Turning Grape Juice into Wine (satire)

This is another Less is More idea.

Remember: making wine on your own is cheaper than buying from the store. Since you are making so little wine, it is unlikely you will poison yourself.

Besides, many fortified wines contain grain alcohol as do some sherries. YMMV

Ingredients

• 2 cups of commercial Grape Juice
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (provides citric acid)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon wine yeast
  

Utensils needed: enamel pan, teaspoon and tablespoon, optional electronic thermometer Instructions

1. Pour grape juice in an enamel pan
2. Heat to almost boiling
3. On cooling to 98.6°F, add lemon juice and yeast
4. Store in warm place and lightly cover with lid.
5. Check often over the next six weeks.

Notes: For variety's sake, replace grape juice with blackcurrant syrup at 4 parts water to 1 parts juice e.g. 2 cups would contain a half cup of of syrup and 1.5 cups of water. Lemon juice is provided as acidifier. If you can afford it, then substitute with 1/4 teaspoon citric acid.

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Disclaimer: this recipe is provided only for information purposes. The author takes no responsibility if anyone uses it to make their own alcohol equal to or greater than the recommended 2 cups.

Linux on a Modest Budget (satire)

Originally, this article began as a post I might have posted on the Linux Community on GooglePlus but decided against posting because of my nonchalant attitude after writing it.

However, rather than face the prospect of apologizing to the many Linux users who invest a lot of money in their machines, I decided to write this article on my blog instead.

This article is not for them. It is for the people of modest means who want Linux on a used PC that may or may not run an old copy of Windows.

To make a long story short, I decided to use a screensaver on my Linux PC and picked Slidescreen.

After using the screensaver for a couple weeks, I noticed what appeared to be screen burn-in on my monitor. Actually, it is image persistence. Given that this is an LCD monitor made in 2006, I can accept image persistence, since it will go away in about two weeks.

To help my monitor recover, I changed the screensaver preferences to Blank Screen Only and left it at the default settings.

I am not overly concerned since it cost me under $100, and as a rule I buy according to my modest income from work.

My PC is worth under $300 used and I'm proud of the fact that Linux runs on it.

First starters, the 250GB Seagate hard drive came from an old Buffalo external hard drive I bought for $50 used. The motherboard is an old HP dc5000 SFF(PB480A) made after HP was merged with Compaq.

Originally made in desktop slim form factor (approximately 4" x 13" x 15"), the original maximum specifications state 3 GHz Pentium 4, Intel 865 graphics, 4GB, and 40 GB hard drive. The Intel 865 graphics chip supports 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Thus, the motherboard is capable of supporting a 1280 x 1024 monitor, 2 GB and 250 GB hard drive. To give it plenty of flow space due to the 2 GHz CPU, it fits into a spacious mid-tower case that's 7" wide x 15" high x 17" depth. On eBay, I've seen the motherboard being sold for $35 and the tower case, being so old it doesn't have any front mounted USB ports, probably could be picked up used less than $20. A matched pair of 2 GB RAM is available on ebay for $20.

In total that comes to under $221. After labour costs, the total cost is $400.

Most systems today give a bigger bang for the buck but usually cost $600 to 700 before taxes from a local dealer. Some places even will not supply an operating system on request. Best Buy only offers name-brand PCs from Dell and other PC manufacturers but their suppliers are locked in the Microsoft deal.

The only time Dell sells a Linux system is when they sell one of their high-end laptops with it. However, there are businesses around the world that sell Linux systems if you wish to go that route. If you're local to the continental US, then there are the five top Linux desktop vendors, according to ZDnet as of 2011.
LA Computers appears to have the best prices but Eight Virtues lets you choose from eight different flavors of Linux. Although they seem more expensive than comparable Windows systems, their expert support service is built into the price. Overall, these dealers are more knowledgeable about Linux than the average PC reseller.

However, I didn't need a dual core CPU or even a single core hyperthreading P4. Nor was I interested in a larger hard drive. If I wanted to upgrade my memory, then the maximum I'd pay would be $50 for 2 GB to fill it to its 4 GB capacity.

In the past, I've ran Linux on everything from full towers to tiny HP slim PC's made circa 2003-2005. All of these computers were used, being either computers that computer technicians threw away after giving up on them or a computer I bought because the price was right.

That's because my first rule for Linux on a modest budget is buy according to your budget, not what everyone else considers top of the line, preferably used and locally.

My best moment regarding Linux was getting a computer that could not run XP to run Linux. This is why I like Linux. My second-best moment was when I noticed my Linux computer was always faster than than my friend's computer, even though he had a Windows PC running at 3.0 GHz but I only had a 2.0 GHz PC running Linux.

Of course, his computer had collected malware which I usually had to delete on visits to his place. Once I even found that his Internet Explorer had not one but three toolbars due to installing new games and other unnecessary gadgets.

In exchange for getting rid of his malware, I got his significant other to cook me a meal that would cost upwards of $20 at a good restaurant.

That is my second rule: when living on a modest budget, helping other people I know on a modest budget means compromising.

Finally, my third rule is do not rely on Linux and your knowledge of computers to be your only source of income. My reason here is because most clients tend to abuse the fact that without certification, your expertise isn't worth $50 an hour or more. So if you can afford the cost, get Linux certification. Otherwise, find a career that you grow into.

In this way, I follow my Less is More philosophy. In the case of Linux, this translates into buying a used computer for less than new and add more value to it by upgrading to the only alternative to Windows 8 and XP, Linux.

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Reference:

Image persistence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_persistence

HP: The 2000s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hewlett-Packard#The_2000s

HP/Compaq Desktop System Board 368427 Motherboard DC5000 Series Rev 0G: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Compaq-Desktop-System-Board-368427-Motherboard-DC5000-Series-Rev-0G-/261381597830?pt=Motherboards&hash=item3cdb8eaa86

Businesses that sell Linux pre-installed: http://linuxpreloaded.com/

ZDnet's Top Five Linux Desktop Vendors: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/the-top-five-linux-desktop-vendors/9313

Unix and Linux Certification: http://www.itcertificationmaster.com/it-certifications/unix-and-linux-certifications/

Confession of a Japanophile (satire)

Genetics does not explain why I am obsessed with martial arts, ninjitsu, yakuza and samurai. For I am a Japanophile not just because I am Japanese, but because I — a Westernized Canadian-born Japanese person — am interested in my ancestors' culture.

Genetics likewise does not fully explain why I am usually heterosexual, and like mostly women and very few men. Being born male is only a part of the reason.

Perhaps society — being mostly heteronormative — subtly favors males who are heterosexual, though the LGBT lobby has a positive cultural, political and social influence on consumerism today. Before modernization, and even today, Japanese culture occasionally discouraged open practice of homosexuality yet condoned the practice, provided two people who are in love keep it discreet.

Indeed, none of the major Japanese religions were openly hostile to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.

Even so, the modern-day Japanese government, being conservative, does not guarantee civil rights to LGBT persons. As a result, in cases of spousal abuse, the victim does not have a refuge into which to flee.

In Japan, gay marriage isn't going to be in the Japanese law books for now.

The occasional admiring of a buff male body isn't genetic as much as physiological and an honest desire on the part of the observer to compare physical attributes, which is similar to a pissing contest.

Like the majority of Japanese males, my libido is repressed, due to cultural, physiological, psychological and religious influences. Being essentially in a culture where shame is used as a tool of social control, the behavior of a Japanese person may range from almost schizoid lack of sexual expression to discreet displays of sexuality tinged with shame and the fear of exposure of sexual deeds and the embarrassment resulting from such exposure.

With respect to animé and manga, which I read from time to time, yaoi and yuri are the same-sex flavor of relationships, along with mecha (robots), magical girl and harem genre. While yaoi and yuri present displays of sexuality for mass consumption by fans, robots may represent the hidden aspect of the libido with less overt sexuality; the magic girl, the fantasy element with humorous depictions of awkward moments involving sexuality; and the harem, the fantasy of a man with a lot of potential girlfriends.

Perhaps animé and manga could end up saving the world from utter boredom and anguish for teens and young adults. So I urge my fellow Japanophiles to help spread the word. 0_o

Returning to my confession of being a Japanophile, it was in my youth that I first discovered Shin Buddhism to be meatier than the teachings offered after Sunday service at the Central Fraser Valley Buddhist temple.

This discovery of the roots of Buddhism inspired me to learn Japanese so that I could recognize the characters. In addition, I developed an admiration for martial arts, particularly ninjitsu, as well as respect for samurai and the Yakuza.

Samurai are of interest to me since there were rumors that my father's ancestors may have been related to samurai. Indeed, this is most likely since my grandmother's maiden name was Tanaka, and my father's eldest sister married into the Nakamura family. For both Tanaka and Nakamura are well-known clans of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

As for Yakuza, it is rather interesting that a bad hand in Gaji — a popular Japanese flower card game — became the slang for Japanese criminal societies. However, mass media representations of Yakuza are often exaggerated for the blood and guts on film and in books — especially in manga, and on TV.

As well, the reports that when the city of Kobe was shaken by an earthquake some years ago, it was the Yakuza who first responded to the crisis before the municipal government did. However, I am not so naïve as to consider them to be the "good guys" as long as overt violence continues to be associated with the Yakuza.

Today, as a Canadian-born Japanese who is also a Japanophile, I do not favor the Japanese culture over the Westernized moderation of that culture which I internalize. While it would be admirable to be a perfect blend of Eastern and Western mores, I prefer the simpleness of the "less is more" philosophy with regard to both aesthetics. Thus, the less I try to be Japanese and Westernized, the more I emphasize the subtle qualities of both cultures.

Indeed, the blend of East and West is imperfect within my psyché yet useful to my life due to its simplicity.

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Originally posted on January 25, 2004 at 0137H
Updated on February 12, 2013 at 0415H

Japanophile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanophile
LGBT rights in Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Japan
The Tanaka & Nakamura families of Yamaguchi Japan: http://www.tanakamura.com/
Samurai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai
Yakuza: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza
Animé: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
Manga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga

Computer: Less is More

Over the past week, I've spent less time on the computer than on it.

Why? To determine how I feel that day and the next day.

On days when I have used the computer less than 4 hours, I feel at peace and able to handle what the day brings to me. Less anxiety, less worries.

In fact, I actually enjoy not being on the computer the most. My feelings are the same regarding my smartphone.

The less that I use either device, the more I feel at peace.

Thus my Less is More philosophy is once again validated.

Using Robaxacet to Control Sore Shoulder

Due to a sore shoulder caused by a cumulative effect consisting of daily wear and tear over the past 20 years, my left shoulder sometimes gives me a lot of transient pain.

I even get transient aches and pains consistent with arthritis pain. It gets worse if I rest in bed.

However, a long day results in very little pain, including backache which is causal with aches in the arm - possibly due to a combination of poor posture and pinched nerves in the back.

Indeed, both wrists ache; both lower and upper arms on both sides ache; and so does the back.

However, I can sit or stand straight, and the pain is gone.

But, from time to time when I sleep on my left shoulder, it may sometimes ache; other times, no pain.

Lifting my left arm causes pain; but with the right arm, little pain.

As I said, physical activity relieves pain, possibly due to the effect of monamine oxidase on the breakdown of dopamine to adrenalin to noradrenalin to by-product of noradrenalin metabolism.

This same activity probably is why histamines break down.

At the same time, endorphin are produced to soothe any pains, and keep them at a dull ache.

Today I used a half dose of Robaxacet Extra Strength (400 mG metacarbamol, 500 mG acetaminophen) for a total dose of 200 mG methocarbamol and 250 mG acetaminophen.

My reasoning is that I don't need the sedative qualities of metacarbamol, but need the combination of acetaminophen and methocarbamol to deal with anticipated joint pain.

Given that both methocarbamol and acetaminophen have a 2 hours half-life, I know that by 4 PM, the pain may return.

At the same time I am taking a half-dose of Robaxacet, I am adding 400 mG of açai supplements for antioxidant effect, 500 mG of Eleutherococcus senticosus for adaptogenic optimization (helping to adapt to stress) and 2 G of wild salmon and fish oils, both to moderate brain function and keep my heart healthy.

As well, I've taken a dose of Vinpocetine (15 mG) to moderate cerebral function (memory and adaptation).

Hopefully this will keep my left shoulder to a dull ache, rather than the transient aches and pains outlined above.

This is still in keeping with my Less is More philosophy.

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Update February 6, 2013 2351:
Roboxacet is OTC, which means it costs more than prescription for a welfare recipient using BC Pharmacare.

Since I'm on disability through the Income Assistance service, I greatly appreciate the help from all taxpayers in BC.

Currently I don't take anything mentioned above anymore. The only supplements I may take are for melatonin, calcium & magnesium and calcium, vitamins B6, D, & B-50 complex — regularly the Vitamin D and B-50 complex.

Of course, the medications I take are cyclobenzaprine (10 mg) and gabapentin (200 mg), which are the two safest medications for sleep (off-label but effective 90% of the time) and sleep architecture (promotion of deep sleep without benzodiazepine addiction risk).


YMMV

Less is More In Action / Cheap Drunk Revisited

April 3, 2009: Over the past three weeks I have followed my "Less is More" philosophy, which consists of having one drink and stopping there to enjoy being inebriated.

After the previous "Cheap Drunk Episode", my decision has been to follow that philosophy closely, mainly due to the fact that I hate being blitzed out of my mind after a couple beers.

This is all the result of the December 6 Christmas party, where bits and pieces of what went on then were related to me by my girlfriend. Because of my sensitivity to large amounts of alcohol, and not wishing to experience an alcoholic blackout and the resulting disassociative state of mind again, it's my endeavour to get blitzed on one and only one drink!

Tonight, I have again achieved a satori-like experience after sobering up from one drink. This time it consisted of feeling rather happy and cheerful, and it's reassuring to me that I can maintain my sobriety within 2-3 hours after one and only one drink.

For the goal throughout this "Less is More" campaign was to achieve a brief period of drunkenness without any drama and with the civility and politeness of a near teetotaler, so as to show what can be achieved in the name of social drinking even following my "Less is More" philosophy.

Do I want another drink after I am under the influence of one drink?

Heck no!

Why would I ruin the inebriation with another drink which might put me over the limit and ruin the campaign by getting drunk for the sheer pleasure of it?

Since the sobering up period resulted in a positive benefit (cheerfulness and joy), I doubt that more drinks would do anything but delay the good cheer after sobering up.

Indeed, the one drink that I drink is a symbol of the "Less is More" philosophy in that I drank much less than I did on December 6, 2008 and had much more fun in the process of experiencing drunkenness including acting appropriately and behaving maturely.

It was easy to perform simple tasks such as minding the girlfriend's grandchildren, including reading Dr. Seuss to the eldest and other mundane child-minding tasks. Had I been more inebriated, this would not have been possible. For the ensuing sobriety I now am experiencing does not have any disassociative memory losses.

Given that research has shown that 1-3 drinks a week is healthy and safe, this level of drinking will be maintained because less problems have occurred from it.

So I plan to carry on my one-drink, "Less is More" campaign and live this philosophy to the fullest.