Miracle Fruit
Post rapture recap.
The miracle fruit party was last night. I arrived to find a group of twenty-five or so curious people, a spread of citrus items, and, wrapped up in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator, a bunch of little red fruits: the understated star of the show, miracle fruit.
They're bright red, about the size of an olive, odorless, and just a little bit soft. The center is mostly pit. To get the most of them, David explained that we should chew the pulpy part for about a minute and coat as much of our mouth as possible with it. Then we'd be free to spit or swallow and experience the magic of miraculin.
We started out by taking a quick taste of lime, just to get a fresh impression of what lime tastes like. Then we passed around a plate of miracle fruits, all of us taking one like eager cultists taking punch. A minute went by as we swirled the stuff around in our mouths.
The fruit itself is mostly tasteless, though slightly sweet. The pit is surrounded by a weird, slick layer of pulp. It's not bad to eat, but one would get bored with it pretty quickly. The true test came next, as we again sampled the lime. The result? Utter astonishment. The very same lime we'd tried moments before suddenly tasted like it had been dipped in sugar. All the stinging acidity was gone, leaving only the pleasing citrus and an amazing sensation of sweetness that left us craving more.
Our sense of taste completely transformed, we orgiastically began sampling everything we could get our hands on. Lemons tasted like lemonade. Meyer lemons tasted like the sweetest oranges. Grapefruits tasted awesome, and I don't even like grapefruit. Goat cheese tasted like candy. Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout tasted bigger and sweeter than ever. (One of us had never had a stout before. After drinking stout with miraculin, every other will probably be doomed to disappoint.)
Post rapture recap.
For Steve: Ikonoskop readies new Super 8 "movie camera". Looks very cool, although the "main downside is that relatively few film stocks are available in the format."
Do you still shoot with yours?
Do you still shoot with yours?
SUPER BOWL XLI RANKS AS THIRD MOST WATHCED PROGRAM in Television History Behind the "M*A*S*H" Finale and "Super BowL XXX"
CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI featuring the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and the CHICAGO BEARS on Sunday, Feb 4 (6:27-10:04 PM, ET) scored an average fast national household rating/share of 42.6/64, up +2% from last year's 41.6/62 (Pittsburgh-Seattle), making it the highest-rated Super Bowl since a 43.3/63 in 2000 (St. Louis-Tennessee).
Super Bowl XLI was the second most watched Super Bowl of all-time, averaging 93.15 million viewers.
CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI is the third most watched program in television history behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and Super Bowl XXX.
Nielsen estimates that 139.8 million viewers watched-all-or-part of CBS Sports' game coverage of Super Bowl XLI. On an all-or-part basis Super Bowl XLI is the third most-watched Super Bowl, trailing the 2004 and 2006 games.
The Super Bowl rating/share peaked at a 45.0/65 from 9:00-9:30 PM, ET
CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI featuring the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS and the CHICAGO BEARS on Sunday, Feb 4 (6:27-10:04 PM, ET) scored an average fast national household rating/share of 42.6/64, up +2% from last year's 41.6/62 (Pittsburgh-Seattle), making it the highest-rated Super Bowl since a 43.3/63 in 2000 (St. Louis-Tennessee).
Super Bowl XLI was the second most watched Super Bowl of all-time, averaging 93.15 million viewers.
CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLI is the third most watched program in television history behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and Super Bowl XXX.
Nielsen estimates that 139.8 million viewers watched-all-or-part of CBS Sports' game coverage of Super Bowl XLI. On an all-or-part basis Super Bowl XLI is the third most-watched Super Bowl, trailing the 2004 and 2006 games.
The Super Bowl rating/share peaked at a 45.0/65 from 9:00-9:30 PM, ET
thurston moore collage artist
Just came across this ...
Profiles in Wankery
Profiles in Wankery
Juan Cole Pests [Jonah Goldberg]Artful dodge of the word "wrong", as in "I was not only wrong, but absofuckinglutely wrong."
As I've mentioned before, in my spat with Juan Cole way back when, I challenged him to bet me on Iraq's future (the winner would donate $1,000 to a relevant charity like the USO). He sanctimoniously declined, claiming even the suggestion made him sick (even though he made a similar bet before). Well, the deadline for the proposed bet is looming and various leftwing pests are clogging my email box saying if I have any honor I will pay up for a wager Cole refused to accept and denounced me for offering. Well, guess what? The baiting doesn't work. I will give money to war-related charities, as I have done in the past, on my schedule not that of these goads or Cole or anyone else. I will not announce it when I do it, which I have never done in the past because it's not anyone's business (even this post is somewhat sickening in that I'm even responding to these gadflies).
As a matter of intellectual honesty, I'm perfectly willing to admit that, had Cole had the courage to accept the wager, he would have won and I would have made good on it. But, since he didn't, I won't be jumping through hoops for this crowd beyond this post.
Giuliani Files 'Statement of Candidacy'
Awesome! New York is contributing to the presidential sweepstake a "raging lefty" who's really a pro-war centrist and an "effective leader in times of crisis" who's really a momumental clusterfuckster with good marketing.
If we could only change the constitution, California could contribute a "steadtfast" windsock.
Awesome! New York is contributing to the presidential sweepstake a "raging lefty" who's really a pro-war centrist and an "effective leader in times of crisis" who's really a momumental clusterfuckster with good marketing.
If we could only change the constitution, California could contribute a "steadtfast" windsock.
Day 1 of 5 of the detox juice fast. What have I gotten myself into? Breakfast was, uh... interesting. And green. I'll keep you posted here because I have no one else to whom I can complain.
Actually it sort of started yesterday because I had to get ready. Only ate brown rice and vegetables yesterday. I had a coffee in the morning, but no alcohol. I will continue the no alcohol thing all week, but will maybe drink a little bit of coffee if I get bad headaches.
This afternoon I go for my first ever colonic, and of course that is completely freaking me out (I'm from New England, what can I do? We're weird about stuff like that.)
Hopefully I'll have as positive an experience as Skinny, but at this point, to be honest, I'm just hoping I make it to the weekend.
Actually it sort of started yesterday because I had to get ready. Only ate brown rice and vegetables yesterday. I had a coffee in the morning, but no alcohol. I will continue the no alcohol thing all week, but will maybe drink a little bit of coffee if I get bad headaches.
This afternoon I go for my first ever colonic, and of course that is completely freaking me out (I'm from New England, what can I do? We're weird about stuff like that.)
Hopefully I'll have as positive an experience as Skinny, but at this point, to be honest, I'm just hoping I make it to the weekend.
Animal Planet has been running Puppy Bowl III all day. The Kitty Half Time Show is coming up.
The John Warner anti-war escalation group ran an add during the Superbowl.
digital art
I have nieces and great nieces young enough so that I occasionally might find myself shopping for Barbies, and now, finally (if only it were true), I can purchase the Barbie that represents my earliest days, oh those simpler times over on East Kiest in South Oak Cliff. That's right, I'm talking about Oak Cliff Barbie.
This, by the way, is why Google bought YouTube last year: So it could turn legal threats like this into money-making deals, so Google becomes a de facto redistribution channel for publishers like Viacom.
remember the last yat (w/ steve) when those unmarked cops pulled over two cars in a row on clinton street? well.
Four US helicopters shot down in two weeks. I'm waiting for the administration to make the charge that this must be because Iran is supplying new, more sophisticated, shoulder fired missiles to the Iraqi insurgents. Clearly we need to attack!
On a serious note, this is a bad turn of events tactically. Our air superiority is a very valuable asset. If we can't call in close air support to protect our troops for fear of losing helicopters (or AC-130s) we will be much more vulnerable on the ground. This will mean many more casualties.
On a serious note, this is a bad turn of events tactically. Our air superiority is a very valuable asset. If we can't call in close air support to protect our troops for fear of losing helicopters (or AC-130s) we will be much more vulnerable on the ground. This will mean many more casualties.
all about us
PARIS, Feb. 2 —The world is already committed to centuries of warming, shifting weather patterns and rising seas from the atmospheric buildup of gases that trap heat, but the warming can be substantially blunted by prompt action, an international network of climate experts said today.
water producing windmills
via schwarz
via schwarz
sane voices in the news
busy night for the tivo box. 25th anniversary of letterman.
5:15 and its not dark! i like this part of the year with the days getting longer. snow and rain expected.
Is the art market making us stupid? Or are we making it stupid?
Blue Hill NYC: 3 great courses of veggies/dairy/egg products and 2 were extra fab: a chestnut flour?? and delicata squash ravioli w/ arugula puree and "this mornings egg" which came with schrooms and lettuce broth, the flesh eaters arround me loved the venison and the crab....
Mas (farmhouse): I have never been here and it was off my radar, but we started with raw seafood and the Taylor Bay's served with stuff I cant recall is hands down dish of the year 07 so far, stunning, reminded me of how good these sea candies are (like at the old Union Pacific). The rest of the meal was super, great wine list, interesting up-market crowd.
Mas (farmhouse): I have never been here and it was off my radar, but we started with raw seafood and the Taylor Bay's served with stuff I cant recall is hands down dish of the year 07 so far, stunning, reminded me of how good these sea candies are (like at the old Union Pacific). The rest of the meal was super, great wine list, interesting up-market crowd.
molly ivins, rip.
