All entries for June 2004

New Norah, same sound (almost)

This is Norah Jones's follow-up album to Come Away with Me and it's more of a grower but still fantastic. While the jazzy under and overtones are still there, there is a tendancy in this collection to lean towards a sort of American Bluegrass sound. Some of the songs are collaborations with other artists (who are riding Norah's coat-tales if you ask me).

This album will grow on you if you're a Norah fan and you'll enjoy it as much as the first. If you're not a Norah fan and would just like to have one good album of hers in your collection, then buy Come Away with Me instead.

My fave tracks are:

What Am I to You?
The Long Way Home and
In the Morning

Joanna Jameson : 25 Jun 2004 13:53 |  Tags: Music |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Fab technology quotations – Thursday afternoon chuckle

Saying that Windows is equal to Macintosh is like finding a potato that looks like Jesus and believing you've witnessed the second coming. — Guy Kawasaki

Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer (not advised) are called hardware; those program instructions that you can only curse at are called software. — Unknown author, Levitating Trains and Kamikaze Genes: Technological Literacy for the 1990's, describing the difference between computer hardware and software

If you have any trouble sounding condescending, find a Unix user to show you how it's done. — Scott Adams

640K ought to be enough for anybody. – Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, 1981

For years there has been a theory that millions of monkeys typing at random on millions of typewriters would reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. The Internet has proven this theory to be untrue. – Anonymous

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. – IBM Chairman Thomas Watson, 1943

There are two major products that came out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence. – Jeremy S. Anderson

Joanna Jameson : 24 Jun 2004 16:36 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Mexican Fiesta Soup

For all those who love the Mexican taste, here is my favourite soup recipe. I make it like twice a quarter, so I guarantee it's good, healthy and even better than that, it's fast to make up….

Mexican Fiesta Soup:

900ml – 1L of chicken stock/broth
3 skinless chicken breasts
2 small cans of corn
1 large jar hot salsa
1 large onion – chopped
chili powder
cayan pepper
tabasco sauce
grated cheese
1 bag Doritos Dippas (the lightly salted kind)

I cut up the 3 chicken breasts into tiny pieces first with a pair of scissors and sautee them in olive oil in the bottom of my soup pot until they're lightly browned. I then add the chicken stock (I use 5 cubes of OXO in 900ml hot water). Then add the chopped onion, two cans of corn and large jar of salsa and mix them all together. Next add chili powder, cayan pepper and tabasco sauce to taste (although if you don't have these on hand, it will still taste good).

If you want it more tomatoey then you can add some crushed tomatoes, but I normally find that if you buy the salsa jars with 25% more on the label (Dorritos, I think), this is ideal.

Bring to boil, turn down low and let it simmer for half an hour.

Then dish out into large, shallow soup bowls and sprinkle grated cheddar all over. Finally crush two handfuls of the Dippas chips right in the middle to make a little pile.

Serve. Yummy.

More recipes coming soon!

Joanna Jameson : 21 Jun 2004 13:59 |  Tags: Recipes |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Funny Place Names

Writing about web page http://places.jump-around.com/closest/

FAB site for finding funny/cheeky place names around where you live. It's even linked up to Multimap. Any time I read the results it finds, I'm reminded of the old MTV cartoon Beavis and Butthead ...

"Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh….He said __."

Anyone know what I mean?

Some of the places were:

Willey
Bell End
Foul End
and apparently…..wait for it….

Butthole Lane.

Type in SR6 too for fun…

Joanna Jameson : 21 Jun 2004 11:43 |  Tags: Funny Web Sites |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The BEST bathtub music in the world

This album is just fantastic for anyone who enjoys laid-back, jazzy, sultry music to relax to. It's full of American style backporch kinds of songs and I'm convinced that it has the power to lower high blood pressure. Everything comes together perfectly, the writing, the instrumentals and Norah's vocals combine to make (in my opinion) the best music for lazy summer day barbeques or long car commutes or hour long baths…

My fave tracks are:

Come Away with Me
Feeling the Same Way
I've Got to See You Again

Joanna Jameson : 21 Jun 2004 11:39 |  Tags: Music |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity

I've been trying to read novels lately that I always wish I'd read but never got around to. I just finished reading this one the other day and I have to say that it's one of only a handful of novels that has actually made me laugh outloud by myself and the only one to do it at least once every two pages! It was a funny and fast read with very astute and comic observations of some of the most fleeting nuances of romantic relationships and friendships. I think the two strongest characters are Rob's (the main protagonist) two friends, Barry and Dick, who work in his record shop. Hilarious….

For those of you who have seen the film version, it's very close to the novel except for its relocation from London to somewhere in the States. Honestly though, there are very few British references in the text anyway (other than London, I can only remember A Question of Sport) and the casting was just spot-on.

A quick, funny and non-taxing read, I recommend that everyone take it with them on vacation this summer.

Joanna Jameson : 15 Jun 2004 06:44 |  Tags: Vcb Very Cool Books |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Cool 80's Cartoons and Kids' Shows

Writing about web page http://www.80scartoons.net/

OK, how satisfying is it that The Transformers have become so retro-cool and that Jem & the Holograms: The Complete 1st & 2nd seasons are now on DVD? I happen to think it’s pretty cool since this these are two of the eighties cartoons I used to watch…

To mark the occasion, I thought I’d do a top-ten-all-time-best-80’s-cartoons(or puppet show for The Fraggles) -list. Let me know if you can think of better ones!

10. Inspector Gadget
9. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
8. Gummi Bears
7. Ewoks or The Racoons ( I can’t decide!)
6. Scooby Doo (80’s)
5. Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
4. Spiderman and His Amazing Friends
3. Fraggle Rock
2. Transformers
1. The Smurfs

The Popples and Strawberry Shortcake didn’t make my list but they came close and I happend to have hated, My Little Pony, Care Bears and The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin.

Of course this whole top ten list depends on the age of the reader….sorry to all those (younger and older) who missed out on this great cartoon era.

Oooooooh, Here is a very cool Atari site advertising their Transformers PS2 game that was released last month (I think…) Among other cool things on the site is a neat area where you can discover your Transformer alter-ego…..

Joanna Jameson : 13 Jun 2004 06:58 |  Comments (96) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Merlin the Stunt–cat

This is my cat "Merlin" jumping through his hoop. My husband taught him this and he's actually famous for it. This picture was once shown and talked about on BBC's Breakfast show with Natasha and Dermot. Whahoo! I emailed it in, in response to the presenters going on about some cat that could get the post or something. My cat tops that. Dermot particularly liked the photo and promised the audience that it's not a fake.

Joanna Jameson : 11 Jun 2004 18:39 |  Tags: My Cats |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The arts in higher education

Writing about First idea for a PhD proposal from Transversality - Robert O'Toole

These thoughts are sort of jumbled, so bear with me here…

Where do you stand on the issue of the erosion of traditional arts subjects in higher education? Increasing numbers of students have to justify the courses they study at university in light of the amount of money needed to be borrowed to allow them to attend in the first place. It's a shame that top-up fees were passed here in England because it looks as if this will lead to the sort of system we have in North America where most people of middle and lower class backgrounds have to borrow exceptional amounts of money to be educated to a level that is increasingly seen as the expected standard of education. So many students now have to ask themselves, "Should I study English or Philosophy, both of which I love, or should I study something more economically viable like engineering, business or chemistry so that I can find a job that will help me pay back student loans?"

It becomes more and more difficult for students from families where no one else has attended university to justify their desire to stay in education. When a parent asks, "but what will studying literature qualify you to do?" a son or daughter will find it hard to make the argument that the debt incurred will be "worth it."

This all opens up the age old debate of "training" versus "education." Should universities become places that offer more and more courses that resemble advanced apprenticeships that feed into the business, industrial and commercial sectors? And if they do (and they are) then are we running down the Benthamite road of utilitarianism at the cost of art, history and philosophical thought? As a campaigner for the idea of attaining knowledge for the sake it, I happen to think so.

Joanna Jameson : 11 Jun 2004 11:54 |  Comments (24) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

Has anyone ever seen a Taco Bell in England??

As giddy as I was when they built the gorgeous Subways (submarine sandwich shops) in Leamington Spa and Coventry, I still have a craving for cheap, tasty Mexican food (prefereably through a drive-through) that can only be answered by a "chicken soft taco supreme" from Taco Bell. Am I the only one who has noticed that Taco Bell would make a bomb if it were to set up here? It's affiliated with KFC and in North America it sometimes sets up shop with them in little half and half restaurants. Has anyone seen a Taco Bell in a city here? Maybe I could take a drive….....

Joanna Jameson : 08 Jun 2004 13:36 |  Comments (233) |  Close comments |  Report a problem