NPR’s Morning Edition ran a story on finding the perfect balance of caffeine. Apparently as little as 100mg—typical for a 6-ounce cup of coffee—is enough to give most people a lift. Depending on tolerance, anxiety and jitters start showing up as early as 200mg.

And yes, a cup of plain coffee has more caffeine than a shot of espresso.

The story was followed by one looking at why children have so much more energy than their elders. One of the biologists they interviewed was Michael Rose, an evolutionary biologist at UCI. I actually took a class from him once, on an evolutionary approach to explain the aging process. His take on it is that youthful energy is all about exploring the world and filling up your brain. Once you’re an adult, you don’t need to explore as much. It also means you take fewer risks, increasing your odds of survival.

Billboard: When it comes to hot dogs, this is our turf. (Wienerschnitzel mascot sprays mustard on a fire hydrant.)

I’m not sure what annoys me more about this ad: the fact that the joke is tasteless (which is an oddly appropriate phrase, considering it’s about food), or the fact that it’s equating something they serve (the mustard) with urine.

“Come here, our mustard tastes like piss!” Yeah, that’s encouraging.

Spotted on September 10.

I’ve been frequenting a couple of nearby smoothie shops this summer, including Jamba Juice. Lately they’ve got an interesting contest:

Live to be 100 Sweepstakes

OK, it’s a sweepstakes promoting a book on “Hundreds of ways to live to be 100,” but the way the promo is phrased makes me think of a different kind of contest entirely. I mean, it seems pretty clear who wins: anyone who enters, then lives to be 100, wins.

So what do you give the lucky 100-year-olds as prizes? A lifetime supply of smoothies?

You know the routine. We can’t pass up a bizarre image without taking a photo and posting some sort of comment. Not even on vacations.

Alien Fresh Jerky SignThe drive to Las Vegas from southern California is simple: make your way to the 15, head north, and keep going until you get blinded by the neon. The ⅔ mark is Baker, CA, a small strip of restaurants, stores and gas stations in the middle of the desert, famous for the Bun Boy and the world’s tallest thermometer. Baker has something new: Alien Fresh Jerky.

We were staying at the South Coast Hotel and Casino, the latest megasino to open, which is a bit off the strip. At first I was a bit worried about finding the right exit. As it turns out, it’s the first giant hotel you’ll see as you approach Las Vegas from the south…about two miles before you actually have a chance to get off the freeway! (They have a free shuttle to the strip, though that had its own share of problems.) They put us in a room on the 24th floor, which had a great view of suburban South Las Vegas. Continue reading

There are some things that no self-respecting Something Positive reader wants to see, and this recipe is among them:

Choo Choo Sandwich Recipe

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (classic reissue)Poor Choo-Choo Bear! Disguising yourself as a pitcher is one thing, but being turned into a sandwich? Alas, such a sad, sad fate for everyone’s favorite amorphous kitty.

(At least the sandwich probably won’t be as pink as Slashdot’s OMG Ponies! theme.)

Source: the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book : (1953 Classic Edition), page 297.

After our trip to the nursery this weekend, Katie started seriously looking at our existing plants. We have a mint plant that got so pot-bound it grew down, through the drainage holes at the base of the pot, and back up the outside of the pot. She decided to make cuttings out of those bits… but what to put them in?

Well, she’d just finished off a container of baking cocoa…

Mint cuttings in a Hershey's Cocoa container.