Ooh, I really enjoyed researching for and writing this article. It's all about pesto.
Pesto 'traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil and nuts blended with olive oil and cheese' - thus spake Wikipedia. So far so good.
But did you know you can make pesto out of thousand different ingredients as well? That your pesto can have not a leaf of basil in it? That it can be chili spiced, or made with humble dandelion?
You may have. Then again, you may have not.
This article was written especially for those curious cooks who like experiments in their kitchen. It's full of ideas for alternative pesto ingredients to make your dish one of its kind.
Warning: whatever you do, don't go overboard with garlic. I did just that and thus turned my into something completely inedible.
Thursday 30 June 2011
Tuesday 28 June 2011
How not to lose inspiration when writing an article
Every writer fears it.
Those who do it for a living, as it may mean no income.
Those who are only beginning on their writer's path, as it can kill your confidence and make your path swerve in another direction whatsoever.
All other writers out there, because it's a powerful, yet invisible enemy that can make their work impossible.
The writer's block.
If you write, you know the times when words simply won't get together in the right way. When each sentence you write is accompanied by endless whispers of your inner critic, saying - Bad! No good at all! When your inspiration goes on long holidays and threatens never to come back at all, because it's nice and sunshiny out there and it prefers to hang around with others rather than being stuck in your grey existence. Sounds familiar?
I'd say so.
Every single writer (yes, even the aspiring ones) have his own set of tricks employed to overcome this nightmarish blank season. It all goes very much with personal preference, temperament and individual quirks.
I noticed, though, that there is a group of influences able to trigger a writer's block in almost everyone. This article tries to help you identify them and avoid them whenever possible. Funny, but it appears that often a very simple action can make the demon go away.
Are you willing to give it a try? Well, you have nothing to lose, and if you gain - you can buy me a coffee sometime :)
Those who do it for a living, as it may mean no income.
Those who are only beginning on their writer's path, as it can kill your confidence and make your path swerve in another direction whatsoever.
All other writers out there, because it's a powerful, yet invisible enemy that can make their work impossible.
The writer's block.
If you write, you know the times when words simply won't get together in the right way. When each sentence you write is accompanied by endless whispers of your inner critic, saying - Bad! No good at all! When your inspiration goes on long holidays and threatens never to come back at all, because it's nice and sunshiny out there and it prefers to hang around with others rather than being stuck in your grey existence. Sounds familiar?
I'd say so.
Every single writer (yes, even the aspiring ones) have his own set of tricks employed to overcome this nightmarish blank season. It all goes very much with personal preference, temperament and individual quirks.
I noticed, though, that there is a group of influences able to trigger a writer's block in almost everyone. This article tries to help you identify them and avoid them whenever possible. Funny, but it appears that often a very simple action can make the demon go away.
Are you willing to give it a try? Well, you have nothing to lose, and if you gain - you can buy me a coffee sometime :)
Monday 27 June 2011
Don't go to Cliffs of Moher
Oooohh, there's nothing like a good rant.
How angry I was when I was writing this article!! Straight back from a field trip with some guests from abroad and fuming.
You know, my Zen goes to pieces when I see an act of greed higher than Mount Everest. I hate being treated like an idiot. I'm fuming when I see people AGREEING to being treated like idiots. I'm always disappointed when people try to 'improve' on Mother Nature - usually with hopelessly inadequate results.
My recent trip to Cliffs of Moher gave me all of the above.
If you want to know more, follow this link.
How angry I was when I was writing this article!! Straight back from a field trip with some guests from abroad and fuming.
You know, my Zen goes to pieces when I see an act of greed higher than Mount Everest. I hate being treated like an idiot. I'm fuming when I see people AGREEING to being treated like idiots. I'm always disappointed when people try to 'improve' on Mother Nature - usually with hopelessly inadequate results.
My recent trip to Cliffs of Moher gave me all of the above.
If you want to know more, follow this link.
Sunday 26 June 2011
Window sill gardening
I've never been much of a green person, but this spring something had changed. Suddenly I wanted to grow something, and this desire quickly grew into this giant monster, nagging me from the inside and screaming: Grow! Grow!
Might have been the aftermath of various slow living blogs I tend to read from time to time, or maybe it was only the fresh spring air. Whichever is correct, I simply couldn't resist.
Now, it's not easy to move from a non-grower into a grower. Oh, getting seeds and pots is easy enough, the main obstacle is psychological. Let me give you a few examples of thoughts that thrashed around my head at this time:
- me, growing something? Nah, it will be dead before it even sprouts
- oh, and where do you want to grow it? Living in an apartment on the third floor?
- come on, you have no cash
- you know NOTHING about growing stuff. Right?
- growing stuff is not cool. My friends will laugh
Etc., etc.
Fast forward over four months, and here I am now, with a beatiful, green balcony garden for pennies and the absolutely satisfying ability to sneak there even in the middle of the night to pinch a few herb twigs for a salad or to simply smell flowers in the rain.
How did I manage to do that?
For a short answer - travel here.
For long - here.
Might have been the aftermath of various slow living blogs I tend to read from time to time, or maybe it was only the fresh spring air. Whichever is correct, I simply couldn't resist.
Now, it's not easy to move from a non-grower into a grower. Oh, getting seeds and pots is easy enough, the main obstacle is psychological. Let me give you a few examples of thoughts that thrashed around my head at this time:
- me, growing something? Nah, it will be dead before it even sprouts
- oh, and where do you want to grow it? Living in an apartment on the third floor?
- come on, you have no cash
- you know NOTHING about growing stuff. Right?
- growing stuff is not cool. My friends will laugh
Etc., etc.
Fast forward over four months, and here I am now, with a beatiful, green balcony garden for pennies and the absolutely satisfying ability to sneak there even in the middle of the night to pinch a few herb twigs for a salad or to simply smell flowers in the rain.
How did I manage to do that?
For a short answer - travel here.
For long - here.
Saturday 25 June 2011
Apple stories
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Or so they say. They also tell all sorts of other apple stories and this article is my attempt to gather the most interesting ones in one place.
From Adam and Eve, through ancient Greeks all the way to Newton, Johnny Appleseed and funky Guinness World Records, it is packed with apple trivia and apple pics (all public domain, by the way).
If you're craving apple knowledge, go check it out. If you don't - check it out anyway, you may yet get hooked.
Just a reminder - if you want me to review your own article, drop me a line. If I like it, a link pointing to this blog or one of my Squidoo lenses is all I require in return (at least for limited time).
Or so they say. They also tell all sorts of other apple stories and this article is my attempt to gather the most interesting ones in one place.
From Adam and Eve, through ancient Greeks all the way to Newton, Johnny Appleseed and funky Guinness World Records, it is packed with apple trivia and apple pics (all public domain, by the way).
If you're craving apple knowledge, go check it out. If you don't - check it out anyway, you may yet get hooked.
Just a reminder - if you want me to review your own article, drop me a line. If I like it, a link pointing to this blog or one of my Squidoo lenses is all I require in return (at least for limited time).
Friday 24 June 2011
Cheesecake to die for
Do you like short articles or long articles? I still can't make my mind up. Sure, everyone could flesh out their pieces with every scrap of information found on the Web, written in forty seven different ways, but... is it worth it? The original message can get lost in the piles of rubbish. We don't want that, do we?
Now, do you like cheesecakes? Oh man, I do. I love them so much that sometimes I get cheesecake-tosis (irresistible urge to eat cheesecake NOW) and funny things follow. Once I ran around Bath city with panic in my eyes at 9 pm, looking for a cafe, a cake shop, anything at all that would give me a slice. What a way to spend your holidays! Waitrose saved me then, but you don't know the time and the hour...
The idea for this lens came from a simple question - what is the single most awesome, feet-sweeping, jaw-dropping cheesecake I've ever tried? I found it, I broadcasted it.
Three things you need to know about it:
1. It will take you 15 minutes to make it. Or less. Simplicity of the recipe deserves the Nobel award. In physics. It does need to be chilled afterwards. There's no getting around some things.
2. It is probably the smoothest chocolate thing you will ever have tried. Ok, chocolate marquis may contest this title, but it's a close shot.
3. If you love cheesecakes, you DO WANT TO KNOW THIS RECIPE. I don't really need to say much more, to pour bullshit marketing 'deliciouses', 'yummys', 'originals' and 'qualitys' at you. If you like cheesecakes, you will be grateful you have found this one, end of the story.
So go check it out here.
Now, do you like cheesecakes? Oh man, I do. I love them so much that sometimes I get cheesecake-tosis (irresistible urge to eat cheesecake NOW) and funny things follow. Once I ran around Bath city with panic in my eyes at 9 pm, looking for a cafe, a cake shop, anything at all that would give me a slice. What a way to spend your holidays! Waitrose saved me then, but you don't know the time and the hour...
The idea for this lens came from a simple question - what is the single most awesome, feet-sweeping, jaw-dropping cheesecake I've ever tried? I found it, I broadcasted it.
Three things you need to know about it:
1. It will take you 15 minutes to make it. Or less. Simplicity of the recipe deserves the Nobel award. In physics. It does need to be chilled afterwards. There's no getting around some things.
2. It is probably the smoothest chocolate thing you will ever have tried. Ok, chocolate marquis may contest this title, but it's a close shot.
3. If you love cheesecakes, you DO WANT TO KNOW THIS RECIPE. I don't really need to say much more, to pour bullshit marketing 'deliciouses', 'yummys', 'originals' and 'qualitys' at you. If you like cheesecakes, you will be grateful you have found this one, end of the story.
So go check it out here.
Thursday 23 June 2011
New series
Today I'm starting new series here on Blog To Make Me Money.
It's a little experiment and its purpose is mainly to bring traffic to my Squidoo lenses, for which I'm actually getting any money (or at least they have tangible potential).
See, I promised you at the very beginning of this blog that I'll be honest.
But the experiment has some more mission objectives.
First of all, it is a challenge - I want to see if I'm able to write lens reviews which would get you interested and make you travel to my articles, in the same time NOT filling them up with bullshit marketing language and outright lies.
Second of all - it's a presentation. If you like the way I'm presenting an article, get in touch. I can write a review of your article and bring some traffic to your website. At present, knowing the size of this blog and it's tiny (so far) audience, I may be happy to do it in exchange for a link or a review placed on your website - pointing to one of my lenses or here.
That is, if I like your article.
It's a little experiment and its purpose is mainly to bring traffic to my Squidoo lenses, for which I'm actually getting any money (or at least they have tangible potential).
See, I promised you at the very beginning of this blog that I'll be honest.
But the experiment has some more mission objectives.
First of all, it is a challenge - I want to see if I'm able to write lens reviews which would get you interested and make you travel to my articles, in the same time NOT filling them up with bullshit marketing language and outright lies.
Second of all - it's a presentation. If you like the way I'm presenting an article, get in touch. I can write a review of your article and bring some traffic to your website. At present, knowing the size of this blog and it's tiny (so far) audience, I may be happy to do it in exchange for a link or a review placed on your website - pointing to one of my lenses or here.
That is, if I like your article.
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Jubilee
Haha, time to brag.
One-hundred-visitors-to-this-lovely-blog (to the tune of '10 green bottles hanging on the wall'). There's no special treat to the visitor number 100, nobody's winning a trip to Hawaii - sorry.
It may not be much (I'll REALLY celebrate when there's a few more zeros to add), but still - it's a nice, round number, and I think we don't celebrate enough things these days. Always wanting more and more and more... Screw it. I'm glad, I'm happy there's been 100 people somehow passing through this blog and hereby I'm patting myself over the shoulder.
So yeah, keep coming back. For more of the bitter sweetness.
One-hundred-visitors-to-this-lovely-blog (to the tune of '10 green bottles hanging on the wall'). There's no special treat to the visitor number 100, nobody's winning a trip to Hawaii - sorry.
It may not be much (I'll REALLY celebrate when there's a few more zeros to add), but still - it's a nice, round number, and I think we don't celebrate enough things these days. Always wanting more and more and more... Screw it. I'm glad, I'm happy there's been 100 people somehow passing through this blog and hereby I'm patting myself over the shoulder.
So yeah, keep coming back. For more of the bitter sweetness.
Tuesday 7 June 2011
The Internet World War I
Human kind (that is us!!) seems to have real trouble with existing for a few years running without any war. Just look at any history book. We all got neighbours, after all, and sometimes they just get TOO irritating.
Here's a solution to end all bloodshed but still allow the steam to go off - let's start the Internet World War I!
We'll take all the fuming, testosterone packed politicians and we'll install them in cyber headquarters. Then everybody able to hold the mouse will be drafted as a common soldier. We'll choose the Allies and the Axis (because you have to have teams!) and we'll let them shoot computer viruses at each other. Or create a gigantic battlefield - forum, where they (us!) will be allowed to throw abuses at each other without any moderation. The most witty punches will be rewarded with extra points.
We may even create a huge, World of Warcraft style virtual battle arena and let them all hit each other with sticks. Or anything else.
There has to be jury, too - after all who will reward point? Geneva is boring, let's have an X-Factor style judging board. I suggest Sid Meiers (if you happen not to know - he's THE creator of Civilisation game), Bill Gates and - oh well - Simon Cowell (he may not know anything about cyber wars but at least everyone will be laughing at his venomous comments). Mothers and children can send text messages (=amunition packages) with their votes, and the incomes will be used to fund pizza for computer-bound soldiers.
Atomic bombs will not be allowed, because they get too many players disconnected.
There will be cyber-spies, cyber-snipers, cyper-sappers, cyber-commandoes and cyber-everything.
IT specialists, as the most important units, will get extra cyber in their title (as in cyber-cyber-specialists), but to keep it as real as possible - they won't do any real work, they'll just hang around thinking up pranks to keep the troops amused.
Ain't that better than Hiroshima?
PS. All rights reserved. If you ever decide to go and fight the cybernetic world war, remember I thought of it first and you pay royalties to me!
Sincerely yours
General Cyber-Cyber-Cyber
Here's a solution to end all bloodshed but still allow the steam to go off - let's start the Internet World War I!
We'll take all the fuming, testosterone packed politicians and we'll install them in cyber headquarters. Then everybody able to hold the mouse will be drafted as a common soldier. We'll choose the Allies and the Axis (because you have to have teams!) and we'll let them shoot computer viruses at each other. Or create a gigantic battlefield - forum, where they (us!) will be allowed to throw abuses at each other without any moderation. The most witty punches will be rewarded with extra points.
We may even create a huge, World of Warcraft style virtual battle arena and let them all hit each other with sticks. Or anything else.
There has to be jury, too - after all who will reward point? Geneva is boring, let's have an X-Factor style judging board. I suggest Sid Meiers (if you happen not to know - he's THE creator of Civilisation game), Bill Gates and - oh well - Simon Cowell (he may not know anything about cyber wars but at least everyone will be laughing at his venomous comments). Mothers and children can send text messages (=amunition packages) with their votes, and the incomes will be used to fund pizza for computer-bound soldiers.
Atomic bombs will not be allowed, because they get too many players disconnected.
There will be cyber-spies, cyber-snipers, cyper-sappers, cyber-commandoes and cyber-everything.
IT specialists, as the most important units, will get extra cyber in their title (as in cyber-cyber-specialists), but to keep it as real as possible - they won't do any real work, they'll just hang around thinking up pranks to keep the troops amused.
Ain't that better than Hiroshima?
PS. All rights reserved. If you ever decide to go and fight the cybernetic world war, remember I thought of it first and you pay royalties to me!
Sincerely yours
General Cyber-Cyber-Cyber
Friday 3 June 2011
Serve your burger with style!
Ah, I'm right after a quick read-thru of the latest posts from Seth Godin's blog.
Usually I think the guy is brilliant. He's got this particular talent for creating striking and funny metaphors, which most of the days simply inspire.
But today I feel like arguing.
There's been a lot of talk lately of working as hard as possible or more, of 'raising the bar', of 'not sabotaging one's own work' etc.
Yeah, right.
I agree with all the above if you happen to work in your own business, on your independent project, or possibly at work you love. Sure.
But if I'm working for somebody else? Doing things I hate, only to pay the bills? For an employer who's very unlikely to appreciate my efforts in monetary way?
I say forget it. I say online solitaire all the way. I say take half an hour to transport one piece of paper from one room to the next if you only can.
Extra effort and raising the bar is all part of the best marketing for employers. Work hard, little ant, work as much as you can, all for the greater good. Work hard, so that you can pay your bills and I can drive a lexus.
God, how angry does this make me!
In most jobs, working hard only ends up with you being more indispensable and working even more. Because once you showed that you can, why not push you even further?
Does it end with you being paid more? Seldom.
So well, I love you, Seth Godin, but this time you're speaking a foreign language.
Usually I think the guy is brilliant. He's got this particular talent for creating striking and funny metaphors, which most of the days simply inspire.
But today I feel like arguing.
There's been a lot of talk lately of working as hard as possible or more, of 'raising the bar', of 'not sabotaging one's own work' etc.
Yeah, right.
I agree with all the above if you happen to work in your own business, on your independent project, or possibly at work you love. Sure.
But if I'm working for somebody else? Doing things I hate, only to pay the bills? For an employer who's very unlikely to appreciate my efforts in monetary way?
I say forget it. I say online solitaire all the way. I say take half an hour to transport one piece of paper from one room to the next if you only can.
Extra effort and raising the bar is all part of the best marketing for employers. Work hard, little ant, work as much as you can, all for the greater good. Work hard, so that you can pay your bills and I can drive a lexus.
God, how angry does this make me!
In most jobs, working hard only ends up with you being more indispensable and working even more. Because once you showed that you can, why not push you even further?
Does it end with you being paid more? Seldom.
So well, I love you, Seth Godin, but this time you're speaking a foreign language.
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