Jue's Blog

I’ve had a few liberating moments in my life: getting a driver’s license; starting college; graduating from college; traveling abroad for the first time. But none of these compare to the freedom of being able to bake pizza from scratch.

Imagine having a brick-oven pizzeria that delivers 24/7/365. Except it’s not a pizzeria, it’s yourself. Here’s how to make it happen.

This is all adapted from articles elsewhere on the web: this pizza dough recipe, this sauce recipe, and this advice from the NYTimes.

It’s true that there is an art to pizza-making, but don’t get bogged down in details. Even if you get something wrong, it’ll still be pretty damn good–an approach you should take to most cooking.
Full recipe…

Here’s an easy soup made with parsnips, or as I like to think of them, perfumed carrots:

Start a mirepois–a 1:2:2 mixture of diced celery, onions, and carrots, in olive oil, over medium-low heat. When this mixture is soft and starting to brown, add in another 1 part potatoes , 1 part zucchini, and 2 parts parsnips (all diced). Add slightly more than enough stock (vegetable or chicken) to cover this, and toss in a bay leaf, a whole clove, a few dashes of coriander, and simmer for half an hour on low heat, or until parsnips are soft. Stir in a handful of chopped scallions. Ladle out half the soup into a blender, pulse a few times, and return to pot. Stir until even, and salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: garnish with chopped parsley, a dollop of sour cream, grated parmesan, or some julienned cucumber.

Serve with a hunk of homemade bread.

Need a web-dev-oriented job or know someone who does? Here is the listing for hiring my successor at Science news in Washington, DC (that’s the news department of the journal Science, not to be confused with the magazine Science News).

The original job listing is buried in the middle of this page, and you can also submit your resume / application there.

Feel free to get in touch with me to learn more about what the job entails.

Computer Specialist II, Science News (Req. #1832)
(Full Time) Location: Washington DC

Position: Computer Specialist II, Science News

Requisition #: 1832

Department: Science News

Date Opened: 05/02/2010

Location: Washington, D.C., USA

Recruiter: L. Noel

Science, the world’s leading journal of original scientific research and global news, seeks a full-time employee to produce, manage, and promote web content for its news department.

Specific tasks may include, but are not limited to:

• Design new features for website;
• Manage and update current website features;
• Promote news content on blogs and aggregator sites;
• Develop apps for mobile devices;
• Assist in long-range planning of technology activities;
• Analyze web traffic using Google Analytics; and
• Develop on-line and “breaking news” features.

The minimum qualifications to be competitive and considered for the position are:

• Extensive university or college level training leading to a Bachelor’s degree in a related; field or an equivalent combination of education and
  work experience;
• Professional experience in web development, including XHTML, CSS, and Javascript;
• Familiarity with blogging platforms such as Movable Type;
• Basic graphic design on Photoshop;
• Production of basic Flash content;
• Facility with Facebook and Twitter, and experience creating content for these platforms;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Excellent project management skills; and
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced publishing environment.

Facility with scripting languages such as PHP or Python for routine task automation is a plus

A science background or demonstrated interest in science is preferred

See full ad to apply.

The movement of music that got me into classical, by the composer that got me into classical.