Here's a bowl of fiber to meet your daily requirements:

What is it?  Worm spit.  Or, to put it more tastefully, it's silk, reclaimed from sari weavers in Nepal.  I'm dismantling some yarn that I purchased several years ago that was spun directly from this silk waste.  I got it on ebay, and found that the skeins were tangled and hard to unwind, full of knots, and the yarn felt more like rope than anything you would associate with silk.  Also, the colors were so random that the yarn just didn't do the fibers justice.  So... a few years later, I'm thinking about blending fibers, and decide to do something with the sorry sari yarn.  I cut the pieces in roughly 2 1/2 inch sections, then took each and untwisted it and pulled the yarn apart.  I've done 2.5 ounces worth, liberating the silk fibers from their bad yarn shackles, resulting in a lofty pile that looks like this:

Ooohhh sooo yummy.  And soft.  I'm going to blend it with wool and a touch of mohair and a bit of glitz, possibly slipping in a bit of dehaired llama cria fiber too.  (Would that make Sari-Llama yarn?).  I carded up a test batt:

Which looks pretty good, except I think I'll need a higher ratio of the silk waste, and that the colors will "pop" better on a richer color base wool.  It feels really smooth and should spin up nicely, and I didn't even put any of the llama in (llama fibers - if dehaired and from an animal with a nice fiber coat - are very smooth and silky with very little crimp, and the fleece I have is from a baby and very very soft.)  Recycled luxury.  I like.

We're making two barrels of Pinot Noir for 2007 - one from Anderson Valley, the other from Santa Rita Hills. The Anderson Valley is from Wentzel Vineyard. At a several hundred foot elevation that overlooks Goldeneye in Anderson Valley, this organically farmed vineyard is owned by Roland Wentzel. It is about 10 acres and was planted between 2000 and 2002 to clones 115, 667 and 777. I tasted our 07 Wentzel with our winemaker Chris Nelson and this wine is really showing well at this stage of the game. It has a medium to dark ruby color with darker fruit dominating the nose and palate. We blended in another clone of Wentzel, I believe it was a 115. It had brighter, red fruit notes and delivered just a touch of candied fruit and also provided a smooth mouthfeel. Overall, this wine is going to be a great fruit forward, yet balanced, representation of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.

The fun thing about making two different barrels is just that - you can really see the different representations of a varietal like  Pinot Noir. Our 2007 La Encantada Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County) and has a base of 115 clone. It shows more smoke and spice on the nose, some good tannins and a deep ruby color, leaning towards crimson. The vineyard is owned by Richard Sanford (of Sanford Pinot Noir fame). Richard and his wife started their own winery, called Alma Rosa, and also make a single vineyard Pinot Noir from this vineyard. Chris and I played with some different blends, adding in varying percentages of 667 and 777 clones from other La Encantada Pinots. I think we tried four or five different blends, keeping a control sample to our left...or was it to our right...things were getting blurry after a while! In the end, we went with a blend of 8% 777 and 2% 667. The 777 added the spice and more acidity, while the 667 added some more tannin and structure. The result was sweet cherry, spice, floral notes and a hint of cola. The La Encantada has great structure and I think will be a wine that will age well.

glMultiTexCoord2fARB = (PFNGLMULTITEXCOORD2FARBPROC) wglGetProcAddress("glMultiTexCoord2fARB");
glActiveTextureARB = (PFNGLACTIVETEXTUREARBPROC) wglGetProcAddress("glActiveTextureARB");
glClientActiveTextureARB = (PFNGLCLIENTACTIVETEXTUREARBPROC) wglGetProcAddress("glClientActiveTextureARB");

glGetIntegerv(GL_MAX_TEXTURE_UNITS_ARB, &maxTextureUnits);
cout << "!!!!!!" << maxTextureUnits << endl;

glActiveTextureARB(GL_TEXTURE0_ARB);
glEnable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[GRASS]);

glActiveTextureARB(GL_TEXTURE1_ARB);
glEnable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, texture[SNOW]);
glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_TEXTURE_ENV_MODE, GL_COMBINE_ARB );
glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_COMBINE_RGB_ARB, GL_INTERPOLATE_ARB );

glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_SOURCE0_RGB_ARB, GL_PREVIOUS_ARB );
glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_OPERAND0_RGB_ARB, GL_SRC_COLOR );

glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_SOURCE1_RGB_ARB, GL_TEXTURE );
glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_OPERAND1_RGB_ARB, GL_SRC_COLOR );

glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_SOURCE2_RGB_ARB, GL_PRIMARY_COLOR_ARB );
glTexEnvi( GL_TEXTURE_ENV, GL_OPERAND2_RGB_ARB, GL_SRC_ALPHA );
glMultiTexCoord2fARB(GL_TEXTURE0_ARB, 0.0f, 0.0f);
glMultiTexCoord2fARB(GL_TEXTURE1_ARB, 0.0f, 0.0f);

glTexCoord2f(0.0f, 0.0f);  <= similar to   glMultiTexCoord2fARB(GL_TEXTURE0_ARB, 0.0f, 0.0f);

Seringnya seh kalo udah abis ide, aku coba-coba menggabung beberapa gambar ato layer daannn... abrakadabra (kayak sihir aja) dapat deh gambar yang baru. Ya pokoknya coba-coba beberapa variasi, kalo dirasa dah cocok baru dipake.

Fitur Layer blending kayaknya dah umum deh diaplikasi-aplikasi grafis, yang (paling) umum dikenal yaitu adobe photoshop. Awalnya aku gak gitu paham sama fitur ini, tapi lama-kelamaan jadi tau dan ketagihan enaknya (memang makanan). Ini juga cara untuk mempersingkat waktu kita membuat gambar yang berarea luas.

Ini rahasia loh (lah?), kadang (ato sering?) kalo aku pake gambar yang gratisan (hehe.. gak modal) dan tau sendirilah kalo yang gratisan tu banyak dipake orang, untuk ngakalinnya aku gabungin beberapa gambar biar gak ketauan gambar itu dari yang gratisan. Memang seh gapapa juga kalo kita pake gambar yang dipake oleh orang laen, tapi kan lebih baek kalo kita bisa beda dengan yang laen. Intinya ya menaikkan derajat hasil desain kita.

All my Drawings are made in the traditional way: by hand, I begin with a blank sheet of quality paper, and step-by-step create a handcrafted Drawing. I open-handedly crafts each drawing painstakingly and carefully. Unlike other competitors, there is no high-tech wizardry, computer tricks or printing presses behind my artwork. All Drawings/Paintings are 100% handmade on a blank sheet of paper with the highest quality Charcoal, Graphite, and Pastels, then personally signed by me.

I offer a tutorial on Drawing on my site.

"Learn to Draw and Blend"

Visit Adams Art

I welcome you to stop by to see all that will interest you.

This site grows daily.

The Secret to Realistic Drawings or Portraits

Drawing is very individual thing, and picking up information, experience, and your own new discoveries all combined with our own , unique personalities. No one style of art or drawing technique can be considered “right or wrong,” just different.

Some styles and subject matter denote themselves to impressionistic, bold statements and applications, the information here will concentrate on a gradual, smoothly blended appearance. I feel this particular style of drawing best demonstrates a smooth appearances with a more realistic look. And with a little practice there is no limit to how real you can make a drawing appear.

The key to this style, put in a nutshell is : “gradual blending.” This means a smooth application of tones, from very dark to extremely light, with a very gradual blend in between. It should be done very gradually that you cannot see where one tone/shade ends and another begins.

We will be focusing on three major concepts throughout, concepts that will apply to everything you draw; shapes (including people), lights, and darks. Training your eye to see these things correctly will take time, so approach each one single and slowly. Once you can see things stating to happen for you, your accuracy will automatically improve.

But the most important thing to achieve is blending. Blending will make any shape you draw appear realistic if applied accurately. The questions of where and how shading should be placed and blended will be explained, and the mystery behind drawing will be more clearly revealed to you.

Learning to Blend With Graphite

The only trick to this technique, which is hardly a trick at all is the gentle blending of tone from dark to light. There should be no choppiness or interruption of tone. (Look at the images below tutorial) You should not be able to see where one tone/shade ends and another begins.

The smoothness is achieved by applying your pencil lines softly, and always in the same direction. Build your tones slowly and evenly. Lighten your touch gradually, as you make the transition into your lighter areas. Smoothing everything out with a blending tortillon, moving in the same direction you used to place your pencil tone, beginning with the darks and blending out to light.

Always use the tortillon at an angle. Using the tip will cause the end to push in and become blunt. If this should happen, you can mend it by sticking the end of a straitened paper clip, or thin nail inside of it and pushing the tip back out.

Do no throw your tortillons away as they become dirty. Save them, and divide them into groups according to how much graphite they have on them. A very black tortillon will be just what you need to blend out a dark area later, like a dark a background, or a dark head of hair.

Always us a fresh tortillon for the light areas, and don’t be tempted to use the same ones over and over again to conserve. They are not very expensive; I buy them by in bulk so I never have to look for a clean one when I need it.

Below are some images of incorrect blending, correct blending and the tortillon

[caption id="attachment_171" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is the incorrect way to blend"][/caption]

Notice the obvious pencil lines that weren't blended out. The tones are choppy and rough, and not even and gradual.

[caption id="attachment_172" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is the correct way to blend"][/caption]

This example is smooth and even. It was achieved by applying the pencil lines very close together.

Always hold the tortillon at an angle to keep from flattening out he tip, but the choice is yours, using the tip will where them out more quickly.

There are several materials you will need on a regular basis to draw effectively, as well as to be organized.

Click on the follow post links to view them (MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SMOOTH BLENDING)

The Five Elements of Shading

(Look at the bottom of this subject "The Five Elements of Shading" for images to help you understand the tutorial).

To denote something realistically, the artist must fully understand the lighting on the subject and the five elements of shading. The form of any object is created by the correct placement of lights and darks: the five elements of shading and the gentle blending of the tones together.

Every tone of the object you are drawing should be compared to black or white. But how do you know how dark to draw something: Using a simple five-box scale of values can help you decide on the depth of tone. Each one of the tones on the scale represents one of the five elements of shading For example, tone number three on the value scale –(medium gray)- corresponds to shading element number three on the sphere – the half tone (halfway between white and black).

1. Cast Shadow. This is your darkest dark, and should be made as close to black as possible, as seen in box number one on your scale. This is the shadow that the object you are drawing is “casting” on the surface on which it lies. The shadow is the darkest where the object and the surface touch, and then it lightens gradually as it gets farther away from the object.
2. Shadow Edge. This is the dark gray, and corresponds with number two on your scale. This is not the edge of the object, it is where the object is receding from the light, and is on the opposite side of the light source.
3. Halftone. This is the medium gray, or number three on your scale. This is the true color of the object, without the effects of direct light or shadow. IT is neither light nor dark so it is called a halftone.
4. Reflected Light. This is the small light edge seen around the object, particularly between the cast shadow and the shadow edge. This is really the light bouncing back from the surrounding surfaces. It is the light that makes the object appear round and solid, and tells us that there is a backside to it. Reflected light is never bright white. It is closer to a halftone, like box number four on the scale.
5. Full Light. This is where the light hits the object full strength. Full light should be represented by the white of the paper. The gray areas should be blended into this area very carefully, so no hard edges are created.

Practice these 5 Prime Shade Values, going from dark to light, then blending them to a smooth finish.

"The Sphere" click on image iIfound to make larger so you can view all that is indicated on the "Sphere"

[caption id="attachment_175" align="aligncenter" width="497" caption="Merely a round object"][/caption]

Correct Blending Techniques

Before you begin drawing actual object you should get comfortable with your tools and materials. I recommend that you first draw some blended-tone swatches, as shown above, to help you learn to control your blending. Start with your darkest tone on one side and gradually lighten the tone as your continue to the other side. Do as many as you need to, until you feel proficient at it.

Once you begin to draw simple objects, such as the cylinder shown below, us the following steps to help you.

1. Soft edge: This is where the object gently curves and creates a shadow edge. It is not harsh, but a gradual change of tone.

2. Hard edge: This is where two surface touch or overlap, creating a harder edged, more defined appearance. I do not mean draw a line. Let the difference in tones create the edge.

3. Application of tone: _Always apply your tones, whether you use your pencil or tortillon (yes, you can draw with the tortillon), with the contours of the object. Follow the curves of the object, with the shading parallel to the edges, so you can blend into the edge, and out toward the light. It is impossible to control blending if you are cross blending and not following the natural edges and curves.

4. Contrast: Don’t be afraid of good solid contrast of tone. I will repeat that; don’t be afraid of good solid contrast of tone. Always compare everything to black or white. Use your five-box value scale (shown above), to see where the gray tones fit in. Squinting your eyes while looking at your subject helps you see the contrast better. The sphere, and cylinder both important shapes, and so is the egg, as you will see shortly, to understand if you want to draw effectively.

Uneven tones can be corrected by forming a point with your kneaded eraser, then drawing in reverse. Use a light touch and gently remove any areas that stand out darker than others. Light spots can be filled in with your pencil (do this lightly). Areas that need to be even darker can be sprayed with your fixative spray (which I’ve listed as one of the supplies needed for drawing) and the darks built up in layers. Be sure to erase what you need to, before spraying or it will be permanently on your work. Use your typewriter eraser to crisp up edges and remove any over blending.

"The Cylinder"

click on image to make larger

Take note to the Soft Edge, Hard Edge, Contrast, and Tone. Click on the above image to see where these four are indicated.

Three Basic Steps of Transition

All transition requires three basic steps. First is and accurate line drawing, or outline of your subject. An outline is the outside shape, whereas a line drawing includes the interior details. It is the foundation of your drawing and acts as a guide for placing tones. Second is the identification and placement of lights and darks and placing them in as puzzle pieces. Third is the blending of all your tones together, smoothly and gradually. As you study and practice the shapes below, refer back to the “Five Elements of Shading.”

Draw these shapes several time each, with the light source coming from different directions each time (north, east, south and west). This may seem very boring, but practice is essential for effective drawing.

Below are some examples I found for you to follow.

click on image to make larger

Remember, blending is the secret to getting an image to look realistic, so keep practicing this till you get very good with it. You will find you need this example in almost all that you draw.

Come on back to see what will be added to be of help.

I hope I have been a service to you. Though you may use all this information free of charge, no contribution is too small, and is much appreciated for the efforts involved with the above tutorial.

1. Oster Classic Beehive Blender - Best General Blender
2. Braun PowerMax MX2050 - Best Budget Blender
3. Vita-Mix 4500 - Highest Quality Blender

You can visit Mandy's blog here - Best Blenders Blog

Have Champagne producers been blending for centuries simply to express their artistry, their technical skill, their collective and individual je ne sais quoi, if you will?  Yes and no.  A common-sense hedging of bets has been part of the motivation too.  The weather in the Champagne region is some of the worst and most unpredictable in all of France.  Some harvests are so weak that Champagne houses do not even declare a vintage year.  Absent the ability to rely on the desired quantity and quality of the exact types of grapes a winemaker might want each year, he or she must be able to use what Mother Nature provides to make a wonderful bubbly faithful to the house style.  (Sidebar: color us smug in sunny California, where every year is a vintage year.)  Thus, skill in blending is necessary to ensure a Champagne house’s flagship non-vintage bubbly – and economic survival! – each year.

But the world is different now.  Climate change – a bane in most ways – may be responsible for the short-term effect of providing a greater percentage of vintage years in Champagne over the last couple decades.  Technology has improved (exponentially) winemakers’ abilities to work with what Mother Nature offers.  So, is eschewing blending perhaps a sign that the need to hedge has diminished?  Or have a few producers simply decided to innovate based on the contrarian tendencies of those making decisions?  It wouldn’t be the first time that the tradition of blending has been stood on its head by an eccentric individual with perhaps too much time and/or money at his or her disposal – see, for example, the fascinating story of a single-vineyard, single-clone bubbly: http://richardgrantwine.com/wrotham-story.html.

All of the above are at least partly true, but so is one other thing: the need of Champagne producers to engineer ever more cache – and ever more cash.  As China, India and Russia mint more and more millionaires, and thousandaires, for that matter, the demand for Champagne at all price points grows.  So perhaps those wily Champenois are simply embracing an opportunity to go up-market, or upper-market, as the case may be.

Fair enough, and not a new story.  But let’s hope that Champagne producers – as well as any New World copycats that emerge – have the good sense to experiment with this contrarian trend only when there’s a good reason for it.  Amazingly unique terroir for certain varietals and/or specific clones is a good reason.  Bollinger’s walled, pre-phylloxera vineyard , from which a legendary blanc de noirs is made, comes to mind.  (See: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/dining/14pour.html?pagewanted=all.)  As for the newcomers, the jury likely will remain out for some time.  Let’s hope the great Champagne houses have the good sense to avoid too many marketing tricks and that we don’t see tartar-control Champagne next….

Bottom line: the Bubblemaster embraces adventures and misadventures alike, in the name of innovation.  This single-vineyard bubbly wave is a potentially fun one to ride.  Though the resulting wines may not have as broad an appeal as more traditional blends, we’re sure to see some exquisitely crafted, unique and delicious Champagnes emerge as part of this trend.  The Bubblemaster can only hope that some fall within his humble reach in terms of price point and availability….

Cheers,

The Bubblemaster

Mon dieu, what will they think of next?  Your erstwhile Bubblemaster knows not what to make of a world turned quite this much on its head….As usual, progress is good, bad and ugly.  Good because only an extended period of global peace and prosperity (for some of us, anyway) could permit the continuing refinement and specialization of an already overly refined and specialized luxury like Champagne.  Bad because the quick addition of capacity and supply virtually guarantees quality dilution, at least in the short term.  And ugly because the demand fueling the continuing Champagne boom comes with nasty, rapid development and urbanization in emerging and industrializing countries.

We’ll leave expansion – which the Bubblemaster views more ominously than not – aside for now, to focus on blending.  Part 1 of this blending blog will discuss the traditional role of blending; in Part 2 the Bubblemaster will give you his take on the growing counter-trend.

Blending has been a steadfast tradition for producers of Champagne and sparkling wine since the popularization of bubbly hundreds of years ago.  The grape varietals used to make Champagne (and many New World sparkling wines) are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.  Within those nesting dolls, sparkling winemakers work with any number of genetically distinct clones of each varietal.  Digging further into the small picture, individual plantings of those clones tend to come from various blocks (geographical areas) within a vineyard – and/or from numerous vineyards.  At many of the best houses, grapes from these blocks are used to make distinct still wines from which a master blend is made.  Each block and each vineyard of course has its own terroir, or overall growing environment (i.e., dirt, sun, rain, slope of the hill, etc.).  Considering the array of possibilities facing a winemaker calls to mind a choose-your-own-adventure book that never ends – in fact, if you don’t like making decisions, don’t be a winemaker!

Decisions about which grapes to use; how much of each varietal; which clones; and where the plantings come from all affect the wine that is ultimately produced.  Thus, much of the art and science in the sparkling wine production process rests in putting together the master blend for a bubbly.  This is the most important hook on which a winemaker hangs his or her hat in crafting a “house style” for the bubbly.  House style refers to the flavor, mouth-feel, structure and overall character of the wine, and every house prodes itself on a particular house style that runs like a common thread through each individual wine it produces.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Having a price range between US $45 and $60, this might appeal to those on a tight budget. However, before deciding to purchase this blender, you might want to know how well this blender works. So, a quick glance at these mini points might help you in making a decision.

Braun MX2050 Blender Review - The Good

1) Versatility

• With 5 different speeds, you can basically blend anything and in any texture of your preference too!
• Try chunky salsa, smooth smoothies, favorite protein shakes and your kid’s milkshakes. Name it, blend it :)
• Don’t forget to use the pulse mode too. It’s pretty effective when you make a last minute decision to improvise or to give it a final touch.

2) Quieter compared to other blenders

• For those who have noise phobia, this feature is very appealing especially if you are one who craves for late night smoothies or early morning shakes. However, do bear in mind that there are some reviews that disagree with this.
• It is good to know that it works just as good as other blenders which are more expensive than this since this blender also has 500 watts of power and strong blades.

3) Simple and Fast

• Being on the go, this blender suits our needs. With stainless steel blades, sturdy glass jug and its powerful motor, the mixture is thoroughly and quickly blended.

4) Easy Clean-up

• Although it may be in white, this blender is easy to clean. Many parts can go in the dishwasher (for example blades, jug, and lid) while all you need is to wipe the base by hand with a damp towel.
• The good thing about this blender is that the parts are easily removed for cleaning. So, by removing the bottom, you can have easy access to the glass jar. Alternatively, put some water and detergent in the jar and use the pulse settings.
• Worn out for the day? Just fill the jar with water until it reaches the 4th cup mark. Next, dash in some dish-washing liquid and click the ‘Pulse/Clean’. It self-cleans!

5) Strong and Firm

• One of the main praises about this blender is its comforting handle. Fits like a glove with a comforting strong assurance.
• Its design makes it easy to use too. The control’s large knob enables one to grasp it easily to turn it.

6) A looker

• It’s not just its color. Notice the rounded triangular shape too. This design is convenient too! You can pour from any position and pour in liquid through the drip holes while blending to save time and hassle.
• The triangular-shaped, snug-fitting lid has rubber inserts at the corners. Looks cute? It does more than that. It makes your job easier since you don’t need to sweat and puff while trying to remove it.

7) Safe

• Even though this is a budget blender, it does not regard your safety too. With its safety interlock system, rest at ease since blending can only be done when it is in its locked position. No freaky cases of self-blending!

Braun MX2050 Blender Review - The Bad

1) Long Term Durability Problems

• This is the probably the biggest and most common complaint by many blender reviews.
• The main problem lies with the faulty design. The bottom of the blade assembly is very thinly spoked and if used very frequently, this blender can last you approximately one to two years at the most. The construction of the drive mechanism isn’t as solid compared to other blenders of a higher price.
• Made of plastic, the teeth on the underside of the blade assembly are fragile and brittle. Even though you can get replacement easily, replacing them over and over again might end up in a bigger overall spending budget.
• Definitely a no-no for heavy duty ice crushing.

2) Clear Cap at the Top does not Seal Well

• If you are blending at a high speed, be ready for liquid to either leak out or splash at the top when you first blend something.
• While the removable centre part may be good for adding items while blending, there are openings at the edges even when fully closed. However, if you use ‘pulse/clean’ during clean-up, there is a possibility of having a soapy water bath in your kitchen!
• A solution would be to put a kitchen towel over the lid while it is washing but you would have to wash the towel yourself. So, it will not be much of a time saver.

3) White Plastic Piece at the base Melts

• One user who blended baby food (grains and dried legumes) at a high speed for up to 2 minutes noticed that the plastic piece at the bottom of the pitcher melted. Normally, blenders are designed to withstand high speed blending.
• At speed 5, some other users have commented that they notice a burning smell coming from the motor which might explain the melted plastic piece.
• Even the base assembly cannot be screwed on too tightly.

4) Loses Power in the Middle of a Blend

• Sometimes, the blender is not powerful enough to continue blending at that same level or same speed in the middle of a blend. As a result, there is a lack of consistency since it bogs down towards the end of the blend.

5) Leaks Frequently

• It leaks frequently from the base assembly. Our guess is that this is due to the gasket being made from plastic rather than rubber.
• Take extra care when you are screwing the base on to ensure that it is neither too tightly nor too loosely screwed on. It might get cross-threaded.
• One user found a solution to this. When you first receive the blender, take the jug apart and then put it back together more tightly to avoid it from leaking.

6) Awkward Placement of Handle

• Some blender reviews have said that users do not like the handle being at the back and the controls at the front because it is awkward even though it is this strategic placing that makes the blender works well.
• I would say this is a matter of preference and getting used to. It is just a minor setback.

Best Budget Blender

All in all, if you are in tight budget, you might want to consider Braun MX 2050 as your best budget blender. However, the main point in buying a blender is to blend things. If you love blending frozen stuff, this blender might not be the one for you since it cannot withstand blending frozen things for a long time. Additionally, buying replacements repeatedly when it continues to break may be a very costly blender if all the costs are taken into consideration.

Nonetheless, if you are looking for a short term blender that have versatility, quiet, simple, fast, easy clean up, strong, look good, and safe, then this should be your pick. The cheapest that I could find was at Amazon at a price of $ 44.99 - Braun PowerMax MX2050

Further Information:

• Braun PowerMax MX2050

Related Post

• Best Blenders

Based on the many blender reviews, Oster Classic Beehive Blender in Chrome has consistently good ratings. It is, thus, hardly a surprise that it is ranked as the best general use blender since there are no nagging durability problems on the whole. To help you in your purchase, below are the pros of this blender:

Pros :

1. Smooth
2. All-purpose
3. Fast & Furious
4. No burnt smell
5. Blades are made of metal
6. Not plastic, but a glass jar
7. Eye-candy
8. No unpleasant odours

Cons:

1. King Kong of the Kitchen
2. Hand-wash
3. Only 2 control speeds
4. Cheap Lid
5. Some find it too powerful

Oster 4093 Class 2 Speed Beehive Pros

1) Smooth

• This blender is great for crushing ice because it leaves no chunk of ice. A real deal compared to Cuisinart which leaves a grittier consistency.
• So smooth, you don’t need to sift through the pulp when blending chilies.
• It is great for making smoothies especially those with frozen fruit and I’m talking about ice-cream shop quality.
• No more waiting for defrosting! Just pop it in the blender straightaway!
• Other blenders have problems with separation (the top is chunky while the bottom is blended). This powerful blender is so strong that it creates a ‘funnel’ so that liquid from the top is dragged down to the bottom. Voila! A perfect blend.

2) All-purpose

• You name it, you blend it: soup, salsa, homemade pasta sauces, grated cheese & coconut, salad dressings, etc.
• It’s specialty? Perfect margarita, puree soups, smoothies, strawberry daiquiris and fabulous gazpacho.

3) Fast & Furious

• I kid you not! You can blend most things under a minute.
• Need your protein shakes in a jiffy? All it takes is 30 seconds.
• It’s powerful (600 watts), quick and simple.

4) No burnt smell

• Afraid of triggering the fire detector? No worries 
• Even though it is very powerful, there is no burnt smell from the motor.

5) Blades are made of metal

• It’s sharp, it’s durable.
• Other blenders’ plastic blades crack over time. This metal blade does not.
• No more worries about cracking blades. It’s so sharp and sturdy that it halves the time to blend.

6) Not plastic, but a glass jar

• Stain resistant and scratch resistant; the glass gives it a polished look.
• Does a pretty good job at funneling the food to the blades.
• The carafe is pretty small, but its cuteness does not diminish its strength.

7) Eye-candy

• Kitchen lover? Its shiny base is a fine addition to your counter table.
• Reminiscing of the 50’s jukebox café? This is your answer!

8) No unpleasant odours

• Fret not if you love to blend garlic or other smelly food. It does not retain those smells after it is cleaned.

Oster 4093 Class 2 Speed Beehive Cons

These are the cons:

1) King Kong of the Kitchen

• This is an all-time high complaint in almost every single blender review. Just imagine a jet engine taking off without any ear plugs on.
• Solution? Dampen the sound between the bottom of the blender and the hard, sound-reflective surface of the counter top. For instance, you could use a folded tea towel or a rubber mat. It really does make a difference, trust me.

2) Hand-wash

• Dishwasher users, this might disappoint you since the only part that can be washed in the dishwasher is the glass container.
• However, I find it very easy to clean since this is a pretty effective blender.

3) Only 2 control speeds

• High speed or low speed pulse control.
• Doesn’t make a difference if you’re going to blend frozen beverages.
• Plus, it takes the guesswork equation out of blenders who has numerous control settings which I believe is quite unnecessary.
• So, if you want a coarser texture, some reviews said the pulse feature is mostly adequate.

4) Cheap Lid

• Doesn’t reflect a good image of Oster but you can keep your hand on the lid to avoid the splattering mess in your kitchen.
• Flimsy lid may soften especially if you are blending hot foods (e.g. pureeing warm tomatoes). One user witnessed the clear plastic cap slip through the softened lid and dropped into the blender where it was effectively blended into his mixture. Not a pretty sight, I imagine. You might want to keep that in mind.

5) Some find it too powerful

• There might be trouble trying to blend light-weight ingredients so you might have to blend in big batches to bring it all the way down to the blades.
• Some have problem blending ice to make two pina coladas because they are not used to such a powerful blender.
• A solution? Nuke the cubes for 10-15 seconds and pour the liquid into the carafe from the top. Use pulse to break down the big chunks of ice first. This way, you should get a consistent and perfect drink.

Best Blender - General

Generally, Oster Classic Beehive Blender in Chrome is quite reliable. However, of late, there seems to be a discrepancy in consistency in its manufacturing. A few examples would include a broken rubber ring that holds together part of the drive mechanism, failure of the motor after only one usage, leakage of oil and acrid burning smell after running the motor for only 1 minute or more.

However, these complaints from some blender reviews are in the minority and very manufacturer have their percentage of error. For those who were lucky, this blender lasted them for a few years even after using it twice a day all year round. As long as the defects occur within the one year warranty period, I shouldn’t worry too much. All the research and feedback have prove this is the best blender you can get!

The price range is approximately between US $55 and US $65, I think it is pretty reasonable if you receive a reliable blender from Oster.

Further Information:

• Oster Classic Beehive Blender Amazon Review And Price

Related Post :

• Best Blenders

Kitchen Blender Main Purpose

The main purpose of a kitchen blender is to grind, chop and puree food and beverages. There are various types, namely, gas powered blender, the immersion blender and the hand blender. Why should you get a blender? It is your very own time-saving assistant in the kitchen! It helps you churn out soups in a jiffy, crush ice, prepare smoothies for your children, shakes, malts and it makes sauces quite well too. Here’s a quick summary of blenders:

The Immersion Blender
- Also known as the Hand Blender, it is long enough to make a tall glass of a blended drink or some soup. If you’re on the go, this is suitable because only the detachable wand needs to be washed. The rest can be put in the dishwasher. This blender is very popular for stirring soups, pureeing and chopping vegetables.

The Food Blender
- This is another key for time-saver while retaining the quality of blended things. You can basically blend anything. The best part is that the jars do not retain the odours of yesterday’s vegetables while blending today’s smoothies. With its hardy exterior and stylish finish, you can expect it to last you. To ease your busy lifestyle, this blender is simplistic in its operation.

The Gas Powered Blender
- Are you always traveling? This portable blender with no cords is ideal for sporting events outdoors, camping or when you’re on a job that requires you to travel and have a healthy meal at the same time.

Blender Types

Now I’ll introduce you to the basic two types of blenders: handheld and work top.

Work Top Models
- This work top blender rests on the kitchen counter and is easy to blend with just a push of a button. This is mainly a traditional design of blenders.

Handheld Models
- Manually operated and suitable for kitchen enthusiasts, this is a modern and recent addition to the work top models. They are stick-shaped small and lightweight. As such, it is popular because it is easy to use and can be stowed in a drawer or cabinet. If you work in the kitchen a lot, both types of blenders are pretty useful.

Blender World

With this essential knowledge, you have begun your journey into the world of blenders. To keep pace with technology, the current most popular type of blenders around are the stainless steel blenders, chrome blenders, cordless blenders, hand held blenders, food processor blenders and commercial blenders. Now, you can go on to look at the different information involving blenders. I have divided them into tips on buying a blender, using a blender safely and correctly, maintaining a blender, and a few reviews of one of the best blenders around.

Related Post

• Best Blenders

Our adoption finalization is scheduled for July 3 at 3:30.  Pray it's on-time and quick!  We're going to the fireworks after!  More tomorrow.  The social worker is finishing up her home visits today.

I'm going to be using the following images:

We are going to composite the lightning image into the cloud image a nice and non-destructive way.

First we'll need to select the entire lightning image and copy/paste it onto the cloud image.

And now, to blend the two together, the best blending option to use in this case to get the most light out of the image would be the SCREEN mode. So, change the blending layer of the lightning layer to SCREEN.

Now, by double clicking on the lightning layer thumbnail, we can access the Layer Style dialogue screen where all the magic happens for this one.

And while the section at the bottom isn't labeled "Luminance Blending," that's what they are and that is what we'll be focusing on.

By using the sliders of "This Layer," moving the right (white) notch to the left will remove the luminances in the upper range, while adusting the left (black) notch to the right will remove the lower range of luminocity.

Now, that looks better. But now we still have some jaggy edges. Let's fix this.  So if you look closely, you'll see that the notch has a little split down the center of it that if we hold down the OPTION-key and select the left side of the notch, we can see the edges go fuzzy or softer.

Now, I've moved the left half of the notch to 85 and the right side of that notch to 175. So what I've basically done is said that anything in this image that has a brightness value of 0-85, make that absolutely transparent. And anything that has a brightness value of 175 up to 255 leave that opaque. Any brightness between 85-175, ramp it up so that we have a nice soft transition. Here's where we should be at now:

What we need to do now to make this look a little more believable is we need to force through the luminace levels from the composite layers in the background behind the active layer. To do this, we need to force the lightest colors through the clouds and using the "Underlying Layer" luminance control notches. And to get the lightness to come though, we need to adjust the white notch using the same method as before. By moving this slider to the right, we'll see the lightning receed into the clouds. Once I've dragged the slider down to 160, we want to get the softer transition in the clouds again by holding the OPTION-key and click/dragging the right side of the notch to 180:

And here we have our final image. Sweet.

Thanks to Deke McClelland for this little gem.

Blenders

According to blender wiki definition :

A blender, or liquidiser in British English, is a kitchen appliance used to mix ingredients or puree food. The term typically refers to a stationary, upright electrical device, which is to be distinguished from a hand-powered or electric mixer that may be used for similar purposes. Blenders are also used in laboratory applications.

Well, I"m sure in someway we all see and use blender before:)

The answer is within you this YouTube video.