Prcog1

“Nobody outworks” him, Obama says.

Although plastic wine corks and metal screw-on caps have been around for a while, there is evidence for an “overwhelming preference” among consumers for traditional corks, even though they suffer from inconsistent quality resulting in “cork taint”.

Enter the ‘Helix’, a new twistable cork concept from Portuguese cork manufacturer Amorim and US bottle maker O-I.

The new cork uses “agglomerated, or granulated, cork for the design, which they claim offers greater elasticity and reliability than standard stoppers to better protect the wine”.

The threaded nature of the ‘Helix’ also allows it to be resealable, offering a convenient solution to those who prefer corks.

The ‘Helix’ is debuting at the International VinExpo wine fair in Bordeaux and could hit the market witihin the next 24 months.











[via MSN News, images via Helix]

We’ve all seen ultrasound pictures of human babies, but the pictures that follow go way beyond the grainy, black and white images we are used to.

These amazing photos of baby animals in the womb were captured by scientists using a combination of high-tech ultrasound scans, tiny cameras and computer graphics, and were featured on National Geographic’s ‘In The Womb’ series.

Take a look at the adorable photos of baby dolphins, dogs, elephants and penguins below.





















[via Indulgd]

Built around 1900, the Karosta Prison in Latvia is considered to be even more impressive than Alcatraz Prison in the US.

Lodging at the Karosta Prison takes place in a prison cell, sleeping on either old mattresses on wooden boards or iron bunk beds. A “prison meal” is even included.

Visitors can take an interactive tour of the prison, where each visitor takes the part of a prisoner, experiencing an authentic recreation of Soviet-era prison life.

However, this option is not for the faint-hearted. The prison requires visitors to sign a release form acknowledging that they will be treated as a prisoner, complete with verbal abuse and physical exercise.





















[via Oddity Central, images via Flickr]

Amid all of the intrigue about the new product Facebook will introduce Thursday, developer Tom Waddington has now found evidence to support both of the popular theories, following up his discovery of mentions of RSS in Facebook’s code last week, which potentially signifies some sort of news reader, with his unearthing of mentions of video in Instagram’s code, which could signal Facebook’s introduction of a video-sharing feature for its photo-sharing network.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Anyone with siblings — any number, younger or older, take your pick — has thought at some point that the person with whom they share parents (and toys and meals and sometimes, God forbid, a bedroom) is out to do nothing on this planet but drive you mad. It turns out, that might be closer to the truth than anyone is comfortable with. A recent study at the University of New Hampshire suggests that sibling-on-sibling violence can have the same detrimental effects on mental health as every day bullying. 

The University of New Hampshire study, published in the July issue of the journal Pediatrics, looked at data from nearly 3,600 youngsters, concentrating on factors like physical violence between siblings, psychological aggression, and property aggression, like stealing a siblings toys. The results showed, unsurprisingly, that adolescents (kids ten years and older) were less affected by sibling aggression than children between one month and nine years old. They also suggested, though, that this sort of oft-ignored aggression isn’t actually less severe than peer bullying. It was just different, but could ultimately result in the same mental health problems — like depression and harm to educational achievement — as peer bullying.

As someone reasonably familiar with sibling-on-sibling violence, it makes sense that a bully picking on you and your brother picking on you would be psychologically distinct, but equally severe. After all, your average brother is going to be born much better at picking on a sibling than most bullies ever could be.

My kid brother is a great guy, and I love him a lot. But the fact of the matter is we both bear real and lasting scars (yes, physical and emotional) from decades of growing up together. And while my parents generally managed to step in before anyone got grievously injured, anything short of powerbombs through a table (what can I say, we were a WWF-watching household) tended to be met with reactions that will be familiar to many – ” Brothers fight,” “Kids will be kids,” etc. No one was filming any Boyfights, but we, like many siblings, had a pretty long leash as far as wailing on one another was concerned, and like I imagine a lot of big brothers out there, I find myself entering my dotage wishing I been easier on my kid brother when we were growing up. (Graham, if you’re reading this, consider it a blanket apology for…oh, pretty much everything I did until you were 9 or so. Yes, even the stuff you totally had coming.)

The researchers behind the study hope that pediatricians will take their findings to heart and help the spread the word that while fighting between siblings may be more accepted — and let’s face it, unavoidable sometimes, like on long car rides — that doesn’t necessarily make it better.

(via TKTKTKTK)

Meanwhile in related links

• Cyberbullying is still less common than good old “Gimme your lunch money” bullying
• Then again, it’s not like that makes it uncommon…
• Ain’t no fight like a fight over CCG cards, I can tell you that

Do you ever get bored at work or school and pretend your pencil is a race car? No? Well, you’re missing out, but the Pullbax Pencil Racers can fix that by actually turning your pencil into a real race car. You won’t be burning up the track at Daytona with these racers, but you will [...]

Beginning this week, 25 solar-powered cell phone chargers will be installed in New York City parks. The free-to-use devices will include microUSB and both varieties of iPhone plug, and will be located in Union Square, Riverside Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park, with more locations to be added over the summer.

According to CNET, the charging stations are fully funded by AT&T, with no cost to city taxpayers, and were a product of AT&T’s post-Sandy relief work, during with the wireless carrier provided chargers to blacked-out areas.

(Photo: Sue Waters/Flickr)

The post Solar Cell Phone Chargers Coming to NYC Parks appeared first on ANIMAL.

Not every brand has access to Facebook hashtags yet, but one group that does — members of Congress — has taken a liking to the social network’s newest feature. Don Seymour, digital strategist for Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), talked up his use of Facebook hashtags in two posts promoting an event honoring Frederick Douglass Wednesday. continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

In our third installment of Who Knew? Helpful Kitchen Tips, here are ten simple fixes for common kitchen dilemmas. I’ve also included a few fabulous tips that readers shared on my last Who Knew? post. Do you have a useful kitchen tip? Please share in the comments below!

1. There’s a super simple, gadget-free way to getting the most juice out of your citrus. Instead of cutting your lemons and limes in half horizontally, try cutting them length-wise. You’ll get up to three times the amount of juice!

It’s true! Check out this video if you don’t believe me. The video was produced by Gourmet Magazine, shared recently by TheKitchn:

2. Keep your crudité (fresh vegetable appetizers) fresh by storing between damp paper towels and then covering the container in plastic wrap. This will ensure that your veggies are still crunchy and fresh when it’s time to eat.

3. Some ovens run hotter than others, so don’t always trust what the temperature setting reads. Find out where your oven stands by taking the temperature yourself with an oven-safe thermometer. Then you can compare the readings and adjust for next time.

4. Rubber dishwashing gloves help create the perfect grip on those hard to open jars.

5. To repair crystallized honey, simply put the container in a bowl of hot water until it is smooth again. Then store it in a cool, dry place. Also, never allow water to get inside of the container, which can ruin your honey by creating mold.

6. Not sure if your oil is hot enough for frying? Test it with the end of a wooden spoon. If small bubbles form around the wooden handle you’re ready to go. You can also check the temperature by dropping a cube of crustless white bread in the oil. If it turns golden brown in about 60 seconds, you’re ready to fry!

7. Separating a large amount of eggs? Try doing one or two at a time into a separate dish first, that way if a small amount of yolk drips into your whites you haven’t wasted your whole batch.

8. You’ve just hosted a dinner party and you’re left with several bottles of wine with just a small amount at the bottom of each. Don’t pour it down the drain! Try freezing it in ice cube trays, then pulling it out later for use in sauces and reductions.

9. Do you add olive oil to the water when you boil pasta? Many of us do, and yet there is no need! Oil rises to the top and separates from the water, which means it doesn’t affect the texture of your cooked pasta one bit. Save that oil for after you’ve cooked your pasta, when you can drizzle it on or use it as the base for a healthy Mediterranean pasta sauce!

10. When using fresh fruit and berries in cakes, breads and pancakes, toss them in flour first. They will distribute more evenly throughout the batter, plus they won’t break open as easily when you’re stirring.

Reader Tips

Here are a few of my favorite tips that were shared by readers on the last installment of Who Knew!

Don´t store tomatoes in the refrigerator, it takes away from the sweet taste. ~ Gilly

Another tomato tip – when you are storing them on your counter, which you should ALWAYS do to avoid mealy, icky tomatoes, sit them on their bottoms. The stem end of the tomato is delicate and you can bruise them when you store them top down. I keep mine in a pretty glass dish and get decoration from them while storing ~ Catazure

On a cold day you can have a great pea soup in minutes if instead of using dried peas you use a bag of frozen petite peas in your recipe. It also tastes so much yummier… ~ Ruti

Fresh eggs are almost impossible to peel when hard boiled. There is a solution: As soon as you remove them from the stove, pour off the boiling water and immerse the eggs in cold running water. As soon as they are cool enough to touch, crack the shells. Peel a small bit of shell with the membrane away from the egg. Leave them in the cold water until the eggs are completely cool. They will peel easily. (As the egg cools, it draws cool water between the egg and the membrane loosening the egg from the membrane and shell.) ~ Betty Freedman

Do you have a favorite kitchen tip to share? Leave it in the comments below. Your tip might be featured in my next installment of Who Knew!