The intrepid home brewer can now create a truly unique beer. The ODIN, a company that sells DIY science kits, has created an at-home brewing kit that lets you create glowing beer, as Eater reports.
The bioluminescent beer gets its glow from a jellyfish gene in the genetically modified yeast. Jellyfish-derived fluorescence has also been used to create glowing animals, including sheep, rabbits, and pigs.
The ODIN was founded by a former NASA biologist, Josiah Zayner, who has previously launched kits for amateur scientists to perform experiments with technology—like the gene-editing tool CRISPR—at home. While the FDA has come calling over worries that the beer kit would be unsafe for consumption, the company has performed safety tests to allay those fears, so brew up a batch of luminescent suds at your own discretion.
The intrepid home brewer can now create a truly unique beer. The ODIN, a company that sells DIY science kits, has created an at-home brewing kit that lets you create glowing beer, as Eater reports.
The bioluminescent beer gets its glow from a jellyfish gene in the genetically modified yeast. Jellyfish-derived fluorescence has also been used to create glowing animals, including sheep, rabbits, and pigs.
The ODIN was founded by a former NASA biologist, Josiah Zayner, who has previously launched kits for amateur scientists to perform experiments with technology—like the gene-editing tool CRISPR—at home. While the FDA has come calling over worries that the beer kit would be unsafe for consumption, the company has performed safety tests to allay those fears, so brew up a batch of luminescent suds at your own discretion.
Study after study has found that taking breaks and caring for ourselves makes us better and more effective at what we do. Yet when crunch time comes, taking a break seems like an impossible luxury. Here’s our finals-week gift from us to you: official, scientific permission to take a few minutes and treat yourself. If you need an idea, try one of these seven free and easy methods.
1. BECOME AN EXPLORER.
There are places in your town you’ve never been, and sights on campus you’ve never seen. Identify one new-to-you spot—whether that’s a museum, a hiking trail, or the site of a famous haunting—and go check it out. If you’re at a loss as to where to begin, consider playing tourist for the day, and pay a visit to your town or university’s visitor’s center. They’ll be able to point you toward the little-known sights worth your time.
2. PAMPER, PAMPER, PAMPER
You don’t have to shell out $85 for a mud mask to baby your body. Give yourself a manicure or make your own exfoliating sugar scrub or face mask (a quick online search should turn up plenty of recipes for masks using stuff you probably already have in the fridge). Dig out all those free samples from the bottom of the bathroom cabinet. Or, consider visiting a department store’s cosmetics counter, or your favorite beauty retailer, to stock up on samples of face masks, moisturizer, and more. At one major national chain, employees are encouraged to send shoppers home with samples, even if they don’t end up buying anything.
3. DANCE BREAK!
Think back to the last time you enjoyed dancing. Now find that song on the Internet, get up from your desk, press play, and let the rhythm take you away.
4. HUG A TREE.
We don’t mean literally, but you could. Make snow angels. Build a bonfire. Lay in the grass and watch clouds go by. Get yourself out into the natural, primal world just for a few minutes. (Or, if weather forbids, cue up a good old-fashioned Yule log video and enjoy the crackles and pops of cheerful, simulated flames.)
5. INDULGE YOUR SENSES.
Dip a hand in cool running water. Change into your softest, coziest pajamas. Dig out that fancy perfume or cologne you save for special occasions. Eat one really good piece of chocolate. Do something that takes you out of your head and into your body just for a moment.
6. MAKE SOMETHING…
It doesn’t have to be complicated or even good. You could spend a few minutes with a coloring book or baking a cake from a mix. You could arrange the food on your plate into a ridiculous face. You could write a limerick about how much you hate finals. The goal is to stop thinking and let your creativity flow—without applying any pressure.
7. …OR BREAK SOMETHING.
Sometimes the best way to relieve tension is to let it rip. We’re not suggesting that you take a hammer to your roommate’s alarm clock, but you could shred a page of notes you no longer need, stomp on a sheet of bubble wrap, or make friends with the birds by crumbling a bunch of cookies on the sidewalk.
Over budget? Under budget? What’s a budget? Answer these questions and more with tools like Slice-a-Budget on Prudential.com.
When it comes to saving money, the best time to start was yesterday. But today is pretty good, too! It may feel like you have no money to save when you’re just starting out, but even a small amount of cash put away on a regular basis can add up to a respectable amount over time. Here are seven smart money habits worth practicing at any stage in life.
1. PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS.
Feeding yourself without keeping an eye on your budget is a quick way to blow money—something that comes as a shock to many people leaving the nest for the first time. Instead of going out to eat every other meal or spending money on more perishable groceries than you can possibly consume, take the time to plan out your meals. Only buy the ingredients for the dishes you actually plan to cook that week and save takeout meals and restaurant trips for special occasions. You’ll be surprised to see how much better off your bank account will be because of it.
2. DON’T MAKE A HABIT OF DIPPING INTO YOUR SAVINGS.
A savings account doesn’t serve much of a purpose if you’re taking more money out of it than you’re depositing into it. You should only dip into your savings for serious emergencies. Medical issues, damage to your property or vehicle, and sudden unemployment are all situations where a hefty amount of savings can come in handy. In order to have that cushion to fall back on, make sure that your daily spending comes from your checking account.
3. SET UP AUTOMATIC DEPOSITS TO YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
When looking at your monthly expenses, it’s important to budget money for savings just like you would food, gas, or utilities. If you’re employed part- or full-time and your salary is direct deposited to your checking account each month, consider setting up an automated transfer to your savings account. The amount doesn’t have to be large: If all you can afford to set aside is $20 per deposit, that’s better than saving nothing for the next five years.
4. SAVE YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME.
Whether you’re a student or a recent graduate, there are plenty of opportunities to earn a little income on the side. Dog walking, babysitting, and freelancing in your field are all ways to supplement your regular income. And although you most certainly deserve a vacation right about now, consider sending it straight to your savings account. It may not sound like the most glamorous use of your extra cash, but you’ll reap the benefits in the long run.
5. KEEP A MONEY DIARY.
It’s hard to know how much money you should be saving without knowing how much you’re already spending. For one month, commit to writing down every transaction you make, from student loan payments to snack purchases. Once you have the full list recorded, you can decide which purchases were unnecessary and calculate how much money you would save without them. Go into the next month aiming to stick to the necessities and vow to put away whatever money you would have spent otherwise.
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FULL BENEFITS PACKAGE.
If you’re employed full-time, you could be passing up free money through your employer without even realizing it. In addition to healthcare, vision, and dental, many companies offer money-saving perks like matching 401(k) programs, discounted gym memberships, and transportation reimbursements to their full-time employees. If you’re still a student, there are other ways to save cash that are unique to your situation. Museums, retail stores, and restaurants often offer student discounts. Don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions of your human resources rep (if you’re employed full-time), or of your campus’s student activities council. They’ll be able to point you towards benefits and discounts you didn’t even know existed.
7. SPLURGE RESPONSIBLY.
After weeks spent budgeting your meals, taking advantage of discounts, and padding your savings, it’s important to reward yourself for all that self-discipline. Rather than spending indiscriminately throughout the month, determine a set amount of money for splurging like you would with any other expense. This cash can be used for a spa day, a fancy meal out, or that pair of sneakers you’ve had your eye on for a while—all that matters is that you spend it guilt-free so you can jump right back into your money-saving habits the next day.
Ready to learn more? Visit Prudential.com for tips and tools on budgeting, overcoming procrastination and more.
When it comes to saving money, the best time to start was yesterday. But today is pretty good, too! It may feel like you have no money to save when you’re just starting out, but even a small amount of cash put away on a regular basis can add up to a respectable amount over time. Here are seven smart money habits worth practicing at any stage in life.
1. PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS.
Feeding yourself without keeping an eye on your budget is a quick way to blow money—something that comes as a shock to many people leaving the nest for the first time. Instead of going out to eat every other meal or spending money on more perishable groceries than you can possibly consume, take the time to plan out your meals. Only buy the ingredients for the dishes you actually plan to cook that week and save takeout meals and restaurant trips for special occasions. You’ll be surprised to see how much better off your bank account will be because of it.
2. DON’T MAKE A HABIT OF DIPPING INTO YOUR SAVINGS.
A savings account doesn’t serve much of a purpose if you’re taking more money out of it than you’re depositing into it. You should only dip into your savings for serious emergencies. Medical issues, damage to your property or vehicle, and sudden unemployment are all situations where a hefty amount of savings can come in handy. In order to have that cushion to fall back on, make sure that your daily spending comes from your checking account.
3. SET UP AUTOMATIC DEPOSITS TO YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
When looking at your monthly expenses, it’s important to budget money for savings just like you would food, gas, or utilities. If you’re employed part- or full-time and your salary is direct deposited to your checking account each month, consider setting up an automated transfer to your savings account. The amount doesn’t have to be large: If all you can afford to set aside is $20 per deposit, that’s better than saving nothing for the next five years.
4. SAVE YOUR SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME.
Whether you’re a student or a recent graduate, there are plenty of opportunities to earn a little income on the side. Dog walking, babysitting, and freelancing in your field are all ways to supplement your regular income. And although you most certainly deserve a vacation right about now, consider sending it straight to your savings account. It may not sound like the most glamorous use of your extra cash, but you’ll reap the benefits in the long run.
5. KEEP A MONEY DIARY.
It’s hard to know how much money you should be saving without knowing how much you’re already spending. For one month, commit to writing down every transaction you make, from student loan payments to snack purchases. Once you have the full list recorded, you can decide which purchases were unnecessary and calculate how much money you would save without them. Go into the next month aiming to stick to the necessities and vow to put away whatever money you would have spent otherwise.
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR FULL BENEFITS PACKAGE.
If you’re employed full-time, you could be passing up free money through your employer without even realizing it. In addition to healthcare, vision, and dental, many companies offer money-saving perks like matching 401(k) programs, discounted gym memberships, and transportation reimbursements to their full-time employees. If you’re still a student, there are other ways to save cash that are unique to your situation. Museums, retail stores, and restaurants often offer student discounts. Don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions of your human resources rep (if you’re employed full-time), or of your campus’s student activities council. They’ll be able to point you towards benefits and discounts you didn’t even know existed.
7. SPLURGE RESPONSIBLY.
After weeks spent budgeting your meals, taking advantage of discounts, and padding your savings, it’s important to reward yourself for all that self-discipline. Rather than spending indiscriminately throughout the month, determine a set amount of money for splurging like you would with any other expense. This cash can be used for a spa day, a fancy meal out, or that pair of sneakers you’ve had your eye on for a while—all that matters is that you spend it guilt-free so you can jump right back into your money-saving habits the next day.
Ready to learn more? Visit Prudential.com for tips and tools on budgeting, overcoming procrastination and more.
In the southern United States, a tri-state region is home to an incredible density of caves. Known as “TAG” (for Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia), this is a hidden world explored by secretive cavers, for good reason—the more traffic these caves receive, the faster they’re destroyed.
In the short film below entitled Sharing the Secrets, director/cinematographer Drew Perlmutter brings us inside these caves, with perspectives from cavers on why these landscapes are so significant and fragile.
If you’re interesting in getting started with caving, check out this FAQ.
Earlier this year, a video of national treasure and living legend Dick Van Dyke singing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at a Denny’s with his a capella group took the Internet by storm:
It’s really just the most recent occurrence of Dick Van Dyke being delightful. The actor, singer, dancer, and nonagenarian is often filmed busting a move or bursting into song whenever the spirit moves him. If you haven’t yet gotten your fill of Van Dyke’s contagious joy, here are a few more instances:
1. WHEN HE CELEBRATED HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY AT DISNEYLAND—AND RAPPED “A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR.”
2. THE TIME HE STARRED IN A MUSIC VIDEO FOR THE DUSTBOWL REVIVAL.
3. HIS IMPROMPTU DANCE PERFORMANCE AT A BERNIE SANDERS RALLY.
4. WHEN HE COULDN’T STOP HIMSELF FROM SINGING ALONG WITH A MARY POPPINS FLASH MOB.
5. HIS RANDOM DANCES TO SONGS PLAYING OVERHEAD AT RETAIL STORES.
6. THE TIME HE STOLE THE SHOW DURING HIS WIFE’S BELLY DANCING PERFORMANCE.
7. HIS SPIRITED DANCE MOVES DURING A MARY POPPINS TRIBUTE.
And here’s a fun, bonus throwback: Van Dyke’s interpretation of various dance crazes from a 1960 CBS special.
The Dick Van Dyke Show may seem dated in some ways, but it broke so much TV ground in an otherwise staid era.
1. It was all Carl Reiner’s Idea
From 1950-54, Carl Reiner cut his show business teeth as a writer/performer on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. His fellow writers on the show included the famous (Mel Brooks) and not-so-famous (Selma Diamond, who would later portray bailiff Selma Hacker on Night Court). When Caesar’s show ended, Reiner wrote a pilot script and several episodes for a new TV sitcom which closely mirrored his own life. Called Head of the Family, the show highlighted the daily life of Rob Petrie (Reiner), a TV comedy writer who lived in New Rochelle with his wife and son. Borscht belt comedian Morey Amsterdam was cast as the Mel Brooks-type joke writer, and Rose Marie portrayed the self-deprecating spinster-in-search-of-a-husband Selma Diamond.
2. The Lead Role Almost Went to Johnny Carson
The pilot caught the attention of veteran producer Sheldon Leonard (The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show) who liked the concept and the script, but didn’t care for Reiner’s acting ability. He not-so-tactfully suggested that the lead character needed to be more mainstream American (translation: less Jewish) for the show to be successful with a wide audience. The finalists for the lead role of Rob Petrie boiled down to Johnny Carson and Dick Van Dyke. Thanks to name recognition generated by a successful run on Broadway in Bye, Bye Birdie, Van Dyke landed the job. Of course, the runner-up didn’t do so badly for himself.
3. The Girl with Something Moore
As a teen, Mary Tyler Moore had auditioned for a role as Danny Thomas’ daughter on his self-titled sitcom. Despite her comedic prowess, Thomas rejected her, saying that “no one would believe a girl with a little button nose like hers could be a daughter of mine.” A few years later, when Moore auditioned for the role of Laura Petrie, she not only caught Carl Reiner’s attention, but also jogged Danny Thomas’ memory. While Van Dyke initially objected to her hiring since she was 11 years younger than he, the onscreen chemistry proved magical enough to banish any doubts he harbored. Despite her youth, Moore was no pushover. When initial scripts called for her to vacuum the living room in a dress and high heels à la June Cleaver, the actress put her foot down. Mary was a young mother in real life, and she wore comfortable clothing to perform household chores. Thus was born Laura Petrie’s trademark Capri pants, which simultaneously gave network censors fits and set suburban housewives free of their pantyhose prison.
4. Breaking Color Barriers
From a 21st-century point of view, it seems ridiculous to praise a series for using African-American actors in roles other than maids or railroad porters. But when The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered, the world of prime-time sitcoms was a different place. Even though the Civil Rights movement was slowly progressing, TV was still dragging its feet when it came to change. As a result, one of the most popular episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show—”That’s My Boy?”—almost didn’t make it to film. In the episode, exhausted and overwrought new dad Rob was convinced that the hospital had sent him and Laura home with the wrong baby. A couple named Peters had welcomed a baby in the same hospital on the same day, in a similar hospital room number, and the Petries had even received some of the Peters’ gifts in error. The comedic (and controversial) payoff to the episode arrived when Mr. and Mrs. Peters visited the Petrie household and were revealed to be a black couple, played by Greg Morris and Mimi Dillard. The positive response from the studio audience gave producer Sheldon Leonard the confidence to sign Bill Cosby for a co-starring role in a new series he was producing, I Spy.
5. The Drama behind the Laughter
Behind the scenes, all was not always well. Dick Van Dyke was a self-confessed “people pleaser” and was loathe to reveal any unhappiness or frustration, either on the set or when meeting fans. Instead, he found solace after hours with a good friend named Jack Daniels. (Years later, Van Dyke publicly announced his alcoholism and checked himself into a facility for treatment.) Meanwhile, co-star Mary Tyler Moore began to experience strange unexplained medical complaints on the set, including dizziness, weight loss, and blurred vision. Presuming she was overworked, she ignored the warning signs which she later found to be attributed to Type 1 diabetes. Then, during the series’ fourth season, Rose Marie’s beloved husband of 20 years passed away. She was so overcome with grief that she wanted to quit the show, but director John Rich coaxed her into staying.
6. Words behind the Music
The opening to The Dick Van Dyke Show is certainly memorable (and not only for Dick’s famous stumble over the ottoman). But what most folks don’t know is that lyrics were written to go along with the program’s instrumental theme. In fact, they were written by co-star Morey Amsterdam, who also penned the words for the hit “Rum and Coca-Cola.” Memorize the following lyrics and think of them as you watch the traditional Dick Van Dyke introduction:So you think that you’ve got trouble.
Well trouble’s a bubble.
So tell old mister trouble to get lost.
Why not hold your head up high and
Stop cryin’, start tryin’.
And don’t forget to keep your fingers crossed.
Approximately 120 years ago, a student at Hereford Cathedral School in the UK checked out a library book he never got around to returning. Arthur Boycott is no longer alive to deliver the book back to its rightful home in person, but recently, his granddaughter was able to clear his name for him, the BBC reports.
Alice Gillett stumbled upon the University’s copy of The Microscope and Its Revelations by Dr. William B. Carpenter while rifling through her family’s collection of some 6000 volumes. Even though it was about a dozen decades overdue, Gillett decided to return it after spotting the HCS library stamp inside. Fortunately for her, the school agreed to waive the late fee, which would have amounted to something close to $9361.
Despite his apparent lack of respect for their library system, Boycott went on to become a source of pride for the school, earning a name for himself as an accomplished naturalist. And he’s in good company when it comes to epically overdue library books: A book George Washington borrowed from the New York Society Library went unreturned for 221 years.
Forget chocolate chip cookies, holiday spice, or freshly washed linen. These unconventional candle scents are unexpected—but kind of amazing.
1. NEW MACBOOK
Every tech nerd loves a top-of-the-line gadget, but now your home can smell just like one. Twelve South’s “New Mac” scented candle is infused with notes of mint, peach, basil, lavender, mandarin, and sage, which is apparently what your freshly opened computer smells like.
Bibliophiles (and anyone wishing to make their home library smell a little more authentic) will be drawn to the scent of this candle, which smells of paper, dust, vanilla, and just a hint of fresh grass.
Infuse your home with the entire animal kingdom—or at least “the telltale scents of the tangy grizzly bear, the pungent rhinoceros, and the regal, yet completely stinky tiger.” (And if that doesn’t float your boat, the site also offers candles in the scents of skunk, fart, and chlorine.)
As a wise, ruby slipper-clad girl once said, “There’s no place like home.” And there is definitely no place that smells quite like home, but thankfully these candles, in the scent of each of the 50 states, aim to make your home-away-from-home a little more familiar.
There truly is a candle for every occasion. And, apparently, this one captures all of the complexities of the dissolution of marriage: “Part happy, part sad, a little relieved, and unsure of your future financial stability.”
Yep, someone spent hours researching the scents that should go into this one. And, in case you’re curious, those scents are “the perfume counter at your local department store times a thousand … plus some baby powder.”
