Sunday, September 25, 2016

Delicious Beef Stew Recipe

finished beef stew

All you have to do to start an argument is to bring up the topic of "traditional" Irish stew. Everyone will think they have the correct version, usually based on what their mother cooked. But of course there is no permanent tradition. A stew is any combination of meat and vegetables cooked in liquid over time, and even in Ireland there are many variations. Some are served with a broth, others are thick. Some made with lamb, others beef.

What follows will be my own version, which is hearty and delicious, the perfect autumnal food. (Even for those, such as I, who would eat red meat rarely.) Before getting on to the recipe I will write a bit about the history of this dish in Ireland.
Monday, September 12, 2016

Proposals for a Zoom F8 Pro



After a series of digital recorders that were targetted at the lower end of the market, Zoom surprised us last year with the excellent F8 recorder. Now they have announced the Zoom F4, an even more cost effective choice, at least for those who only need four microphone inputs. Check out my previous article for the differences between the two models.

But there are quite a lot of users wanting a more capable recorder, something that would sit above the F8 as a flagship model. In an earlier article I listed various firmware improvements for the F8. But further enhancements will require redesigned hardware. Hence this article, which will put forward proposals for a hypothetical Zoom F8 Pro.

Some of these features are already available in professional units from other manufacturers. Including these abilities will allow Zoom to play with the big boys. Certain features I suggest go even beyond that, and might well make the F8 Pro unique; these I have flagged with the word "innovation".
Sunday, September 11, 2016

Zoom F4/F8 feature comparison



With the release announcement this week for the Zoom F4, we can be sure that Zoom is committed to the professional sector of the market. This unit is similar to the Zoom F8, so I thought I would provide a quick overview of the similarities and differences, plus any limitations to look out for.

The first thing is price. While the Zoom F8 retails for $1000, the Zoom F4 is coming in at a ridiculously low $650. This will translate to European and UK pricing in the usual way.

Units are expected in October, though I would say more realistically November. I can also predict that initial stocks will sell out immediately... this is going to be a hit!