When the entire male population of planet Earth is wiped out by an environmental pollutant, the race is on to recover a mysterious substance that could prove the key to saving the human race. With the men of the planet gone and the rest of the human population soon to be extinct, the survivors split into two factions: one group devotes their existence to living in a perpetual state of bliss, while the other seeks to unlock the secrets of science and save the human race. When an enigmatic new element known as ICE reveals the potential to save mankind, the two groups enter into a fierce race to unearth the only known sample, located in the heart of Tokyo. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Machine Gun Fellatio's lead singer Pinky Beecroft usually stepped aside for a couple of songs to let the band's instrumentalists or backup singers have a chance to shine, but in On Ice he's less present than ever before, often sounding distant even when he's the focus of a song. He sounds like he's phoning it in, especially in trite lyrics like, "Hey there little cutie, you're a beauty," because he literally is. Beecroft recorded his parts during a self-imposed rehab exile in Melbourne while the rest of the band continued diving into a pool full of drugs like Scrooge McDuck in Sydney. Appropriately, separation becomes a recurring theme of the album, with songs about being sent away, missing someone who is gone, and trying (and failing) to stay faithful to an absent partner. Musically, the band continues to grow more one-dimensionally rocky, adding touches of funk or techno to the occasional two-dimensional number. "Positive Song" takes this switch to the rock side and turns it up to 11; it's Machine Gun Fellatio's one full-on heavy metal song. It sounds like self-parody, not only of their slide towards heavier guitars and testosterone, but of their relatively cleaned-up lyrics. It's a song that claims to be life-affirming because it doesn't mention human sacrifice and shooting up smack, then repeats its mentions of both ad nauseam. It's one of few highlights, alongside "You've Ruined All My Favourite Songs," which takes a good idea -- that bad memories of an ex associate themselves with cursed songs you can't bear to hear any more, no matter how much you used to love them -- but doesn't do quite enough with it. A general lack of quality control makes these 18 tracks seem self-indulgent, especially the finale, "Stoner." Its evocation of the sex and drugs lifestyle that they tried to live as hard as they wrote about it is appropriate, as it was exactly what tore them apart in the end. ~ Jody Macgregor
Simple Tips for Choosing the Right Ice Cream Maker
Ice cream makers are great if you want control of the flavors, ingredients and quality of your ice cream. You'll actually save 60% of the cost of store bought gourmet ice cream. That's reason enough reason for any family to consider buying an ice cream maker of their own.
How Much Do They Cost - They range in price from $40 to $100 and some are over $400. Generally the less expensive ones are the cylinder freezers and the more expensive ones are self-contained. Think of how often you'll be using it and use that as a guide to how much you want to spend.
Cleaning - Cleaning can be a challenge for some self-contained models since they don’t have removable bowls. Also try to avoid any ice cream makers with canisters that have crevices where milk can sit and spoil.
What's Out On the Market - All ice cream makers work in the same way. First a paddle, called a dasher introduces air into a liquid custard mixture and at the same time freezes the custard. The custard can include ingredients such as eggs, cream and milk and any flavoring ingredients. The main difference between the types of ice cream makers is the cooling power.
Bucket Freezers - In the early days before we had freezers, ice cream makers required lots of crushed ice and rock salt be placed in the cavity between the two buckets. You'd place the custard in the smaller inner bucket. The ice and rock salt kept the inner bucket cold enough in order to freeze the custard while the dasher turned the custard mixture. This method is still used in some ice cream makers. Obviously, having to add large quantities of ice and salt is a little more labour intensive.
Cylinder Freezers - Ice cream maker technology took a giant leap forward in the early 1980s. Donvier invented the first sealed-in coolant machine also called a cylinder freezer. Due to their ease of use and compact size, these quickly became more popular than the old bucket models . They use a liquid coolant that is sealed inside a thick, double wall of the canister. These ice cream makers are generally quite affordable. The only downside to the cylinder freezers are that you need to pre-freeze the cylinder bowl for up to 24 hours before you make ice cream. Also, you’ll need to have freezer space available to hold the large cylinder.
Self Cooling Models - We all know how much Italians love their ice cream and that's exactly where these machines were first made. They're small scale versions of the types used in professional factories and kitchens. It uses compression to cool the ice cream maker bowl which makes it very simple to use. After about 5-10 minutes of brief pre-cooling time you simply press a button and pour the custard in. It is very convenient but the down side is that they are rather expensive, quite large and bulky, and awkward to clean.
Ice Cream Makers are a refreshing alternative to the expensive, store bought gourmet ice cream. By the way, if you're looking for ways to make ice cream at home without an ice cream maker, there are fun ways to make it AND get the kids involved. If you don't mind using rock salt and ice, ice cream can be made in 10 minutes or less.
About the Author
Find out how you can make ice cream by simply using two coffee cans or two ziploc bags. There's also ice cream recipes and a review of an infomercial product called the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker at my blog HonestInfomercialReviews.com.
One Comment
It looks real of the low rez