Use a quart slide-lock ziplock and chop/pour everything into that. I find it helps to sometimes roll the top of the bag down and place the bag into a large tupperware container. That way everything stays open-side up.

a small handful of garlic, roughly chopped
2-3″ nub of fresh ginger, finely grated
about 1 cup of soy sauce
about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
a little squirt of Sriracha sauce

Get as much air out of the bag as possible* before you seal it, shake it up, massage it, add your meat, massage it some more!

Marinate for 30 mins to overnight. Enjoy.

* My friend Buster taught me a neat trick for getting the air out of a marinade bag. Fill a bowl or sink with water, leaving the top of the bag partially unsealed so that air may escape. Submerge the bag as much as possible without letting any water in. When the air is all out and the bag is completely submerged, make a complete seal. Remove the bag from the water, towel it of and leave it to marinate.

From Ezra Moore.

A while back, I ate at a restaurant that served cornbread croutons on a club salad. They were delicious, but I never thought to make them on my own. Flash forward to a few nights ago, and I have eighty percent of my cornbread leftover and I’m craving a big salad.

I’ve made this salad in the past, and gave it the moniker of ‘Southwest Salad,’ but with the addition of these croutons I have upgraded its title to ‘Super Southwest Salad.’

Without further ado:

Super Southwest Salad
Manifest

The Salad
lettuce (your favorite type, I like to keep it simple with Romaine)
corn (I used can as fresh is not currently available)
cheddar cheese, shredded
fresh salsa (we had garlic-lime)
toasted tortillas, crumbled

The Meat
marinaded Tri-tip or flank steak, grilled to medium temp (I use my favorite marinade)

The Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp cumin
a generous 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 to 1 Chipotle pepper (from a can, in adobo) one was a little on the spicy side for those sensitive to heat
juice of one lime
pinch of sea salt

The Croutons
yesterday’s cornbread (if you make this from a box, don’t tell me. I won’t be able to forgive you)
olive oil
Italian seasoning
sea salt
coarse black pepper

Assembly

Combine all ingredients for dressing in a blender or food processor, pulse until smooth and creamy. My ratio of mayo to buttermilk will yield a medium consistency (not too thick, not too thin). Set aside.

Grill meat to desired temperature, set aside and allow to sit before you slice it thin across the grain, so that it retains its moisture.

Cut the cornbread into cubes of your desired size. I recommend 1″ cubes, as you will lose a little to crumble-age. Combine cubed cornbread and other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat cornbread. Spread croutons evenly on baking sheet (or on a rack on a baking skeet) and put them in the oven at 400 degrees until they are crispy and beginning to brown. Remove, set aside.

Begin salad assembly, I like to lay down my lettuce, then crumbled tortilla pieces, corn, salsa, cheddar cheese, and finally the meat. At this point I would add dressing, then croutons!

If you haven’t already given up, because really, a salad shouldn’t be this involved, you may now consume.

Delicious!

From Ezra Moore.

From Ezra Moore.

With the rise of lightweight, easy to administrate, CMS systems like WordPress, Joomla, etc. Google’s Safe Browsing program is great. The inner workings of these CMS are still pretty complicated, from the perspective of the average user. They are usually made up of (at least) a SQL database and some PHP, which most site owners know little about. With the advent (and proliferation) of installers like Fantastico, which will install common services in a users account on their webserver, the knowledge barriers to CMS entry are getting even lower. These reasonably complex systems are being managed by people who don’t know too much about what makes them run.

Security vulnerabilities in these systems are discovered with regularity, and are patched by subsequent updates. Adding to the difficulty of securing these systems are their ability to run plugins, and custom themes that open other vectors for attack. Recently, I reached out to an organization whose website had been compromised. The organization’s event (the Alcan 5000 rally) starts tomorrow (February 23rd), and they didn’t have time to resolve their malware difficulties. Their website contains entry forms, and other technical information, also public interest is never higher than when the event is actually taking place, so this is a pretty critical time for the website to be up and functional. Also, I would love the do the Alcan 5000, so I had a personal interest. For these reasons, my company, Plain English Technology Services, reached out to help them.

Their website (and event) administrator had already taken a few good steps to resolve the problem, deleting the PHP and javascript of an old WordPress installation (which was way out of date, a big WordPress no-no), changing the FTP password, and switching away from cleartext FTP settings. He also discovered and removed a rogue .htaccess file that was redirecting users to a PHP file on Russian domain. Bad news. It was at this point that I came in. My first order of business was to scan the files for scripts of any type that could allow a backdoor into the hosting account. This is a particularly tedious exercise, as malware purveyors are great at hiding this stuff. They often use tricks like encoding the script before inserting it, inserting it after hundreds of blank lines (and many indents), etc. Very frustrating. Luckily, the Alcan 5000 website is mostly static HTML, and thus it is easier to identify problem scripts.

After removing all of the remnants of the malware I was still seeing a malware at various URLs (even some that didn’t exist) when I ran a Sucuri scan (their free scan is a service I cannot recommend highly enough), so I opened up Res Swain’s HTTP View tool. This tool allows you to send an HTTP GET request and see the raw HTTP header returned. It also has options to specify a referring URL, user agent, etc. for your request. This revealed to me a conditional 301 redirect any time I had the referrer set to http://www.google.com (or any of their domains, really). Without Google’s referral, the HTTP header contained no redirect. There was no .htaccess file left in the HTML root that could have instigated this redirect, and I was stumped. For a minute.

GoDaddy (not a favorable choice for anything, if you ask me) just happened to be hosting this website, and GoDaddy doesn’t allow you to view anything in your account above the HTML root. Theoretically, it is possible to have an .htaccess file above the HTML root, and that is exactly what happened here. The folks behind the malware somehow managed to place a compromised .htaccess file above the HTML root, somewhere I couldn’t get to. In reading online, a member of BadwareBusters.org named RedLeg notes this apparently flaw in GoDaddy’s security.

After taking a few deep breaths in preparation for having to call GoDaddy, I dialed the fateful numbers. The first GoDaddy rep I spoke to took their typical route, “the problem is in your computer/browser, I’m not seeing any Google warning over here.” Yeah buddy, thats because you’re using Internet Explorer and not getting the www.google.com referral. I patiently explained to him the conditional redirect I was getting, etc. Nothing. He was sure the problem was on my side, and that there is no higher level in the filesystem than the HTML root. He was dead wrong on both counts.

At this point I could rightly have been quite frustrated, but I had prepared myself to make more than one call to GoDaddy. I’ve dealt with them before. The second time around, representative two was a lot more helpful. She tried to pull the same tricks as rep one, but would at least hear what I had to say about the conditional redirect, and was willing (and able) to pull up the page in Firefox, which took advantage of Google SafeBrowsing. She had to get “an admin” on the phone, but eventually she did find the rogue .htaccess file and remove it. Her admin confirmed that this was a growing problem with GoDaddy hosting.

After GoDaddy removed that .htaccess file the site scanned cleaned, and after a request to Google for them to rescan the page, the malware warning to users disappeared. The moral of this story is not to put complete faith in your hosting representative when you get them on the phone. Don’t be afraid to call back and get a different rep that is willing to actually listen to you. Especially if you have to deal with GoDaddy.

For interested parties, I offer generous hosting for about $7.50 a month, and as any of my customers will report, I am almost always available to help you solve any problems immediately.

Thanks for reading!

From Ezra Moore.

I have to commend Optoma. Despite their somewhat snippy customer service rep, I am really impressed. I called them four days ago (Monday) after they had closed for the day (why answer the phone if you’re closed?) and ordered a replacement color wheel for my HD70, a projector they haven’t made for about four years. Not only did they have it in stock, and for a reasonable price, but they told me it would be 8 days to arrive and it arrived in less than four. Color me impressed.

After I opened the projector up, pulled all the glass shards out, blew the dust out of it, and installed the new wheel I buttoned it back up, sure enough it fired right up. The only note I can really give to others who attempt this is not to forget to unscrew your color wheel sensor (an optical sensor) from your original color wheel and attached it to the new one before installing it. If you have ever noticed “a dirty color wheel,” manifested by your screen flashing odd colors (usually green), you are actually dealing with dust interrupting the view of this sensor.

I have never been happier that I purchased an Optoma projector, and I won’t hesitate to buy another (when funds permit I’d like to get the HD80 or HD33). When this projector was new the retail price was around $1299, and it was widely thought of as a bargain for a best-in-class unit. I got mine all beat up and not working on eBay for $200. I added a lamp ($245 at the time) and did some cleaning and sealing of ducting and had a working projector. Thanks to Optoma for building us a durable workhorse  that we can repair ourselves!

From Ezra Moore.

X-Linked Hemophilia

• Gene is located on the X-chromosome, thus males and females are affected differently.
• Females = XX
• Males = XY
• Hemophiliac Male (XhY) – only 1 X-Chromesome with recessive gene causes disorder.
• Hemophiliac Female (XhXh) – both X’s must carry the recessive gene.
• A male hemophiliac cannot pass the gene to his son, only his daughter as he only passes on the Y to his sons.

Polygenetic Inheritance

• Two or more genes contribute to the phenotypic expression of a single characteristic
• These traits show gradations, there is a series of measurable intermediate forms between two extremes.
• Hair, eye and skin color are polygenetic traits.
• Traits can be influenced by your environment.
• Regulatory genes: can mask expression of some traits.
• Skin color is governed by at least 12 alleles.

Discontinuous Distribution of Mendelian Traits

• Shows discontinuous distribution of ABO blob type in a hypothetical population
• Described in terms of frequency.
• Continuous Expression of a Polygenetic Trait
• Represents the continuous expression of height in a large group of people.

Population Genetics

• Evolutionary forces bring about change in the gene pool of a population.
• Four evolutionary forces are recognized by scientists (mutation, natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift).

Evolutionary Forces

1. Mutation: a change in the DNA.
1. The source of genetic variation.
2. In humans, occurs at a rate of ~30 mutations per million sex cells formed.
2. Natural Selection: factors in the environment exert pressure favoring some individuals over others.
1. Acts on variation
3. Gene Flow: The exchange of genes between populations.
4. Genetic Drift: random changes in gene frequency from one generation to the next.
1. Related to smaller population size.
2. founder effect.

* Additional factors: female choice, unequal fertility, consanguineous mating, isolating mechanisms.

To read these notes in their original format (from the Evernote for Mac application) on the Evernote website click here.

From Ezra Moore.

There are a couple of high volume brushless DC (computer) fans inside there, so I knew it was possible that one had thrown a vane. Since the HD-70 is a DLP projector it uses a complex set of mirrors to reflect the image through a color wheel in order to get the correct colors displayed in the image. The color wheel in the HD70 is seven segments. I believe that it is ordered red, green blue, white, red, grean, blue. When I heard the noise I shut the projector down as quickly as I could, and the color shift that appeared along with the noise only lasted a split second. For this reason I think that my color wheel simply lost its white (or clear, if you prefer) segment. When I pick the projector up and move it around I can hear a piece of what sounds like glass moving around.

When I bought my projector it needed a new lamp and a thorough cleaning inside. I got a great deal on it, so that was no problem, and I ventured inside the box to get it all taken care of. I am completely comfortable opening the case and working on the internals. What concerned me was that no matter how hard I Googled I couldn’t find anyone selling a replacement color wheel. I even found the Optoma part number for it (70.85S22GR01, by the way), but even searching for that yielded few results. I have one hit from Alibaba, which has been an unreliable source for me in the past (and often requires that you order 10-100 of something you only need one of) and one for a website that I had never heard of that wanted $300 for the color wheel. If I was going to have to pay $300 I was planning to upgrade to a new 1080p projector (HD80/22/33, something along those lines). Sure, it would have cost a lot more, but this projector is outdated now, even though the image quality and reliability are both excellent.

My next resort was this thread (second page) on AVSForum, where someone had kindly posted a phone number and quote from Optoma. Sadly, that number didn’t work for me, disconnected. So as my last resort (before pinching pennies for a new/used machine) was to call Optoma. I’ve never had good luck getting companies to sell my internal non-user serviceable parts directly, nor have I had luck with ordering parts for out of warranty/support machines, but the projector gods were on my side today. Optoma sold me a new color wheel for $50 plus about $12 to ship it (FedEx Ground) to me. I tried just about every number on their contact us page, and finally got to a message that said ‘for out of warranty machines please call (888) 942-2929, and that is what I did. No lies, no weirdness (the lady wasn’t very nice, at all), and I got my part. Once it arrives I may post some instructions/pictures of the replacement process.

From Ezra Moore.

I ended up doing a ton of research before making this dish. I wanted a reasonably authentic taste (Safeway-brand taco seasoning? No thanks), and it is surprisingly hard to find authentic Mexican recipes. I synthesized about 5 recipes to get the ingredient list I have here.

Carne Asada (literally translated “roasted meat”) is a very popular dish in Northern Mexico (and in the Southwestern USA). Carne Asada is synonymous with a social BBQ here in the USA. Check out the Wikipedia entry for it here.

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (chopped, remove large stems)
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp. ground clove
4-8 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 bottle of dark beer
1 orange sliced latitudinally
1 lime quartered into wedges

3 lbs. skirt steak

Preparation

This one is pretty easy. Combine everything but the steak, orange, and lime slices above, in a bowl. Slice the steak thin (or if it is already less then about 1/2 thick, skip this step) and then put it into your marinade in your ziplock. As you can see in the photo, I sliced my larger steak (1.84 lbs) into strips about 1″ x 0.5″ strips. The thinner steak (0.37 lbs) was thin enough that it did not need to be sliced at all.

The steak the the marinade.

Grab your oranges squeeze them into the bag, then drop them in. Do the same with the limes. I am adding this section in from a wise comment posted by Buster. If you leave the top of your bag open and submerge it in water you will force the air out. This helps the marinade break down the enzymes in the meat, which improves flavor penetration and makes the meat more tender! Put the bag into your fridge and let it sit for between four and eight hours.

Everything in the bag marinating!

After marinating for several hours its time to fire up the grill. I got mine as hot as I possibly could and grilled the sliced pieces for about 5 minutes each. Your temps and times will vary, so keep a close eye on it as you cook. I left the larger steak on for about 5 minutes per side. Carne asada is typically served well done, even a little charred.

Carne asada fresh off the grill!

After I took the meat off the grill, I shredded some mozzarella sprinkled it over a couple of flour tortillas and threw them on the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese. After that it is as simple as applying meat and any other toppings you like (we had avocado and salsa verde) and consuming it.

All done! Excuse the messy range.

My Thoughts

This was amazing. Next time I would consider marinating it for the full eight hours, but regardless it turned out great. I will definitely be making this again. The only real change I would make is to prepare some sides (pica de gallo, and grilled onions, anyone?) to enhance the meal.

Have a good night!

From Ezra Moore.

The steak the the marinade.

Everything in the bag marinating!

I had better take a few more pictures tonight, or this preview may be the only view you get.

See you later!

From Ezra Moore.

Phanaeng Curry. Another food photo that is pretty terrible, but the dish is delicious!

I love the way a recipe can get passed a long, it leads to foods sweeping an entire region (sometimes an entire country) in the blink of an eye.

This recipe came to my by way of my little sister, Hannah.

Phanaeng curry originates from the Phanaeng Islands which are part of Malaysia.

I won’t be posting the recipe here, you’ll have to click the link above and visit Hannah’s blog to find it.

When Hannah passed the recipe on to me, she recommend Aroy D curry paste and canned coconut milk of the same brand.

My Thoughts:

This was a great dish, and my first attempt at making my own Thai food (which I love to eat). I think that I could clean up my methods, now that I know how to make it, and end up with something a little more refined. Overall I loved it, but I would warn that if you have a sensitivity to spicy food the Aroy D paste is a little bit on the spicy side. Make sure you prescribe a tall glass of milk! Thanks HANNAH!

From Ezra Moore.