June 28, 2014 | 2 Comments

The Google Game

When I started a new job in 1995 the organization I began to work for was behind the technology times. Email was not rolled out yet. Different departments had different networks that didn’t talk to one another and many computers in the organization hailed from the 1980’s. The main technical knowledge in the organization was focused on mainframe computing and as desktop computing was beginning to take over, there was a lack of institutional knowledge in the area.

To combat that the organization formed what they called “Tech Teams”. These teams were made up of individuals from any area who might have sufficient knowledge to help advance the organization in its understanding and use of technology. I joined one of the groups and one of our first tasks was to teach the organization about the Internet.

It is hard to believe now, but it took a while for many people and groups to understand and learn how to use the Internet. I recall presenting to senior executives and having to explain that the Internet wasn’t one computer somewhere and that no one owned it. It took me three tries to get that point to sink in.

The first organization-wide training we did in 1996 was also a primer on the Internet and how to use the search tools available. At the time there were two heavy hitters in the space and they did things very differently. The first, and king at the time, was Yahoo!. Yahoo! did not offer search as much as a hierarchy of organization. If you wanted to learn about ballroom dancing you first clicked on “Entertainment and Sports” then “Dancing” then “Ballroom dancing”. That is when Yahoo! presented you with a few links to go to.

The second was Alta Vista. (Google was not yet a dream at the time). Alta Vista allowed you to enter a search term and you got right to the site. It was revolutionary and quickly became the leading search engine on the Internet. Google came along several years later and with a better search algorithm and better marketing, cleaned Alta Vista’s clock.

I remember an early game that people would do with Google. Choose two words (real ones) and see how few hits Google could retrieve. If you got under 10 hits it was worth noting. Under 5 was good and three or under was excellent. With trillions of more pages this has become even more difficult. As of the writing of this post, the search on antidisestablishment and farfalle returns a mere three results. Can you do better? Let me know what your terms and number of hits are. No use of quotes as you then are phrase searching.

Pork Medallions with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers

You don’t need any help finding a hit with the flavor of this dish!

I started with a pork loin roast vs tenderloin.

This pan is way too crowded, but I was working against a deadline.

Looking good.

Finishing the sauce.

This dish has deep flavors that will make you come back for more.

Pork Medallions with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers

Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 10 Min | Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest, or to taste
1 tablespoon capers, or to taste

Directions:

Place the flour, garlic salt, and pepper into a plastic bag. Shake to mix, the add the pork tenderloin pieces, and shake again to coat. Shake off the excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork medallions in the hot oil until golden-brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pork to a serving platter, then stir the lemon zest and capers into the simmering sauce. Continue simmering until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.