November 25, 2018
Food color does more than guide us—it changes the experience of taste.
The Colors We Eat: Tom Vanderbilt writes for Nautilus on the Official USDA Color Standards for a range of foods (including Tomato, Pumpkin/ Squash, Frozen French Fry, Frozen Cherries, Canned Tomato, Canned Ripe Olive (Munsell), Canned Apple Butter, Canned Lima Beans, Eggs, Canned Pimientos, Canned Clingstone Peaches (Visual Color Systems), and Veal (USDA text-only PDF)) and the scientific studies behind how we taste with our eyes. Beware: the eyes can deceive even the expert tongue. "Even the color of the plate might change our sense of taste: Subjects reported strawberry mousse tasted better on a white round plate than on a black square plate."
Fairy tale or American horror story: Could be either, who can say?
The ‘feel-good’ horror of late-stage capitalism: "These are dispatches from the darkest, dankest cesspools of late-stage capitalism, where a person enduring a financial hardship through no fault of their own — like, say, you have leukemia — must be wholly dependent on the charity of others, and the spotlight is thrust on the charity, not the circumstances that caused the dependence." (slMedium)
"I would give myself an A+, is that enough? Can I go higher than that?"
After the President escalated an extraordinary dispute with the Supreme Court's Chief Justice, he settled in for a hectic Thanksgiving morning of tweeting, asking perplexing questions of military officers, and pronouncing himself thankful for himself. As the nation woke up to Black Friday, the administration quietly released the Fourth National Climate Assessment, a grim warning of the ongoing and future impacts of climate change on the nation. Moving into the weekend, there was word of a deal to require asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are considered, followed by the closure of the San Ysidro Port of Entry as US authorities fired tear gas across the border. [more inside]
Mars gets a Mole!
On November 26, about 3pm EST, a mole will land on Mars.
(SL Oatmeal)
Starry Starry Night/Cosmos
In 1866 Nathan Mills gave a lecture, the subject of which was Astronomy. The chart he used was a bed quilt so quilted as to represent the solar system. Perhaps his visual aid looked much like Ellen Harding Baker's Solar System Quilt.
Sarah Ellen Harding Baker was living in Cedar County, Iowa ten years later in 1876, the date on this wool quilt. [more inside]
Spirit Of Love Will Always Connect You
Yes' Jon Anderson released his 4th solo album in 1985 -- the holiday-themed album 3 Ships. It's rather 80s, VERY Jon Anderson, and I think it's charming and fun with excellent flow across its runtime [Full Album (recommended), 39m15s]. One of the few holiday albums I might listen to in July. Side One: Save All Your Love, Easier Said Than Done [video], 3 Ships [video (lower quality)], Forest Of Fire, Ding Dong! Merrily On High, Save All Your Love (Reprise) [more inside]
UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
BBC: Marked each year on 25 November, the day is the start of 16-day campaign, calling on people and organisations to address violence. According to the UN, it will affect more than a third of women globally during their lives. The bulk of the support was on the streets, with rallies on Saturday and more to come on Sunday. Here are some of the best pictures. Photos from rallies around the world yesterday and today for the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 25). More photos. Finally, 16 Ways, 16 Days: things you can do to end violence against women.
Baby Burping Made Easy
The Useless Duck Company has unveiled their new system for releasing air bubbles from the stomachs of infants, using their custom-built, ergonomic apparatus in conjunction with a handy app. Come see the future of child care!
This is a Public Service Announcement
The Inplant Files In 2017, one in five of all medical device adverse event reports in the U.S. was linked to a Medtronic device.
From garage startup to global dominance, Medtronic bent and broke rules in its relentless pursuit of success and denies all wrongdoing.
A global investigation reveals the rising human toll of lax controls and testing standards pushed by a booming industry.
From garage startup to global dominance, Medtronic bent and broke rules in its relentless pursuit of success and denies all wrongdoing.
A global investigation reveals the rising human toll of lax controls and testing standards pushed by a booming industry.
Outcast
All in all, Outcast is regarded by many as being a game way ahead of its time. It features open world, top notch orchestral score, compelling storyline, action and adventure, high quality dialogues and voice acting, rippling interactive water [...] For me, Outcast is a game made with passion, with no constraints of being tied to a particular genre, or please a particular group of people [more inside]
A couple of recent fairy tales
Naomi Kritzer, "Field Biology of the Wee Fairies" (Apex, Sep. 4, 2018; author interview with photos of her mother, whose high school experiences partially inspired the story): "When Amelia turned fourteen, everyone assured her that she’d find her fairy soon. Almost all girls did." Laura Blackwell, "An Accidental Coven" (Syntax & Salt, Sep. 22, 2018): "One Saturday night six months ago, my husband and I attended a party where we saw three women wearing the same dress."
“The state watched with interest.”
The Stasi Play Along by Denis Gießler [Zeit Online] “At the time, the Commodore model was the world's best-selling home computer. But had it been up to the West, the computers would never have found their way into East Germany. In 1988, microelectronics were still on the list of embargoed products maintained by the Coordinating Committee on Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom). Western states had agreed they wouldn't supply any technology goods to the communist countries of the Eastern bloc. But the C64s had made their way into East Germany nonetheless, and GDR customs officials allowed them to pass. They didn't have a problem with the import of Western hardware. But software, and especially video games, were another matter. Their content was of great concern to East German officials.”
hi tim, kathleen thought yooh should have this
For $3.99 (or less during their black Friday sale), Age Hams will send a tiny pink rubber pig to someone yooh know, courtesy of someone named kathleen. [more inside]
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