carbonel

I have a 3Tb external hard drive that's about half full. Unfortunately, something has gone wrong with it. When I tried to run the Windows error checking utility, it ran for quite a while, then hung.

I can see all the files, but a lot of them just return error messages or do nothing if I try to copy them. There's nothing critical if I can't recover the disk (it's mostly audiobooks and videos), but I don't have a backup.

Is there some better utility that you can recommend that will fix the drive and salvage what can be salvaged?

Isn't there a Windows installer for Sigil? I had Sigil on my previous computer, and I'd like to get it on this one, even though I've only been able to make minimal use of it.

All I can find is a .zip file, and I couldn't figure out how to install it from there, or if it was even a Windows version. What I really want is a standard Windows-type program installer.

Help?

Pat WINOLJ and I have started (as of Thursday) walking around Lake Nokomis again. In normal times, we exercised together three times a week, and I have missed it mightily. Before the lockdown, there was a several-week hiatus because of my sprained ankle and sore knee. My ankle is still not 100% and we stopped to rest it once, but it really does feel good to get some sunshine and a bit of exercise.

After that, I went to Target on the way home. I was actually there to pick up prescriptions. They've managed to combine three of them to come due at the same time, but that leaves two others that need separate pickups. And while my doctor has prescribed 90 pills at a time, the insurance company will only pay for 30 at a time. So my shopping expeditions are timed to coincide with prescription refills.

Anyway, this particular Target is a "SuperTarget," which means it has a grocery as well as a pharmacy and all the other stuff. The selection is somewhat limited, but the prices are generally excellent, and it has become my primary grocery. I didn't have any specific needs, but I took a wander through. I came home with sushi (mediocre, eaten as lunch) and a few other things. Including eggs.

In the middle of an aisle, in a refrigerated object that normally holds chicken, there were containers of 18 large eggs for $1 (marked down from $1.99). This is about half of what eggs would normally cost. I know there have been a number of issues in diverting commercial restaurant and such eggs into where the direct consumer can get at them. So I bought 18 eggs as my civic duty. Which, for someone like me who lives alone, is a fuckton of eggs, especially since I already had an untouched dozen eggs from a previous trip. That's 30 eggs I need to deal with.

Unfortunately, I don't like angel food cake, or that would make a considerable dent -- in the whites, at least. Maybe I could make a pound cake. I never have, but I think I have all the ingredients. Doesn't the classic version call for a pound of eggs?

But I'm mostly thinking of eggs for meals and coming up blanker than I should. I'm willing to eat a bunch of egg-heavy stuff for the next week or so to bring the strategic egg reserve down to something reasonable. So -- if you have any cooking suggestions for using up eggs (cooking for one, but I'm okay with a reasonable amount of leftovers), I'd appreciate it. I'm pretty well-set up for the baking end of things, but when it comes to cooking, I do better with recipes than freestyle.

What can replace a quarter-cup of pumpkin puree? Or is that such a small amount that I don't need to bother?

I bought a can of pumpkin puree for a batch of no-bake pumpkin spice balls that called for only a quarter of a cup of the puree. (Having made them, I suspect the recipe may have been deficient in some way, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if they turn into something more promising than they currently appear.)

But that leaves me with most of a can (about 1-3/4 cup remaining). I found a recipe that would use up the rest, but it does call for a full can of pumpkin puree.

I don't have any unsweetened applesauce in the house, or I'd use that. Any other suggestions? Or do I even need to sub anything for it?

I'm a fairly competent baker, but normally I make a new recipe exactly to the specifications the first time, then play around with it on subsequent attempts.

Advice appreciated.

Okay, it was a mug, not a teacup, but that doesn't scan. And I would like advice.

I have a set of nice sturdy dishes (stoneware? I dunno) that I bought at a garage sale several years ago. Instead of teacups and saucers, it has mugs. I don't use the mugs much, because I prefer large ones for my morning coffee, but they're occasionally useful. These dishe replaced a set of hand-me-down china that I got from my parents and never liked and that are still sitting in a storage cupboard. But never mind that.

This morning, when I was emptying the dishwasher, I felt a rough spot on the handle. On further examination, it turned out to be a crack. I pulled a bit on it, and a chunk of handle just over an inch long came off in my hand.

So: Is it worth trying to repair this? I have six other mugs in good repair, which should be sufficient to my needs. But the two ends match up nicely, so if a good repair will make the mug reliably functional, I'm fine with that. I just don't want to have to worry that it'll break while someone (who will likely be me) is holding a mugful of hot beverage.

And if I do repair it, is superglue the way to go, or should I use something else?

I'm hoping some of the foodies on DW can provide some inspiration.

On Monday, I made this recipe from Hello Fresh. It's ragu spaghetti with zucchini, and comes with a little bottle of pepperolio (which appears to be indistinguishable from my Chinese chili oil) to spice it up.

Both Lydy (who had a taste) and I agreed that it was edible, tasty even, but bland. This despite the fact that it had onions, fresh garlic, and a generous helping of Italian seasoning (containing garlic, black pepper, parsley, basil, and oregano), plus some of the pepperolio. I don't remember blandness being a problem the last time I made this recipe. This time, the Hello Fresh had a rather larger onion and zucchini than the time before, but that shouldn't have made a significant difference. The only other difference I can think of is that last time I was on my own, and I left the sauce to simmer for about 20 minutes; this time, I was running late, and I only went with the minimum mandated 5 minutes.

I still have more than half of the spaghetti left, so if I can figure out what I can add to it to improve it, that would be nice. I would appreciate suggestions. I also have lots more of the Italian seasoning, since most of the recipes that use it call for half a packet. I have a decent but not luxurious spice shelf in addition to that.

I know that a lot of spaghetti sauce has some sugar in it, but I'm loath to add that without a strong recommendation. I can add more pepperolio, but spicy hot isn't necessarily a substitute for flavor.

Any other ideas?

I tried updating everything I could, and the last thing I tried was a recent Java update. Last, because that apparently did the trick. I haven't tried the new game yet, but the old one is working properly now.

I thought Java was primarily for web-based use, but apparently not.

Lydy was kind enough to bring back some medium oatmeal from England. I've tried Andy Leighton's parkin recipe with other forms, and none was ideal. (The steel-cut oats were a particularly interesting failure; they never softened, so I ended up with something crunchy and more candy-like.) Unfortunately, if there's a place to get medium oats locally, I haven't found it.

Anyway, I had a kilogram of medium oats, so I made parkin according to Andy's recipe. It's unlike most in that it doesn't call for flour, only oatmeal. I don't know what Andy would say about the results, but I was very happy with it, and gave some to Lydy, who also approved.

But the recipe (as originally posted at my request in rec.art.sf.fandom, IIRC) has a note at the end: "This version keeps very well, and is very nice after a couple of weeks wrapped in greaseproof paper (don't keep it in a tin or plastic container it dries out)."

Why should greaseproof paper (which I assume is equivalent to waxed paper) be more desirable than an airtight container? Is the high sugar content supposed to cause it to suck out moisture from the air?

This batch is just over a week old, and I haven't seen a noticeable change after storing it in a tin. If I make another batch, I'm tempted to experiment by leaving some open to the air, some wrapped in waxed paper, and some in the tin as usual. Assuming it lasts that long, of course. This recipe makes parkin with the approximate density of very tasty neutronium (so I cut it into small pieces), but it's very moreish.

I'll add the recipe below, just in case anyone is curious. I don't own a 7x10 pan (I think I converted all the units from the original when I put it in my recipe file), so I use a 9x9 one -- and that overflowed a bit. I might try a 9x13 one next time, and cook it for a shorter time.

(By the way -- back to that common language thing -- I was always curious why black treacle was an optional ingredient if it was treacle parkin. Then I saw an episode of Great British Bake Off where the technical challenge was treacle tart, and it called for golden syrup. Apparently golden syrup is considered light treacle in the UK, and molasses is black treacle.)

Andy Leighton's Treacle Parkin

16 oz Golden Syrup
8 oz Butter
24 oz Medium Oatmeal
8 oz Brown Sugar
2 tsp Ginger (if you like lots of ginger add another tsp)

Warm the Golden Syrup and butter until just melted and then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Grease a medium tin (about 7" by 10"), and throw the lot in a low oven (gas mark 2, 300F) for 2 hours. It is done when it springs back when touched, although don't be worried if it is a bit underdone and gooey in the middle.

Note: the above recipe is more or less how I (Andy Leighton) make Parkin, although sometimes I use less sugar and a bit more oatmeal -- I just throw approximate measures in and go from appearance. You can use half golden syrup and half black treacle if you want a more treacley taste. This version keeps very well, and is very nice after a couple of weeks wrapped in greasproof paper (don't keep it in a tin or plastic container it dries out).

ETA: With some help from redbird, I'm all set up. Go Cubs!

So here's the situation.

T-Mobile is offering a free MLB.tv subscription TODAY ONLY.

In order to take advantage of this, one needs to install a free app called T-Mobile Tuesdays. I did so on an old iPhone 4 that maxes out at iOS 7. When I installed the app a couple of weeks ago, it worked okay. When I tried to run the app today, it didn't work -- it's been "upgraded" and now requires iOS 8, and crashes when I try to run it. So frustrating.

Is there anyone around who a) is a T-Mobile customer, and b) has a device that will support iOS 8, c) doesn't want a free MLB.tv subscription, and d) would be willing to go through the T-Mobile rigmarole on my behalf? I'd give that person my login credentials, but it might still use up that device's ability to get another one.

I would be exceedingly appreciative. The subscription is worth about $120, so it's worth some hassle to me to make it work. laurel is trying something at the other end, but it's dependent on her finding a missing device.

In the meantime, of course, for any T-Mobile users who are baseball fans, this is a great deal and you should sign up for yourselves.

Normally I read the Tor blog via LJ using the tag tordotcom. I recently realized I hadn't seen it for a while, and when I checked, "a while" was over two weeks -- the last visible entry was the the Harry Potter reread post about the epilogue. Which I suppose is fitting, but I want it back.

The question is, is there something wrong with the feed, or with me?

One of the things that drives me nuts about LJ is the fact that there doesn't seem to be a way to search for RSS feeds. You can scroll through the most popular ones, but you can't search for a name. If you can guess it (as I did for Ex Urbe), you can go to [tagname].livejournal.com. But tor.livejournal.com goes to a Russian site, and torblog.livejournal.com isn't registered.

Anyone have any suggestions for both the specific (Tor) and general (finding feeds) problems?