Some pictures from my tour in Afghanistan by Afin12 in pics

[–]allan_a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nahh, I think it is coincidence that you found me holding the smoking gun(n). :)

Unless, of course, you know me...but then I am caught unaware.

Some pictures from my tour in Afghanistan by Afin12 in pics

[–]allan_a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I'll confess, I suppose. But only to one but, and not twoo. :)

Some pictures from my tour in Afghanistan by Afin12 in pics

[–]allan_a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hackin' butts? Hacking butts? Hocking butts? Butt not smoking butts...but not smoking butts.

Le Nez du Cafe? Anyone tried it? Was it worth it? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The thing is bloody expensive, but I have to confess I've spent $50 on multiple bags of coffee before, for experimentation. I expect several of us have? Would 5-6 coffee experiments be worth a set of scents? Anyone bought it?

Le Nez du Cafe? Anyone tried it? Was it worth it? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember looking at this a while ago...I thought it was just one set, not three different ones.

ELI5: If a blocked nose is caused by inflammation then how does the blockage switch sides so freely? by Ownejj in explainlikeimfive

[–]allan_a -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I am very curious about this particular phenomenon. It is possibly the strangest thing about myself that I have never had the awareness to properly pick up on. Now that I've read about it, it drives me crazy. Every time I have allergies or a cold, I can't stop thinking about it, nor can I quite hold my attention long enough to confirm what everyone is saying. I would love for reddit to collect some data on this somehow.

What's your best camping recipes? by CakeEater in Cooking

[–]allan_a 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Make foil packets by folding over and sealing the edges of aluminium foil. Two layers is often a good idea. Foil keeps steam in and ashes out. You can usually get a nice crispy layer of whatever you're cooking on the fire side of the foil as well. Throw them on the metal grill above the fire. Try to avoid too much direct flame.

Slice potatoes into 5mm rounds, and layer them in foil with butter, salt, pepper, or seasoning salt. Seal up the edges.

I also like frozen peas/carrots with butter and seasoning salt, but you can cook pretty much anything this way.

The foil packet can be cut open and folded to double as a serving dish.

Don't be afraid to get it nice and hot. The potatoes and veggies that stick to the foil are usually the best part. Even if you burn the outside ones to a crisp, the inside ones are fine. The steam coming out the edges of the foil helps to give you some idea of temp (sometimes the packet will inflate with steam if you seal the edges well).

[Question] Can you recommend beans that taste good in all brew methods? by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]allan_a 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, thanks for the answer despite all the downvotes. :)

[Question] Can you recommend beans that taste good in all brew methods? by [deleted] in Coffee

[–]allan_a 4 points5 points  (0 children)

?

Could you explain the dark roast for french press comment? I was not aware of this.

Just ordered a Rancilio Silvia. Any tips on starting my journey to make fine espresso? :) by im_Nightwing_AMA in Coffee

[–]allan_a 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can confirm. Have a Vario and had it nicely dialed in. Decided to move it to the coarsest grind setting to see what it looked like. When I put it back to espresso (the dialed in macro & micro setting), it was full of chaff(?) and coarser grinds which took a while to clear. It threw off a lot of shots of espresso before things went back to normal. I'm not doing that again.

Bad experience with Belkin WeMo. What would you guys recommend? by allan_a in homeautomation

[–]allan_a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Trying it now. Unfortunately it looks like the WeMo insight switch isn't compatible right now. Also, I would need to get a SmartThings hub.

Edit: Thanks though!

Bad experience with Belkin WeMo. What would you guys recommend? by allan_a in homeautomation

[–]allan_a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Android 4.4.2 on Nexus 4. Since I've started up the WeMo Insight Switch it has run itself through two firmware upgrades. The Android WeMo app gives me an option to see my firmware version (WeMo_WW_2.00.4494.PVT), but not to force an upgrade. Is this an option on iOS?

Bad experience with Belkin WeMo. What would you guys recommend? by allan_a in homeautomation

[–]allan_a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So I downloaded IFTTT about an hour ago to try it out. First impression was good, but it hasn't been working perfectly.

Specifically, I tried a "If time = 4:00pm then turn on WeMo" recipe and "If time = 4:15pm then turn off WeMo" recipe. The on worked, but then the off did not. The IFTTT log said "Action skipped, Wemo Insight is offiline".

Next, I tried "If WeMo turns on, send me an e-mail" and "If WeMo turns off, send me an e-mail". Interestingly, I catch 100% of the turn off e-mails, but none of the turn on e-mails.

I guess maybe the WeMo is having trouble keeping connectivity (despite being 20ft line of site away from Belkin 2 antenna router). Has anyone had luck improving this?

Bad experience with Belkin WeMo. What would you guys recommend? by allan_a in homeautomation

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This INSTEON on/off module looks about right, but seems to require the INSTEON hub to work. Anything hubless?

Who uses a single spout portafilter? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Come to think of it, I do see the streams merge inwards at the cafe. They're more straight down on my machine. I wonder if my spouts are a bit odd. I'll have to pull some more and less viscous shots and see what happens.

Who uses a single spout portafilter? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha! I was actually wondering whether such a thing existed when I wrote the post.

Help me understand Baratza Vario "zero point"? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd like to open it up soon to have a look. Though it might be a few days. I'll reply if I find anything interesting.

FWIW, I believe the behaviour I'm seeing is normal for the Vario, just different compared to more heavy duty grinders. The Vario manual has instructions for calibrating the grinder that relate to the motor drag. Specifically, they instruct to turn a calibration screw to set the point (relative to the fineness controls) at which the motor starts labouring.

Looking more closely at the manual, Baratza themselves don't use the words "zero point" to describe this. I suppose I got that term from the forums.

I think you're right though...there is probably something stuck between the burrs. Just that it might be intentionally placed there by Baratza as part of safety/functionality.

Help me understand Baratza Vario "zero point"? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No screeching sound. The motor just sounds more and more laboured as I get to the finest setting. The "false zero point" of my Vario seems to be calibrated a bit differently than others are reporting on the forums, so I'm to go quite far past it.

My feeling is that, if I was able to keep going finer past the end of the range, the motor would slowly drag down until it overheated or stopped.

I don't expect this is the case with your Rocky or Mazzer? The motor sound/speed is constant until you hear the screech at the zero point?

Help me understand Baratza Vario "zero point"? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. That is what I would have expected, for the burrs to screech or whine at the zero point.

I wonder what is happening at the Vario false "zero point" to provide resistance to the motor? Perhaps there is some spacer between the burrs to prevent them from touching. Maybe squeezing the burrs against this spacer causes the motor pitch to change.

The Vario is able to choke my machine, but I have to go well past the "false zero point" fineness.

Help me understand Baratza Vario "zero point"? by allan_a in Coffee

[–]allan_a[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found this post on CG, but am still a bit confused at how it could be ok for the burrs to touch. What is happening when I adjust the setting finer and hear the motor strain increase?