I am a big fan of mayonnaise. I like it on my fries, on my burgers, and combined with different ingredients to create a variety of amazing sauces. Even if you don’t like mayo, I think you should agree with me that there is something magical about how egg yolk and oil blended together in just the right way can result in something with a texture so different from either base ingredient. And if... »
Tomorrow, April 12th, we celebrate Yuri’s Night, the anniversary of the first manned spaceflight by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961. More than 300 parties are taking place in over 50 countries (find one near you here!), and all of those revelers are going to need something to drink. Time to invent a cocktail! I decided to do a take on the Moscow Mule, a refreshing classic that combine... »
If you believe certain musical groups, everybody wants to live forever (while ruling the world?). Our fascination with immortality is such that it’s a hallmark of mythology. In our daily lives, we obsess over staying young and healthy (or at least many advertisers and marketeers think we do, or at least that we obsess over how to appear young and healthy). And as a species we’ve funnel... »
If you could get all of the nourishment your body needed by consuming a carefully proportioned mix of vitamins and minerals, would you do it? And would you give up regular food? That is what 24-year software engineer Rob Rhinehart is trying to do with Soylent (yes, Soylent), a concoction of essential vitamins and minerals that he has been imbibing in place of meals for the past two months. His exp... »
With all of the controversy surrounding Texas schools teaching Creationism (including Young Earth Creationism which teaches that the Earth is only 6,000 years old), and Texas Governor Rick Perry stating “In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution,” when he was asked a question by a young boy during his campaign, scientific-minded Texans have cause for alarm. But even in the bible belt there... »
As you probably know, water is conductive (hopefully you didn’t learn that the hard way). What this means, among other things, is that you can actually use water as a MaKey MaKey trigger. Leave a connected alligator clip in a vessel of water, ground yourself and stick your finger in the water, and boom!* Water button. *I promise, it’s quite safe. No actually booms or zaps will occur. O... »
I was reading the “Sunday Secrets” on Post Secret recently and saw one that said: “my family thinks I only buy organic produce… but sometimes I just put ‘organic’ stickers on the packages”. I really liked that idea. Strictly speaking, they weren’t wrong in doing that – all food is organic. OK, sure, “organic” has a specific legal de... »
(Note: I gave a live demonstration of this topic at the California Academy of Sciences NightLife event on January 10, 2013. If you’re showing up because you saw me there, thanks!) No, this post isn’t about gardening. The kind of shrub I’m referring to isn’t a decorative bush in the front yard–it’s a tasty ingredient for cocktails and sodas. Shrubbing is a method... »
