From the monthly archives: July 2011
Uggggg – I know know why I love fresh-squeezed OJ!
From Gizmodo:
How do you make orange juice? Simple! Squeeze oranges and drink. How do big box companies make orange juice? Complicated! Squeeze oranges, remove oxygen, re-flavor the now flavorless orange juice with artificially orange “flavor packs” and…drink? Uhh…
I never thought about it but it makes incredible sense now. Orange juice from Tropicana, Simply Orange, Minute Maid, Florida’s Natural, etc.—they’re all ridiculouslyconsistent in their flavor. And the trick isn’t to get the most delicious tasting oranges but rather to create their own unique artificial flavor.
It all starts with the stripping of the oxygen. Once the juice is squeezed and stored in gigantic vats, they start removing oxygen. Why? Because removing oxygen from the juice allows the liquid to keep for up to a year without spoiling. But! Removing that oxygen also removes the natural flavors of oranges. Yeah, it’s all backwards. So in order to have OJ actually taste like oranges, drink companies hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that make perfumes for Dior, to create these “flavor packs” to make juice taste like, well, juice again. A 2009 report says:
The formulas vary to give a brand’s trademark taste. If you’re discerning you may have noticed Minute Maid has a candy like orange flavor. That’s largely due to the flavor pack Coca-Cola has chosen for it. Some companies have even been known to request a flavor pack that mimics the taste of a popular competitor, creating a “hall of mirrors” of flavor packs. Despite the multiple interpretations of a freshly squeezed orange on the market, most flavor packs have a shared source of inspiration: a Florida Valencia orange in spring.
The flavor packs aren’t listed in the ingredients because they’re technically derived from “orange essence and oil”, whatever the hell that means. So just remember, when you buy Orange Juice next time, even though it says 100% juice (which it is), it’s still 100% artificially flavored. [Food Renegade via Hacker News]
VERY interesting idea – kinda like the Bible and a personal Wikipedia plus SocialNetworking. I have been testing this and impressed so far. Please let me know if you want an invite….
From GeekWire:
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. But it hasn’t changed much since the advent of the printing press. Colin Wong is hoping to change that with the introduction of ooBible, a new digital Bible website designed to transform the reading of the scripture into a new type of social media experience.
ooBible is the first product from Osprit, an eight-month-old Seattle digital book startup led by Wong and Jason Winn which today is announcing $500,000 in startup financing from Seattle angel investors such as BuddyTV CEO Andy Liu, ClassifiedAds.com CEO Edward Yim and Avidian Technologies CEO James Wong.
Colin Wong, a 39-year-old former Google engineer, said he came up with the idea last October after reading the Bible and discovering that many rival technologies were stuck in a 1990s-style design and not really built for the e-reading generation.
“We wanted a clean, simple interface, something that people can come in, and really just focus on the words,” Wong tells GeekWire. “We wanted to create an experience that mimics physical books, so you can highlight, annotate on it … and bridge the gap between physical books and the e-book world.”
Wong isn’t limiting his scope to the Bible, with plans to create what he calls “e-books on steroids” for other popular titles. He also sees opportunity around textbooks. But the Bible makes sense from a market perspective in part because people routinely pick-up a copy throughout their lives.
“It is really perfect for collaboration and sharing,” said Wong. “You can imagine a pastor sharing notes with their congregation or doing a Bible study with a group of friends.”
There’s certainly no shortage of digital copies of the Bible available today (A search of the Kindle store returns 14,030 titles).
But Wong said ooBible stands out from eBooks on the Kindle because it allows users to peruse multiple versions of the Bible, say The King James Version or New Living Translation or New International Version. Users also can keep their notes in one place, and the 4-person team is working hard on mobile versions for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices.
ooBible’s biggest potential competitor is BibleGateway, which was started in 1993 by a student at Calvin College in Michigan and is largely supported by advertising.
ooBible also will showcase online advertisements, but not the traditional banner variety. Instead, it plans to incorporate “commentaries” from leading theologians, pastors or others around selected passages. It also plans to offer additional content, including maps, charts and timelines, in a package for an annual fee.
Wong, who worked at Google from 2002 to 2006, believes that books will eventually transform into full-featured applications with more immersive experiences.
“We don’t believe that eBooks are going to be the final end-point,” he said. “It is somewhat restrictive, and the biggest problem with eBooks is that any technology that you adopt really has to be applied to the lowest common denominator.”
There’s a decent amount of competition in arena of turning books into full-fledged apps, including San Francisco’s Rethink Books. That’s one of the reasons why Wong decided to start in the niche around the Bible, noting that there’s no better book to create a “shared reading experience.”
A full launch of ooBible, including mobile versions, is slated for this fall. Here’s a look at a video of the ooBible in action.
This is a cool representation of how the traffic can be in the city of angels!
From Waze (one of my new favorite iPhone apps!):
Have you ever wondered what it would look like if we compiled all the hazards and traffic you report in and rendered them into one, fine-lookin’ video? Well considered your wonder sated. Today, we’re pumped to show you what one day’s worth of traffic looks like in Los Angeles (see video above).
Hmmm…..I think I still prefer my Segway glides!
Even if Weird Al IS too White and Nerdy (go to 1:15 in this video)!
From Good:
If you’re road-tripping through the northwestern United States this weekend, don’t be alarmed if you see a pack of Europeans flying by in colorful bike pods. The vehicles are velomobiles, a covered recumbent bicycle (or tricycle) optimized for aerodynamics and long-distance travel. Departing from Portland tomorrow, the Roll Over America Tour is bringing velomobiles from coast to coast over the course of a 30-day road trip, hailed as the “world premier of velomobiling.”
Apparently velomobiles are popular in Europe already, but the 47 “velomobilists” (or “velonauts”) on the trip are eager to showcase their “movement” in the U.S. and promote velomobiles as another alternative to carbon-burning transportation. “Let us share our experience with folks across the Atlantic. They will love it,” wrote German tour captain Josef Janning on the tour’s website. “And we will have all the fun that comes with an extraordinary adventure.” (You can check out a video of his commute below.)
Velomobile enthusiasts claim that the vehicles are faster than traditional road bikes because their smooth shells reduce drag. Other benefits include comfort (you’re reclining, after all) more cargo space, protection from the elements, and up to one-third less effort involved. The Roll Over America cyclists will certainly put these qualities to the test, as they cross mountains and plains and cover about 100 miles each day in a hustle to get from Portland to Washington, D.C. We’ll have to test-drive one before we can weigh in on the debate.
My favorite is Use Number 3 
YUM! But I might give some of the other ideas a try!
From Listverse:
Peanut butter is for some, food of the gods. It can be eaten with chocolate, it can be eaten with jam, it can be smeared on chicken, and it can even be used in drinks! It seems that the uses for the wonderful stuff are endless. So, in order to prove that that really is the case, I have put together this list of 10 uses for peanut butter that you probably don’t know. Hopefully there should be at least one or two tips here that everyone will benefit from. If you know of other great peanut butter uses, be sure to tell us in the comments.
10 - Lube It Up
Peanut butter is an excellent lubricator. If your lawnmower blades are getting a little tight and rusty – smear on some of the spread and voila – perfect lubrication. This hint is particularly useful because almost every time I need lube, I don’t have any around – but I always have a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. It can be used for virtually all your lubrication needs.
9 – Animal Medicine
If you own a cat or a dog, you will know how hard it can be to get them to take their medication – especially when it is in pill form. Fortunately cats and dogs love peanut butter – so next time you have to give them some medication, mix it up with a spoonful and feed it to them. No more struggling with the animal as you hold its mouth open and try to force feed it a bitter pill.
8 - Butter Replacement
Most recipes that use butter can be cooked with peanut butter instead. In cookies and cakes this can make a wonderful and subtle taste difference. Next time you are making fudge brownies, try using peanut butter instead – it will be like eating a huge Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. You can also stir peanut butter into a sauce instead of butter to give it a nutty finish.
7 - Mousetrap Bait
Mice are not particularly fond of cheese – so it is strange that it is the first food people go for when they are baiting their mousetraps. What most people don’t know is that mice prefer peanut butter – how this has been proven I do not know, but the fact that peanut butter is so much cheaper than cheese, makes this tip a very handy and frugal one. So next time you need to bait a mouse trap, don’t bother loading it with camembert or 5 year aged cheddar, stick on some trusty peanut butter.
6 - Price Tag Removal
Despite the major advances in science in recent years, no one seems to have managed to invent a label that can be removed easily without leaving any glue behind. Fortunately, we have peanut butter. Rub some of the tasty spread on the label glue and rub with a cloth – it works brilliantly.
5 - De-fish the house
If you have ever fried fish, you will know that it leaves behind a rather unpleasant fishy smell in the house. To help eradicate the smell, take a tablespoon of peanut butter after you have finished frying the fish, drop it in the frying pan and fry it off for a minute or two. The smell of peanut butter is the house is much more enjoyable than stale fish and oil.
4 - Leather Cleaner
Peanut butter is an excellent cleaner for leather furniture. Just rub a small amount on and work it in in a circular motion. Remove with a buffing cloth and there you have it! The caveat to this tip is peanut-butter smelling furniture. To avoid that you might want to mix a little perfume oil in it – but not too much. Also, if you do add the perfume, make sure you don’t mix up your jars or you will end up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that tastes like mouth wash.
3 - Peanut Butter Cookies
This one doesn’t seem quite so weird, but it is included because these cookies use peanut butter as the main ingredient – there is no flour at all. The cookies are a mix of peanut butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. You can even throw in a handful of chocolate chips if you wish. The resulting cookies are amazingly tasty and it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. You can read the full recipe here, which is also the source of the image above. The site is my sister’s, so check out the other articles too!
2 - Gum Remover
While it doesn’t happen quite so often to us adults, children often end up with gum in their hair. This would normally be followed up by a lot of tugging and pulling with a comb to remove it, and the eventual chopping of the locks. But what most people don’t realize, is that peanut butter is a perfect “gum remover” – not only will it remove gum from hair, but it will remove it from carpet and any other object that is tainted with the chewy stuff. Just rub some peanut butter into the gum and you can wipe the whole mess off with a cloth.
1 - Shave With It
Believe it or not, peanut butter makes a great shaving gel. Just apply it like you would apply the gel, and shave as normal. It works just as well and anyone that has bought a container of shaving gel will know, it is a hell of a lot cheaper. The end result is a very smooth shave and, as a bonus, the oils in the peanut butter are very good for your skin, so you don’t need to spend even more money on moisturizer for your legs or face. You might want to remember to use smooth peanut butter though – the chunky stuff doesn’t work quite as well.
Interesting tips!
From MintLife:
If you get a nasty bug bite or sunburn while you’re out and about this summer, a quick fix might be in your picnic basket. Plenty of common foods and spices double as fast home remedies.
In Frugal Foodie’s family, sunburn relief never came out of a bottle — you cut a leaf from the potted aloe plant and used that. A teaspoon of honey was the first line of defense against a sore throat, and vinegar took the “ouch” out of big bites and jellyfish stings.
While a home remedy can translate to cash saved on antibacterial ointment and over-the-counter medications, it shouldn’t replace or go against advice you get from your doctor. Think of these more as your first line of defense than a miracle cure, and definitely talk to a health professional about side effects and alternatives before counting on them for more than occasional use.
(For more non-meal ways to use foods, check out our columns on household and beauty uses.)
Bee pollen
- Dissolve some in juice or lemonade as needed to alleviate hay fever and pollen-related allergies, says naturopath Elizabeth Yarnell. (You can usually find bee pollen in health food stores.) Start with a pinch or two to make sure your allergies can tolerate the pollen, and work up to a full teaspoon.
Cayenne
- Place some of the powdered pepper on small cuts to stop bleeding, says clinical nutritionist Stephan Dorlandt.
Cloves
- To ease a toothache, place a clove between the cheek and gum next to the painful tooth, says Charlotte Tenney, an integrative health and clinical herbalist. “Saliva will soften it and it will begin to bath the area with juices that will numb the pain and reduce the swelling,” she says.
- Sucking on a whole clove can also be used to treat a sore throat, Tenney says.
Coconut water
- Drink some to curb diarrhea, Yarnell says.
Cornstarch
- Add to a bath to relieve itchy skin, Dorlandt says.
Cranberry juice
- Drink some to relieve a urinary tract infection, Yarnell says. Be sure to look for 100 percent cranberry juice instead of blends. Drink daily to prevent infection.
Garlic
- To ease a sore throat, take a half-teaspoon to a full teaspoon of crushed garlic with a drop of milk or water to coat your throat, says Gurpareet Bains, the author of “Indian Superfood.” This remedy is best used right before bed, and after you’ve brushed your teeth.
Ginger
- Allison Clement of Corvallis, Oregon treats stomachaches by grating some fresh ginger into a hot water for tea.
- If you get seasick, carsick or another type of motion sickness, ginger can help reduce nausea and vomiting, says Jennifer Jensen, the editor of FitandFabLiving.com. Ideally, start taking some in pill or powder format at least 12 hours before your trip. But if motion sickness catches you by surprise, even ginger candy eaten then may help.
Honey
- Take a teaspoon or so neat as a cough suppressant, Bains says.
Turmeric
- Sprinkle a little ground turmeric on cleaned wounds before adding a bandage, Bains says. The spice acts as an antibacterial, and is often found in Indian bandages.
Vinegar
- Dab a little on to insect bites to take reduce itch and redness, says health and wellness coach Rebecca Cagle.
- Spray a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water on sunburned areas to cool them, Cagle says.
Yogurt
- Apply some plain, unsweetened yogurt topically to treat a yeast infection, Yarnell says.
- Used in a face mask, yogurt can alleviate sunburn and reduce acne.
VERY cool! (best in HD Full screen!). I LOVE timelapses!
