Cool

It’s Palindrome Week!


Just look:

4/13/14

4/14/14

4/15/14

4/16/14

4/17/14

4/18/14

4/19/14

What is a palindrome? Very simple: a word or phrase that reads the same from left to right, right to left.

Here are some other palindromes, for your amusement:

Madam, I’m Adam.
Never odd or even.
No lemon, no melon.
Was it a car or a cat I saw?
Not New York Roy went on.
Not so, Boston.

Oreo – Wonderfilled


Oreo cookie Wonderfilled Tegan & Sara

I am in love with the current Oreo ad campaign “Wonderfilled”. It is fun, fresh, playful, and actually encouraged me to look up “Wonderfilled” and learn more about America’s favorite sandwich cookie. (Wait, what are all these new flavors!?) Could it be that advertising and marketing have actually done their job? Indeed, it is possible!

I stream my favorite television programs and get my commercials during the 60-90 second breaks on Hulu and network streaming websites/apps. Recently, I’ve seen many spots for Oreo, all featuring a fun, upbeat song about Oreo and their new flavors. Turns out, the song in this 30 second spot is sung by Tegan & Sara, Indie-pop artists whom I do love. Not only is the ad catchy, but Oreo has a SoundCloud page where you can download many different versions of “Wonderfilled” – genius!

I’ve perused the Oreo “Wonderfilled” website, their YouTube and SoundCloud sites, and learned more about the new flavors. Hello, Cookie Dough and Marshmallow Crispy! I’ve even downloaded (and will be enjoying) Tegan & Sara’s version of “Wonderfilled” (yes, I know it’s a commerical, but it’s a fun and uplifting song). I love how this Oreo campaign breaths life into one of the classic modern American cookies. It reminds me of how much I really do love Oreo, while also compelling me to try a new flavor or two.

Will I look at Oreo differently when I go grocery shopping? Absolutely. I’ll linger in that aisle and might pick up a package or three. Good job, Oreo and The Martin Agency (responsible for the “Wonderfilled” campaign), I have been reminded of the fun and deliciousness of Oreo and perhaps I’ll even greet the world with a new sense of wonder and awe.

Tegan & Sara’s “Wonderfilled” spot – Dare to Wonder:

 

Go to Harvard, learn Cooking Science from Top Chefs


Top chefs and Harvard researchers explore how everyday cooking and haute cuisine can illuminate basic principles in physics and engineering, and vice versa.

If you’re a budding cook, a foodie, or would like to know more about how recipes work, as well as basic physics and engineering principles, this course is for you. Classes are an hour long and held twice a week. Instructors include: Michael Brenner, José Andres, Nathan Myhrvold, Joanne Chang, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne, and many more.

About the course:

During each week of the course, you will watch as chefs reveal the secrets behind some of their most famous culinary creations — often right in their own restaurants. Inspired by such cooking mastery, the Harvard team will then explain, in simple and sophisticated ways, the science behind the recipe.

Topics will include: soft matter materials, such as emulsions, illustrated by aioli; elasticity, exemplified by the done-ness of a steak; and diffusion, revealed by the phenomenon of spherification, the culinary technique pioneered by Ferran Adrià.

To help you make the link between cooking and science, an “equation of the week” will capture the core scientific concept being explored. You will also have the opportunity to be an experimental scientist in your very own laboratory — your kitchen. By following along with the engaging recipe of the week, taking measurements, and making observations, you will learn to think both like a cook and a scientist. The lab is also one of the most unique components of this course — after all, in what other science course do you get to eat your lab?

Register for the free course here, which begins on Tuesday, October 8, 2013.