Ergonomic Rolling Pin

"Designed with comfort in mind, this bamboo rolling pin makes dough prep smoother, steadier, and easier on your wrists." 

"Especially helpful for those with limited wrist mobility."

$20.

Hengefinder

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"You've heard of Manhattanhenge: Now find a Henge near you!"

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"Discover stunning moments when the sun or moon aligns perfectly with city streets and buildings."

Free — the way we like it.

[via Clive Thompson]

Road Rage: Don't be fooled by a seemingly 'crunchy' bumper sticker

Shankar Vedantam's Washington Post story about aggressive driving and road rage explains why people who put bumper stickers on their cars — not just ones like that pictured above but also seemingly crunchy ones like "Visualize Whirled Peas" — are "far more likely than those who do not personalize their cars to use their vehicles to express rage."

Long story short: Once you put a bumper sticker on a car — "marking it" — the vehicle becomes highly personal territory and thus much more likely to be aggressively defended against perceived invaders of your space.

Here's Vedantam's piece.

Looking to Avoid Aggressive Drivers? Check Those Bumpers

Three horrors await Americans who get behind the wheel of a car for a family road trip this summer: the spiraling price of gas, the usual choruses of "are-we-there-yet?" — and the road rage of fellow drivers.

Divine intervention might be needed for the first two problems, but science has discovered a solution for the third.

Watch out for cars with bumper stickers.

That's the surprising conclusion of a recent study by Colorado State University social psychologist William Szlemko. Drivers of cars with bumper stickers, window decals, personalized license plates and other "territorial markers" not only get mad when someone cuts in their lane or is slow to respond to a changed traffic light, but they are far more likely than those who do not personalize their cars to use their vehicles to express rage — by honking, tailgating and other aggressive behavior.

It does not seem to matter whether the messages on the stickers are about peace and love — "Visualize World Peace," "My Kid Is an Honor Student" — or angry and in your face — "Don't Mess With Texas," "My Kid Beat Up Your Honor Student."

Hey, you clown! This ain't funny! Aggressive driving might be responsible for up to two-thirds of all U.S. traffic accidents that involve injuries.

Szlemko and his colleagues at Fort Collins found that people who personalize their cars acknowledge that they are aggressive drivers, but usually do not realize that they are reporting much higher levels of aggression than people whose cars do not have visible markers on their vehicles.

Drivers who do not personalize their cars get angry, too, Szlemko and his colleagues concluded in a paper published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, but they don't act out their anger. They fume, mentally call the other driver a jerk, and move on.

"The more markers a car has, the more aggressively the person tends to drive when provoked," Szlemko said. "Just the presence of territory markers predicts the tendency to be an aggressive driver."

The key to the phenomenon apparently lies in the idea of territoriality. Drivers with road rage tend to think of public streets and highways as "my street" and "my lane" — in other words, they think they "own the road."

Why would bumper stickers predict which people are likely to view public roadways as private property?

Social scientists such as Szlemko say that people carry around three kinds of territorial spaces in their heads. One is personal territory — like a home, or a bedroom. The second kind involves space that is temporarily yours — an office cubicle or a gym locker. The third kind is public territory: park benches, walking trails — and roads.

Previous research has shown that these different territorial spaces evoke distinct emotional responses. People are willing to physically defend private territory in ways they would never do with public territory. And people personalize private territory with various kinds of markers — in their homes, for example, they hang paintings, alter the decor and carry out renovations.

"Territoriality is hard-wired into our ancestors from tens of thousands of years ago," said Paul Bell, a co-author of the study at Colorado State. "Animals are territorial because it had survival value. If you could keep others away from your hunting groups, you had more game to spear... it becomes part of the biology."

Drivers who individualize their cars using bumper stickers, window decals and personalized license plates, the researchers hypothesized, see their cars in the same way as they see their homes and bedrooms -- as deeply personal space, or primary territory.

Unlike any environment our evolutionary ancestors might have confronted, driving a car simultaneously places people in both private territory — their cars — and public territory — the road. Drivers who personalize their cars with bumper stickers and other markers of private territory, the researchers argue, forget when they are on the road that they are in public territory because the immediate cues surrounding them tell them that they are in a deeply private space.

"If you are in a vehicle that you identify as a primary territory, you would defend that against other people whom you perceive as being disrespectful of your space," Bell added. "What you ignore is that you are on a public roadway — you lose sight of the fact you are in a public area and you don't own the road."

Szlemko said that, in an as-yet-unpublished experiment, he conducted tests of road rage in actual traffic. He had one researcher sit in a car in a left-turn lane. When the light turned green, the researcher simply stayed still, blocking the car behind.

Another researcher, meanwhile, examined whether the blocked car had bumper stickers and other markers of territoriality. The experimental question was how long it would take for the driver of the blocked car to honk in frustration.

Szlemko said that drivers of cars with decals, bumper stickers and personalized license plates honked at the offending vehicle nearly two full seconds faster than drivers of cars without any territorial markers.

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Here's the abstract of Szlemko's paper.

Territorial Markings as a Predictor of Driver Aggression and Road Rage

Aggressive driving has received substantial media coverage during the past decade. We report 3 studies testing a territorial explanation of aggressive driving. Altman described attachment to, personalization of, and defense of primary territories (e.g., home) as being greater than for public territories (e.g., sunbathing spot on a beach). Aggressive driving may occur when social norms for defending a primary territory (i.e., one's automobile) become confused with less aggressive norms for defending a public territory (i.e., the road). Both number of territory markers (e.g., bumper stickers, decals) and attachment to the vehicle were significant predictors of aggressive driving. Mere presence of a territory marker predicts increased use of the vehicle to express anger and decreased use of adaptive/constructive expressions.

Concrete Oven Mitt Trivet

From the website:

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This playful optical illusion looks ready to pull a hot pan from the oven but it's actually a sturdy concrete trivet with a cork base.

Handcrafted in Texas in small batches from concrete and recycled glass terrazzo.

12.25"L x 7"W x 1"H.

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$95.

Use Your Delusion

Yet another chapter in my life-long delusion that if only I have the right pair of shoes, running will be transformed from a dull tiring chore to a good time.

Just because it hasn't happened yet over fifty years doesn't mean it won't happen later this week.

Allez!

Wait a sec — what's that music I'm hearing?

Not that — this!

A Comprehensive Guide to Yellow Stripey Things

Res ipsa loquitur.

What is it?

Answer here this time tomorrow.

Hint: Smaller than a bread box.

Another: No moving parts.

A second perspective:

Intertapes

"Intertapes is an updating collection of found cassette tapes from around the world. The audio fragments include: voice memos, field recordings, mixtapes, bootlegs, and more."

Think of it as a numbers station on acid.

Free, the way we like it.

More?

There's also a YouTube channel.

Time to make some money: A new bookofjoe invention offered to whomever wants it — free, the way we like it

Yes, it's been too long since I've had one of these epiphanies.

Just in from my peabrain, the following:

             Double-sided Post-its

That's it?

joe, you're saying that's the entirety of your invention?

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

What good is a double-sided Post-it?

Ah.

As Benjamin Franklin remarked in 1783, "What is the use of a newborn baby?"

Or, for that matter, a little device that lets you listen privately to whatever music you like wherever you happen to be?

INFILA Easy Use Automatic Needle Threader

From the website:

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Avoid the stress of trying to thread a needle with this easy-to-use gadget, which threads both large and thin needles. 

Designed to operate with a push of a button.

Does single or double threading. 

Colors may vary.

Made in Italy.

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$6.

Latitude v Longitude: Easy Peasy Way to Remember Which is Which

Confused by latitude and longitude?

I was too for many years until one day while goofing off and doing something close to nothing (but different than the day before) the penny dropped and I figured out a foolproof way to remember which is which.

I'll tell you about it at this time tomorrow.

Just kidding.

Latitude: the lines are flat —they run sideways, flattened out.

Longitude: the lines are long — they're the ones that go up and down, the vertical ones.

There, wasn't that easy?

If you still can't keep them straight let me know and I will cheerfully refund three times what you paid for this tip.

Money Machine

From websites:

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Here's a memorable way to give a little "green" for birthdays, holidays, graduations, and more.

Simply fold this cash dispenser together and tape your bills end-to-end using the easy-peel removable tape that's included.

Then roll the bills loosely and insert in the box for a gift that's fun to give — and receive!

Box is 4"H x 4"W x 4"D; tape is 3/4" x 150" (12.5 feet in case your brain's tired).

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$6 (Money not included).

They Were Never Found — Josephine Jacobsen

Juice do it!

Created by Matteo Pini who wrote, "Una spremuta d'arancia tutte le mattine assicura il necessario apporto giornaliero di vitamina C."*

Swiss Miss Tina Roth Eisenberg featured it, writing "This is brilliant."

Concur.

  

*An orange juice every morning ensures the necessary daily intake of vitamin C

Giant Bright Yellow Post-it Super Sticky Notes

• 11" x 11"

• Bright yellow

• 30 sheets/pad; 1 pad/pack

$8.39.

BeyondTheMedspeak: Don't Ice That Burn

That's the short of it.

Anahad O'Conner's New York Times "Really?" feature has the details, and follows.

The Claim: Ice Is Good for a Skin Burn

The Facts: Like a cup of tea for a cough, a batch of ice for a sunburn may seem like the perfect remedy for millions of Americans who will spend a little too much time in the sun this summer.

But many home remedies that seem like common sense are less than helpful, and the old ice-for-a-burn technique is no exception. It can help soothe some initial pain, but in the end it will slow the healing process.

That has been borne out over the years in various studies of simple treatments for minor scalds and sunburns. In one randomized study, 24 healthy volunteers were inflicted with first-degree burns and subjected to different treatments. Those who received a cooling treatment similar to ice did not experience reduced pain or inflammation compared with those who received a placebo treatment.

In another study in the journal Burns, a team of scientists compared easing burns with ice cubes for 10 minutes with other remedies and found that ice caused "the most severe damage." "Using an ice cube immediately after injury," the authors added, "is harmful in some instances."

According to the Mayo Clinic, putting ice on a burn can cause frostbite and damage the skin. For better results, try running cool water over the area and taking a pain reliever. Then cover the area with gauze but no ointment. Most minor burns heal without further treatment, the clinic says.

The Bottom Line: Never use ice to soothe a burn.

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Most important: get the burn under cool running water as soon as possible following the injury — run, don't walk to the faucet.

The first seconds are critical in minimizing tissue trauma and subsequent pain.

I recommend the coldest water you can find running over the burn for a minimum of five minutes — by the clock.

Though the skin may feel cold, the damage continues beneath as a result of the heat previously absorbed when the burn occurred.

Five minutes of running water is better than putting the burned area in a sink or tub or whatever because 1) the water stays colder, and 2) water removes more heat when flowing than still.

Atlas of Open Webcams on the Public Internet

Fair warning: prolly few of the 14,131 peeps whose webcams these are know that they're broadcasting live 24/7/365 around the world.

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

What is it?

Answer here this time tomorrow.

Hint: smaller than a bread box.

Another: no moving parts.

A third: not by Josef Albers.

Why are commercials on Peacock less annoying?

Unlike commercials on conventional TV since forever, Peacock's commercials are accompanied by a small yellow circle in the lower left hand corner of the screen which encloses a second-by-second countdown timer showing exactly how long till the commercial ends.

Perhaps it's the participatory gamification that ensues: I try to precisely unmute the TV at the exact second the commercial ends and the show resumes.

Anything that I can gamify immediately becomes more appealing.

What's vexed me for decades is my inability to figure out a way to gamify my dreaded daily run.

I haven't given up trying and I never will.

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

InkField

From Dense Discovery:

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InkField treats drawing as an event rather than an image — every stroke, pause, and gesture is recorded and can replayed stroke-by-stroke.

Its ink physics mimic watercolor bleed, dry brush, and salt crystallization.

You can also download anyone's recording from the gallery and paint on top of it, your work branching off theirs.

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I have no idea what all that technical talk above means but I'm sure others will twig.

Bluetooth for phone calls in the car is a FAIL

Long story short: Who hasn't been talking on the phone when all of a sudden the call drops, only for it to connect again after a few seconds of silent dead air?

The other party blithely dismisses the outage, remarking "The call switched to my car's Bluetooth."

Same thing when they arrive and turn off the car and the call goes dead for a few seconds while it switches back to the phone.

Wake up and smell the coffee: That's not a feature — it's a bug.

It's so annoying and it doesn't have to happen.

Turn off your car's Bluetooth when you're not using it — when you get in while talking on the phone put it in a cupholder or the center console, anywhere: you'll hear it just fine and so will the person you're speaking with.

Just because you have a feature doesn't mean it's of benefit.

Are You Dead?

I just subscribed to this app — you can too!

It's taken China by storm and earlier this year it was #6 on the U.S. iPhone app store.

You could look it up.

Long story short: For $1.99/month you get up to 4 (four) peeps to receive your one-touch daily check-ins — and react with alarm if you miss two days in a row such that they get an alert that you've gone silent.

I've used 2 of my 4 peeps: my brother and the lady across the street.

More on the app here.

Jordan Mechner's "Replay" is the best non-fiction book I've read in years

I must've seen it mentioned somewhere but I can't recall where.

In keeping with my newly adopted "no spoilers in boj" policy, I offer this link to a review by NPR.

That Mechner created the iconic game "Prince of Persia," released for Apple II in June 1989, was enough to make me want to read his multigenerational family saga.

Emperor Penguin Chicks Jump Off a 50-Foot Cliff in Antarctica

YouTube description:

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At six months old, Emperor penguin chicks march to the ocean.

Most jump just two feet off the ice to take their first swim.

Since 2009, satellites recorded evidence that some head towards sheer ice cliffs.

What happens next remained a mystery — until cinematographer Bertie Gregory sent a drone to record what happens next.

What Apps Can See

From Dense Discovery: 

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Loupe for iOS shows you exactly what any app can read about you/your device without ever asking for permission — from time zone and keyboard languages to paired accessory names and installed apps.

It's a free tool that shows how seemingly innocuous details combine into something that identifies you enough to follow you across the web.

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More, from the app's self-description:

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Ever wondered how advertisers recognize you across apps and websites? It usually comes down to fingerprinting: small, ordinary details about your device, combined until the mix is rare enough to point back to you.

Loupe provides a guided tour of the data any app can quietly read about you. Explore what's exposecd, see why it's identifying, and decide what to do about it.

Loupe lets you see these details yourself. It reads the same public APIs that third party apps use, showing you the raw data and explaining why it matters.

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Free, the way we like it.