Shameless Plug - I'm so proud of Ocarina Networks

My client Ocarina Networks has been named a finalist for Storage Magazine's 2008 Storage Products of the Year list. The company came out of stealth just two years ago, and its meteoric rise has been stunning to watch. Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Highland Capital, and other top tier investors, Ocarina is filling a niche in way that could not be more timely--it shrinks down the size of the types of files that are proliferating across the web, such as photos, video, Windows files, and so on. Its customers are major photo sharing sites, social networks, bioscience firms, and many others that need to reduce their overall storage footprint, which in many cases is growing by the terabyte week after week, month after month. I've written about them before on this blog, because I think they're a great example of a green business, reducing tenfold the immense power and cooling usage that is associated with our web-based lifestyles.Congrats, guys! I'm so proud to be working with you.

Aptonym Alert!

I could post on the latest updates on Steve Jobs' health, in which he admits that actually it is a little more complex than he originally thought. But instead, I thought, hey! More name fun! Especially since I just found out from that unassailable news source, NPR's "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" that Dennis Rodman's dad, a man who disappeared from his life when he was three, has been married four times and fathered 27 children. His name was ... Philander Rodman. Philander, who now runs a bar in the Phillipines, boasted of his "extracurricular activities" to the Washington Post. In other words, this Philander was one hell of a philanderer. Anyone out there about to name your baby? My advice to you is take some time making this all important decision.

Why is Steve Jobs Losing Weight?

Mystery solved. Steve Jobs has been looking more and more gaunt and unhealthy because of a "hormone imbalance" that has been robbing his system of vital nutrients. The full text of his letter to employees was reprinted in Forbes. But despite his candor, many journalists and bloggers found this explanation vague and unconvincing. What's wrong, people? Isn't it obvious that all the Apple chief needs are a few sophisticated blood tests and a special diet and he'll be fine by springtime. Why, think of the timing--he'll be able to greet the Easter Bunny looking just as robust as he did in 2005. What really surprised me is that with all the chatter about this on Twitter, no one once mentioned that Jobs has tried special diets before. This, NYT columnist Joe Nocera reported in a widely-cited piece in the NY Times last July (although mostly what people noted is that Jobs called Nocera and bawled him out). So, what's actually eating Jobs? I'm not a doctor, but I would hazard a guess that if this really is a hormone imbalance, it is linked to his vegetarian diet, which as Brian Caulfield reported in Forbes last summer, many think he took to an extreme, "...eating dark green vegetables such as broccoli and asparagus, grilled or steamed." Much as we would love to believe that a diet that entirely consists of vegetables is healthy, it is not. It is dangerous. And if Jobs is like most vegetarians, he is supplementing his diet with plenty of helpings of soy, which is a known hormone disruptor.

Here is the diet that I think will help him on the road to health: plenty of Grandma's chicken soup, made from a homemade broth that uses, yes, actual bones. Sally Fallon's recipe for broth on the Weston Price Foundation site is one of the best. Here you go, all--this is as low tech as you can get, in fact it's ancient. But sometimes even the most cutting edge of us need a little kitchen table wisdom:

Chicken Stock

1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings*
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley

*Note: Farm-raised, free-range chickens give the best results. Many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels.

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. (If you are using a whole chicken, remove the neck and wings and cut them into several pieces.) Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.