Ben & Jerry’s finally admits its ice cream isn’t “all natural”
I particularly enjoyed the bolded phrase for some reason.
Ben & Jerry’s, which is a unit of consumer product conglomerate Unilever, agreed to remove the “all natural” label after the Center for Science in the Public Interest sent the company a letter last month, pointing out that at least 48 of its products were labeled “all natural” when they contain non-natural ingredients. (After the deal was struck, the CSPI was quick to concede that none of these non-natural ingredients are actually harmful, and plenty of “natural” ingredients are also bad for your health.)
via Ben & Jerry’s finally admits its ice cream isn’t “all natural”.
Spotlight: Modern Mechanix
One of my new favorite blogs to read is Modern Mechanix, subtitled Yesterday’s Tomorrow Today. Basically they clip articles, ads, etc. from old magazines (a lot of science/technology magazines) which were either very prescient or very strange, curious, or otherwise interesting.
A typical sampling is an article from the February, 1947 issue of Science Illustrated, titled What I Want Next. It’s composed of reader submissions for inventions they want to see:
OUT, DAMNED SPOT! I would like to see a handy device, small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, that would remove any kind of spot from one’s clothing in a few seconds. This would certainly relieve the embarrassment of spilling gravy or other food on the “best dress” while dining out. With the device I have in mind, it would be possible to retire for a minute to the powder room and return with the dress as fresh and clean as before.
—Harriet Sherman, Atlanta, Ga.
LIGHT LITERATURE. I want next: books printed with luminous ink so I can read at night in barracks, after “lights out.”
—Pvt. Thomas Thornhill, Boca Raton, Fla.
EVERLASTING RIBBON. A typewriter ribbon that won’t wear out! This shouldn’t be so difficult as it sounds. Possibly a durable and effective ribbon could be made of glass, plastic, or steel. It should have a constantly renewable ink supply, which might be rolled on by a small absorbent roller attached to an ink cup at one side of the machine. Such a system would be much cleaner and quicker, and far less exasperating, than the present method of wrestling with a yard of smudgy tape. A few drops of ink would probably have to be added at intervals to the supply in the cup.
— Charles Feger, Chicago, Ill.
I WANT NEXT: Some way of tuning the radio in my car without taking my eye off the road or my hand off the wheel.—R. Strauss, New York, N. Y.
Reader Strauss doesn’t know it, but a steering-column radio control appeared on a few 1942 Chevrolets, will reappear on 1946 models. It turns the set on and off, controls volume, and—when pushed—gives push-button tuning of selected stations.—Ed.
via WHAT I WANT NEXT.
Veggie Tales Fruit Snacks
Kroger sells “generic” fruit snacks branded with the characters from VeggieTales. My kids love VeggieTales, but it can be a bit jarring eating a snack that’s shaped like and named ONE food, and has the flavor of ANOTHER:
Larry the Cucumber: Sour Apple
Laura Carrot: Watermelon
Madame Blueberry: Blue Raspberry (couldn’t they have done, I dunno, blueberry for this one?)
Pa Grape: Grape (surprised they didn’t go for eggplant here…)
Junior Asparagus: Lemon
Bob the Tomato: Strawberry
Hawking Not Needed to Explain His New Book, Says Universe
Great followup on the Stephen Hawking & God topic… Hawking explains in a new book (The Grand Design) that we don’t need the existence of Hawking to explain the existence of the universe. Well, the Universe is now quoted as saying that we don’t need Hawking to explain the existing of Hawking’s book:
“You humans naively assume that ‘physicists’ exist, who discover theories,” said the Universe. “But I did it all. Me. The transitory entity known to you as ‘Stephen Hawking’ is merely an epiphenomenon of the laws of nature, otherwise known as Me, the Universe itself. Mindless physical stuff, the only thing that ever really existed, or ever will exist.”
via Evolution News & Views: Hawking Not Needed to Explain His New Book, Says Universe.
Google Doodle
Google has a very interesting “doodle” today. Google Doodles are the custom logos they do for various holidays, anniversaries, commemorations, etc.
To see today’s visit the Google home page. (I’ll update with an archive link after today.)
Usually you can see what the Doodle is celebrating by clicking on the image, but today’s presents some special challenges in that regard. One source speculates that it’s a special logo for either the 12th anniversary of the incorporation of Google, or perhaps celebrating HTML 5.
Now, back to work…
First Space Shuttle Launch
There’s a great collection of NASA images available now on Flickr at the “NASA on The Commons’ photostream.”
I remember watching this on TV when I was in elementary school:
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