3.0 update brings minor changes to Spotify

Spotify is one of the biggest players in the music streaming business and they don’t appear to show any signs of slowing down. In their pursuit to continue to get more subscribers, they have released an update to their Android app that brings the version count to 3.0 and some minor improvements.

Starting with the UI, there is nothing that is going to blow your mind away as the most notable change is the addition of an up arrow on the mini player. Now you will always know which one you are using and if you wish to maximize, all you need to do is click on the arrow. Another notable change is the reduction in size that the cover art have gone through. While not a huge reduction, it is enough to make more room for the player controls underneath. You can also see a small glimpse of the previous and upcoming songs cover art, just in case you were curious as to what you would be listing to for your next jam.

Even thought the update brings Spotify up to version 3.0, there are not that many changes as the update number would imply. Either way, if you can expect the update to hit devices in rolling phases and you can use the link below to see if you have an update waiting.

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Cooking with Watson: Caymanian Plantain Dessert

Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson is a collaboration between IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Once a week, as part of an ongoing series, we’ll be preparing one recipe from the book until we’ve made all of them. Wish us luck.

So for the second week in a row, Watson and his culinary interpreters are appealing to my sweet tooth. Except, where last week’s pastries had a savory backbone to keep things interesting, the Caymanian plantain dessert is a full-on tooth-rotting sugar bomb. And a damn delicious one at that. Here’s the thing about IBM’s cognitive computing project: You never know quite what you’re going to get. On the surface the list of flavors here seems like an obvious combination, but as chef Michael Laiskonis points out in the accompanying notes, it’s in how they all come together. See Watson isn’t just about jamming together seemingly incongruous ingredients. The idea is to push human creativity, in whatever area that may be. It just so happens that in this case IBM is trying to broaden your kitchen vocabulary.

There are a bunch of different things going on in this dish. Many different flavors playing off of each other and tons of different textures rubbing elbows. Lets work our way up from the bottom. That brown layer in this Caribbean concoction is caramelized banana. It’s a thick mass of cream and sugar with small pockets of banana chunk and a bit of bite from the molasses. It’s decadent, without crossing into cloying. Then you’ve got the coconut panna cotta, a gelatinous blob of mildly sweet tropical comfort, and on top a rich tart lime cream that, while still sweet, helps balance out the piles of sugar below it. The whole thing is topped with a papaya salad that’s dressed in orange juice, butter and cayenne pepper and a few fried plantain chips, both of which give you something to bite into and add a little crunch and body to the otherwise soft, almost silky texture.

This recipe also marks the return of slightly less common techniques, specifically the making of a panna cotta. That’s not to say that is some complex modernist creation, but it’s not something the average home cook does regularly. That being said, it’s an incredibly simple procedure that involves dissolving sheets of gelatin into cream and sugar and, in this case, coconut milk. For those who have never worked with sheets of gelatin before, its not terribly different from making a box of Jell-O. Except instead of pouring a package of flavored powder into hot water, you mix in sheets of flavorless, processed animal collagen into your hot flavored liquid. Like that ubiquitous, jiggly dessert though, everything in this recipe needs time to settle and firm up. So, while actually making all of the various components takes very little time, you’ll still need about an hour and a half to two hours to let the layers firm up.

So what did my taste testers think? Well, they were all big fans of the flavors (except one who really doesn’t like lime). The coconut did get lost a bit between the heavy sweetness of the banana and the sour citrus on top, but the texture helped lighten up what could have easily turned into a brick of sugar. The three layers combined to create a loose, pudding like mouthfeel that when scooped up with some of the plantains sprinkled with cayenne definitely becomes something more than the sum of its parts. The two suggestions I’d make if your’e going to attempt this dish, are to be liberal with the cayenne in both the papaya salad and the plantains, and to make a lot of plantains. If for no other reason than they’re delicious.

Caymanian Plantain Dessert

Caramelized Bananas

½ cup heavy cream (35% fat)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
Water, as needed
2 large bananas, peeled, and diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, and molasses. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and reserve.

2. In a second saucepan, carefully cook 2 tablespoons sugar and water to cover over medium heat until it produces a light amber color.

3. Reduce the heat and add the bananas, followed by the cream mixture. Over low heat, slowly cook down to a thickened consistency, stirring often to avoid scorching, for about 5 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and cool. Stir in the butter until evenly distributed.

5. Divide the mixture among serving glasses and chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

Coconut Panna Cotta

¾ cup heavy cream (35% fat)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 leaves sheet gelatin, bloomed and squeezed of excess water
¾ cup coconut cream or coconut milk

1. Combine cream and sugar. Gently heat to dissolve. Remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin.

2. Add the coconut cream. Thoroughly mix with an immersion blender.

3. Deposit into the serving glasses on top of the caramelized banana mixture. Chill until set, about 30 minutes.

Lime Cream

2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons lime juice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then add the lime juice.

2. On medium heat, stir constantly until mixture reaches a boil. Remove from heat.

3. Allow the mixture to cool, then emulsify the butter into a cream using a whisk or an immersion blender.

4. Once cooled, but still fluid, divide about half of the mixture among the serving dishes, creating a thin layer on top of the set coconut panna cotta. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes until loosely set.

Orange-Papaya Salad

¼ cup orange juice
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup fresh papaya, peeled, cored, and small-diced

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, gently reduce the orange juice to roughly 1 tablespoon.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste.

3. Add the diced papaya and toss to combine. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool completely.

Plantain Chips

Vegetable or corn oil, as needed
½ plantain, peeled, and very thinly sliced
Fine sea salt, as needed
Cayenne pepper, as needed

1. Rinse the plantain slices in cold water and thoroughly pat dry on paper towels.

2. Fill a heavy saucepan with oil (no more than halfway), and heat the oil to 350°F.

3. In small batches, carefully add the plantain slices to the oil and fry until light golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oil, drain on paper towels, and lightly season with salt and cayenne pepper.

To Serve

Cilantro leaves, as needed (optional)

1. Remove the previously layered and chilled serving dishes from the refrigerator. Divide the papaya mixture among the individual desserts and finish with a few plantain chips and cilantro leaves, as desired.

This recipe and others can be found in Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson.

Filed under: Household

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Quirky bails on building not-so-useful products

The Quirky dream is over — or at least, it’s fundamentally changing. The company just announced that it’ll no longer be building products of its own, instead it’ll focus on channeling ideas to corporate partners like GE and Mattel. Quirky launched as a way for anyone to pitch their unique invention ideas, which would then be voted on by the community and, if deemed worthy, eventually produced by Quirky. On top of the internet fame from getting your dream idea built, you’d also get a cut of the profits. But now, Quirky is changing things up, following a slew of unusual products (remember that smart egg tray?) that were often buggy, and which few people wanted to buy. The news comes as the company is preparing to announce a new round of funding, as well as additional funding for its connected home spinoff Wink.

Last fall Quirky made a big push into the Internet of Things with the launch of several new GE-branded products. Those sorts of collaborations will continue, with Quirky serving as a creative funnel bringing ideas from its community to manufacturing partners. The company is also looking for a partner to take over its outlet and switches business — its Pivot Power strip was one of its few successful standalone products.

Quirky basically needs all the help it can get at this point. The company’s Wink hubs suffered a major outage a few months ago, which left some users with bricked devices that had to be replaced. That’s not exactly the best way to instill confidence in your platform. (Personally, I’m still trying to get my Wink Hub connected to my WiFi network with some degree of stability.)

Filed under: Misc, Household

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Source: Fortune

Smart Micro USB Charge Kit

If you’ve ever wondered what sort of charging speeds you’re getting from your portable power pack, this little gadget may be in your wheelhouse.

Not sure that your after-market charger is delivering on its promised speeds? Smart Micro USB Charge Kit comes with a lightning cable and detects your charging rate in real-time. For just $16.99, this is a clever tool to help analyze and optimize your power levels.

See more at deals.androidguys.com

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