Timmy the Tooth

Football is back for a brand new season and Thibaut Courtois can hardly contain himself. Neither can our cartoonist, who rounds up the summer stories here

• View all of David Squires’ cartoons in his archive here

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• ‘My heart told me that it was time to sign for Paris Saint-Germain’
• Players’ union bemoans dominance of ‘rich European clubs’

Neymar has dismissed suggestions his world-record £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain was motivated by money and instead insisted he had moved to the French capital for “a new challenge”.

A little more than 12 hours after his transfer from Barcelona was confirmed, the Brazilian was introduced as a PSG player in front of the world’s media at the Parc des Princes just after lunch on Friday.

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[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

Not all wearable tech has to be a tiny smartphone on your wrist or a device that tracks how many steps you’ve taken – it can also record your memories as you see them, visibly react to your emotions, flirt with people on your behalf, warn others they’re invading your personal space or even measure your sexual performance. These unconventional wearables are also a little less dorky than usual, aiming to blend fashion and technology in a way that’s exciting,  beautiful and sometimes strange.

Robotic Jewelry by MIT Media Lab

What look, at first, like jewels or little bulbous decorative accents on a blouse suddenly start crawling around like they’ve got minds of their own. ‘Kino’ is a collection of ‘living’ jewelry from MIT Media Lab, designed to reconfigure itself in response to environmental conditions. “It is our vision that in the future, these robots will be miniaturized to the extend that they can be seamlessly integrated into existing practices of body ornamentation. With the addition of kinetic capabilities, traditionally static jewelry and accessories will start displaying life-like qualities, learning, shifting, and reconfiguring to the needs and prefereces of the wearer, also assisting in fluid presentation of self.”

Lumoscura Smog Mask by Stephanie Liu

Dazzling fiber optics inspired by shimmering white peacock feathers make the need to wear a smog mask at least a little bit more fashionable. Says designer Stephanie Liu, “Masks have always been associated with disease, fear and negativity. Some wear it in public to hide their identities, in reality it attracts attention and can generate fear and stress amongst those in their immediate surroundings. As air pollution becomes more and more of an issue in many countries, people have begun to surrender to wearing a mask for the sake of their health, however there are still a lot of people who do not wear masks for many reasons – the top three being unattractive, uncomfortable and repelling people.”

Smart Self-Defense Spider Dress by Anouk Wipprecht

People might be less likely to mess with you if the mechanical spider you’re wearing as a dress makes a sudden move. That’s the idea behind the Smart Spider Dress by Anouk Wipprecht, powered by Intel Edison. The legs of the spider constantly move, reacting to the wearer’s real-time biometrics as well as violations of social norms, like when someone invades their personal space. “Since the system based with mechanic spider legs is literally hosted on the shoulders of the wearer and attacks using the same viewing angle as the wearer, the system knows how you feel and adapts to those feelings,” says Wipprecht.

MIT Duoskin Temporary Electrical Tattoos

Anyone can create functional devices directly attached to their skin, including lights and controls for mobile devices, using an electricity-conducting gold leaf paint in a fun design that makes it look like a metallic tattoo. “We believe that in the future, on-skin electronics will no longer be black-boxed and mystified; instead they will converge toward user friendliness, extensibility, and aesthetics of body decorations, forming a DuoSkin integrated to the extent that it has seemingly disappeared,” says MIT, who refer to the project as ‘digital skin jewelry.’

i.Con Smart Condom Ring Measures Performance

No more boasting about your performance using inaccurate figures. The i.Con smart condom ring by British Condoms will know exactly how long you last, how many positions you used, ‘velocity of thrusts,’ ‘girth’ and other data, sending the information straight to your smartphone via bluetooth. One positive of this technology is, it can give users a way to measure improvement if their data is disappointing and they want to work on things. But perhaps even more valuable is the fact that the wearable comes with an ‘antibodies filter’ to detect the presence of sexually transmitted infections.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Art Of Wearable Tech 10 Fashionable Designs Help With Fun Sex Self Defense

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[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Sent to me from a Cracker Barrel in Florida.

Yum.

At the height of summer, there's nothing better than gooey blackberries cobbler with fluffy buttermilk biscuits and a dollop of whipped cream. Whether you've got fresh picked blackberries or the kind in a package from the store, three unexpected ingredients will take your blackberry cobbler to the next level. Read More

• Paris Saint-Germain hope to conclude world record deal this week
• Five-year contract for forward has been ready for several days

Paris Saint-Germain are so confident of signing Neymar that they were on Monday preparing his unveiling. They hope to conclude a deal this week to buy the forward from Barcelona for a world record £197m, the Brazilian’s release clause.

A five-year contract has been ready for several days and just needs to be signed. When PSG bought Zlatan Ibrahimovic five summers ago they welcomed him on the Trocadéro at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. The club are planning something even bigger for Neymar.

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If you give a poor a doctor, it’s going to ask for affordable medicine.

If you give a poor affordable medicine, it’s going to ask for paid time off work so that it can get healthy.

If you give a poor paid time off work so that it can get healthy, it still might not get healthy. At this point, the poor — which is short for “poor person,” FYI — will have to go back to the doctor.

If you let a poor go back to the doctor, the doctor’s going to run some expensive tests, and now the poor will ask not to go bankrupt!

If you allow a poor to avoid going bankrupt by subsidizing its medical tests, it will begin to think it has a right to economic security.

If you let a poor believe it has a right to economic security, it will demand a living wage.

If you give a poor a living wage, it will be able to provide for its family of poors.

If you enable a poor to provide for its family of poors, that poor will make all sorts of dangerous assumptions about society. For example, since this all began with a visit to the doctor, the poor might start to think that it has a right to health care. Worse, it might come to believe that it has other rights, like the right to a quality education for its children. Or the right to affordable housing. Or the right to a public water supply that isn’t flammable.

If you allow a poor to make those assumptions, you’re just asking for trouble. Believe me.

Fine, you want some evidence? Look at Scandinavia. The people over there get free everything. Health care, maternity leave, paternity leave, child care — and they’re consistently ranked the world’s happiest people. Do you want America to look like that?

I didn’t think so.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. If a poor has the right to health care, it will live a longer life.

If a poor lives a longer life, then that poor will put more of a financial strain on the wealthy, who will be forced to subsidize the poor’s lavish lifestyle of food stamps and public transportation.

If a poor is allowed to put a financial strain on the wealthy, the wealthy will have less money to spend on large boats.

If the wealthy have less money to spend on large boats, they will have to make do with medium-sized boats.

If the wealthy are forced to make do with medium-sized boats, yacht parties will be smaller.

If yacht parties are smaller, there will be fewer opportunities for poors to silently serve hors d’oeuvres to their social betters.

If there are fewer opportunities for poors to silently serve hors d’oeuvres to their social betters, then poors will make less money.

If a poor makes less money, it will have trouble becoming less poor.

If a poor has trouble becoming less poor, it will be forced to take on more and more low-paying jobs.

If a poor is forced to take on more and more low-paying jobs, it won’t get enough sleep. (This might not sound that bad, but hear me out.)

If a poor doesn’t get enough sleep, its health will deteriorate.

And if a poor’s health deteriorates, guess what? It will need to see a doctor.

Arsenal’s away kit for the new season has been unveiled this morning. The marketing bumph reads:

Arsenal first incorporated blue into their kit in 1892 and since then has been featured in numerous away kits over the decades, cementing itself into Arsenal folklore.

Whilst keeping a focus on tradition and giving a subtle nod to the 90’s with the blue two-tone treatment, PUMA has incorporated a modern and stylish graphic fade made up of repeat silhouettes of the club’s crest. This design also features across the sleeves of all Arsenal’s 2017/18 shirts.

The new Arsenal away kit will go on sale at 9am on the 27th July and worn for the first time on pitch when they face Benfica in the Emirates Cup on the 29th July.

So, there you go. Pictures below, and the kit is available from uk.puma.com

1. Would You Rather have Captain Ahab give his mad soliloquy to you every night before you go to sleep or get swallowed by an actual White Whale?

2. Would You Rather have Jay Gatsby construct you with an idealistic perfection you could never realistically attain and pursue you with a fanatical zeal or have a Gatsby-themed wedding?

3. Would You Rather identify with Holden Caulfield or marry someone who still identifies with Holden Caulfield?

4. Would You Rather have Romeo compare you to the sun twenty-five times a day or stab thyself with a dagger?

5. Would You Rather be called “Humbert Humbert” or genuinely believe that Nabokov is a surrealist?

6. Would You Rather start every sentence with “All this happened, more or less…” or get SO IT GOES tattooed on your wrist?

7. Would You Rather wear an A on your chest for the rest of your life or defend naming a character Roger Chillingworth?

8. Would You Rather read Ulysses or listen to for three hours, a double English/Philosophy major you’re out on a first date with, who is wearing thick rimmed glasses, explain the novels themes and plot?

9. Would You Rather be married to Richard Dalloway or actually have to host a party?

10. Would You Rather be a William Faulkner apologist or watch James Franco’s film adaptation of As I Lay Dying every day for the rest of your life?

11. Would You Rather look like the portrait of Dorian Gray in the end or have to get the last word in of every single conversation with the phrase “art for art’s sake, ya know”?

12. Would You Rather Sauron be your antagonist or Jack Merridew?

13. Would You Rather have actually read On the Road but nobody knows you read it or would you rather have never read On the Road but everyone truly believes it is your favorite novel?

14. Would You Rather have someone describe you as a monstrous vermin or be roommates with a young man who describes his struggles as Kafkaesque?

15. Would You Rather read all 379,000 articles that come up when you search “Is Jane Eyre a feminist novel” on the internet or say “Reader, I Married Him” to every new person you and your spouse meet ?

16. Would You Rather read Alice In Wonderland every day for the rest of your life or sleep with a guy in your MFA program who has “A Raven Is Like A Writing Desk” above his writing desk?

17. Would You Rather listen to Gilbert Gottfried narrate the 38-hour audio version of Anna Karenina or date a man who must explain the Golden Era of Russian fiction every time he climaxes?

18. Would You Rather be a handmaid or a poet with a ton of talent who has to sell out and write a dystopian YA novel to make any morsel of cash?

19. Would You Rather have your sister novelist introduce your only novel with the lines “Whether it is right or advisable to create beings like Heathcliff, I do not know: I scarcely think it is” or admit that you had to google “What is a moor”?

20. Would You Rather actually admit you enjoyed Infinite Jest or carry the book around with you out in public everywhere you go for one thousand days?

My Dear Goopers,

I have big news. If you’re not currently lounging in one of the office Tranquility Pods, I’d encourage you to do so. If you prefer to remain standing at your ergonomic desk, that’s your right, and I respect it.

I’m excited to announce Goop is pivoting! While we’ve made a name for ourselves in the alternative wellness space, as well as the larger Lifestyle Brand category, we see the greatest opportunity lies in uncharted territory. Starting August 1st, Goop will be spinning into a global weapons manufacturing unit, as part of our acquisition by Lockheed Martin!

Guys, I know. This shift doesn’t seem like a fitting one for the #GoopGang.

But hear me out. Our site continues to face harsh criticism for our health advice, saying some of it is “utterly useless,” while other parts are “actively harmful.” We can borrow a phrase from Silicon Valley and finally tell our haters: “It’s not a bug. It’s a feature.” Doesn’t “actively harmful” sounds like a five-star review for our next venture?!

I won’t lie to you and say I’m a firm believer in fate (our destiny is controlled by powerful crystals) but I do think this pivot was always meant to be part of the Goop journey. With that said, the transition will require some major changes. Let me reassure you, no matter what, our Goop DNA will remain 100% the same. For one, we will not acknowledge DNA as a formally accepted scientific concept.

As we enter an industry where “negative health” is the goal, many of our current offerings will carry over seamlessly. But with any major pivot, there will be some change. Let us recall the mantra which sits above our communal nourishment center: the only kind of Goop that works is a transparent Goop. Accordingly, I’d like to share some of initial product plans:

1. Yoni Eggs will now be used as a close-range melee ammunition. Current design will remain the same, but the vibrant colors will be recolored for a more drab, military style (think: industrial chic) and be renamed to YE-391s.

2. Our Alkaline water treatment systems will now be sold as AWTS-90s (turns out these things make water poisonous! Goops!)

3. The Goop Affiliate Program will continue as-is. Details below:
-Commission on net sales, excluding shipping, taxes, and returns
-Regular updates on new collections and access to high-res images
-Free to join

4. The Digital Kegel Gauge will be rewired to operate as a discreet missile guidance system.

5. The Goop Battle Laser, while it is a best-seller, will no longer be offered on our site. This is a decision we’ve made to avoid competition with our new parent company.

If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas to leverage existing Goop products for our conscious coupling with Lockheed Martin, I’m all ears! You always know where to find my assistant, who will relay your message to me within 5-7 business days. I couldn’t be more proud of everything Goop has done so far. But I am exhilarated to see what’s next!

Yours in alternative wellness,
Gwyneth

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

If you’re down about the oncoming dystopia in which robots take all of our jobs before we’ve structurally reorganized society to support ourselves, enjoy a few moments of smug comfort in these videos of supposedly advanced machines falling, spilling coffee, arguing with each other like old couples and committing suicide in fountains. They’ll give you a brief sense of satisfaction before you read yet another article about how automation is about to destroy your industry.

Security Robot Drowns Itself

Police and security robots equipped with cameras, sensors and alarms (but thankfully not weapons, yet) – what could go wrong? So far, in the case of the 300-pound, cone-shaped Knightscope robots used to patrol shopping centers and parking lots, problems have mostly involved running over the feet of toddlers. But then, as documented by @bilalforooqui on Twitter, one of them let us know he was very depressed by drowning himself in the fountain of a Washington D.C. office building. “We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots,” says Farooqui.

Robots Falling at the DARPA Robotics Challenge

Most DARPA creations, funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, are intended to someday replace humans in dangerous scenarios like wars and disasters, but that doesn’t stop them from being utterly terrifying, especially the ones that look like massive dogs and cheetahs. But if this compilation of robots falling down at the DARPA Robotics Challenge is any indication, it’s going to be a while before we should feel too much concern.

Flying Robot Dive-Bomb

Sure, these robots look and behave just like animals, all right – like angry mother birds eager to attack humans who have wandered too close to their nest. Featured in this video is the Festo SmartBird, an ultralight flying robot that’s usually pretty impressive, developed to help research groups studying animals.

Coffee Robot Makes a Mess

Cafe X in San Francisco aims to be an example of why we no longer need human baristas. Built in partnership with WMF, an automatic coffee company, the Cafe X Coffee Robot is supposed to deliver perfect consistent drinks after you order using a touchscreen or app. But as you can see in this video, things don’t always go according to plan.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Robot Fails 12 Times Supposedly Intelligent Machines Screwed Up

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[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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First cantaloupe, now papayas.

The CDC has opened up a homepage on Salmonella infections associated with eating Yellow Maradol Papayas.

Here’s the count so far:

• 47 Cases
• 12 States
• 12 Hospitalizations
• 1 Deaths

Food Safety News has the story.  And provides the label you had best avoid.

As usual, by the time the CDC finds out about outbreaks, cases have slowed down (it takes time to find them).

This one is affecting people in states all over the country.

Papayas grow on trees.  Salmonella are animal bacteria.  Monkeys?  Arboreal sloths?

A more likely explanation is that the fruit came in contact with human waste or dirty hands sometime during collection, transport, or processing.

What to do?

Bacteria are on the rind.  They get on the fruit itself when you cut through it.  You can try scrubbing the outside before you peel the papaya.  The CDC recommends discarding it and cleaning your kitchen carefully.

Better preventive controls?  They are on the books (the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act).

Enforcement?  Not unless Congress appropriates the funds.

Why won’t it?  FDA appropriations go through agricultural appropriations, not health.  Do ag committees care about food safety?

I wish.

Addition:  Food Safety News reports that the distributor of the papayas has started recalling them, but not publicly.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

The Los Angeles river changes dramatically as it snakes into and through the city, and these different design proposals carry that legacy forward while envisioning new, user-friendly, flexible and sustainable nodes of activity. The L.A. River Downtown Design Dialogue celebrates ten years of working to revitalized areas and create connections along the river’s route.

Currently, this often-dry river, encased in concrete, feels about as much like a river as Silver Lake feels like a lake, or anything can feel natural when so artificially contained. Seven architecture firms were given one-mile strips to work with and created a wonderful array of designs featuring lush green parks, bike paths, kayaking zones, climbing walls and more.

Gruen Associates tackled a section near Chinatown, created a series of elevated paths and natural meadows all tied into an existing railroad yard.

WSP placed walkways and terraces along the sides of the river while also offering stepping stones for people wanting to walk across.

CH2M took its zone near the Arts District and added bicycle paths and other amenities around a winding and widened section of river made to look and feel more like a local creek.

AChee Salette took over old railway tracks to create a series of gardens spilling down from the road grade above to the level of the river below.

Curving and wrapping paths and walls create an organic wrapper for the section designed by Mia Lehrer + Associates, creating a space to canoe and kayak.

AECOM’s  playfully integrated climbing walls, basketball courts and other sporting amenities, while adding light and color through mosaics and murals spanning their area.

Tetra Tech designed a new bridge to cross the river as well as a river walk, all taking advantage of the existing sloped sides, reflecting the river’s historic form.

Together, these schemes reflect a rich diversity of design strategies as well as usage possibilities — given how prominent and central the path of the river is, it makes a lot of sense to make it a more accessible and vibrant resource for the city and its citizens.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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• Monaco deny agreement for 18-year-old forward has been reached
• Mbappé would join on a six-year deal worth around €7m a season

Real Madrid believe they are close to smashing the transfer world record for the 18-year-old France striker Kylian Mbappé, after reportedly reaching the basis of an agreement with Monaco that would result in him heading to the Santiago Bernabéu for a total fee of €180m (£161m). Monaco, though, have denied they have agreed to the deal.

Related: How will Monaco cope after losing so many of their title-winning stars?

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When the Premier League was established with great fanfare 25 years ago, no mention was made of top club owners being allowed to walk away with millions

In the Football Association brochure that sanctioned the breakaway Premier League 25 years ago at the dawn of the first pay-TV deal, no mention was made of the personal fortunes it would make for the owners of the bigger clubs. Led by the self-appointed “Big Five” of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, the First Division clubs had angled and threatened throughout the 1980s to leave the century-old Football League, so as not to share the new TV millions with the clubs in the three lower divisions. The FA’s culture had narrowed and curdled through that decade, which ended in 96 people being unlawfully killed at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final which the governing body itself had commissioned at Hillsborough.

Related: Deceit, determination and Murdoch's millions: how Premier League was born

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tag

Note: Some Bingo squares are valid in Brooklyn and Austin as well.

American striker Jozy Altidore is bitten by El Salvador defender Henry Romero during a Gold Cup quarter-final in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Romero also appears to twist the US player’s nipple for good measure. Away from the skirmishing, the United States won the match 2-0 and will now face Costa Rica in the semi-finals this weekend

• USA survive biting incident to see off El Salvador in Gold Cup quarter-final

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“Combining the best of both worlds – yoga pants and concealed carry … Not sure if your handgun will fit? Don’t worry! All concealed carry handguns fit!” — UnderTech UnderCover on Pinterest.

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Armed Sirsasana (Headstand)

Sirsasana is the king of all asanas but what is a king or queen without a Glock tucked snugly in the back of Concealed Carry Yoga Pants.

Step One

If you choose to perform the armed sirsasana in a yoga studio, scan the windows for that pesky gun-free zone sign. You could check with the 20-something at the front desk but presume she supports gun control because you’ve seen her in Whole Foods without shoes. Best to be silent. Your choice to carry a gun in yoga is just another juncture on your journey of exercising your Second Amendment rights.

Step Two

Find a corner of the room that puts you in range of the woman with the immaculate bob who scolded you two years ago about failing to align your mat precisely with the tape on the floor that ensures the maximum number of students can be squeezed into this sage-scented refuge. Adjust your mat just so. You want to scare, not kill her. Ahimsa, nonviolence, people. Ancient yogic texts are fuzzy on eye-for-eye vengeance so misappropriate Exodus to reconcile shooting past her thigh. Don’t beat yourself up if the shot doesn’t go off as planned. It’s a practice not a perfect.

Step Three

Move into tabletop position for a few rounds of cat and cow to warm the spine. Keep the palms beneath the shoulders, the gun below the ribs. Inhale the wisdom of our forefathers, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms…” Rid your mind of the fact you are in suburbia where the only danger is boredom.

Step Four

Let go of attachments to your fingers, your toes, your kidneys, and rigid constructions of how your body once looked. Yoga is the union of body and mind but there’s no hard percentage on either. Visualize a future with less of your physical body. You can do a lot with one arm. The only thing you really need to do yoga is an open, intact heart.

Step Five

Place your forearms on the mat, clasp your hands and rest the back of your head against your clasped hands. Consider the possibility that the “yoga” part of the Concealed Carry Yoga Pants was hypothetical. Distract yourself from this notion by admiring how sexy your yoga pants look with a weapon. Embrace the uncertainty.

Step Six

Lift your knees off the floor. Tiptoe your feet toward your head. If you end up flashing metal, don’t be alarmed if your yoga teacher begins to shout in a tone you’ve never heard from her but always suspected was buried inside. At this point, don’t dawdle. A steely mind is a steely soul. You were trained for this by that guy who knocked on your door after you called the number on the cardboard sign in the weeds near the interstate that read, CONCEALED CARRY – WE COME TO YOU. And like that, the universe gifted you a guru. Technically, his training didn’t include armed inversions but a free market entitles you to the best of both worlds: guns and yoga!

Step Seven

Move your right knee outside of your right tricep. Repeat on the left side. Engage your core to gently lift your legs to the ceiling.

Breathe. Treat this moment as it may be your last. Envision death.

Step Eight

Gently release into child’s pose. Set the intention to find an NRA-endorsed lawyer if you find yourself subjected to undue harshness. Block any negativity around you by closing your eyes, going inward and chanting loudly:

Lokah. Lock-and-stock. Bhavantu.
Om. Om. Om.
Peace. Piece. Piece.

Last month it was reported that Australian fitness guru Darren Burgess would be joining Arsenal from AFL side Port Adelaide.

Indeed, the club’s have agreed to a strategic partnership as part of the deal, and although it’s going to take some time before he becomes ‘full time’ with the club – due to agreements which will see him prepare the Aussie rules side for their new season – Burgess will become the senior man in the Arsenal fitness set-up.

That means that current Head of Performance, Shad Forsythe, will act as his number 2. The American joined the club in 2014 after the World Cup in Brazil where he’d been working with the German national side.

He’s been a fixture in the Arsenal set-up ever since, preparing the team on the training pitch and as part of the pre-game warm ups.

However, he’ll now have to take a back seat to Burgess when the Australian takes over on a full-time basis.

It’s expected there could be other changes to the fitness department over the coming months, but Forsythe’s experience will be vital as the new man settles into his new role and deals with the travel between the UK and Australia.

Food politics generally doesn’t usually get into matters of religion, but sometimes has to.   Today’s issue is whether bread for the Catholic Eucharist can be gluten-free.

No, it can’t.

As the New York Times explains,

The unleavened bread that Roman Catholics use in the celebration of Mass must contain some gluten, even if only a trace amount, according to a new Vatican directive.

The directive…affirms an existing policy. But it may help to relieve some of the confusion surrounding church doctrine on gluten…The issue is especially urgent for people with celiac disease…or for those with other digestive conditions that make them vulnerable even to small amounts of gluten… “The confusion can be great when these ‘breads’ are advertised as gluten-free alongside what are described as gluten-free but are in fact low-gluten altar breads,” according to the Catholic Church in England and Wales. “The confusion can also be the cause of great upset both to those Catholics who are allergic to gluten and to those who minister to them.”

People with celiac disease cannot eat wheat, rye, or barley, which contain gluten proteins.  If they do,  the gluten leads to a toxic product that causes severe damage to the intestinal tract and other serious symptoms.

About 1 out of every 133 people has this condition.  This prevalence has remained constant over time.  But the number of people consuming gluten-free diets has greatly increased.  This could be because people just feel better not eating bread and pasta, or maybe because their celiac disease has just not been diagnosed.

The Hartman group has a useful Infographic about gluten-free trends.

Fortunately, lots of gluten-free products are now available, even if some Catholic jurisdictions forbid them.

NPR talks about one option option for gluten-avoiding Catholics:

That is where the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of Clyde, Mo., come in. After a decade of work, they came up with a Vatican-approved wafer, using wheat starch and water. It contains just .001 percent gluten, an amount low enough for most celiac sufferers…They sell about 15,000 breads per week…”We believe Communion is the actual body of Christ and that’s the center point of our liturgy as Catholics — being able to receive Jesus.

What about other religions?  My inside source at the Episcopal Grace Cathedral in San Francisco tells me that its services use

bread rather than wafers for communion, and almost always have a gluten-free alternative on hand (the bread is baked fresh for this purpose by the Bread Ministry!).

The purpose of doing this is “to make everyone feel welcome and included.”

Amen to that.

R&B musician and Chicago-native R. Kelly is facing new, disturbing accusations of sexual abuse of young women. [ more › ]

Here’s another one of this site’s roundup of articles on specific topics, written from the perspective of food companies.  Paleo sells.

Special Edition: Paleo: Fad, Trend, or Movement?

Definitions vary, but most advocates of the Paleo diet think the dietary rot set in once humans stopped hunting and gathering and started to grow crops and raise animals for food. So grains, legumes, and dairy are typically off limits (although some Paleo fans say grass-fed dairy is OK). While critics say any diet that eliminates major food groups should be treated with caution, the number of products featuring Paleo claims and certifications is growing rapidly, and many retailers and manufacturers are now looking at how to tap into the trend, which some market researchers see as the next evolution of low carb, and gluten-free.

• Natural channel still accounts for bulk of Paleo product sales, but sales in conventional channels are growing faster, says SPINS: Where are Paleo-positioned products thriving? SPINS data break it down by channel and category… Read
• Low-carb, gluten-free and now Paleo… Another anti-grain fad or a true concern for bakers?: Bakers shouldn’t worry too much about Paleo, but the trend does call for increased grain education and better industry innovation, warn grain advocacy groups… Read
• Whole30 certification helps brands boost exposure, sales and shelf space: Certifying a product as approved by the popular Whole30 diet is a “pretty intensive” process, according to the diet’s co-creator, but for the few and proud that make the cut, the licensing deal can provide exposure to a fiercely loyal consumer base, boost sales significantly and help secure shelf space in competitive categories… Read
• PALEO IN FOCUS: Are we ‘supposed’ to drink cow’s milk? It’s the wrong question, says professor: ‘Paleo’ fans argue that the dietary rot set in when we stopped hunting and gathering and started producing foods (dairy, grains, legumes) our bodies are not adapted to digest. But does the theory behind this approach hold water?.. Read
• Passionate paleo followers can fuel brand awareness, sales for compliant packaged products: Between 1 to 3 million people in the United States follow the paleo diet, and yet relatively few packaged products comply with the regime – making it a market brimming with potential that once tapped could quickly drive brand awareness and sales, according to the co-founders of frozen dessert brand Snow Monkey… Watch now
• What’s the size of the Paleo foods prize? Mintel and IRI weigh in: Paleo themed product sales could soar to $4bn in the US in the next three years if enough manufacturers invest, according to IRI, although Mintel says we’re not looking at the next Greek yogurt… Read
• Paleo certification requests have doubled annually, scheme embraced by ‘household names,’ says Paleo Foundation: Demand for Paleo-certified products are on the rise. But is the diet – and the certification scheme – based on sound science? We chat with Paleo’s critics and proponents to get the inside scoop… Read
• Our Paleo ancestors were more active than us, but did they really have an optimal diet?: Supporters of the ‘Paleo’ diet (a hunter/gatherer-style approach to eating) urge us to eschew grains, dairy and legumes – among other things. But any diet that eliminates major food groups should be treated with caution, argue two high-profile dietitians we quizzed as part of our weight management special edition… Read
• Meteoric sales growth at Primal Kitchen: ‘Things just exploded as soon as we launched’: “We did everything you’re not supposed to do,” observes the COO of Primal Kitchen, which exploded out of the blocks with a sugar-free avocado oil-based mayo in February 2015, notched up revenues of $13.2m in 2016, and is expecting to almost double that in 2017. ..

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

People often play a small part in architectural photography and renderings – not so in this series of travel photographs, which would lovely but otherwise unremarkable without clever human inclusions.

Anna Devis and Daniel Rueda are a design-minded couple, one an illustrator and the other an architect. And they have taken their creative sensibilities on the road, filling in the implicit gaps in built environments across Europe.

The settings represent a range of architectural styles, often bold yet minimalist except for that added element of interactivity, sometimes using props or costumes to turn facades into theatrical sets.

In Denmark, Spain, Italy and other countries they visit, Devis and Rueda take that old idea of a person seeming to ‘tip’ the Leaning Tower of Pisa to new heights. Pixelated surface suddenly become other things, like clocks or canvasses, apparently manipulated by the duo.

That critical personal element that animates each scene also serves as a foil for showing off the patterns and colors of each context, subverting but also highlighting design details. In some cases, added manipulations warp their surroundings as well. For more on their work, follow the pair’s journeys via their Instagram accounts.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Photography & Video. ]

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[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

Most baristas who go the extra mile to make a cute design in the foam on top of your latte or mocha manage to illustrate a heart, a swan, a cat or maybe an owl, not an entire Vincent van Gogh painting. But there’s always an overachiever, isn’t there? South Korean barista Lee Kang-Bin shows off his illustrative prowess by reproducing masterpieces in nothing but foam and food coloring, destined to be destroyed as soon as someone gets thirsty.

???? 3?? :) . . A price guide for 'Creamart' 'Bear' design is ?7,500 if want another design, have to reservation but only Three cup of Creamart a day . . ???reservation is full. So I don't get reservations for a while. 'Bear' design Orders can be anytime. . 403-3, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu Monday & Tuesday 14:00 – 10:00 Everyday 12:00 – 10:00 . . . #??? #cthrough #????? #?????? #???? #?????? #?????? #??? #????? #??? #????? #????? #???? #???? #????? #today #instagram #dailyart #coffee #barista #latte #latteart #cafelatte #coffeetime #creamart #espresso #artwork #art

A post shared by ??? (@leekangbin91) on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:58pm PDT

From ‘Starry Night’ and Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ to Captain Jack Sparrow and scenes from Disney movies, the artist faithfully recreates iconic imagery so impressive, it would be hard to take that first sip. Customers wait up to 15 extra minutes for one of Lee Kang-Bin’s creations, and it’s not hard to see why.

#???? ? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ?? ?????? :) . ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ?? ????^^ ???? ? ?? ????? ??? ?? ????? :) . . . . . #??? #cthrough #????? #?????? #???? #?????? #?????? #??? #????? #??? #????? #????? #???? #???? #????? #latteartporn #dailyart #coffee #barista #baristalife #latte #latteart #baristadaily #cafelatte #coffeetime #creamart #espresso #artwork

A post shared by ??? (@leekangbin91) on Jun 1, 2017 at 11:52pm PDT

The 26-year old owns Cafe C-THROUGH in Seoul, so there’s nobody to tell him he can’t spend his time on the clock any way he wants, and customers line up to temporarily ‘own’ one of his paintings, anyway. The self-taught artist honed his skills over ten years on the job, and calls his work ‘creamarts.’

Make to 'The Starry Night' . . . . . #??? #cthrough #????? #?????? #???? #?????? #?????? #??? #????? #??? #????? #????? #???? #???? #????? #latteartporn #dailyart #coffee #barista #baristalife #latte #latteart #cafelatte #coffeetime #creamart #espresso #artwork

A post shared by ??? (@leekangbin91) on May 16, 2017 at 1:55am PDT

To see more videos of Lee Kang-Bin in action, check out his Instagram, @leekangbin91.

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[ By SA Rogers in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

In a weird ongoing war over the blackest black and pinkest pink in the world, a new contender has hit the market — and unlike Vantablack, anyone can purchase some to make really dark artwork (great for black holes!).

Stuart Semple’s blackest salvo to date in this pigment war is Black 2.0, which can create mesmerizing effects in real life that also translate to images and videos. In them, painted objects appear flat, or like voids rather than solids.

According to its creators, “its the most pigmented, flattest, mattest, black acrylic paint in the world,” a claim backed up by a lot of black-coated objects juxtaposed with lighter and brighter surroundings.

This pigment “was created in close collaboration with color chemists, specialists from the cosmetics industry and architectural coatings experts. It’s foundation is Stuart’s ‘Super-Base’ which enables this paint to hold more pigment than any other whilst drying to an anti-reflective, super flat finish.”

An implicit stab at the Vantablack exclusivity arrangement: “It has been developed in close collaboration with thousands of artists from all over the world. Their amazing insight, support and inspiration has formed this unique super-black paint for the benefit of all artists.”

Semple admits it’s not truly the blackest paint when compared to Vantablack, clarifying that it is just the blackest acrylic and blackest paint available to all artists, not just one who secured exclusive rights — note: this black is available to everyone but that artist (via MyModernMet).

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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Drawing & Digital. ]

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[ By SA Rogers in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

File these awesome boat and watercraft designs under ‘things you’ll wish you had access to this summer.’ Who wouldn’t want their very own personal submarine, or a house boat shaped like a UFO? Some of these wild-sounding creations are concepts – like automated, self-piloted cargo ships and yachts shaped like giant illuminated swans – but others are available to rent or purchase right now.

UFO Houseboat by Jet Capsule

This UFO-shaped fiberglass floating object features a main living area with kitchen, bathroom an storage in its above-water level, while the submerged level contains a bedroom and second bathroom. Or, you could commission one to hold a floating restaurant, gym or hotel reception area. They’re powered by electric engines that push them along at a speed of about nine knots, and their batteries are charged by solar panels, wind turbines and water turbines. The manufacturer, Jet Capsule, will reportedly be ready to start shipping these out via helicopter in 2018.

Quadrofoil: Electric Hydrofoiling Personal Watercraft

This thing looks like a mechanical animal galloping through the water. It also looks really fun to ride in. The Quadrofoil gets a top speed of 21 knots and features an electric engine that can be fully charged in under two hours. They’re available for order now at the company’s website, in three models.

U-Boat Worx C-Explorer 3

This ‘luxury personal submersible’ boat by U-Boat features a 360-degree acrylic pressure hull capable of containing a pilot and two passengers, zooming around underwater for up to 16 hours at a time at a maximum depth of 3,300 feet. Plus, it’s air-conditioned. That’s pretty incredible! While it’s primarily geared toward scientists and researchers rather than the general public, it looks like anyone can order one, provided you have the cash.

Hydrohouse by Max Zhivov

A houseboat, dock, garage and water parking for a hydroplane all come together in a single nautical creation called the HH Hydrohouse, with all parts made from prefab modules so it can be transported by truck. It contains a kitchen, master bedroom and two guest bedrooms and a bathroom, and its upper canopy is one big solar panel array.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Bold Boats 15 Wild Fantastical Futuristic Nautical Designs

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[ By SA Rogers in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

So far so good: the creators of these edible water balls have begun deploying them at large-scale festivals, the kinds of places where hundreds of disposable plastic bottles are used and trashed. But while this type of innovation bodes well for the future of biodegradable design, there are still some flaws to be sorted out before it can begin to seriously tackle the big problem: 35 billion plastic water bottles tossed in the garbage every year.

Ooho!’s solution is pretty simple and ingenious: drop frozen balls of water (or other beverages) into a (thankfully) tasteless solution that forms a gelatinous layer around the outside. Once the ice melts, drinkers can pick up and pop a gulp, or if that seems too strange: puncture the membrane (which then biodegrades in weeks) and drink from it. Made of seaweed, the “container” layer can also be colored and flavored.

Between crowdfunders and other backers, they have a lot of funding behind them, and “the team at Skipping Rocks Lab—made up of chemists, engineers, designers and business advisors–are continuing to pioneer the use of seaweed in other packaging uses, with a mission to become the leading global producer of seaweed-based packaging.”

The whole process uses a lot less energy than normal bottles require, but does it serve to replace them? In pop-up settings, like festivals and sporting events, it could — especially if the machinery used to make them can be made mobile. But for ordinary everyday use the problem is trickier — the membranes are delicate and would pop if tossed into bags or pockets.

Still, the science is worth pursuing: the same method could be expanded to make more robust and larger frameworks (better analogs for ordinary bottles). And the technology could be improved to, made to create and dispense water balls on a more mobile and automatic basis in public-event settings (e.g. ball-vending machines). For now, it isn’t the invention to end plastic bottles some might hope, but it is a step in the right direction and — at least in limited contexts — makes for a sustainable drinking alternative.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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• The 31-year-old hopes move to Everton will earn England return
• If Rooney had gone to China he would have ended international career

Wayne Rooney has claimed Gareth Southgate was right to drop him from the England squad and added he would have quit international football had he left Manchester United for China.

Related: Wayne Rooney rekindles his Everton love affair and wants to play up front

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