Way back when I was more active on the social networks a good friend of mine decided I was a Power User. I liked the sound of that term and kept it for a long time as a phrase to identify my computer obsession, but I never really could clearly explain what it meant. I could say the same for being a gamer. Everybody plays games on their computers, but Gamer Class players have the flashy hardware to go with their interests. You don't need all the bells and whistles to play some of the high end games, but in some cases those extras make the game more competitive. For example, the keyboard I'm using has all the standard IBM PS/2 keys plus half a dozen more for using macros. Well, I have that but I'm not a Gamer Class computer user. LOL
I have long been an admirer of quality and high end performance. My work at Motorola exposed me to those kind of things on a daily basis, and not only in the computer world. We as a company had to outperform the competition or die. Given the state of the company today, I guess we didn't perform all that well, but I retained my attraction to high end top performance, whether I need it or not. That suggests to me Power more so than it suggests Gaming.
While the hardware you own doesn't define you as a class of computer user, it certainly is a hint of where one's interests rest. I have this more or less ordinary laptop that they sold with an extra video card built into it so that they can call it a gaming computer and charge the high price for it. I got around the pricing strategy by buying it at the end of it's life cycle, but that's a different story. It's a Windows computer, but I have two versions of Linux installed on it in addition to the beta version of Windows. This multi-boot computer can run any Linux (and I suspect others) operating systems I can install on a USB memory stick. Then there is the virtual machine capability. Who in their right mind would want to do all that? Nobody needs to do it, certainly. Well, perhaps only those folks who know it can be done and have an infinite curiosity for complex systems.
It all makes me wonder where I'd be today if I actually studied this in college and went to work with a degree. Me an Bill Gates would be paling around together for sure. LOL
Near Death Experience
Forum rules
Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Post a new topic to begin a chat.
Any topic is acceptable, and topic drift is permissible.
Re: Near Death Experience
Your story reminds me of my High School DAZE, hi hi.
I took Drafting for all three of my last years in high school, which would be Sophomore to Senior years.
At that time, they did offer drafting, advanced drafting, and then I had a choice of Engineering Drawing or Architecture.
At the time, I though Engineering would be the best way to go, as there were many more job opportunities, while Architectural drawing had only a few openings worth anything.
What I didn't know, is the Architectural class also taught how to start your own architectural firm, while nothing like that existed in engineering, it was mainly to land a job at a good company, which I did three times, hi hi.
Four of my friends from my Junior year in advanced drafting, took architecture.
Fast forward ahead ten years to our ten year class reunion, only one other friend from engineering was still in the drafting field, but the sad thing is, all four of those who got into architecture now owned their own firms and were making money hand over fist. Each of them made more in a day than I made in an entire week. And all of them said, if it were not for the things the teacher taught them to do, and how to land clients, they don't think they would be where they are now either.
The same sorta holds true for my step-daughter. She liked to draw, not like paintings, more like artists renderings.
She got her first job as a catalog illustrator for an advertising company. She got paid really good when they had work for her.
A couple of years after she moved out of our house and got her own apartment, I was surprised she could afford to live in Clayton.
Her brother told me she works for an ad agency, and she has the Willy Wonka contract for all of their packaging designs. She gets paid like 300 bucks an hour while working on things for that account. And only about 150 bucks an hour on a few other accounts she attracted to the company. Anything else she works on, for the company, they only pay her 45 bucks an hour. Which he said was more than he made, at that time, he does much better now, or a few years after that, I don't know about current though.
You would be like me in a way, I assume, since we are both older. The technology moves so fast, about the time you learn what his new and hot, it is already obsolete and something else has taken it's place, hi hi.
Heck, just looking at all the new programming languages out there now is enough to drive a person nuts.
I took Drafting for all three of my last years in high school, which would be Sophomore to Senior years.
At that time, they did offer drafting, advanced drafting, and then I had a choice of Engineering Drawing or Architecture.
At the time, I though Engineering would be the best way to go, as there were many more job opportunities, while Architectural drawing had only a few openings worth anything.
What I didn't know, is the Architectural class also taught how to start your own architectural firm, while nothing like that existed in engineering, it was mainly to land a job at a good company, which I did three times, hi hi.
Four of my friends from my Junior year in advanced drafting, took architecture.
Fast forward ahead ten years to our ten year class reunion, only one other friend from engineering was still in the drafting field, but the sad thing is, all four of those who got into architecture now owned their own firms and were making money hand over fist. Each of them made more in a day than I made in an entire week. And all of them said, if it were not for the things the teacher taught them to do, and how to land clients, they don't think they would be where they are now either.
The same sorta holds true for my step-daughter. She liked to draw, not like paintings, more like artists renderings.
She got her first job as a catalog illustrator for an advertising company. She got paid really good when they had work for her.
A couple of years after she moved out of our house and got her own apartment, I was surprised she could afford to live in Clayton.
Her brother told me she works for an ad agency, and she has the Willy Wonka contract for all of their packaging designs. She gets paid like 300 bucks an hour while working on things for that account. And only about 150 bucks an hour on a few other accounts she attracted to the company. Anything else she works on, for the company, they only pay her 45 bucks an hour. Which he said was more than he made, at that time, he does much better now, or a few years after that, I don't know about current though.
You would be like me in a way, I assume, since we are both older. The technology moves so fast, about the time you learn what his new and hot, it is already obsolete and something else has taken it's place, hi hi.
Heck, just looking at all the new programming languages out there now is enough to drive a person nuts.
Re: Near Death Experience
You are right about the lag in the learning curve. I attribute my slow development to the fact that much of what I learned was the result of my own research efforts. I probably have the equivalent of a Masters Degree worth of knowledge. It took me at last 40 years to get to that point, but it could have been done in a mere six years of formal university education. I can't say if it was worth it or not, but I DID do it my way.
I recall the fear and trepidation experienced when I was in high school and confronted with the need to select a path for the rest of my life to take. There were some inspirational teachers in my school, but I never was counseled by any of them. My parents were hard working but uneducated. They couldn't suggest a path for me because they didn't know enough about what was out there. But, even so, if you ever tried giving advice to a sixteen year old kid you know how impossible that task would be. About the only teacher in high school I admired for her advice was the American History lady. She also taught civics for which we had to take a state test, or something. This lady also taught us about investments; stocks in particular. It was a game we played for the entire semester but it opened my eyes in ways that were helpful later on in life. But, there too, a formal education would have helped. If I followed through on that history lesson, maybe Warren Buffet and I would be discussing portfolios these days.
I recall the fear and trepidation experienced when I was in high school and confronted with the need to select a path for the rest of my life to take. There were some inspirational teachers in my school, but I never was counseled by any of them. My parents were hard working but uneducated. They couldn't suggest a path for me because they didn't know enough about what was out there. But, even so, if you ever tried giving advice to a sixteen year old kid you know how impossible that task would be. About the only teacher in high school I admired for her advice was the American History lady. She also taught civics for which we had to take a state test, or something. This lady also taught us about investments; stocks in particular. It was a game we played for the entire semester but it opened my eyes in ways that were helpful later on in life. But, there too, a formal education would have helped. If I followed through on that history lesson, maybe Warren Buffet and I would be discussing portfolios these days.
Re: Near Death Experience
And that's the way it should be done. And the only way you can get it right too!
I forget which important person said this, but it carries a lot of weight.
If you want to find an easier way to do a job, hire a lazy person, not a go getter.
The reason being, the lazy person will always figure out a way to do it easier, hi hi.
I guess because I was raised in a family business, that I knew one part of it would be for me to take over one day.
90% of what classes I took did revolve around that business, and I took them as an auditor so the classes only cost peanuts.
But in the interim, I worked to earn my plumbing license, then my electricians license, and much later, after the business was gone, I got my general contractors license.
Even so, I was back at the family business for the decade before they closed down for good, which came as a surprise.
I had taken certain classes that had to do with business and accounting, plus a few other things I would need to know to take over. I did get a taste of this when my dad had his heart attack, and ran the cut flower shop, plus handled all the accounting for the entire business, although my dad's brother was the president and tried to step in, he didn't know diddly squat about the accounting or the books. About the only thing he did was write the checks and compare my ledger entries to those of my dads.
He really didn't know how my dad came up with many of the figures in the ledgers either. I knew and it was simple, but sadly way over his head. Mainly because my dad had been handling that end of the business since 1954, hi hi.
I often wonder, if it were not for my dad's heart attack, which called me back into the business, if my rooftop hydroponic greenhouses would have kept growing at the rate they were. I probably would not have worked on hydroculture if were not for my being back in the greenhouses and flower shop once again.
I knew I would never be back into drafting again, too much time away and too many changes in that industry with the advent of computer aided drafting. But I loved renovating old houses, something I had always loved to do, and with all the necessary licenses in hand, that is what I fell back into doing, up until 9/11 wiped that out for me.
I forget which important person said this, but it carries a lot of weight.
If you want to find an easier way to do a job, hire a lazy person, not a go getter.
The reason being, the lazy person will always figure out a way to do it easier, hi hi.
I guess because I was raised in a family business, that I knew one part of it would be for me to take over one day.
90% of what classes I took did revolve around that business, and I took them as an auditor so the classes only cost peanuts.
But in the interim, I worked to earn my plumbing license, then my electricians license, and much later, after the business was gone, I got my general contractors license.
Even so, I was back at the family business for the decade before they closed down for good, which came as a surprise.
I had taken certain classes that had to do with business and accounting, plus a few other things I would need to know to take over. I did get a taste of this when my dad had his heart attack, and ran the cut flower shop, plus handled all the accounting for the entire business, although my dad's brother was the president and tried to step in, he didn't know diddly squat about the accounting or the books. About the only thing he did was write the checks and compare my ledger entries to those of my dads.
He really didn't know how my dad came up with many of the figures in the ledgers either. I knew and it was simple, but sadly way over his head. Mainly because my dad had been handling that end of the business since 1954, hi hi.
I often wonder, if it were not for my dad's heart attack, which called me back into the business, if my rooftop hydroponic greenhouses would have kept growing at the rate they were. I probably would not have worked on hydroculture if were not for my being back in the greenhouses and flower shop once again.
I knew I would never be back into drafting again, too much time away and too many changes in that industry with the advent of computer aided drafting. But I loved renovating old houses, something I had always loved to do, and with all the necessary licenses in hand, that is what I fell back into doing, up until 9/11 wiped that out for me.
Re: Near Death Experience
Given the circumstances under which I grew up, it was nearly impossible for me to fail in my later years. At least that is how my parents' generation would have seen it. My education and my career was far better than anything my parents experienced, which is hard to appreciate when you consider I failed academically almost immediately after I left high school. Completing high school, however, was not common when my parents were teens. It was nearly mandatory by the time it was my turn. Nobody in my parents' families attended college for any length of time. They were all trades people with the exception of an uncle or two who had innate engineering capabilities and found companies who recognized their talents. No degrees were expected back then. You could say my self-education was the right thing for me to do, but I could have done much better. I ended up working most of my life with highly educated people and know what was possible in their world but not mine. No, I don't regret what I did or the way I did it. I simply would not advise my children to do the same thing. And, they did not. They both have university degrees.
I'll speculate and suggest my granddaughters' grandchildren will never see the inside of a school. All they need to know will be downloaded into their brains at the proper time and they will become instantly enlightened. The robots in charge at that time will know how to do such things.
I'll speculate and suggest my granddaughters' grandchildren will never see the inside of a school. All they need to know will be downloaded into their brains at the proper time and they will become instantly enlightened. The robots in charge at that time will know how to do such things.
Re: Near Death Experience
Same here Yogi! None of my parents or my aunts and uncles ever had a day of college under their belts. And although there were numerous colleges by the time I graduated high school, not very many graduates went on to college. Many of us did go to the Junior College for a semester or two, but that was about it. Only a few of the more wealthy uncles sent their kids to college.
I think it was the larger companies who began forcing all of their expected employees to have a college education, and soon they wouldn't hire anyone without a degree, even though it didn't matter what the degree was in.
I didn't send my own kids to college, but my late wife's two kids we made sure and sent them.
It was probably the best thing for them, and they benefited from it. But my two never would have found a benefit.
We are getting very close to rapid learning and retention. It is a whole different way of teaching, not found in normal schools.
Those who are getting this type of learning, I wonder if it is really learning, or more like brainwashing?
I got a small glimpse of one of these training sessions only a couple of years ago out in Oak Ridge.
They use a video on a large screen showing a problem, followed by the solution, and keep repeating this.
Then in the next session, they show the problem without the solution, but give a choice of possible solutions.
Once you selected the correct solution on all of that bank of videos, they move you on to the next bank of videos.
But will mix in a few of the original problems when they get to the parts without solutions again.
A similar type of training session was used by the Chrysler Assembly plant back home.
But this was only to teach how to do a particular job on the assembly line.
In this case, the worker was the camera position, and it went through the steps of turning to take a part out of a box, which way to turn it, how to install it on the vehicle, etc. It was just repetitive of doing the same thing over and over again, until they had all the motions down pat, and fast.
I think it was the larger companies who began forcing all of their expected employees to have a college education, and soon they wouldn't hire anyone without a degree, even though it didn't matter what the degree was in.
I didn't send my own kids to college, but my late wife's two kids we made sure and sent them.
It was probably the best thing for them, and they benefited from it. But my two never would have found a benefit.
We are getting very close to rapid learning and retention. It is a whole different way of teaching, not found in normal schools.
Those who are getting this type of learning, I wonder if it is really learning, or more like brainwashing?
I got a small glimpse of one of these training sessions only a couple of years ago out in Oak Ridge.
They use a video on a large screen showing a problem, followed by the solution, and keep repeating this.
Then in the next session, they show the problem without the solution, but give a choice of possible solutions.
Once you selected the correct solution on all of that bank of videos, they move you on to the next bank of videos.
But will mix in a few of the original problems when they get to the parts without solutions again.
A similar type of training session was used by the Chrysler Assembly plant back home.
But this was only to teach how to do a particular job on the assembly line.
In this case, the worker was the camera position, and it went through the steps of turning to take a part out of a box, which way to turn it, how to install it on the vehicle, etc. It was just repetitive of doing the same thing over and over again, until they had all the motions down pat, and fast.
Re: Near Death Experience
The term brainwashing has a lot of negative connotations. It's thought of as mind control. And, yes, much of what we have heard about it is done using "rapid eduction" techniques. We know of all the evil applications of brainwashing but there can be some positive aspects too such as the training in work places. The truth in the matter is that we spend our entire life training our brains to think in certain ways. In effect that too is brainwashing. We live in an age where brainwashing techniques are used daily to influence our buying habits, for example. Social networks are full of groups of "like minded" people who are reinforcing a particular kind of behavior. The entire education process is designed to condition the brain so that it can deal with the many challenges of a complicated life. Different schools teach different behaviors but the end results are the same for all of them. Eventually we venture out into the world and use what we have learned or conditioned our minds to perform. We are all brainwashed out of necessity. And, the process never stops until we take that last breath.
Re: Near Death Experience
All I can say is Amen to that. No added commentary necessary!
I have to go to take the wife to get a car, she's heading out to Nashville in about an hour, and won't be back until Saturday night.
I'm free! But then I won't be doing anything different, I'll be in my office all day like usual.
I have to go to take the wife to get a car, she's heading out to Nashville in about an hour, and won't be back until Saturday night.
I'm free! But then I won't be doing anything different, I'll be in my office all day like usual.
Re: Near Death Experience
I used to love those times when my wife flew down to Florida to visit family for a week or two leaving me behind to feed the doggie. I got a lot done during that time which could not easily be accomplished otherwise. The big difference for you would be that you will be making your own meals.
Re: Near Death Experience
My frau, like always, loads the fridge with ready to heat things. Last night I had BBQ Ribs, now those I had to pop in the oven for 20 minutes. But everything else I just pop in the microwave. She has ho-made soup, chili, noodle salad, jello w/fruit, cole slaw, and baked beans with ground beef. She always makes more than I could possibly eat. Oh she also made 6 deviled eggs. I think she does that so I don't fix myself a gourmet meal, hi hi. There are also some leftovers from dinner the night before last too, and I added one of those to the ribs I ate last night.
I was the chief cook and bottle washer, laundromat for all the kids and frau, for both of my late wives. So I figured I put in my time doing that for years. I was a pretty darn cook also, but then I did have all commercial grade appliances, including a char broiler.
I was the chief cook and bottle washer, laundromat for all the kids and frau, for both of my late wives. So I figured I put in my time doing that for years. I was a pretty darn cook also, but then I did have all commercial grade appliances, including a char broiler.
Re: Near Death Experience
That's darn right angelic of your wife to do all that advanced cooking for you considering your background as a chef. Back in the early years of our marriage my wife did all the cooking. She didn't like it at all but took on the responsibility anyway. I had to learn how to cook out of necessity one year and my wife was relieved of the chore. Since I took to it as a chemistry experiment and had a lot of fun cooking new things, my wife was glad to not be burdened anymore. That lasted for several years at which point she was afraid she would lose her touch. We then agreed she would make all the meals involving left overs and I would do the rest. That splits the work about down the middle and we both are doing what we like. It's not as much fun for me as it used to be, but I have not yet tired of it. Cooking for others to share is the preferred scenario. When I have to cook for myself its novelty grows thin. I became aware of this when mom lived out her final years with us. I cooked all her meals. I guess it was kind of payback for all the cooking she did for me, but I also was comforted knowing my efforts were doing some good.
Re: Near Death Experience
I honestly cannot cook anymore. The main reason is I don't have the proper equipment for the kind of cooking I did.
For example: What they call Char-Broilers for home use, is really nothing more than a griddle that looks like a char-broiler, not hot enough. My Thermador was that way, hot, but not quite hot enough, which is why I got rid of it for a Dacor that did have the heat I wanted. Still it was not like a 16 burner commercial grill, hi hi. But in order to use commercial grade equipment in a house, you have to have the fire suppression and exhaust capabilities of a near commercial kitchen.
I know I mentioned the size and types of exhaust blowers I had in my kitchen back home.
You don't find many 24 inch diameter squirrel cage blowers in a residential layout, and that was only one of the three blowers.
My range hood had TWO 10 inch wide, by 12 inch tall blowers in it. That hood alone cost over 900 bucks 40 years ago, without the fire suppression system which was added after the fact, like most systems are.
I really miss my old house and everything I had in it.
Poor Debi cannot cook a steak and have it come out right to save her soul. She tries. I don't blame her though. Her step-son was a cook at a steak house, and he showed her what cuts of meat to buy, but we couldn't come up with the heat necessary to cook it properly. There were a few tricks he could do using an oven broiler, but it was a pain and a half to do. It also made a big mess in the oven.
I saw some videos the other day on quantum teleportation. Something you talked about not to long ago.
I think they called their signals Qbits? But they still went over a fiber optic cable.
Even so, they are working on doing it over the air in such a way distance don't matter, because something at this end is linked to something at that end as if they were the same whateveritwas they called it. It would make space and time irrelevant. You add something at this end, and it is added at the other end at the same time. I think they said they only have 90% accuracy at this time, but looking to improve on that throughout this year. Quantum computing is coming soon!
For example: What they call Char-Broilers for home use, is really nothing more than a griddle that looks like a char-broiler, not hot enough. My Thermador was that way, hot, but not quite hot enough, which is why I got rid of it for a Dacor that did have the heat I wanted. Still it was not like a 16 burner commercial grill, hi hi. But in order to use commercial grade equipment in a house, you have to have the fire suppression and exhaust capabilities of a near commercial kitchen.
I know I mentioned the size and types of exhaust blowers I had in my kitchen back home.
You don't find many 24 inch diameter squirrel cage blowers in a residential layout, and that was only one of the three blowers.
My range hood had TWO 10 inch wide, by 12 inch tall blowers in it. That hood alone cost over 900 bucks 40 years ago, without the fire suppression system which was added after the fact, like most systems are.
I really miss my old house and everything I had in it.
Poor Debi cannot cook a steak and have it come out right to save her soul. She tries. I don't blame her though. Her step-son was a cook at a steak house, and he showed her what cuts of meat to buy, but we couldn't come up with the heat necessary to cook it properly. There were a few tricks he could do using an oven broiler, but it was a pain and a half to do. It also made a big mess in the oven.
I saw some videos the other day on quantum teleportation. Something you talked about not to long ago.
I think they called their signals Qbits? But they still went over a fiber optic cable.
Even so, they are working on doing it over the air in such a way distance don't matter, because something at this end is linked to something at that end as if they were the same whateveritwas they called it. It would make space and time irrelevant. You add something at this end, and it is added at the other end at the same time. I think they said they only have 90% accuracy at this time, but looking to improve on that throughout this year. Quantum computing is coming soon!
Re: Near Death Experience
I never got to use commercial cooking equipment. To be honest, I'd probably be lost using it. As you suggested It's a different kind of cooking than a home kitchen, but the important part of it all is the end product. Steaks can be made to rival char broiled, and I've tried. Perhaps over the last twenty years that I've been cooking I managed to produce the perfect pseudo char broiled steak ... maybe six times. LOL I didn't mean to imply it was easy, but a fry pan to sear it and an oven to finish it off comes pretty close if you get the timing and the meat quality correct. The key to success has a lot to do with the cut of the meat. I specialize in NY Strip steak but never was able to make them as well as I can down here in O'Fallon. That's an incredible accomplishment given that I lost my gas fired cook top and nothing on the electric cooker turns out right. Essentially I fry the steak in butter and oil. Depending on the thickness of the steak about 4 minutes per side will produce medium rare on a 1" cut steak. While it's cooking I spoon the hot oils over the steak to keep the exposed side moist. I do the same thing after I flip it. I now have an instant read thermometer that is calibrated and traceable to a standard somewhere in England. Depending on your preference, a 140F core means the steak will rest to perfection after it sits around for about ten minutes. I'll concede that it's not what you could produce off a char broiler, but it's pretty darn close.
Oh, and by the way, the vent above the stove is whatever came with the microwave. I'm sure it's a fire hazard, but it does keep the smoke in the kitchen down to an acceptable level.
Your description of the quantum teleportation is what is known as quantum entanglement. Yes, indeed, I have talked about it here a few times but not in reference to moving particles from here to there without going through the middle. That is exactly what happens in the measurement experiments I've discussed. What happens at a remote location to an entangled particle is recorded instantly at the measurement point. They never mentioned any losses or accuracy in what I read, but then they weren't teleporting anything.
Qbits are the data carriers in quantum computers. They are neither one nor zero, but everything in between. How in all hell they can get any meaningful information from that kind of data is beyond me, but the beauty of it is that no transitions of logic states are involved. All states exist simultaneously. You just got to pick out the right one, and cool the system down to near absolute zero if I recall correctly. LOL I think they are making breakthroughs with the temperature requirements, and people like Google and IBM are already using quantum computers in a limited way. It will be some time before desktops come in that form. When it happens, however, you can say good-bye to all the known security software we presently use. Quantum computers will nullify their effectiveness.
Oh, and by the way, the vent above the stove is whatever came with the microwave. I'm sure it's a fire hazard, but it does keep the smoke in the kitchen down to an acceptable level.
Your description of the quantum teleportation is what is known as quantum entanglement. Yes, indeed, I have talked about it here a few times but not in reference to moving particles from here to there without going through the middle. That is exactly what happens in the measurement experiments I've discussed. What happens at a remote location to an entangled particle is recorded instantly at the measurement point. They never mentioned any losses or accuracy in what I read, but then they weren't teleporting anything.
Qbits are the data carriers in quantum computers. They are neither one nor zero, but everything in between. How in all hell they can get any meaningful information from that kind of data is beyond me, but the beauty of it is that no transitions of logic states are involved. All states exist simultaneously. You just got to pick out the right one, and cool the system down to near absolute zero if I recall correctly. LOL I think they are making breakthroughs with the temperature requirements, and people like Google and IBM are already using quantum computers in a limited way. It will be some time before desktops come in that form. When it happens, however, you can say good-bye to all the known security software we presently use. Quantum computers will nullify their effectiveness.
Re: Near Death Experience
True commercial char broilers are like 450 degrees 1 inch above the grill, but they usually keep the main area of the grill down to 350 degrees 1 inch above the grill. My Thermador could only reach 200 1 inch above the grill, but was like 300 on the grill. The Dacor on the other hand, reached 325 1 inch above the grill, and was 380 on the grill itself. So it worked most like a true commercial grill.
In a restaurant, we had the ductwork steam cleaned once a month like clockwork. But at home I only had a company come in and do it once a year, and they always said there was not much in there to worry about, since I used double grease trapping screens.
It was a good thing I enjoyed cooking back then, because it was not uncommon for us to be feeding 6 to 12 people on weekends. We always had 6 on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Oh, that's not counting, me, the frau, and our four kids, which is another 6 for dinner, hi hi.
We fed a lot of missionaries back then! Most folks only gave them like a chicken casserole or something, while we provided steak dinners, with baked potatoes, a large salad, baked beans, corn, green beans, so they had a choice of what they wanted.
Besides the steaks, we also had chicken, seared meatloaf slices, ham, etc. but not always on the same nights.
I bought nearly everything from restaurant food service supply houses. So I was paying less for a steak than most folks paid for chicken, and it was all portion sized as well.
Don't laugh, my very most favorite was known as flaked steak, cheap, fast to cook, and tasted great. Then for some reason they quit making them. Same goes for 75 count breaded shrimp to make shrimp-in-a-basket. I guess they now sell that size to people who eat boiled or raw shrimp? 100 count popcorn shrimp I don't really care for, so usually have to settle for 50 count.
It is interesting what is going on with the internet and with computers and all that quantum stuff, but it is way way way over my head. I enjoy watching the videos about the new upcoming stuff, even if I don't understand it. And at the other end of the spectrum, I enjoy videos on archaeology as well.
In a restaurant, we had the ductwork steam cleaned once a month like clockwork. But at home I only had a company come in and do it once a year, and they always said there was not much in there to worry about, since I used double grease trapping screens.
It was a good thing I enjoyed cooking back then, because it was not uncommon for us to be feeding 6 to 12 people on weekends. We always had 6 on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Oh, that's not counting, me, the frau, and our four kids, which is another 6 for dinner, hi hi.
We fed a lot of missionaries back then! Most folks only gave them like a chicken casserole or something, while we provided steak dinners, with baked potatoes, a large salad, baked beans, corn, green beans, so they had a choice of what they wanted.
Besides the steaks, we also had chicken, seared meatloaf slices, ham, etc. but not always on the same nights.
I bought nearly everything from restaurant food service supply houses. So I was paying less for a steak than most folks paid for chicken, and it was all portion sized as well.
Don't laugh, my very most favorite was known as flaked steak, cheap, fast to cook, and tasted great. Then for some reason they quit making them. Same goes for 75 count breaded shrimp to make shrimp-in-a-basket. I guess they now sell that size to people who eat boiled or raw shrimp? 100 count popcorn shrimp I don't really care for, so usually have to settle for 50 count.
It is interesting what is going on with the internet and with computers and all that quantum stuff, but it is way way way over my head. I enjoy watching the videos about the new upcoming stuff, even if I don't understand it. And at the other end of the spectrum, I enjoy videos on archaeology as well.
Re: Near Death Experience
My mom was a great cook. There were some specialties that she prepared for family gatherings which is how people came to know her cooking. She had no recipes and didn't write down anything. She just knew how to make stuff like her mom did. By the time mom passed away I was already cooking for a few years. It was at that time I was asked a few times to bring the dishes mom made to the party. I warned them that I knew very little about mom's techniques, but that didn't bother them. I was mom's son and must have some how intuitively inherited her cooking skills. All I can tell you is that after a few parties they stopped asking me to bring stuff. LOL
I can follow a recipe and watched enough cooking shows on TV to learn a few tricks and techniques that the recipes never taught. Apparently there can be a lot of science behind those recipes and I never learned much about that either. I mean, why the heck would it be necessary to serve a palate cleanser? How do you cook up flavonoids and what are they good for anyway? It can get complicated pretty quick, but all that theory isn't really necessary to make a good meal. Even if you do follow the science, everybody's taste buds are different. Some people will put katchup on their filet mignon no matter what. LOL
It helps to have the right tools for the job. I own a few gadgets and they come in handy, but there too not much of the flavor comes from the tools you use. Cooking is a lot like photography. You can have the world's best camera in your hands, but that doesn't mean you can take great pictures.
BTW: I just came back from shopping at Schnucks and they had Shaved Steaks on sale.
I can follow a recipe and watched enough cooking shows on TV to learn a few tricks and techniques that the recipes never taught. Apparently there can be a lot of science behind those recipes and I never learned much about that either. I mean, why the heck would it be necessary to serve a palate cleanser? How do you cook up flavonoids and what are they good for anyway? It can get complicated pretty quick, but all that theory isn't really necessary to make a good meal. Even if you do follow the science, everybody's taste buds are different. Some people will put katchup on their filet mignon no matter what. LOL
It helps to have the right tools for the job. I own a few gadgets and they come in handy, but there too not much of the flavor comes from the tools you use. Cooking is a lot like photography. You can have the world's best camera in your hands, but that doesn't mean you can take great pictures.
BTW: I just came back from shopping at Schnucks and they had Shaved Steaks on sale.
Re: Near Death Experience
My mom was also a good cook, but only passed on a couple of her recipes to us. Most of what she cooked was from scratch so slightly different each time. There were two soups she made that were out of this world, and she did pass her recipe on to us, but conveniently left out something on each one. So we all got together a few years back and compared notes. After that, we all had her recipe back the way it should be, hi hi. The only things is, she didn't measure anything. It was a palm of this, a pinch of that, the blue scoop of this and the green scoop of that, hi hi. My sister got those scoops so we finally got those measurements.
Speaking of flavonoids: My mom had a way with onions that made things taste super. In her old age, she sometimes overdid the cooking times of the onions, so everything you ate for the next week tasted like onions. But while growing up, she knew exactly how long to caramelize each type of onion to get the taste she wanted, without it leaving the aftertaste that happens if you saute them too long. Plus another problem was many of the ingredients she used, were either no longer made, or not made in the same way, so she had to improvise in later years.
Take something like a simple deviled egg. Her original recipe only called for two ingredients. The main ingredient has been watered down over the years so that in the end, she had to even doctor that back up with extra pickles and other things. Or in other words, the Sandwich Spread of today, is nothing like it was 50 years ago.
FWIW: Commercial cooking is a whole lot easier than home cooking for several reasons. The equipment is only one of them.
Knowing how long to cook something for the desired done-ness is down to a science, and why commercial foods are packaged in portion controlled sizes and/or uniform thicknesses. So I was a great cook mainly because I had semi-commercial cookware and bought portion packed products from a food service company or two.
Then there are a couple of other tricks too, like buying the same packaged product from two different companies and blending them to have a different but better taste.
One thing that has carried on over the years is we always mix two cans of kernel corn with one can of creme style corn, plus 1/8th teaspoon of white pepper, and 1/4 stick of butter. People always raved over our bowl of corn, hi hi.
I'm not sure, but I don't think shaved steak is the same as flaked steak. No stores have it down here in the south. In fact they don't have a lot of things Schnucks and Dierbergs carried, that I miss.
Speaking of flavonoids: My mom had a way with onions that made things taste super. In her old age, she sometimes overdid the cooking times of the onions, so everything you ate for the next week tasted like onions. But while growing up, she knew exactly how long to caramelize each type of onion to get the taste she wanted, without it leaving the aftertaste that happens if you saute them too long. Plus another problem was many of the ingredients she used, were either no longer made, or not made in the same way, so she had to improvise in later years.
Take something like a simple deviled egg. Her original recipe only called for two ingredients. The main ingredient has been watered down over the years so that in the end, she had to even doctor that back up with extra pickles and other things. Or in other words, the Sandwich Spread of today, is nothing like it was 50 years ago.
FWIW: Commercial cooking is a whole lot easier than home cooking for several reasons. The equipment is only one of them.
Knowing how long to cook something for the desired done-ness is down to a science, and why commercial foods are packaged in portion controlled sizes and/or uniform thicknesses. So I was a great cook mainly because I had semi-commercial cookware and bought portion packed products from a food service company or two.
Then there are a couple of other tricks too, like buying the same packaged product from two different companies and blending them to have a different but better taste.
One thing that has carried on over the years is we always mix two cans of kernel corn with one can of creme style corn, plus 1/8th teaspoon of white pepper, and 1/4 stick of butter. People always raved over our bowl of corn, hi hi.
I'm not sure, but I don't think shaved steak is the same as flaked steak. No stores have it down here in the south. In fact they don't have a lot of things Schnucks and Dierbergs carried, that I miss.
Re: Near Death Experience
It's all about location, location, location. The two major grocers here in O'Fallon are in fact Schnucks and Dierbergs. Dierbergs initially impressed me as higher quality, but then there are things at Schnucks that Dierbergs seldom, if ever, stocks. I'm thinking star fruit at the moment. That fruit was a staple up north in my favorite markets, but was a rare find down here. Dierbergs would have a few once a year and I'd gobble them all up if I were the first person to see them. Did the same a Schnucks, but those people recognized how quickly they sold and reordered. A time or two the till tarts asked me what they taste like and I was pretty enthusiastic about describing how to eat them. Now and days star fruit is on the produce shelves at Schnucks almost as often as, say, apples. Dierbergs still hasn't figured it out.
Star fruit is one exotic food I can get down here but there are other things that don't exist in O'Fallon as they did back home; certain brands and types of canned Italian tomatoes can't be found here but were plentiful around Chicago. I guess all that has to do with the class of people. I can't say the population here is higher or lower class than what I was used to, but it certainly has different tastes and preferences.
I can understand why commercial cooking would be easier. It also must be more boring. LOL I love to make rouladens of beef. The key to success is the thinness of the meat, and sirloin will produce a different flavor than round. I can find thin cut "breakfast" steaks, which I have yet to figure out which part of the hindquarter it comes from, but it doesn't taste too bad. Thin cut, however, can be anywhere from 1/8th inch to 1/2 inch depending on what mood the meat cutter was in on a given day. The length of the steak varies widely, and again I think it's just a matter of what is left over in the meat locker. Thus, the basic ingredient for my rouladens varies widely. I have asked my local butcher to cut me some to my specs, but he would only do it on a day he received fresh meat and have to charge me twice the price for the custom cut. Unbelievable! Those kind of variations are not too difficult to deal with when making peasant food, but it can be a challenge.
Onions are interesting and I have yet to figure out exactly which type goes with which foods. I have settled on yellow onion for a compliment to the steaks I sear. However, I also add some bourbon (or Jack Daniels since it was on sale last time) to the mix and that sort of overcomes whatever onion taste is intrinsic to the vegetable I'm using. LOL I feast on it but my wife won't touch the onions.
Star fruit is one exotic food I can get down here but there are other things that don't exist in O'Fallon as they did back home; certain brands and types of canned Italian tomatoes can't be found here but were plentiful around Chicago. I guess all that has to do with the class of people. I can't say the population here is higher or lower class than what I was used to, but it certainly has different tastes and preferences.
I can understand why commercial cooking would be easier. It also must be more boring. LOL I love to make rouladens of beef. The key to success is the thinness of the meat, and sirloin will produce a different flavor than round. I can find thin cut "breakfast" steaks, which I have yet to figure out which part of the hindquarter it comes from, but it doesn't taste too bad. Thin cut, however, can be anywhere from 1/8th inch to 1/2 inch depending on what mood the meat cutter was in on a given day. The length of the steak varies widely, and again I think it's just a matter of what is left over in the meat locker. Thus, the basic ingredient for my rouladens varies widely. I have asked my local butcher to cut me some to my specs, but he would only do it on a day he received fresh meat and have to charge me twice the price for the custom cut. Unbelievable! Those kind of variations are not too difficult to deal with when making peasant food, but it can be a challenge.
Onions are interesting and I have yet to figure out exactly which type goes with which foods. I have settled on yellow onion for a compliment to the steaks I sear. However, I also add some bourbon (or Jack Daniels since it was on sale last time) to the mix and that sort of overcomes whatever onion taste is intrinsic to the vegetable I'm using. LOL I feast on it but my wife won't touch the onions.
Re: Near Death Experience
Interesting! I found Dierbergs to usually have the things Schnucks rarely had in stock.
I used to shop at Schnucks until I move to Creve Coeur, and although we had both Schnucks and Dierbergs, we found Dierbergs to be better stocked at the things we bought most often. Although Schnucks used to be cheaper than Dierbergs on price, the closest Dierbergs to us was always cheaper than Schnucks. but not if you drove a couple miles down the road the other way, then Dierbergs was higher than Schnucks, and didn't have some of what we bought when Schnucks did.
Although I hate green asparagus, I LOVE white asparagus, and only Dierbergs stocked the tall glass jars of the brand I liked best, and for about 1/3rd the price of what anyone else sold white asparagus for.
I forget the reason now why my wife and I were invited over to someones home for a dinner party.
But the host wanted to make sure I was well pleased with my dinner, so apparently talked to my mom about what I like.
I assume she didn't listen close enough, because my mom told them one of my favorite things was white asparagus.
Apparently she missed the word white, hi hi. The host had went out of her way to buy asparagus to serve with dinner.
She also noticed I didn't touch it, and was not afraid to ask why I didn't try the asparagus.
I told her I don't like green asparagus, never have and never will. She said your mom said you loved asparagus, to you it was a special treat. So I said, sorry my mom said that, I do love white asparagus, but not green, they don't taste anything alike.
I guess the lady remembered, and I was a little embarrassed over the incident, so almost turned down a second invite years later. Glad I didn't though, because this time she had white asparagus as one of the dinner items. I think she ate about as much as I did too. Turns out she didn't like asparagus either, but loved the white asparagus. After dinner she told me she was glad she tried it.
I only used Eye of Round to make a roast with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, etc.
As far as steaks go, despite all the kinds out there, I still prefer sirloin, cut across the grain.
And ribs, the only BBQ ribs I truly like are named Spare Ribs, I don't like Baby Back near as much.
Back home, everyone carried Spare Ribs, but down south here, Baby Back are the big thing.
We only have one restaurant down here that I know of that has Spare Ribs, and they are expensive.
When I make a roast, I don't brown the onions first like my mom did. Instead, I place a heavy layer of onions flakes on the bottom of the roasting pan, then the meat, then the onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, etc.
By them being on the bottom of the roasting pan first, a few of them get caramelized just enough to give the flavor I want without overdoing it. To me a roast is not a roast without a 50 pound sack of onions in it. Just kidding on the 50 pounds, hi hi. But for me, you can never have enough whole onions to eat.
I'm crazy enough, I will sometimes bake just onions in beef gravy so I can have onions without all the rest of the vegies.
I used to shop at Schnucks until I move to Creve Coeur, and although we had both Schnucks and Dierbergs, we found Dierbergs to be better stocked at the things we bought most often. Although Schnucks used to be cheaper than Dierbergs on price, the closest Dierbergs to us was always cheaper than Schnucks. but not if you drove a couple miles down the road the other way, then Dierbergs was higher than Schnucks, and didn't have some of what we bought when Schnucks did.
Although I hate green asparagus, I LOVE white asparagus, and only Dierbergs stocked the tall glass jars of the brand I liked best, and for about 1/3rd the price of what anyone else sold white asparagus for.
I forget the reason now why my wife and I were invited over to someones home for a dinner party.
But the host wanted to make sure I was well pleased with my dinner, so apparently talked to my mom about what I like.
I assume she didn't listen close enough, because my mom told them one of my favorite things was white asparagus.
Apparently she missed the word white, hi hi. The host had went out of her way to buy asparagus to serve with dinner.
She also noticed I didn't touch it, and was not afraid to ask why I didn't try the asparagus.
I told her I don't like green asparagus, never have and never will. She said your mom said you loved asparagus, to you it was a special treat. So I said, sorry my mom said that, I do love white asparagus, but not green, they don't taste anything alike.
I guess the lady remembered, and I was a little embarrassed over the incident, so almost turned down a second invite years later. Glad I didn't though, because this time she had white asparagus as one of the dinner items. I think she ate about as much as I did too. Turns out she didn't like asparagus either, but loved the white asparagus. After dinner she told me she was glad she tried it.
I only used Eye of Round to make a roast with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, etc.
As far as steaks go, despite all the kinds out there, I still prefer sirloin, cut across the grain.
And ribs, the only BBQ ribs I truly like are named Spare Ribs, I don't like Baby Back near as much.
Back home, everyone carried Spare Ribs, but down south here, Baby Back are the big thing.
We only have one restaurant down here that I know of that has Spare Ribs, and they are expensive.
When I make a roast, I don't brown the onions first like my mom did. Instead, I place a heavy layer of onions flakes on the bottom of the roasting pan, then the meat, then the onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, etc.
By them being on the bottom of the roasting pan first, a few of them get caramelized just enough to give the flavor I want without overdoing it. To me a roast is not a roast without a 50 pound sack of onions in it. Just kidding on the 50 pounds, hi hi. But for me, you can never have enough whole onions to eat.
I'm crazy enough, I will sometimes bake just onions in beef gravy so I can have onions without all the rest of the vegies.
Re: Near Death Experience
I'm not a big fan of asparagus, but I do know white and green do not taste the same. I've seen the (pickled?) white in a jar but also have seen them in bulk next to the green asparagus at the produce counter. I don't recall seeing any white asparagus down here, but I have made the green from time to time. Wife loves it.
I think Deirbergs is slightly more upscale than Schnucks, but not in every respect. I can get veal and lamb at one Dierbergs store in town, but never at Schnucks. Interestingly enough, Delmonico steak is not available at Dierbergs, but can be found occasionally at Schnucks. The butcher shop I favor never has it because they say rib eye is the same, and they do sell rib eye. And therein is the problem I have with shopping in O'Fallon. No one store has it all. The same is mostly true up north, but there were a couple stores at which I could get everything ethnic I wanted. Then, too, there were many more stores to choose from back home and about 10 million more people. LOL
It's baby back ribs as the favorite in this household. Spare ribs are in abundance as are what they call St Louis cut ribs. The spare and STL ribs lack the quality of meat that the back ribs have. I realize that many people like spare ribs just because it's a finger food and them there bones are heaven to chew on. Believe it or not I use a knife and fork to eat the back ribs.
Onions can be made as a side dish. I've seen recipes for Vidalia onions hollowed out, stuffed, and baked. It looked awesome but I'd be the only one eating them, and it doesn't pay to make just one. Braised beef is one of my favorite peasant foods but it usually happens with short ribs or chuck roast in a cabernet sauvignon broth. I've made them in the oven and in the slow cooker, and I'm not sure which is better. I have used eye of round in a tomato based stew along with those other mirepoix ingredients. It's kind of a waste of good meat, but I also like to use it for Hungarian Goulash. Normally I get lean stew meat for the goulash, but once in a while the eye of round is all I have on hand. My wife is a huge fan of sirloin steak. I don't get it all that often mostly because I've not found a good way to prepare it. Am open to suggestions here.
I think Deirbergs is slightly more upscale than Schnucks, but not in every respect. I can get veal and lamb at one Dierbergs store in town, but never at Schnucks. Interestingly enough, Delmonico steak is not available at Dierbergs, but can be found occasionally at Schnucks. The butcher shop I favor never has it because they say rib eye is the same, and they do sell rib eye. And therein is the problem I have with shopping in O'Fallon. No one store has it all. The same is mostly true up north, but there were a couple stores at which I could get everything ethnic I wanted. Then, too, there were many more stores to choose from back home and about 10 million more people. LOL
It's baby back ribs as the favorite in this household. Spare ribs are in abundance as are what they call St Louis cut ribs. The spare and STL ribs lack the quality of meat that the back ribs have. I realize that many people like spare ribs just because it's a finger food and them there bones are heaven to chew on. Believe it or not I use a knife and fork to eat the back ribs.
Onions can be made as a side dish. I've seen recipes for Vidalia onions hollowed out, stuffed, and baked. It looked awesome but I'd be the only one eating them, and it doesn't pay to make just one. Braised beef is one of my favorite peasant foods but it usually happens with short ribs or chuck roast in a cabernet sauvignon broth. I've made them in the oven and in the slow cooker, and I'm not sure which is better. I have used eye of round in a tomato based stew along with those other mirepoix ingredients. It's kind of a waste of good meat, but I also like to use it for Hungarian Goulash. Normally I get lean stew meat for the goulash, but once in a while the eye of round is all I have on hand. My wife is a huge fan of sirloin steak. I don't get it all that often mostly because I've not found a good way to prepare it. Am open to suggestions here.
Re: Near Death Experience
I'll have to get back to this one in about an hour.