bookofjoe

Pop Rocks are solid soda

Who knew?

Wrote Eric Smillie in Wired, "The candies were invented in 1956, when General Foods was trying to add effervescence to Kool-Aid. The company didn't think the sweets — made by combining CO2 with molten sugars and letting the mix harden, trapping the bubbles inside — would pop with consumers. So they didn't ship until the 1970s."

Urban legend from Wikipedia: "Rumors persisted that eating Pop Rocks and drinking cola would cause a person's stomach to explode."

More: "Though the confection had been extensively tested and found safe, the carbonated candy still alarmed residents in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration set up a hotline there to assure anxious parents that the fizzing candy would not cause their children to choke. General Foods was battling the 'exploding kid' rumors as early as 1979. General Foods sent letters to school principals, created an open letter to parents, took out advertisements in major publications, and sent the confection's inventor on the road to explain that a Pop Rocks package contains less gas (namely, carbon dioxide, the same gas used in all carbonated beverages) than half a can of soda."

I wonder what other wonderful candies and snacks of the future are even now sitting out back in the Nestlé and Mars skunkworks, waiting for their moment in the sun.

Shot Flask — World's first drinking flask with integrated shot glass

Features

and

Details:

• 8 oz. capacity

• Stainless steel and leather

• Easy cleaning and storage

• Collapsible shot glass holds 2 oz.

Jasper Johns fans will feel a frisson of recognition.

$25.

[via Well Done Stuff]

Amy Adams for Lacoste

Love it.

"Eau de Lacoste: The sensual feeling of pure white cotton on skin."

Eau de Parfum, 3 oz.: $59.99.

I've never seen the commercial up top on TV, but only happened on it on YouTube earlier today while looking for a Lacoste commercial I did just see during the French Open.

I'll feature that one when/if I find it.

Sneaker Umbrella Stand

 

 

 

 

3,811円.

[via Iseebitarou]

"This book is a bunch of unrelated quotes. Make sure you know what you buy."

Above in the headline, the first two of three sentences comprising the entirety of my favorite review (top) — 1-Star, headlined "not a guide to anything" — of my latest book.

Caveat emptor, wrote Niro, "Because it's definitely not 'a guide to quantum living in the 21st century.'"

Too bad Niro wasn't aware of my "Double your money back if not entirely satisfied" guarantee.

It's still good....