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If you know me, you probably know I’m a big chess fan. I’ve been playing it almost all my life, having learned it from my friend Chucky’s grampa and being fascinated by every aspect of it ever since.

I definitely play too much–the internet makes it so easy to grab a quick game on a whim, and I have racked up thousands of 1, 2, and 3 minute games this way.

On the one hand, I could argue that it keeps me sharp; playing chess forces me to exercise my brain power, analytical thoughts, and concentration.

Regarding that last point: concentration, I heard an interesting comment by renowned chessmaster and Twitch.tv streamer Eric Rosen recently. He was asked by someone in the chat box: “Does playing chess help you concentrate?” His answer was something like: “Getting lots of sleep, eating well, and exercise helps you concentrate. Chess depletes your concentration.”

Media queries are firmly established methods for serving custom experiences based on the media being used to access content.

However, there’s no way to an experience based on the context being used. How crazy would it be would it be if this were possible?

Imagine some code that went like:

@context (currently-traveling:yes AND role:driver) 
{ * {display:none;} } /* hide app from a distracted driver }

That’s some scary stuff, privacy-wise, but you know if it were possible people’d be writing it. But just think of what you could do with

environment:outdoors

or

noise-level:loud

The portrait-oriented, single column design approach that’s become so dominant since the advent of smart phones can only last for so long. The new paradigm of wearables, particularly visors/glasses, will see us return to landscape designs. Augmented reality will enable a screen of any size and format to appear in a multitude of contexts. The physical limitations of the handheld phone will become characteristic of a primitive era in the digital age.

It’s no wonder the machine (however you want to define that, the powers that be, the man, our corporate overlords) is mining our data. It’s always mining something: iron, gold, oil, electricity (although the more elegant term for that is harvesting) – it’s just incredible how much data we produce and how easy it is to mine it.

The Social Dilemna does a good job of exposing that, although I could have done without the cheesy scripted stuff. However, it fails to point out the counterpart to our data, and what is in fact infinitely more valuable: our content.

Every post we make-video, photo, rant, tweet, comment, is like food for the machine. Without content, there is no internet. No one logs into Facebook so they can click on ads or fill out surveys or practice browsing habits. They go for content–to consume others’ and to post their own.

Content self-propagates; the machine doesn’t have to invasively collect it, analyze it, reconfigure it, or present it to its paying advertisers, as it does with data. And there’s mountains of it, and we give it away for free!

One of the interviewees suggests that we tax the machine for its data. That sounds great in theory, but I have a hard time understanding how it could be enforced. Instead, they should be taxed on their content they collect. It’s far easier to monitor.

Better yet, we could demand compensation for the food we’re keeping the machine alive with. Kind of like selling the glut of solar power you’re harvesting with your roof panels back to the utility companies. Let’s figure out how to do this.

This recipe is easy and quick, and a good way to feed a pile of people.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp. capers
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 stick butter (8 tbsp.)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion or 2 shallots diced
• Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

1. Fill a large pot halfway up with water. Add salt to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Add penne and cook al dente.
2. Cut or break off tough ends of asparagus. Cut into angled slices, 3 or 4 per stalk, so they are shaped like the penne.
3. Dice up the onion.
4. Cut the chicken breast into thin, flat pieces. Try to cut crossways as many times as you can to get wide, long but thin slices. I can usually get at least five from each breast. It helps if the chicken is partially frozen.
5. Add 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to a large bowl and stir.
6. Dredge chicken slices in flour mixture until coated.
7. In a large pan, turn to medium-high and add olive oil. Once that’s hot, swirl in 2 tbsp. butter.
8. When butter is melted, add chicken slices in a single layer, covering the entire surface of the pan.
9. Brown for 3-4 minutes, turn and repeat.
10. Set aside browned slices and repeat until all chicken has been nicely browned.
11. Add 2 tbsp. butter to pan. Add onions/shallots and saute until soft. The pan should be really hot.
12. Pour in white wine to deglaze pan, scraping browned bits up.
13. Add the chicken broth and remaining butter.
14. Whisk in remaining flour. Add water/wine/butter/broth to build up a nice sauce.
15. Stir in the chicken, asparagus, and capers. Whisk remaining flour into chicken broth and remaining flour. Cover and turn heat to low.
16. Check occasionally. It’s done when the asparagus is bright, green and tender.
17. Serve with grated parm. I like red pepper flakes as well.

Mix salt, pepper, oregano, or whatever with some olive oil and brush it on some flour tortillas.

Place face down on a baking sheet.

Spoon on tomato sauce.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and any other toppings.

Bake at 400º for 15 minutes or whatever.