Author: walking

6 Office Kitchen Appliances for Making the Best Coffee

Are you a coffee connoisseur?

Well…

Who doesn’t love a cup of coffee in the morning to help kick start the day?

No matter your love for coffee, many people have a love-hate relationship with it. They love it when it’s well made and hate it when it’s not.

A great cup of coffee in the morning can impact the rest of your day.

What’s more, various studies reveal that drinking coffee has immense health benefits due to its brain-boosting ability and antioxidant activity. Some health benefits include:

  • Rich source of healthy antioxidants
  • Protects against cognitive decline
  • Boosts short term memory
  • Enhances heart health
  • Prevents certain cancers such as cancer of the colon
  • Lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
  • Reduces the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer
  • Improves exercise performance
  • Prevents gout and fights depression

If you’re looking for a machine that’ll help you brew a great cup each time, here’s our list of the best 6 appliances to consider.

Top 6 Coffee-Making Appliances for Office Kitchen

  • The Coffee Maker

Coffee makers have been around for a long time. They’re common in most offices because of their simplicity.

However, no two coffee makers are made equal. Different brands and models boast of different features that make some brands better than others.

Some of the most important features to look out for include:

  • Capacity
  • Temperature regulation settings
  • A warmer to keep the coffee hot
  • Performance
  • A grinder for coffee beans and so much more.

When making a choice, opt for features that meet your unique office needs.

For instance, when considering performance, find out how long it takes for the machine to complete brewing your coffee. A machine that takes too long means time wasted in the office.

To boost performance, the heating coil should be powerful and the machine built with adjustable settings.

The capacity of a coffee maker is an important consideration because it determines how many cups of coffee you can get with each brew.

A coffee maker with a large capacity ensures that it’s easy for every employee in a large office to get a cup of coffee every morning without having to wait.

  • An Automatic Espresso Machine

An automatic espresso machine is more advanced and heavy duty than a coffee maker. These machines produce stronger coffee with a rich aroma.

They use high pressure to brew coffee, hence increases its aroma and reduces acidity.

Automatic espresso machines are also beneficial because they can be used to make other types of coffee such as lattes and mochas. To get the best coffee from an automatic espresso machine, use dark roasted coffee beans.

The beans are grinded before use and stored in a vacuum sealed container to retain their flavor for longer.

This machine is ideal in an office setting with many coffee aficionados who prefer stronger coffee for breakfast and later on in the day. It’s also a great machine for an office where employees prefer variety because the appliance can make different types of coffee.

Just like coffee makers, automatic espresso machines have different features that vary from model to model. Some of the features to consider include:

  • Automatic shut-off
  • A water boiler
  • A pressure pump
  • A grinder and many others.

Some of these machines can also be used to start a small coffee shop.

  • The French Press

The French press is a manual machine for brewing coffee. It makes espresso coffee that’s rich in taste and doesn’t include oil from the beans.

The French Press was invented way back in the mid-1800s and is a simple machine with a straightforward brewing method.

The simple machine features a plunger with an attached filter and a cylindrical pot. To make French Press coffee, put medium-ground coffee into the pot and add hot water.

Stir the mixture and replace the plunger lid. Let it brew for 3-4 minutes and then slowly press the plunger down. This ensures that the filter on it separates the coffee and the ground beans.

Pour and enjoy.

  • The Moka Pot

The Moka Pot is another manual coffee-making machine that was invented by Luigi De Ponti, a coffee aficionado, back in 1933. Since it was invented, the Moka Pot was well received in Italy and later spread to the rest of the world.

The Moka Pot has two compartments: a lower compartment that holds water and an upper compartment that holds coffee after brewing. In between the two compartments is where medium-ground coffee placed.

Heating water at the bottom compartment forces steam to push through the ground coffee beans, eventually rising to the top compartment.

It’s that simple in operation and produces coffee that’s close to that made in an automatic espresso machine.

  • AeroPress

The Aeropress works in the same way as the French Press but it relies on pressure to extract flavor from the ground coffee beans just as in an automatic espresso machine. The coffee machine uses fine ground coffee and only makes one cup at a time.

  • Percolators

Percolators brew coffee in the same way as coffee makers. However, the coffee is circulated several times until the des strength is achieved.

Percolators are ideal if you want a punch in your cup of Joe coffee drink. What’s your favorite way of making coffee? Let us know in the comments section below.

Barbeque Gloves For Journalists Who Love To Grill Barbeque At Home

If there is a profession that you cannot dictate your working hours then it is journalism. The only thing then you need to so to spend more time with family is to identify a hobby that can bring everyone together. Preparing grilled dishes is one such hobby that compensates the time a journalist spends in the field trying to bring news to our media houses. 

Journalists who love grilling barbeque only need to invest in a pair of barbeque gloves. A barbecue glove is a protective gear from the extensive heat that comes with grilling. It saves the journalist her makes up as well as give you ample time to turn the meat to your desire without the fear of the strong heat. There are many of them available in the market.

The use of barbeque gloves for safety allows the journalist to safeguard the fingers and the hand. You still need to hold the microphone to report the news that is of public interest. What are the features that a journalist need when purchasing a barbecue glove?

Heat resistance

This is one of the main functions of the protective gear. It gives you all the ample time hold the hot grills without really having to fear the direct heat on the hands. The material n most cases are made of wool which is a poor conductor of electricity. The best temperature level is about 425 degrees centigrade.

Water-resistant

Barbecuing is renowned for the steam which when exposed to a low temperature it turns to water through condensation. You need a glove that is water-resistant meaning that is has a layer within it that is waterproof. 

Tear-resistant

The glove may not be safe when it can tear easily as a result of the high temperatures that it is in contact with. The type of fabric determines this feature. It is advisable to avoid the silicone gloves which are prone to tear and rips.

Soft inner lining

Remember the overall goal of the glove is to maintain the smoothness of the fingers and the hand; it also to enhance comfort. A journalist must invest in a glove with a soft lining to take care of the nails and the hands making him as comfortable as possible when preparing the dishes for the family.

Wide and long enough to cover the hands

Gloves come in many sizes which determine the surface area in which it covers. Others are naturally short despite the size. This will limit you on the extent to which you can stretch the hand to turn the meat or hold the grills.

Oil resistant

The mention of oil in grilling means that you need to have a glove that is not slippery when in contact with the oils from the meat. This is hazardous for it can cause accidents. Journalists have no reason for not spending time with family despite the busy schedules. It is a matter of choosing the best common task that will bring people together. Who does not love barbecue meals if not when other a doctors instruction?

Things Journalists Who Love Swimming Should Know About Swimming Pools

Karen Crouse, a reporter from the New York Times is well-known for her sports articles, especially the ones about swimming. Another accomplishment she made was publishing her first book, about raising Olympians in a small town in Vermont. In an interview, she talked about swimming while in college and how it helped her career as a sports journalist today.

Crouse believes that swimming taught her to be more self-disciplined and resilient compared to her non-swimming peers. It developed great time-management skills and increases productivity every day. When it comes to the quality of her work, she thinks that her swimming background allows her to write articles that are more empathic and experienced which her readers like.

Swimming can be a bit challenging, to begin with, but in order for journalists to release tension, stress, and increase productivity, starting a new hobby such as swimming can be a good alternative. We have listed down interesting facts that sports journalists need to know about swimming pools.

  • Titanic has a huge swimming pool

Titanic was known to be the most luxurious ocean liner during her time. It has a huge swimming pool for first class passengers located on the Middle Deck.

  • Oceanic is the first to have a heated swimming pool

Titanic’s sister ship, the Olympic is the first to have a heated swimming pool on board. The pool is 30 feet long and is available to first class passengers only.

  • Indoor and outdoor pools in The White House

An indoor pool was built for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. It was intentionally built for the president to continue his water therapy due to polio during his term. It was closed in 1970 by President Nixon. But in 1975, President Gerald Ford ordered to have an outdoor pool which leads to a tunnel that the first family can access without being spotted by the media.

  • How big is an Olympic-sized pool

An Olympic-sized swimming pool can hold up to 660,000 gallons of water. It is 6 feet deep, with approximately 25 meters wide and 50 meters long.

  • The largest swimming pool in the world

According to the Guinness World Records, the largest swimming pool in the world is the Orthlieb pool in Morocco. It is 480 meters long and 75 meters wide.

  • Swimming pools need to be shocked

Pool shocking is a process to keep the pool water safe and clean. Otherwise known as super chlorination, pool shocking destroys the buildup of chloramines. Chloramines are formed when oil, sweat, and urine, is mixed with ammonia, which results in irritation in the eyes, skin, and the respiratory system.

Pool shocking is best done at night. In the morning, the sunlight tends to burn unstabilized chlorine, thus making the process ineffective. So how long to wait to swim after shocking pool? The swimming pool is ready to use eight hours after pool shocking.

  • The oldest public bath

The “great bath” existed in Mohenjo-Daro more than 5000 years ago. It measures 7 meters wide, 12 meters long and 2.4 meters deep. It was believed that the “great bath” not only functions as a public bath but also a venue for special religious functions.

Automation for journalist company

Consider a scene straight out of a 1980’s sci-fi movie: Somewhere in the future, Circa 2070, the news and media industry is run by robots. The owner sets the sales targets, and the machines tap out stories after stories to fill the pages of the newspaper. Well, the future is now.

As of today, robots are writing a major chunk of finance and sports news. These robots, better known as bots’ are not humanoids sitting in dingy office halls, but software programmed by journalist companies. Automated Insights and Narrative Science are the primary vendors of automation for journalism company.

It is imminent that any hint of automation will bring an onslaught of furious resistance from certain sections of journalist community, as it happened in the case of industrial automation too – when workers reacted unfavorably to the control systems mechanisms like conveyor belt robots and other advanced robots overseeing the production line in any factory.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of automation for journalism company. But before that, let’s understand how the bots’ work.

As mentioned above, �bots’ are computer programs, which follow set algorithms to provide outcomes calculated through the input data. In the case of journalism bots, the raw data (statistics and numbers) is fed to the software and the bots generate articles based on the data. This works in two ways:

  1. Informational, statistics-heavy articles

These are simple finance or sports boats, where the journalist sets a template for a market forecast or a sports match narration, and the bot just fills in the blanks left for statistics to be entered. These articles are pretty drab and can be discerned as written by bots’ by experienced readers.

  1. Natural language articles based on the analysis of the raw data

These are complex bots, which analyze the data provided to them and come up with unique articles that look as if they are written by a human being. Of course, ethically, there should be a line at the top/bottom, indicating that the article is written by a bot.

Coming back to the pros and cons – Should a journalist be wary of the automation or consider the bot his friend? Neither. Journalists should consider bots as dumb allies’; meaning they can do the menial job of writing an article that is produced by the investigative hard work of the journalist, while he/she can spend the time researching further or on another topic.

The Pros

  1. A bot can produce as many as 2000 articles per second. The number of articles is an indicator (if not entirely accurate) that automation can considerably speed up news generation. A rate that cannot possibly reach by humans, even if they use the same template and data sheet.
  1. As mentioned earlier, bots can give the journalist spare time to spend on other productive work such as investigations and research, which often take a backseat when the journalist has to meet going live’ deadlines in the print and Internet news industry.
  1. In recruiting bots, the journalist company is not canceling the jobs of their present staff. Instead, it is making their jobs more interesting by giving them the opportunity to focus on the important aspects of news generation rather than writing report-like articles.

The Cons

  1. Try as they might, technology has not advanced to a level where bots can give a completely human touch to the article. At present, automation in a journalist company is limited to finance and sports articles – where the same format can be repeated for different articles.
  1. The bots need to be trained, i.e, they need to be programmed such that their data scanning speed and accuracy increases with each run. At present, the evolution of bots has not reached a level where it can rectify or write its own algorithm (like Microsoft’s AI has just learned to do).

So if you are a journalist, sit back, relax, and let the bots take over your boring assignments. Try to teach them a few words that you use a lot, and have their natural language processing ability work for you. Automation for journalist company is no longer a distant possibility, but it has already begun, most of them do a comprehensive look at Convertkit cause they have a bigger change to Score a discount on CK. Join the club, and enjoy the privileges!

Grilled Foods For journalist Dog

 

It’s a common saying that dogs are a man’s best friend, especially with a journalist since they always have a busy schedule ahead. This isn’t without reason. In fact, there’s a lot of truth in this saying. Dogs are some of the most loyal animals. They’re grateful to their owners for feeding and taking care of them. They’re appreciative of the fact that someone is looking after them. They try to return the favor through their unconditional love and loyalty. Dogs love humans very much. Years of domestication have bred them to be ideal companions for humans.

If you are a journalist, you will always feel of eating such delicious foods like grilled foods. You tend to have a good appetite talking about this especially after a day of tiring work. Being a journalist is not a joke.  You tend to give all your physical and emotional strength to survive. That is the reason why most journalists are common to have dogs. Dogs can ease all the pain and tiredness from work. Eating and taking care of your dog are some of the activities to destress. A whole day working, you went home with grilled foods and your dog waiting for you, that’s fulfilling.

If you love your dog, I’m sure you’d want to feed him only the tastiest and most nutritious food. Usual dog food is a great and convenient solution to the problem of deciding your dog’s diet. While standard dog food is great for a dog’s daily meal, there’s nothing really special about it. If you want to reward your dog for good behavior or treat him to something delicious, the options available are rather limited. There’s not really much out there in the way of something special or luxurious that you can feed to your dog. However, there are a couple things you could feed him that he would appreciate very much. One of those things is grilled food. Check Bones and Biscuits’ Review about the best food for your pet dog.

Anyone who’s ever eaten anything grilled before knows how tasty and delicious it is. Grilled foods are healthy and tasty alternatives to other types of food. For the most part, it’s just as healthy as the food most people eat daily. At the same time, it’s way tastier. It’s as tasty as unhealthy options like junk food or fried foods.

Most of us have cooked or bought grilled food for ourselves or other people. However, it’s ideal to feed to your dog as well. As grilled food is healthy and properly cooked, it won’t adversely affect your dog in any way. On the contrary, it may give a nutritious boost to your dog’s health. The benefits aren’t limited to just diet and nutrition. Since grilled food is tastier than standard dog food, your dog will be happier after eating it. It’ll boost his mood and make him more joyful. Wouldn’t you want to see your dog be happier?

Now that we’ve discussed the beneficial aspects of grilled foods for dogs, we can address the issue of what type of grilled food to feed. Vegetables and meat can both be grilled.

Dogs are omnivorous animals, nature has designed them to be able to digest both meat and vegetables. Dogs have consumed both types of food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, throughout history. Unlike humans, they can’t survive without meat. It’s an integral part of their diet that can’t be avoided. This makes grilled meats ideal for feeding to a dog. As long as the ingredients are fresh, they won’t have any adverse impact.

The only limitation when it comes to making grilled foods for dogs is that salt shouldn’t be used in the preparation of the dish. Dogs are very intolerant of excess salt. Consuming high amounts of salt may cause health complications which are painful and damaging. As such, if you love your dog, make it point to be sure that the grilled meat or vegetables that you feed him don’t contain any salt.

Smoked Foods Party for Journalists

Smoked foods are foods cooked over an open heat usually a grill. A journalist is a person who prepares news and writes for magazines, newspapers and other media outlets. A smoked food party is a party wherein guests are served with smoked foods. There is a unique relationship between journalists and smoke foods. This is because journalists love to eat smoked foods. There are different types of smoked food parties that can be organized for journalists. They are:

 

  1. Smoked Chicken Party:

A smoked chicken party is a party that serves smoked chicken exclusively. How to use one smokers for a chicken party? A smoked chicken party is a type of smoked food party that can be organized for journalists. Smoked chicken is very easy to make, this is another reason why a smoked chicken party is ideal for journalists. If you are planning a smoked foods party for journalists, then try a smoked chicken party.

  1. Smoked Pork Party:

A smoked pork party is another type of smoked foods party that is ideal for journalists. This is because smoked pork is very delicious. Smoked pork contains a lot of fat which is tasty and rich in nutrients. The job of a journalist requires a lot of energy, a smoked pork will provide that energy. If you are considering a smoked foods party for journalists then try a smoked pork party.

  1. Smoked Beef Party:

Beef is the most popular meat in many countries of the world. Unsurprisingly, it is also popular with journalists. Beef is cheap and easy to find. Smoked beef is a delicious food that is ideal for journalists. A smoked beef is tasty, delicious and rich in a lot of nutrients. If you are planning a smoked foods party for journalists, then try making a smoked beef party. Go to seriouslysmoked.com/ for more information about this.

  1. Smoked Lamb Party:

Lamb is usually referred to as barbecue beauty. This is because lamb is a naturally great meat for smoking. It has a great quantity of good fat that becomes delicious and produces a great aroma when smoked. Smoked Lamb is a much desired smoked food all over the world. This is why it is ideal for journalists. A smoked lamb party is a type of smoked foods party that is suitable for journalists.

  1. Smoked Fish Party:

A smoked fish party is a type of smoked foods party that is ideal for journalists. Smoked fish is a popular food of choice, all over the world. A smoked fish food is very easy to prepare and also delicious. Smoked fish food is very popular because fish is very easy to find. A smoked fish party is one of the best-smoked food parties that can be organized for journalists.

  1. Smoked Goat Party:

A smoked Goat Party is a type of smoked foods party that is ideal for journalists. A smoked Goat food is a popular and choice dish in several regions of the world. Goat has a lot of fat which will taste great when smoked. This is why it is an ideal smoked food for journalists. If you are planning a smoked food party for journalists, try a smoked Goat party.

The ABCs of Nora

I don’t normally do memes but I have some new readers (hi, new readers and welcome!) plus I wanted to end the week on a happy/fun note, so this just made sense to me! That and a few of my favorite friends around the blog world have done this so I’m totally jumping on the bandwagon.

Age: 27

Bed size: Queen. I love it! Enough room for me to spread out and Jack in the mornings (he loves to sleep next time between the hours of 5am-when I get up, no idea why. He’s a funny dog).

Chore you dislike: Dusting.

Dogs: Yes, see above! I have one and my parents also have one. I would love to have another one someday

Essential start to your day: Sleeping in. No, not an option? Then waking up to a fun song when my alarm comes on, a nice shower and picking a killer outfit for the day.

Favorite color: Lately I’m into the Navy. Usually, it’s a pinkish hue.

Gold or silver: White gold or silver.

Height: 59

Instruments you play(ed): Piano, flute, piccolo. Not playing now but I used to and maybe could still squeak out a few flute notes.

Job title: Director of Support Services. In English: Contract, Client, Vendor Relations, Inside Sales, Marketing, Logistics and more

Kids: Knight has two; does this count?

Live: STL!

Mom’s name: On this blog? Darling. In real life its something different but I won’t share it here, though it’s a pretty name!

Nicknames: Way too many Nor, Nor-Nor, Beeps, Laylou, Lays, and a ton more.

Overnight hospital stays: Appendix my senior year in college. That was dreadful. Everything else has thankfully been outpatient.

Pet peeve: Overtakers.

Quote from a movie: Love actually is everywhere. Love Actually OR anything from You’ve Got Mail.

Righty or Lefty: Righty

Siblings: one younger brother who rocks.

Time you wake up: Ummm.. should be like 6 am on the weekdays but it never really is. More like 6:30 and sometimes 7, and yes, I’m always rushing around. I like my sleep. Weekends? Depends, anytime between 8-10, usually closer to 8 though. Which I hate.

Underwear: What about them? Do I like them? Sure. Especially if they are 5 for $25 at Victorias Secret. Or pretty colors. Or comfortable.

Vegetables you don’t like: Peas. Carrots. Mostly cause I’m super duper allergic to them.

What makes you run late: The Snooze button. Or trying to get in one last chore or errand before meeting friends/family. Oh, and traffic. (Seriously!)

X-Rays you’ve had: Left ankle, left hand, left shoulder (hmmm), and on my sinuses of all things!

Yummy food you make: Baked mostaccioli, spicy chicken + risotto, an amazing lasagna, cupcakes, and a variety of desserts. I’m kind of in love with cooking/baking again since I have such an appreciative audience these days.

Zoo animal favorite: Penguins, duh.

I hope you learned something new today; feel free to share any/all of your own on your blog or in the comments!
Happy Friday!

My Butterfly

I stumbled upon this quote the other day and the more I thought about it, the more it resonates with me.

Ive spent the last few months making myself finish graduate school (six weeks and counting), setting positive goals for myself with regards to my health and fitness (thank you 10K training), examined my life, reunited with friends and made new ones and a plethora of other normal activities. Nothing crazy. No wondering when certain events will take place. No pressuring myself into things Im not quite ready for.

When I look at what Ive done day in and day out it is simply this: Ive Lived.

In that living, the daily grind, the day-to-day ups and downs, Ive realized Im happier than Ive been in a long time.

I want to bottle up this feeling and store it away for a day where Im feeling blue. Or better yet, never let it go.