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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Doom Cakes
As someone who considers cake to be the highest expression of the dessert form, and, arguably, of human civilisation, it pains me to say this. But the fact is that cake is sometimes special in a bad way. IMAGE: A baby shower cake wreck. I’m not just talking about cake wrecks (although I could easily [...]
Posted in Uncategorized 1 Comment
The Tastes of Drinking Water
“I was leafing through the first edition of Water-Works Management and Maintenance (1907) and came across this lovely little table,” began a recent email from Michael Cook, an intrepid explorer and talented photographer of subterranean hydrology. IMAGE: Chart from Water-Works Management and Maintenance, scanned by Michael Cook. The table in question is on page 317, [...]
Posted in Uncategorized 5 Comments
Three Round or Roundish Things You Shouldn’t Miss
IMAGE: From the Devour series by Christopher Jonassen. 1. Over at GOOD, my former colleague Peter Smith notes that, when shot against a black background, a worn-out frying pan looks more like a celestial object than a cooking utensil. Christopher Jonassen’s gorgeous series of photographs, Devour, documents each unique battle scar incurred by our humble [...]
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Dead Gum, Continued
One of the downsides of writing about the urban gumscape is that the particular pattern of irregular black dots decorating the pavement at my feet is now almost the only thing I see while walking around the city. One of the upsides is that readers have pointed me toward more fantastic examples of gumscape enhancement, [...]
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The Angeleno Bananascape
IMAGE: This iteration of the Foodprint Project logo was designed, as always, by the fantastic Nikki Hiatt. This autumn, Sarah Rich and I will be bringing our Foodprint Project event series to Los Angeles. But first, we decided to try a little crowd-sourcing experiment, which, I’m excited to say, we’re launching today! Inspired by a [...]
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Some Approaches to the Question of Chewing Gum Litter
Despite persistent urban myths to the contrary, chewing gum is, technically speaking, edible. However, doctors do agree that it is not usually wise to swallow it, due to the risk of “gum-based gastrointestinal blockages.” Given that in 2005, Americans chewed, on average, 160-180 pieces or about 1.8 lbs of gum per person, per year, with [...]
Posted in Uncategorized 10 Comments
Distilling Colorado
The appurtenances of American statehood extend far beyond the political basics — a flag, seal, and a couple of senators — into an entire menagerie of official animals, flowers, gemstones, and insects. Colorado, for example, proudly lays claim to the Stegosaurus as its state fossil, and the Western Painted Turtle as its state reptile, in [...]
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The Unsung Heroes of Biscuit Embossing
Over at The New York Times Magazine’s enjoyable 6th Floor blog, Hilary Greenbaum asks “Who made that Oreo emboss?” IMAGE: Oreo manhole cover, by Andrew Lewicki, an LA-based artist whose work also includes crates of Southern California concrete oranges and a combination ashtray/juicer, for the perfect Parisian breakfast. Interestingly, when the Oreo was first introduced [...]
Posted in Uncategorized 27 Comments
Keep Calm and Eat Cupcakes
In case any of you missed it, last Thursday, British intelligence proudly announced that they were behind “Operation Cupcake,” a cyberattack on the first issue of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Inspire magazine. IMAGE: My strangely appropriate birthday card, from the “Keep Calm” card series by bluebell 33. Thanks, Mum and Dad! Launched last June as a quarterly [...]
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Doppelgänger Dinners