Neatorama

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• The Science Behind Luwak Coffee
• Why <i>Star Trek</i> Made San Francisco the Center of Its Universe
• Fennec Fox Walking Against the Wind
• Surprising Early, Alternate Versions of Iconic Movie Posters
• Helen Mirren Fulfills Sick Little Boy's Dream of Tea with the Queen
• Real Life Buzz Lightyear
• Scrimshaw Pie Crimpers
• Mummy Plush
• How to Carve an Apple into McDonald's French Fries
• 10 Absolutely Amazing Tipping Stories
• Toaster Hat
• Breakdancing with Light Painting
• Fox and Golf Ball
• Eating Candy is Totally Not Bad For You, Says Big Candy
• LEDs in an Engagement Ring
• How Many Spider-Men Are There?
• The 10 Worst Civilian Nuclear Accidents in History
• Tree Got Its Bark Blown Off by Lightning
• Chipmunk and Acorn Salt & Pepper Shakers
• Rental Ads Translated
• Lord of the Rings Salt and Pepper Shakers
• Death Star vs. Enterprise
• Shetland Pony Adopts Orphaned Lamb
• Mortarboard Slogan
• How To Get A Woman Mad [no. 986 - @JohnDuffy21]
• Swedishness

The Science Behind Luwak Coffee Posted: 22 May 2013 05:00 AM PDT The following is an article from The Annals of Improbable Research. An analysis of the world’s rarest and most expensive coffee by Massimo F. Marcone, Ph.D., C.Chem., Chimiste (PQ) Adjunct Professor, Department of Food Science University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada [EDITOR’SNOTE: Kopi Luwak (sometimes spelled Kopi Luak) is a rare and prized variety of coffee. It was the subject of the 1995 Ig Nobel Prize in the field of Nutrition. Professor Marcone’s work, described here, advances our understanding of Kopi Luwak. Title image by Praveenp.] No coffee is perhaps in shorter supply and has a more distinct flavor and history than “Kopi Luwak” from Indonesia. With an annual production of less than 500 pounds and a price tag of 500-600 dollars (Canadian) per pound, it commands the undisputed reputation of being the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world. This is indeed a unique coffee, as it is processed through the digestive system of a palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). This three-to-ten pound arboreal animal uses its keen sense of eyesight during the night to smell and seek out only the ripest reddish coffee cherries to eat. The coffee cherry fruit is completely digested by the civet, whereas the actual coffee beans are excreted in their feces, being deposited in civetries. These are ultimately collected and washed by local coffee collectors. The internal fermentation and action by different digestive enzymes add a unique flavor to the beans. This flavor has been described as earthy, musty, syrupy, smooth, and rich with both jungle and chocolate undertones. The author displays some coffee beans. Curiously, Kopi Luwak is not the first nor the only food that-- prior to human consumption-- makes a passage through the entire, or partial, digestive tract of an animal. In fact humanity’s oldest known sweetener, honey, is produced in part from nectar that bees have swallowed, transported,and regurgitated. Bird’s-nest soup is another such food. Often referred to as the “Caviar from the East,” it is produced from the saliva of a swiftlet (a small bird native to Southeast Asia). Bird’s-nest soup is consumed in many parts of the world, with the United States being one of the biggest importers. Yet another is Argan oil from Morocco, which is produced from the nuts eaten by goats that have climbed into acacia-like trees during their herding. The locals remove the pits from the feces, and grind these carefully harvested nuts to extract their oil. This unusual and expensive oil is used in cooking and also in massaging. It is reputed to be an aphrodisiac. (Image credit: Flickr user michele molinari) Recently, I published a study entitled “Composition and Properties of Indonesian Palm Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak) and Ethiopian CivetCoffee.” (The study appears in the journal Food Research International, vol. 37, no. 9, 2004, pp. 901-12.) It describes an exploration in Eastern Africa-- specifically, Ethiopia-- which ultimately culminated in my finding a new potential source and type of Kopi Luwak. This particular African coffee has properties similar, but not identical, to those of the prized Kopi Luwak from Indonesia. The paper also documents a series of newly developed analytical methods that can be used to determine the authenticity of this coffee, both for coffee beans that are green and for those that have been roasted. Armed with these analytical methods, I tested a series of coffees purporting to be authentic Kopi Luwak (obtained in the United States and directly from Indonesia). The results of the preliminary test show that 41% of coffees tested either were not Kopi Luwak or were adulterated with other non-Kopi Luwak type coffee beans. My study, even though it is not extensive, is a first indication that further monitoring maybe need to protect individuals throughout the supply chain. Such monitoring is especially needed to protect the consumer who wishes to count him or herself among the elite few who have consumed the rarest and most expensive beverage in the world. The author and an Ethiopian coffee plant. _____________________ This article is republished with permission from the September-October 2005 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. You can download or purchase back issues of the magazine, or subscribe to receive future issues. Or get a subscription for someone as a gift! Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.

Why <i>Star Trek</i> Made San Francisco the Center of Its Universe Posted: 22 May 2013 04:00 AM PDT In the Star Trek canon, the United Federation of Planets was formed in San Francisco, California. Starfleet maintains its headquarters there. Starfleet Academy lies within sight of the bay. Much of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home takes place in that city. More than any other city, San Francisco is the center of the Star Trek universe. Why San Francisco as opposed to, say, Lubbock? Or Dallas, Brownsville, San Antonio, Longview or other excellent options? Ted Trautman of Wired examined why that city was important to Gene Roddenberry and a symbol of Star Trek. San Francisco was a Navy town, a site of technological innovation and a diverse, international city. Trautman writes: Plenty of science fiction is city-specific: it’s impossible to imagine RoboCop anywhere but Detroit, or Blade Runner outside of Los Angeles. What sets Star Trek apart is the attention it pays to one little city, barely seven miles across, when the other points on its journey are not cities or countries, but planets and star systems. Many of Star Trek’s struggles take place not long ago in a galaxy far, far away, but in a city we have already built, just a couple centuries down the road. And it’s a city whose culture of curiosity, craftsmanship and tolerance have left an indelible mark on one of the world’s most successful sci-fi franchises. What other cities on Earth do you think would represent Star Trek well? Link (Image: CBS)

Fennec Fox Walking Against the Wind Posted: 22 May 2013 03:00 AM PDT Photo: Francisco Mignorance Francisco Mingorance snapped this photo of a fennec fox walking against the wind in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, and submitted it to the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. Link - via In Focus

Surprising Early, Alternate Versions of Iconic Movie Posters Posted: 22 May 2013 02:00 AM PDT Movie posters are pretty important to the overall success of a film. They go through different drafts of different visions before the final product is released. What didn't make the cut gives us a glimpse into the creative process. In this collection at Flavorwire, you will see that changing and refining the initial concept is usually a good idea. Link

Helen Mirren Fulfills Sick Little Boy's Dream of Tea with the Queen Posted: 22 May 2013 01:00 AM PDT Oliver Burton, 10, is fighting a form of bone cancer. He wanted to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II. Unfortunately, she was not available. But Helen Mirren, the actress who portrayed the Queen in a 2006 biopic and in an ongoing stage production, was. Tara Brady of The Daily Mail writes about Dame Mirren's in-character meeting with Oliver: Catherine and father James were so delighted that their son actually thought the actress was the real Queen. His father James Browne said: 'She stayed in character for the whole thing. Oliver thought she was the real Queen, and well, that's good enough for us. 'She was really lovely. She did the whole thing - had a butler there, was dressed in costume and did it all properly for him. 'She sat in Oliver's wheelchair and gave him her big chair. She had a glass of coke together and biscuits and little sandwiches and they even brought in her corgis from the show, Coco and Roco. 'She was wonderful and in some of the photos you do a double take because she really does look like the real Queen. 'She knighted him and told everyone that they had to call him Sir Oliver. He had a brilliant day. He took his British flag and got her to sign it and just waved and waved it all day.' At the link, you can see photos of their meeting. Link -via The Mary Sue (Image: Panthé Pictures)

Real Life Buzz Lightyear Posted: 22 May 2013 12:00 AM PDT To infinity, and beyond real life ... Dan Luvisi reimagined Buzz Lightyear as a real character in his series Popped Culture. Buzz looks like he belonged in Gears of War! Link - via The Fox is Black

Scrimshaw Pie Crimpers Posted: 21 May 2013 11:00 PM PDT Imagine that you bake so many pies that you need a special tool for crimping the top and bottom crust together -one that makes different patterns to keep things interesting. Then imagine that yours was custom-carved from whalebone or walrus tusk by someone who loves you. The New Bedford Whaling Museum has many, many scrimshaw pie crimpers. The exhibit attributes this functional extravagance to many hours of boredom at sea, but also to the American diet in the nineteenth century. A typical New England meal of the era would involve not just pie, but pies, in both savoury and sweet form. Armed with a crimping multi-tool, a lucky whaler’s spouse or mother need never fear a moment’s confusion differentiating between her cherry and chicken pies. Read more about these intricately-carved tools at Edible Geography. Link -via TYWKIWDBI (Image credit: Nicola Twilley)

Mummy Plush Posted: 21 May 2013 10:00 PM PDT Mummy Plush Sometimes you just need a hug from your mummy. For those tough days there is the Mummy Plush from the NeatoShop. This cuddly monster movie plush is shaped like The Mummy.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Plush Toys.  Link

How to Carve an Apple into McDonald's French Fries Posted: 21 May 2013 10:00 PM PDT All you need is toothpicks, a sharp knife and a steady hand. In a few minutes, you'll have a healthy food item that still won't fool your kids one bit. -via Obvious Winner (Photo: unknown)

10 Absolutely Amazing Tipping Stories Posted: 21 May 2013 09:00 PM PDT You hear stories about waiters being stiffed, which is inevitably followed by a storm in the comments about the entire system of tipping. But how about some really good tipping stories? Every so often, a very generous diner surprises the server with the tip of a lifetime. Rhode Islander Kristen Ruggiero is a single mom of three who has had a tough time making ends meet by working the restaurant job she’s held for the last 15 years. One day last year, a couple came in and ordered a pizza, a salad and a pitcher of beer only to settle their $42 bill by leaving $500 on the table. At first, the waitress thought they made a mistake and accidentally left the five hundreds thinking they were ten dollar bills. So Kristen set the money aside until the pair returned to the restaurant and tried to return it to them. That’s when they assured her that the $458 tip was no mistake. "He said no it was absolutely not a mistake, you deserved it," Kristen said. But that's far from the biggest tip in this roundup of stories at mental_floss. Link

Toaster Hat Posted: 21 May 2013 08:00 PM PDT DeviantART member Fox Blue made this sporty hat from an old toaster. It's probably hot in the summer, but handy for those frequent toast emergencies. He writes "it's a lot lighter then I thought it would be." The should be a dial for adjusting that. Link

Breakdancing with Light Painting Posted: 21 May 2013 07:00 PM PDT Polish photographer Joanna Jaskólska kicked it old school by combining breakdancing (or b-boying, if you're a purist) with light painting. Now that's what I call a powermove! Check out more over at her website: Link - via Khool

Fox and Golf Ball Posted: 21 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) A juvenile fox takes advantage of a golf ball coming his way. This hazard wasn't explained back at the club house. Still, watching him play was probably more fun than the game. -via Daily of the Day

Eating Candy is Totally Not Bad For You, Says Big Candy Posted: 21 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT Image: Discovod/Shutterstock So what are you waiting for? Eat up! The National Confectioners Association, a trade group representing candy manufacturers, have scientifically proven that eating candies is totally not bad for you and even won't make you fat: Some findings from the study: 1.) "Frequency of candy consumption was not associated with the risk of obesity, overweight/obesity, elevated waist circumference, elevated skinfold thickness, blood pressure, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, or insulin resistance." 2.) "Increased frequency of candy consumption among adults in the United States was not associated with objective measures of adiposity or select cardiovascular risk factors, despite associated dietary differences." Sounds legit! Break out the M&Ms! Colin Lecher of PopSci explains: Link

LEDs in an Engagement Ring Posted: 21 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Ben's engagement ring is awesome not only because it lights up, but because it lights up when he and his girlfriend hold hands: Putting a battery of capacitor inside a ring is nigh impossible, so [Ben] decided to power the LEDs with an inductive charging circuit. A coil of wire wound around kapton tape serves as the inductor and a small SMD capacitor powers three very bright and very tiny LEDs. The inductive charging unit itself is a masterpiece of hackery; [Ben] wanted the ring to light up whenever he and his ladyfriend were holding hands. To do this, [Ben]‘s inductive charger is also a wearable device: a large coil of wire is the charger’s transformer and was would to fit around [Ben]‘s wrist. The entire charging circuit can be easily hidden under a jacket sleeve, making for a nearly magical light-up ring. You can watch a video of the ring at the link. Link

How Many Spider-Men Are There? Posted: 21 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT My Spidey sense is tingling! The Amazing Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield got a little bit of help from multiple Spider-Men (one even wore stylish sweatpants!) at the set of the latest series in the movie franchise. But don't worry - nobody cloned Spidey, those are just stunt doubles. From The Daily Mail: Andrew and his stunt doubles made it a triple threat as they were seen hanging around set on Sunday while they went through the motions and rehearsed some sequences in New York City. Garfield, 29, was enjoying taking a break from his day job as filming was halted due to heavy rainfall. With the wet ground making stunt work too dangerous the three red and blue suited men decided to get extra practice in as they ran around a large parked truck. All three of them had loose fitting jogging bottoms on as they tried to keep warm in the damp weather while Paul Giamatti sat nice and dry inside the truck. Paul always got the best gig. Now, next question: will this movie be another Spider-Man reboot? (I mean, geez, man - how many times can you reboot Spider-Man? He got bit by a radioactive spider and got superpowers, we got it already, Sony!) View more over at The Daily Mail: Link - via Geektyrant and ComicBookMovie

The 10 Worst Civilian Nuclear Accidents in History Posted: 21 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Quick -how many nuclear accidents can you name? Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima …any more? There have been quite a few nuclear accidents of varying danger that you probably never heard of, including some fatal incidents. For example, in 1957, nuclear waste exploded at a reactor near the Soviet town of Ozyorsk. One of the storage tanks contained around 70 to 80 tons of radioactive liquid waste, and its cooling mechanism stopped working and wasn’t fixed. The tank’s contents, made up mostly of ammonium nitrate and acetates, began to dry out as the liquid heated up and evaporated. Moreover, the temperature increase caused an explosion whose force was equivalent to 70 to 100 tons of TNT, and this sent huge amounts of radioactivity – roughly 20 MCi (800 PBq) – into the environment. The fallout cloud from the explosion contaminated an area of up to 7,722 square miles (20,000 square kilometers). Over a period of nearly two years, about 10,000 people were evacuated from the surrounding area. In terms of fatalities, the exact cost of the incident is not known, but immediately around the site of the explosion there were 66 diagnosed cases of chronic radiation syndrome. Read more about the Ozyorsk incident and nine others in a list at Tech Graffiti. Link -via the Presurfer (Image credit: Ecodefense, Heinrich Boell Stiftung Russia, Alla Slapovskaya, Alisa Nikulina)

Tree Got Its Bark Blown Off by Lightning Posted: 21 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Redditor Fidget08 snapped this photo of a tree with its bark blown off after it was hit by a lightning. Now who's gonna carve a baseball bat out of it? Via Laughing Squid

Chipmunk and Acorn Salt & Pepper Shakers Posted: 21 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Chipmunk and Acorn Salt & Pepper Shakers Are you nuts about cute salt and pepper shakers shaped like small furry rodents? Well, you are going to really love the Chipmunk and Acorn Salt and Pepper Shaker from the NeatoShop. This sweet set features an adorable chipmunk holding an acorn. The shakers are held together by love and magnets.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Salt & Pepper Shakers. Link

Rental Ads Translated Posted: 21 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT In defense of item #3, I would like to point out that the bathtub is the only place in the apartment long enough for an average sized adult to stretch out. No extra charge for the pillow. Link

Lord of the Rings Salt and Pepper Shakers Posted: 21 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Gandalf and Saruman Salt & Pepper Shakers You shall not pass ... the salt in any boring ol' salt and pepper shakers! Check out the NeatoShop's new arrival of Lord of the Rings Salt & Pepper Shakers. Perfect for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. Gollum & Samwise - Salt & Pepper Shakers Frodo Kiss - Salt & Pepper Shakers Aragon & Arwen - Salt & Pepper Shakers Lord of the Rings Horseback - Salt & Pepper Shakers View all Lord of the Rings Salt and Pepper Shakers | More LOTR items from the NeatoShop

Death Star vs. Enterprise Posted: 21 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) At first I thought this might be a sequel to the 2008 video Death Star Over San Francisco, but it's not. and it is, directed by Mike Horn. In this alternate reality, Earth is part of the Galactic Empire, but it's still okay to use the fake "amateur shaky cam" effect. And then the Enterprise shows up from the future to grab some more whales.  -via Buzzfeed

Shetland Pony Adopts Orphaned Lamb Posted: 21 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT Georgina Hirst, a veterinarian, spotted these two friends in the Black Mountains of Wales: "The lamb was obviously hungry and it's quite amazing that it learnt to suckle from the mare. It might have just copied the foal." The vet, from Hay on the Wye, Powys, added: "Trying to get mares to adopt foals can be very challenging so it's incredible the mare was so receptive of the lamb. "She would even stand guard while the foal and the lamb slept cuddled together."  Link (Photo: BNPS)

Mortarboard Slogan Posted: 21 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Congratulations! And welcome to the adult world of debt. Remember: A Lannister always pays his debts, even if it might takes a long time. Link -via Blame It On The Voices

How To Get A Woman Mad [no. 986 - @JohnDuffy21] Posted: 21 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT How to get a woman mad in two easy steps: 1. Take a picture of her. 2. Don't show it to her. — JD (@JohnDuffy21) April 24, 2013 ~Illustrated by: Stefan Hey~ Get this on a T-shirt over at the Twaggies Shop: How to Get a Women Mad in Two Easy Steps

Swedishness Posted: 21 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) A David Attenborough soundalike delivers a anthropological piece poking fun at Sweden's equality, agnosticism, tolerance, and sexual liberation. Featuring the actual prime minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt, plus several famous Swedish actors. Contains NSFW language. -via reddit

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