Half Century!

This is my 50th post .Started blogging this year. Hoping to stay in blogosphere for many more years......

Gud Bye 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vocally Controlled Mouse

Vocally controlled mouse development is going on in University of Washington. Though it is specially designed for disabled people, i strongly feel that it will change the way we use i/p devices today. For more clarity check out my earlier posts on Mouse's future and Speech Recognition software...........

http://techiecookiefreaky.blogspot.com/2008/12/logitechs-billionth-mouse.html

http://techiecookiefreaky.blogspot.com/2008/08/speech-recognition-sw.html

Thornton's Classic Collection

According to me the No:1 ranking for UK chocolates goes Thorntons.
Every flavour is delecious and unique in its own way.

Adobe's Linux Version of AIR

Adobe announced the availability of AIR 1.5 software for Linux operating systems which enables Web developers to use JavaScript,HTML, ActionScript and Flex framework to deliver applications. It supports Fedora 8,OpenSUSE 10.3 and Ubuntu 7.10

Merry Christmas!

Wishing u & all ur loved ones a joyful X-mas!

OFCOM - ISP List

List of UK Service Providers who signed for OFCOM can be found in the URL below

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/copbb/list/

Channa Masala (Punjabi Style)

Channa/ChickPeas has a high fiber content with rich source of Carbohydrates and Protein. Channa masala goes well with Batura/Poori/Chappathi/Dosa/Rice. Kabuli channa should be used for this recipe.There r many ways to make it but Punjabi style rocks!

Ingredients

Chick peas - 250 gms
Onion - 2 medium
Tomatoes - 3
Green Chillies - 4
Chopped fresh Coriander - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsps
Aum Chur(Dried mango) powder - 1 tsp
Pomegranate powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsps
Cinnamon - 2 pieces
Bay leaf - 1
Cloves - 3
Ginger - 10 gms
Garlic - 6 cloves
Oil -1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsps

Pre - Requisites

* Soak Channa dhal overnight and pressure cook it with 2 cups of water for 2o mins
* Grind ginger & garlic and make a paste out of it
* Finely Chop onion,tomatoes and green chillies

Cooking Method

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds,once it splutters add bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves to it.Fry chopped onion till it turns golden brown,now add chopped green chillies,tomatoes and ginger garlic paste and fry for 15 mins in a low flame.Finally add all the other ingredients and channa dhal along with the water used for boiling the same and keep stirring for 15 mins.Channa masala is ready to serve!

Net Speedometer

Did u visualise Speedometer device which measures speed of a moving vehicle? I'm talking abt broadband speed rules coming into force in the UK.

For companies offering Broadband, OFCOM has defined a new speed code. Itz called 'Voluntary Code of Practice' & helps customers know their broadband speed. Major Service Providers in the UK already signed up for the Speed Code of Practice this month. Over the next 6 months Ofcom will monitor service providers and check their standards. Check if ur ISP has signed for this & enjoy the speed u deserve!!!!!!!!

BeetRoot Halwa

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 250 gms
Sugar - 400 gms
Milk - 1 pint
Cardamom - 6
Cashews - 10
Ghee - 1 tsp

Cooking Method:

Grate the beetroots and keep it aside.Use only fresh beetroots as it is easy for grating. Do not use cooked beetroots. Heat 1 tsp of Ghee in a Sauce Pan and fry the Cashews for a min. Add 1 pint of milk and boil it for 12 mins. Now add the grated beetroot and boil it in milk for 15 mins. Finally add sugar and keep stirring till u get the thick halwa consistency(this process takes about half an hr). Garnish with cardamom. Ghee is used in minimal amt to roast the cashews, weight watchers need not worry. Itz highly nutritious. The total cooking time for this recipe is an hr but the output is too gud.

My favourite combo is Beetroot halwa with Vanilla icecream (Weight watchers stay away)

Karthigai Deepam Celebration

Festival of Lights!

Wish u all a Happy Kaarthigai Deepam!

Though itz freezing cold in the UK, am in a celebration mood.Planning to draw rangoli and light diyas. Earthen lamps to be replaced by Candles this yr. Will share the celebration snaps soon.....

Shallots

Shallots has a very good medicinal value is used for treating common cold.

Logitech's Billionth Mouse

Dr. Douglas C. Englebart invented the computer mouse on 9th Dec, 1968. Mouse has made a long journey for the past 40 years. With the rapid changes in the Electronics industry & never ending series of innovation, surviving for forty years without much changes in functionality is a gr8 achievement!

Though Logitech's Billionth Mouse stands as a proof for the customer base of the mouse, in reality the usage of mouse is coming down with wide use of laptops and other touch screen devices.

Open-source Office Software

Openoffice is an easy to use office software and a high quality alternative for Ms Office.I feel that more and more software like this should be made available for people to experiment and innovate .The features supported includes Writer which acts like a Word Processor,Calc with more spreadsheet functionality, Impress for preparing presentations, Draw which is a graphics editor and Math for Mathematical calculations.

http://www.openoffice.org

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is popularly known as 'Chicken 65' is South India. Why 65? The number 65 represents the age of the Chicken.There's a belief that the chicken tastes best when it becomes 65 days old.
Ingredients:
Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets - 4
Chilli Powder - 3 tsps
Corn Flour – 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Garlic - 4 cloves (Crushed)
Grated Ginger – 2 tsps
Curry Leaves – 2 strands(chopped)
Red Onion – 1/4 Finely Chopped (optional)
Yogurt – 2 tsps
Sunflower Oil – 100 ml
Lemon Juice – 2 tsps
Egg – 1
Salt - 11/2 tsp

Pre-Requisites:
· Mix the lemon juice and corn flour and make it like a smooth paste without lumps or clots.
· Separate the Egg white from the egg yolk and use only the egg white
· Cut the Chicken breast fillet into small chunks
· Mix all the ingredients including the corn flour paste, except the egg white and marinate it for 2 hours

Cooking Method: Heat the oil in a frying pan for about 10 minutes on a medium flame. While the oil is getting heated mix the egg white into the marinated chicken and mix it with a spatula. Once is the oil is heated up deep fry the marinated chicken until golden brown.