Banksy + 5: October 10th

Banksy + 5: October 10th

Balance

So I'm re-starting my wonderful dormant company, Midnight Publishing Group, Inc. 

Why?

Because I have my hands grasped firmly around ideas that I know I can create, market and profit from.

*ding*

Within the past year I've watched two swiftly successful companies be built from the ground up by close friends and I know I can do the same. 

First you create the idea, then you encapsulate the idea in a beautifully desirable package. After the packaging, you push it and you keep pushing until it moves. Sounds simple but essentially that is the game. 

Can I stick to the game? 

Balance. Balance. Balance.

Work requirements, business projects,social, life.

No this is not my idea but this is a really cute robot I made a year or so ago.

 Mostly I enjoy doing grim pop-culture portraits and paintings. This little guy was an experiment of mine which is enjoyable to work with but I don't see a market for him.

I'll be posting more of my work soon on midnightpublishinggroup.com and on melaniestewart.net (my personal portfolio site).

 

Russian Billionaire Wants to Create Cyborgs for Real

I think many people would trade their current life for this..

In science fiction, one of the most popular concepts is the cyborg — a creature that's part human and part machine. Now, a Russian billionaire is determined to take this sci-fi trope and make it a reality.

The man is named Dmitry Itskov, and no, this isn't an April Fools' joke. Itskov is totally serious about wanting to make humans immortal by merging them with machines, and he's been pushing the project forward since 2011 when he founded the 2045 Initiative, ostensibly the deadline for "substance-independent" minds to receive artificial bodies — what some scientists refer to as the Singularity.

See the full article on Mashable.

http://mashable.com/2013/04/01/avatar-project/#

Happy Birthday Strawberry Cake from Scratch

Crazy Strawberry Birthday Cake 

So instead of buying a birthday cake for my fiance I decided to make one. It's not like I had much choice considering their birth date falls four days past Christmas and I hadn't pre-ordered.

Every time I make a cake it ends up looking a bit bizarre. I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com and it IS slightly altered to fit my flair.

Ingredients:
 2 10 inch cake pans
 2 cups white sugar 
 2/3 (2 ounce) package strawberry flavored Jell-O® 
 1 cup butter, softened 
 4 eggs (room temperature) 
 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour 
 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
 1 cup whole milk, room temperature 
 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
 1/2 cup strawberry puree made from frozen sweetened strawberries

Stirring it all together

  

Directions

1. Sit everything out for about 5+ hours before starting so that it reaches room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Use olive oil PAM and spray the cake pans, add a significant coating of flour afterwards.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and dry strawberry gelatin until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla and strawberry puree. Pour and divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a straw or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool in their pans for at least 10 minutes, before tapping out to cool completely.

I used a round cardboard cake mat to sit the cake on while decorating. Surprisingly it moved just like a cake wheel and spun when I needed. It is best to raise it above the counter surface using a plate or cutting board underneath. 

Fresh from the pan

Ready for decorating

So, all in all the cake ended up being a success. Some might think it looks crazy.. OK it does look strange but everyone liked it and it tasted great. 

Hopefully by next time my cake writing skills will have improved.

Final Product !