Sunday, July 26, 2009

[food: dessert] Hamcakes by eatmorehappy.com

I won a foodie contest over at EatMoreHappy. I took delivery of a dozen HAMCAKES. What is it? Well it's a cupcake re-imagined and re-assembled to look like a miniature hamburger.


Anita C. created these wonderful dessert delights in a mad scientist presentation. Not only did I receive a dozen hamcakes, I also had what resembles french fries and ketchup condiments to complement the hamburger-themed miniature cakes.


I took one of each out and arranged it on a plate so I can pretend I'm eating a "value meal" in a dessert plate. It's that small.


Except that it's dessert I'm eating which makes it more fun if you just ate a real burger and fries combo and then carry on to your dessert portion which looks like what you just ate.

The french fries were like shortbread cookies:


What's fun about it is that it not only was cut properly, it was visually completed with uneven browning to resemble the potato skins.

While the ketchup condiment was actually frosting. So you know how they slather ketchup on your burger and some think it's not enough so they ask for a packet or two of more ketchup. The same idea is presented here. I already have frosting on the hamcakes care of the yellow cheese, green lettuce leaves and red ketchup.

But it's perfect because I want even more frosting on my cakes. So I can dip my hamcakes on the "condiment".

And in case you didn't notice, what hamcake would not be presented on a sesame seed bun, right?

Finally, the "meat patty" was some soft, chewy, chocolate concoction. Here's my burger, I mean hamcakes, split into two.


Thanks again to Anita and her mad skills. How else can a foodie enjoy, but in artistic creations like these. It's difficult, I know, but someone has to eat it.

Enough of this dissecting. It's time to get back to business...of eating, that is.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

[GADGET : lapdesk] Logitech Comfort Lapdesk


Logitech formally announced the Comfort Lapdesk for Notebooks on December 8, 2008 with expected availability first for the European market by January 2009 and for the U.S. by February 2009.  By January it was already available in the U.S. market via Amazonin very sparse quantities.

The product's intentions for notebooks, like other existing "lapdesks", was to help dissipate heat and shield the same from direct contact with skin, as well as provide a stable platform with the end-means of providing overall comfort. Hence, Logitech Comfort Lapdesk.
 

Ever since it's announcement, I've been waiting for it to reach the Canadian shores and even participating in Logitech's blog site (Blogitech) to hopefully convince them that there is interest on the product.  How hard can it be, we're just a stone's throw away from the U.S.  Anytime after it's availability in Amazon, it won't be long before the Logitech distributor makes it reach here as well.

As of May 7, 2009 (five months after it's announcement) there seems to be no hope of the product ever going to be made available locally here.  In fact back on the Blogitech site, Logitech has confirmed on April 29, 2009 that it wasn't good news for the Canadian market.


Well, that's a shame and a loss for the Canadian Logitech distributor for not having the early foresight to carry a product as sleek, modern and functional as this.  For a very simple device and an attractive price, it could have been a winner that attracts both Mac and PC notebook users.

As for me, I didn't bother waiting.  I purchased from Amazon and had it shipped to me. Costly? Perhaps.  Worth it?  Definitely.  With a base price of USD39.99 and spending more for the exchange rate conversion and cross-border shipping, the product has finally arrived at my door.


Product packaging is simple - a see-thru plastic wrap on the product covered overall with a colourful printed cardboard.  No further waste of material.  Once you get passed the packaging, you are greeted with a glossy white plastic base for which to place your notebook of choice.  I wouldn't want to sound too much of a hypocrite (having had our iBook stolen two years ago and deciding to  switch  to a Sony Vaio based on our budget), but Macs definitely would look more at home with this product.


Dimension-wise.  It's large.  In fact it's larger than any large notebook I know (and can rightfully accommodate it).  Try a dimension of L x W x H (18.03 x 11.26 x 2.87).  Take that 17" notebooks!  Surface-wise.  It's glossy.  So glossy, the white surface shines.  

The reverse side is the miracle material.  A light grey mesh fabric that's soft and ultimately comfortable as it rests on your legs.


Logitech has designed the product to curve giving it a 12 degree angle so that it elevates the notebook bringing the screen closer to you than have you bend forward.  The result of which is a more comfortable surfing experience.



The weave material is very elegant.  It helps wrap an inner cushion, but also elevates by providing air pockets in between the material and your skin.



Because of it's size, it's also stable on your legs.  There's no wobbling here.  It just simply sits planted there.

It has a very simple design and that's a good thing.  With the muted colours, it can ideally blend in to any type of home decor.  When not in use, it can just tuck away underneath a bed, sofa or couch.  Or it can stand vertically on the side of any furniture.


If I were to rate this product from 1 to 5 stars, I would give it a 4.  It's not nearly perfect.

First, the problem is that given it's massive dimension, there is space for more than a notebook. Depending on the size of your notebook, a notebook mouse can even operate along-side it.  But because of the glossy surface, laser mice need not apply here.  But I guess this was not the intention of the designer.  Well, how about the ability to add a piece of material to change part of the glossy surface and enable a laser mouse for those interested.  In the meantime, I'm adding one of those paper-thin mouse pads.

Second, notebooks with small rubber feet will have to work harder to try to stick to the surface.  If you want to leave the notebook planted on the Comfort Lapdesk for eternity, it may eventually start to slide away because of the angled surface that is raising one side higher.  As with the case of the Sony Vaio notebook and it's tiny rubber feet, the next morning it has already slid down on one side.  If that was the edge of the sofa, you can imagine the disaster. The work-around is to have a stack of magazines and let the flat surface rest on it while elevating the angled portion.  Viola!  No more mysterious sliding notebook by next morning.

Third, it's really big.  I wouldn't be surprised if Logitech introduced a smaller size of the same product for netbooks and a MacBook Air.  I wouldn't mind using a 13" notebook with this present dimension if, again, it had the ability to accommodate using a mouse in the process.

Overall, at USD39.99 and with a 3-year limited hardware warranty it's a purchase I don't regret even if I had to do some cross-border shipping just to obtain one in Canada.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

[locale: retail store] GumDrops @ Kitsilano

Having moved to Vancouver less than a year ago, my first introduction into the city is over at the funky Kitsilano neighbourhood (fondly called "Kits") which reminds me of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district due to its similar hippie culture feel. In fact the renowned international organisation that agressively aims to help protect and conserve the environment, Greenpeace, was founded right here at Kits in 1971. How about the yoga-inspired athletic clothing company, Lululemon Athletica, being founded here as well back in 1998. And don't forget to drop by The Naam which has been in existence since the 60's - open 24 hours a day and famous for it's vegetarian and vegan dishes. To drive the point home, let's just say that the popular Kits Beach wouldn't have come into existence today without much thanks to it's private citizens who raised money to buy the beach front land back from the Canadian Pacific Railway company. That's Kitsilano to you.

Today Kitsilano is lined with yoga studios, organic markets, cafes as well as filled with modern retail stores with brand names recognized worldwide. But the heart of Kitsilano still beats strong as walking along 4th Avenue you'll find small shops that truly reflects the soul of Vancouver.

One store is called GumDrops which specialises in apparel for the wet weather. Let's just say that for a place famous for it's wet weather and a store that caters to it by offering specialty and stylish items, it was only founded in late 2007 by an Australian, Shanda Jerrett (who was actually born in Victoria, BC but migrated to Australia soon afterward).


GumDrops
is hard to miss among rows and rows of Earth-tone coloured stores. Suddenly there is this aqua pastel hue that jumps right out. For a store that caters to the rain, the interior is bright, cheerful and chic. The various shoe offering are resting against their own glass stand hanging against a bright white wall. The effect is that the hanging gumboots stand out on it's own like falling individual raindrops. Which brings me to the play on the store's name - gumboots and raindrops.


The store caters to anyone who wants a stylish apparel for the rain including men, women, children and pets. And the best part about a store like this - the customer service and support. They are there to ensure satisfaction of the products they sell. They are also there to help with the availability of the products. In fact twice I have placed a specialty order for wellies that had no size and and colour. With those two times they have helped procure the products and even informed me throughout the process of any expectations of product arrival.

I must admit the first time I placed a special order for a pair of Kamik rainboots (a Canadian company founded in Quebec), it took a while and I thought they had forgotten about me. Of course at this point the delay lays on the supplier side. But when the shoes did arrive, I received a follow-up phone telling me they are in the store ready for pick up.

The second time I placed an order were for a pair of Hunter boots. This time the order process was fast. Initially when the boots arrived they were the correct colour and size, but with the incorrect style. That was on a Friday. By next Wednesday, I received another follow-up phone call stating the correct pair has arrived. All throughout the process they were apologetic of the mix-up and even sped up the process of getting the correct pair by sourcing the footwear from another dealer and picking it up themselves. You can obtain a list of Hunter dealers and start calling them one by one for the available size, colour and style that you want (I did and didn't find one single available pair or even greeted with enthusiastic customer service to find one for me). I didn't find any other store that would go the extra length except from GumDrops.

And after having finally received the correct boots, I receive a follow up email from the owner, Shanda, asking if I have finally received the boots and if I am enjoying them. Seriously, try that with another retail store.

Lately, GumDrops has expanded to having an online store - GumDropsOnline - which I am glad will hopefully help garner a larger following and sales. I am confident with the direction of Shanda Jerrett and her original concept that the customer service and support will remain the same as the company grows.

If you're in the area, feel free to drop by their store at:

GumDrops
2029 W 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6J 1N3
Phone: 1-800-418-4637
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday and Holidays 12am-5pm

Thanks to the concept of GumDrops there is nothing depressing about the rain when in Vancouver. As their motto states: "Get Wet in Style!"

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

[GADGET : tea press] BODUM ASSAM

Bodum design and quality has always intrigued me in both positive and negative ways. I have in the past easily broken a Bodum glass item and yet I am still drawn into purchasing another product.

I've been wanting the Bodum Assam 34-ounce cast-iron version for design and longevity, but the hefty weight of it alone is too much to handle if only to brew tea. So I opted for a 34-ounce glass version which is very light and, like other Bodum borosilicate glass items, delicate. I have yet to break porcelain items by simple bumps while washing, but with a Bodum I am sure to crack them in time. However after much searching for a tea brewing device which affords functionality and simplicity, I fall for a Bodum yet again.

WHY? It is only this brand that features a tea press that stops the brewing process when the desired strength has been reached.

HOW? The loose leaves are placed on the center inside the stainless steel filter. When you want the brewing process to stop, the plunger pushes the leaves down the bottom of the filter away from the liquid and sealed by a silicon rubber ring surrounding the plunger. It's a simple ingenious design carried and modified from their coffee press.

PROS:

  • Effective and ingenious plunger to create a tailored brewing strength depending on user, water volume and type of tea leaves
  • Despite a thin glass container, surprisingly keeps the liquid hot for a relatively long time.
  • Simple design makes an elegant product that matchces any interior as well as hand washing very easy.
  • No spill in pouring. I was afraid the small lip may cause spilling while pouring, but I experienced none. No spills travelling down the wall after pouring as well.
  • Glass version allows you to view the brewing the process and cater to your needs.

CONS:

  • Thin borosilicate glass makes the tea press more fragile than you think.
  • Plunger design is simple, but clumsy as well. Plunger stalk has to be aligned completely vertical or pushing straight down will be met with great resistance especially as the silicon rubs against the stainless steel wall.
  • Loose leaves are not all contained on the bottom as some may escape thru the silicon seal and shred against the stainless steel filter wall. If this happens, the brewing process is not effectively and completely stopped. The leaves especially escape if you don't align the plunger completely vertically. (You will know what I am talking about when you own it and experience the same).


VERDICT:

You have a choice between an extremely heavy cast-iron version or the extremely light glass version. I wish Bodum created a thicker-walled version that's made of glass so I can still view the brewing process while have it less fragile.

For the price, I really can't complain so I find myself purchasing yet another functional and patented Bodum product. Until another company has come up with an ingenious plunger system that is better built, I guess a Bodum it will be for now.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

[GADGET: studio monitors] Near-Field Studio Monitors

WHAT is a Studio Monitor? A studio monitor or reference monitor or monitor speakers (you get the idea) is a speaker designed to produce a flat frequency response. What this further means is that no bias in the reproduction of any frequency whether to add more bass, treble or midrange. So that what you hear is what was recorded. There is no added equalization to the sound output which is the case for most home speakers as they are designed to sound good and wow consumer ears right out of the box.

A Near-Field Studio Monitor is a more compact variety that's designed to be positioned closer to the listener. The logic being less coloration can arise from the reflecting waves bouncing all over the room.

[Pictured below is what a typical near-field studio monitor looks like: Mackie HR624 MKII which is THX pm3-certified. It's simple, sleek, solid and sexy. And most of the others look like this. Versatile for any room application including a black-tie event.]

[Here is the rear of the same speaker with available various settings based on specific applications. Take note this is a high-end studio monitor. Lower priced monitors have less settings.]
WHY a studio monitor? How about simply forget speaker set-ups and systems that unnecessarily add treble and bass to the music you're listening to including ones with active equalization that determine on your behalf what you're ears should be perceiving at the moment and eliminating other frequencies that it believes aren't as audible anyway.

Why not just a speaker accurate enough to reproduce the source audio without introducing distortion. That way you can, based on the acoustic properties of your room, adjust on your own certain frequency ranges that have been compromised by that wall-to-wall carpeting or heavy draperies installed on those windows.

So how about jumping into studio monitors that deliver music the way recording engineers meant it to be heard.

WHERE do I start? Studio monitors were admittedly too expensive for the home brew market. But the advent of independent artists and home studio recording suites that required a cheaper alternative made possible the introduction of more affordable speakers designed for accurate listening and mixing. I'm sure you've heard of JBL, but there are other brands including Mackie, KRK, and Blue Sky. Haven't heard of them? Well these speaker manufacturers are the same people who were making thousand dollar reference monitors for professional studio applications.

[On the left is a KRK Rokit Powered 6 Generation 2 studio monitor which has a port on the front to aid in extending toward a lower bass response]

SO, HOW MUCH do they cost? As of this writing, $300 will get you a very (very!) nice pair of studio monitors. However when shopping especially online, take note that these speakers are always sold as a single item. If you're buying for a stereo application then you'll need to buy two. You'll need more for those centre, side and rear channels. The good news is that you're not forced to buy more than you need and you can always replace one item at a time should any damage occur.

IF I DON'T WANT studio monitors? Well you can honestly buy any speaker your ears desire, but a word of caution is that don't be drawn by marketing hype with brands that promised to wow your ears with a "perception" of full spectrum audio rather than actually provide your ears with, umm, a full spectrum. Buy a speaker that actually delivers and is decent enough to publish their frequency response specification and amplification at nominal capacity as well as peak output. This will give you an idea on what speaker best suits your needs and budget before distortion kicks in.


I WANT A STUDIO MONITOR. Now what? Take note that lower end monitors have multiple connections including allowing unbalanced signal such as RCA and TS input. Higher end monitors accept only balanced connections which means XLR and TRS inputs. Know your equipment choices.

[For better view, here is the rear of a limited edition glossy yellow KRK Rokit Powered 6 Generation 2. You'll find two knobs to control high frequency output as well as speaker sensitivity. To the left of the lower knob is the Unbalanced RCA input. Right below that is the Balanced TRS (which also accepts an unbalanced TS input signal). Then beside it to the right is the Balanced XLR input and the most favoured of all connections for professional applications. Below this big black circle is the power switch. Then further below the switch is a slot that enables voltage input based on individual country requirement of 110V or 220V. Finally below that is the power receptacle input.]

To reiterate, the 3 types of audio connections: 1. Balanced XLR 2. Balanced TRS (which almost always can accept unbalanced TS) 3. Unbalanced RCA

When connecting straight from a computer, it usually has a 1/8" stereo aka mini-stereo jack. In this way, you can buy a cable that starts with a 1/8" stereo and terminates to a left and right RCA jack.

[See left photo]

When connecting directly from the output of a television, you can get the old-fashioned RCA to RCA cable.

Receivers and pre-amplifiers will have various audio out connections from RCA to XLR (again depending on cost). Try to use the balanced output signal, if available.

CAUTION: Studio monitors are almost always certainly self-amplified. That's why they're so damn big and heavy as well. So don't make the mistake of connecting these monitors via a speaker-out which already carry an amplified signal. Connect them to a variable line-out.


HOW DOES IT SOUND...

GREAT! However, you need to re-orient your ears if you've been used to unnecessary and heavy equalized equipment. Take a moment to listen to your favourite CD. One that you are very familiar with from beginning to end. Turn off or flatten the equalizer setting. Take a few passess on it and determine if you really need to highlight or defeat certain frequencies. Better yet, receivers and pre-amplifiers these days include a mic setup that measures and calibrates room acoustics. It's definitely more high-tech than deciding that you want to crank up the bass just because.

You're goal is to listen to music the way it was intended to be heard. If you have unbiased speakers in all frequency range then you will notice nuances in the recording that you never even thought was there. Seriously.


WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW...

I've mentioned this previously, but don't forget that studio monitors are almost always active speakers. Which means that they are self-amplified. The upside is that you don't need to buy an external amplifier and worry about matching power and resistance. The downside is that you better make sure you have enough power outlets for all your audio and video equipment. A no-brainer work-around is purchasing a power conditioner and surge protector specifically built for home theater applications. You get a cleaner power signal and good protection from spikes.

[Below is the side view of a Mackie HR824MK2 and HR624 with heat vents for the built-in amplifier.]
Studio monitoring speakers is a force to be reckoned with in terms of performance, size and weight. And that's a good thing. These manufacturers didn't spare anything in terms of sound quality. Rather than spend money on marketing, they spend it on actual R&D and materials.

SPECIFICATIONS...Mackie MR5's have a published frequency response of 60HZ-20KHZ (+-3db) with internal bi-amplification of 55 watts (85 watts peak) for the low frequency and 30 watts (50 watts peak) for the high frequency. Don't be fooled by other speaker manufacture ratings stating 200 watts power which don't mean a thing unless they meant peak power before the internal fuse blows while already clipping at maximum distortion. Did you hear how loud your built-in television speakers can get. To think they are rated at 3 to 6 watts only. So with these truthful power rating, these Mackies are LOUD! Your ears neighbours will come knocking first before you can blow the fuse of these speakers.

The truth is I was perfectly happy with my Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1 [see right photo] speakers just because I couldn't afford a THX pm3-approved Mackie HR624 at that time. The frequency response was awesome at 35HZ-20KHz. The speakers were fully sealed which provided less distortion and good bass output thanks to the 8" driver enclosed in a box that also houses the amplifier for all speakers.. I tossed the packaging boxes so I decided to sell them when I moved cross-country than risk damaging perfectly great speakers.

A bonus feature of these speakers is that it allows you to move up to a 5.1 surround-sound set up with the purchase of a kit in the form of three more satellite speakers, additional amplifier and a control module to fine-tune the audio output.

[See left photo]

I now moved the Mackie MR5 pair to the living room and disabled the built-in speakers of the television and then obtained a pair of KRK Rokit Powered 6 Generation 2 studio monitors which is equally accurate as the Mackie, but has better frequency response at 48HZ-20KHz (+-1.5db) due to it's 6" low frequency driver.


WHAT TO GET...

If you're budget allows for a Mackie, I would get an MR5 or even an MR8 if the space allows as well. A cheaper alternative but still along it's price range is the KRK RP5G2 which also comes with a 5" low frequency driver. But for the same price as the Mackie MR5 is the KRK RP6G2 with better frequency response and a hefty weight and size.

The difference is the porting on the cabinet. Mackie believes in using a rear port, while KRK argues a front port is better as it allows more flexible placement without fear from unnecessary bass response due from the rear ports when placed nearer against the wall.

My recommendation is to listen to both at your nearest studio monitor dealer that stocks both and decide. In the future you can expand to a 2.1 configuration to extend the bass response even lower by purchasing their own respective subwoofer counterparts.

As usual, KRK products are better priced so this might affect your decision now the same way it did to me. As you saw above, KRK has been producing limited edition speakers I guess as a means to stand apart and eventually capture more of the market. They actually started with a "special edition" white colour of the original KRK Rokit Powered 6 and continued on to the Generation 2 line [see above left photo]. And then there is the "limited edition" of the same speaker line this time in glossy yellow [see above right photo] which I have recently procured. It looks like an equivalent of having an Italian sports car paint job. It's all yellow with a highlight of black and coupled with the glowing KRK logo.

If you want a 2.1 configuration right now, then the Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1 is the way to go which has differentiated itself by sporting a grey colour.

Either way you won't make a mistake patronizing any of these manufacturers. But please do yourself a favor and get yourself a decent studio monitor than an exorbitantly priced speaker set from a manufacturer that (1) either advertises amplification and frequency response that can be achieved at full clipping power or (2) won't even advertise their specifications at all and then claim their "actual" performance doesn't do justice to the over-equalized supposed sound output.