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Cookie Cups May Actually Be Better than The Cronut

 

Dominique Ansel, the creator of the Cronut, has revealed his latest creation via a picture posted on Instagram. 

 

The pastry chef, who shot to fame in 2013 after he combined a donut with a croissant, has now made chocolate chip cookie milk shots - perfect chocolate chip cookie cups that are then filled with fresh milk. 

 

Ansel told Eater [1]that the idea came about after he tried his first Oreo, adding: “If everyone was drinking milk with cookies, you might as well make a dessert that allows them both to be combined.” 

 

The new treats are expected to make their debut at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, March 9th. There’s no telling if they will have the same success as the Cronut but a catchy name is most certainly needed for this to happen, perhaps Cookie Cups will suffice. 

References

  1. ^ Eater (eater.com)
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Music Madness

Every year there is a “Song of the Summer”. It’s played on every radio station at least once per hour. If you listen to anything other than talk radio, chances are you can’t avoid it. It’s on television, the Internet, and every teen’s iPod. And once you’ve heard it, it is in your head for months.

This year, the song that seemed to be inescapable was “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I. and Pharrrell. Now, this song is one of those songs that is, literally, on ALL THE TIME. Radio, iPod, television, Internet, or some kid singing off key on the sidewalk – it’s all “Blurred Lines”. And it doesn’t stop there.

The video for this song is absurd and features a bunch of models in plastic flesh colored bikinis walking and dancing around the singers. Just when you think, “How sexist can you get?” you see the uncensored version on the Internet where the same models do the same things but (what a twist!) they are topless. The song is about sex, so there you go.

But wait. There’s more. There’s the VMAs.

We’ve been waiting to see what child star would crack next and it looks like it’s Miley Cyrus’s turn. After prancing around in a weird teddy bear bathing suit, she stripped it off and SURPRISE she’s in a flesh colored bikini and singing with Robin Thicke, who is wearing Beetlejuice’s suit from 1988, and waving a number one big fan hand thing with painted on nails (backwards, by the way – look at the way the fingernails face). Now, this was bad enough. But it got worse.

Miley then began a series of weird tongue gyrations that reminded me of Gene Simmons back in the old KISS days and started using her big fan hand finger for naughty things. It was on Robin Thicke’s crotch, between her own legs from the front and the back, and is probably becoming mass produced for the sex toy market as we speak.

If this wasn’t enough to wipe sweet little Hannah Montana from your memory, she twerks. If you don’t know what twerking is, Urban Dictionary defines it as “The rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in ones intended audience”. Miley wasn’t getting laughs. She bent over at the waist, backed up to Robin Thicke’s “lower fleshy extremities” and twerked her little behind off. With her tongue out. And the giant finger between her legs. It was horrifying.

Now, let’s put this in context. Had Lady Gaga done it, it would have been no big deal. She’s naked and gyrating most of the time anyway (with the exception of her bizarre sub-standard VMA performance, but that’s off topic). Katy Perry? Eh. Not so bad. But Miley Cyrus? She isn’t even 21 years old and spent 4 seasons and 2 movies as the cute teen singer Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. Robin Thick is 36, married, and has a three year old son. That seems really creepy, now, doesn’t it?

 

I wonder if Lady Gaga is jealous that her seashell and G-string didn’t get the same attention…

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The Ceramic Sound System

The Ceramic Sound System

Ceramic Speaker System, Version 3 by Joey Roth

The advent of compact digital audio players was a revolution, and they have since been a life-altering boon to music fans. But the new digital paradigm has also had the unfortunate side effect of training us all to opt for generally low-quality ear buds, speaker docks, laptop speakers, and the like in the name of convenience. Recently we've found ourselves longing for something a little better, without having to take a step back to the days of bulky component systems and their massive, floor-hogging speaker towers. The Ceramic Speaker System, Version 3[1], is a new 2.1 setup by custom audio designer Joey Roth[2] that's equal parts pretty and great sounding. It has our hearts skipping a beat.

Pasadena-based Roth, 29, clearly has a Zen-like approach to craftsmanship: He strips away all the extraneous bits and focuses on the underlying purpose of what he's building. In this case, the goal is pure sound. "I wanted to eliminate every feature that didn't directly impact the sound," he explains. "Because I limited so much stuff, I could focus on the build quality, physical materials and how they're put together, and sound quality. I could ignore everything else." There's a clear Steve Jobs-ian current to Roth's design principles, and indeed the result – a sophisticated 2.1 system that is a study in restraint and design – speaks for itself.

The system consists of two white ceramic speaker cones paired with a similarly simply clad subwoofer cylinder. Each speaker contains two 4-inch, neodymium magnet-and-paper diaphragm drivers enclosed with a porcelain cone that is backed with cork. In lieu of a standard rectangular box, Roth perches his speakers in minimalist Baltic birch stands. The subwoofer is a barrel-like, free-floating, 10-inch porcelain cylinder containing two 6.5-inch neodymium magnet drivers (active on one side with a passive radiator on the other). All of this rests on an aluminum amplifier enclosure that acts as a base for the cylinder – altogether the effect is of a miniature Zeppelin on its landing pad. Whereas normally subwoofers are designed to stay hidden in a corner, this one stays front and center, flanked and complemented by the stereo speakers. A diminutive, rectangular unit controls the volume via a small knob and hides the 15 watts-per-channel Tripath 2023 amplifier housed in machined aluminum. Notably, there's no digital signal processor or filter, no plastic components, no extraneous anything. Just a completely analog system that delivers an audio signal as purely as possible.

We hooked up our iPhone, an MP3 player – not at the same time (see below) – and our turntable to the porcelain speakers and were rewarded with, frankly, the clearest and most nuanced sound we've ever heard on a system this size. When we positioned ourselves in the sweet spot – speakers aimed at a 45-degree angle directly level at our ears – we could have sworn the singer was directly in front of us. The 70 Hz to 20 kHz range of the neodymium drivers delivers such a clear, crisp sound that we had to continuously clean the dust off of our vinyl so it wouldn't affect the sound. While playing Neil Young's "Down by the River," our girlfriend heard for the first time what Young actually did to his girlfriend down by that river and asked us not to play it again. (Turns out there can be such a thing as too much clarity.) 

With such a pared-down system comes a few inevitable sacrifices, namely, connectivity. There is only one RCA input (the V3 comes with a phono-to-RCA input cord), so switching between audio components can be a chore depending on your setup. Likewise, there is no remote to control the volume (and don't even think about an app for that). And though the volume can get pretty loud while admirably remaining distortion free, this system is undoubtedly better suited to an apartment-sized living room, or perhaps library or office space (15 watts just ain't enough oomph to fill large rooms). But these are some of the trade-offs that come with an "ignoring everything else" design ethos and for us they're easily lived with.

Roth has recently turned his design talents to another one of his obsessive passions: coffee. He's designing a stovetop espresso maker that, we can only assume, will look as good as the coffee ends up tasting. [$1,095; Joeyroth.com[3]]

References

  1. ^ Ceramic Speaker System, Version 3 (joeyroth.com)
  2. ^ Joey Roth (joeyroth.com)
  3. ^ Joeyroth.com (www.joeyroth.com)
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A Trouser That Can Take a Beating

MJ Approved: Style[1]

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A Trouser That Can Take a Beating

Earl's Apparel Gung Ho Camp Trousers

A year or so ago, select items manufactured by a mysterious clothing label named Earl's Apparel began to infiltrate the shelves of trend-setting shops with an American-made focus, including Hickoree's[3] in Brooklyn and Independence[4] in Chicago. The clothes were durable takes on wardrobe staples – garments perfectly designed to take a beating.

Turns out that the company, operating out of the small town of Crockett, Texas, has been making durable, well-priced workwear for a few decades under the Stan Ray and Gung Ho labels. Stan Ray makes workwear for stylish painters and plumbers, while Gung Ho is known for its expedition gear, which looks jungle-ready. This makes Earl's, as the umbrella organization, a sort of strange, surprisingly high-quality off-brand version of Carhartt.

Names aside, the clothes are great, especially the Gung Ho Camp Trouser, which is constructed from 12-ounce cotton duck with deep fatigue-style front pockets and two button-down back pockets. The cut is more relaxed than the slim-fitting, dressier chino options out there, so these are great for non-office work and outdoor play. Play mostly. At no-frills retail sites like America's Virtual General Store, you can pick up a pair in olive drab, khaki, or classic duck brown for $39. This isn't fancy stuff, and these pants don't call attention to themselves, but they can take a beating, get up, and take another one; they're as rugged and mysterious as that guy Earl who makes them. [$39, AmericasVirtualGeneralStore.com[7][5][6]

References

  1. ^ MJ Approved: Style (www.mensjournal.com)
  2. ^ Close (www.mensjournal.com)
  3. ^ Hickoree's (www.hickorees.com)
  4. ^ Independence (independence-chicago.com)
  5. ^ Gung Ho Camp Trouser (www.hickorees.com)
  6. ^ America's Virtual General Store (www.americasvirtualgeneralstore.com)
  7. ^ AmericasVirtualGeneralStore.com (www.americasvirtualgeneralstore.com)
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Successful Online Dating

Everything is moving online. Even dating. Women want to meet you before they meet you. But how can you impress a woman with nothing but typing? How much will they trust is true? Is it really possible to meet someone real?

Before we talk specific sites, there are a few things that you can do that apply to all of them. First, if you want to make sure the woman you are talking to is really who she says she is, go to http://www.google.com/imghp. This is the Google search by image site that Nev uses on the Catfish television show. I don’t know why more people don’t use it. You can search by an image URL or download the woman’s picture and then upload it to Google search. The results may just show you that the image was taken from someone else’s social media page or another source. Or it may confirm their identity. That’s insurance against ending up wasting time with liars.

Speaking of liars… don’t lie in your profile. Some of these sites ask tons of questions and some ask none. But whatever you do, if you are really serious about finding dates, don’t lie. Be yourself. If you end up on a date, the real you has to show up, so you may as well start out on the right foot. Now, this does not mean you have to disclose everything about yourself. Just don’t lie.

A lot of women on dating sites are cautious. Asking them to Skype with you the first time you talk may scare them off. They have had their fair share of men showing them private parts on chatroulette instead of having a nice chat. Get to know a woman a little bit before you ask for a real life date or a Skype conversation. I met a woman who said that the first thing one guy said to her on speeddate.com was his penis size. Three more mentioned sex within the first minute. Sure, the chats are only about 5 minutes unless you pay for more time, but that’s like asking her if she’s a hooker. Moving on…

There’s a plethora of dating sites out there. Some are legit and some are really questionable. I checked out some of the sites that I’ve seen advertised and I’d like to share a little about what I’ve learned about them… and the people who use them.

All of the sites that offer free options don’t give you much. They will allow a profile to be made and maybe show you some matches, but there’s no communicating unless you pay. The sites for seriously looking for dates would be match.com and eharmony.com. The sketchier sites – and by that I mean the ones that I wouldn’t use seriously – are speeddate.com, twoo.com (unless you think that online games rating other matches is fun), and datehookup.com which allows all free forum communication – most of which is smut.

If you decide to try out a dating site, be prepared to pay for a membership if you expect any real results. And it will take time. Just like in real life. There is no magic scientific formula for finding the perfect woman. But if you just want to talk smut to her, you know what URL to use tonight.

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