"The sad truth is that excellence makes people nervous." - Shana Alexander

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http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ - ""Jackson Pollock.org", Miltos Manetas, 2003. Unique edition, Blow de la Barra Gallery, London, UK"

Why New York City's Iconic Pizza Is So Tough to Replicate - ""As you cook, some ingredients vaporize, and these volatilized particles can attach themselves to the walls of the baking cavity," Tisi says. "The next time you use the oven, these bits get caught up in the convection currents and deposited on the food, which adds flavor." Over time, he says, more particles join the mix and mingle with the savory soot from burned wood or coal — the only fuels worth using — to create a flavor that you can't grow in a garden: gestalt, if you will... "Water," Batali says. "Water is huge. It's probably one of California's biggest problems with pizza." Water binds the dough's few ingredients. Nearly every chemical reaction that produces flavor occurs in water, says Chris Loss, a food scientist with the Culinary Institute of America... The tap water in Manhattan is far different from that of the motherland. His solution: create his own mineral-water composite. Working from a chemical analysis of l'acqua italiana, Batali's team basically clones the H2O that gives the food in Italy its — well, its gestalt."

AppleDefects.com - Customer Complaints & Issues - Defective Apple Products, iPod, MacBook, iMac, Mac problems

Kami Kami bite counter keeps your kid masticating - "We've no clue what kind of sick, demented parent would ever put their child through this, but for those with offspring who like to, say, swallow their hamburgers whole, we suppose it may come in handy. From the wide, wacky and utterly bizarre world that is Japanese gadgetry comes this: a bite counter from Nitto Kagaku. As you'd expect, the headgear keeps track of how many bites your kid takes, and it even plays a little jingle every 1,000 chews in order to celebrate the occasion. 'Course, there is the proven side effect of obesity, but at least they'll be making mincemeat out of everything they can get their hands on while gradually growing to 385 pounds."

Why Girls with Asperger's Might Not Be Diagnosed - "It's not uncommon for girls with Asperger's to go undiagnosed well into adulthood... This gender gap may have implications for the health and well-being of girls on the spectrum... Preliminary genetic analyses suggest that autism may be caused by different genes in each gender; and at least one MRI study has found differences in the brain anatomy of boys and girls on the spectrum. Simon Baron-Cohen, a renowned autism researcher, has shown that high levels of fetal testosterone may also play a role. But that work has yet to be replicated, mainly, say Loveland and others, due to a lack of funding or interest. "A lot of people see Baron-Cohen's work as 'politically incorrect,'" says Loveland. "Any time you start talking about a biological basis of sex differences, you are looking at controversy.""
More LPPL!

Neuronal Mechanisms Underlying the Perception of Pitch and Harmony - "Our investigations imply that fundamental aspects of harmonic perception are by no means just culturally inherited. Instead the recognition of musical harmony, or consonance, is an intrinsic property of our brains. Although realized by neuronal components, the processing of periodic sounds may be directly compared to resonances in musical instruments. Just as temporal aspects of acoustic resonances underlie the harmonicity of musical sounds, temporal aspects of neuronal correlation mechanisms may explain our preference for harmonic relationships in music. Pythagoras observed a correspondence between the mathematical laws underlying our perception of consonance and those governing universal harmony of the physical world. He suggested a universally valid principle: consonance, or harmony, whether auditory or cosmic, depends on integers and simple integer ratios. These ancient philosophical views may be supported by the neurophysiology of pitch perception."
"Music without melody and rhythm"

WHERE ARE YOU ON THE JOURNEY TO DESPAIR - "Our observations, having been in the profession for over a combined 30 years, allow us to conclude that there is a predictable progression in the working life of a lawyer beginning with a honeymoon period of Wonderment after admission to the bar and ending in total Despair flowing from the realization of a wasted life of paper pushing, pettiness and toiling in the gardens of minutia and the unimportant. A freshly minted lawyer does not generally come to his first job a broken person, he gets there in stages"

Murdered for being an Atheist - "On October 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton, a self described Christian and Eagle Scout, murdered his friend and roommate, Larry Hooper, because Hooper didn't believe in God... He appeared calm, cooperative and enjoyed the cookies and milk he was served. Once again Arthur was obsessed about talking about God and the Eagle Scouts. He stated he "was not sorry for a second that he killed Hooper." He stated, "In the eyes of the law I was wrong and will probably spend the rest of my life in prison, but in the eyes of God I have killed an evil person -- the devil himself."

Japanese J-Cups - "There’s certainly no shortage of J-this and J-that giants in Japan, with the likes of J-Com, J-Mart and the country’s football-focused J-League to name but a few... as ample as Ms Fujiwara’s assets may be, they fall way short of the titanic talents of Hitomi. A young lady who now helps jam a ginormous amount of Japan into J-Cup."

Were more race-blind than we think - " Our Presidents, from Yusof Ishak to Benjamin Sheares to current incumbent President S.R. Nathan, have all enjoyed popular support among the people without any hint of distaste merely because they were and are of a 'minority' race. It thus stands to reason that what holds Singaporeans back from supporting a non-Chinese Prime Minister is not their racism or their morality, but the reified structures which insist on racial quotas and push the choice into the hands of an elected few. "

Marvel Comics vs Science: The 5 Most Absurd Superhero Origins - "The super-soldier serum-an anabolic steroid cocktail brimming with various classified growth hormones not approved by the FDA-has immediate virilizing and hormonal side effects. They manage to atrophy his testicles, increase his cholesterol levels, give him acne all over his back and grow him a sexy pair of large, non-lactating breasts. While the shadowy government agency debates whether or not to allow a woman into the military, Steve responds to critical spikes in his testosterone levels by breaking free from his restraints, grabbing a nearby doctor and anally violating him while pounding fist-sized holes in the wall and demanding a protein shake. He is immediately shot full of tranquilizers and the super-soldier program is quietly shelved. Steve spends the rest of his life trying unsuccessfully to sue to the government. He is eventually paid a modest settlement just to shut him up. He opens a gym, enters a few power-lifting competitions, dates a waitress named Tracy and dies at 32 of liver failure. The Nazis, meanwhile, with the absence of a credible superhero to combat Zombie Robot Hitler, swiftly conquer the world."

Japanese Onion Soup - "The basic Japanese soup that's given out as an appetizer at most Japanese restaurants. Very mild, a bit salty, and a touch of tang."
How come I don't know what this is? Damn gaijin!

The wrongheaded American belief that Barack Obama could only happen here - "The truth is that Obama-style chiefs of state—people who came out of stigmatized ethnic minorities or "foreign'' enclaves to lead their governments—are an uncommon but regularly recurring part of history. Alberto Fujimori, who held both Peruvian and Japanese citizenship, was elected president of Peru in 1990. Sonia Gandhi, born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino in northern Italy, led her Congress Party to a resounding victory in India's 2004 elections. Daniel arap Moi is from the Kalenjin people, not the Luo or Kikuyu who are the nation's largest ethnic groups and its centers of political gravity. But this did not bar him being president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002."

Teacher Accused Of Wizardry - "A Florida substitute teacher said his job disappeared after he did a magic trick in front of his students. Substitute teacher Jim Piculas made a toothpick disappear, then reappear, in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O'Lakes."

【楽天市場】メンズインナー・その他部門にて11／12、11／19週間ランキング１位！！Ｍｅｎ，ｓ ｐｒｅｍｉｕｍ ｂｒａｓｓｉｅｒｅ　メンズプレミアムブラ男性用ブラ：ウィッシュルーム - ??? Damn Japs.

Child-Man in the Promised Land - "What set Maxim apart from other men’s mags was its voice. It was the sound of guys hanging around the Animal House living room—where put-downs are high-fived; gadgets are cool; rock stars, sports heroes, and cyborg battles are awesome; jobs and Joni Mitchell suck; and babes are simply hot—or not... Whatever else you might say about Playboy or Esquire, they tried to project the image of a cultured and au courant fellow; as Hefner famously—and from today’s cultural vantage point, risibly—wrote in an early Playboy, his ideal reader enjoyed “inviting a female acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex.” Hearing this, the Maxim dude would want to hurl. He’d like to forget that he ever went to school."
And yet Playboy is banned here while Maxim is legal. Sigh.

Catching up on two lost decades - "According to his family, 39-year-old Terry Wallis's entire frame of reference is stuck in 1984. They say that he thinks Ronald Reagan is still president but is talking non-stop to try to close the 19-year gap. Terry Wallis was only 19 when a serious car accident plunged him into a coma. Not long before that, he and his wife Sandi had been celebrating the birth of their baby daughter. "

Where is my susu pekat manis? - "MOST Malaysians of my generation, or even the generation before, grew up with sweetened condensed milk (susu pekat manis) as an essential additive to our daily beverages... Alas, sweetened condensed milk faced a slow but inevitable extinction in Malaysia sometime early last year. What all of us are consuming today, and what is available widely in all hyper- and mini-markets, is an inferior substitute called sweetened condensed creamer (krimer pekat manis)... Condensed creamer is without a doubt an inferior product in terms of taste and content... Sweetened condensed milk was one of the tens of items that were price-controlled by the government of Malaysia... what makes the entire situation laughable is that sweetened condensed milk remains an item among hundreds in the list of products tracked by the country's official inflation indicator. It is therefore not surprising that the government's official statistics declared inflation to be nearly nonexistent (at 2%) in 2007."
Malaysia Boleh!
One comment: "In UK the condensed milk is made from pure fresh milk and sugar as the only two ingredients. What you have not pointed out is that what consumption of too much palm oil does to the health of the population. Looking at the increasing incidence of high lipids (cholesterol) in the population, the local condensed milk industry is slowing killing us."
Another: "I realised the vegetables sold in Singapore from Malaysia are better in quality too"

Student arrested for threatening school with zombie invasion - "“My story is based on fiction,” said Poole, who faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge. “It’s a fake story. I made it up. I’ve been working on one of my short stories, (and) the short story they found was about zombies. Yes, it did say a high school. It was about a high school over ran by zombies.”"

Day Without A Gay, December 10, 2008 - "On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes. On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in "gay"--and donate your time to service!"
Wow. Another "just because we can" initiative.
This comment says it best: "A strike is only going to be perceived as gays trying to ruin everything and acting out - especially in a troubled economy. Next idea, please?"

PG porn video made by Gilmore Girls star - "IT started when three brothers joked about making pornography for fans of the genre who happen to be offended by on-screen sex. Out of that joke came an idea for a web series, and they called it PG Porn... With pornography all over the internet and the video store, the Gunn brothers rely on viewers' familiarity with all its conventions — the goofy acting, the bad music, the lace-thin plots — to create movies that look like the real thing but skirt nudity. Comedy substitutes for hard-core sex."