alaina browne lives here

links for 2010-05-28

• Making Fudge From Scratch | Serious Eats
  "Fudge isn't everyone's favorite thing. In fact, plenty of candy snobs wrinkle their noses at it. Admittedly, I can't think of the last time I had fudge that wasn't a little dried-out and sad. But give fudge a chance: it's easy to make, the ingredients are inexpensive, and making it at home gives you the freedom to tweak the recipe and add whatever you want to it."
  (tags: recipes food)

The Most Famous Classroom In New York City

via www.scoutingny.com

I spent most of the summer of 2003 in this room attending Chemistry lectures. You might recognize it from a few movies. Last Friday, I paid off the loans that made that summer plus 2 more semesters possible (thank you, Dashes.com!). I learned a lot that summer---about chemistry (which I quickly forgot) and about what I wanted to do with my life including not spend anymore time in a classroom, studying for exams, or taking exams. That meant I'd never fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a neuroscientist, but that's OK because I couldn't have dreamed up the life I'm living now.

Asian Baby + French Bulldog = Cute Overload

via www.youtube.com

What She Said

Conference organizers and publishers, I do not think you are racist. And I do not think you are woman-haters. I think you are probably very nice people. I think you are good to your friends, your girlfriends, your wives, your children. I think you hire and treat your employees fairly and well.

I think you are lazy and irresponsible.

It is your personal prerogative to hold a conference or publish a book or magazine featuring whomever you choose. It is your professional duty to reach outside your existing circle of friends and colleagues, outside of your snug familiar comfort zone to find new voices and new perspectives.

Are you doing this to shape the industry and the culture, or do you just want to have a beer with your most famous friends and feel validated because you got sponsors for it? If you are only surrounding yourself with people you already know, you are doing yourself a disservice. Reach out, and reach out before someone calls you out. You will win, personally and professionally, if you do.

I am also looking at you, organizers of lady-only conferences. At least the events that end up with an all-male roster aren’t exclusionary by design. A slumber party is no better than a bro-down.

via weblog.muledesign.com

I'm glad Erika wrote this, especially the part about slumber parties.

8 Years Ago

I registered to race the NYRR Sprint Triathlon today. This time, I think I'll train for it [last time]. 

8 years ago:

Atlanta Women's 5k, 6 April 2002: 17th/70 Age 25-29, 27:47 (My first race ever!)

Virginia Highland Summerfest 5k, 2002 June 1:75th/449 Women, 26:59.3

Peachtree Road Race 10k, 2002 July 4: 57:50

Powerful Peach Triathlon, 2002 July 27: 133/232, 77:46

Thanks, WayBackMachine!

YouTube - "Paparazzi"

via www.youtube.com

Love the expressions of the girls witnessing this performance including blank, bored, awed, and impressed.

Dave Winer, Food Blogger

I always start with a fork and knife, and eat it like a main course. As I approach the middle, it's cooled off enough and the slop of it is just manageable to fold the NY way and eat like a sandwich. One slice is all you need.

via www.scripting.com

Move to New York --> Become food blogger. Interesting.

links for 2010-05-05

• Counter Evolution NYC- Contemporary Green Furniture from Reclaimed Bowling Alley Wood
  (tags: furniture)

After the Beards

Eleven Madison Park was out of control from about 11 PM until the wee hours. There's something disconcerting about walking into a four star restaurant and witnessing a dining room full of grinding restaurant industry pros, beer cups in hand, chowing on hot dogs, while Daniel Boulud and Daniel Humm spray the crowd with champagne to LL Cool J's Around the Way Girl.

via ny.eater.com

I hate to get all Anthony Bourdain about it, but what was actually disconcerting about this party was the glaring absence of many (most?) of "the people who are actually doing the cooking in this country–the between 30 and 70% of restaurant employees of Mexican and Latino origin–of varying legal status."

Blogging is hard, liking is easy

Maybe it’s just too easy to like something these days. I’ve had people with Twitter followers in the millions kindly link to my blog and the result has been anywhere from a handful to a several hundred new visitors. That’s a pretty small click-through rate. In the past, people who wanted to share content usually did so on a blog. They had to create a blog, build a following, and maybe learn a little html. It took some commitment and effort to share. It was an active choice as opposed to a knee-jerk reaction. And from that time until now, I find that the number of visits from even a lightly trafficked blog is markedly higher than many Facebook likes and Twitter retweets combined.

via tweetagewasteland.com

I miss the good ol' days of blogging, and I confess to being part of the problem -- guilty of the lazy like, favorite, or reblog in lieu of the thoughtful comment or blog post.