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A recent Cooking Mama tournament in Portland, Oregon was mired in controversy after a series of posts on reddit exposed the rampant sexism that happened towards male competitors at the event.

Kyle Phillips, who flew from Intercourse, PA to compete in the event, said the harassment started as soon as he walked in the room.

“I could feel the female eyes gazing at me the entire day,” Phillips wrote in one of his Reddit posts. “The staring I could take, but then came the whistling and the kiss sounds and eventually one woman just reached out and grabbed my ass. I was in such shock, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst came when my Cooking Mama gaming credentials were questioned. Why was it so hard for these women to believe that I played Cooking Mama? I’ve been a fan of the series since it debuted but apparently that’s too hard for them to believe. Apparently my word wasn’t good enough. I try to explain to them that I’m a fan, but they’re all like ‘Yeah right, he probably only plays strategy RPGs and flight simulators.’”

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Last week, gaming deal site GOG released their Galaxy library app . PC users have had Steam for a long time, but GOG wants Galaxy to improve the status quo. Here’s why it’s worth adding to your repertoire.

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There are some things in life that deserve a comeback, and the brewers at Samuel Adams couldn't agree more. While the iconic craft brewer has released hundreds of beers over the years — with names like "Revolutionary Rye Ale" and "East West Kolsch" — and more than 60 styles of beer last year alone, some of these Samuel Adams brews are sealed up and placed in the "vault," in order to make room for new brews.

Each unique Samuel Adams brew often comes with an equally unique, almost cult-like following. And when a beer gets pulled out of national rotation to make room for new brews, people go out of their way to get it back in the lineup. Read more...

More about Beer, Sam Adams, and Brandspeak

The heavy chime of a clock wakes you in a vaguely familiar living room. Scattered keepsakes on tables drop hints at the people who have passed through here, but you can't quite piece them together. The photos hanging on the walls capture smiling faces you don't wholly recognize, even if one of them is yours.

This is the opening scene of Forget-Me-Knot, a new video game that puts its players in the shoes of someone battling Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Alexander Tarvet, a student in Abertay University's Game Design & Production Management program in Dundee, Scotland, aims to use the game to raise awareness of the brain disease, in which a person's memory, thinking and problem-solving skills progressively worsen over time Read more...

More about Games, Health, Entertainment, Gaming, and Social Good

An interesting new study was recently published in the British Medical Journal about the ‘autism epidemic’ we have been experiencing in recent years (1). The Swedish authors of the study used data from children born between 1993 and 2002 to compare time trends in the rates of the autism symptom phenotype (i.e. the symptoms upon which a diagnosis of autism is based) and registered clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder.

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After multiple reports that a player was using hacks to easily win player-versus-player battles in Guild Wars 2, game maker ArenaNet came to the only logical conclusion: execution.

This involved a public stripping, and forced suicide for the character within the game. Behind the scenes, ArenaNet was deleting the character completely, along with the hacker's other accounts, from the server.

It was just composed of 0s and 1s, of course — but this strange form of capital punishment sent no less of a message for it

User DarkSide had been accused of teleporting around the game world, dealing impossible amounts of damage then easily escaping harm — all in ways that couldn't have been possible in Guild Wars 2 Read more...

More about Entertainment, Gaming, and Guild Wars 2

(Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal)

I love the work of Zach Weinersmith, a webcomic artist who combines absurdity, intellectual sophistication, and occasional puns. One of his common approaches is to take a simple idea and extend it to extreme conclusions.

Recently, he retold the story of Pinocchio, giving it a very dark ending. The wooden puppet's nose would grow whenever he told a lie. He found a loophole: he didn't necessarily have to tell the precise truth to avoid growing his nose. Read the rest of the story here.

You know the ones. No Michael Jackson song was complete without a "hoo!", a "dah!" or the classic "hee-hee!"

Now some Internet genius has compiled every one of Jackson's overzealous grunts into one long, strange supercut. Whether it's fun or creepy is for you to decide.

More about Youtube, Viral Videos, Music, Wtf, and Watercooler

Finding a lawyer when you need one can be a tricky task , but Lawtendr wants to make the process a little easier. You post the issue you’d like a lawyer to handle for you, whether it’s a case or research or something else, lawyers bid on the task, and you choose the one you want to work with.

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Image: Paramount Pictures 

Between Star Trek I through Star Trek VI there are countless items of trivia of interest to fans. The article linked below aims to please even the nerdiest of Star Trek nerds with its list of 57 bits of trivia. For example, in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: 

"31. Hello computer?!? The Apple Mac wasn't supposed to be in the factory, and the original Commodore Amiga model was originally supposed to be in its place. Commodore Business Machines refused to send a sample machine for filming and simply told the film crew that they had to buy one. Apple just sent a machine and a member of staff to help out. Commodore also stated it didn't want to be associated with Star Trek. Facepalm..."

In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:

"42. Boom! Cue the 'Praxis Wave' (aka the 'Praxis Effect')! Not only an ear splitting and audience awakening moment, but one that resulted in an iconic special effect being created by Industrial Light & Magic, which would be re-used in other future productions, most notably for the destruction of the Death Star in the special edition of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope."

See all 57 bits of Star Trek film trivia here.

Properly prepared tarantulas make one of the most delicious and texturally satisfying entrées and are on a par with another tasty delight, the lobster. You might think this is typical recipe hyperbole... until you read what "The Bug Chef" has to say about batter-fried tarantulas:

David George Gordon further explains that if you want to fry up an unusual taste for your family or guests, one of the larger tarantulas fills the bill because the exoskeleton is relatively thin and pliable, making batter-fried, muscle-filled legs chewy and not crunchy.

Each recipe serves 4.

Ingredients

Batter-fried tarantulas:

• 2 palm-sized adult tarantulas, live or frozen - available locally or online
  • These should be similar in size to the Chilean rose tarantula also known as the rose hair Tarantula (Grammostola rosea) or
  • similar in size to the Texas brown tarantula—also known as the Oklahoma Brown tarantula or Missouri tarantula—(Aphonopelma hentzi)
• 2 cups canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 cup tempura batter (see below)

Tempura batter:

• ⅔ cup flour
• 2 tsp. corn starch
• 1 cup seltzer water, chilled

Pan-fried, garlic-flavored tarantulas:

• 2 "a-ping" tarantulas, alive or frozen - available online
  • These spiders are also known as "the edible spider" or as the Thai zebra tarantula (Haplopelma albostriatum).
• 1 tsp. MSG (mono-sodium glutamate) - optional
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Cooking oil

Grilled, skewered tarantulas:

• 2 palm-sized adult tarantulas, live or frozen - available locally or online
  • These should be similar in size to the Chilean rose tarantula also know as the rose hair Tarantula (Grammostola rosea) or
  • similar in size to the Texas brown tarantula—also known as the Oklahoma brown tarantula or Missouri tarantula—(Aphonopelma hentzi)
• Sea salt
• Pepper, freshly ground

Steps

Batter-fried tarantulas

Making the tempura batter

1. Whisk an egg in a medium mixing bowl.
   
2. Stir in 1 cup chilled seltzer water. The sparkling water makes for a lighter batter, though you can use tap water or bottled water— the colder, the better.
   
3. Add the flour and corn starch a bit at a time, stirring minimally. Traditional batter (in Japan) is made by stirring briefly with a couple of chopsticks.
   
   • It is OK to leave lumps in the batter and is best not to over-stir the batter as doing so tends to toughen the coating.
   • Make the tempura batter just before use. It is best made fresh and not stored for later use.

Frying the tarantulas

1. Heat the oil to 350℉ (175℃) in a small, deep saucepan.
2. Remove the abdomens from the tarantulas. Sever with a sharp knife, then discard the abdomens. Although some strong-stomached individuals happily consume the abdomens, tarantula abdomens are filled with a dark brown paste which contains the heart, the digestive system, and any eggs that might be developing.
   
3. Singe off any hairs with a crème brûlée torch or butane cigarette lighter. After singeing the hairs, run your fingers over the legs to remove the hair remnants and, at the same time, spread the legs evenly around the spider (as well as you can).
   
4. Coat one spider at a time in the tempura batter, then drop the spider into the hot oil.
   
5. Deep-fry each tarantula until the batter coating is lightly browned (about 1 minute), then place on a paper towel to drain.
   
6. Cut each spider in half lengthwise, sprinkle with paprika, and serve.
   

Pan-fried, garlic-flavored tarantulas

1. Mix the sugar, MSG (optional), and sea salt in a shallow bowl.
   
2. Remove the abdomen from each spider and discard.
   
3. Prepare the tarantulas by singeing the hairs with a flame, rubbing off the hair remnants, then spreading and flattening the legs.
   
4. Bring the cooking oil to temperature in a frying pan. The oil should be about 350℉ (175℃) and below the smoke point.
   
5. Add the crushed garlic and fry until fully fragrant.
   
6. Wet the tarantulas slightly and coat with the sugar/salt/(MSG) mixture.
   
7. Place the tarantulas in the frying pan and cook on each side about one minute.
   
8. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
   
9. Cut lengthwise and serve.
   

Grilled, skewered tarantulas

1. Remove the abdomen from each spider and discard. Sever with a sharp knife, then discard the abdomens. Although some individuals happily consume the abdomens, tarantula abdomens are filled with a dark brown paste which contains most of the vital organs, including the digestive/elimination system and eggs which may be in various stages of development.
   
2. Prepare the tarantulas by singeing the hairs with a flame, rubbing off the hair remnants, then spreading and flattening the legs.
   
3. Place each spider on a skewer and grill for two to three minutes. Cooking time will, obviously, depend upon the size of the tarantula and temperature of the grill or open flame. When you feel that the legs are done, you can opt to remove them and continue to cook the mesothorax for a while.
   
4. Sprinkle the grilled tarantula with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then cut lengthwise and serve.
   

Tips

• The mesothorax contains an ample amount of whitish meat.
• Properly grilled tarantula legs will be crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, while properly fried tarantula legs should be chewy and not so crispy.

Warnings

• Do not eat the venomous fangs or the area of the head adjacent to the fangs.
• Do not overheat the oil.

Things You'll Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing spoons
• Whisk (optional)
• Paper towels
• Crème brûlée torch or butane cigarette lighter
• Skewers (for grilled, skewered tarantulas)
• Frying pan (for pan-fried, garlic-flavored tarantulas)
• Deep, small size sauce pan (for batter-fried tarantulas)
• Tongs (for batter-fried tarantulas)

Related wikiHows

• Eat an Insect or Arachnid
• Cook Grasshoppers
• Identify a Tarantula Spider
• Identify Spiders

Sources and Citations

• http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deep-Fried-Tarantula-Spider-51184810 - Original source for batter-fried tarantulas
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fried_spider - Original source for pan-fried, garlic-flavored tarantulas
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tempura-batter-recipe.html - Original source for tempura batter recipe

During a thunderstorm, launching a rocket with copper wire attached to it is pretty much the exact opposite of what any sane person would do.

But when it's the only way to answer one of the mysteries of science, even scientists, usually the most rational of people, are willing to make an exception.

Last July, researchers from the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) based in San Antonio, Texas, made the trip to Florida to do exactly that. Their mission? To capture the uncapturable, an image of thunder, specifically the sound waves that propagate from thunder's flashier counterpart. Read more...

More about Us World, Us, Lightning, Climate, and Thunderstorm

Senior members of Google's public policy team took to Reddit today to discuss the company's stance on government surveillance reform and the pending expiration of Section 215 of the Patriot Act that allows for the bulk collection of phone records. Go...

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There's plenty I could say about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but in the interest of time I'll keep it short and sweet: it's one of the most influential games ever made. Don't believe me? Eighteen years later, its core design conceit (read: exp...

(615): The sex may be the only reason I like him. I've confused the multiple orgasms for feelings.

Today, I found my 15-year-old son sleeping on the couch. I asked why, and he said he'd rented his room out to someone on Craigslist to make extra money, so he was getting used to sleeping in the living room instead. FML

Gotta make sure… (images via babymchaggis)

Netflix's Full House sequel Fuller House just got, well, fuller.

Dave Coulier, who played comedian-slash-uncle Joey Gladstone on the original series, has said he will be making a return visit to the show when it debuts on the streaming network in 2016.

He broke the news in an Instagram post Thursday morning.

Yes, I'll be on the Fuller House reunion. And this guy, Mark Cendrowski will be directing. #cutitout

A photo posted by Dave Coulier (@dcoulier) on May 7, 2015 at 5:58am PDT

It is unclear how many episodes Coulier will appear in. When reached by Mashable, Netflix said it wasn't commenting at this time. Read more...

More about Netflix, Television, Entertainment, Tv, and Full House

Vegemite, an Australian savory spread made from yeast, veggies and spices, has many purposes.

For example, it can even go with chocolate

Cadbury Australia confirmed that the limited-edition flavor pairing was, indeed, happening

.@Cadbury + Vegemite. The most talked about flavour combination yet… is real! #ChocPlusWhat pic.twitter.com/rU7S7CgYQi

— Cadbury Australia (@CadburyAU) May 7, 2015

It was first inspired by responses to the company's hashtag #ChocPlusWhat?, as were three other new flavors: salted caramel, pretzel and peanut, and golden toffee. Read more...

More about Australia, Cadbury, Chocolate, Watercooler, and Conversations