Though the other day, some guy managed to spell it Aeryn. Points for uniqueness!

Update: Since posting this, it has come to my attention that male Erins do, in fact, exist. However, in my part of the world, this is unheard of. Neither I, nor any other of the many Aarons I know, have ever met or even heard of a male Erin. And so, when somehow ~90% of … Keep reading »

The full quote comes from Sebastian Thrun, the tenured Stanford Professor who left in order to begin exploring new teaching methods online.

During the era when universities were born, “the lecture was the most effective way to convey information. We had the industrialization, we had the invention of celluloid, of digital media, and, miraculously, professors today teach exactly the same way they taught a thousand years ago.”

You can find … Keep reading »

Threw this together on Thanksgiving. Because it’s true.

Feel free to take and use. (Click for bigger version.)

So, among other productivity methods I’ve been trying this month, I also tried the Hipster PDA method, where essentially you use a small stack of index cards with a big clip to keep track of what you need to get done. (Optionally also with the Getting Things Done and 43 Folders philosophies.)

Most people react to this by saying something like, “Seriously? Index cards.” Yes, seriously. You … Keep reading »

It’s been a month since I busted out with the Pomodoro Technique in a productivity boosting experiment. While I think it has improved thing somewhat, there are still some areas I find it a little lacking.

A quick overview in the (quite possible) event you haven’t heard of it. Basically, you:

Choose a task to be accomplished
Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your task list. … Keep reading »

You’ve probably noticed it’s German/Austrian cooking week here at AwesomeToast. It’s my favorite cuisine, and definetly my favorite to cook. Another favorite recipe of mine is German potato salad. It’s very different from American potato salad, with a sweet vinegar type glaze and is typically served warm. Here’s my recipe:

The Stuff:

3 cups peeled potatoes, sliced. I prefer Yukon Gold or Red potatoes.
4 tbsp of butter OR 4 strips of bacon … Keep reading »

Another favorite Austrian recipe of mine is Griessnockerlsuppe, which means semolina dumpling soup. I’ve tried this recipe several times now and tweaked it to being just right. It only takes about 15 minutes to make and serves 4. Enjoy:

Dumplings (12):

1 cup + 2 tbsp semolina flour (Coarse is better, but anything works, really.)
1 whole egg
1 egg white
6 tbsp. soft butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Broth:

2 cans or 16 oz. beef broth (chicken … Keep reading »