How to Make Pizza Dough Fast

June 28th, 2009

I was using another recipe and it took about 2 or more hours before pizza was on the table.

Then, I found this one, and pizza is actually ready in about 45 minutes from scratch. So - a recipe for  how to make pizza dough fast.

The ingredients you will need are:
230 ml warm water
1 spoon sugar
1/2 package of yeast (25 grams)
3 spoons olive oil
1 tea spoon salt
310 grams flour

Mix warm water yeast, sugar, olive oil and salt.

Put this mixture into flour and knead for about two minutes or less to get elastic dough. 

Leave dough to rest for about 15 minutes - it will double in its size. Voila - pizza dough ready fast!

After 15 minutes spread it out evenly on and fill with whatever you want to have on pizza (vegetables, cheese, bacon etc.)

Bake in an own for about 15 minutes on 220-240°.

Bon Apetit!

Tips on How to Remove a Tick

June 11th, 2009

Summer is coming to the Northern Hemisphere. Most of people spend a lot of sunny days outdoors hiking, walking through the forest or sitting in the parks. Most of them don’t know that danger lurks anywhere in the tall grass and shrubs. Although it cannot be seen, it doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous.
One of the biggest threats to our health is tiny, almost invisible parasite called – the tick.

What is tick?

tickTick is the common name for the small arachnids in superfamily Ixodoidea. Ticks are ectoparasites (i.e. external parasites), living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Ticks are dangerous because they are vectors of a number of diseases, such as Lyme disease, Q fever or Colorado tick fever.
Ticks’ color is usually black, brown, reddish or tan. While they’re young ticks have six legs, and the mature ticks have eight legs. They vary in size and appearance depending on the species (about 900 known species).
A tick attaches itself to its host by inserting its mouth into the skin, and it’s almost impossible to remove it.
However, there is a way, but you first have to find a tick on your skin.

Symptoms

tick_biteAs said, ticks usually vary in size, from the size of a pinhead to almost the size of a thumbtack. You will usually see them as dark spots on your skin. Perform the check naked, because ticks can be stuck anywhere on your body, from head to toes.
However, some ticks are so small it is hard to see them. So you’ll have to pay attention to other signs, such as symptoms of a skin infection which may include:

  • Pain, swelling, redness, or warmth on the skin
  • Red streaks leading from the area of bite forming an ‘eye’
  • Pus draining from the area of bite (in more serious cases of infection)
  • Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin (in more serious cases of infection)
  • Fever or chills (in more serious cases of infection)

If you couldn’t find tick, or bite spot, visit your doctor who can perform tick removal and take care of infection.

How to Remove Tick

In case you find tick on your skin, perform following:tick_removal

  • Use fine-tipped tweezers to remove a tick. If you don’t have tweezers, do not handle the tick with bare hands. Put on gloves or cover your hands with tissue paper, then remove tick with your fingers.
  • Grab the tick as close to its mouth as you can. Mouth is the part that is stuck in your skin, while the body of the tick will be above your skin.
  • Try not to grab the tick around its bloated belly. If you squeeze it, you could push infected fluid from the tick into your body.
  • Gently pull the tick straight out until its mouth lets go of your skin.
  • Dispose of the tick immediately by burning it or by squishing it using a tissue and then flushing it down the toilet. If you’re concerned that tick might have been infected, put it in a jar filled with rubbing alcohol or freeze it in a plastic bag and save it for later identification in case you get sick.

After you removed the tick, wash the area of the tick bite with a lot of warm water and soap. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water as well.

Do Not

  • Twist or “unscrew” the tick, because this may separate the tick’s head from its body and cause the mouth parts to remain in the skin
  • Squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick because its fluids may be infected, containing bacteria of some of the mentioned diseases
  • Use old wives’ recipes such as petroleum jelly, nail polish, gasoline, or rubbing alcohol trying to smother a tick that is stuck to your skin
  • Burn the tick while it is stuck to your skin

Both smothering and burning a tick could make it release fluid into your body and increase your chance of infection.

If you have a rash, headache, joint pain, fever, or flu-like symptoms even after you’ve removed tick, this could mean you have an illness related to a tick bite. Any of these symptoms, or symptoms of a skin infection, should be taken seriously and reason to visit your doctor immediately.

10 Really Weird Gadgets and Products

May 21st, 2009

For the centuries people invent various things. Most of them are made with purpose to help and simplify the life. However, some of them – although they could still have their purpose – are utterly and unexplainable weirdly made.
Here is the small list of 10 really weird products from the last few years.

USB Eye Massager

usb_eye_massagerSince USB ports started to supply power to whatever is connected via them, they’ve spawned a gazillion of useless USB-powered gadgets. One of the strangest I’ve encountered is this ‘toy’ made for eye relaxation after the many hours spent in front of the computer.
Small hand with two fingers sticking up vibrates at either a high or low speed, supposedly relaxing the areas around your eyes. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep them away.

http://www.sundayo.com/htm/product.asp?id=450

Rubik’s Cube Mp3

rubik_cube_mp3Similar to the Rubik’s Cube, each layer of this weird but interesting MP3 player has a specific function such as play, pause, forward or back. Also, to turn it off you must complete the cube.

http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/01/17/rubik-cube-mp3-player-by-hee-yong/

Nose Picker

nose_picker
Are you lazy enough to use this instead of your own finger? And is that real finger on the holder?

http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2007/02/the_nose_picker.html

Boob Radio

boob_radio
This is the breast… I mean the best radio ever. By twisting the left nipple you adjust volume and the right you tune the station. And in the same time, you enjoy the view.

http://www.gobaz.com/prodpage.asp?ProdID=6664

Musical Condom

musical_condom

You can throw away all your Barry White CDs. You don’t need them anymore thanks to Grigoriy Chausovskiy, inventor of the musical condom.
A miniature loudspeaker and motion sensor implanted in the condom’s upper cuff provides a range of musical tones during sex. Music volume depends on intensity of love-making and tone varies based on the sexual position.
That’s right, just lay and play.

http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3458374

Das Keyboard

daskeyboard
Das Keyboard is made for advanced users only. Beginners or average users might not like the idea that this keyboard comes without any printed key. That’s right. It’s completely blank, forcing users to learn ‘blind’ typing… In very unconventional way.

http://www.daskeyboard.com/

USB Hamster Wheel

usb_hamster
If you don’t have a room for real pet, this might be great substitution. All you have to do is to plug it in USB and load program from CD. As you start typing, the hamster will start running, spinning the hamster wheel. The faster you type, the faster he runs.

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/new-arrivals/usb-hamster-wheel/index.html

Aquariass - Aquarium toilet

aquariass
There are a lot of weird toilet inventions, but this is probably one of the best. Instead of toilet cistern, you have an aquarium. You’ll probably have to get new set of fishes each time you flush your toilet.
I just don’t know what PETA would say on Aquariass.

http://www.elsewareinc.com/products/aq.htm

Smallest HD TV

smallest_tv
Behold the smallest HDTV on the world. It’s called Lilliput and it’s only 1.8 Inches big (?).
However, I don’t really see point, except if you want to make your cockroaches happy.

http://lilliput-sz.diytrade.com/

Bacon Floss

bacon_floss
Tired of mint smell coming from your mouth? How about to spice it up a bit with a favorite taste of crispy bacon? By using Bacon Floss, waxed floss flavored like crispy fried bacon, you could make the boring process of flossing a little more fun.

http://www.fredflare.com/customer/product.php?productid=3756&cat=255

I used to hate muesli, now I eat oatmeal every morning

April 26th, 2009

I know muesli (musli) or American oatmeal is healthy… and yes, I knew that all along… it is just.. I couldn’t bring myself to eat them. I tried with milk, then I tried with yogurt, then I added my favorite fruit, strawberries, banana … and nothing .. it was ‘yuk’ - will you finish that bowl, I can’t - I am gonna make myself a sandwich… :(
I really wanted to eat them … It is just that I hated the taste…

Then I bought myself a blender :D And many things changed in my life :)

There I was one morning. Me, oatmeal, banana, yogurt and a blender :) I thought to myself - let’s try this. I put 5 spoons oatmeal, one banana and a some (less then a cup) yogurt. I mixed it and it was delicious. Delicious? Oatmeal delicious? Yep, oatmeal delicious :) I’ve also tried with strawberries, but it is not as good as I had expected - I guess strawberries weren’t as sweet as I thought they would be… But with banana - I highly recommend! It is one of the best breakfasts on my menu - healthy, easy for the stomach and digestion - and most of all - it is delicious :)

So, this is a story how I used to hate muesli, but now I eat oatmeal every morning :)  
  
   

13 Great Underappreciated Horror Movies

April 22nd, 2009

black-christmas-the-eyeWe all were scared by watching Exorcist, Psycho, Halloween and other well known masterpieces of horror. But, there are often forgotten underrated and underappreciated gems that deals decent amount of shock and scare as much as famous horror titles.
Here is the compiled list of 13 underappreciated scary movies.

The Sentinel (1977)

The main problem with The Sentinel was its release date. If audience saw it before Exorcist, released in 1973, this movie about beautiful model and strange occurrences in her wonderful new apartment in Brooklyn Heights, would probably be one of the best horror movies ever. But, released 4 years later, it was just another movie that was recycling the same subject, and that was probably the reason it was underrated. Besides being extra creepy, The Sentinel is also prominent because of its great cast even in small roles: Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, Jerry Orbach, Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, etc.
Clip below consists of two scenes from the movie (not the scariest one – we left that one to you)

The Sentinel


Exorcist III (1990)

Sequel to probably the scariest movie ever – Exorcist – got mostly negative reviews from the critics, inducing a 13-year hiatus. In 1990, William Peter Blatty, the writer of Exorcist, made a movie based on his novel “Legion”. Exorcist III couldn’t repeat the success of the original movie, but it provided generally creepy atmosphere, including one of the scariest scenes ever seen in horror movies (see the clip below).

Exorcist III - Nurse Station scene


The Changeling (1980)

Another movie that starred George Scott but 10 years earlier was “The Changeling”. For today’s standards (gore and blood) this movie probably wouldn’t be scary so much. But, with its spooky atmosphere, The Changeling is one of the best ghost stories ever told.

The Changeling trailer


Suspiria (1977)

Called the one of the top 25 scariest movies of all time by Entertainment Weekly, this movie cannot be underrated. But besides truly horror literate fans, how many new ‘horror freaks’ actually know anything about Suspiria and Dario Argento?
Plot is quite simple: a young American dancer travels to Europe to join a famous ballet school, only to discover the school is merely a front for a much more sinister organization. Add vivid colors, atmospheric music and some of the most brutal killings seen on screen to that and you have a winner.

Suspiria - First death scene


In The Mouth of Madness (1994)

John Carpenter made some of the most popular horror movies such as “Halloween”, “The Thing” or “Fog”, but In the Mouth of Madness, based on H.P. Lovecraft work is one of his underrated gems.

In the Mouth of Madness trailer


Visiting Hours (1980)

Michael Ironside was really creepy in Scanners. In this Canadian slasher he’s even creepier. Critics bashed Visiting Hours, but this story about journalist stalked by the killer in the hospital is one of the most underrated horror movies in 80’s.

Visiting Hours TV spot


Session 9 (2001)

Situated in abandoned Danvers hospital, this unjustly overlooked movie, starring David Caruso and Peter Mullan, is one of the best atmospheric horrors in this decade. Asbestos abatement crew takes the job at abandoned hospital, but the things went wrong from the first day.

Session 9


Dog Soldiers (2002)

Neil Marshall is better known for his “Descent” movie, but prior to that, he made one of the best werewolf movies. Dog Soldiers is scary, entertaining, gory and funny, but went underappreciated.

Dog Soldiers trailer


Candyman (1992)

With great cast, script and some nice cinematography, it is real wonder how this movie didn’t get attention it deserved. Clive Barker’s story based on urban legend about Candyman, was a box-office hit at the time, but has since fallen off fans’ radar somehow.

Candyman trailer


Death Line AKA Raw Meat (US release) (1972)

Back in 1892, an unfinished tunnel collapsed, cutting off a clutch of men and women laborers. Survivors were left to die, but somehow they didn’t. After years of underground dwelling, the last descendants of the tribe have come up for food.
This forgotten UK classic, starred Donald Pleasance and Christopher Lee is one of the best horror movies, and personally one of my favorites.

Death Line AKA Raw Meat


Black Christmas (1974)

Yes, Halloween is classic and probably my favorite horror movie, but considering the fact that Black Christmas was released 4 years before John Carpenter’s masterpiece, and it was first horror that introduced ‘killer view’, makes this flick a granddad of slasher movies. Extremely creepy and scary.

Black Christmas


Not the whole movie, but…

The best beginning:

When A Stranger Calls (1979)

The first 20 minutes of this movie, where babysitter finds where phone calls are coming from, is probably the most chilling opening ever that outshines the rest of the movie.

When A Stranger Calls

The best ending:

Sleepaway Camp (1980)

Sleepaway Camp had cheesy acting, bad script and probably the best ending in horror movies history. Image and sound when the killer is revealed will chill you to the bone and cut in your memory long after watching (see the clip).

Sleepaway Camp - final scene