Christopher Prall

I don't have a land line phone. I haven't had one in years. I've had the same mobile number since 1999 - it's like my own ID number. I am not tethered by a line in the wall for people to reach me.

The wireless Internet, however, is not as mobile or productive. Mobile wireless Internet has slow upload and download speeds, causing people to be frustrated by the service and inevitably, not being frequently used.

Technology has been focused to change this problem. By the end of 2005, Nortel and LG Electronics hope to be offering High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). The downstream speed is near broadband DSL transmission. Other companies, such as Nokia are also already focusing on this technology.

There is also WiMAX technology which offers much faster larger bandwidth and better upload and download speeds, but it is not entirely mobile yet - it works on a fixed radius and is not scheduled to hit the markets until next year.

I am thoroughly interested to where this will lead - these two technologies seem to be the front runners in this space and will drive each other to become faster and more mobile. What will this mean to the consumer? Free Internet? No more cable or DSL? No more TV through lines? Bye bye Satellite?

Posted by Christopher Prall at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

. . . but here is a Saturn that I would actually not be ashamed to drive.
2006 Saturn SKY - Saturn Convertible

Posted by Christopher Prall at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Another friend joined the blogging world. Couch

But apparently, I'm not cool enough to make his short list. Damn you Couch!

Posted by Christopher Prall at 05:02 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

GM plans to cut 25,000 jobs in US

Posted by Christopher Prall at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Christopher Prall at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

J$ has passed me The Musical Baton, and I will do my obligatory Internet meme.

Total Volume of Music On My Computer: 4.2GB

The Last CD I Bought: I have no idea. I either enjoy newer music via the radio, but I generally spend most of my music enjoyment in 80's and 90's. Probably the last CD I bought was by Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Song Playing Right Now: Hey Girl by O.A.R.

Five Songs I listen to a Lot: (in no particular order)
1. "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks - Wedding favorite
2. "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA - I'm not ashamed!
3. "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago
4. "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money
5. "Something Like That" by Tim McGraw

Five people To Whom I'm Passing the Baton:
Man, I don't think I even know 5 bloggers who have not received the Musical Baton.
Woon Yen's Blog
Rich

Posted by Christopher Prall at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To accompany the Grilled Salmon item, I also cooked this pasta dish. I was very happy with how the pasta dish came out - I am not generally a big pasta person. This recipe was found on cdkitchen.

The recipe is below:

* 3 large garlic cloves, minced
* 2 lemons
* 3/4 cup minced fresh parsley
* 1 pound angel hair pasta
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Grate the zest from the lemons (leave out the bitter white pith). In a bowl combine lemon zest, parsley, and garlic. Set aside this gremolata. Cook angel hair pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until done but still firm about 3 to 5 minutes. In a large frying pan, warm olive oil over medium low heat. Add the gremolata and salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, don't burn the garlic. Drain pasta and pour gremolata into pan. Toss and sprinkle with Parmesan on top.

Posted by Christopher Prall at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I felt inpired tonight to cook up some salmon. However, instead of doing a typical salmon dish, I thought of trying something slightly different. I looked around and found this recipe on Cooks.com. In my instance, I halved the recipe portions and instead of grilling the salmon, I pan seared it. The original recipe is as follows:

1/4 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. California cabarnet sauvignon wine
1/2 c. beef stock
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 shallots
2 tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper to taste
6 portions of salmon fillet, 8 oz. each

- Finely chop shallots and place in a saucepan with the wine. Reduce by about 2/3
- Add beef and chicken stock and reduce by 1/2
- Set aside
- Brush the salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Place on a grill for about 2 minutes on each side. Note: I pan seared them on medium-high heat for 5 minutes per side
- Return sauce to the stove and incorporate butter
- Strain and add the lemon juice. Place salmon fillets on plates and nap with the sauce.
- Serves 6

My thoughts on the recipe:
I thought that it tasted great, though if I were to do it again, I would do a couple of things differently. I would not use olive oil as I thought it over powered the flavor of the sauce, and I would add a little flour to the sauce to give it some thickness.

Posted by Christopher Prall at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

My roomate and I moved over Memorial Weekend, one of the busiest times to move. Subsequently, renting a moving truck becomes challenging. Two weeks ago, I made a reservations for a U-Haul truck in the Lakewood area. Their policy is that you have a $5 non-refundable service fee for a reservation. At first glance, this does not seem to be a problem. However, when the U-Haul person called me the next day to tell me that the earliest I can get a truck that day is 5:00 PM.
5:00 PM??
That's the end of the day man! What would even be the point then. I cancelled the reservation (as if that was a realistic offering anyway). However, you still pay the $5.

Now, it's not that $5 is breaking the bank, but it's the principle of the matter - if you can't offer adequate service, then there should not be a $5 service fee. You did not provide me with a service, other than to tell me I'm moving at night. That's ridiculous.

Posted by Christopher Prall at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)