Stephen Chapman

Photo Shortlisted in the Guardian Competition

Steve — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:41:17 +0000

I discovered yesterday that one of my photos made the shortlist in the November Been There competition run by the Guardian. It was a great surprise to see it considering received no notification. You can view the gallery at this link:

Stephen Chapman, Guardian Been There Competition

The winning photo came from Laura Cook, a MatadorU student, as did the snowy scene captured near Seattle by Genevieve Hathaway.

Game 1: Redskins 28, Giants 14

Steve — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:36:12 +0000

I’ve always struggled to stay interested in the football season here in the UK, it’s too long. It runs from August to May; teams play about 38 games each I think, and I just find it too drawn out. The NFL season in the US runs from September to December/January and teams play about 15 games each. This stretch might just be short enough to retain my interest, so as part of my move to the U.S. this year I’m attempting to follow (and get excited about) NFL.

I ‘watched’ the first Washington Redskins game via the internet on ESPN last night, trying to follow along play-by-play. It’s probably a bit easier to understand the game by watching online because there’s so much explanation available. But right now I’m starting with the basic rules of the game–the NFL beginners guide to football. Some key points:

x4 15-minute quarters
Teams change ends after each quarter
The defense team kicks from their 30-yard line to start the quarter
The offence gets 4 chances to gain each 10 yards
A pass must be thrown from behind the line of scrimmage
Touchdown=6pts, Conversion=1pt (2pts if run in), Field Goal=3pts

Pound cake

Steve — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:53:37 +0000

Traditionally made with a pound of each of the four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, eggs. The concept is however more about an equal ratio of ingredients than the actual quantity used. I’ve only ever come across the term ‘pound cake’ in the U.S., although it is a recipe used across the world. The brandy is a great addition in this recipe from Larousse Gastronomique. I used wholemeal flour instead of plain flour.

Ingredients:

3 large eggs (separated)
200g sugar
200g wholewheat flour
200g unsalted butter (melted)
3 tblsp brandy

Method

Using an electric mixer beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in the melted butter and then the flour. Finally add the brandy.
Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold into the cake mixture.
Butter and flour a loaf tin.
Bake for 40-45 mins. 200C until risen (about 20 mins) and then 220C for the remainder of the time.

Homemade Crumpets

Steve — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 13:50:51 +0000

A simple crumpets recipe. I discovered it in the back of one of my mum’s old magazines. I’ve always wanted to have a go at turning out these strange looking airy cakes. This is a Galton Blackiston recipe, from his book ‘Summertime’:

Ingredients (makes 6)

175ml milk
3/4 tsp caster sugar
5g dried yeast
175g plain flour (I used strong bread flour)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

Heat the milk in a pan until just warm. Stir in sugar and yeast and leave to stand for 10 minutes, until the milk starts to froth. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre, add the milk and beat until smooth.
Cover the dough and leave in a warm place for 1 hour (or overnight) until doubled in size and full of air bubbles.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda with 80ml water and beat into the batter.
Lightly brush a heavy based pan with butter and grease your ring moulds (each 7.5cm diameter). Spoon about 3 tblsp batter into each mould and cook over a low heat, for 6-7 minutes, until lots of bubbles have formed on the surface. Remove the moulds and flip over the crumpets for 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

The crumpet batter can be prepared overnight and the bicarbonate of soda added just before cooking.

HOW TO: Back Up Mac

Steve — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:46:07 +0000

I avoided backing up my mac for a long time. I’ve had this macbook pro for about two years now. The added expense of an external hard drive, and a lack of knowledge on how to make a proper back up is what caused the delay.

Choosing a hard drive

Hard drive prices are now low compared to what they used to be. I ordered a Western Digital Elements 2TB external hard drive on amazon this week for about $80. I had considered a 3TB drive, but decided I’d be better off spending an extra few dollars and getting a couple of 2TB drives if I need extra storage (in case of mechanical faults on the drive).

I opted for the Western Digital Elements Hard Drive because it is one of few that does not come with any pre-installed back up software.

Re-formatting an external hard drive drive for Mac

When I received the hard drive it was pre-formatted for Windows. Good instruction on how to re-format a new hard drive for use with a mac can be found on YouTube: Mac Tutorial- Formatting External Hard Drive, by Neek247.

Partitioning an external hard drive

I will be using the drive to back up two Macbook Pros. Any hard drive can be partitioned so that it operates like multiple storage devices. In my case I decided to partition the drive into four 500GB sections. The first 500GB will be used for Time Machine and the second to create a carbon copy clone of my hard drive. The capacity of my Macbook Pro is 500GB. Good instruction on how to partition a hard drive on a mac can be found on YouTube: Partitioning An External Hard Drive: Mac Edition, by kengkavan

The Back Up Solution

Time Machine is a very useful tool for restoring files that have been deleted, or for restoring previous system settings. The depth of the archive that Time Machine retains is dependent upon the amount of space you have available on your hard drive. Once capacity is reached it will automatically delete the oldest data and continue to operate.

Carbon Copy Cloner is free piece of software that can be used to make a carbon copy of your hard drive. This is useful because if your Macbook hard drive should fail it will allow you to reboot your computer from your external hard drive.

For some people a single back up on an external hard drive is not adequate, and they want a second back up in different location. In this instance the cloud is a good option, particularly a service like Dropbox or Amazon S3 storage.

HOW TO: Get the new YouTube layout Cosmic Panda

Steve — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:27:03 +0000

Finally Google is learning how to add some style to its web services. Gmail reveived a much approved new look with the Preview and Preview (dense) themes; and the unveiling of Google+ has brought some significant network-wide improvements to their overall look and feel.

Latest to pull the cover off a new skin is YouTube with the Cosmic Panda experience.

How to switch to You Tube Cosmic Panda

To switch to the new layout visit http://www.youtube.com/cosmicpanda

Getting out on the bike

Steve — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:29:47 +0000

I got out on my old Kona mountain bike for the first time in years yesterday. Glad I did, it’s a great way to enjoy these summer evenings. I’d forgotten what a simple pleasure it is to ride a bike.

I’ve been a regular reader of Tom’s Bike Trip over the last few years, and often felt inspired to get back out on two wheels, now I’ve finally managed it I just need to make it a regular thing.

Rigid fork bikes are a rare sight on the trails these days; suspension has become pretty standard, making my hardtail 1996 Kona Cinder Cone somewhat retro. it still rides well though and is light as a feather.

The fact that Ebay is a new invention since I was last into the mountain biking scene really shows how long it’s been. I might have to jump on there and find some cheap SPDs, they used to cost a fortune back in the day. Should probably get a new helmet first though.

Checkout my route on Runkeeper.

HOW TO: Set-up a VPN

Steve — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:57:04 +0000

It was an imminent move to the U.S. that prompted me to think about setting up a VPN. Browsing the web from abroad and discovering that your access to some sites and content is restricted can be infuriating.

Get a U.S. VPN and you can watch shows on Hulu

Bypass local content restrictions

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) enables you to bypass local content restrictions by altering the digital fingerprint of your location. I can now be in the U.S. but appear digitally to be in London, opening up the ability to watch Eastenders on BBC iPlayer, Neighbours on Five-on-demand, and even listen to Spotify.

Use a VPN Provider

After a quick bit of research I realised that this is not something I will be able to set-up myself, and fortunately there are no shortage of companies offering VPN services; I just needed to find one at a good price that seemed easy to understand and allowed me to do what I needed to – watch foreign TV.

I went with StrongVPN

I’ve ended up using StrongVPN. For $55/year I now have a VPN that I can switch between the UK and U.S., depending which side of the Atlantic I’m on.

The set-up is super easy, check out the Step-by-step Mac instructions.

WiFi security is another reason to get a VPN

Not only does a VPN open up foreign content for you, but it also makes you a bit more secure when browsing the Web from public WiFi spots.

Launch of ReallySavvy.com

Steve — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:53:20 +0000

It’s been a number of months in the making but I finally launched ReallySavvy.com yesterday.

A day at Wimbledon

Steve — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:43:01 +0000

We arrived in the queue on Wimbledon Common at 0730, and by 1130 we had our ground passes for the Tennis Championships. A long, hot day left us exhausted when we left at 1930.

Car parking (car park 6) £25
x2 Ground passes £20 each
x2 Baguettes for lunch £5.50 each
Strawberries and cream £2.50
Large Pimms £7