Here is a fine dessert from Central Asia, mainly Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and parts of India where it is known as Firnee, a sweet, cardamom-scented pudding that is usually reserved for holidays and special events. And while it’s not traditional, I like to serve the pudding topped with fresh seasonal fruit such as strawberries or sliced [more...]
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the Nevada state capital. It was founded about 1843 as the Eagle Station ranch. In 1858 Abraham Curry bought the Eagle Station ranch and named the settlement there Carson City after the Carson River. Following the discovery of gold and silver on the Comstock Lode in 1859, Carson [more...]
For millennia, people have dreamed of flying like a bird. For some, the appeal is simply to be free of the ground. For others, it’s the idea of quietly soaring over the hills. Others would prefer to be able to fly where they want rather than where the wind takes them. Various aerial sports approximate [more...]
Cardamon custard is a traditional dessert from North Africa to the Persian Gulf and on into South Asia. In Saudi and Gulf recipes, rose water may be added. Cardamom is the third most expensive spice in the world and used frequently in East Indian, Scandinavian, Arabic and Central African cuisines. It is an essential ingredient [more...]
Chai is the word for tea in Hindi and many other languages, but in the western world chai usually refers to masala chai (Hindi for spiced tea), a tea heavily laden with cardamom and other spices. The specific choice of spices and method of cooking varies from place to place, but here’s a good recipe [more...]
You can, in fact, earn $1,000 a month on the internet. This is an ambitious but realistic goal, even for relative newcomers to making money online. Many work at home moms (WAHMs, in internet-speak) and dads, too, and plenty of other folks are making it happen. An extra thousand a month won’t make you [more...]
Quezi has already featured a long list of unanswerable questions, but some people want more so here you go: What is the speed of dark? If fire fighters fight fires and crime fighters fight crime, what do freedom fighters fight? Why do “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same? Will iceberg lettuce survive global [more...]
These are the unanswerable questions of life. Why is the third hand on a watch called the second hand? What is a “free gift”? Aren't all gifts free? If nothing sticks to teflon, then how do they make teflon stick to the pan? Why do psychics sometimes cancel meetings due to unforeseen circumstances? How do [more...]
Toning shoes are sneakers or running shoes that are said to help people burn more calories and get firmer legs, calves and buttocks. Toning shoes simulate the feeling of walking on sand and makes wearers stabilize their steps, leading to stronger leg, buttock, back and abdominal muscles, Skechers said on its Web site. A Reebok [more...]
Has your web browser started to open windows in a strange size, so that you always need to use the mouse to adjust them? Here’s how you can set the size of newly-opened windows to the size you prefer. The specific details vary by browser, but most browsers remember the window size when you exit, [more...]
Flattr is attemtping to do what many others have tried before—to build a micropayment system so that people can easily reward those who create useful or enjoyable content. Many who tried this have failed, and others (such as Kachingle) look as if they might be languishing. So what does Flattr have going for it that’s [more...]
Tall chests of drawers, made in two pieces, with an upper chest fitting into the top of the lower, were popular in the 18th century. In Britain they are known as tallboys, while Americans call them highboys. The English master cabinet-maker Chippendale inspired some of the best designs on both sides of the Atlantic, including [more...]
The “standard” sleep pattern is to go to sleep before midnight, and to rise about eight hours later. This single period of sleep doesn’t have a fixed starting time: in the United Kingdom a bedtime of 11PM is quite common, but in New Zealand many people go to sleep earlier than that and therefore also [more...]
Before the wingsuit was invented, skydivers would “fly” through the air while dropping in freefall during the minute or so before they needed to pull the ripcord to open their parachute. By adjusting their body position, they could move around as they plummeted, and could fly in formation with other skydivers. A skydiver in freefall [more...]
Sarcasm and irony are interesting words. They are particularly interesting because they are used with different meanings by different people. Sarcasm is easier to pin down. Sarcasm is when we say something where the intended meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words. If a politician makes a claim and someone says “We [more...]
Canyoning (known as canyoneering in the US, and kloofing in South Africa) is the sport of making your way downstream through a slot canyon. These canyons are not broad canyons such as Arizona’s Grand Canyon, but narrow vertical-sided canyons formed by streams eroding their route through soft sedimentary rock (generally sandstone). The canyons may be [more...]
Stock photographs are convenient to use, but some stock images have been so over-used that they have become cliches. Here are the top ten stock photo cliches. 11. Two hands in a handshake. The connotation is supposed to be one of agreement and co-operation. Frequently one of the hands is female or black, but bonus [more...]
Stock photographs are photographs that have already been taken and are being offered for sale or use, as opposed to photographs that are commissioned in advance for a specific purpose. The enormous advantage of stock photography is that it is very much cheaper than custom photography. If you want a picture of penguins in Antarctica, [more...]
If your sloes are not all wanted for sloe gin, try making them into jellies, jams, or spiced conserves to go with savoury dishes. It’s more trouble than gin – you have to really cook, not just mix – but you’ll end up with attractive and flavourful jars of stuff you made yourself, and the [more...]
A bullace is a wild plum that can be either dark blue-purple or light yellowy-green, sometimes flushed with red. Black bullace and white bullace are the traditional names for the two kinds. There are a few cultivated varieties too, which give rise to more names and varied colours. Damsons are similar to a dark bullace, [more...]