Nespresso, popular for its espresso pod machines, is going after "big cup" competitor Keurig with its new VertuoLine. Single-serve coffee is one of the fastest growing areas of the otherwise tepid packaged food industry. Keurig currently controls three-quarters of the $8 billion market in the US.
Last week, I was trudging through a very slushy midtown when I happened to turn onto 47th Street…
…and walk past what has to be one of the strangest buildings in Manhattan:
A six-story office building, the facade of 15 East 47th Street is completely obscured by a wall of brass-colored rings:
Here’s a close-up. You can just see the outline of the building’s windows on the other side:
The rings go all the way to the roof…
…and are actually set at a slightly downward angle, perhaps for better visibility from the street. By my count, there are over 6,000.
Adding to the mystery, this is the entire ground floor facade:
Just a door with a number and some circles…
…and a nondescript buzzer. There was no answer when I buzzed, and I’m pretty sure the building is completely vacant.
As it turns out, the building at 15 E 47th Street was once the home of Algeria’s Permanent Mission to the United States. The building was purchased by the Algerian government in 1975 and renovations commenced, at which point I assume the current facade was added. Once completed, the Algerian government remained here until the early 2000s.
But what’s the story with the ringed facade? Reader Architecture Dilettante writes: “It’s a modern take on an Arabic mashrabiya, the carved wood lattice over a street-side window that gives shade and privacy while allowing air to circulate. They’re mostly used in urban areas.”
I noticed the property next door was also abandoned. Very curious if they’ll both disappear in the coming years. If anyone has any further information, be sure to share!
-SCOUT
[Photographs: Carrie Vasios Mullins]
When I think about all the things that I want to bring back from 2008, what tops the list are Season 2 of 30 Rock (OK, partially in hopes of Mystic Pizza: The Musical actually becoming a thing), the chipotle shrimp burrito from La Taqueria in Park Slope (RIP), and the trench coat from Zara that I left in a taxi after too many cocktails at Death & Co. (I mean, at the time I was just thrilled to get in.) Those things may be lost forever, but it turns out there is one thing I can relive: the Snickers Rockin' Nut Road Bar ($1.09).
You may remember seeing the bar on shelves for a short time in 2008, when it became Mars' most successful Snickers special release of all time. The bar is composed of a layer of marshmallow-flavored nougat covered with almonds and caramel and enrobed in dark chocolate.
Wait. Where are the peanuts? Yeah, PSA for peanut lovers: though the packaging looks extremely similar to a regular Snickers bar, the two candies are completely different. That's not a bad thing, but if you're looking for a riff on tradition (or just...peanuts) you won't find them here.
Rockin' Nut Road reminds me much more of Milky Way Midnight, which happens to be one of my favorite candy bars. The layer of marshmallow nougat is sweet—really sweet, with just a mild nougat flavor. I understand that people might cry out against the lack of either major mallow or nougat flavor, but what can I say? I enjoy it. The almonds do a good job of adding a nutty flavor (though I'd describe it as simply "nutty" rather than particularly almond) which balances out the sweetness of the nougat. Like in the Midnight Bar, the choice of dark chocolate is essential. Even though it's not bitter or complex by any real means, it still does a job of providing contrast to the interior.
Overall, I enjoyed the bar and I'm sure my Milky Way Midnight brethren will feel the same. My plea to Mars? Offer it in a mini size. It's sweet enough that a Fun Size would satisfy any intense sugar craving. Not to say that I wouldn't horde them on Halloween.
About the author: Carrie Vasios Mullins is the editor of Serious Eats: Sweets. She likes to peruse her large collection of cookbooks while eating jam from the jar. You can follow her on Twitter @carrievasios
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ah now I get it. Taylor is stealing her youth via secret rituals in order to write more songs about diaries and being on the bleachers and that cute boy from second period.
A familiar shape has popped up on the side of a building in the town of Horsens, Denmark. Pin (55° 51′ 42″ N ; 9° 50′ 47″ E) is part of Public Art Horsens exhibition. The marker is made of 10,078 circular discs that are mounted to plywood and flutter in the wind.
LindsaycdavisonI dont' like champagne cocktails. I like my champagne straight up. or is it neat?
Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
Feb. 1. 9:20 p.m.
Cocktail #6
Feeling: Uhhmm....
Extra guests have arrived! Our friends Ryan and David stop by (we hadn't initially thought to invite them since they hadn't done dry January). But we're happy to see them! And they brought their own alcohol which is great because God knows we only have about 30 gallons of booze in our house right now.
Speaking of gallons of booze, The Seelbach. At this point in the evening, we've already had sherry, rum, gin, tequila, whiskey and brandy -- clearly we need some champagne.
This drink hails from a century ago at Louisville's Seelbach Hotel, and it's a delicious mix of Kentucky whiskey, Cointreau, bitters and champagne. (According to Garden & Gun, the recipe was lost in Prohibition and only rediscovered in 1995.)
This is great. Really, a wonderful cocktail. We love it, our guests love it. Everyone loves everything.
But this cocktail party is starting to break down.
Not break down in a "things are winding down and people are getting ready to leave" way. Break down as in "the breakdown of society in a post-apocalyptic hellscape."
One more drink to go...
The Seelbach
Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
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(This photo: Andrew Hyslop/Garden & Gun)
Ingredients
1 oz. Old Forester bourbon
½ oz. Cointreau liqueur
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Champagne or sparkling wine
Orange peel
Preparation
Stir together bourbon, Cointreau, and bitters in a chilled champagne glass. Top with cold champagne or sparkling wine, and garnish with a long twist of orange peel.
Lindsaycdavison@rudy
I have, I think, always loved cats, but I didn't know it until I had a boyfriend who was allergic, and I realized that if things worked out between us I would never be able to have a cat of my very own. I was surprised by how sad this made me, and surprised when we broke up, so I got a cat, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Lindsaycdavisonfair
In response the the uproar about their discontinuation of EXPEDIT, IKEA released photos of the KALLAX yesterday. Like many of you mentioned in the comments, the KALLAX is a slight tweak on the beloved shelving system: a more scratch-resistant surface, slightly rounded corners, and thinner outer boards, but the same internal dimensions (see the full side-by-side image after the jump). Gizmodo applauds IKEA for the redesign, because the slimmer sides will use less wood, which is a huge sustainability move for a company that uses 1% of the world's lumber.
Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
Feb. 1. 8:35 p.m.
Cocktail #5
Feeling: Hazy
This is where things start getting a little blurry.
We were excited about this Diamondback No. 5 because we've had a bottle of Root liquor burning a hole in our liquor cabinet for a long time. We really like its sassafras flavor, but it's a very strong flavor. So you never need very much of it.
Case in point: You only use it here to rinse the glass. Then you discard the excess liquid. (Which incidentally is fun to do in a party-trick kind of way. Or at least our guests thought it was neat. Pro tip: By the fifth cocktail, your guests will think anything is neat.)
This drink, by the way, is probably the priciest one we served at our party. The 375-ml bottle of chartreuse we bought was $30, and we used half of it for drinks for 8 people. Spendy!
Basically this is a twist on an Old Fashioned. It's really good, and the licorice-ness of both the Root and the chartreuse are a great accompaniment to the rye and the apple brandy.
At this point, a couple of our friends had to peel off to go to a birthday party. We were sorry to see them go, but hey, more for the rest of us.
Heaven help us.
Diamondback No. 5
Garden & Gun (February/March 2014)
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(This photo: Jason Varney/Garden & Gun)
INGREDIENTS
2 oz. Pikesville rye whiskey
¾ oz. Laird’s bonded apple brandy
¾ oz. yellow Chartreuse liqueur
Art in the Age’s Root liqueur
Sugar cube
Lemon peel
PREPARATION
Combine rye, brandy, and Chartreuse in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Rinse a chilled rocks glass with Root liqueur, discarding excess. Place a sugar cube in the glass with a splash of water, and muddle. Strain in rye mixture and garnish with a large swath of lemon peel.
[Photo: Melody Fury]
National Margarita Day, February 22nd, is not one of the holidays on our calendar. We get the day off, but that's because it's Saturday, not because we like to mix our tequila with other stuff. We are not throwing a National Margarita Day party, and we will not be drinking margaritas at it.
But you shouldn't get us wrong: we love margaritas. We love 'em on the rocks, and we love 'em blended up and served in a pineapple. A few years back we drank our way through NY's best options in margaritas, and that was a good week indeed. We love 'em in Austin, we love 'em in Boston, and we really love 'em at home.
The great thing about making margaritas at home is that you know exactly what went into the drinks. Fresh fruit and good booze are worth celebrating pretty much any day of the year. Whether you are observing National Margarita Day or not, here are 6 great recipes to get you started making the best homemade margaritas you've ever had.
[Photo: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
Let's start with the basics. This is Kenji's recipe for fresh citrus margaritas, made with a mix of lemon and lime juice. In all of these recipes, you'll get the best results using tequila made with 100% agave. Look for it on the label!
Get the Fresh Margarita Recipe »
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
In a warm home kitchen, you can't just dump fresh lime, tequila, Cointreau, and simple syrup in blender with ice: as you whir it, the room-temperature liquid melts the ice, so you get a cool, but not brain-freezing-frozen margarita. The secret to real slushie-style margaritas at home: make your margarita base the day before and keep it in a sealed container in your freezer. The mix won't freeze since there's so much alcohol and sugar in it, but it will drop way down in temperature: ours clocked in at 5 degrees Farenheit after an overnight rest. When the party starts, throw your ice in the blender, add your super-cold homemade margarita mix, get it whirring on "ice crush" and you're good to go. The result is sweet-tart, boozy, and totally refreshing.
Get the Frozen Lime Margarita Recipe »
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
Fruity cocktails rarely taste authentically of fruit and spirits, but this one does, showcasing the caramel notes of reposado tequila quite nicely. If you discover that your pineapple isn't super-sweet, microwave the sliced pineapple chunks on a plate for a few secons to bring out the juicy flavors.
Get the Pineapple Margarita Recipe »
[Photo: Jessica Leibowitz]
Pomegranate juice adds a pretty color and vivid flavor to this drink, which also features the wonderful sweetness of fresh tangerines. We like pretty much any drink with fresh ginger in it, but this one is truly delicious.
Get the Tangerine Ginger Margarita Recipe »
[Photo: Kelly Carámbula]
Sweet-tart kumquats are popping with flavor right now—and these teeny fruits are awesome in a margarita. Agave nectar adds a gentle sweetness; you can make this one with either silver or reposado tequila with good results.
Get the Kumquat Margarita Recipe »
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
To get the watermelon flavor to really come through in this thirst-quencher, you'll whir an ample amount of ripe cubed melon (seedless!) in a blender with a little kosher salt. Don't worry, it doesn't make the whole drink salty. Instead of the traditional triple sec, this margarita variation calls for St. Germain elderflower liqueur, which adds a very delicate floral sweetness that works especially well with the melon.
Get the Watermelon Margarita Recipe »
So many drinks, so little time. Keep in the loop on Twitter, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Lindsaycdavison@asd
Weighing in at a half-pound, the new Insight Guides: Explore Paris is the welterweight champion of mini-guides to Paris. The format is a series of walks through all the city’s major neighborhoods. Its writing is sharper than you find in a Fodor’s guide and devoid of the clichés that mar the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. What’s modern about this title is less focus on where to stay and eat (you’ll sort that via Internet anyway) and more on spots to make sure to see while strolling. Photos, which run along the top of almost every page, are high quality, as is the printing. This should not be used as a comprehensive guide for the academic. Rather, it is best suited for people with little time wanting to get the most out of their visit. That said, it would be handy for a resident, too; I learned about plenty of spots that I have been overlooking in my own neighborhood.
Lindsaycdavisonrock the hasbah!
Here is the place I dream to be today ...
Voici l'endroit où je rêverais d'être aujourd'hui...
Unfortunately winter is not over yet and I have to say this is not my favorite season, far from it. I'm the kind of girl who loves the sun and warm temperatures. So believe me, if at the moment I could be in this gorgeous Moroccan riad I would undoubtedly be the happiest person on earth! I always dreamed of having a house with a inner courtyard, palm trees, relaxation areas outside ... This riad combines all this and the decor is beautiful. The white gives a sensation of serenity, a perfect blend of traditional features and contemporary furniture. This riad is a peaceful retreat in the heart of a big city such as Marrakech and I understand why the English owner has fallen in love with this oasis.
Malheureusement l'hiver n'est pas encore fini et je dois dire que ce n'est pas ma saison préférée, loin de là. Je suis le genre de fille qui aime le soleil et les températures chaudes. Alors croyez-moi, si à l'instant je pouvais être dans ce superbe riad marocain je serais sans nul doute la personne la plus heureuse sur terre ! J'ai toujours rêvé d'avoir une maison avec une cour intérieure, des palmiers, des petits coins de détente à l'extérieur... Ce riad réunit tout cela et la déco est également magnifique. Du blanc qui donne une sensation de sérénité, un mélange parfait d'éléments traditionnels et de mobilier contemporain. Ce riad est un refuge paisible en plein coeur d'une grande ville comme Marrakech et je comprends que la propriétaire anglaise soit tombée amoureuse de cette oasis.
These Venetian mirrors are simply stunning!
Ces miroirs vénitiens sont tout simplement splendides !
And what about you ... Does this place make you dream?
Et vous, cet endroit ne vous fait-il pas rêver ?
Images source Elle Decor
Lindsaycdavisonthank god I red this - I was thinking of nto moving mine and just buying it again in singapore, but now i know!
IKEA announced that it will be discontinuing the popular shelving series Expedit this week, prompting fans worldwide to start petitions and Facebook groups. IKEA stated via its German Facebook page that Expedit's successor, Kallax, will have similar internal dimensions and fittings, but with rounded corners.
LindsaycdavisonI still think 19 billion seems like too much...also, i've never been charged for whatsapp...i've had it forever, i wonder if that's why?
With $19 billion, Facebook could have purchased Sony or Gap or four aircraft carriers. Instead, it bought WhatsApp, a tiny startup that so far had accumulated barely $60 million in funding, mostly from Sequoia. This is nuts, you might say; although the world of mobile messaging is upon us, that is an awful lot of money.
But think about what exactly Facebook is buying:
Young users. WhatsApp acquired about 450 million monthly active users in 5 years, 70% of whom are active each day, which is about three times as many as Facebook had after 5 years and almost 10 times more than Twitter or Skype had. To be sure, these numbers translate into minuscule revenues and most of the users are probably on Facebook anyway. On the other hand, they are just the people Facebook is most worried about losing.
A new business model. Unlike Facebook and most other Internet giants of that generation, WhatsApp employs a subscription-based revenue model, charging its users $0.99 a year after the first year of use. Further, in a decidedly different approach from Facebook, there is a commitment to no advertising and presumably no commercial exploitation of user data. The acquisition could help Facebook understand how to successfully execute on a business model that could replace its own.
Enhancements to the existing business model. The daily messaging volume of WhatsApp approaches the SMS volume of the entire global telecom industry, and while Facebook has become the medium for big announcements of life events, daily connections are better captured by metadata from messaging apps. Undoubtedly this data could much enhance Facebook’s ability to pick out people’s most important relationships from among their acquaintances, which would presumably lead to better-targeted advertising.
Internationalization. Facebook Messenger is big in the USA but not in other countries. In key markets like India and South America WhatsApp is MUCH more popular than Facebook Messenger. And this is where, we think, the majority of the immediate real value is: the global turn to mobile is quite evident and Facebook wants to be a part of it as soon as it can.
If you list all these reasons for the deal, and throw in some competitive pressure from the likes of Google, the $19 billion number might not look so silly after all. Time will tell. But regardless of how this deal turns out, the one unambiguous loser, in our opinion, is the telecom industry, which currently enjoys about $100 billion year in revenues from SMS services globally.
Moral of the story: If you don’t create an alternative yourself, others will disrupt your business model for you.
Does your city get plenty of nice weather? Atlanta-based designer and software engineer Kelly Norton ranked tallied how many pleasant (not too hot, not too cold, no significant precipitation) weather days cities across the country got on a yearly average. No surprise that Los Angeles ranked highly (150 days), with McAllister, Mont. only having 14.
Lindsaycdavisonas if harvard needs more money...
    
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Bad Kids Jokes: With Glasses On
#thisblog
This is a beacon of light at the end of an infinite tunnel.
Benjamin Shine has created the Rekindle Candlestick, a taper holder that collects melted wax in its base to make a new candle.
Lindsaycdavisonwhat is with these people???? THROW THEM AWAY. write down what songs are on the fucking tape and then make a playlist. the end!
Q: During my recent stay and visit with my parents, I was told there was a good chance they were going to be moving out of the country after retiring soon, and that I should check out all of my old boxes for things I wanted to keep before they put it all into the donation pile. I discovered a cache of once loved old audio cassettes, many of them mixtapes I made back in high school and college. What's the best way to get these mixes from analog to digital file format?
Sales prices for homes vary widely across the U.S. HSH.com, an online mortgage lender, looked at the 25 largest metro areas in the country to determine salary requirements to buy the average home. In Cleveland, people need a base salary of $19,435 a year to afford the average home, while San Franciscans have to make $115,000 annually.
Lindsaycdavisonwill he sign the trade agreements with the EU and cut off ties with Putin?
The deadly crisis may be coming to an end. President Viktor Yanukovych said Friday that he's agreed to form a unity government and to hold new elections.
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Lindsaycdavisonugh
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Lindsaycdavisonjesus
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A treehouse bed is guaranteed to transform any child's room into the ultimate hideaway. In recent years we have seen some wonderful ones, both store-bought and homegrown. Here are a few favorites.
Lindsaycdavisoni'm jackie!!!!! yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
for those of you that haven't seen season 2, you probably don't know who that is, but it's probably the only 'good' character ha
Unfortunately, we can’t all be the Underwoods… Also, this quiz is relatively spoiler-free.
LindsaycdavisonOMG so cute
I can’t think of better nap time friends.
youtube.com / Via lovemeow.com
youtube.com / Via lovemeow.com
youtube.com / Via lovemeow.com
youtube.com / Via lovemeow.com
