Adding Smarts to a Ceiling Fan

Added smarts to the ceiling fan over our bed. We can now control it from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection, solving a problem we didn’t have. More likely use cases include: control it by voice from bed, and turn it off automatically when when we leave our home.

Categorized as IT

Rice

Tonight I’m making one-pot comfort food: chicken and brown rice. I rarely stray from these three types of rice when cooking: sushi, Arborio, and short-grain brown.

Categorized as Cook

Thai Eggplant

This weekend I’m cooking with ingredients I’ve never used before. Today: Thai eggplant. Tomorrow: oxtail.

Categorized as Cook

Gai Lan

Picked up gai lan, Chinese broccoli, from an Asian supermarket. My new favorite vegetable has a stronger, slightly more bitter taste than regular broccoli. We stir-fry the stalks for a while, then add the rest. We might include garlic, fresh ginger, sugar, shoyu, and fish sauce.

Categorized as Cook

Paperless Valentine’s Day

Went paperless: pulled together photos from previous Valentine’s Days, including these cards from 2016, to display on our kitchen assistant.

The Last Incandescent Bulb

With a high of -4°F, stayed in, continued my home energy review. All our lights are LED… except this holdout in the clothes dryer. Decided to keep the 10 watt incandescent bulb because it’s only on for a few minutes per week. Besides, it lets me healthily embrace imperfection.

Smart Range Hood Lighting

Satisfied my inner nerd, at least for today: modified wiring to make lights in the range hood smart, probably invalidating the warranty. The lights are now included in scenes with other kitchen lights, and can be adjusted by voice.

The Arrival of the Reamer

Today: The Arrival of the Reamer. It replaces a chipped glass juicer left behind by a roommate in 1976.

Categorized as Cook