The most valuable strategic square acreage on the planet? Or a modest, charmingly low-key town in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina? The BBC provides a fascinating report on Spruce Pine - the Mineral City where the Unimin Corporation mines the world's main supply of high purity quartz from the local hills. High purity quartz is essential to the manufacture of silicon wafers.
posted by shoesfullofdust on Aug 2, 2009 - 18 comments

At long last, Pringles have joined the family of potato chips after being shunned for years.
posted by Z1LCH on Jun 1, 2009 - 80 comments

Pedro Zaragoza Orts the former mayor of Benidorm who died yesterday aged 85, transformed this small fishing village into a centre for package tourists. Much loved by some as the resort where Tattoos meet Tapas.
posted by adamvasco on Apr 2, 2008 - 12 comments

That's Punksploitation!! Can punk rock episodes of old TV shows kill? Check out punk episodes from Quincy, CHiPs (Part 1 and Part 2), 21 Jump Street (Part 1 and Part 2), as well as the appearance of the Dickies on the Don Rickles sitcom, CPO Sharkey. Other prime vintage examples of media cluelessness on punk rock include a fashion show and a scaremongering Time magazine article, although a recent cookie commercial may revive the punksploitation genre.
posted by jonp72 on Aug 30, 2006 - 55 comments

Won't somebody think of the children? Wired News reports that a Mexican company has launched a service to implant RFID verichips (Technology That Cares) into children as an anti-kidnapping device. "The company envisions placing walk-through scanners -- similar to metal-detector portals used in airports -- in malls, bus stations and other areas where a missing child may appear." Similar plans have been proposed before by the UK's Kevin "Captain Cyborg" Warwick, but while his plans to use the mobile phone network are implausible, this method seems more feasible. So, why not sign up to get chipped today!
posted by TheophileEscargot on Oct 10, 2003 - 14 comments

Buffalo chips and so much more! Welcome to the Silicon Zoo, a place where cheetahs run alongside guitar-strumming T. Rexes, while The Simpson's Milhouse looks on with a grin. Brought to you courtesy of those wacky scientific folk at Florida State University. [More]
posted by clever sheep on May 22, 2003 - 2 comments

Mmmm ... Belgian Fries.
posted by ZenMasterThis on Mar 14, 2003 - 25 comments

Everybody Loves Potato Chips! But not everyone is a fan of your nationally available tripe; for the true connoisseur, regional "estate" chips are where it's at. From the delicious, slightly vinegary "Utz Carolina Style Barbecue", to the St. Louis hot sauce flavored "Old Vienna Red Hot Riplets"; from the straightforward pleasures of Tim's Cascade Style Cracked Peppercorn to the more exotic temptations of Route 11's Mama Zuma's Revenge, these "micro-fryeries" will never threaten Frito Lay for America's spare change, but for those lucky enough to travel the U.S., they are a welcome taste of local flavor. The truly tempted can scratch that itch via the miracle of e-commerce, but don't expect them to get to your house in time for the Superbowl. Any other favorites out there to keep an eye out for?
posted by jonson on Jan 25, 2003 - 37 comments

Michelin plans to embed trackable microchips in tires. The US tire manufacturer has begun testing electronic transponders that are "strictly for identification and tracking. " Congress passed the TREAD Act (Transportation, Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation) in response to the massive recall of Firestone tires on Ford Explorers and requires tire makers to more closely track their tires. Is this a legitimate use of technology, or does it present another opportunity to erode privacy? [Via /.]
posted by maniactown on Jan 22, 2003 - 24 comments

silicon art
"Looking inside, Chipworks has found creative expressions on many of the chips that we have examined. Our combined facilities house six optical microscopes that provide us with the magnification required to discover the hidden art on some chips. Magnification can vary anywhere from 200 to 500 times the actual size. We think that these masterpieces deserve a wider audience. Have a look at what we've found!"
posted by quonsar on May 8, 2002 - 2 comments

Exploding Silicon Laptop thieves beware! We can now make your ill-gotten loot explode on command...
posted by Irontom on Jan 17, 2002 - 8 comments

Brain Cells Used To Make Working Semiconductor "This is the first direct functional interfacing of a living neuronal network with an electronic semiconductor chip," said co-author Dr. Peter Fromherz of the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich, Germany, in an interview with Reuters Health. "It is a further step on our road to combine the elements of brains and computers," he added.
posted by Alwin on Aug 28, 2001 - 2 comments

Ashcroft launches C.H.I.P. Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property units to make sure all your licensing is in order, don't have a copy of the DeCSS song, and keeping webpages de-facement free.
posted by skallas on Jul 22, 2001 - 14 comments

"Apple to Users: 'It's Not Our Problem'": Apple is doing nothing about their new firmware update which doesn't recognize some third party RAM chips.
posted by paladin on Apr 6, 2001 - 16 comments

Playstation 3 chip to be designed by IBM. The three companies (Sony, IBM, and Toshiba) aim to design a "super-computer on a chip" with a wide variety of consumer applications, they said in a joint statement.

"The result will be consumer devices that are more powerful than IBM's Deep Blue super-computer, operate at low power and access the broadband internet at ultra-high speeds," the statement added

Wowzers!
posted by zeoslap on Mar 12, 2001 - 22 comments

I think this guy displayed a much healthier reaction than suing Doritos, don't you? Instead, he "storms" back into the store and demands another packet. I'm in love.
posted by jfwlucy on Jan 11, 2001 - 15 comments

"Here, Lizard, Lizard..." My take on this: there's not much difference, in nutrition terms, between mass-reared fastfood chicken, and crunchy wild lizard. (Ask the cast of Survivor or Bush Tucker Man.)
posted by holgate on Jul 20, 2000 - 0 comments