Tablet UML News

Tablet UML News http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/ News and commentary from Martin L. Shoemaker, author of Tablet UML en-us 2006-12-23T20:12+00:00 The mother of invention http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1166903902.shtml Especially when I'm traveling, but sometimes even when I'm home, I'll work on my Tablet PC while I'm in bed watching a movie or TV. And sometimes, I fall asleep while... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-12-23T20:12+00:00
Now there's a problem with beds: they're soft. As in cushy. As in when you set something on them, it sinks in. As in when you set a PC on them, it sinks in and blocks off the cooling vents. And then overheats.

Now my wonderful Gateway CX200-X has got protection to keep the machine from completely cooking: it shuts down when the heat gets too high. That's good, but it's not a very clean shut-down. So I've been looking for a solution.

One solution, of course, is to get out of bed when I work. Sorry, ain't gonna happen.

Another solution, of course, is to go to bed without working. Sorry, ain't in my nature. Too many irons in the fire.

Another solution, of course, is to set the computer on a table before I go to sleep. Sorry, sometimes I'm too tired. I don't choose to sleep, it just happens.

So the solution I'm left with is to put something under the computer to keep the vents from blocking. I tried books and magazines; but it seems that either the computer slides off, or the magazine folds up and covers the vents. I know there are boards you can get for something like this, but I've been too busy to shop for them.

But this week, I found something that works. And I didn't have to shop...

]]> Hamburger Michigan: The answer, at last! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1166403458.shtml Way back when, I asked:... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-12-18T01:12+00:00 Way back when, I asked:

So I'm at a loss. Is this what they mean by Hamburger Michigan? I guess I'll have to go back to Montreal to find out. Why have I lived 43 years in Michigan and never even heard of it before now? And why is it called that? That may be one of those rare answers that just isn't to be found on the Web.

Well, I think I've finally found the answer, courtesy of Wikipedia:

A Michigan hot dog or, "Michigan", is a steamed hot dog on a steamed bun topped with a meaty sauce, generally referred to as "Michigan Sauce". The sauce may or may not be tomato-based, depending on where the Michigan is purchased. Michigans can be served with or without chopped onions. If served with onions, the onions can either be buried under the sauce or sprinkled on top of the sauce.

Michigans are a particular favorite in the North Country of New York State, and have been so for many decades. In fact, one of the earliest known advertisements for Michigans appeared in the Friday, May 27, 1927, Plattsburgh Daily Republican [1].

Michigans are also very popular in Montréal and other parts of Québec, where the sauce that is put on them is invariably tomato-based and is often simpy referred to as "spaghetti sauce". Lafleur Restaurants, a Québec fast food chain, is known for its Michigans and poutine.

Oddly enough, "Michigan hot dogs", are never referred to as "Michigans" in Michigan itself, nor anywhere else in the Midwest. A similar food item, the "coney" or "Coney Island dog", is a hot dog topped with onions and either chili or a meatless chili called coney sauce. Conversely, the "Coney Island" is not called as such on Coney Island, or anywhere else in New York State; it's called either a "Michigan" or a "Red Hot." Finally, in southeast Michigan, a "Coney Island" is also a type of fast-food restaurant that primarily sells hot dogs and french fries.

OK, got it: a Michigan dog is called a Coney in Michigan, or a Michigan in Coney. Makes perfect sense:

Although there are many different varieties of Michigan sauce[2] available today, the original Michigan sauce was created by Mr. George Todoroff in Jackson, Michigan. The sauce was originally created to be used as chile sauce. In 1914, Mr. Todoroff took his recipe to Coney Island in Brooklyn New York and opened his first restaurant. However, the hot dog hadn’t arrived on the scene when he first opened his restaurant, so he had to wait until 1916 to make his first famous "Jackson Coney Island" hot dog.

...

According to the second, and more likely story, a couple (Mr. Jack Rabin and his wife) from Plattsburgh went to Coney Island on vacation. They, like everyone else at Coney Island, ate a Jackson Coney Island Hot Dog and fell in love with it. When they came home to Plattsburgh, they recreated the sauce and decided to put it to work. They opened a "Michigan Hot Dog" stand, named Nitzi’s, on Route 9 just outside the city. The name came about because they couldn’t call their sandwich a Jackson Coney Island so they gave it the name of the state from where it was born.

So I think that settles it. Of course, everything in that article discusses Michigan sauce on hot dogs, never on hamburgers. But I think "Hamburger Michigan" may refer to the hamburger in the sauce, not what it's spread on. To wit, here's an ad for Bison Gourmet Meat Sauce from Shop the Adirondacks:

Your healthy replacement for high fat "Hamburger Michigan Sauce"

MADE WITH BISON - NOT HAMBURGER

And note in the picture that the sauce is spread on, yes, a hot dog. So I suspect that, if I ever get back to Montreal and order a Hamburger Michigan, I'm going to find it looks an awful lot like a hot dog.

Of course, as the truly discriminating Michigan hot dog eater knows, there's really only one name for this kind of dog: Yesterdog. (No, they don't have their own web site, as far as I can find. They don't need one. Maybe if business ever drops off, they'll need a web site to drum up more; but as I can't recall a lunch or dinner time when the line wasn't out the door, I don't see that happening yet.)]]> Random observations from the wedding http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1155499162.shtml Good timing! A week earlier, and the guests would've melted down in the parking lot.... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-13T20:08+00:00

Mostly I don't notice the passage of years. But sometimes, it's unavoidable. Such as when you look at the groom and think, "Hey, this is a much nicer ceremony than his parents had..."

Ladies, I would never try to tell you not to get a tattoo. While I may find it foolish, it's your choice. But when you do, you should start shopping for your wedding dress at the same time, so you can make sure they look good together.

It was good to see the mother of the groom dancing with her ex-husband (the father of the groom) to the same song they danced to at their wedding.

It would even have been kinda sweet, if it hadn't been Van Halen's Running with the Devil.

School librarians and teachers are people, too. They just never show it when you're in school.

Some family trees are way too complicated for me to follow. And I was there watching much of the complication happen, and it's still too complicated for me to follow.

All DJ services are not created equal.

All wedding reception meals are not created equal.

(And if I can find the recipe for that cornbread casserole...)

All weddings are disasters. As long as the bride and groom never notice, you win.

Some people do grow up, but they take a little longer than usual.

I've known the groom since birth, so I was happy to give up a night of gaming to be there for him.

And I was only a little envious of the husband who wasn't there because he was at GenCon instead.

When the doctor says she won't live to see five, ten and thriving is good. Ten and bouncing around on the dance floor with all the other kids is a miracle.

We need a list of wedding reception songs that should simply be retired. I'll start:

The Hokey Pokey

The Chicken Dance

Love Shack

The Macarena, and all similar group dance routines

Hey, Mr. DJ, you're not nearly as funny as you think you are. (But the person paying you thinks you are, so that's what counts.)

And what's with all the dopey hats?

Bowing to the inevitable: little metal bells at every table. Much classier than banging the glassware (or the table) with the silverware; and you get to take them home as a memento.

When the librarian says, "You got older, but she didn't," the smart husband answers, "You're right."

And when the wife responds, "It's all makeup. Just add more every year," the smart husband adds, "Don't believe it. She never spends more than 30 seconds on it."]]> Another beverage review http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1155277266.shtml So following up on this and this, I figure it's a good time to mention the new beverage I just discovered: Bolthouse Farms® Prickly Pear Cactus Lemonade.... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-11T06:08+00:00 this and this, I figure it's a good time to mention the new beverage I just discovered: Bolthouse Farms® Prickly Pear Cactus Lemonade.

Now I love just about any citrus flavor; and lemonade especially suits my tastes. And I was already a fan of Bolthouse's Mango Lemonade. But I wasn't sure about this one: prickly pear cactus? Still, Bolthouse has never let me down, so I decided to try it.

Not to worry. I don't know how prickly pear tastes on its own; but mixed with lemonade, it adds only a slightly sweet and vaguely exotic flavor. It almost reminds me of melon. And the overall result is a somewhat milder taste than the Mango Lemonade, which is good but packs quite a tang. The Mango Lemonade doesn't sit well with me late at night, because it's so strong (and because I can't resist drinking the whole thing regardless). I don't expect that to be a problem with the Prickly Pear Cactus Lemonade.

My judgment: another winner from Bolthouse Farms!

I should mention that I've tried their other two new flavors as well. Cranberry Lemonade is as good as Mango Lemonade; but it's a flavor combination I've had before, so it didn't seem anywhere near as novel as Prickly Pear Cactus Lemonade.

And Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino? Well, it's almost as good as Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai; and that's saying a lot! If (like me) you like the odor of coffee but can't stand the bitter taste, then Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino is for you. There's no bitter here, and it tastes like coffee smells, only with cocoa and vanilla blended in.

Those Bolthouse Farms folks sure know their juices!]]> All Jazzed up! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1154638929.shtml Let it hereby be proclaimed throughout the land: Diet Pepsi Jazz is good stuff.... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-03T21:08+00:00 Diet Pepsi Jazz is good stuff.

Oh, the Strawberries and Cream is a little sweet to my taste. But then. strawberry has never been my favorite fruit flavor.

But cherry, on the other hand, is my favorite non-citrus fruit. And vanilla is a great flavor accent. So ah, the Black Cherry-French Vanilla is incredible! I could consume a whole twelve pack in an evening of coding.

So maybe you could do me a favor? Buy some. Try some. And if you like it, buy more. I want sales to be really good, so Pepsi keeps this on their product list.

I should add: I'm a dedicated Diet Coke drinker. When I'm not drinking Diet Coke, it's usually Diet Dr Pepper. I've never found a Pepsi product that I prefer: I'll drink it if it's offered, but I won't go buy it. But with Jazz, they changed that.]]> Something a little out of joint here... http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1154500204.shtml So I pulled into Pinckney pretty late. I knew my buddy Tom Lavey (of L & M Precision Machine) would be asleep already. So I pulled into Busch's (a popular... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-02T06:08+00:00 Tom Lavey (of L & M Precision Machine) would be asleep already. So I pulled into Busch's (a popular local grocery chain) to get some dinner. Yes, it was almost midnight; but I've shopped at Busch's at all hours. They're a 24-hour place. Only not, apparently, at some of the more rural locations. This one was closing.

Since I was still hungry, I crossed the street to McDonald's. I really wanted something lighter, but I had missed that chance.

Well, it turns out that the Pinckney McD's is also not 24 hour. Oh, I should've been tipped off by all the McD's workers leaving; but the drive-through menu was still lit up. That's pretty much the universal symbol: "Drive through is still open." So I waited for somebody to take my order. But after last night, I wasn't in a mood to wait very long. I pulled around the building; and mine was the last car in the lot.

Still hungry, and knowing from experience that there would be no food at Tom's, I could only think of one place nearby to get food. I drove out to US-23, where I knew the Shell station would be open. It's not the cheapest place to buy groceries, but it was open. And there across the street was another McDonald's, all lit up and with cars in drive-through. So I pulled over there, and into the drive-through lane. Only there, I saw the opposite universal symbol: the drive-through menu was dark. That means, "You still here? It's over. Go home." But darn, there were cars in the line. So I pulled up; and almost immediately, a guy came on the speaker and took my order. When I got to the window, I asked if they knew the light was out. He said yep, it was burned out.

Somehow, something's just not right tonight...]]> At last, the long nightmare is over! http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1154498812.shtml Like new!... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-02T06:08+00:00

Look at that fender!

Look at that headlight!

Look at that door!

No deer poop!

It's ready to take on the road!

Sandy said she never knew Mazda made a special Tablet PC Edition of the Mazda 3...

You'd never guess it was my car, huh?

Well, maybe you would. It seems to remember the way...

]]> A question for Panera Bread http://tabletumlnews.powerblogs.com/posts/1154457881.shtml OK, you folks at Panera, I have a question for you. I love your homey little atmosphere. It's well documented that you're one of my favorite places to eat and go... Martin L. Shoemaker 2006-08-01T18:08+00:00
And I love the little gas-powered fake fireplaces you have in every store. They give the place a warm, inviting air on a cold winter night where curling up in front of the fire with a warm beverage, a warm cup of soup, and a warm laptop is just ideal.

But why, pray tell, do you run the things when the temperature is 96 degrees outside?

At my favorite Panera, the best chairs in the house — the comfy chairs next to the spare power plugs — are right next to that stinking fireplace!

Oh, there are chairs just as comfy on the other side of the table, chairs that can just as easily reach the spare power plugs; but those chairs are right next to a comfy couch. They clearly form a conversational circle. It would seem to me to be a violation of your courtesy request for a lone laptop user to occupy one of those chairs.

Please, in the months of summer: turn off the fireplaces!

(But hey, at least I get my Largo IC Mango in under nineteen minutes...)

UPDATE: Panera responds. Which is one more example of how they're a smart, customer-focused organization. (Somebody else hasn't rsponded yet...)

An excerpt:

As a franchise organizaiton, there are somethings we can change and some we can not. I will however investigate the fireplaces being on in the summer. This to seem silly to me as well.

Even before I received this very polite response, I had decided to add a specific category for Panera. It's in jest, because I post about the place so often (and at the place as well — and by the way, the fireplace is kinda warm right now); but I also think it's deserved. Think about that, Panera folks: I mostly read DC comics, but those posts just go under the heading of comic books; but you folks, you get your own special sub-category f Dining. That's brand loyalty. And it's awfully smart of you to work so hard to earn it.]]>