Melody Lan

"After years of catering to women, manufacturers are setting their sights on men. The new macho mattresses they're introducing have "muscle-recovery properties" and cooling technology, on the theory that men are more likely to feel too hot in bed. The bed frames feature built-in TVs, iPod docking stations, wine coolers, safes and other guy-friendly gadgetry." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

HA—it's the adult version of a sports car bed for boys: "Luxury auto brand Lamborghini, which is owned by Volkswagen AG, has teamed up with Italian mattress maker Magniflex SpA to design a mattress aimed at men who love sports cars. The $2,000 mattress, which made its debut at a recent home-furnishings trade show in Las Vegas in September, features the auto maker's logo and signature colors." - Dan Hsiao

I'd like a bed that can maintain the temperature and humidity while I sleep. - Dan Hsiao

"Did you know that a Harry Potter theme park is coming to Orlando, Florida? The website for the park (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) offers a glimpse of the future attractions, which will include recreations of the Hog’s Head and Three Broomsticks pubs from the Harry Potter books..., but Nation's Restaurant News reports the menus will feature traditional British fare and drinks, and, yes, butterbeer will be served (pumpkin juice, too)." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"A secretive religious group that fought a long legal battle for the right to drink hallucinogenic tea in pursuit of spiritual growth now plans to build a temple and greenhouse in a wealthy community here..." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"Once you’ve shaken them out of the can and swirled them around a bit, the ravioli do have the same basic shape as depicted on the wrapper, and the sauce is almost the right color. However, the meat inside is not a healthy brown, but rather a sickly gray." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Ooh, I love this blog idea. Also, funny: "The “pasta” is so soft that you can chew the whole meal with just your tongue and the roof of your mouth, so add another point to the score if you’re suffering from lockjaw." - Rebecca Sun

"Fish are friends, not food..." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

land shark!! too cute. - Rachel Lea Fox

"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" - Dan Hsiao

"The serpentine wall shape of the All Edges Brownie Pan conducts heat better than your average baking pan resulting in more even cooking. The crazy shape also gives each piece two yummy edges.." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"Unlikely as it sounds, showing weight-conscious women pictures of sweet treats actually strengthens their resolve to eat healthily, rather than encouraging them to cheat." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

this is a total crock. me want CAKE - Felicia Yue

"A study found that the bones of women who drink beer regularly are stronger, making them less likely to suffer from osteoporosis." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Beer needed a positive boost here, after I read an article last week in a newspaper with the opinions of a conservative anti-alcohol doctor. :-) - Ton Zijp

"A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been discovered in the highlands of the central Philippines. The pitcher plant is among the largest of all pitchers and is so big that it can catch rats as well as insects in its leafy trap." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Bet that smells WONDERFUL. - Lindsay is in 20-ten

By "Like," I mean "It looks cool but I don't want my hand anywhere near that." - Brian Chang

"Facebook Inc. said it has acquired FriendFeed, a start-up that allows users to share links and status updates online, folding in a potential rival that struggled to take off." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

15 million in cash and 35 million in stock: interesting. - Mark Trapp

I'm not sure I like this. If something looks like a burger, wouldn't you rather it taste like one too? - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Very cool :) I would totally eat it. Of course, I'd stare at it first for a few minutes, take some pictures, marvel at the artistry/skill, then - NOM - Jeanette Bosman

"Butterbeer, as Heston Blumenthal points out in his Tudor Feast, is not just Harry Potter’s favourite tipple, it’s also a bona fide Tudor recipe made from ale, sugar, egg yolks, nutmeg and butter. If you’ve always thought that beer is good but could benefit from a few more calories, then this is the drink for you." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

I'm surprised no company has started manufacturing this en masse. They'd make a windfall off the Harry Potter fans. :) - Dan Hsiao

Butterbeer could be the new Wensleydale - Kevin Fox

"A pie crust in itself is not much of a challenge, but many home cooks fear or fail at transferring the crust from countertop to pie plate. Here, then, is a way to make a pastry dessert with all the features of a “real” pie, minus the crust-on-the-bottom step." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

The crust is where all the calories live. I'm happy to skip it! - Kevin Fox

"The same blue food dye that gives your Gatorade its turquoise tint and turns your tongue a peculiar shade of purple might also protect your nerves in the case of spinal cord injury." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

I can see EMTs having a syringe of Blue #1 right next to their syringe of epinephrine. - Daniel Dulitz

"While the McGriddle is a tasty creation, the most pleasurable thing about the sandwich isn't the pancake or the bacon: it's the calories." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

I'm one of the people who love it. But then, I love the sausage biscuit with egg just as much. - Brian Chang

"When I called Cold Stone Creamery to ask how their no-melt ice cream works, the explanation turned out to be simple. Someone at Cold Stone came up with an idea for an ice cream that would have the texture of Jell-O pudding." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

No..........next? - Kevin J Hatton

"Two teams of Chinese researchers working separately have reprogrammed mature skin cells of mice to an embryonic-like state and used the resulting cells to create live mouse offspring." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

ohhhh nooooooooo - Christopher Chung

i mean, good for them! - Christopher Chung

"The unusual fruit is the invention of Hiroichi Kimura, a farmer from Kumamoto, and his wife. The couple said they had tried for three years to create the perfectly heart-shaped fruit, which they say symbolizes their passion for farming and their affection for each other." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"Customers can sip tea, just as at regular cafes in Tokyo, but the felines – some sashaying cool, others chasing their own tails – are the point at the city's cat cafes." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

They need ones for dog-lovers. - Melody Lan

"FOR plantain lovers, it may be the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, a patacón (paht-ah-CONE) — the full name, patacón Maracucho, identifies its birthplace as the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo — is a sandwich that dispenses with bread entirely. In its place is green (that is, unripe) plantain that’s been sliced lengthwise, fried, pressed flat and fried again. Still warm, the golden discs embrace shredded beef, roast pork, chorizo, chicken or cheese." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to find that Patacon sandwich in SF and only found a place in Napa. It's not exactly the same but Pica Pica serves a sandwich with sweet plantains and shredded skirt steak. http://www.picapicakitchen.com/ There's a tofu version too, but I think the steak sounds way better! - Melody Lan

Eek, a three-floor grimaldi's? will this make it easier or harder to get a grimaldi's pie? - Christopher Chung

i think harder. best to make friends with people in that building so you can get free delivery. but i wonder how long the pizzas would take to arrive! - Melody Lan

GRIMALDI'S IN MANHATTAN? (yes i'm shouting) It's like a dream come true! But what the hell is up with letting residents of 200 Water St. bypass the line? Did Grimaldi get a discount on their rent for that or something? - Dan Hsiao

"Think about homemade ice cream, creamy and cold and full of fresh fruit flavor. Think about ice cream so light it seems to float off the spoon. Think about ice cream that comes to the table not in cute little scoops, but a good 5 inches deep, so tall it towers above the dish." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Mmmm.... - Dan Hsiao

I want to make this! - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

I want to eat this! - Rebecca Sun

I get to eat this, right? :D - Dan Hsiao

stamps that smell like chocolate. =) how lovely. - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

They look really good. - Dan Hsiao

haha i would be the american that tries to eat them :P - Emily

"An Inner Critic can indeed roust you out of bed in the morning, get you on the treadmill (literally and figuratively) and spur you to finish that book or symphony or invention. But the desire to achieve can get hijacked by harsh judgment and unrelenting fear. " - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"When should you salt meat before cooking it? A writer tests the two prevailing—and diametrically opposed—approaches to find the best method." - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

Chris, I just now had a chance to read this and had highlighted the same exact quote to paste here. :P - Dan Hsiao

"[Dr. Aronne] makes the best case yet why what you eat and when you eat it can make a big difference in appetite, satiety and how much willpower it takes to cut down. "It's true that a calorie is a calorie," Dr. Aronne says. "But what that doesn't take into account is how some calories affect what people eat later on."" - Melody Lan from Bookmarklet

"Some people argue that they aren't hungry in the morning, but Dr. Aronne notes that ghrelin, the hormone that typically signals hunger, adjusts to habitual meal patterns. After a few days of eating breakfast, you should find that you are hungry in the morning, and are eating less the night before, he writes ... Eating bread before dinner makes people lose their sense of fullness and eat more, Dr. Aronne warns. Alcohol makes it worse by lowering your resistance and promoting fat storage." - Dan Hsiao