If you’ve ever shopped for milk, you’ve no doubt noticed what our questioner has: While regular milk expires within about a week or sooner, organic milk lasts much longer—as long as a month. . .
Organic milk lasts longer because producers use a different process to preserve it. According to the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, the milk needs to stay fresh longer because organic products often have to travel farther to reach store shelves since its not produced throughout the country.
The process that gives the milk a longer shelf life is called ultrahigh temperature (UHT) processing or treatment, in which milk is heated to 280 degrees Fahrenheit (138 degrees Celsius) for two to four seconds, killing any bacteria in it. (Full Story at sciam)
Interesting. I'm sure the organic milk producers enjoy the false conclusion that it lasts longer because its organic.
6.09.2008
Why Organic Milk Stays Fresh Longer
The Backpack Car
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Moments In History Via Legos
Go here to check out more of these very cool recreations of historical moments. (via makezine)
Morningness For Better Grades
ScienceDaily (Jun. 9, 2008) — Morningness is a predictor of better grades in college, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 9 at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study, authored by Kendry Clay, of the University of North Texas, focused on 824 undergraduate students who were enrolled in psychology classes. The subjects completed a health survey which included questions regarding sleep habits and aspects of daytime functioning.
According to the results, college students who are evening types had lower GPAs, while those who are morning types had higher GPAs. (Full Story at sd)
Is "morningness" really a word?
Condiment Gun
Sausages, chips and burgers will be unable to dodge the splodge once you arm yourself with a Condiment Gun. As you can see, this brilliantly ridiculous sauce dispenser looks just like a comedy cartoon six-shooter and it's ideal for anyone who loves squirtable condiments such as ketchup, mustard and brown sauce.
All you do is load up the Condiment Gun's cartridge (two supplied) with your favourite sauce, bung it in and squeeze the trigger. Satisfying? It makes walloping the bottom of a regular sauce bottle seem about as entertaining as watching a tomato go off. (From firebox)
I have to think this will end in nefarious usage.
6.06.2008
Nessy In Minnesota
LAKE CITY, Minn. (WCCO) ― There's one creature in Minnesota that's so hard to track that $50,000 reward is out for proof it exists.
Ever since the 1800s, residents around Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minn. say they've spotted a sea monster. They call him, Pepie.
"It was very strange," said Larry Nielson, who says he's seen the mysterious creature. "We watched it for quite a while and we watched it for about 15 minutes and could not figure out what it might be."
Steve Raymond shares the same story.
"Now, I'm the third person who's reported it. I distinctly remember three humps, with one hump looking like a head," recalled Raymond about his experience on Lake Pepin.
The first sighting of the creature was in April 1871. An artist has tried to show what the monster, with a hypnotic red-eye and demon-like head, might look like. It's said to live within the depths of Devil's Abys. (Full Story at wcco)
I like to think that there are still creatures that hide right under our noses.
Johnny Appleseed Has a New Bike
The Bloom device is meant to be a subversive and inspirational tool for our concrete jungles. Similar to the tuft of a dandelion as the wind carries the seedling, we propose a way of dispersing seedlings with bubbles and bicycling. Seeds are co-mingled with a bubble mixture and upon pedaling to your destination , you release the floating seeds which land in cracks and crevices throughout the city streets. Over time, the seeds grow into flowers and plants to create a green "fringe" to our sidewalks and streets.
Using natural ingredients; vegetable based soap and seeds, combine together to make a dissolving "nugget". The resulting mixture resides in a reservoir inside Blooms aluminum housing. The housing is attached to the lower frame near the rear tire, similar to a exhaust pipe. Upon pedalling, air enters the front of Bloom and spins a pinwheel inside which picks up a small drop of the seed/bubble mixture and blows a bubble carrying a seed out the back as "exhaust".
Our inspiration comes from the tale of Johnny Appleseed, where he would spread seeds everywhere he went planting apple trees for future generations. (From design21sd via makezine)
I like it. I have no clue as to whether or not it would work, but I still like it.
Sites To Know
This week I'm highlighting lookybook. Lookybook is a website designed to let you look through children's books before buying them, and yes, you get to read the whole thing. Its free, and if you register you get some extra features such as keeping a "library" of books you like. Its my guess that they make their money on click throughs. When you finish a book it gives you links to places from which you can order the book. Sure, they aren't doing anything for you that a trip to the book store wouldn't take care of, but you can use the site whenever and from the comfort of your PJs.
Go give lookybook a try and tell me what you think.
IM In The Work Place
ScienceDaily (Jun. 4, 2008) — Employers seeking to decrease interruptions may want to have their workers use instant messaging software, a new study suggests. A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University and University of California, Irvine found that workers who used instant messaging on the job reported less interruption than colleagues who did not.
The study challenges the widespread belief that instant messaging leads to an increase in disruption. Some researchers have speculated that workers would use instant messaging in addition to the phone and e-mail, leading to increased interruption and reduced productivity.
Instead, research showed that instant messaging was often used as a substitute for other, more disruptive forms of communication such as the telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face conversations. Using instant messaging led to more conversations on the computer, but the conversations were briefer, said R. Kelly Garrett, co-author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State. (Full Story at sd)
I happen to use Gtalk at work. Even though my co-workers sit within earshot of me, I would rather instant message them. It also comes in handy when you want to ask a question when you are on the phone with someone. There is also the added bonus of being able to vent frustrations without having to worry about someone overhearing.
6.05.2008
Garfield Minus Garfield
Garfield is just an OK comic in my opinion. At some point an individual realized that the comics were much funnier if you take Garfield out of them. I have to agree. In there words:
Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.
Check out the site (with the "improved" comics of course) here.
More Pyramids Found
June 5, 2008—The foundations of a pyramid long lost under the sands of Egypt lie exposed on June 2, 2008. Archaeologists today announced the rediscovery of the ruins in Saqqara, south of Cairo.
The so-called Headless Pyramid was reported in the early 19th century by a German archaeologist, but its exact location was subsequently lost.
With its recent rediscovery, archaeologists have determined that the pyramid probably belonged to Pharaoh Menkauhor, who ruled from 2421 to 2414 B.C. Teams also found a new part of a sacred road at the site that is thought to have been used for processions of mummified royal bulls. (Full Story at nationalgeographic)
Seconds Please
Police in Russia are investigating after pupils stripped off their clothes, climbed walls or lay on the floor laughing after their school dinners were spiked with drugs.The teenaged students were given ecstasy in their soup and drinks at their school in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in eastern Russia.
Doctors who were called in said the students showed signs of intoxication and prosecutors later found traces of ecstasy.
The students ranged in age from 13 to 15-years-old. (From 13wham)
I would assume this was a prank done by one of the students, but whose to say. I would like to hear how this eventually turns out.
Just Eat Real Food To Recover
The New York Times interviews experienced athletes and researchers and finds that the wealth of so-called "recovery" drinks and protein bars, are mostly over-hyped. During and after a long exercise period, like a marathon or lengthy bike ride, you don't need specialized products, or a four-to-one carbohydrate/protein mix, to boost your performance:
Dr. Rennie said that 10 to 15 grams of protein is probably adequate for any adult. And you don't need a special drink or energy bar to get it. One egg has 6 grams of protein. Two ounces of chicken has more than 12 grams.Fruit, water, and fruit juice also work well after hard workouts, the article notes, and don't have to be taken within any certain window after the exercise. (From lifehacker | nytimes article here)
Should have guessed it. So stick to little league wisdom: have an orange slice or half a banana and a juice box.
A Blind Sherlock
ANTWERP, Belgium: Sacha van Loo, 36, is not your typical cop. He wields a white cane instead of a gun. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes.
Van Loo is one of Europe's newest weapons in the global fight against terrorism and organized crime: a blind Sherlock Holmes, whose disability allows him to spot clues sighted detectives don't see. . .
When police eavesdrop on a suspected terrorist making a phone call, van Loo can listen to the tones dialed and immediately identify the number. By hearing the sound of a voice echoing off of a wall, he can deduce whether a suspect is speaking from an airport lounge or a crowded restaurant. After the Belgian police recently spent hours struggling to identify a drug smuggler on a faint wiretap recording, they concluded he was Moroccan. Van Loo, who has a "library of accents in his head," listened and deduced he was Albanian, a fact confirmed after his arrest. (Full Story at iht)
Burried In a Pringles Can
I first heard this story yesterday via the How Magazine blog.
Frederic J. Baur, the designer/inventor of the tube shaped Pringles package recently died and, to honor his wishes, his children buried him in the container he invented. (i.e. put some, but not all, of his ashes in a Pringles can.)
Since then I’m noticing the “Buried-in-a-Pringles-Can” story quite a few other places. I guess you’d say it was “viral.” (And here I am, jumping on the band wagon.)
Not surprisingly, the majority of the blog pieces you’ll find play this for laughs with a lot of Pringles-related puns.
One blog mocked the idea that creating the Pringles container was Fred Baur’s “proudest achievement”—but it isn’t like that blog’s writer has, himself, discovered a cure for cancer or anything.
A funeral industry blog called Final Embrace also featured the story.
Time magazine’s Jeremy Caplan did a more thoughtful piece. Dr. Baur died of Alzheimer’s. His children stopped at a Walgreen’s on the way to the funeral home. Time quotes Dr. Baur’s son, Larry. “My siblings and I briefly debated what flavor to use," Baur says, "but I said, 'Look, we need to use the original.” Time also included a brief appreciation of the ground-breaking nature of Dr. Baur’s contribution and it’s influence on subsequent packaging innovations. (Full Story at boxvox)
You know I want to make a comment about how trite it is that your legacy is a chip packaging device, but then I have to think about my own legacy. . .
Pilo Pilo Ring
Do you hate getting that imprint of your ring on your face. . . Can't say it has ever been an issue for me, but in case it is for you we now have the Pilo Ring. (From yanko)
6.04.2008
Who Needs Disney
This American Life did a piece on this guy (or someone very similar) a good while back. Anyone know which episode that was? If so, just link it in the comments.
Cigarette Prices In NYC
"New York has traditionally had the highest cigarette taxes in the nation," said Patrick Fleenor, chief economist at the Tax Foundation, a non-partisan tax research group in Washington, D.C. "It's also the state with the most significant smuggling problems."
The state tax on a pack of cigarettes jumps today from $1.50 to $2.75, making it the highest tax in the country. In Central New York, a typical pack of smokes will cost about $7.
New York City charges an additional $1.50 excise tax, so the cost of a pack of cigarettes there will hover around $9.
At those prices, experts predict that many smokers will try to find ways to buy cheaper, untaxed cigarettes. Historically, when taxes surge, so do black-market cigarette sales. (Full Story at syracuse)
I'm not for people smoking; its just a bad idea in general. That said, I have a serious problem with the government policing my choices. They aren't banning smoking in NYC, but the tax is a round about way to force people to quit. Add to this the fact that they are knowingly creating a black market and this just becomes a ridiculous tax.
Putting an End To The Madness
Make sure to click on the picture to enlarge it. . . Still, that lizard has prime camo.
Turn Off Your PS3
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Don't blame the fridge for your steep power bills -- an Australian consumer agency study has found that videogame consoles and plasma flat-screen TVs are major electricity guzzlers, even when left on stand-by.
The recent study by Choice said Sony Corp's Playstation 3, closely followed by Microsoft's Xbox 360 and plasma television sets, consumed the most power out of a list of 16 electronic devices tested, including laptops, stereo systems and DVD players.
"Our tests found that leaving a Playstation 3 on while not in use would cost almost... five times more than it would take to run a refrigerator for the same yearly period," said the study which was published on Choice's website www.choice.com.au.
"The plasma TV set was also a power hungry device, consuming over four times more power than a traditional analogue set. The average desktop computer was third on the list." (Full Story at reuters)
Maybe I should start turning off the PC at night. . .
What 300 Calories Looks Like And Costs
Ever wonder how many calories something is? Well, here is a site that has created a nice selection of foods that are 300 calories. As a bonus, they even tallied the cost of each of these snacks/meals. Check it out. (Monetary values are listed on the site).
Feeding The Masses
Here is Norman Borlaug, father of the green revolution, from about a decade ago but highly relevant today:
Yields can still be increased by 50-100% in much of the Indian sub-Continent, Latin America, the former USSR and Eastern Europe, and by 100-200% in much of sub-Saharan Africa, providing political stability is maintained, bureaucracies that destroys entrepreneurial initiative are reigned in, and their researchers and extension workers devote more energy to putting science and technology to work at the farm level.... (Full Story at marginalrevolution)
Click to enlarge Graph
I would be interested to see the progress we have made over the past 10-20 years. Also, how much of that "Area Spared" is now being used for ethanol production. At any rate, its encouraging to see that we are continuing to get more efficient in food production (speaking strictly of plant matter of course).
Key Bottle Opener
Instructables user DoomMeister made this keychain bottle opener from an old (or prop) key. It doesn't take many tools to make this stylish opener that would fit in perfectly at your steampunk or other victorian themed party. (Instructions Linked at makezine)
You say that's a bottle opener? . . . I think that's the key to my heart.
Better Gmail
Google updated Gmail, and now we're following up with Better Gmail2, a Firefox extension that adds features to the new Gmail interface. Like its predecessor, Better Gmail 2 is a compilation of Greasemonkey user scripts that add features to Gmail, but Better Gmail 2 works with Gmail's overhauled interface. We'll maintain the original Better Gamail extension separately from Better Gmail 2, for users still rocking the older version. However, if you've got the snappier Gmail interface enabled and you're ready for some tweaks courtesy of scripters far and wide, hit the jump for the Better Gmail 2 Firefox extension download. (Download at lifehacker)
Translation: It adds cool little features that you don't necessarily see right away. It's just some tweaks that makes using Gmail a little easier (to think - that was possible). I downloaded and am still playing with it, but I like it so far.
I'm Stuck With You I Guess
ScienceDaily (Jun. 4, 2008) — The actor Sir Peter Ustinov once famously said “Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who get there first.” Psychologists now believe there is some truth to this argument. Rather than picking our friends based on intentional choice and common values and interests, our friendships may be based on more superficial factors like proximity (think neighbors) or group assignments (your department at work). . .
As reported in a recent issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, sitting in neighboring seats as a result of randomly assigned seat numbers when meeting for the first time led to higher ratings of friendship intensity one year later. The same was true even if participants were merely in the same row.
The counterintuitive finding suggests that friendships may not be as deliberate we think. “In a nutshell,” write the authors, “people may become friends simply because they drew the right random number.” (Full Story at sd)
6.03.2008
Seriously, Don't Mess With Vets
KINGSTON, Pa. (AP) - The young woman probably thought the 71-year-old Korean War veteran, whose friend was in a wheelchair, would make an easy target. She was wrong.
Harry Kopenis (ko-PEN'-is) chased and tackled the 22-year-old woman he says robbed him at an ATM in northeastern Pennsylvania. Then, with help from his friend in a wheelchair, he held her until police arrived.
"Maybe she thought I was easy prey. She didn't think I was going to get her. Well, senior citizens aren't easy prey," Kopenis said.
Police charged Erin Vanmatre, of Kingston, with robbery, harassment and other offenses. Vanmatre, who was on probation for conspiracy to commit theft, was locked up on $10,000 bail. It wasn't clear if she had an attorney.
Kopenis said he's not sure how he was able to catch Vanmatre, considering he suffered a stroke five years ago and is on various prescription medications. (Full Story at wtop)
Never Touch The Shell Casings
Researchers in the University Department of Chemistry and the Police's scientific support unit have developed the method that enables scientists to 'visualise fingerprints' even after the print itself has been removed. They conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance – after firing– a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
Dr John Bond, Honorary Fellow at the University of Leicester and Scientific Support Manager at Northamptonshire Police said: "For the first time we can get prints from people who handled a cartridge before it was fired."
"Wiping it down, washing it in hot soapy water makes no difference - and the heat of the shot helps the process we use.
"The procedure works by applying an electric charge to a metal - say a gun or bullet - which has been coated in a fine conducting powder, similar to that used in photocopiers.
"Even if the fingerprint has been washed off, it leaves a slight corrosion on the metal and this attracts the powder when the charge is applied, so showing up a residual fingerprint.
"The technique works on everything from bullet casings to machine guns. Even if heat vaporises normal clues, police will be able to prove who handled a particular gun." (Full Story at eurekalert)
How Tall Will Your Children Be?
I realized today that my post about doing quantitative genetic back-of-the-envelopes was rather wordy. And, I have a hunch that those who "got it" already have an intuitive feel for what I'm talking about, so I thought perhaps the easiest way to get people to develop a better feel was to roll up the calculations into a small Javascript calculator. You can find it below the fold. The terms are defined in the earlier post, but I plugged in the default values (you can change them if you want). Obviously you enter in inches or centimeters depending on whether you're normal or Canadian. Finally, if you are from another dimension where heritabilities are outside of the 0 to 1 interval and heights are negative then you will encounter problems. Remember the garbage-in-garbage-out principle; I did this in a hurry so no catching your errors and throwing back intelligible warnings. (From scienceblogs)
Click on the link to calculate your child's eventual height.
Sad Kids Perform Better
ScienceDaily (Jun. 3, 2008) — Psychologists at the University of Virginia and the University of Plymouth (United Kingdom) have conducted experimental research that contrasts with the belief that happy children are the best learners. The findings show that where attention to detail is required, happy children may be at a disadvantage.
The researchers conducted a series of experiments with different child age groups who had happy or sad moods induced with the aid of music (Mozart and Mahler) and selected video clips (Jungle Book and the Lion King). The groups were then asked to undertake a task that required attention to detail -- to observe a detailed image such as a house and a simple shape such as a triangle, and then locate the shape within the larger picture. The findings in each experiment with both music and video clips were conclusive, with the children induced to feel a sad or neutral mood performing the task better than those induced to feel a happy state of mind. (Full Story at sd)
So I guess this makes Emo kids regular geniuses, eh?
The Navy Funded Finding The Titanic
The 1985 discovery of the Titanic stemmed from a secret United States Navy investigation of two wrecked nuclear submarines, according to the oceanographer who found the infamous ocean liner. . .
Ballard met with the Navy in 1982 to request funding to develop the robotic submersible technology he needed to find the Titanic. . .
Ronald Thunman, then the deputy chief of naval operations for submarine warfare, told Ballard the military was interested in the technology—but for the purpose of investigating the wreckage of the U.S.S. Thresher and U.S.S. Scorpion. . .
Once Ballard had completed his mission—if time was left—Thunman said, Ballard could do what he wanted, but never gave him explicit permission to search for the Titanic. (Full Story at nationalgeographic)
There is always a story behind the story.
Fast Food and Fat
Matsa and Anderson next looked at data on individual eating habits from a survey conducted between 1994 and 1996. When eating out, people reported consuming about 35 percent more calories on average than when they ate at home. But importantly, respondents reduced their caloric intake at home on days they ate out (that's not to say that people were watching their weight, since respondents who reported consuming more at home also tended to eat more when going out). Overall, eating out increased daily caloric intake by only 24 calories.
The researchers also find that greater access to fast food restaurants, as created by new highway construction, doesn't much matter for weight. Here is more, including a link to the original paper. (From marginalrevolution)
The article referenced suggests that fast food has nothing to do with obesity. I'm not so sure that's the proper conclusion to these statistics. Has anyone asked if maybe it's not all about the calories? Maybe it's the nutritional value. Fast food isn't exactly "healthy" food, and maybe that affects one's metabolism (not to mention increased risk for such things as diabetes ). All I'm saying is that I don't think this justifies constant intake of fast food.
6.02.2008
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
NEW YORK (AP) - Four men, one 29-foot rowboat _ and about 3,200 miles to go. A team of rowers from the United Kingdom set out from the Hudson River on Sunday to try to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They hope to end at the Isles of Scilly, a group of small islands off England's southwestern tip. The boat has an electronic tracking system, and a Web site dedicated to the effort says the rowers had gone 37 miles as of Sunday night. They hope to break a record of 55 days and 13 hours, set by two Norwegian-Americans in 1896. The rowers are expected to take turns, with two people rowing in two-hour shifts and then switching off. They range in age from 19 to 43 and have been training for more than a year. They are carrying about 1,500 freeze-dried meals and a device that can make saltwater safe to drink. (From wtop)
Guerrilla Gardening
BRIMMING with lime-hued succulents and a lush collection of agaves, one shooting spiky leaves 10 feet into the air, it's a head-turning garden smack in the middle of Long Beach's asphalt jungle. But the gardener who designed it doesn't want you to know his last name, since his handiwork isn't exactly legit. It's on a traffic island he commandeered.
"The city wasn't doing anything with it, and I had a bunch of extra plants," says Scott, as we tour the garden, cars whooshing by on both sides of Loynes Drive.
Scott is a guerrilla gardener, a member of a burgeoning movement of green enthusiasts who plant without approval on land that's not theirs. In London, Berlin, Miami, San Francisco and Southern California, these free-range tillers are sowing a new kind of flower power. In nighttime planting parties or solo "seed bombing" runs, they aim to turn neglected public space and vacant lots into floral or food outposts. (Full Story at latimes)
Wish I had this problem in my yard.
Doctored Photos
Have you ever wondered about a photo? Wondered if it had some photo editing done to it? Well here is an article that can help you spot a fake. It gives you five things to look for. Check it out.
How To Get Dad Involved
ScienceDaily (Jun. 1, 2008) — Mothers play an important role in determining how much fathers get involved in taking care of their infants, according to new research. A study of 97 couples found that fathers were more involved in the day-to-day care of their infants when they received active encouragement from their wife or partner.
In fact, this encouragement was important even after taking into account fathers' and mothers' views about how involved dads should be, the overall quality of the couple's parenting relationship, and how much mothers worked outside the home.
In addition, fathers' beliefs about how involved they should be in child care did not matter when mothers were highly critical of fathers' parenting. In other words, fathers didn't put their beliefs into practice when faced with a particularly judgmental mother. (Full Story at sd)
Anything I say here will get me in trouble, so just draw your own conclusions.
