Gigabiting

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It’s tough out there in the 21st century. What’s a magazine to do? The internet is running circles around print. And greeting cards? How can they compete against e-cards with their music and animation?

Welcome to the world of sensory marketing.

For years perfume and cologne companies have been using scented strips to introducing customers to their fragrances. Scratch-and-sniff advertising had a burst of popularity in the late 1970′s. Now peel-and-lick lickvertising is having its moment. Read entire article.

image courtesy of Blogadilla

Would you rather have ice cream when you’re happy or when you’re sad?

The Dr. Whippy Ice Cream Machine diagnoses your mood-based ice cream needs and dispenses a dose accordingly. Dr. Whippy asks a series of questions, and using voice stress analysis, interprets the responses to gauge the user’s mood. An appropriate quantity of ice cream is dispensed based on need— just a dollop to the cheerful while sadness gets you gobs of the stuff. Therapies currently come in two flavors: triple chocolate and raspberry ripple. Read entire article.

image courtesy of Unrealities
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Hackers have a bad reputation.

We think of disaffected, anti-social teenagers looking to wreak a little havoc on society, and bottom-rung hoodlums in former eastern bloc countries trolling online for credit cards.

Hackers with a higher calling.

Wikipedia defines hacking as re-configuring or re-programming to give the user access to features that were otherwise unavailable. Hackers are credited with vast improvements to functionality. They devise elegant solutions that elevate clumsy technology to an art form.

Nefarious criminal uses, according to Wikipedia, are more correctly called ‘cracking’. Read entire article.

image courtesy of Bella Irae

You

You think you know how to boil an egg.

I’m here to tell you that you can do better.

Eggs, water, pan, heat.

It’s not exactly rocket science. But we want the perfect hard-cooked egg. We want shells that don’t crack, firm but tender whites, the barest hint of a moist sheen at the center of a bright yellow yolk. We want shells that peel off easily and a kitchen free of sulfur smells. Read entire article.

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Most of us are born with around 10,000 taste buds on our tongues; many more and you’re a supertaster.

About 25% of us are supertasters– more women than men. It can be a mixed blessing. Flavors are perceived more vividly. Salt is saltier. Sugar is sweeter. But carbonation bubbles can be distractingly prickly. Hot peppers can be punishing. Hardly a garden of gustatory delights. Read entire article.

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A better mousetrap

The bagel guillotine. The salad shooter. The Veg-O-Matic. Not a one came from GE Research or Westinghouse Laboratory. Each of these contributions to the culinary arts was conceived in the mind of a home cook.

A new website has come along that applies a crowdsourcing model to turn concepts into products. Quirky is not exclusively a platform for kitchen innovations, but with a strong natural affinity between cooking and tinkering, the site receives a steady stream of cooking-related submissions. Read entire article.