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Instrument Tuner: iStroboSoft

By
Edel Alon
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1

I’ve been using my BOSS TU-80 for a while now and I thought I was making a good deal to have a metronome and tuner in one.  However, I didn’t look too far into the specifications.  Don’t get me wrong, it does the job but the digital display doesn’t fine tune your instrument as well as the analog equivalents.

Now, what’s a cent?  A cent is 1/100 (the hundredth root) of an equal-temperament semi-tone.  This means between C and D there are 100 steps.

1 octave = 12 semi-tones
1 semi-tone = 100 cents
1 octave = 1200 cents

Here are some of the features:

  • Exclusive strobe display allows you to achieve an unmatched level of accuracy.
  • Note/Octave window displays the correct note and octave for the note being tuned.
  • Cents display allows you to see how far out of tune your note is in cent values.
  • Glowing flat/sharp indicators assist when tuning a note very far from the target position and it is difficult to gauge which direction the strobe is moving.
  • Noise filter: Use the noise filter when utilizing an external mic or clip-on tuning device to help reduce the effect of extraneous environmental noise during tuning.
  • Input boost: The input boost will raise all input frequencies by +24dB.
  • Calibration mode: iStroboSoft can be calibrated to an external source guaranteeing 1/10th cent accuracy.
  • Drop/Capo mode: iStroboSoft will auto-transpose notes up or down to one full octave.
  • Full screen mode permits the strobe display to be maximized on screen to allow better viewing from a distance.
  • Adjustable Concert A: Change the Concert A reference of the tuner to accommodate tuning to a fixed instrument, such as a piano, or tune instruments that do not utilize the typical Western A440 reference.

I was very pessimistic at first but then I tried it out.  I tested it out on an electronic keyboard as a test drive then I plugged in my bass and went at it.  This tuner is pretty accurate for an iPhone application.  (I’ve tried the other applications and those didn’t work out as much as this does).  This is one of the things you have to try out for yourself.  This round, I figured that it wasn’t as expensive as buying the other Peterson Strobe products.  I can’t wait for the guitar input directly into the iPhone.

Now, would I buy this if I didn’t have an iPhone or iTouch?  Probably not.  I’d probably go with software or hardware tuners.  Then again, I love mutifunction devices.

Enjoy!

My Knives

By
Edel Alon
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1

I’ve always marveled at my dad’s knife skills.  Some days it seems like I can give him a dull butter knife and he’ll end up carving a Christmas roast.  I’m not so talented.

I’ll admit that I love knives.  I have fond memories from my childhood of my father sharpening his knives on a sharpening stone.  Some nights he’ll work on all his knives.  One after the other he’d sharpen—testing it for reliability, uniformity, and sharpness.  Stroke after stroke he’s grind away at each blade until it was in perfect condition.  Or maybe it’s my infatuation of ninjas and their sacred acts when it comes to their blades.  But like a ninja, my father knew how to take care of his knives.

I used to drool at the site of knife block sets—knives to slice, dice, chop, trim, fillet, and mince—but now I have reduced my arsenal to a select few.

Here they are: Cleaver, Chef, Santoku, Yanagi, and Paring.

 

Here’s how I use each of them because they each serve their own purposes.
Cleaver – I use my cleaver to hack away at large chunks of meat, to press garlic, hammer through frozen foods and cut through bone.

Chef – For some reason this knife, a random German brand, has stayed sharp in my kitchen for the past 10 years.  I use this knife to dice, slice, and mince.  It has a great balance and can get the job done.

Santoku – I was introduced into Santoku knives from one of my friends who lives and dies by it.  This Santoku is the pride and joy in our kitchen.  It is a Shun Elite Santoku Knife available from Sur La Table which is the knife of my choice when I reach for my knife block.

Paring – A great chef must have a paring knife.  My paring knife is related to my santoku knife.  It is a Shun Elite Paring Knife, 3½” which is also available from Sur La Table.  This knife is small and has a great handle to help maneuver through small vegetables.  Also, it’s well balanced.

Yanagi Sashimi – This is my knife which I use to cut fish into sashimi pieces.  It is 270mm long and can slice through fish like butter.  Okay, I’ll admit that this knife is purely for show.  I’ll take this knife out when I have guests who come over for sushi.  It’s definitely all for the wow factor.

When it comes down to majority of the cooking I do I stick with the santoku and the paring knife.  These two knives are essential to a easy adventure in the kitchen.

Don’t forget to sharpen and take care of your knives!

Salmon Cake Recipe

By
Edel Alon
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0

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon fillet
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
1/4 cups fine chopped chives or green onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Method
I usually make this recipe when I have left over salmon lying around as a variation of what to do with leftovers.

Cook the salmon anyway you want (steam, poach, pan sear, grill).  Remove the skin and bones.  I usually buy salmon with the skin for that extra layer of flavoring from the fat.

Put the fish in a mixing bowl and add the eggs, 1 cup of the crumbs, Old Bay, salt, pepper, chives or green onions, and parsley.  Incorporate the ingredients using a spoon or your fingers.  I like to use my fingers just incase I missed a bone or two.

I use an ice-cream scoop to measure out equal amounts of salmon cakes.  Create small cakes and cover them with the remaining breadcrumbs.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in heavy skillet for each batch of cakes to be fried. Cook until golden brown on each side. Drain and serve hot with lemon.

Notes: Change the recipe and include some of those left over veggies.

 

Topic Organizer

By
Edel Alon
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0

There are many times I can’t seem to figure out priority and risk when trying to figure out my certain topics.

Instructions:

  1. Replace the Topic name with your topic
  2. Start writing a description about it (write as much as you can)
  3. Don’t forget to write your things to do (I usually write things like, Call John or email Sue)
  4. Try to figure out priority by using benefit and effort.  Usually, the ideal situation to do something first is something with High Benefit and Low Effort
  5. Now figure out the risk.  I didn’t mark it but for Impact the left side is low and the right side is high while on likelihood the bottom is low and the top is high.  On this, the thing of most high risk is something you might want to work on first.
  6. The ranking section is used if you have a couple of topics that you want to compare.  This is another way to figure out what to work on first.

Enjoy!

Topic organizer

Packing List

By
Edel Alon
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0

Here’s my packing list.  I still need to make another one to add kid stuff.  But this one is free for you!

Packing List – Updated 2020 because I saw iPod on the old list.

 

 

Bored? Make a Crepe.

By
Edel Alon
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0

The time was 9:41PM.  The kitchen was clean and I finally sat down to relax.  All of a sudden, my stomach growled.  Attached to it were memories of hot summer Guam nights and all I could think about were crepes!  Lucky for me I’ve had this daydream in the past.  I pulled out my favorite crepe recipe and quickly and started the process.

This recipe will give you a stack of tasty crepes.  I normally make the amount I need, and refrigerate the rest for another day.

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
  2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
  3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

I filled the one below with chocolate and vanilla ice cream and topped it with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.

 

Disclaimer: You should use unsalted butter whenever you can–unless the recipe calls for salted butter.  Unsalted butter will give you a better control of the salt flavor.  Also, I don’t own a crepe pan so I use a 12″ round skillet.

My Pantry

By
Edel Alon
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1
I recommend taking an inventory of what you have in your pantry at least twice per year.  The main reason is that spices and other items have an expiration date (yes, your spices wear out their taste over time when they are exposed to air).  I recently evaluated my pantry and I thought I should share it with you.My Spices

  • Bay leaves
  • Black peppercorns
  • Cardamom
  • Cinnamon
  • Cumin
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Ground coriander
  • Whole nutmeg
  • Oregano leaves
  • Onion powder
  • Paprika
  • Rosemary
  • Salt
  • Thyme
  • Turmeric

Grains

  • White rice
  • Brown rice
  • Dry pasta

Legumes

  • Dried mung beans
  • Dried split peas

Miscellaneous

  • Anchovies, canned or in salt?boxed
  • Chicken broth, low-sodium
  • Beef broth, low-sodium
  • Vegetable broth, low-sodium
  • All-purpose flour
  • Soy sauce (regular and light)
  • Sugar
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Coconut milk

Always in stock

  • Garlic
  • Onions (I prefer yellow)
  • Ginger
  • Green Onions

Okay, I’ll admit I have one of those spice racks with random spices I’ll probably never use.  However, it does come in handy once in a while.  I’ll write more about these spices in another post.

Fender Jazz Bass 24

By
Edel Alon
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3

I’ve been using this bass for 1 year now.

This is my first bass guitar. I didn’t know what I was looking for and I knew about a couple of brands out there. I ended up spending 2 hours at Guitar Center going through all the basses between $300 and $1000.

I was talking to the representative who tried to sell me towards the jumpstart packs (full gig set). After trying out the bass that was in that pack I thought it didn’t sound as great as the solo models. I went through Epiphone, Ibanez, Laguna, Musicman, and Fenders. I was about to go with Laguna because of their look but then I found mine.

Fender Jazz Bass 24
Scale length: 34″
Body: Alder with quilt-maple top
Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Nut: Plastic

Neck width at nut:
4-string, 1w”

Neck width at 24th fret:
4-string, 2w”

Pickups: Basslines Single-Coil for Jazz Bass
Preamp: Duncan Designed with 3-band EQ, slap switch (midrange cut)

Colors: Cherry burst
MSP: $999

This puppy growls. More importantly, the color is cherry sunburst. My wife told me that I wasn’t allowed to buy a black bass. The quilt top brought out really cool oranges and deep yellows. It’s a 4-string bass that add a punch to the low E.

I am still satisfied with this bass even after a year of playing it. The tone and sustain carry (especially when I compare it to a friend’s schecter. The sound is clear and strong.

BasslinesI’m the kind of guy that goes in the store and buys then does the research later. Turns out that the Seymour Duncan Bassline pickups are pretty good on this bass. However, every once in a while I hear a buzzing noise when the treble is up. I think I need to bring it in for a checkup.

The head on this bass is pretty bulky but that’s what you expect from Fender. The additional large head makes this bass seem longer than it should be but after watching a couple of videos that explain that the sound of the instrument really depends on the materials used. (Did you see the hipshot tuners?)

Fender HeadThe video also mentioned that you can have the same make/models that sound different. Oh, going back to the length. It’s long. I find myself in pain because I’m holding my left hand stretched out. Other than the buzzing on the high treble and the length, I think this bass is really sweet and a good starter bass.

Here’s the the thing on the length. I bought a case for the bass and it didn’t fit. The case was too short and they person who sold it to me said that it’ll be okay. It took me a while to find a better hard shell case for this case. I ended up with a Road Runner case with a lot of room.

If you’re thinking of getting a bass, I recommend this one mainly for the price and the sound.

Fender Jazz Bass 24 Tobacco Sunburst

Wedding Day Kit

By
Edel Alon
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0

Brides don’t carry a purse with them and are at the mercy of those around them for everything.  A friend of mine was getting ready to get married and I asked if she had a wedding day kit.  She didn’t.

I ended up making this one for her.

Wedding Kit

Finadene Recipe

By
Edel Alon
-
7

The first thing that you miss when you leave a place is the food.  One of the first things I made when I left the island was finadene.  I have my own recipe.  There seems to be a difference of opinion when it comes to the recipe.

Let’s break down this sauce.  The primary ingredient is soy sauce.  I’m a Kikkoman only kind of guy and when I buy soy sauce I buy the 5 gallon containers.  Then after having the base flavor we add an acid element.  After the acid element, we add a spicy item and to top it off we add some kind of flavoring (usually onions).

The recipes I see out there all contain: soy sauce and onion (green, white, red, other).  The rest of the recipe requires a hot pepper of sorts.  I’ve tasted ones with Jalapenos, Thai Red Peppers, Serranos, and Habaneros.  They all seem to do the job and I’d leave it up to you to decide which one to use.  Beware the habanero.

Where the recipe gets a variation is where some people use lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar as the acid.  What’s the right answer?  I think whatever you have near you is the answer.  I’ve experimented with the different acids (I even tried rice wine vinegar) and each set brings in a new sensation.  By using lemon juice, you also add a sweetness factor to the sauce.  If you only have vinegar, you might want to throw in a pinch of sugar.

You have the elements of a great sauce: sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.

Here’s my recipe:

Edel’s Finadene

Ingredients
1 cup soy sauce
Juice of a ripe lemon
2 stalks green onion
5 Thai red peppers

Method
Add soy sauce and lemon juice in a bowl.  Finely chop the onions and red peppers.  Place onions and peppers in the bowl and wait.  You really need to wait a while in order for the ingredients to become friends.  Think of the last party you attended.  It took a while for people to mingle.

Enjoy!

Hint: You can marinade meats using this exact recipe.  I usually add a cup or two of water to turn this into a marinade.

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Welcome to the curated chaos of curiosity and creativity—brought to you by Edel Alon: maker, thinker, and hands-on problem-solver. This blog is part journal, part resource hub, and entirely dedicated to the art of doing. From culinary experiments and car tinkering to tech deep dives and DIY builds, you'll find stories, guides, reviews, and reflections designed to inspire, inform, and occasionally make you laugh (or at least raise an eyebrow). It's a celebration of learning by doing—with a few detours along the way.

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