… when polar bears sneak cheeky cigars.
David Cameron vs porn. Porn wins.
The Conservatives say they will force hardcore pornography websites to put in place age-restriction controls or face being shut down if they win the election. The culture secretary, Sajid Javid, said the party would act to ensure under-18s were locked out of adult content after a recent Childline poll found nearly one in 10 12-13 year olds were worried they were addicted and 18% had seen shocking or upsetting images. Experts welcomed the move – targeted at both UK-based and overseas websites – but warned it would take hard work to implement in practice.
The joys of chemistry
Canada rocks
As much as the current government is pissing away Canada’s international reputation, the country itself, and the people, are great.
Internet quote of the day
I have in my pocket a device that can access the sum of human knowledge at a seconds notice…and I use it to look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers.
New phone omgwtfbbq!!
The preciousssssss! My old samsung was getting to the point where it was rebooting half a dozen times a day. I got my grubby little mits on a new oneplus one Android phone. The power!
[gallery] Craig Alan
At first glance these celebrity portraits appear to have been created from aerial photographs of dozens of people. But a closer examination of this series, by Atlanta-based artist Craig Alan, reveals that the tiny figures were actually painted into place. Alan has created paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley, as well as the Statue of Liberty, with his realist technique.
The artist says he first came up with the idea after after taking photos of the street from an apartment. I was in Orange Beach, Alabama at my mother’s condo watching people on the beach from the balcony. I started photographing them from the 6th story balcony and began to notice a pattern through the camera. In one shot, the group of people appeared to have formed an eye on the screen, this started my creative wheels turning.
Combining technical skill, creativity and wit, Craig portrays iconic faces, buildings and abstracts through dozens, sometimes hundreds of intricately painted, exquisite figures. Each distinctive piece is created in black and white with a touch of red on some of the more glamorous faces. In their own way, they reflect his highly recognizable take on life, where it is the small details that work together to create the big picture.
Craig carefully plans and creates each tiny figure, all which have their own identity and personality which he has thought through to the finest details. In some of his extremely rare originals, he even goes as far as detailing each item of clothing on the individuals. His cast of characters include family members, friends and models, giving his work a uniquely personal touch. Each piece contains a range of 400 to 1,800 people in it depending on the type of work it is, and he spends anywhere from 50 to 150 working hours on one painting. His painstaking efforts are well-rewarded though – a single piece from the ‘Populous’ series can sell for up to $50,000.
Wert der ferk?
[Recipe] Citrus-And-Chile-Braised Short Ribs
8 5–6” English-style bone-in beef short ribs (about 3kg)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus 1 chile, for serving
4 sprigs oregano
4 wide strips orange zest, plus some thin strips for serving
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 limes, halved
1/2 cup fresh corianderleaves with tender stems
Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours (ribs are even better if you can do this a day ahead).
Preheat oven to 160C. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Working in batches, cook short ribs until evenly browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter; pour off pan drippings between batches.
Wipe out any burned bits from pot, but leave the golden-brown pieces (doing this will keep the finished sauce from tasting bitter). Place onions, celery, carrots, tomato paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and red pepper flakes in pot; season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, and spices are fragrant, 10–12 minutes.
Add oregano, wide strips of orange zest, 1 cup orange juice, and 6 cups water to pot, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt and pepper. Add ribs with any juices accumulated on the platter, making sure they’re completely submerged. Cover pot and braise ribs in the oven until meat is tender and falling off the bone, 4–5 hours.
Carefully transfer ribs to a platter. Strain braising liquid into a large bowl, then return to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half (it will be thickened but still saucy). Return short ribs to pot and turn to coat.
To serve, drizzle short ribs with remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice and squeeze limes and crush remaining chile over. Top with coriander and thin strips of orange zest.
[Recipe] How to make ganache
The sort of ganache you will make depends on what you want to use it for. It’s a question of proportion between the chocolate and heavy cream. These proportions are based on weight.
– Layer cake filling and thick glaze: 1:1, equal parts chocolate and cream.
– Chocolate truffles: 2:1, two parts chocolate to one part cream.
– Soft icing and pourable glaze: 1:2, one part chocolate to two parts cream.
1. Weigh out the amount of chocolate called for in your recipe. If you aren’t following a recipe, start with a small amount and make more as needed.
2. Based on the ratio chart above and how you’re intending to use the ganache, weigh the amount of cream needed for the ganache in a separate bowl.
3. Pour the cream into a double-boiler. It just needs to get hot. The cream is ready when you can place a finger in the cream and keep it there for 3 to 4 seconds. Turn off the flame and remove the cream from the stove.
4. Chop the chocolate into fine pieces while the cream is heating.
5. Scoop the chocolate into the cream. Stir gently to distribute the chocolate through the cream and then let it sit for a few minutes to give the chocolate time to soften and melt.
6. With a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the ganache. At first it might look spotty and broken but keep stirring until it comes together in a creamy mass.
7. Cool the ganache:
– If you plan on pouring the ganache over a cake, pie, or pastry, it will need to be loose enough to flow but thickened enough to stay on the pastry.
– To whip the ganache for frosting or for layer cake filling, cool the ganache until it is thick, but still soft, and then beat in a stand mixer or with a hand held mixer, until the ganache is fluffy and has lightened in color, about 1 or 2 minutes.
– To use the ganache make truffles, you may need to set the pan in the refrigerator so the ganache cools. Remove the pan every 5 minutes or so and stir so that the ganache cools evenly. As the chocolate begins to stiffen, stir it more frequently — it will go from soft to very hard quite suddenly. If this happens, soften the ganache over gently simmering water, stirring until you’ve reached the right consistency again.