Wednesday 25 December 2013

My VegeChristmas

Grandmother's Nativity.
She is very religious
    And so the Christmas lunch is over.

    As announced, it was completely based on vegan cooking. To tell you the truth, my kindred used cheese on pasta and eggs and milk for the dessert, but they were very attentive on all the other dishes. Still, between vegan and vegetarian recipes, it was a very cruelty-free oriented event. Even, at some point, one of my aunts, while eating a soy-based dish, exclaimed: "This stew is very tasty! This meat is so tender!". Se was really convinced that it was a real meat stew!

Cousin and aunt
at work in the kitchen
    The menu was quite varied, and included salt pies as appetizers, along with a common millet salad, a very tasty risotto with mushrooms, a special soybean stew with peperoni, some chicory, and fruits in quantity.

    It's been an ejoyable lunch for everyone, even for the ones most skeptical about the absence of meat. My cousin actually has not resisted to taste a meat roulade prepared by my grandmother for tomorrow, but it was a single, isolated, case.

    I am proud of my family. At least for today ;).

Photo of the table
Salt pies
Soyabean stew

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Back to Diablo 3!

My baba's equipment
    After few months I'm back to play some Diablo 3 on PC.

    I was tempted to wait for the PS4 version, but my Baba on the PC account is way too equipped to be left aside to start from scratch. The possibility to play locally with up to 4 friends is very alluring, though, so perhaps I'll buy the Ultimate Evil edition anyway. We will see.

    I admit I have spent some € to buy a bounch of millions of gold from the real money Action House, as the costs have dropped quite alot (around 1,5€ for 50 millions gold!). Sure is that the game seems much easier than I remember. Now I can play quite relaxed up to Monster Power 8, while previously my ideal farming (regarding speed and survivability) was around MP6. Epic loot drops alot, even if crap, for the most part. As always :P. I use a classic Whirlwind build, even if I'm stuck on my 2 handed Skorn, while I discovered the optimizied build is now based on dual wielding. I still kick butts hard though ;) .

    The game is still very fun to play. The multiplayer too has been much improved and is now a valuable experience. By the way, Diablo has been one of my very first favorite games: they say first love is never forgotten, and Diablo 3 is a valid heir to D1 and D2, in my opinion.

    Anyway, my battleTag is Zanfire#2225 : I usually like to play solo, but, perhaps, we can eventually have a run or two together, here and there. So, see you on B.Net !

My baba's build and numbers

May the Christmas be with you!

    So, Christmas has arrived. This month has been tough, in my shop. Despite the business does not shine because of the general crisis that harass Italy, keep open every day is stressful and demanding. I 'm looking forward to spending a few days in total relaxation!

    With the start of the new year, my new apartment will be ready, and I will then proceed to move in. I hope such operation will be quick and painless. I will also need a trip to Ikea to buy some furniture to fill the new rooms, as the new house is much bigger than previous one :D!

    The PS4 is proving to be a great console: quick and agile, although you can clearly see that it is still raw in the operating system, and plagued by some major technical problems. For example, I have not received two trophies for what I have met the requirements: I'll be forced to replay a large piece of the related game in order to conquer my 34th Platinum :/ .

    Assassin 's Creed 4 is really an impressive title, both from the technical point of view and for the fun it provides. The pirate's life is a dream, and the game manages to well convey the feeling of piloting a ship and boarding others! Now I really want to see inFamous: Second Son!

    I managed to convince my family to have a vegetarian Christmas (if not vegan), and tomorrow will be a pleasure to eat at a table not laden with pieces of the corpses of creatures born and lived in suffering! Truly a wonderful gift!

    Well , I hope to publish soon something more interesting than this post: I have in mind an article for additional tips on how to defeat the Legendary Ships of AC4 ( the official guide does not help enough, imho) and a new hook story for Star Wars - Edge of the Empire: Star Wars and the Raiders of the Lost Ark!

    Well, May the Christmas Be With You and Han Claus brings you a Millenium Falcon full of beautiful gifts : D!

    Oh, by the way, Chuck wanna wish you the best of things, too ;) (see the video!).

Friday 6 December 2013

PS4 remote play through PSVita

Assassin's Creed 4 on PSVita through remote play
    I finally tried the PS4 remote play, and I was really impressed.

    Configuring everything is a very simple procedure, and allows the total control of the PS4 through the PSVita. You'll be able to use the dashboard of the last Sony console with ease and efficiency.

    But the real strength of this feature shines on gaming: I have only tried Assassin's Creed 4 and Contrast, for now, but the result was really excellent. The performances are great, although my eyes seems to perceive a slight drop in framerate. Sometimes it can be difficult to follow the game on the small screen of the PSVita, but it is a very little problem compared to the final results. Even the way in which PS4 joypad commands are simulated is extremely functional: the rear touch panel of PSVita, divided into 4 quadrants, is used to allow you operate the keys missing on the portable console. Personally I am not yet very accustomed to this system, but I think it's just a matter of habit (Yeah, I'm a bit refractory to all this late touch-thing :P).
TV above, PSVita below

    The remote control worked perfectly with the PS4 about 2 meters from the router and the PSVita to about 5, without concrete walls but with wooden doors between.

    Overall, it is therefore a very powerful innovation, in my opinion, that allows you to enjoy your PS4 keeping the TV free for others or lying around in another room (in bedroom, out in the balcony, in the bathroom... Uhmmm, the possibilities are endless!).

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Vegan Recipe: Penne with Brussels sprouts

    One other simple but delicious recipe, especially if you like pasta and Brussels sprouts!

    It is quite fast to prepare, as it requires almost only the time of a common pasta (so, around 20 minutes).




Penne with Brussels sprouts

Ingredients

    about 1 pound of pasta per person
    3-4 Brussels sprouts per person
    2 tablespoons of olive oil
    2 pieces of garlic
    A cup of tomato sauce
    chilli
    oregano
    salt

Preparation

    1) Fill a pot with plenty of water, in which you will cook the pasta (regulate the amount based on how much pasta you use). Put the brussel sprouts into the water, after cleaning them a bit. Bring the water to a boil, keeping the pot covered.


    2) In the meantime, prepare a smaller pot to cook the Brussel sprouts with tomato sauce. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil in the bottom of this pot, together with the finely chopped garlic.

    3) When the water for the pasta begins to boil, remove sprouts, let them cool a bit and cut or break them in order to get leaves and small pieces. Fry the garlic until it darkens, then add the brussel sprouts, letting them absorb the oil, and add a bit of salt and chilli. When the oil is well dried, add the tomato and let it cook on low heat, keeping the pot covered and stirring occasionally.

    4) Add salt to the boiling water and throw pasta in. Wait until it is ready, constantly checking the brussels sprouts sauce. If it becomes too dry, add a tablespoon of water.

    5) When the pasta is ready, drip it and add the brussel sprouts all together into the pot, along with a bit of fresh oregano.

    6) Serve and eat !

Friday 29 November 2013

PS4! It's here!

    It's here! Fresh from Amazon, SDA just delivered my new, Day1 PS4! Can't wait to unbox, connect it and see how PSVita works with this new jewel!

    Assassin's Creed 4 is already prepared near the TV, ready to be played.

    I want inFamous: Second Son as soon as possible, too, and I hope they'll make some super-cool RPG/JRPG for this new, powerful consolle!

    The box is marked with a small blotch of blood, silent witness to the hard work that has enabled me to enjoy my new, blazing PlayStation 4: D

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Christmas Showcases

Whole showcase
    Like every Christmas, this year too we put alot care in the preparation of the outer showcases of our store.

    We decided to focus on red, white and green colors, pretty typical for this holiday season (and the colors of the Italian flag too: dunnow if this is a good thing, to be honest :P).

    It was a lot of work to prepare them, since, after attending a course of windows dressing, I have become quite a perfectionist in this field (a bit too much for someone).

    Still, I'm really pleased with the final result, even if I'm still forced to work with some animal products (mostly leather straps for watches). Things will changes in the future, anyway.

    Here follows a detailed gallery of watches window:


Home made Half-Bread

    Today, my girlfriend has prepared a home-made bread.

     To tell the truth, she started yesterday, using a process longer and more complicated than usual, finishing cooking it today.

     It is a bread made with a mix of normal and wholemeal flours. The final product was excellent, despite the interior resulted a little too dense than she expected!

    As for me, I was not impressed by the first sample, but I must admit that, by eating more, it is not bad at all!

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Tara the fugitive!!

Little Tara!
    Yesterday (Monday 25 november 2013), during the usual walk with Ennoia, me and my girlfriend came across a breton dog who, clearly confused and afraid, wandered on the streets of my small town.

    Many people have tried to close up to the animal, giving up quickly as their approach was not working. Someone managed to give him a caress, someone else made ​his dog play with the stray one. But no one has bothered to try to understand what he was doing around, alone and restless, without a human with him.

    So, following him for a while, we were able to approach and calm him a bit, and I stayed with her (we realized that she was a female) while my partner went to retrieve a leash to be able to lead the animal to the local police, as there was no identifying mark on her collar.

    The dog proved to be clean, well maintained and very quiet, and she followed us, without any problem, to the police office. Here the cops, after keeping us waiting 45 minutes outside in the cold, heroically managed to recover the device to read the microchip and to contact the owner (ironic mode on...).

    The surprise was great when we found out that the pet's family is my relative!! The world is small, isn't it, especially in towns like the one I reside in!

    In any case, great was the joy in seeing the dog, named Tara, wagging his tail with happiness, excited at the sight of her owner came to pick her up.

    A small misadventure ended well for everyone!

Friday 22 November 2013

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag - Black Chest Edition, part. 1

    AC4 Black Chest Edition just arrived! Guys, it's much bigger than I thought! Ennoia too is quite iterested in it, as you can see from the photo ^_^ !

    I peeked inside the chest, but I'm going to open it up later, calmly. Finding a place to expose the whole box will be a problem, as my AC-dedicated cabinet is already full of stuff!!

    Cool. Now I just need Amazon to send me my PS4 to play this game -.-'

Friday 15 November 2013

Instruments of torture

    If you are a researcher, even at the dawn of 2014, you can safely choose your favorite instruments of torture while sitting comfortably on your house sofa.

     Companies like Ugo Basile provide a comprehensive range of tools designed to coerce, frighten, blanching, drugging, electrocute or disorient a wide variety of animals, from rats to small birds and dogs. All provided with every kind of measuring instrument capable of recording the level of torture you are applying to the creature!

     For those who still believe in the fact that laboratory animals are treated with respect and care, I recommend you to browse through the following link, which bring you to Ugo Basile catalog:

     http://www.ugobasile.com/media/pdf/Catalogue.pdf

     Try to understand the nefarious ways in which these tools can be used.

     Necessary evil or lucrative business? As a good Veg, I strongly lean for the latter.

Thursday 14 November 2013

The Je'daii Code

"There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no fear; there is power.
I am the heart of the Force.
I am the revealing fire of light.
I am the mystery of darkness
In balance with chaos and harmony,
Immortal in the Force."

Ennoia ready for the rain!

    Here is Ennoia wearing her new anorak!

    To be honest, she does not feel very confortable with that thing covering her body, but, hey, it's warm and keep water away from her coat, so she definitively should take her time to get used to it :P!

   
    One thing is sure: she's a true poser!

Vegan Recipe: Vegetables & Tofu Stew

Seitan variant
    Today I'm sharing an easy but quite mouthwatering vegan recipe!

    People who tasted this dish were really happy and striken by the result, even if much depends if you like tofu or seitan.

    The very simple idea behind this is to create something similar to a peperonate, adding tofu and/or seitan and keeping the cooking time a bit shorter. You can experiment by using other vegetables, as the cooking procedure is always the same. For example, I use peas or beans, sometimes.

    It requires about 40 minutes to serve, including the preparation of ingredients and the cooking phase.

Vegetables and Tofu* Stew

Ingredients (for 2-3 people, according to appetite!)

    1x zucchini
    1x Small eggplant (or 1/2 of a large one)
    1x carrot
    1x Pepperoni (red, yellow or green, as you prefer)
    1/2x red onion
    3x cloves of garlic
    1/2 jar of mushrooms
    1/2 bottle of tomato juice
    200g of tofu*
    Oil
    Salt
    Chilli
    Oregano and/or basilic
    Flour

Variant with tofu and peas, but no pepperoni
Preparation

    1. Cut zucchini, eggplant, carrot, pepperoni, garlic and tofu into cubes (around 1cm is ok; garlic should be smaller); cut the onion into half moons.

    2. Fill the bottom of a high pot with a layer of oil (a bit less of 1cm is ok), put garlic and onion inside and brown them at slow fire.

    3. Add zucchini, eggplant, carrot and pepperoni, and simmer them for about 5 minutes, until the base made of oil is well absorbed. Add spices (salt and chilli) during this stage, in order for them to be absorbed by the vegetables.

    4. Add tomato juice. Cook everything for about 10-15 minutes (use the carrots as a hint: when they become soft, it's time to go to the next point!), keeping the pot covered and stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.

    5. Add mushrooms and tofu*. Cook the whole for another 5-10 minutes, always at low fire, stirring frequently. Around the end of this stage, add a tablespoon of flour to create a bit of creaminess (the level of creaminess depends alot upon what kind of tomato juice you used).

    6. Add oregano or basilic just one minute before removing the dish from fire.

    7. Serve with bread and beer!

*= Tofu can be replaced with seitan, but in this case, you should cook it a bit longer after you added it to the mixture (point 5). Still, seitan is pure gluten, so tofu is a healthier choice.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Know the Force

The Sith Code and The Jedi Path
    Ahhhhh. My knowledge is now complete! I finally gathered the main tomes of both the Light and the Dark Side users of the Force!

    The two books that you see in the photos are a wonderful addition to the collection of any Star Wars geek.

The Sith Code - Interior 1
    These are two beautiful editions, exquisitely crafted in all aspects (especially the visual one, thanks to the high quality paper used and the impressive graphical layout), that contains a collection of informations about the two opposed orders of Force users: the Jedi and the Sith.

The Jedi Path - Interior 1
    The two volumes encompass many interesting details on the history, philosophy, the way to act, to fight, the creation of lightsabers, the use of the force of these two distinct factions.

The Jedi Path - Interior 2
    The constant references to some of the most important characters of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, from Darth Revan to Bane, Yoda or Anakin, make them a source of deepening absolutely necessary for every lover of the two main orders of Force Users, that forge the fate of the galaxy by thousands of years!
The Sith Code - Interior 2

     You can find both these books on Amazon.com, for the honest price of $17,00 / €15,00 . There is a rarer, cooler and much more expensive special edition, called Vault Edition that comprises a bunch of nice gadgets in addition to the books. Pity it doesn't exists in Italian (for now....!!)

Tuesday 12 November 2013

A Sunday with cats

    This sunday I spent some times at my girlfriend place, where Kiro and Nobu, the two black cats you can see in these photos, kindly posed for some shots!

    Are not they incredibly photogenic?

Monday 11 November 2013

Heroes of Water - A Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Adventure Hook

    Here is my first attempt to a complete adventure for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. This is only the general synopsis of the story, but neverthless a strong track of how the events should go, so everyone can adapt it to his group style with few effort. In the future I'll probably write down a complete list of Acts, and Scenes, but this will happen after I play the adventure with my own group!

    This adventure is completely inspired by the movie A Dark Truth, which addresses the issue of the exploitation of South America's water reserve.

Heroes of Water - Synopsis

    On a small planet, a galactic company is trying to conclude the exploitation of a precious and delicious reserve of water (or any other valuable resources, as it fits better to your campaign! This can sounds like Hutt stuff, too, right?). To do this, the company had started a systemtic extermination of the local population, unleashing a wave of disease through water and food supply, and then using a local militia, backed by the Imperial troops, to complete the massacre.

    One of the leaders of the company who still has some moral sense, kept in the dark about this businness, suddenly become aware of these atrocities and decides to hire a group of unknown "adventurers " to go take a look and bring back evidences and/or survivors of this wickedness, promising a large sum of credits as reward.

    This good-hearted leader is watched by another manager and his assistant security officer, who hires a murderer to spy on him, and, where appropriate, to remove any proof of their plan that leaves the planet.

    The adventurers must find a way to land on the planet, which is kept at a low techonological level by those who control its economy, probably in secret or with alternate identities, in order to avoid military control. There they find small villages and towns scattered in an area covered with dense jungles, heavily patrolled by local militia and Imperial troops that do what they want to the locals, commanded by a ruthless warlord who "works" with the company.

    Here they should meet or find a contact able to guide them on the unknown territory. Eventually they will come across a group of rebels survivors, hidden in the jungle, which is lead by a local hero who guided more than a past rebellion and possesses evidences of what is going on.

    Shortly after this meeting, the hidden camp is detected and attacked by the military, and the characters must first escape enemy's overwhelming numerical superiority. During the flight, however, the local hero decides that he can not leave his people to die at the hands of the military, and entrusts the documentation which proves what happens to his wife, to go back and fight the military. The adventurers must then decide whether to help him or leave him to his fate, bringing his wife to safety with the evidence of misdeeds.

    They will have to find a way to leave the planet, probably searching help from the rebellious population (which should be much easier if the local hero is still with them) and reach the manager who hired them, in order to conclude the "deal".

    At some point during or after this final reunion, all of them are attacked by a strong opposite force deployed by the rival manager and his assistant, supported by the murderer hired earlier, in an effort to eliminate all the proofs. The murderer, however, discovers to have some sort of sympathy for the cause of the rebels and of these daring adventurers, and decides to turn against his employers, providing an unexpected and important support to the group, informing them, after the fight, if he is able to do so, about the identity of the responsible for the attack.

    The story may end up in the best way, with the presentation of the evidences and a fair investigation by the Board of Directors of the company; perhaps, instead, echonomical interests will win over morality and everything will be covered up again, leaving the heroes with a dry mouth; maybe the armed wing of the Empire will intervene and prevail over the forces of the adventurers, neutralizing their efforts and maintaining the status quo; perhaps the Rebel Alliance itself may become aware of the events, taking action to try to restore one of the many wrongs of the galaxy.

    The possibilities are many: choose your turn and have fun :-) !

Friday 8 November 2013

A present for my girlfriend!

    Christmas is coming, and my (for now) girlfriend is fond of cats.

    For some months, each time I stumble upon a nice image of these animals, I download it and add to a huge collection dedicated to her.

    She likes the idea to use some of these image to make enlargements and hang them in her home.

    Since she often can't decide which one to choose for this purpose, I settled to build an "handmade" present for her, creating a large collage of cat's photos (80x50cm) to be printed and displayed like a painting.

    You can see the result (of which I am quite proud ^ _ ^) in this post!