Test your hearing

You are a thirtysomething

You're a little frustrated that you can't hear all the tones that the young 'uns can but will be more than happy if it means you don't have to listen to their damn ringtones on the bus anymore. The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 14.9kHz

Find out which ultrasonic ringtones you can hear!

Some web finds

If you're like me, you have a bunch of stuff in the fridge, but when you open it, you say, "There's nothing for dinner!" There's a website to help us! It's called SuperCook, and all you have to do is enter in all the stuff you have on hand, and then it will generate a list of recipes you can make right now! Of course, if all you have is ketchup and Diet Coke, you're out of luck, but even seemingly random ingredients can come together and make a yummy meal. If you sign up for a free account, it will remember your list of foods so all you have to do is update it (out of carrots, but bought oranges, etc.). According to the site, I can make almost 800 recipes right now, including Chicken Cacciatore, Asparagus Risotto, and Breakfast Tortilla Strata. Of course, all I did was boil some ravioli, but it's nice to know I have options.

Just One Club Card is a website for those of us with a multitude of plastic "loyalty" cards. All you do is enter the barcode numbers from the back of the cards and choose the store names from drop-down boxes. The site then generates a credit card-sized image with up to 8 barcodes on it, which you can print out and even laminate if you wish. Not only does it save room on your wallet or keychain, but it makes it much easier to find the card you need. Mine has Kroger, CVS, Food Lion, Borders, Lowes Foods, PetSmart, Hallmark, and Dick's Sporting Goods. You can also do library cards via the "Advanced" tool.

And finally, if you like kaleidoscopes, you will like Repper. You can do stuff with the images that result if you want, but I just think it's fun to play with.

Wall-E Computer

This is the craziest, most tricked-out computer case ever. The Russian guy who did it put a ton of work into it. Pix of the "wow you really liked that movie, huh?" process here.

Compilations of interesting photos

Photos at unusual angles

Creative advertisements

Photo Manipulations by Erik Johansson

Web finds

Fireman in Australia. (Found on Digg.)

What?! No pot of gold?! (Also found on Digg.)

Today's last web find is courtesy of my dad. He forwarded an email to me about the Newseum's interactive front page viewer. It is very cool! Go check it out. It will only take 30 seconds (unless you want to view lots and lots of cities' front pages).

Top 5 Web Finds

1. "Look at me, I have more in my checking account than you'll make in a decade!" Also, an even more cynical approach: "Who cares what the FDIC limits are, Chase is 'too big to fail' so if it collapses it'll get a bailout."


2. The environmental impact of Google searches - The premise: It takes energy to run a computer. It takes lots of energy to run the numerous and ginormous (ginumerous?) Google servers. Thus, searching on Google contributes to climate change. However, the way I look at it, if you comparison shop once for something by searching online instead of by driving to brick-and-mortar stores, that saves enough carbon emissions to offset countless searches.

3. That mouthwash that hurts like heck when you use it? Yeah, it's probably making you vulnerable to cancer too.

4. Good news for those closet cabaret performers: You can now authorize Visa purchases by singing, rather than signing. High school English teachers of the world, you are right--spell check will not always save you!


5. My brother asked for a meatloaf recipe, which sounds like a simple request to fulfill. But it becomes a day long odyssey if you are like me and want to know all the possible permutations out there. Here is a list I compiled throughout the day of people's tricks and "secret ingredients":

• Use stuffing mix instead of breadcrumbs. For moister meatloaf, soak the stuffing mix in water before mixing it into the meat.
• 1 cup of cottage cheese for a richer meatloaf
• half a cup of Heinz chili sauce
• 1 cup French fried onions
• 1 cup applesauce for moisture
• 1 cup cooked rice for bulk (or use a flavored one for taste)
• 1 ½ cups refrigerated hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup refried beans (for a Mexican version, see below)
• Use crushed Ritz crackers instead of saltines
• Use crushed BBQ potato chips in place of some of the breadcrumbs or crackers
• Grape jelly in the sauce on the top
  
• Pork and beans instead of ketchup/tomato sauce
• Chili instead of ketchup/tomato sauce
• ¼ cup horseradish
• Fennel seed (my favorite)
• Hoisin sauce (for an Asian-tasting meatloaf)
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup (not diluted) as topping
• Italian dressing seasonings packet
  
• Add half the meat on the bottom of the pan, layer with cheese, then add rest of meat on top

Top 5 Web Finds

1. Pics: Just came across this today from Cute Overload. It made me laugh out loud because I can totally imagine myself trying the same thing with the same results (that is, if I had 2 cats and a dog).

2. Video: Can a cat and a crow be friends? Check out this fantastic video that my mom sent me a link to. It's about 7 minutes, but it is worth it. You especially have to see the pranking action around the 5 minute mark.

3. Article: The New York Times column The Minimalist has some good tips on what to ditch from your pantry and what to always keep on hand. It's amazing how he can make a simple bean recipe sound so delicious. I will have to try cooking dry beans since he says there's a huge difference from canned.

4. Video: Wing Suit Base Jumping. Go watch and prepare to be in awe. Something with 9,000 diggs in 2 days--you know it has to be good.

5. Lists! Who doesn't love lists?! This is a good one: What's In and Out for 2009. I must be behind the times, because I still like a lot of the "out" things (Lost, LOL Cats).