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You are indeed correct! The banana is a berry, because it is a fleshy fruit that comes from a single plant ovary. The bananas we eat are actually seedless, so cultivated species reproduce asexually. Wild banana species can have big seeds in them.

The strawberry is an accessory fruit, and not a berry. The fleshy part of the strawberry that we eat is the swollen tissue of the inflorescence head, basically the part that holds the petals and reproductive bits. The little “seeds” aren’t seeds at all, they’re the matured ovaries of the flower.

So now you can politely inform your friend that bananas are berries, and strawberries are not!

~ Claire

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot has been transferred to a new penal colony, according to Russian authorities, who were responding to her husband's complaints that she had gone missing from the prison where she's been held since being convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" in 2012. Pussy Riot has been a cause celebre since three members were arrested for staging an anti-government concert in February of 2012; Tolokonnikova has been particularly vocal, even staging two hunger strikes in protest of abhorrent conditions in Russian prisons. (Her open letter about her prison time is here, and it's fascinating and horrifying.) Tolokonnikova is due for release in March of next year. [h/t to The Guardian]

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A mother cow tracks her calves by scent, and will grow anxious if separated. Smell is the main love currency between bulls and their mates. And cows have proven skittish about the odor of blood and offal (raising questions about whether they grasp their own mortality).

Heavy stuff, this. Now perhaps you’ll suppress your snicker — there’s a new cologne from Portland, Maine, specially calibrated for cows. “I set out to make something sexy and subtle, that cows would find soothing,” says creator Lisa Brodar.

Field Testing Cow Cologne

• To determine whether Farmer’s Cologne brings all the cows to the yard, Modern Farmer staff writer Jesse Hirsch and editorial fellow Parker Hatley headed to Dutch Hollow Farm for a field test. Hirsch liberally poured on the Farmer’s Cologne, while Hatley lathered up with nightclub favorite John Varvatos Eau de Toilette.
• The comparison test was twofold: fraternizing with some calves (i.e., young tastemakers), then milking a couple of full-grown cows. Here are the findings:
• 1) Young cows love Farmer’s Cologne. The calves swarmed Hirsch, sniffing and sticking their heads through the fence to say hello. At one point, Hirsch dumped a bunch of the cologne in his bag (clumsiness, not science) and one frisky lady started pulling it over the fence with her teeth.
• 2) John Varvatos, not so much. The calves acted spooked around Hatley, bracing their legs and keeping about 5 feet of distance. One brave little soul ventured in to smell him, then skittered off. “That one literally just made a retching noise,” said Hatley.
• 3) Adult cows love Farmer’s Cologne. Hirsch milked a cow named Minty (herself named for a pleasant smell). She was copacetic and calm, despite Hirsch’s ham-handed attempts to secure milking equipment to her udders.
• 4) John Varvatos, not so much. Hatley’s cow, Edrinalee, grew skittish immediately. She kicked off her milking equipment twice, and eventually farmer Nathan Chittenden had to restrain her legs with a hook (“90 percent of our cows never require the hook,” said Chittenden.) She also took twice as long as Minty to be milked, and gave less product.
• Naturally, this was one of the least scientific tests possible. Variables that could have affected the results: general demeanor of the milkers, Minty and Edrinalee’s moods, their positions on the milking line, etc.
• Chittenden says his cows do react to smells; they might nip at your hair if it’s freshly washed, and they’re averse to the odor of smoke. Still, he doubts the power of this new cologne. “There are so many factors that could have created these results,” he said. “I wouldn’t give it too much weight.”

Brodar owns Portland General Store, maker of natural scents for the rustic, modern hombre. Options include Moonshine, Moss, Tobacco, and Wood. Her new, cow-friendly cologne costs $110 a bottle and is targeted at the urban cowboy, “with the sun and dust clouds casting a warm light across his weathered skin” (a quote from the product description).

Many of Brodar’s scents are meant to be evocative, like Saltwater, designed to “conjure the sense of a dad in a 1970s photo, lounging on a sun-stained beach.” Or Whiskey, which doesn’t smell like whiskey at all (sorry boozehounds). But this new Farmer’s Cologne gives more than an abstract flavor of farm life – it was tested on cows.

Brodar got the idea from Fragrancefreeliving.com, after the site ran a post about a Canadian farmer. In this (somewhat dubious) story, the nameless farmer’s cows are acting weird; he decides they’re repulsed by his odor. Apparently his wife was using artificially scented detergent in the laundry — and his cows weren’t into it. Soon the farmer started keeping a stash of fragrance-free clothes in the barn. Problem solved.

Brodar thinks cows are hypersensitive to artificial scents, because they haven’t been conditioned like humans. Take scented fabric softener, which promise to transport you to a breezy meadow, to the smell of sunshine itself. In truth, dryer sheets smell as much like the sun as Dimetapp tastes like a grapevine. “Cows are like newborn babies,” says Brodar. “They haven’t been conditioned to enjoy chemical smells. They’ll sneeze and shy away.”

Brodar’s challenge: Could she design a cologne that would appeal to both the sensitive bovine sniffer — and the stylish modern farmer?

She started doing research, ferreting out info from obscure corners of the web. She learned that cows have reacted well to woody essential oils. Sandalwood, for instance, is used in India – where the bovine is sacred – as a cow-calming agent. It’s also been added to cattle feed in Wales, to reduce methane emissions.

Brodar tinkered, mixing natural oils and essences — sandalwood and sage, cedar and blue tansy (plus a few proprietary secrets). Finally, she hit on a balance she liked. It had a woody, earthen musk, with only a hint of the pungency found in mainstream fragrance (a writer in the Los Angeles Times is blunt: “Redolent of the grain and hay smells of the cow barn from my Vermont childhood … with an ever-so-slight medicinal note.”)

Before hitting the open market, Brodar did some product testing — with a very select focus group. Doused in the cologne, she made three visits to a small Maine dairy farm. The first trip was to introduce herself to the cows, the second was to attempt a milking, and the third was to spend time in the barn, “just hanging out” with her new cow friends.

Results? The farm’s owner told Brodar the cows seemed relaxed, and that milk production was high during her visits. Anecdotally, the cows rubbed up against her quite a bit — especially the females. Brodar admits the test wasn’t scientific, but “all the signs seemed positive.” (See sidebar for Modern Farmer‘s own rigorous field test.)

Of course, it’s not the cows who will shell out over a hundred bucks for a small bottle of cologne. It’s the farmer — or the wannabe farmer. “This probably isn’t for the third-generation farmer who smells like whiskey and washes with Castile soap,” she says. “It’s for the guy in Brooklyn who wants to move back to the land, to become a homesteader … but who still likes going out at night.”

 Photo at top: Staff writer Jesse Hirsch field tests the new cow cologne. Credit: Parker Hatley

The post Made in Portland: The $110 Cologne for Cows appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Led by Ultima creator Richard Garriott, indie developer Portalarium released a new update video for Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues detailing the game's progress over the past six months. The 25-minute video covers the scenic towns of Kingsport and Owl's Head, dipping into the types of homes that players can own before showing the game's crafting system and the first prototype of its combat. Garriott and company earned $1,919,275 on Kickstarter in April to develop the game, and has hauled in an extra $698,480 since then through independent funding on Portalarium's website.

Shroud of the Avatar is a fantasy RPG for PC that leans heavily on world exploration. The game features single-player and online multiplayer modes reminiscent of Ultima Online. It is currently on pace for a late 2014 launch with backer-exclusive early access planned for late 2013.

Ultima creator's Shroud of the Avatar seen in six-month progress video originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nova fuckin’ Scotia, 1961

Fight breaks out.

IRISH MUSIC.*

(eyeroll)

*see also Pirates Doing Anything Whatsoever

More proof of the mummy's curse? A recent examination of Tutankhamun's mummified remains shows that it spontaneously combusted shortly after burial. It's one of two incredible new insights into the life — and afterlife — of the world's most famous pharaoh.

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Meowtfit is a Tumblr blog crawling with funny photos of cats wearing tights. These fashionable felines really know how to stretch their back legs in style. In related news, we’ve previously written about photos of dogs wearing pantyhose.

images via Meowtfit

via Sad and Useless, Pleated-Jeans

Last night’s first ever YouTube Music Awards were an awkward, unfunny, under-rehearsed mess that nobody wants to remember. Don’t worry though, we took screenshots.

Hackers recently leaked 153 million Adobe user emails, encrypted passwords, and password hints. So obviously, they should be turned into the largest crossword puzzle of all-time.

As the White House struggles with the rollout of Obamacare’s online health insurance marketplace, pressure has mounted within the Republican Party to begin offering conservative alternatives that address the nation’s health care crisis.

Philly.com

Senate Approves Ban On Gay Bias at Work Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON—The Senate passed legislation Thursday banning workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers, nearly two decades after a push for such protection began in Congress. Supporters hailed Thursday's ... Toomey votes for gay-rights billPhilly.com Senate votes to ban discrimination against gay and transgender workersWashington Post US Senate passes 'Enda' gay rights billBBC News CNN -New York Times -Boston.com all 1,063 news articles »

Psychochronography: A Golden Thread: An Unofficial Critical History of Wonder Woman:

philsandifer:

Right, now it’s officially out, so let’s do this properly.

I am proud to announce the release of A Golden Thread: An Unofficial Critical History of Wonder Woman from Eruditorum Press.

A Golden Thread is a history of Wonder Woman, focused primarily on her comics appearances and her role as a…

A new read on Diana. Worth checking out!

Berger and Wyse

4chan

djempirical

this KILLED me. i love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjV_mrHyWs

Original Source

I received the new cocktail menu from Brandon Wise of Imperial in Portland, Oregon and noticed that it has the following drink on it: Slings and Arrows: Dewars blended scotch, Lemonhart Demerara rum, Lemon, Mulled pinot noir syrup, Tony's homemade switchel. The last ingredient was described as, "House-made switchel, also known as swizzle or haymaker’s punch. A long forgotten ingredient, Wise’s nostalgic resurrection of this carbonated cross between sweet tea and apple cider is an appreciated addition to Imperial’s ingredient list." So, a switchel sounds a lot like a shrub, a (usually) fruit-and-vinegar syrup. I followed up with Wise to ask him: What's the difference between a switchel and a shrub? His response: There are many commonalities between switchel and shrub. The main difference is the role of fruit(s and veggies): shrubs, speaking in a general sense, are a way to preserve fruits of the season with vinegar. The switchel we make also incorporates vinegar, apple cider vinegar specifically, but does not rely on fruit for its flavor. Molasses, cider vinegar, and ginger are the key flavor agents in our switchel whereas in a 'strawberry shrub' (for example) the strawberry is the primary flavoring agent which is then effected by...

[Visit Alcademics.com for the full post.]

Frequent contributor Bennett Haselton writes: "A Harvard biologist was able to get an intentionally flawed paper accepted for publication by a number of open-access academic journals, included that had supposedly been vetted for quality by advocates of open access. It seems the problem could be mitigated by consolidating journals within a field, so that there are much fewer of them, publishing much more articles per journal -- so the review processes take the same amount of labor, but you have fewer journals that have to be audited for procedural honesty." Read on for the rest, including his idea to solve the problem of fraudulent submissions (or even just sub-par science) through simplification.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Our techie pals at Engadget went hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine prototype, and by hands-on we mean they surgically investigated the thing, as the above image attests. The company's new line-up of gaming machines will support the Linux-based SteamOS, and are coming in multiple forms next year via third-party manufacturers. What Engadget took a look at is Valve's own prototype, which is going into the hands of just 300 beta testers.

"Really we just wanna have confidence that all the customers on Steam are having enough options, and that the price/performance spectrum is as fleshed out as Steam customers want it to be," Valve designer Greg Coomeer told Engadget when pushed on the Machines' availability outside of beta. "And right now, the indications that we have from the lineup that we're gonna be talking about at CES, is that they are gonna have enough choice. So we're gonna continue to treat this as a test platform and see how that goes."

So, more news on the Steam Machines at January's CES trade show. That's two of Valve's big three September reveals covered, just leaving the Steam Controller. Well, Engadget has you covered there too, so head that way for a hands-on look at the twin-trackpad peripheral.

A look inside Valve's Steam Machine prototype originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in March, we decided to handle baseball predictions a little differently.

Meet Kitty Sanchez: Kitty is nine years old, a cat, and, as far as I know, is not a devoted baseball fan. What we are here to find out today is whether or not these things will get in the way of her ability to accurately predict the outcome of the 2013 Major League Baseball season.

The idea behind this was that basically anyone can make predictions about baseball, that the prediction business is such a crapshoot that even a cat had the same chance of correctly choosing the World Series winner as someone who is paid to do this as a profession. Now, with the season behind us, we can take a look to see just how accurate the internet's most adorable prognosticator was.

No, really, she's super cute.

If you need a reminder of how Kitty Sanchez went about picking her playoff teams and eventual winner, the whole thing can be found here through the wonders of hyperlinks. Now, on to the results.

American League

Kitty picked the Orioles to win the American League East, the Royals the AL Central, and the Angels the West. While it would not have been prescient, in the eyes of many, to select the Orioles or Royals as legitimate playoff contenders, the Angels were seen as a pre-season favorite. To Kitty's credit, she was only as wrong on Angels as many others were, and was closer to right on the Orioles and Royals than most, given Baltimore finished at 85-77, six games back from a wild card, and the Royals came even closer at 86-76.

Our feline friend had much better luck with her selection of the Red Sox as an AL wild card and eventual American League Championship Series entrant, but not so much with the Astros, who finished with the worst record in the majors. She also missed the boat with the Angels as the AL's champion, but again, Red Sox in the ALCS is better than most accomplished: Just three of ESPN's 43 participants correctly selected the Sox as a playoff team, and none of them had the Sox reaching the World Series, either.

National League

Over in the Senior Circuit, Kitty picked the Nationals as the NL East champion, with the Brewers taking the Central and the defending-champion Giants pulling through in the West. She correctly identified one wild card, the Reds, and missed on the other, the Mets, who ended up finishing with a protected draft pick thanks to their poor record. The Nationals missed the playoffs by four games, while the Brewers were well back of the pace at 74-88. The Giants, as Grant Brisbee reminded us all constantly, were a mess, and ended up tied for third place in the Dodgers-dominated NL West.

That's a shame, since Kitty picked them to meet up with the Angels in the World Series. Of ESPN's 43 predictions, 36 of them had the Giants in the playoffs, but none of them had San Francisco reaching the Fall Classic.

World Series

Kitty picked the Angels to triumph over the Giants, in a case of an off-season favorite defeating the previous season's champion. Three of ESPN's experts also picked the Angels to win, with another two having Los Angeles reach the World Series, but fail to come out champions. Only two of ESPN's predictions were without the Angels reaching the playoffs at all, so they were a popular pick in general, even outside of the feline realm.

The Conclusion

While her picks weren't incredibly accurate, she correctly picked the Reds to be a wild card, was closer than most on the Orioles and Royals -- just two of ESPN's predictions had the Royals in October, with six going for Baltimore -- and had the Red Sox reaching the ALCS. When you adjust for the fact she's a cat, that's some pretty solid preseason predicting. When you look at what most other people picked, you probably don't even have to adjust for her species for that to hold true.

Just so we had a baseline to use besides ESPN's, I tossed my own predictions in last March at the end of Kitty's article: it wouldn't be very nice of me to judge them for their picks without making my own, you know. Mine went decidedly better than Kitty's, so at least she won't be replacing me as an SBNation.com editor. Not yet, anyway.

AL East: Rays; Red Sox (wild card)

AL Central: Tigers

AL West: Rangers; Angels (wild card)

ALCS: Rays over Red Sox

NL East: Braves; Nationals (wild card)

NL Central: Reds; Cardinals (wild card)

NL West: Dodgers

NLCS: Braves over Nationals

World Series: Braves over Rays

It could have been more accurate, sure, but I only missed badly on one playoff team -- I also picked the Angels, who pitched even worse than I imagined they would -- and my LCS predictions ended up being LDS match-ups instead. Given the outcome and my allegiances, however, I'll take being wrong on where the Red Sox' season ended, especially since I wasn't upstaged by my cat on that one.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Finally, a Red Sox logo conspiracy | #Lookit

• Brisbee: Which teams should be the Red Sox?

• Ellsbury likely leaving Red Sox | 2013-14 free agent tracker

• How to fix the: Twins | Marlins | Astros | Cubs

• Death of a Ballplayer: Wrongly convicted prospect spends 27 years in prison

Across the country, insurance companies have sent misleading letters to consumers, trying to lock them into the companies' own, sometimes more expensive health insurance plans rather than let them shop for insurance and tax credits on the Obamacare marketplaces.

Public scrutiny is nothing new to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Prior to the 2011 draft he was knocked for having a "disingenuous smile," some questioned whether he deserved the Heisman trophy amid controversy and upon entering the NFL questions were raised whether he was a leader or just an "Icon and entertainer." Newton sat down with Laura Okmin of Fox Sports to reveal who he is, not just as a quarterback but as a man.

Newton credits his maturation to his "deflators," a role played by his father and oldest brother. It's a title of gratitude given to two people that help bring him back down to earth when his head is "getting full of helium," as Newton calls it. One of their jobs this offseason was to sit him down and show him why he's perceived as selfish.

"It was very disgusting," Newton said. "That's as blunt as I can be. I could say other words as well. We went back on YouTube and looked at Cam Newton's post game interviews. I was like "oh my God," I see what people see. I see how people are viewing me. When they see this selfish player, or see this childish temper tantrum that I was throwing, I'm like "that's why people look at me like that"

Understanding how the world perceives him was the first step in noticing the problem and becoming a better teammate. The Panthers quarterback talked about his inconsistency and how he was often aloof. Newton said the rest of the organization needed to play a guessing game. "I get it now," Newton said, "It's not about one week getting there 30 minutes early with donuts, then not being around the next week." He also better understood why his method was often off base, "My intentions were good. I never once wanted to portray a guy who was nonchalant about anything but winning, but the way I came off was too aggressive."

The shift in demeanor was noticeable prior to the season as teammates voted Newton a captain for the first time, and the quarterback is having fun again after two years of criticism for his surly attitude and towel over his head.

"I've always since high school had the towel over my head. Why? I was inspired by Michael Jordan. He would come to the sideline put a towel over his head and a towel over his lap. I was trying to be like Mike, everyone was trying to be like Mike."

The Carolina Panthers are currently at 5-3, one game behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. A four game winning streak has turned around the season, but Newton isn't ready to rest on his laurels after the team went about .500 for the first time in his career.

"It's just seven games in. People act like we need to have a celebration. Are we excited, absolutely but it's pushing us to higher heights."

Food analogies are common for Newton. When he first arrived in Carolina he told the media the path to winning would be more like "Collard greens than instant grits," alluding to how it would take time for the Panthers to be good. Now he's discussing the team in terms of banana pudding. The need for the team's preparation and ingredients to come together in harmony to create a good result. He was candid about why it took time for him to be a healthy part of this recipe.

"I was scared for a lot of reasons. I've never been in a place this long, now I can call Charlotte home."

Letting more of his personality shine through and becoming more comfortable are two ways Newton has improved as a player, a teammate and as a man. The gregarious persona on the field didn't really mirror his feelings off it, as he talked about being a loner who would spend time at home alone with his dog, rather than spend time socializing with teammates -- something that's changed

"I want to be recognized as Superman, it's my alter ego, but in a lot of ways I have that Batman demeanor. Nobody knows who Batman is. For so long nobody's known who I am off the field."

Being a loner didn't work for Newton over his first two years. He was asked to be the Panthers lone offensive threat in 2012, leading the team in passing and rushing en route to a 7-9 record.

"It turns from Superman to the X-Men or the Justice League real quick," Newton said. "Let's be frank, I can't do this by myself."

The full 30-minute interview can be seen here, and it reveals a lot more about Newton's preparation and how he's learned to deal with teammates. He closes with a firm understanding and regret that an interview needed to take place at all.

"I'm happy to be here, but I hate this this is happening. This shouldn't even happen. You shouldn't need to have a discussion about your maturation."

His dream is for the Panthers to win a Super Bowl, which Newton acknowledges will take a lot of time and effort but believes the pieces are in place. If he can keep leading this team and stay away from the bad habits that seeped through in his first two seasons they might have a shot.

More from SB Nation NFL

• NFL Debrief: How we learned to love the Jets

• Takeaways: Brady's back, Saints slip and more

• Nick Foles ties NFL record with 7 touchdowns

• Gary Kubiak collapses at halftime of Texans-Colts

• Breaking Madden: Let's put Brett Favre on the Rams | More

Under Armour's latest Northwestern uniforms feature stars and stripes all over, in partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, including these eye-catching cleats:

Photos via Darren Rovell

After a bye week, the Wildcats face Michigan and are hoping to break a five-game losing streak. It's a must-win game for Northwestern, who started out 4-0 and need to win two out of their last three to make a bowl game.

Previously in the year, the Red Raiders unveiled some sweet new uniforms provided by the Lone Survivor Foundation, which will be worn in Texas Tech's next game, against Kansas State.

The Red Raiders will face national title contender Baylor in a game Texas Tech has to win if they have any hope of staying in the Big 12 race. Texas Tech has been one of the surprise teams this season, starting the year a perfect 7-0 before back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Why don't we take a look at some other examples of Wounded Warrior jerseys, not all of which were by Under Armour?

South Florida:

South Carolina:

Virginia Tech:

Maryland:

The Wounded Warrior project serves to help veterans acquire services they need through awareness campaigns and fundraising efforts. Their mission statement is "to honor and empower Wounded Warriors." Formed in 2003, they've spent over $100 million on the cause.

More from SB Nation college football:

Follow @SBNationCFBFollow @SBNRecruiting

• New BCS rankings: Noles reclaim No. 2 from Oregon

• At the scene of the SEC’s newest bitter rivalry

• Ohio State finally looks the part, and five other big stories

• New bowl projections: Alabama-Oregon and all 34 others

• Opening lines: Bama, Oregon, Baylor favored in next week’s huge games

• Long read: Inside Chip Kelly’s New Hampshire laboratory

Will Rodgers

Ars Technica reports, probably to no one's surprise, that U.S. elected officials are unlikely to start seeing Edward Snowden as a righteous whistleblower rather than a traitor to the U.S. government. From the article:"[Sunday], the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and her House counterpart, Mike Rogers (R-MI), both emphasized there would be no mercy coming from Washington. 'He was trusted; he stripped our system; he had an opportunity—if what he was, was a whistle-blower—to pick up the phone and call the House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and say I have some information,' Feinstein told CBS' Face The Nation. 'But that didn’t happen. He’s done this enormous disservice to our country, and I think the answer is no clemency.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Very nice execution on today's Google Doodle celebrating what would have been his 120th birthday with an homage to his design of the Pennsylvania Railroad S1 train.