That's no Foreman
Oh Deion, what are you thinking? Deion Sanders' Hot Dog Express
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February 25, 2005
February 20, 2005
Checking out the competition
This year, I am going to attempt autocrossing my car. It looks like I'll be in the D-class. What makes this so interesting is that this would be the same class that I would be in if I had my previous car, Lucy - 1997 Honda Prelude. I'm looking forward to breaking in my car this year and see how well I can do on the track. I'm hoping that I can improve my driving skills on the course.
Detroit Auto Pictures
Just picked up the pictures I took at this year's Detroit Auto Show. I've posted up a few of my favorite ones on Flickr.
There Are Others Out There . . .
Found my first Subaru Legacy Forum. Looking forward to sharing experiences, questions, and ideas with other fellow Subies.
How the Engine Works
An easy way of showing someone how different engines works: http://keveney.com/Engines.html
February 19, 2005
The Strategic Sourcing Lifecyle
For businesses that have not focused on their purchasing practices in the past, there are many companies out there today that offer a Strategic Sourcing service. The sourcing process generally results in significant savings for a company because of a change in approaching the Purchasing Process.
I feel that there is a larger savings opportunity than just strategically sourcing commodities and developing a purchasing strategy. Sourcing is just the first of three steps that should be exercised:
1) Strategically source commodity
2) Implement agreements
3) Continuous Improvement
Strategic Sourcing – First, a business hires a consulting company to source their commodity(ies). The consulting firm will analyze the business’ purchasing spend, identify key savings opportunities, review current practices, develop the purchasing strategy, conduct RFP and Scopes of Work, and assist in fact-based negotiations with suppliers?. It is typical that the strategic sourcing process is conducted with the client, not simply for the client. The consultants help with the analysis, provide industry knowledge, and guide the client through the process. The goal is to give the client the necessary experience and tools to continue the strategic sourcing process after the Consultants leave.
At this point, the engagement ends. The contracts with the agreed upon suppliers are finalized, and potential savings can be realized if the business fulfills the new agreements, but, unfortunately, there is no guarantee on implementation.
Implement Agreements – Implementation is the key second phase for complete sourcing success. The buyers and expeditors must be aware of the new agreements and (potentially new) suppliers, and adhere to the contracts for the company to actually see a difference in the total cost of ownership. The buyer will have to address questions and concerns immediately so that the people using the commodities do not have too many problems with the changes and so that there is a general acceptance of the new sourcing process. There are many times when due diligence is not done for changes in commodities. Operators/users of the commodities dislike the changes, primarily due to a feeling of frustration and misunderstanding. This could potentially lead to failure of implementing the change to a new commodity, therefore negatively affecting overall operations.
Continuous Improvement – Companies need to track and measure key performance indicators (KPI) on their suppliers to ensure that they are meeting contract
expectations. Important questions are "Do the parts have the expected half-life?", "Are they delivering the commodity on time?", "Are we having production failures due to a faulty commodity?". The Contract date of completion is a critical factor to track. The sourcing process can begin again before the contract is actually complete, and the client can achieve continuous savings.
In my opinion, a complete transformation in the approach to purchasing
goods will drive realized savings for the company. The benefits include a lower Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), greater market competitiveness, and increased cash flow.
References:
Accenture: Procurement Transformation
Gartner
ICG Commerce
Sourcing Interests Group
February 17, 2005
The Next Meal
This weekend, I will be trying a new dish I found on Elise's Blog. Looks pretty simple and delicious.
February 16, 2005
Moving up the Google Ranks
February 15, 2005
Almost Famous
Googled my name tonight and this site, Crain's Cleveland Business, came up. I never knew that I'm making it in the Cleveland area.
We want it all!
Acura will get performance hybrids - Autoblog - www.autoblog.com
. . . that would be awesome if they offered it in a 6-speed manual.
What will be next? Cars that can raise their suspension 6 inches to be off road vehicles?
February 14, 2005
The Valentine's Dinner
My girlfriend and I are not big Valentine's Day people, so I said that I would cook dinner tonight for us and our roomates instead. Here is tonights menu:
Appetizers
- Cheese and crackers
Main Course
- Sauteed Shrimp
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Roasted Potatoes
- Grilled Asparagus
- Pan fried squash and onions
Dessert
- Ice Cream
The recipes for the shrimp and pork are:
Sauteed Shrimp
1 lb. shrimp, peeled
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/4 c. butter
1 c. white wine, fairly dry
1 c. whipped cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Flour
Lightly floured shrimp and saute in butter for 2-3 minutes. Add shallots or green onion (white part only) and saute for 1 minute. Remove shrimp and boil sauce with white wine until it resembles thick juice. Add cream and reduce once more. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and return shrimp to mixture cooking 1-2 minutes.
Pork Tenderloin
1 lb. pork tenderloin or sliced tenderloin
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush pork with oil. Combine remaining ingredients on a plate or shallow dish; blend well. Coat pork with crumb mixture; place on roasting rack, tucking small end of tenderloin under. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees.
February 13, 2005
Appetizers: Mandioca Frita (Fried Manioc)
Most people have not heard of manioc root (also called cassava or yuca). It is a large starchy root, popular in tropical areas. I was introduced to it when I lived in Brazil. Fried manioc is most similar to french fries, though it is denser and has a slightly different taste.
It requires more effort to cook, but it is well worth the time.
To prepare:
- Peel the root to the white texture. You will need a knife to peel the root
- Cut the root into 3 inch pieces. With each of those 3 inch pieces, cut them, lenghwise, into 6-10 pieces
- Boil the pieces. Bring to boil, then turn the heat to low-medium and boil for 15 minutes
- Drain the pot and cool the root pieces with cold water
- Evenly and liberally pour salt over the pieces
- Bring the deep fryer to 350 degrees and deep fry the manioc root for 5 minutes or until golden brown
- Remove the manioc root and let the oil drain
- Serve and enjoy!
February 10, 2005
Google's Move To Taking over the Internet
It looks like Google is expanding it's services by providing their own version of Mapquest or Yahoo! Maps. We may be waving Goodbye Mapquest (by Jeremy Zawodny) in the near future. The site is still in Beta form, but from just a few minutes of playing with it, there are some quite cool features:
- Google Maps have much larger maps than other sites
- I think much clearer maps to read
- Can get maps by searching just near an area, as opposed to a specific address or intersection
- You can click at each direction step and a pop up of that specific direction is blown up
- You can drag the US Map and move it around once you have your directions, as opposed to waiting for the constant refreshes like the other map sites
The verdict isn't out, but I like what I've seen so far. I'll need to play with it some more . . .
White Paper: Procurement Transformation
Here is a fairly good white paper on what is Procurement Transformation, the Strategic Sourcing process, and how transformation of your purchasing practices enhances typcial sourcing conventions.
Procurement Transformation: A Holistic Approach to Best Practice Procurement
February 07, 2005
Even Our Government Sources
Even our own US Navy strategically sources their purchases.
The process is an effective method of controlling your budget, with such an enormous spend such as the Navy's, the monetary return is significant.
Sharing My Resources
My particular interest at work is Procurement Transformation, specifically the Strategic Sourcing element. As I continue to develop my expertise in this subject, I will begin sharing my experiences, analysis techniques, and other resources that people may find interesting or useful.
30-Minute Meal: Sauteed Chicken
For last Friday night, I whipped up a well balanced meal for two in 30 minutes. It included sauteed chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetable medley.
The Recipe is as follows:
16 oz of boneless, skinless, chicken
1 medium yellow onion
3 green onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp of Rosemary
2 tsp of Oregano
2 tbs of Olive Oil
4 Potatoes
Milk
1 1/2 cups of Frozen vegetables
1. Cut potatoes into quarters, with the skin, and boil for 25 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the chicken into 1 to 1 1/2 in pieces in varying shapes.
3. Chop the onions and green onions
4. Heat the olive oil in the pan to Medium-High heat
5. Add the garlic and chicken. Stir frequrently to prevent the garlic from sticking on the pan and burning
6. Add the Rosemary, Oregano, and Salt and Pepper to taste. Continue stirring
7. After 6-7 minutes, add the yellow and green onions. Reduce heat to Medium heat and continue stirring. Continu cooking for another 5 minutes.
8. Begin boiling a pot of water for the vegatables. Once at boil, add the frozen vegetables
9. The potatoes should be done by now. Drain the water and mash the potatoes, adding the milk until your preferred texture is reached. Salt and pepper to taste
10. Increase the heat of the chicken to High and coock for 1 more minute.
11. Drain the water from the vegetables.
12. Serve
February 03, 2005
Assignment of Mapped Drives
So, Windows XP is not as smart as I had originally thought. I had Anna's digital camera the other night because I had taken pictures of Olivia and I wanted to upload it to Flickr.
The instructions are simple: plug the data cable from the camera into the USB port of your computer. Windows XP will recognize the new device and create a removable drive for the digital camera.
Did not work. However, after speaking the follow IT people at work, they were able to quickly resolve my problem.
The problem was that somewhere in Windows XP drive assignment, it had already assigned the E: drive to my SanDisk Flash card (even though it was not plugged in at the time). When it tried to go the next available drive, it ran into the work mapped drive, and I guess it just stopped trying from there. Have no fear, there is a very quick and easy resolution to this problem, so Windows will recognize your Mass Storage Device.
1. Plug in your Mass Storage Device
2. Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management
3. Select Disk Management.
4. You will see that your Removable drive does not have a letter assigned. Right-click on your Removable drive and Select 'Change Drive Letter and Paths'
5. Change the Drive letter to one that is available
6. Hit Okay
Your device should now be recognized and you should be able to explore it like a normal removable drive.
February 02, 2005
Ramen Noodles: Not just a Poor Man's Meal
The other night, I was preparing dinner for myself. As my roomate walked by, he said, "Prall, you're still eating Ramen? We're not in college anymore, you can afford better food." I was taken a bit by surprise. Eating Ramen isn't an indication that I have no money. I eat it because I like it.
I have always grown up knowing Ramen noodles as part of a basic stipend to an Asian diet, and I think there is a misconception that is just a college food when you're just strapped for cash.
Sure, Ramen is cheap (approximately 10-15 cents/package), and if wanted to have a quick meal, you could probably do it with Ramen. But to make Ramen a truly well balanced, fulfilling meal, you don't just boil the noodles and sprinkle on the seasonings - you have to dress it.
I eat Ramen in a soup base form. I boil the water, add the season package, and then add the noodles. Now, from here, this is where you can be use your imagination. I usually add vegetables (frozen mixed vegetables, or Bok Choy), spring onions, 1 or 2 scrambled eggs, and/or meat of my choice. You can also add other seasonings if you'd like (chillies, garlic, soy sauce, etc.) The Ramen has been transformed to a wonderful, simple, complete meal.
I generally partake on Ramen about twice a week - I never get tired of it, and it's an easy way for me to eat carbohydrates, protein, and vegetables. It's fairly low calorie and fat, but is very filling due to the broth.
In Asian cultures, you will find a plethora of different types of noodle dishes, including Ramen. I enjoy it, and though Ramen is stereotyped in a negative light, I will continue to enjoy the tasteful pleasures of my Ramen noodle concoctions.