Monthly Archives: December 2012

Instagram Users: READ THIS!

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Yes, I’m SHOUTING! Because it’s important.

How would you feel about a beautiful picture of your significant other being used as part of an ad campaign for Trojan condoms? For free, and without your permission? Which Facebook would have collected money for?

CNET.com is reporting today (along with Wired.com and other sources, that as of January 16th, they will now have the right to sell your photos without payment or notification. Oh, and there’s no way to opt out.

My first response was,

800px-Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue

After thinking about it for 0.62 seconds, I was more like this:

censored

From the CNET article:

“Instagram said today that it has the perpetual right to sell users’ photographs without payment or notification, a dramatic policy shift that quickly sparked a public outcry. The new intellectual property policy, which takes effect on January 16, comes three months after Facebook completed its acquisition of the popular photo-sharing site. Unless Instagram users delete their accounts before the January deadline, they cannot opt out.”

Fortunately, Wired gives instructions on how you can download your photos and delete your account. That massive sucking sound you hear? No, it’s not NAFTA – it’s the mad rush of users to clear out their pictures before every shot they ever took becomes free fodder for the largest stock photo database in the world.

Seriously. What ragskull in the corporate chain thought this up, what morons approved it, and who in their right mind thinks they can get away with it? I have never seen anything so egregiously arrogant in my life.

Edit: Here’s a photo of one of the potential ragskulls:

20121205_Kevin_Systrom_Instagram_001_270x169

Kevin Systrom, Instagram’s CEO

Dear Kevin:

ShutTheHellUpSmall

I have never used Instagram, but I wonder how long it will be before the people at Facebook decide to change their photo policies over on the main FB site? If they do, all my photos are coming down faster than a fly settles on a rotting mango.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Borscht

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Borscht

The Hotel Utah, now only a memory, was famous for its borscht.

Hotel Utah Borscht

CHEF GIRARD’S HOTEL UTAH BORSCHT

Ingredients

4 cups beet juice
3 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth plus 1/2 cup
Juice of 1 lemon
Sugar to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
1 or 2 egg yolks
Sour cream
Chopped parsley
Hard-cooked eggs, diced
Lemon wedges

Procedure

  • Bring beet juice and 31/2 cups broth to boil.
  • Stir in the lemon juice, sugar and salt.
  • Combine the remaining 1/2 cup broth and cornstarch until smooth.
  • Stir into soup. Cook and stir until thickened.
  • Combine sour cream and egg yolks.
  • Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot beet juice mixture into egg mixture.
  • Then, stirring constantly, slowly add warmed eggs back to hot liquid.
  • Heat without boiling. Strain.

Serve hot or cold.
Garnish with sour cream, parsley and eggs. Serve with lemon wedges.
Makes 8 servings.

the_hotel_utah_sky_room_UT

The Hotel Utah Sky Room

ASSUMPTION ABBEY BORSCHT

Assumption

The cooks at Assumption Abbey in Richardton, ND make a borscht that is to die for. I know, for I’ve had it.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground bison (optional)
2 cup chopped fresh beets
1 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans beef broth (I used 1 can beef and 1 can vegetable, just because)
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
sour cream or regular cream (optional)

Procedure

  • In a saucepan, bring beets, carrots, onion, water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • If you’re using the bison in this soup, brown the meat in a frying pan; add the browned meat, with all the juices, to the saucepan. (If you’re substituting ground beef instead of bison, you may want to render off the fat first.)
  • Add broth, cabbage and butter; simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes.
  • Just before serving, stir in lemon juice.
  • Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream if desired; or may be served with cream to add to taste.

Makes 8 servings.

For perfection, serve with hot buttered scones and honey.

The tallest rock climbing wall in the world

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Groeningen

You are looking at Excalibur, the world’s tallest rock climbing wall, erected in Groningen, Netherlands. Climbing to the top would only be slightly harder than pronouncing “Groningen” correctly. I take one look at this thing and all I can think is “kill me now.”

Groeningen2

No, I get woozy just looking at these pictures. Kinda like that video of radio tower climbers.

Some people have cojones of solid rock!

The Old Wolf has spoken.

In Memory of Hydrox

Posted on by The Old Wolf

001908wt

Despite the pervasive misconception that the now-defunct Sunshine Hydrox cookies were a cheap Oreo knock-off, they were the original sandwich cookie which came out in 1908, four years before Oreos did in 1912. Apparently they just didn’t do well against the Nabisco juggernaut, and also a lot of people were put off by the name, which sounded more like a bleach than a cookie.

I miss them.

The Old Wolf has spoken.