David Lidsky's Blog, page 3387
December 4, 2013
Todd Mills, The Man Who Dreamed Up Doritos Locos Taco, Passes Away
Mills wrote to Frito-Lay in 2009 suggesting it start marketing Doritos-flavored taco shells.
In 2009, Todd Mills wrote a letter to Frito-Lay suggesting it start marketing Doritos-flavored taco shells. Frito-Lay turned him down, but Mills, undaunted, launched a Facebook page, "Taco Shells made from Doritos Movement", featuring images he photoshopped himself, of "Game of Tacos," "The Hungry Games," and Dr. Seuss's the Lorax saying "I speak for the Cheese." Nothing, apparently, was too cheesy for this guy.
Forget Fingerprints: Your Face Could Be Your Next IPhone Key
If newly patented Apple tech becomes reality, your future iPhone may recognize your face and unlock itself in response.
Apple has just been granted a patent for facial recognition tech that could make future iPhones smarter and more secure.
This Glowing Purple Cube Is An Indoor Farm
With LED lights and 3-D-printed seed trays, GrowCubes is bringing your next tomato harvest inside.
From the slow-food to locavore movements, more and more people are taking control of how their food is prepared and where their food originates. And while backyard gardens are as old as dirt, it's only recently that indoor urban farming is becoming a reality. GrowCubes is a device that can be used in areas as small as a studio apartment that will grow fruits, herbs, and vegetables without the need for sunlight, soil, or pesticides. All you need is space to fit the dishwasher-sized module (which can fit under a kitchen countertop), seeds, electricity, and an Internet connection. Says Chris Beauvois about the project he began three years ago: "GrowCubes democratizes agriculture by placing the power to grow back in the hands of individuals and communities."
13 Portraits That Humanize The Homeless
The homeless are usually depicted as addicts and criminals, which reinforces negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding poverty. But a stunning new portrait series of guests at a London shelter challenges those ideas.
We're all familiar with stereotypes of the homeless: they're often assumed to be addicts and criminals, mentally ill, and possibly dangerous. Ads for food or clothing drives might show a bedraggled person huddled under a blanket, a genre that lets viewers see the homeless as not quite fully human. But a new series of portraits by Rosie Holtom challenges these pervasive stereotypes, portraying residents at a London shelter in a more positive light.
Fascinating Old Chart Maps World's Tallest Mountains, Forgets Mt. Everest
This chart from the 1800s puts the world's biggest mountains and rivers in order. But it kinda omits some stuff.
For the design-minded, is there anything as satisfying as taking an unordered jumble of things and organizing it neatly? From sorting candy by color to artfully arranging trash, the Internet has long enjoyed ordering the world according to some aesthetically pleasing classification, then showing off the results.
YotaPhone, With Its Clever E-Ink Dual-Screen, Launches
An unusual new smartphone with an e-ink screen has just launched in Europe and Russia, pointing at one direction for future smart devices.
You've probably never heard of Russian smartphone maker Yota, but the company is worth keeping an eye on. It just launched its flagship Android smartphone across Russia and Europe, and it's a device unlike any you've seen before. Why? The YotaPhone sports a 4.3-inch 360 by 640 e-ink second display screen, similar to those on e-readers.
Hop, Skip, And Jump Across The Street With New Artist-Designed Crosswalks
Clever graphics brighten up the streets of Baltimore. Why walk across the street when you could hopscotch?
Downtown Baltimore has just added some spice to the city's crosswalks, replacing the traditional, faded white lines with clever graphics created by area artists.
Customers Of Genetic Testing Company 23andMe Are Caught In DNA Limbo
Anne Wojcicki's Google-funded pioneering genetic testing company stops marketing its test. Can current customers expect refunds? And what happens to their results?
Earlier this year, I purchased my mother a DNA kit from 23andMe, the genetic-testing company. I thought she'd be intrigued by the product, which enables average consumers to gain insight into their personal genomes, providing them with fascinating data on inherited conditions, genetic health risks, and ancestry information. My mom was skeptical about its efficacy from the start. She hasn't returned her test kit, and now, like other 23andMe customers caught in limbo with unused kits, she might never be able to.
SpaceX Successfully Launched Its First Commercial Satellite
Elon Musk's space company has, after a few teething issues, successfully launched a comms satellite bound for geostationary orbit.
Last night at 10:41 GMT, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon-9 rocket. The rocket is on what may be the most important mission yet for the company. It is taking the SES-8 communications satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. Its success demonstrates SpaceX's ability to carry out complex missions efficiently. This launch was delayed twice before, due to different warnings and issues.
December 3, 2013
Adidas Reveals The Brazuca, A World Cup Soccer Ball Two And A Half Years In The Making
Adidas director of soccer innovation Antonio Zea explains why replacing the controversial Jabulani in 2014, even after years of testing and testimonials from Lionel Messi and other stars, is still the ballsiest move in sports.
Imagine that the NFL changed the football every few years. Or that the NBA kept fiddling with the basketball. Or that MLB continually tweaked the baseball. And imagine that this new ball not only had a completely different design, but also was made with different materials and was manufactured a little differently each time, requiring the players to adjust to the new equipment.
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