IrvingIrving Chernov’s Winning Chess. I bought it at a garage sale when I was about 7 and pretty much only knew how the pieces move. It gan get you from beginner to about high-intermediate. Very conversational. When I think about picking up chess again every 3 years or so, I kick myself that I donated to a library… Read more

Seconding chess.com. It’s free (unless you want to pay more), there’s daily puzzles, tons of articles, tactics lessons and challenges, and, most importantly, you can be matched up with someone of a similar skill within about ten seconds. Read more

Recommendations from a chess-loving friend:

“Chess.com is pretty good, with lots of great interactive lessons that take you all the way up from ‘how to move the pieces’to learning basic concepts, practicing tactics, etc.

The other benefit of the site is that you can also use it to immediately find a match with anyone in… Read more

I found the Idiots guide to Chess is a nice starter for people looking to get going. Other than that, start playing, and tey not to let it bug you to much when you keep losing. It gets better, sort of. Read more

We had a basic chess book in the house when I was a kid; provided some good examples of strategic movement in addition to the basics. Couldn’t tell you the name of it, let alone if it’s still in print, but that’s the kind of book I’d recommend. Or you can just load up a game and try your luck against an easy computer… Read more

This feels like a really appropriate time to mention Le Grand Chef, a Korean movie about how Japan is returning the chef’s knife of the royal cook that they had plundered, and the only way to determine who deserves it is to have a nation-wide cooking battle. Will the disgraced chef make it, or will it be the flashy tv… Read more

You commenting is also a terrible suggestion. Read more

That picture of lumpia on the draining rack... No professional ad photograph of juicy steak or puffed-up sourdough ever induced the instant drool that simple picture did. Read more

These things are awesome. They are so finger-friendly and a small mouthful full of flavor that they are actually deceptively tasty. You might eat one but end up eating like 12, especially when a variety of sauces are available. My family killed it when we brought in a couple of trays worth to my kids school party… Read more

USA expat living in the Philippines for 14 years. I’ve never seen Lumpia served here with any sauce other than sweet chili sauce. Love that stuff.

Great take on this, Kevin! Fantastic way to approach this interview when the subject is making it clear he doesn’t want to do the same thing. I’ve watched Good Eats since the early ‘00s and you guys going back and forth on cinematic aspects speaks to a big part of what makes the show so engaging, yet something most… Read more

Awesome interview. The new episode was fantastic, and now I’m in a rabbit hole starting from season 1. Read more

I liked the bits about lighting and filming then & now. Brown’s got a different perspective than a lot of TV chefs, given his background in film. I like nuts & bolts.  Read more

Nice interview Kevin, really liked the behind-the-scenes info since I’ve always loved the sets, puppets, experts, and general goofiness of Good Eats. I started watching in college and completely credit Alton with helping to get me cooking, actually and officially, instead of the quick-cook junk I was used to from high… Read more

Two things: Read more

I swear I am so excited for this. I pretty much learned to cook as a little kid through his show. And not only that, but to this day it helps me understand how to substitute better and when/what I can experiment with. I didn’t fully realize how many of his lessons I absorbed as a kid watching his show until I started… Read more

Thank you for this interview- holy crap, this is such a geeky perspective that I don’t know I’d expect to read anywhere.  I know he gets a reputation for being a weirdo sometimes, but I genuinely love his shows. Read more

This was great Kevin, thanks for doing it. Read more