Virtual Supermarket

Quick Response codes are a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) designed to be read by smartphones. The smartphone train left the station without me, as I continue to use a cell phone with little intelligence (as I recently described it, an abandoned caboose on a spur line no longer in use). QR codes are everywhere, with a recent and explosive 1200% increase in their use in North America alone.

There is literally no end to how they can be used, including shopping for groceries in the subway. Since I found this article, China has also added this technology in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.

Not quite shopping in your jammies, but still pretty convenient. This week, a look at Virtual Supermarkets.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932, 1841-1935)

Virtual Supermarket

Food Like a Drug?

A 2010 study with rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction, the study found.

Scientists have finally confirmed what the rest of us have suspected for years: Bacon, cheesecake, and other delicious yet fattening foods may be addictive.

This week, a look at how food may be like a drug to our brains.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." - Eden Phillpotts (British novelist, poet, and dramatist, 1862-1960)
Food Like a Drug

Beer for Post-workout Replenishment

We've talked about beer and it's mineral content, how beer was one of the six drinks that shaped the world and about studying really old beer. This time, proof positive that beer is better for you than sports drinks...but you already knew that, didn't you?

This week, a look at beer versus sports drink for re-hydration.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." - Isaac Asimov (US science fiction novelist & scholar, 1920 - 1992)

Beer for Post-Workout Replenishment

All Good Things...

My friends -

Just over four years ago, "Anything Can Happen Wednesday" was introduced to my beloved staff during my tenure at Amy's Kitchen. The goal then and now has been to educate, to inform, to entertain. I sincerely hope that goal was met across just over 200 assorted, varied and wide-ranging posts. I have loved every minute of it and I can only hope you enjoyed it as well.

Twenty-seven years after completing college, I have decided to take on an MBA program. With that comes a need for more time than I have available on a weekly basis. ACHW will never really go away, as when I come across something interesting I will be sure to post it. I can't guarantee the frequency, but it is a part of me I will not "go gentle into that good night."

Until then, live brave.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week:

Could a Pill Take Away the Tempting Aroma of Food?

Of the three chemical senses, smell is the main determinant of a food item's flavor. While the taste of food is limited to sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory – the basic tastes – the smells of a food are potentially limitless. A food's flavor, therefore, can be easily altered by changing its smell while keeping its taste similar.

Smell does to discover and enjoy food as much as taste. The aroma reaches the nose before the food reaches the mouth and we can taste it. The sense of smell explores our food before we eat it. Block the aroma and you may not want to eat the food.

This week, a look at better living through chemistry part 149: a pill that takes away the tempting aroma of food.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week:

Could a Pill Take Away the Tempting Aroma of Food

Chicken feathers into biodegradable plastic

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, waterproofing and coloration that helps in communication and protection.

At the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, a number of institutions presented their research into possible new sources of eco-friendly bioplastic, including everything from fruit fiber to bone meal. On the final day of the event, one other idea was put forward – bioplastic made from waste chicken feathers.

While this particular source material has been tried only semi-successfully in the past, the researchers claim that this time, the chicken plastic should take flight.

This week, a look at how chicken feathers may be turned into biodegradable plastic.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate." - Charles Dickens (the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, 1812 – 1870)

Chicken Feathers Into Biodegradable Plastic

A Short History of the Fork

Before the fork was introduced, Westerners were reliant on the spoon and knife as the only eating utensils. Thus, people would largely eat food with their hands, calling for a common spoon when required. Members of the aristocracy would sometimes be accustomed to manners considered more proper and hold two knives at meals and use them both to cut and transfer food to the mouth, using the spoon for soups and broth.

Whether you use it American style with the tines curving up or continental style with the tines curving down, it's a great addition to the spoon and knife.

This week, a short history of the fork.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery." - H. G. Wells, (English author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre, 1866 - 1946)

A Short History of the Fork