Caren Alpert Photography

Homemade Ramen – use your noodle! :)

Ever think about expanding your ramen repertoire and making your own? This infographic shows just how simple it is to do it at home!

This easy to use guide shows how to choose the right noodle type, and options for added proteins. Even how to different spices and aromatics! And you’ll likely have some of the vegetable selections already in your fridge.

Surprisingly, there are numerous soup bases you can choose…from meat (pork) to vegetarian (tofu).

But if all these choices overwhelm you, you can just scroll to the bottom for suggested pairings.

Once you have your ingredients all sorted out, there are even step by step cooking instructions!

Don’t miss out on making your own: print this guide and bring it along to the market with you on your next trip!

Infographic

Food and Design for the Functional Age

San Francisco, the place I call home, has been on the cutting edge of all things culinary for decades. However, in reaction to environmental concerns, as well as optimal health components for a healthier living, a new type of “engineered” food is becoming more popular.

Dozens of startups are developing “complete food systems,” which are compromised of optimal nutritional ingredients that could eliminate the need for “real” food.

Interestingly, these pre-packaged powdered diets have gone to the “less is more” in packaging, in an effort to mirror life with an easy choice, that’s simple in theory and modern in design.

“Brands with space-age names like Soylent, Huel, and MANA tap into our collective imagination of a cleaner, smarter future that now feels as reachable as a tall glass of their finely engineered products. [1]

It appears that nearly as much thought has gone into the design of the packaging as the technology involved in creating the food. The audience for these Complete Food systems are busy, and their time needs require a simplified marketing approach, as reflected by the choice of san serif fonts.

“As a population we have made food so delicious that we crave it, get addicted to it, and over consume it. The fact that Complete Food goes against the norm in terms of focusing on the primary purpose of food, e.g. nutrition rather than exclusively taste, has attracted similar founders. I believe the common goal is to strip away the unnecessary additives, flavors, packaging, and preparation. The result is the minimalist aesthetic you see in many of the brands in this space,” said Hearn of Huel.

You can read more about the technology behind the food, the design behind the packaging, and the psychology behind the brands in this Eye on Design article.

[1] https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/why-do-so-many-food-2-0-companies-look-alike/

Celebrating the Intersection of Art & Technology

I invite you to join me as I host/moderate an event at my studio, this Thursday night 10/6/16. I anticipate it to be both super cool and exciting.

The event is called  "Celebrating the Intersection of Art & Technology,” and will be a 1 hour panel discussion with industry luminaries from Adobe and Industrial Light and Magic to talk about what’s happening in design, art and the entertainment industry, all under the shell of technology. 




You can read more about it here:

http://arizonaalumni.com/event/san-francisco-baycat-next-door-celebrating-intersection-art-technology

https://www.facebook.com/events/1765873240361504/

 

If you’ve had any burning questions about the legacy of Star Wars (as a production or portfolio asset), or are interested to learn about what most people think of as the most ubiquitous piece of creative software ever made, please join us!

Here are all the details: 

Caren Alpert Photography
2475 Third Street #308
San Francisco, CA 94107
6:30-8:30 pm (mingling for first and last 1/2 hour, panel starts at 7:30pm)
$10 (tax deductible donation), free for UA alumni members
Light appetizers and drinks will be served, along with great conversation
Advance registration requested, but not necessary.

Email/RSVP to Caren with any questions:  [email protected]

Copyright Infringement Rules

One of the most time-consuming tasks for artists with digital media is to keep their work protected. It’s a burden to many of us (myself, included!), and Curtis Newbold, PhD of the website, Visual Communication Guy, is trying to help us and redistributors to understand the usage laws.

While the Internet is sometimes a wonderful way to promote artists and their work, it also opens the door to unlawful use. If a violation hasn’t happened to you yet, it just might!

It can get a little ambiguous for the non-seasoned, but obtaining permission to use the image(s) is always the best practice. Dr. Newbold suggests understanding these four ideas: copyright, fair use, creative commons, and public domain. The fair use clause is what gets most redistributors into hot water and opens them up to lawsuits.

Another concept that one should familiarize themselves with is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DCMA. There is an actual process to have images removed from a website, and the work does not need to be copyrighted. This is the act that I reference in my DCMA Take Down Notices to websites unlawfully using my images.

And, for those professional photographers out there, you might be interested to know that the PPA is actively trying to reform the landscape for small claims copyright legislation as we speak!   See more below.

For More Reading:

http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/07/14/can-i-use-that-picture/

http://www.dmca.com/FAQ/What-is-a-DMCA-Takedown

http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/about/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

https://www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk/articles/ultimate-guide-to-images

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Advocacy/Copyright/prweb13479677.htm

Vending the Baguette

It’s a brand new world out there, when innovation and technology become more closely married and amazing things develop. Especially interesting is food at our fingertips, just like money and prepacked snacks.

But there have been leaps and bounds with fresh foods, and we now now see cupcakes and pizza coming out of vending machines. And most recently, freshly baked baguettes!

©Stefanie Tuder SF Eater

The Parisian company Le Bread Xpress is the mastermind behind this innovation. There are currently about 100 machines in France, and has expanded to San Francisco’s The Myriad, a marketplace on 15^th and Market here in my hometown. A second location will open in Stonestown Galleria soon.

For a mere $4.25, you can be part of the tech-friendly fresh food revolution next time you’re in northern California.

For more about the process, visit here.

Anatomy of a Chef

Chef Works, an apparel company, has put together a fun infographic on the Anatomy of a Chef. While most consumers may be preoccupied by the fare, you can check out what a chef is actually made of…from kitchen tools to cooking accessories to that signature chef’s toque.

For instance, there are 5 different chef hats. In the most iconic of them, the toque, the height and pleats actually matter. The taller and more pleated is a status of experience and mastery. Regardless of personal preference, a kitchen can become hot and all take into account the sweat factor. 😊

The chef’s jacket is actually very well thought out. Cleaning, swapping out the front, and ventilation are all considered in the design. And on the wildly popular Iron Chef America, 7 out of 9 prefer the long sleeved version.

These days, many chefs (in SF and across the country) are losing the formality in exchange for more approachable fashions and shoes (like Mario Batali’s famous order of 200 pairs of orange Crocs), but for those who appreciate tradition, the outfit speaks highly.

You can read more on the tool of the trade, like knives, below. As well as some common appliances you may or may not have used yourself. And if you didn’t know there’s a hierarchy in the kitchen, you’ll definitely want to take a peek.

http://www.chefworks.com/uniforms/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/anatomy-of-a-top-chef-infographic-2.png

Skyscrapper Farming?

Thinking outside of the box, or the farm, so to speak, Columbia University microbiology and Public Health professor Dickson Despommier, has become an advocate for his concept of vertical farming.

“With an estimated 1,090,000 square miles of farmland needed to grow enough food for the world’s population in 2050, it is no wonder that vertical farming has been on the rise. In fact, one acre of vertical farm is estimated to equate to about 10 to 20 traditional soil-based farms [1].”

But how would that work? Hydroponics.

Hydroponics is a soil-less way of growing plants by delivering nutrients through a mineral enriched water solution.

The concept is very interesting, but considering the land price in major cities, may be cost prohibitive. It certainly opens the door to the conversation alternative farm growth and how science can play a role in this new shift. And in a smaller capacity, some venues, such as Whole Foods (but mostly in suburban locations so far), are converting their rooftops to gardens, yielding as much as 10,000 pounds of produce a year.

You can read more about this concept in the Science and Food Lucia article.

[1]. https://scienceandfooducla.wordpress.com/2016/05/17/vertical-farming-high-rise/

http://recovergreenroofs.com/?projects=whole-foods-lynnfield-ma

Vroom Vroom, Mushrooms?

Can portabella mushrooms stop cell phone batteries from degrading over time? Researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering think so.

According to their research, “they have created a new type of lithium-ion battery anode using portabella mushrooms, which are inexpensive, environmentally friendly and easy to produce. The current industry standard for rechargeable lithium-ion battery anodes is synthetic graphite, which comes with a high cost of manufacturing because it requires tedious purification and preparation processes that are also harmful to the environment. [1]

UC Riverside engineers were drawn to using mushrooms because they are porous. This allows for liquid or air to pass through. The high potassium salt concentration also allows for increased electrolyte-active material increasing its capacity.

This is obviously a complex finding, which you can read about in more detail here: https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/31442. What is exciting is looking at how nature (and food!) can be a useful tool in enhancing our man-made technology. How’s that for a friendly fungus?!?!!??

[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150929142522.htm

Robot Invented Food

IBM's robot Watson is the author of a newly released cookbook, Cognitive Cooking With Chef Watson.

IBM engineer Steve Abrams, is the brain behind Chef Watson, and part of a team of real, human chefs at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Chef Watson wasn’t created to reimagine existing food combinations -- it was developed to think of things they never could have come up with, like the Australian Chocolate Burrito. It contains expected items like ground beef, tortilla, and cheese. It also contains chocolate, apricot purée, edamame and cinnamon. Hmmm…

The recipes that made the final cut had to pass three criteria: Surprise, Synergy and Pleasantness.

But how did a computer come up with ideas that could be edible? Initially Watson scanned a collection of online recipes to understand which flavor combinations cropped up frequently. Then it narrowed its focus to the level of cuisine, using the recipes to learn which flavor combinations made something Chinese or Italian or Tex-Mex. Finally, it zeroed in on individual dishes.

Whether or not a computer or robot can take over haut cuisine will be up to individual eaters and their willingness in expanding their palate.

You can read more about Watson and his new cookbook here:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/belgian-bacon-pudding-and-other-recipes-invented-by-a-robot/390363/

Summer Sweet

It’s summer time! Pools, oceans, swimsuits and ice cream!

The cold, sugary confections are a delicious way to beat the heat. Below is an infographic that explains the difference between a gelato, which means frozen in Italian, and it’s counterpart, ice cream.

While the main difference is that gelato contains less air, less butterfat, and is served at a higher temperature. However, there are also more artisan differences…fresh ingredients, small batches that are consumed quickly, and natural ingredients.

Take a gander below and now I’m off to Gelateria Naia, which has yummy Stracciatella!