Obsidian Knives for Surgery

Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass that has an extremely sharp edge when filed down. Some of the finest examples of blades made out of obsidian were discovered in Mesoamerica over 2,500 years ago. Dr. Don Crabtree re-discovered the ancient technology about twelve years ago, and along with other surgeons, believes there might be a place for obsidian blades in current medicine. Blades produced by Dr. Crabtree have been used in experimental microsurgery with excellent results.

The prismatic glass blade is infinitely sharper than a honed steel edge, and these blades can be produced in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. When used in experimental surgeries on animals, the blades yield comparable and even better healing than cuts made with traditional scalpels.

Why Milk is White

Milk is 87% water and 13% solids. It consists of about 5 percent lactose, 3.7 percent fats and 3.5 percent proteins. Casein is the most common protein and makes up about 80% of the proteins in milk. Also, casein's molecular structure is very similar to that of gluten. This is why many gluten free diets also are casein-free. It is the combination of casein and fats that give milk its color.

The color white results from all the wavelengths of visible light being reflected into the eye. Casein and certain fats reflect wide ranges of wavelengths, causing milk to appear white. Fat free milk appears a bit bluish due to reduction of fats reflecting light.

The pasteurization process that kills microorganisms in milk, also destroys the Vitamin C content, as well as significantly diminishes various other health benefits of milk.

Frozen and Canned Fruit

Have you ever wondered if the benefits of frozen or canned fruit are equal to fresh fruit?

Frozen fruit can be equal, or even nutritionally superior to fresh fruits. As a general rule, fruits are at their nutritious best when they are left on the vine for the longest possible time, so ideally we pick and eat them right away when they are at their ripest. When you buy whole fruits that are not in season, chances are they were harvested before they were fully ripe and left to ripen off the stem on their way to the market. Frozen fruits have the advantage of staying on the stem longer and freezing them at their peak locks in their nutrients.

Canned fruits, like frozen are usually harvested when they are fully ripe and very nutritious. It is important to check how the fruit was prepared and packed. Some canned fruits are packed in sugary heavy syrup and adding sugary calories. Fortunately canned fruit comes in several varieties, including light syrup and the best is packed in its own juice.

Stainless Steel

Next time you enjoy your dinner with a rust-free fork remember to thank 20th century arms manufacturers for hiring Harry Brearly, an English metallurgist, to develop a non rusty gun barrel.

Shortly after testing his creation on various corrosives, one of which was lemon juice, he realized that it would also be perfect for cutlery.

National Potato Chip Day

Next week, March 14 is National Potato Chip day for 2013. Flavors you might enjoy include: a pretty bizarre sampling of crisp flavors. Their latest flavor additions are Lincolnshire sausage and brown sauce, sour cream and spring onion, and Birmingham chicken balti.

The brand of chips, which goes under the name Lay's in the United States, also produces crisp flavors: char-grilled steak, cheeseburger, steak and onion, smoky bacon, roast chicken, prawn cocktail, pickled onion, tomato ketchup, BBQ rib, Worcester sauce, cheddar cheese and bacon, sweet chili chicken, and flame grilled steak. Also, Cajun herb and spice, Chile Limon, chipotle ranch, classic BLT, dill pickle, garden tomato and basil, sweet southern heat barbecue, tangy Carolina, Parmesan and Tuscan herb, southwestern ranch, creamy Mediterranean herb, spice rubbed BBQ, Maui onion, jalapeno, mesquite BBQ, and spicy cayenne and cheese. 

Beer Chips company boasts potato chips made with beer. According to inventorspot.com, that same company is responsible for the Chip Shots: Margarita and Salt Potato Chips.

A company named Route 11 in Virginia produces some sea-inspired chips. An account is set up on Amazon where crab and chip lovers can unite and purchase Chesapeake Crab Potato Chips.

My Two Favorite Foods Combined

Two of nature's most perfect foods combined into one. Hard to believe it took this long to come up with this treat for the ages.

Bacon flavored potato chips. It makes for a Happy Friday!

Wordology, Ossicone

Ossicones are the nubs that stick out on the heads of Giraffes and male Okapi. They remain covered in skin and fur and are never shed, unlike other antlers and horns. Ossicones consist of cartilage that has turned to bone. In a young animal, ossicones are porous, with clusters of bony tissue interrupted by blood vessels and folded skin. As the animal ages its ossicones grow denser and more compact.

Both male and female giraffes have a pair of these hair-covered horns, but males use these to roughhouse with each other as they are growing up. As males mature, other calcium deposits can form near these horns, making it appear they have up to five horns.

Tech and Food

Not sure how practical, but interesting to see. These are real products and great for those working lunches.

Split keyboard and plate.

Noodles and Phone

Phone and Coffee to go

Hey, is that a banana in your ear? Banana handset for phone

Tiger Facts

The final Bali tiger is thought to have been seen back in 1937, the last-remaining Caspian tiger was found in the 1950s, and the Javan tiger went extinct sometime in the 1980s. The six subspecies that have survived include: the Bengal tiger, the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger, the Sumatran tiger, the Siberian tiger, and the South China tiger.

Between 1998 and 2000, nearly twenty percent of the Sumatran tiger population was killed. The South China subspecies is also listed among the ten most endangered animals in the world. The Siberian tiger has recently been discovered as genetically identical with the extinct Caspian variety, meaning that human intervention over the past century is the only reason we ever thought they were different.