OK, so there is elBulli in Spain. But does it change menus at a whim? Or produce all its ingredients? Could the world’s greatest restaurant actually be L’Enclume?
In 1785 a chap named James Sadler ascended in a balloon, in what was one of the the first such activities in the world, from some waste ground by a house in Long Millgate, and the alley behind this ground became Balloon Street.
Anne Frank’s last diary entry was: “It’s my birthday and dad bought me a drum kit.
given that dishwashers are almost perfectly designed for cooking in, why don’t we do it more often? Especially when it creates such a stir at a dinner party.
Take the British plug. Today, it’s a huge, three-pronged beast with a fuse built right into it—one of the weirder plugs in the world, to anyone who’s had a chance to use one. But it isn’t Britain’s first plug, or even their first proprietary plug. In the early 1900s the Isles’ cords were capped with the British Standard 546, or Type D hardware, which actually include six subversions of its own, all of which were physically incompatible with one another. This worked out fine until the Second World War, when they got the shit bombed out of them by Germany, and had to rebuild entire swaths of the country in the midst of a severe shortage of basic building supplies— copper, in particular. This made rewiring stuff an expensive proposition, so the government was all, “we need a new plug, stat!” Here was the pitch: Instead of wiring each socket to a fuseboard somewhere in the house, which would take quite a bit of wire, why not just daisy-chain them together on one wire, and put the fuses in each plug? Hey presto, copper shortage, solved. This was called the British Standard 1363, and you can still find them dangling from wires today. Notice how even in the 1940s and ’50s—practically yesterday!—the UK was devising a new type of plug without any regard for the rest of the world.
2012” may be Hollywood’s first post-post-9/11 movie
Drive the biggest vehicle you can afford to drive. Your greatest risk of death comes from a motor vehicle accident. Despite all the data from the government on crash test safety, I can say unequivocally that in a 2-car accident, the person in the larger car always fairs better.
if you have read all of A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, you should be very worried about yourself. As Proust very well knew, reading his work for as long as it takes is temps perdu, time wasted, time that would be better spent visiting a demented relative, meditating, walking the dog or learning ancient Greek.
»Easter Flush ( March - April) : It arrives just after the dormant Winter months. The leaves are tender and very light green in appearance. The liquor too is light, clear, bright and imparts a pleasant brisk flavour. »Spring Flush ( May - June) : This flush is famed for its prominent quality. The leaf has a purplish bloom. The liquor is more round, mellow and with more colour (amber) and has a slightly fruity flavour. It is during this period that the famous “Muscatel” flavour becomes pronounced. »Summer Flush ( July - September) : During this period the nature of the liquor changes, becoming stronger, yet retaining the brightness and character that Darjeeling is known for. »Autumn Flush ( October - November) : The Tea during this period has a light coppery tinge and liquors have a delicate character.
Pour the water onto the leaves or tea bags. This saturates the tea allowing the flavor to release naturally. Do not pour the water and then add the tea, this will only result in a poor cup of tea. The differing types of tea should be allowed to infuse for the required number of minutes at the appropriate water temperatures listed below: Pu-erh Tea Black Tea Flavored Black Tea Darjeeling Tea Oolong Tea Green Tea White Tea Herbal Tisanes Fruit Tisane Blends Steep for 2-5 minutes in 200-212° F (93-100° C) water Steep for 4-5 minutes in 190-200° F (88-93° C) water Steep for 4-5 minutes in 190-200° F (88-93° C) water Steep for 3 minutes in 180-200° F (82-93° C) water Steep for 3-4 minutes in 180-200° F (82-93° C) water Steep for 2-3 minutes in 170-180° F (77-82° C) water Steep for 1½-2 minutes in 160-170° F (71-77° C) water Steep for 5 minutes in 190-200° F (88-93° C) water Steep for 5-7 minutes in 190-200° F (88-93° C) water If you prefer your tea stronger or weaker, never vary the brewing time; simply increase or decrease the amount of tea. If allowed to sit in the teapot, the tea can over-brew and turn bitter. Some green, oolong and white teas are good for multiple infusions - just add new hot water to the pot and increase the steeping time slightly. Repeat until the flavor starts to fade.
Every man in a village of 100 married couples has cheated on his wife. Every wife in the village instantly knows when a man other than her husband has cheated, but does not know when her own husband has. The village has a law that does not allow for adultery. Any wife who can prove that her husband is unfaithful must kill him that very day. The women of the village would never disobey this law. One day, the queen of the village visits and announces that at least one husband has been unfaithful. What happens?
It was June 1977, the very early days of the microcomputer industry. The founders of Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, were amongst those heading home to Albuquerque from the National Computer Conference in Dallas. In the September/October 1977 edition of “Personal Computing” magazine, Henry Gilroy provided the following report on the introduction of the Petals Around the Rose brain teaser to his fellow travelers on the return journey.
