Artificial Intelligence, Speech Habits, The Photo Ark,

Elon Musk, a man for whom I have enormous respect, is warning us all about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence saying it'sthe biggest risk we face as a civilization. Although novels, Isaac Asimov issued similar warnings with his stories. Look at 2001 with the AI there. Just because they are fiction does not mean it couldn't happen. Through AI people would lose jobs and in the end it would be the AIs which make critical decisions for the human race. If any were left that is. If Elon Musk thinks we are running into problems, the world should listen.

As I told you, last night we went for supper at the Red Lobster. One of the waitresses was chatting to a couple behind me and her conversation was littered with the word 'like" There are so many people who cannot talk without constantly using that word. For others it is the constant use of "you know". Why oh why doesn't someone tell them about what they are doing? It is dreadful to listen to, particularly when it happens on the media.

Creatures of the Photo Ark - photographer Joel Satore: this was a programme we watched on PBS on Tuesday night. Joel Sartore travels the world photographing rare animals which are on the brink of extinction and the collection is retained at his local zoo. This particular programme was a visit to Florida Keys and Madagascar. in Florida he particularly 'visited' the key deer which are a rare animal and only live in the Keys. 120 of them are killed on the roads every year. In Madagascar he photographed the most amazing chameleons some quite tiny and one as small as his thumbnail. Also lots of different lemurs.

It always annoys me when recipes call shrimp scampi. Scampi is a different type of shellfish albeit very similar but tasting different.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

Best shrimp on the grill I have ever made! I served with lemon spaghetti and had grilled asparagus on the side. The intense garlic flavor really complimented the lemony flavor of the pasta

1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced garlic
ground black pepper
1/4 tsp  crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs shrimp

1. In a medium, non-reactive bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, black pepper and crushed red pepper.

2. Set aside.

3. Thread thawed shrimp onto skewers and cover with marinade for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat grill for high heat.

5. Grill, brushing occasionally with extra marinade, for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until done.

Servings: 4

Author: Chippie1
Source: Food



Have a great day

Balcony Construction, Debate, Colonising Mars.

Hurrah, we lost the beeping crane today. It has moved round the front of  the building so for a few months we will have some peace and quiet. There is still one crane, but it doesn't make that dreadful noise. (Just discovered they are not cranes, they are boom lifts) Of course, when they finally get round to doing our balconies, sometime next year? we will have to put up with it again. For the first time since we came here 16 years ago, I regret that we don't have blind instead of sheers. We will be having guys working on our balcony who will be able to see into our apartment. Oh well, we will just have to be careful, or I will I guess. Don't want to frighten them right off the balcony.

Talking of our apartment, we had a rent increase yesterday, effective January 1. I immediately

emailed the office about the really threadbare carpet in one of the bedrooms. I submitted a request to get it replaced about a month ago or a bit more, and had no response. Couldn't do much before as we had a treadmill in there as well as a bed so would have been difficult moving stuff out of the way. We keep speculating on just how much this construction work is going to cost the owner in the end. I'm glad I don't have to foot the bill although I guess we are helping, indirectly.

I see Donald Trump is complaining about his microphone after the debate and wondering if it was screwed up deliberately. Trusting guy Mr. Trump. Hilary looks relieved though.

I also heard today that Elon Musk is scheduling to begin the colonisation of Mars in 2024. Incredible man. He just might do it. Not only that, I might still be around to see it happen.

It is coming in to soup weather. In fact round here I found it pretty chilly the last couple of days. So here is a nice warming dish.

Black Bean Soup

This is a zippy Southwestern-flavored black bean soup. We make it with canned beans so it comes

together in minutes. If you have leftovers, pack them up in individual serving containers for lunch the next day.

1 Tbs canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
3 cups water
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs lime juice
4 Tbs reduced-fat sour cream, optional
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro, optional

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add beans, water, salsa and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.

2. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Stir the puree back into the saucepan. Serve garnished with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

Servings: 4

Source: WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Have a great day

Elon Musk, The Future, The Past,

 Monday morning I watched a long interview with Elon Musk of whom I had never heard until Stephen Tremp wrote about him. I suppose I actually must have heard about him somewhere before; he started Paypal which I use; I wrote about SpaceX and their space station delivery ship Dragon, and yet I don’t recall ever hearing his name before. Not only is he a very clever young man, he is also a very good looking young man and doesn’t look a bit like one pictures a guy who is, I guess, a nerd. He is very amusing and doesn’t mind laughing at himself. He also has

one heck of a lot of irons in the fire. He starts things which people say won’t make money, he doesn’t think they will either, and guess what, they make money. Another thing I had never heard of was the Tesla Car Company with which he is very involved (he’s the CEO). I even had to Google to see what Tesla cars looked like, this is the Tesla S quite snazzy although they are currently not in the price reach of the average Joe being in the $70,000 range. Elon Musk thinks that they will be in the $30,000 range in about 3 years (still out of my price range, however). Stephen Tremp pointed out how the private sector, in particular Elon Musk, are leading the way.

Alex J. Cavenaugh  mentioned Mayan Temples on his blog yesterday and I started looking up information about them and discovered, to my horror that in Belize they have knocked down a 2,000 yr. old pyramid known as Nohmul. A fine of $5,000 is being levied which seems like a bit of a joke. Nobody is really saying who was responsible for the action although one person has accepted ultimate responsibility. From the article and subsequent picture research, I can’t figure out what the actual temple looked like before the bulldozing, There are lot of pix but I was unable to positively identify one as being Nomul. What remains sure doesn't look like any Mayan temple any more. What a tragedy.

Here is another recipe posted by The Guardian, an English newspaper. Transation may be needed, Spring onions are the same as green onions in North America. Prawns are not generally available here either so one would use shrimp, as for the Korean red chili pepper paste, if you can't find it, there are bound to be plenty of similar items you could substitute.

Spring onion-tied prawn and asparagus

Ganghwe is a general Korean term that refers to a dish of small rolls that have been made by tying Nakji (octopus) and ojingeo (squid) ganghwe are common variations. These saewu ganghwe use prawn and asparagus
ingredients with a thin spring onion. They are prepared in bite‑size pieces and served with a dipping sauce.

Serves 3-4

16 medium prawns, peeled, tail on, and deveined
8 thin asparagus spears
16 thin spring onions
For the sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilli pepper paste)
½ tbsp sugar
¼ tsp minced garlic (optional)

1 Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.
2 Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the prawns and cook for about a minute. Quickly drain and leave in cold water to stop them cooking. Drain and cut small slits on the inner curve of the curled-up prawns to make it easier to wrap.
3 Remove the tough ends from the asparagus and cut into 5cm lengths. Blanch the pieces in salted boiling water until they have softened, which takes about a minute. Remove with a strainer, shock in cold water and drain.
4 Use tongs to dip the white parts of the spring onions in the same pot of boiling water and hold for about 30 seconds before completely submerging the whole bunch for another 20 seconds. Drain and shock in cold water. Pat the spring onions dry with kitchen paper, gently pressing to remove excess water.
5 To assemble, hold a prawn and an asparagus piece together along with the white end of a spring onion. Tie them by wrapping the other end of the spring onion around the prawn and asparagus several times.
6 Use a toothpick to tuck the end of the spring onion into the roll. Mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly and serve alongside the ganghwe.

Have a great day