright green grass that always smelled like it had just been mowed, hot women, strong guys, and the most obedient and cutelittle  puppies you ever done seen. Did you notice how much brighter the rainbows were when you where there. Well, it’s all gone now (not really, check the archives if you were one of the sad souls who hadn’t stumbled on hubsvile before it became a ghost town). hubsville had its heyday, however, there is nothing there now but dust and a few billboards displaying awkward advertising.
My domain name expired so I decided to start fresh.
Welcome to my new incarnation: Artifacting.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, how I was going to do it, and where it would be. But you need not wait any longer. Things around here will improve with time, I think. You’ll be the judge. Enjoy.

Aught Six

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A stormy vie of Breckenridge from the to of Keystone resort
Because skiing in the afternoon completely wiped me out (one more pictures after the jump), I was in bed and asleep by the time the New Year rolled around. I was barely able to stay up long enough to watch the ball drop in New York. I haven’t yet decided whether my sweet slumber is a good omen of things to come in ’06 or not. Instead we threw a party at our house on the 1st of the year. I think I like this better. It seems like you are celebrating the acceptance of a new year versus celebrating the discarding of an old year. A much better practice I think. Anyway, we had a party on the first. A handful of people showed up, G baked a honey roast ham, made green bean casserole, potato casserole, queso dip, a cheese plate and a bunch of other delicious food stuffs. The party took a while to start-up seeing as most of the attendees had done a fair amount of celebrating the night before. But as soon as everyone took a bite out of fido things got rolling – mostly lots of Prosecco, board games and laughs.

Who Will Play Me In My Life’s Movie

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We have all read it on other blogs before: “I want Nicole Ricci to play me when they make a movie about my life” or “If a movie is ever made about how absolutely pathetic I am at being a human being, I hope the director (Ron Howard) can get Rob Labelle to play me!” Well, If you’re one of those people who are curious about who would play you in your sad little life’s movie, I have found this web site that compares your smug mug to those who are much more famous and well-to-do than you. These are the results I received:
face_recognition_1.jpgface_recognition_2.jpgface_recognition_3.jpg

I don’t know who the hell any of these people are but I have decided that in my will I’ll be asking for the acting services of Jacques Offenbach because he’s rockin’ some sweet ass sideburns. That is given that he is still alive when my movie is made.

Taco House

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While I’m on a recipe kick I figured I post this one that they serve at taco house:

Start with a crunchy all-beef taco smothered in nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato and our special southwestern sauce.
Wrap it in a soft flour tortilla with a layer of refried beans in between.
Wrap that in a savory corn tortilla with a middle layer of Monterey jack cheese.
Take a deep-fried gordita shell, smear on a layer of our special guacamolito sauce, and wrap that around the outside.
Bake it in a corn husk filled with pico de gallo, then wrap that in an authentic Parisian crepe, filled with egg, gruyere, merguez sausage, and portabello mushrooms.
Wrap the whole thing in a Chicago-style deep dish meat-lovers pizza.
Roll it up in a blueberry pancake, dip it in batter, and deep fry until it’s golden brown.
Serve it in a commemorative tote bag filled with spicy vegetarian chili.

Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake with pecan graham crust.

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The other day Deb was bragging about a Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake with pecan graham crust recipe that she made. I decided to give it a try but of course gave it my own twist which I think made it much better. It’s best that I document it here so I can make it every holday season hence forth. Enjoy!

Ingredients
For crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers)
1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 oz), finely chopped
1/3 bottle of Jim Beam brand bourbon whisky
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For filling
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 bottle of Jim Beam brand bourbon whisky
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
For topping
2 cups sour cream (20 oz)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 bottle of Jim Beam brand bourbon whisky
Garnish: pecan halves

Preparation
Pour one level cup of the Jim Beam bourbon whiskey to check quality. The great majority of the time Jim Beam makes a quality product, but because this is such an important part of this recipe be sure to test it first. Plus, it’s fun. Now would be a good time to make sure your brown sugar, graham crackers, bourbon, pecans, bourbon, and nutmeg are fresh as well.

Make crust:
Invert bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan (to create flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan. If you can’t find one of these either fuckit or borrow one from your neighbor), then lock on side. Butter pan. Check the bourbon again to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a fluffy bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust. While crust is chilling, pour 4 1/3rd cups of bourbon over a glass of ice. Drink one 1/3rd of this mixture.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
Put oven rack in middle position of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Remember to shut oven door. Repeat the word oven to yourself a few times and laugh about how weird of a word it is. Have another slug of bruboun.

Get out bowl. Throw togever pumpkin, brown sugar, and other stuff, and liqueur (if using) in the bowl. Whisk or whatever with a mixer until it all mixed up good. Put other stuff in bowl too. Put two leggs in bowl and pick up egg I dropped off the floor but don’t put in bowl. Drink boourb….booze from bottle, don’t measure. Stir all up with hands.

Sthir together graduated sugar, cornstuffarch, cinanimanamon, and salt and good stuff to bowl. Stir cream cheese or something with your nuts and beat with an electric mixer. Add one table. Test bourbon. Then, with a spoon of suger or somefink till smooth and creamy. Who cares. Try to grease the oven.

Pour whatever is on the counter into crust, smoothing top, then sloppily chuck it all into the oven while trying not to fall over. Slam oven door. Slug remaining. Pass out.

Cooks’ note:
Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes, or whenever you wake up. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes.
Baked cheesecake can be chilled, covered, up to 2 days.
Makes 12 to 14 servings.

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