Links friday 18 aug 2023; the zen of coding and more

Good to know these hand made USB cables with hidden implant exist.

I am all in favor of editing flat files. They are portable, easy to change editors, platform independent, and very easy to search across, just using your Linux, Windows or MacOS search capabilities. All my notes are in simplified markdown. When I need to generated html from it, this service is so easy: markdowntohtml.

Craid Mod’s article about what I would call the Zen of Coding.

Alan Jacobs’s article on why he doesn’t use Canvas specifically, and warn for data harvesting and ‘surveillance capitalism’. Instead, as I do, he prefers open source en open web technologies instead. Plus some wise words on ChatGTP and how it will not help his students any more than other tools.

Pizza toast

Pizza toast is a Japanese invention. Craig Mod made a beautiful movie about a Japanese cook crafting pizza toast with incredible dedication. Pizza toast is best consumed on a low table, cross-legged on on your knees. You carefully break one of the pre-cut quadrants loose and eat in with small bites.

To make pizza-toast, the thick Japanese toast bread is best. I have only seen slices as thick as 3-4 cm in Japan. At home, I use our Dutch bread, but it doesn’t come close. Japanese pizza-toast is superior.

Harissa over alles

Ik ben gek op Harissa. Het kan overal op.

Geïnspireerd door deze prachtige video van Craig Mod over een Japanse restaurateur maakt ik deze tosti met harissa:

Beleg twee sneetjes brood (liefst dikke plakken) met belegen of extra belegen kaas. Besmeer met Harissa (uit een potje of maak zelf). Snij een aantal snoeptomaatjes in de lengte doormidden en leg de halve tomaatje op de besmeerde plakken kaas.

Leg de tosti’s 10 minuten in op 200 graden voorverwarmde oven.

Brand je mond niet aan de hete tomaat, laat even afkoelen.

Craig Mod’s blog and newsletters

Craig Mod has a beautiful blog at craigmod.com. Craig is what I would call a generally very interesting person. He writes about his travels – he walks a lot, about photography. His blog inspired me to start writing longer form blog posts again.

Craig manages a few very interesting newsletters. I can recommend all three.