a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer.
Egg Salad for Sandwiches by Sandy
This egg salad is quite tasty and has no mustard!
Ingredients
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 5 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp olive oil
Combine and stir all ingredients in bowl. Mash up the eggs. Toast your bread, spread on the salad, perhaps add a lettuce leaf and enjoy!
The above amount makes enough for 3 to 4 sandwiches.
We like Milton’s Healthy Whole Grain bread for the sandwiches, but a good sourdough bread or bagel would be nice too.
Microwave Fudge
This fudge is really good. we had lots of it over the holidays. And it is sooo simple to make.
Ingredients
- 3 cup SemiSweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 14 oz. Condensed Milk
- 1 cup Nuts
Combine all ingredients (except nuts) in bowl. Microwave on high until 50% of the chips have melted, stirring frequently (approx. 3-5 minutes). Remove from microwave and stir in nuts. Pour into greased square dish. Refrigerate until set.
(You can leave out the nuts, if you prefer. It is delicious that way too!)
Cut into squares and Enjoy!
Life 3.0
If you’re interested in artificial intelligence (AI), I highly recommend that you read this new book Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark, a professor at MIT. His book is an easy read for the amateur and weighty enough for the AI students and professional. It explains (finally someone got it through to me) how neural networks work, how our mind learns and remembers and generally how machines can be built to mimic these processes. This is a realistic book, issues in the future are explained, not sidestepped. This is a science book that is not only important, but fun to read. I give it 5 stars!
“This is a conversation that everyone needs to join. But for them to join it constructively, we need to educate them about what the challenges and opportunities actually are. Otherwise it degenerates into the scaremongering that the British tabloids do. Ultimately, this is a very exciting opportunity. Everything I love about civilization is the product of intelligence. If we can create a beneficial superintelligence, we can help humanity flourish better than ever before.” — by Max Tegmark
“Worth reading Life 3.0 by @Tegmark. AI will be the best or worst thing ever for humanity, so let’s get it right.” — by Elon Musk in Twitter
“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” – by Bill Gates
“If there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him.” – so said Voltaire
A point of view
4th S. Cafe & Bakery in Orland, CA
Once in a while, you come across a really good restaurant. When you do, it is important to let others know about it – share the wealth, as they say. Well, I ate at a really good “cafe” yesterday and have to give praise.
The 4th S. Cafe & Bakery in Orland, CA is a great place to eat breakfast or lunch. The food is good, there is lots of it. It is wholesome and healthy faire. Breakfast is served all day. The jelly was served in glass cups!
Orland is located on Interstate 5 about 90 miles north of Sacramento. A crow would fly due west from Chico! The address is 824 4th Street, Orland, CA 95963. From I-5 take the Newville Rd/Hwy. 32 exit. Head east about 1/2 mile and turn right on 4th Street. They are two blocks down on the right hand side, across from the Orland Post Office.
If you are driving on I-5 in central California in the morning hours and feel hungry, do take the time to find this great cafe. When we were there, a group of County Sheriff deputies were too. You know they know where the good eats are to be found!
I rate it 5/5 stars and I recommend the Veggie Lover’s Omelet! 
No Is Not Enough – the book
The new book “No Is Not Enough” by Naomi Klein should be read by all. It was rushed out in reaction to Donald Trump, but includes important comments about climate change and the anthropocene.
Because one of the most unjust aspects of climate disruption is that our actions as adults today will have their most severe impact on the lives of generations yet to come, as well as kids alive today who are too young to impact policy — kids like Toma (her son) and his friends, and their generation the world over. These children have done nothing to create the crisis, but they are the ones who will deal with the most extreme weather — the storms and droughts and fires and rising seas — and all the social and economic stresses that will flow as a result. They are the ones growing up amidst a mass extinction, robbed of so much beauty and so much of the companionship that comes from being surrounded by other life forms.
The above quote from the book is how I feel about my grandchildren (aged 12-19). Global warming, climate change, neoliberalsim, the USA oligarchy, Trumpism, all of these things are not their fault. The adults of the “western world” have effed up society and the planet so bad that I feel revolution will be the only way out. And these kids will be fighting the wars, unless we can help wake people up to the dangers.
Get a copy of the book, buy it, library it, borrow it. And learn more at
“I’m not looking to overthrow the American government, the corporate state already has..” – John Trudell
States that Discriminate
I love my state — California. We have an Assembly Bill AB 1887 that prohibits state sponsored travel to 8 states that have passed laws discriminating against various classes of people. I think more states should follow suit, to put pressure on these backward, mean state governments.
This list is here to help me remember to not vacation in these states and to minimize travel time if we must travel through them on the way to somewhere else.
• Alabama
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
Some day, hopefully, these states will change their laws and support all people.
Red Chili Sauce
Barbara bought dried red chili pods from www.newmexicanconnection.com (medium and hot) and then brought them to our house to process them. They deseeded the pods, soaked them, blended with water, and strained the skin to create the concentrate. When I saw that they had to wear rubber gloves for protection, I knew they were using the real stuff! We used to buy frozen Bueno Chili and bring it home from Gilbert, AZ in coolers, but this stuff was much hotter (and better) like her family had in Albuquerque, NM. Sandy’s deceased brother George and I only liked the “hot stuff”.
They had 4 bags of the dried peppers, which produced about 60 cups of concentrated chili. We put it into 2 cup plastic containers and froze all but enough to eat for the next few days. It is lots of work, but worth it in the end. Be sure to do this in a well ventilated area!
I eat the chili (mixed with turkey) over baked potato with beans, cheese and lettuce. Everyone else uses hamburger and tortillas. “Raw” chili is so much better than the stuff in jars. We never had this stuff in Iowa! One of these days, we will have to try mixing the chili into turkey meat loaf for flavoring. Mmmm
You can also buy Sopaipilla mix from this website. Instructions for both chili pepper processing and sopaipilla are included.
“The journey is the reward.” – Buddha
Sandy’s Turkey with Noodles
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients
• 1/2 package egg noodles
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 3 packages brown gravy mix
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon “Better Than Bouillon” (BTB)
• 3 cups water
Preparation
Sauté the mushrooms.
Add the turkey (crumble it) and brown it.
Sprinkle gravy mix over turkey, add the water.
Stir until gravy is thickened. Stir in BTB.
Reduce heat, let simmer 20 minutes.
Cook the noodles according to package directions.
Turn heat under turkey mix off. Stir in the sour cream.
Serve turkey mix over the noodles.
As side dishes, include
• cottage cheese
• can of pears
• can of warmed green beans
Excellently received by all.
Noam Chomsky Interviewed at Google
Noam Chomsky appeared at Google in Cambridge May 23, 2017, to speak to an audience of primarily Google staff. The video of the “Google Talks” event was published to YouTube June 5.
This discussion seemed to be more personal than I have heard Chomsky before. Usually Professor Chomsky is “on topic” all the time. The interviewer did a great job, acting like a student sincerely interested in Chomsky’s early life and how he became an activist.
Later in the talk, the word “internet” came up, more and more. Chomsky obviously uses Google products, but only mentioned Google Translate specifically.
He warned about using Artificial Intelligence for more than just data mining. AI should be used for more humanistic endeavors. Understanding ourselves, our species, should be the focus of our prime directive.
I enjoyed it and recommend that you take an hour to listen to a very open discussion: human existence should be our number one priority.
You can watch it by clicking here
or by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-zWrhFqpM directly.
You can also just search in YouTube.
Solving big problems is easier than solving little problems. – Sergei Brin
Categorizing Movies
This was found in the July/August 2017 issue of Discover Magazine. It shows an interesting way to categorize science fiction movies, in particular SETI movies. I would like to see other films done this way too.
from Discover July/August 2017
Courtney’s Frittatas
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 zucchini
- 1 1/2 cup mushrooms
- 1 cup spinach
- salt
- pepper
- garlic
- shredded cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Chop up mushrooms and zucchini and sauté.
Mix together eggs and milk and pour in greased 7″/11″ dish.
Mix in cooked veggies and spinach and seasonings.
Top with cheese.
Cook for 20-30 minutes.
good for breakfast, lunch or even dinner!
Good Books
If you are at all interested in anthropology or the lives of your Neanderthal ancestors, this novel will be an enjoyable read. This reminds me somewhat of the old series called Clan of the Cave Bears, but it is much easier to read (and shorter). The author Claire Cameron acknowledges help from Yuval Harari and Ian Tattersall.
Perhaps this will be the first of a series. I hope so. I know I enjoyed it. Thought provoking. It is a “fast read” and holds your attention. But caution is required, this is either adults only or at least older teens.
The book is about two women, separated by 40,000 years.
Good Books
Here are two of my recent favorite books, both written by Yuval Noah Harari. Both are well marked, they are very thought provoking. “Sapiens” was written first, it is a full history of our planet, and should be read first. “Homo Deus” is a description of one possible future. For open minded people…
Moons
This has no purpose here, I just think it is pretty.
Self Explanatory Bar Chart
Major T-V News Coverage of Climate Change
A Fun Bookcase
Wouldn’t it be fun to have a bookcase like this!
Wooden bookshelf full of books in form of man head on a bricks background.
The Circle
The film The Circle is an excellent movie, in my opinion. It can be classified as “future fiction” rather than “science fiction”. It stars folks like Emma Watson. Tom Hanks, John Boyega, and Bill Paxton. It really feels like the Silicone Valley of now: fast. fresh and optimistic.
There are so many negative reviews about the film that I have begun to wonder it the critics are being led by the big tech companies that might feel it shows them in a negative light. The movie isn’t nearly as bad as “they” say. so I have begun to smell a rat.
Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle praised the film’s timeliness: “What makes The Circle so valuable is not only that it’s showing us a ghastly possible path that the world may take. but that it articulates the mentality that could create and sustain it.”
It you enjoy movies with disturbing visions of the future, you should really make an effort to see The Circle. The ideas presented about privacy are important now, we must think about them, evaluate our own opinions, and not let financial motives of others push us in a direction we don’t want.
World Book Day
In honor of World Book Day on Sunday 4/23/2017, billionaire Richard Branson has put together a list of 70 “must-read” books. One of my recent most favorites is # 70!
Here’s the full list:
1. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
2. Tales of the Unexpected – Roald Dahl
3. George’s Marvelous Medicine – Roald Dahl
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
5. Oh, The Place You’ll Go – Dr. Seuss
6. Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie
7. The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
8. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
9. Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy – Douglas Adams
11. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stephenson
12. The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
13. Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton
14. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
15. 1984 – George Orwell
16. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
17. The Quiet American – Graham Greene
18. The Dice Man – Luke Rhinehart
19. Shantaram – Gregory Roberts
20. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
21. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World – Tracy Kidder
22. The Outermost House – Henry Beston
23. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China – Jung Chang
24. Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege – Antony Beevor
25. The Right Stuff – Tom Wolfe
26. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex – Nathaniel Philbrick
27. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
28. Travels with Charley – John Steinbeck
29. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela – Nelson Mandela
30. Mao: The Unknown Story – Jung Chang
31. A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety – Jimmy Carter
32. No Future Without Forgiveness – Desmond Tutu
33. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – Dava Sobel
34. Mandela’s Way: Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage – Stengel
35. Limitless: Leadership That Endures – Ajaz Ahmed
36. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World – Adam Grant
37. If I Could Tell You Just One Thing: 50 of the world’s most remarkable people pass on their best piece of advice – Richard Reed
38. Remote: Office Not Required – Jason Fried
39. Start With Why – Simon Sinek
40. 101 Reasons to Get Out of Bed – Natasha Milne
41. Letters to a Stranger: A publishing project in aid of MIND – Various
42. Self Belief: The Vision – Jamal Edwards
43. The Meaning of the 21st Century – James Martin
44. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill – Matthieu Ricard
45. A Time for New Dreams – Ben Okri
46. A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking
47. The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution – Frank White
48. Beyond The Blue – Jim Campbell
49. Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think – Peter Diamandis
50. Ending the War on Drugs – Various
51. The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth – Tim Flannery
52. Big World, Small Planet – Johan Rockström and Mattias Klum
53. An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It – Al Gore
54. Necker: A Virgin Island – Russell James
55. Lost Ocean – Johanna Basford
56. Arctica: The Vanishing North – Sebastian Copeland
57. In Patagonia – Bruce Chatwin
58. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster – Jon Krakauer
59. The World Without Us – Weisman
60. In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules – Stacy Perman
61. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto – Michael Pollan
62. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal – Eric Schlosser
63. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
64. Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
65. Cosmos – Carl Sagan
66. Obama: The Historic Presidency of Barack Obama – 2,920 Days – Mark Greenberg
67. Little Wins, The Huge Power of Thinking Like a Toddler – Paul Lindley
68. Black Box Thinking – Matthew Syed
69. Winners: And How They Succeed – Alastair Campbell
70. Homo Deus – Yuval Noah Harari
So, print this “check list” and start reading! Ready, set, go….
and on the eighth day God said, “OK, Murphy, take over.”
Jims BBS 