A little knowledge goes a long way.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

HowTo get root on a Kindle

So in 3 days I will have in my hands an Amazon Kindle. The prospect of having a wireless web browser with a decent screen and no monthly fee is pretty cool to start with. Not to mention the whole e-book on e-ink thing. And guess what? it runs on Linux.

However what self respecting diy/maker/hacker/tinkerer would want to stop there? Of course being somewhat of a generalist I prefer to stand on the shoulders of giants. Enter Igor Skochinsky who figured out the pinout of the console jack and how to get a command line. I already own a TTL-USB cable...

http://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/hacking-kindle-part-1-getting-console.html
http://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/hacking-kindle-part-2-bootloader-and.html
http://igorsk.blogspot.com/2007/12/hacking-kindle-part-3-root-shell-and.html

Now I just wonder if dropbear will run on it?

Sunday, May 14, 2006

How to make spicy peanut sauce

I made some really tasty peanut sauce a couple days ago that we had on some tofu, spinach fettuccini, red and yellow bell peppers, and grated carrots and cucumbers. It was a build your own noodle salad.

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

2 peeled garlic cloves
1 peeled piece of fresh ginger (about the size of your pinky)
1+ teaspoon of hot chile paste
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3+ tablespoons of water

Combine it all in your Cuisinart with the blade. Run for 30 seconds, pulse 10 times or so, run for another 30 seconds.

It should be pourable. If it's too thick add a bit more water.

Enjoy on noodles, garden rolls, veggies...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

How to make the perfect Mint Julep

It is writen opposite the title page in my leather bound 1946 addition of The Gentleman's Companion that "The Mint Julep is one of mankind's truly civilized inventions." I tend to agree.

I will quote the recipe in said volume verbatim complete with spelling errors. It is the only one I have seen that specifies using red-stemmed mint which I have found is in fact superior.

The "instructions" follow 3 pages of diatribe about the various debates, stories, and folklore surounding the drink. Such as the fact that in 1926 the only place that still had the finest bourbon was Manila. Or "...No sane Kentucky planter, in full possession of his faculties will yield an inch to any Marylander when it comes to admitting rye is superior to bourbon in a Julep, when actually, a Julep is international and has been international for years --just as the matters of radio and flying are international."

On with the nuts and bolts:

  1. Chill glasses, whether silver cups or otherwise.
  2. Use glasses of sixteen ounce capacity.
  3. Use two and a half jiggers of likker for sixteen ounce glass, two for fourteen ounce.
  4. Use red-stemmed mint, simply because red-stemmed mint is more pleasantly aromatic. Use fresh mint, and cut stems short just before putting in as final garnish --to make them bleed.
  5. Don't bruise that first installment of tender mint leaves more than very slightly. The inner leaf juices are bitter and cannot have profitable flavour. Bruise one between the teeth, then chew it up and find out.
  6. Don't expect to get a wacking good Julep out of six months old "bourbon" or "rye." We can't.
  7. Don't use coarse ice, use finely cracked ice --very fine.
  8. Don't over-garnish with sliced orange and random fruits. With Juleps, and in fact any drink of delicate quality in its own right, don't add anything with a different strong scent -and orange, lemon, and certain other fruits have a very potent aroma. . . . The aroma of a bourbon Julep should be bourbon and mint -not bourbon, mind, and a fruit store. Garnish simply without trying to gild the lily. A julep is more than a mere chilled liquid; it is a tradition which is to be respected. The mint itself is a delight to the eye, just as we admire parsley against a fine red snapper, or permit feminine associates the use of red nail polish, or grace a mother's table with flowers. So let the Julep feast the eye and nostril properly -not supply unending, edible diversions from the main theme. We don't need to eat all the trimmings, after all -but we always do! . . . That is why ripe pineapple is so beneficial -and eaten after the julep is gone, the marinated fruit is delicious.
  9. Take care that all sugar is worked into syrup before ice and liquor are put in. Reason: If sugar is left in granular form, when chilled the dissolving process is radically slowed down. Especially when sipping through a straw you will suddenly find yourself inhaling a furiously saccharine slug which will ruin the memory of the lovely drink just preceding this disastrous end. . . . This is why we personally use gomme, or bar, syrup for all juleps. Mint leaves stick to the glass' inner walls even better than with the sugar-water mix. One final stir before garnish goes in distributes this quickly disolved syrup evenly through the entire drink. Ergo. . .

(at this point there are 8 different recipes listed all with slight variations so I will proceed with a abreviated and collated version of instructions.)

Toss 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in the glass, then drop in 6 mint tips and muddle slightly taking care to coat the glass with the oils.

Fill glass halfway with your finely cracked ice.

Add s few more sprigs of slightly bruised mint.

Fill with ice. pour in bourbon. Do not stir, wisely let nature take it's coarse.

Garnish with mint sprigs, and two small straws. Allow the glass to become frosted before serving.

And that my friends, is worth the wait. Enjoy!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

How to Master DDR

This popped up on an RSS feed I have on my google home:

"How to master Dance Dance Revolution"

I am going to have to explore this site more, because I am big fan of both How-to's and of the collaborative wiki format.

How to prepare for disaster

A few months ago I attended a neighborhood meeting about disaster preparedness. It was hosted by a neighbor but a person from SDART (Seattle Disaster Aid & Response Teams) came and gave a presentation and handed out some pretty cool booklets. One of the best things I found out is that water should be stored with no air in the bottle, and the best bottles to use are 2 liter soda bottles.

I ran across a website today put out by the S.F. Office of Emergency Services and it seemed like it had a lot of good basic information regardless of where you live. I like the build a kit sections. Check it out: http://www.72hours.org/

Saturday, March 25, 2006

How to tie knots

I just ran across a really great site on tying knots. They have photos of the knot in different stages, and they appear to be pretty well indexed by use: sailing, climbing, etc. They also thankfully explain when you might use all of these different knots.

http://www.animatedknots.com/

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

a good find

Some of you may have noticed that I've been collecting links to worthy "How to" and DIY resources over there on the sidebar. Well I just found one that warrants a post!

http://www.instructables.com/ lets folks post step by step instructions complete with photos of how to do any number of things. It seems to be mostly building stuff, but I did see a how to make pesto page.

Interestingly enough, I found instructions on how to make a marshmellow gun. My father-in-law is an expert crafter of these. Notice in all the photos the use of proper eye protection!

When you feel yourself craving more power you might want to step it up to this potato cannon.

There is a pretty good variety of content. Lots of bicycle mods, and low budget photography tips like how to make a light box.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

How to get rid of ants.

Living in the Northwest, ants in the home aren't that big of an issue unless god forbid they are the dreaded carpenter ants. When I lived in a more southern latitude (Athens,GA) ants were a lot more common around the house.

I was browsing around on the DIY Tribe the other day and came across a post on ants. I thought I would collate some of the more interesting solutions here.


  • uncooked instant quick grits. (they take it back to the queen and it blows her guts apart)
  • finely powdered diatomaceous earth. (it cuts up their exoskeleton and they bleed to death and dry out -workers only)
  • pepper. Black, red, chili, whatever you got. They just don't like it.
  • borax and sugar mixed together. Kills. (dangerous to pets -beware)
  • mint oil.
  • cinnamon.

There were quite a few commercial products that got rave reviews too, but I found these "home remedies" more interesting.