Author: Rebecca OConnell

Just as certain beers are best enjoyed during certain seasons, there are some beers that taste best at a particular time. Light beers like pale lagers are great for day drinking, while darker and hoppier beers are best saved for the evening. Brewing company Suntory Japan decided to take these unwritten rules and make them official: They now sell beers meant to be consumed at very specific times. 

The new “Hop Time 6:00 p.m.” and “Hop Time 9:00 p.m.” give these instructions right in the name. Hop Time 6:00 p.m. was specially brewed to drink as the sun goes down; thanks to Hallertau Blanc hops and a late hopping process, the beer is meant to pair perfectly with a sunset. It also sports a bright orange can to further sell the point. Meanwhile, the 9:00 p.m. version wears a darker design on the can that shows a night sky. Citra hops give the beer a smooth floral and citrusy flavor meant to give the feeling of stargazing on a crisp evening. 

As you might have guessed, these timely beers are only available in Japan for the time being. While we wait for the trend to come stateside, we’ll have to just make due with the old “it’s five o’clock somewhere” strategy. 

[h/t RocketNews24]

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Oregon-based design studio Waaypoint has a new way of showing tribute to America’s landscapes. Using digital elevation mapping data from NASA, the company creates jewelry pieces that are accurate recreations of mountainous areas, My Modern Met reports.

The jewelry features 3D-printed tiny mountains that are then cast in silver, plated rose gold, or plated 18k gold. The rings and pendants are then engraved with the geographic coordinates of where the mountain is located.

Each piece is meant to be a personal totem that connects the wearer to a certain place, including the first and only location currently featured: Mt. Hood, located near the company’s Portland headquarters. But you can follow the company’s progress on Instagram for more updates.

[h/t My Modern Met]

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Law & Order: SVU is known for its shocking twists, but the show’s latest surprise is of a different variety: On Wednesday, September 28, Vice President Joe Biden will be making a cameo appearance. 

The episode, titled “Making a Rapist,” is a spin on the popular Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer. Without giving too much away, the episode centers around a man who has his rape conviction overturned, only to be accused of raping another woman. According to The Daily Beast, the episode opens with Biden praising Lt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her team for weeding through a backlog of untested rape kits.

While the story is a work of dramatic fiction, the subject matter itself is staked squarely in reality. Biden has made campus rape and sexual assault a point of focus during his vice presidency and has been working to help victims of sexual abuse since he brought the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to Congress in 1990.

This isn’t the Vice President’s first television cameo. In the fifth season of Parks and Recreation, he made a brief appearance to meet Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler’s Biden-loving public servant). Now that the veep appears to be building an impressive resume on IMDb, and will soon be out of a job, we’re excited to see where the politician’s acting career might take him next. 

[h/t The Daily Beast]

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It can be hard to get started writing, but when you’re using one of these awesome notebooks, you’ll at least be tempted to jot something down (especially with the right pencil).

1. STAR TREK CAPTAIN’S LOG; $8

A lot can happen on a mission, so it’s important to keep a thorough captain’s log to help you remember it all. Trekkies will love writing their notes in this 64-page themed notebook, which is about the size of a passport and slides easily into a pocket.

Find it: Amazon

2. WONDERLAND PASSPORT; $8

It’s unlikely Alice would have had an easier time exploring Wonderland if she’d had the proper paperwork, but this notebook modeled to look like a passport will please any literary bureaucrats you know.

Find it: Amazon

3. TREE TRUNKS; $11

Write down all your most outdoorsy thoughts in these notebooks, which have covers that look like different tree barks—and are textured to feel just like real trees. The 96-page books are made with FSC certified wood and recycled paper.

Find it: Amazon

4. LEFTYBOOKS; €12

Most of the notebooks designed for lefties are pretty basic. Not Leftybooks, which are made specifically with left-handed people in mind and are plenty of fun, too: Writers can choose from covers with fun designs like marble, feathers, cereal, and more.

Find it: Imborrable

5. MICROWAVEABLE BOOKS; $27

Your mother probably told you not to put non-food items in the microwave, but we’re here to tell you to put your notebook in there—or at least this one specific kind. The Rocketbook is a handy notepad that’s reusable: After filling it with notes and doodles taken with a Pilot FriXion pen, pop the notebook in the microwave. When the pen’s ink hits 140°F, it turns invisible, rendering the the pages clean and ready for another use. You can microwave the notebook up to five times before you have to get a new one. Writers who want to keep their notes can download an accompanying app that will send your notes to the cloud service of your choice.

Find it: Amazon

6. TABLE TENNIS NOTEBOOKS; $15

When you have this set of notebooks, you and a friend can play table tennis anywhere. Two books act as paddles—they even have textured rubber on their covers, just like actual paddles—while the third book serves as the net. There’s also a scorecard on the inside of the books to keep track of your games, plus 100 pages in each for recording tactics and strategies.

Find it: ThinkGeek

7. ETCH-A-SKETCH; $7

This may seem like an ordinary Etch-a-Sketch, but it’s really a notebook in disguise. Open it up and discover 200 blank, unlined pages waiting to be filled. The two white dials are secretly erasers, since shaking it won’t work this time.

Find it: ThinkGeek

8. LENTICULAR MARIO BROTHERS; $8

The lenticular cover of this notebook features everyone’s favorite Koopa-killing plumber; Mario jumps up to activate a question mark block as you open and close the book. Inside, you can find 200 lined pages with grey illustrations along the bottom.

Find it: ThinkGeek

9. GOLDEN RATIO PAGES; $23

If you’re working in a creative field, a simple lined notebook might not be ideal. Instead, consider the Hard Work Notebook, which, according to the seller, has 256 pages adorned with a “combined isometric and golden ratio print guide, with a section in the centre stripped back to show a white golden ratio on blue background.”

Find it: Bazaar

10. COLORING BOOK NOTEBOOK; $22

If you hit a wall while writing, take a coloring break—and with this fun notebook, you don’t even have to change books when you make the switch. The hardcover book lies flat when you open it, making it easier to color every inch of the 50 pages that feature illustrations (the notebook has 176 total pages).

Find it: Coloring Notebook

11. DECOMPOSITION; $8

Decomposition Notebooks are a lot like regular notebooks, but these are made with recycled paper—and they’re absolutely adorable. The fun designs vary from dinosaurs to feline cosmonauts. Each book is made with soy-ink and contains no chlorine, so it can be recycled again.

Find it: Amazon

12. RAINBOW PAGES; $26

Your notes will look beautiful when jotted down on pastel paper—especially when that paper is also handbound in colorful leather. The 120-page A6 journal can be purchased with either lined or blank sheets.

Find it: Etsy

13. SUSHI CATS; $8

When picking out just the right notebook, why not choose one covered in sushi cats? You can even get matching puffy sushi cat stickers to put on it.

Find it: Urban Outfitters

14. LEGO MOLESKINE; $16

If you love building with LEGO bricks, pick up this Moleskine notebook. The black hardcover comes with a fancy LEGO design and a real LEGO plate. Inside, you can find two sheets of LEGO stickers.

Find it: Amazon

15. INSPIRATION PAD; €21

Created by a Brussels-based design and advertising firm, this notebook is meant to break the norm of traditionally lined paper. The Inspiration Pad features a different pattern on each page: You can watch as the lines warp and shift in spirals, slopes, and waves. The notebooks are available in yellow, brown, or blue and can be shipped internationally.

Find it: TM Shop

China’s massive Three Gorges Dam is 600 feet tall and home to what is probably the world’s largest elevator. The impressive feat of engineering can lift up to 6.7 million pounds, although it generally does not lift more than 3000 deadweight tons at a time.

As seen in the video below (spotted by Gizmodo), large ships enter the loading dock filled with water, and then the lift carries them to the top or back down in about 40 minutes. It’s estimated that the lift will get an extra 6 million tons of goods through the dam each year.

While dams are useful for controlling the flow of water and generating power, drastically changing the water heights on each side of the dam can make getting ships across a challenge. Most dams have adopted a lock system that can slowly get ships across by locking the boats in chambers and adding or removing water.

Three Gorges Dam also has a lock system in place, but that system has two series of ship locks that consist of five stages each, which can take a while. The long process takes about four hours, which is a lot longer than a (relatively) quick trip in an elevator.

[h/t Gizmodo]

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Unicorns might not be real, but they live on in our hearts and imaginations. People love these mythical beasts so much, a cafe dedicated to their magical splendor has opened up in Thailand. 

The Unicorn Cafe, located in the Bang Rak district of Bangkok, is a glittery restaurant filled to the brim with unicorn iconography, toys, and oversized pink furniture. From giant unicorn murals to a collection of My Little Pony figurines, the saccharine decor is sure to satisfy anyone’s craving for pastel, ponies, and adorable fables. 

Besides an attractive interior, the cafe also offers an array of colorful foods to enjoy. They have a rainbow crepe cake, rainbow waffles, and even a cheeseburger with a French fry fashioned on top as a makeshift horn. For beverages, they have a variety of rainbow drinks including a gigantic cotton candy milkshake served in a star-shaped container that can feed four to five people.

Guests are encouraged to cuddle up with the unicorn plush toys and possibly snap a few selfies with the giant carousel unicorn by the front of the restaurant. You can check out the kaleidoscopic interior in the Instagrams below.   

[h/t Lost at E Minor]

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Halloween is coming up, and that means it’s time to get spooky. Stock up on these skull-themed products to celebrate the holiday.

1. SUGAR SPOON; $5

This spoon, which has eye and nose holes, creates the image of a skull when you scoop up sugar. Created by SUCK UK, the utensil was designed specifically to warn that eating too much sugar is a bad idea.

Find it: Amazon

2. SHOT GLASS; $7

For super spooky imbibing, consider purchasing this handblown shot glass; it contains an ominous looking skull that holds 2.5 ounces of booze.

Find it: Amazon

3. PHONE CHARGER; $15

These skulls might be dead, but your phone doesn’t have to be. Plug it in using this charger, which is adorned with eight skulls that light up when plugged in. The cord works with most Apple products, and thanks to its 46-inch length, you’ll have a lot of freedom to move your phone around while it’s charging.

Find it: ThinkGeek

4. ICE MOLDS; $10

Whether you’re making a bubbling cauldron filled with Halloween punch or just a creepy cocktail for yourself, you’re going to need ice—why not make it the creepy kind? These study silicone ice molds produce two 3D skull shapes and are safe to put in your microwave, dishwasher, and freezer.

Find it: Amazon

5. BOTTLE OPENER; $55

The next time you have to open a bottle, use this opener. It has two skulls: One to hold on to and one to chomp off bottle caps. It’s hand cast out of bronze and sure to be a conversation starter.

Find it: Cool Material

6. TEA INFUSER; $10

This skull-and-crossbones infuser simultaneously steeps your tea leaves and warns others to stay away from your mug.

Find it: Amazon

7. NEON LIGHT; $129

Spruce up your desk with a cool neon light shaped like a skull. The handmade light is 15 inches tall and comes with a 6-foot cord.

Find it: Urban Outfitters

8. CHOCOLATE; $91

Nothing is spookier—or more delicious—than life-sized, anatomically correct skulls made out of chocolate. These treats come in three varieties of Belgian chocolate—milk, dark, or chili—and are dusted in cocoa. Each is created using a mold cast from a real skull, and each has different characteristics, like cracks or missing teeth.

Find it: Etsy

9. BATH BOMB; $5

If you were intrigued by the black bath bomb, you might also like this equally creepy bath bomb shaped like a skull. It has a wood-spicy smell, which was created with natural oils, and it’s sulfate free.

Find it: Etsy

10. STRING LIGHTS; $18

When decorating for your Halloween party this year, make sure to pick up this string of skull lights in addition to fake spider webs. The 7.5-foot-long cord takes two AA batteries, so you don’t need to worry about an outlet.

Find it: Urban Outfitters

11. EGG MOLD; $9

Even breakfast can be spooky! Serve up two fried eggs in the shape of a skull—the yolks become the eyes and the white becomes the bone. For bonus points, arrange some strips of bacon to form crossbones.

Find it: Amazon

If chili cooking competitions and hot sauce festivals have taught us anything, it’s that people love when their treats bring the heat. The latest offering in that category: the Carolina Reaper Madness chip, considered the spiciest tortilla chip in the world and said to be so hot that each package only contains a single chip.

The Paqui chips product is individually wrapped in red packaging that sports an illustration of the Grim Reaper. To complete the theme, the wrapped chip is then housed in a red coffin-shaped cardboard.

“We’re always looking to push the limits to find fun ways for our fans and consumers to engage with us,” Jeff Day, Brand Manager of Paqui Chips, told Mashable. “When we decided that we wanted to make the world’s hottest chip, we first said, well, we need to find the world’s hottest pepper.”

A single chip might seem like a measly snack, but the company argues that most people will have trouble even finishing it. As the name implies, the spiciest chip gets its spiciness from the world’s hottest pepper: the Carolina Reaper Pepper. These bright red, wrinkly peppers are so hot that they can lead to a host of health problems like vomiting, seizures, and shortness of breath. To add to this kick, the chip also comes with ghost pepper and chipotle seasoning. The fiery concoction took Paqui Chips and Chef Smokin’ Ed Currie several months to perfect.

“It’s the hottest chip you’ll ever have, I can guarantee you that,” Currie said. “After you eat that one chip, trust me, you’re not looking to dig back into the bag and have a second one. So, one chip is what we created to have the experience.”

If you’d like to try the chip yourself, you can snag one for $4.99 on Paqui’s website. The sellers recommend that adventurous eaters chase the chip with ice cream, milk, yogurt, or honey—water will just make it worse.

[h/t Mashable]

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