bookofjoe

World's first barbecue–flavored ice cream

It's for sale at the Udder Delight Ice Cream House in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

The brainchild of owner Chip Hearn, the barbecue ice cream is among many strange new flavors created by Hearn, what he calls "extreme ice creams."

There's also a tasty bacon ice cream, above, chock full of bacon bits.

Cackalacky Spice Sauce ice cream is named after Hearn's barbecuing and brainstorming partner H. Page Skelton's award–winning sauce, typically poured over North Carolina pork barbecue.

Skelton, observing the reactions of customers at Udder Delight who were sampling the bizarre flavors, remarked to Don Oldenburg, who wrote about the new wave ice creams in a story in today's Washington Post, "Bacon and butterfat, what could be better? The stuff should come with CPR instructions."

A sign in the window of Udder Delight notes that Hearn's peanut–butter–and–jelly ice cream won the World Series of Ice Cream two years ago.

Inside, there's a life–size replica of a cow's head mounted on the wall: when the manager speaks into her lapel microphone, the cow's mouth moves and speaks.

Tricia Collins, the manager, told Oldenburg, "If you moo at people as they leave, they are offended sometimes."

Hearn told the reporter that it's often difficult or impossible to create a desired flavor because the ingredients simply don't work together.

Said Hearn, "We tried to do crab–meat ice cream a million different ways and couldn't make it."

He remarked that experts and professors at the Penn State University Agriculture Department, whom he often consults for advice, once told him that pork rind would make a perfect ice cream.

However, he chose not to go there, saying, "I'm not going to do pork rind. This is Delaware. If I were down South somewhere, you know, maybe."

Last month Hearn held a by–invitation tasting for about 150 people who agreed to sample and review 18 new flavors, including cappucino stout beer, honey fig, Black Forest (dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and dark Oregon sweet cherries), and Moo Moo (raspberry ice cream with peaches and strawberries).

On sale as you read this is his Viagra ice cream.

That one's made from orange and pineapple in a blue ice cream, with Pop Rocks added at the end.

Oldenburg asked Hearn if people buy it; Hearn replied, "Less people buying it than asking about it — but they see the sign and they have to ask."

Hearn said the weirdest ice creams he's ever made, in his opinion, were mushroom–based.

He told Oldenburg, "The mushroom sucked, but the mushroom–pecan rocked! But I would guess that the mushroom–pumpkin was the weirdest one ever."

He recently concocted a cucumber–onion ice cream using Vidalia onions and said, "The onion didn't work, but the cucumber did."

Here's a link to the Post story.

World's most elegant remote light switch

The wireless switch (above) controls any light fixture you choose, anywhere in the room.

Attach the remote component to the light, open the On/Off box and flip the switch.

The designated light, up to 100 feet away, goes on or off as if by magic.

Designed by Tobias Wong and featured at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

4"W x 6"L x 3"D.

Made of Lucite.

$120 here.

Not up to dropping $120?

No problema: buy the version I use (below).

$33.95 here.

Trust me: once you have one you'll grow to love it.

flocabulary.com — 'Flocabulary can help you rock the new SAT'

"Countless studies attest to the fact that music and mnemonic devices within music are among the most effective methods for language acquisition and verbal retention."

flocabulary.com employs the fusion of words and music to enlarge vocabulary.

Running shoes banned in Boston by marathon officials

What with steroids and growth hormone and goodness knows what else athletes are using these days to gain an edge, really the only thing you can be sure you're regulating is what's on the outside.

I'm reminded of a joke from a Woody Allen movie: he looks down at his belly and sees he's bleeding; he says, "Hey, blood — that's supposed to be on the inside!"

Anyhow, Spira Footwear's come up with a new shoe design employing "patented spring technology" to reduce the impact on a runner's feet.

The USA Track & Field Federation took one look at the shoes and immediately banned them because they provide an inordinately high (90%) energy return and use springs to enhance performance.

I think the only real difference between Nike Shox or Air and Spira Springs is an essentially limitless cash pipeline that runs from Nike directly into USA Track & Field's coffers.

Hey — if you're not aiming for a world record explore the Spira website, watch the video, read the reviews, and decide for yourself whether the technology's worth taking a flyer on.

I'll never tell.

[via a reader whose identity escapes me so I'm unable to credit you — my apology]

Can bookofjoe predict the future? First human merges with LCD screen

Last week Wednesday, July 20, I received an email from Ms. Marla McClendon.

Here is what she wrote:

Hi Joe,

On January 2nd of this year, in your article entitled "DVD Backpack [picture below],"



you predicted that someone would "implant a working LCD screen into/onto a person."

Well, check out ZooKAdZ.

We've done just that!

Thanks... and love your site!

Marla McClendon

Well.

The first thing I do when someone says I wrote something is try to confirm that indeed I did do so.

Because any fool can write something and put my name on it.

Why, there's even a blog called bookofjoe by some clown purporting to be me. But I digress.

I went back to January 2nd in the archives and sure enough, Marla's right.

Furthermore, the second last sentence of that post read, "Prediction: you'll read about the particulars right here, along with a picture, this year."

Darned if it's not true, right here and now: the picture's at the top of this post.

Thanks back at ya, Marla!

Boostaroo — Pocket–sized portable audio amplifier/splitter

You plug it into your iPod, MP3 player, CD player, laptop, portable DVD player, you name it, and the little device boosts the volume by 40% without any distortion.

Bonus: three separate headsets or speakers can plug in via the three input jacks.

Measures 1.5" x 4.5" x 1.1"; comes with a 12" cord.

Requires 2 AA batteries (not included).

$21 here.

What does 37.1 inches of rain in 24 hours look like?

The photos above and below were taken during this past Wednesday's deluge in Mumbai, India, the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in a 24–hour–period in that country.

The monsoon rains have already killed over 750 people in western India, with the death toll expected to climb sharply in coming days.

Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the country's commercial capital, was paralyzed by the water: planes were grounded, trains halted and the streets, as you can see for yourself, were inundated.

Hundreds of thousands of people were stranded in schools, office buildings and railway stations.

Mumbai is one of the world's most populous cities, with about 15 million residents, many of whom live in a sprawling maze of shanties.

Water Bottle Safe — Hide it in plain sight

"Contains your valuables — and real water!"

Tell us more.

From the website:

Our most realistic safe yet.

With real water in the bottom, it has the look and weight of an actual bottle of water.

Authentic body and label adds to the effect.

Fill the top half to complete the deception.

Bottom unlatches to reveal secret hiding place for money, keys and other small objects.

Set it on your desk, the kitchen counter, the refrigerator, almost anywhere.

9.5" tall.

Secret compartment measures 2.25"W x 2.25H.

$19.99 here.

Arioso?

Wonder where that's from....