Month: January 2017

If they’re lucky, shoppers at the Tesco supermarket in Coventry, UK may be able to pick up some poetry in addition to their milk and eggs. The Coventry Telegraph reports that a mysterious visitor has left carefully selected poems around the store.

Hunt is on for supermarket Shakespeare behind Tesco poetry https://t.co/mnEYicAZjr #Birmingham pic.twitter.com/eaRTO0cwOq

— Birmingham News (@DailyBRUM) January 2, 2017

Two poems printed on plain paper have been discovered in the grocery store so far. The first, “Bread,” by modern American poet W.S. Merwin, was placed in the baked goods aisle. The opening stanza reads:

Each face in the street is a slice of bread
wandering on
searching

The second poem was “Deer” by another American poet, Kenneth Rexroth:

Deer are gentle and graceful
and they have beautiful eyes.
They hurt no one but themselves
[…]
Men have invented several
Thousand ways of killing them.

That poem was discovered in the meat section on top of some venison.

A verse-loving perpetrator has yet to come forward, but this may not be their first offense. In December 2016, notes telling customers that they “don’t need these chemicals” and to “stop counting calories! YOU LOOK GREAT” were found on boxes of diet products in the same grocery store.

Similar examples of poetry vigilantism have also been reported elsewhere in the UK. In 2015 an optimistic poem titled “Worst Day Ever?” appeared without explanation in a bar in North London, and around the same time someone calling himself “M Jones” or “composer Mark Jones” (coined by others “The Banksy of Poetry“) began sending romantic poems to hairdressers in Wales. Whether these incidents are somehow related or just examples of Britain’s love of poetry remains a mystery.

[h/t Coventry Telegraph]

If you were born in 1992, not only are you as old as the Mall of America, the nicotine patch, and Super Mario Kart, you got to grow up with these words, all dated by first citation to 1992 in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. VACAY

It was a time when people started going on vacation before the vacation even started by clipping off a whole syllable and saying they were going on vacay.

2. TRUSTAFARIAN

This blend of trust fund and Rastafarian got a first mention in the Washington Times, where it was defined as a “guy who has long hair and a trust fund, drives a Saab or Jeep, listens to reggae, and doesn’t let a whole lot bother him.”

3. PHOTOSHOP (VERB)

The image editing program Photoshop was released in 1990. By 1992, the name had become a verb, to Photoshop.

4. SQUOVAL

This blend of square and oval was formed to name the hot manicure style of 1992, a squared-off oval nail shape.

5. SKEEZY

First there was sleazy, which has been around since 1644. In 1976, we got skeevy, and after we added skeeze in 1989, it was inevitable that we’d come around to skeezy eventually.

6. SADSTER

According to the OED, a sadster is “a pathetic or contemptible person.” According to the Urban Dictionary it’s “an emo dude who is always downbeat, yet more earnest and cooler than you. Basically a hipster sad-sack.”

7. POLYAMORY

This term for “the fact of having simultaneous close emotional relationships with two or more other individuals” first appeared in a 1992 proposal for a new Usenet group on the subject.

8. ON MESSAGE

Politicians and organizations have always come up with plans to get their positions across to the public, but it wasn’t until 25 years ago that they referred directly to those plans with comments about staying on message.

9. METAVERSE

Metaverse, from meta-universe, became a term for virtual worlds after it was introduced by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash.

10. MEH

The word meh was not invented in 1992. It’s a Yiddishism that goes back a long way. But it first shows up in attested written form in a 1992 Usenet post about the TV show Melrose Place with “Meh … far too Ken-doll for me.”

11. INTERNAUT

Just 25 years ago, we needed a special term for a habitual internet user. This blend of internet and astronaut was the answer. Now we don’t need a special word for this, because it’s all of us.

12. GRRRL

This blend of grrr and girl was first applied to the “riot girl” feminist punk movement. By 1992, it was a general term for “a young woman perceived as strong or aggressive, esp. in her attitude to men or in her expression of feminine independence and sexuality.”

13. BIOHACKING

The ethical problem of renegade hobbyists playing around with genes was something worrying enough to warrant the creation of the term biohacking in 1992.

14. FRANKEN-

The new possibilities of genetic manipulation also gave rise to the idea of “Frankenstein food”—food that had been irradiated or genetically modified. In 1992, the Franken- detached and became its own prefix in words like Frankenfood and Frankenfruit.

15. ALTERNA-

Another prefix achieved independence from alternative in 1992. First applied to music styles like alternapop, alterna-rock, and alterna-metal, it also became a way to describe alternadads and alternateens who were into alternathings.

16. FASHIONISTA

The ’90s supermodel years brought the whole fashion industry into the popular imagination, and this term, so much more worldly and evocative than “fashion industry employee,” gained its high-heeled foothold in the vocabulary.

17. DIGERATI

The ’60s gave us the idea of the jet-setting glitterati, and the ’90s gave us the digerati, from digital + literati, for the computing and information technology class.

18. CYBERWAR

The first new word coinages with cyber- (from the 1948 term cybernetic) started in the 1960s, but cyberwar gets its first print citation with a 1992 Chicago Sun-Times article header: “Cyberwar debate: a new generation of ‘brilliant weapons’ has sparked a debate between scientists and the military about who should wage war, man or machine.”

19. BOOTYLICIOUS

The original citation for bootylicious is from a 1992 line rapped by the then-called Snoop Doggy Dogg (“Them rhymes you were kickin were quite bootylicious”) where it had a negative meaning—weak. Later it came to be a positive word for shapely and attractive.

20. BADASSERY

Badass had been around since 1955, but in 1992, it got extended into the abstract noun for the whole general quality of being a badass.

21. ACHY-BREAKY

Billy Ray Cyrus had a hit with his 1992 song “Achy Breaky Heart,” and achy breaky went on to a life of meaning generally sad in a country, twangy, way.

22. EATERTAINMENT

This blend of eat and entertainment was formed to put a simple label on a new ’90s trend of theme restaurants that included entertainment, memorabilia, and gift shops.

23. RESTOBAR

Another blend for a type of bar/nightclub that also serves food, from restaurant + bar plus a hip, European feel.

24. TURNTABLIST

A DJ might spin records, but in 1992, the manipulation of the turntables for effect with scratching, mixing, etc. was elevated to its own type of art from with the word turntablist.

25. URL

The Uniform Resource Locator, a format for specifying a web address, wasn’t yet a standard in 1992, but it was mentioned, and called a URL, in a 1992 electronic mailing list post of minutes from an Internet Engineering Task Force meeting.

Is there any better pairing than Ben & Jerry’s and alcohol? Nearly two years after the beloved ice cream company announced a partnership with New Belgium to make ice cream-themed beer, they’ve returned with another boozy surprise: bourbon-flavored ice cream.

While it’s not exactly official yet, there are some convincing rumors swirling that a flavor called Urban Bourbon will be hitting the shelves soon. Candy Hunting has already released an image of the supposed packaging, and we’re certainly clutching our spoons in anticipation. The new flavor is said to feature some pretty appetizing ingredients: burnt caramel ice cream (yes) with almonds (ohh), fudge flakes (ahh), and bourbon caramel swirls (OK, we’re sold). If you’re not convinced this flavor is the real deal, Thrillist points out that there’s a landing page for Urban Bourbon on Walmart’s website, although it doesn’t lead anywhere—yet.

If so, this would be the latest in a series of bourbon-centric flavors in the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream-verse. Bourbon Pecan Pie has been a longtime favorite, and a new flavor called Bourbon Brown Butter—bourbon brown butter ice cream with dark chocolate whiskey cordial cups and a bourbon brown butter swirl—has debuted at some scoop shops. As far as non-bourbon boozy flavors, there’s the oft-missed flavors White Russian, Dublin Mudslide, and Vermonty Python that all featured liqueurs.

If and when this flavor arrives, we’ll be ready with bowls in hand.

[h/t Thrillist]

Carol Pilon: America’s Last Great Wingwalker. She performs at air shows and teaches younger woman to do aerial stunts.
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Disney executives are scheduling meetings about the fate of Leia Organa. She was to have a big part in Star Wars IX that may or may not be rewritten.
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Hayao Miyazaki’s Path to Studio Ghibli. He was determined to write comic books until he was inspired by a film.
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China’s Decision To Halt The Ivory Trade Is A Game-Changer. With ivory no longer socially acceptable, elephants can keep theirs.
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Car Sensors Are Getting Pretty Darned Advanced. You’re getting a babysitter along with your new vehicle.
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A fed-up fan’s guide to the NFL playoffs. What can they do to get people to watch?
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Delightful Finds From Internet Archive Book Images. Search terms yielded surprising old treasures.  

Americans spend billions of dollars on cough syrup per year. We think we’re paying for the privilege of feeling better—but according to the American Chemical Society’s latest Reactions video, we might be swallowing a lie.

Scan the label of a typical cough medicine, and you’ll likely notice at least one (or more) of the following ingredients: a cough suppressant called dextromethorphan, or DXM; expectorants like guaifenesin, which thin and loosen mucus in the lungs; decongestants like ephedrine; and antihistamines like loratadine.

DXM will probably make you drowsy. But aside from getting a good night’s sleep, multiple systematic reviews (that’s scientist-speak for literature reviews that collect and analyze multiple studies or papers) have found little concrete evidence that these concoctions improve cold symptoms. In fact, clinical trials suggest that cough medicines are just as effective as—get this—a placebo.

If you’re looking to tame the tickle in your throat, you might be better off drinking plenty of fluids, taking a steamy shower, drinking tea with honey, and sucking on a cough drop or hard candy, as they soothe the throat by increasing saliva production. However, if you’re a staunch devotee of over-the-counter medicines, there aren’t any concrete findings stating that cough syrup doesn’t work. Take it if you notice an improvement—but make sure you don’t consume too much of the medicine to amplify its effects, as large doses of DXM can cause dizziness, uncontrollable eye movement, convulsions, and in some extreme cases, even death.

[h/t Lifehacker]

When you really want to destroy an iPhone beyond recognition, molten metal is a foolproof option. YouTubers The Backyard Scientist (a channel obsessed with molten aluminum) and GizmoSlip decided to test out what would happen if an iPhone was dropped in a vat of the super hot stuff. Lucky for us, they documented the entire thing in a video spotted by Nerdist.

The process involves giant bubbles of hot plastic, a few flames, and more. The phone can still be fished out, only it’s more like a black block of bendy tofu than a smartphone. It floats, too, though the slightest poke breaks the submerged gadget into pieces.

While this would be a great way to melt away your technology anguish, it’s probably best not to mess with molten metals at home.

[h/t Nerdist]

Actor/musician Steve Burns has led a truly interesting life: After spending seven years solving blue puppy-related mysteries in a house filled with talking furniture on Blues Clues, he left the hit show to begin building a music career with the help of psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips. Producer Dave Fridmann and band member Steven Drozd helped Burns create his 2003 debut album, Songs for Dustmites, then re-teamed for his sophomore effort, 2009’s Deep Sea Recovery Efforts. Now Burns and Drozd have formed a musical duo called STEVENSTEVEN and are gearing up to put out their debut LP.

The music clearly has heavy influences from The Flaming Lips, but it also draws from a number of other musicians and characters. Among their extensive list of influences, the duo cites: “Wondering, Burt, Black Sabbath, Cephalopods, Grover, Toy Commercials From The 1970s, Harry Nilsson, Dr. Seuss, Science, Bill Conti, Queen, Futzees, Rocky Balboa, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, True Love, Neil Diamond, The Zoo, Holly Hobbie, Fairy Tales, David Bowie, and Mister Rogers.”

The new album, called FOREVERYWHERE, will drop on February 24 and feature themes ranging from unicorn romance to pooping. The music is meant to be enjoyed by all ages; their music video for “The Unicorn And Princess Rainbow” is filled with rainbows, space, and an all-kid backing band.

The family-friendly musical duo will be trying out some of their songs live February 26 at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York. The all-ages event will kick off in the middle of the day, with doors opening at 11 a.m. and the music starting at 1 p.m.

[h/t Brooklyn Vegan]

Babies’ lives are tough. They can’t communicate their feelings or needs; they don’t understand why anything is happening; and their ability to perceive and interact with the world around them changes by the day. But at least now they’ll be able to eat a food that could benefit their long-term health. New guidelines published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology encourage parents to give their babies small amounts of peanuts, which may help prevent a deadly food allergy later in life.

As anyone with a school-aged child can tell you, food allergies are on the rise. One 2013 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a 50 percent increase in childhood food allergies between 1997 and 2011. Scientists have yet to determine the exact cause of this enormous uptick. Until they do, pediatricians and parents have focused on treating the allergies—and preventing them wherever possible.

That used to mean keeping kids and peanuts apart for as long as possible. But doing so didn’t seem to help. Allergies continued to rise. We needed a new strategy.

If avoidance wasn’t working, experts thought, what about exposure? What we call an allergy is the immune system overreacting to an ordinarily harmless trigger. So to prevent allergies from developing, pediatricians began introducing tiny doses of potential triggers when children were still very young. The tactic worked.

“You have the potential to stop something in its tracks before it develops,” report co-author Matthew Greenhawt, of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, told The New York Times. There’s “a window of time in which the body is more likely to tolerate a food than react to it, and if you can educate the body during that window, you’re at much lower likelihood of developing an allergy to that food.”

Evidence continues to pile up in favor of doing just that. Study after study has confirmed the safety of giving babies very small doses of peanuts, eggs, and other common food allergens, and official recommendations have begun to fall in line.

The latest recommendations, created by a panel at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, emphasize the safety of introducing peanuts early on. Specific guidelines for each baby depend on that child’s allergy risk level. Low- and moderate-risk babies can start eating peanut foods around 6 months of age. High-risk kids should start sooner, under a doctor’s supervision.

Of course, doctors do not recommend giving babies whole peanuts, which they could choke on. Instead, they suggest foods made with peanuts or watered-down peanut butter.

“This won’t outright prevent every single case of peanut allergy,” Greenhawt told the Times, “but the number could be significantly reduced by tens of thousands.”

[h/t New York Times]

The modern incarnation of the ironing board is a century-old design. The folding design sold ubiquitously today was invented in 1914, though the original model came with a wood table. A new company, however, is trying to finally improve on our current equipment for ridding clothes of wrinkles.

Flippr, launching on Indiegogo, has two sides and rotates. You can put your shirt or dress on it like you’re outfitting a super-thin mannequin, and then all you have to do to iron both sides of the clothing is flip the board.

The edge of the board slides out from the body and fits nicely inside shirt sleeves, so you don’t need to take the shirt off the board to iron out those wrinkles. A clip on one side of the board holds pant legs to keep them from sliding off. And a metal rack attached to the board holds your hot iron when you’re finished.

Ironing isn’t usually the most physically tasking item on people’s household chore list, but the current system isn’t exactly convenient. Flippr doesn’t come cheap at $124, but it does show a vast improvement from the board sitting in your closet. If you’re steaming up your dress shirts all the time, it might be worth it. And if it’s too pricey for you now, perhaps it will at least inspire other manufacturers to take a second look at their own ironing board designs.

All images courtesy Flippr

Despite an increased demand for avocados that has spurred price hikes and crime waves, it appears that consumers have yet to tire of the green stuff. According to Metro, the newest establishment looking to satisfy our relentless avocado cravings is an avocado-themed eatery opening in Amsterdam.

Simply titled The Avocado Show, owners Julien Zaal and Ron Simpson, and chef Jaimie van Heije, have vowed to incorporate the trendy ingredient into every dish they serve. The menu covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night eats, and it includes nutrient-packed offerings like avocado fries, avocado ice cream, avocado smoothies, and burgers served on avocado buns.

According to The Avocado Show’s Facebook page, the restaurant will open its doors in Amsterdam’s De Pijp neighborhood sometime in February 2017. If you can’t make it to Europe for a visit, you can always pay tribute by embracing a new trendy fruit this year—preferably one that’s not potentially on its way to extinction.

[h/t Metro]