Blog

  • A New Hope

    April 8, 2005

    Visit Amazon May 19th is almost here! That’s the day when the last installment of George Lucas’ second trilogy, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, officially opens here in the United States.

    There are those of you out there who are going, “Yeah, another messed up Star Wars movie! They just haven’t been as good.” Or, “I’ve outgrown those movies.” Indeed, even today’s older kids are a little jaded by the whole Star Wars thing: they’ve got Lord of the Rings and The Matrix as grittier, more compelling worlds.

    I wasn’t that pleased with Episode I, and the improbable love story between Anakin and the Princess in Episode II had the worst on-screen chemistry I’ve ever seen. The whole affair stank. Even the ship designs left me a bit cold. So I was all set to ignore the impending release of Episode III. It’s gotta suck, right?

    Right?

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    DSri Seah
  • Starting a User Group, Part II

    April 7, 2005

    I started a user group for new media types back in February, and am happy to say that it’s going pretty well. It turns out that there is a desire for some kind of face-to-face, creative discussion group.

    The group has gelled together well so far…surprisingly well.

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    DSri Seah
  • Choco Wars!

    April 6, 2005

    As previously reported, I have been held in thrall by the Starbucks Chantico™ chocolate beverage. They call it a “drinkable desert”, and at 390 calories per 6oz serving, they’re not kidding. One of them is enough to knock me out for a good hour. I liked it. I will have to try making one myself, via the recipe on the Starbucks Gossip Blog…intriguing!

    Ever the source of useful intelligence, my sister points out that Au Bon Pain has their own chocolate beverage, the Choco Bon Loco™. From the press release:

    BOSTON, Mass. (Jan. 6, 2005) – For those with a sophisticated sweet tooth, Au Bon Pain is launching a new line of distinctive, hot chocolate beverages designed to satisfy the most discriminating chocolate connoisseurs.

    Named Choco Bon Loco™, this “crazy chocolate experience” is a rich, thick indulgence made with European chocolate, steamed milk and real vanilla. The Au Bon Pain Culinary Team developed the recipe for the new drink in collaboration with Andrew Shotts, a top American Artisanal chocolate maker. For customers craving a pure chocolate taste, there is a bittersweet chocolate variety. However, for those looking for an additional kick, Au Bon Pain offers the Spiced Chocolate drink, infused with chocolate, chili peppers, cinnamon and ginger. The number one ingredient in a Choco Bon Loco™ drink is chocolate. In fact, Au Bon Pain blends three different kinds of chocolate together to create the signature rich and velvety flavor. While other chocolate drinks have sugar as the primary ingredient, Au Bon Pain’s Choco Bon Loco does not add sugar. The drink must be heated to 180 degrees to activate the flavors, smoothness and viscosity that create the experience of drinking liquid chocolate.

    I am not knowledgable when it comes to good “artisinal chocolate”, but I’m game.

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    DSri Seah
  • Artichoke Season

    April 5, 2005

    Photo by A. Carlos HerreraOn a whim, I bought an artichoke from the supermarket. I dimly remember having one when I was a kid, and enjoying scraping the leaves with my teeth. I finally decided to cook it today. In the process of skimming such sites as the California Artichoke Advisory Board, I learned:
    • It’s a giant thistle! So if you have kids, say it’s like what Eeyore eats in Winnie The Pooh. Hopefully the A.A. Milne version is what they’re being raised on.

    • “One 12-ounce artichoke is a good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium. It’s low in sodium, fat-free and a dieter’s delight at only 25 calories.” — Artichokes.org

    • “Artichokes, including leaves, were thought to be an aphrodisiac, a diuretic, a breath freshener and even a deodorant.” — Oceanmist.com

    • “Current research is showing benefits to the liver from cynarin, a compound found in the artichoke’s leaves. Silymarin is another compound found in artichokes that has powerful anitoxidant properties and may help the liver regenerate healthy tissue.” — Oceanmist.com

    • The peak season for artichokes is March through May, so this is a seasonal veggie you can get hold of now. Nearly all artichokes sold in the US come from California. They have an artichoke festival every year in Castroville.

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    DSri Seah
  • The Curse of HTML Email

    April 5, 2005

    Today I am researching HTML Email for a client newsletter. Out of the blue, I got another call from a friend asking about the very same thing. With the advent of Spring comes the blossoming of a thousand e-marketing initiatives!

    Anyway, it seems like this should be straightforward cut-and-paste job, but there are several technical hurdles to overcome when creating a good-looking HTML Email. That’s because HTML email isn’t a simple self-contained document format like Word, nor is it a web page somewhere on a server. It’s a hybrid of both approaches, made difficult by wildly-varying HTML support in email clients. Remember when you had to code HTML for both Netscape and Internet Explorer in the 3.0 days? This is worse.

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    DSri Seah