Windows 8 Preview: A Scientific Analysis

I downloaded the Windows 8 Consumer Preview onto my Netbook. I couldn't wait, it sounded so awesome. 

And it's okay, I guess.

Here's what I expected: All my documents, games, etc. would be smartly imported into a slick, new, super-intuitive interface. Screen shots like the one below gave me a mistaken impression.

Kewl! My PC will be like an iPad!

Here's what I didn't realize: there's still a regular old desktop. The Metro interface (above) sort of replaces the Start Menu. It feels like my PC has a split personality. Actually it feels like they got halfway through some great ideas and said Fuck It! Good enough. We'll finish up in Windows 9.

My Windows 8 desktop:

It's so innovative, so slick, so... exactly the same.

They're not done with Windows 8 yet. They disclaim when you download the preview that the actual release may be significantly different. I hope so, because my Control Panel doesn't look anything like this:

Promotional image of Control Panel.

My Control Panel looks, just, regular.

There is plenty of noteworthy new functionality available with Windows 8, but I'm just writing about my initial impression.

Windows had a long way to go to catch up with everyone else. In that sense, I guess, I'm impressed. But they just copied everything everyone else has been doing for years ("Ooh! We need an app store!").

With the recent death of Steve Jobs leaving Apple's future slightly uncertain, Microsoft had a big chance here to take back some market share. Instead they built a great big yawn.

I'll just keep switching back and forth between my PC and my iPad because they both have things they do well.       -Kim

Exclusive Recipe: Easy Rainbow Bonbons

This is the second installment in my series of original recipes by Cordon Bleu Chef James Morgan. View the first recipe here. Enjoy! -Kim

Chef Morgan: These simple-to-make treats are my colorful versions of the Brazilian Brigadeiro. They are very popular at birthday parties.

Time: 30 minutes of active preparation

Number of bonbons: About 16

Ingredients:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Rainbow sprinkles

Printer Friendly Version

Instructions:

1. Spray a plate with cooking spray.
2. Mix the milk, cocoa, and butter in a nonstick sauce pan.
3. Stir constantly over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture thickens (becomes like soft fudge). To tell if it’s ready, when you tilt the pan, the mixture will fall easily away from the side of the pan.
4. Pour the mixture onto the sprayed plate. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. It should be taffy-like after cooling.
5. Pour a nice pile of the sprinkles into a bowl. 
6. Lightly moisten the palms of your hands (to keep the candy from sticking to them).
7. Place a tablespoon of the fudge into the palm of your hand.
8. Roll it into a ball between the palms of your hands.
9. Roll the candy ball in the sprinkles.
10. Put the resulting bonbon onto a clean plate.
11. Repeat until all the fudge is used up. Chill the candies to set their shape.

Biography

Chef James Morgan is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy. He has appeared on the TV programs Bobby Flay’s Food Nation, MasterChef USA, and Taste of Louisiana. 

Chef Morgan has served as chef at several restaurants, including: The Pointe Tapatio, Phoenix, Arizona; White Oak Plantation, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and LaFitte’s Landing, Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

He is the author of the textbook Culinary Creation: An Introduction to Foodservice and World Cuisine, available at Amazon.com. Spanish version also available.