STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

We'll Only Have A Year To Prepare For A Cataclysmic Super-Eruption

Volcanic super-eruptions are bad. Like really bad. Scientists warn of such a potentially civilisation-ending catastrophe in our future, but as a new study shows, we’ll only have a year to prepare once the signs of an impending eruption become visible.

A new microscopic analysis of quartz crystals taken from the site of a massive volcanic eruption that occurred 760,000 years ago in eastern California suggests we’ll only have about a year’s worth of advance warning before a devastating super-eruption. In a paper published in PLOS ONE, Guilherme Gualda from Vanderbilt University and Stephen Sutton from the University of Chicago show that super-eruptions don’t require much time to blow their tops, even though they’re tens of thousands of years in the making.

The Long Valley Caldera in eastern California, the result of a super-eruption 760,000 years ago

Unlike “conventional” eruptions, these explosions are among the most devastating on the planet, unleashing destruction that can flatten continents, trigger new ice ages and potentially put an end to human civilisation as we know it. They happen when the magma in the mantle rises into the crust, but is unable to breach the surface. The ensuing pressure builds and builds in an ever-growing magma pool until the crust can no longer contain the pressure. The results of the ensuing explosion are nothing short of catastrophic. In the most severe cases, a supervolcano can eject upwards of 1000 cubic kilometres of ash into the sky.

Our planet has experienced several super-eruptions in the recent geological past. The Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand erupted 26,500 years ago, and Campi Flegrei in Italy erupted 40,000 years ago. Other noteable super-eruptions include Indonesia’s Toba super-eruption in Sumatra 75,000 years ago and the Tambora eruption in 1815. Wyoming’s Yellowstone has super-erupted three times in the past million years, and there’s fear it could happen again. As these episodes show, super-eruptions are still a part of Earth’s geological fabric. It’s not a matter of if they will happen again, but when.

As these timelines suggest, super-eruptions evolve over relatively long timescales. But as the new study by Gualda and Sutton shows, the final stage doesn’t take very long at all.

“The evolution of a giant, super-eruption-feeding magma body is characterised by events taking place at a variety of time scales,” noted Gualda in a release. It typically takes tens of thousands of years to “prime” the crust with the requisite amounts of magma. Once these pools are established, the giant magma bodies swell and fester for a few millennia or even just a few centuries. “Now we have shown that the onset of the process of decompression, which releases the gas bubbles that power the eruption, starts less than a year before eruption,” said Gualda.

A quartz crystals used in the analysis.

Gualda and Sutton reached this conclusion by analysing small quartz crystals in pumice taken from the site of the Long Valley Caldera that formed nearly a million years ago. This allowed the researchers to measure the distinctive surface rims found at the sites of super-eruptions. By measuring the size and growth rates of these rims, the researchers were able to determine the length of time it took for an explosion to happen once the collapse phase begins. Analysis showed that more than 70 per cent of rim growth times were less than a year, indicating that quartz rims mostly grow in the days and months prior to an eruption.

According to the researchers, we’ll likely be able to detect the signs of a pending super-eruption by noticing the bloating effects of the expanding magma body on the surface. More work is needed to know more about these warning signs, but this new study suggests that these signals will start to appear within a year of an eruption. And they will intensify as the explosion gets closer.

 

[MIKA27]

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Reveals Who Star-Lord's Dad Is, And It's Stupendous

Marvel gave fans at Comic-Con a giant look at the much-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, but are being stingy with the video. We, on the other hand, are happy to tell you what we saw, including the identity of Star-Lord’s dad (it’s so good. you guys).

Both a clip and a new trailer were shown, but the trailer had the good stuff. It’s set to “Break the Chain” by Fleetwood Mac and begins with the team trying to kill a huge galactic being. Then they’re in front of Iesha, one of the film’s new villains, and Rocket makes fun of her. Not a good idea. It then cuts to the rest of the team, showing them in their new looks. Yondu is now a member of the team, as is Nebula. We see Sylvester Stallone as a member of the Nova Corps, then a strange ship comes down. It’s Kurt Russell as Ego — better known in Marvel Comics as the Living Planet. And he’s Star-Lord’s dad, too.

Ego explains how he made this form in the guise of a human and Drax asks if he has a penis. Ego answers: “Yes, I have a penis, Drax.”

To be clear, Kurt Russell is playing this guy:

Meanwhile, in the clip, a new Ravager named Taserface throws Rocket Raccoon and Yondu into a cell. He says turning them over to the Kree in the morning. When they walk away, one of the Ravagers asks what to do with this little tree guy, Baby Groot. Taserface says he’s too adorable to kill so they just let him be. Big mistake.

Groot goes over to Rocket and Yondu, and Yondu asks him to go get his prototype fin. Over the course of the next few minutes, Groot brings a ton of things to the guys in jail — a desk, a toe, etc. — but not the fin. When he finally gets it., Yondu, Rocket, and Groot escape, walking in slo-mo just like the last film, with the full team. Yondu begins to whistle and he starts killing Ravagers left and right with his flying needle; we even see an overhead shot of it in action, which looks like a John Madden NFL video game play. They move into a bigger room and it’s literally raining Ravagers as he continues to kill everyone. Then Groot sees the Ravager who had captured him earlier, and takes care of him.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 opens May 5, 2017.

[MIKA27]

Star Trek: Discovery Officially Takes Place In The Prime Universe

In a packed panel during San Diego Comic-Con, the name of the new Star Trek series — which, in the grand tradition of Star Trek, is also the name of the ship — was revealed. In a press conference after the panel, executive producers Bryan Fuller and Heather Kadin gave just a few more details about the show.

First off, Fuller answered the question of whether the Discovery, just revealed, was based on Ralph McQuarrie’s ’70s designs for the Enterprise. Fuller said it was, but “to a point that we can’t legally comment on it until [our legal team] figures out some things.”

Kadin was asked about being a woman working behind the scenes of the show and what that meant, and she answered that she takes inspiring women seriously and that Fuller does, too. “As a female, you’ll see, when you start to hear more about the series, that that’s a big part of it,” she added.

Fuller put to rest the speculation about which universe the show was set in, saying “It is in the prime timeline.” He couldn’t say exactly when in the timeline would be set, however.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to say yet because there are so many new things about this series,” Fuller said. that “There’s a lot of new and exciting things we’re doing with this show, that we [don’t] want to [over]saturate you.”

 

[MIKA27]

The Walking Dead's New Trailer Has Kingdoms, Tigers, Zombies And Zero Clues About Who Died

 

I’m serious, this is a three-minute trailer doesn’t feature a second of new footage of any of the 11 characters that were last seen kneeling in from of Negan, waiting for him to choose which one of them he’s gonna kill. Instead, it has a ton of new stuff, including characters, locales and… yep, that’s definitely a tiger.

The good stuff starts at 1:25. Looks like we’ll be spending a lot of our time with Negan’s Saviors, so I hope you enjoy them. But we’re also going to see the Kingdom — the refuge mentioned by the riders on horseback last season — which has a king who also has a tiger. That should help pick things up considerably.

And hey, credit to AMC for refusing to put any of Negan’s victims in this trailer, to completely keep it a mystery. I honestly didn’t think they’d go this far. Unless… unless, of course, the reason none of them are in the trailer is because they’re all dead. You know, if it turns out Negan murdered all 11 of them, then the cliffhanger would actually have totally been worth it.

[MIKA27]

A Group Of Astronauts Is Living Under The Sea For Two Weeks To Experience Life On Mars

A crew of NASA and ESA astronauts and researchers has arrived at underwater laboratory, Aquarius. They will be using the underwater conditions to simulate a crewed trip to Mars.

This is the 21st mission of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (or NEEMO) in the underwater lab. At 16 days, it’s the longest one for the project yet. The aquanauts will spend over two weeks testing equipment and protocols that they someday hope to carry-over to a future trip to Mars.

Especially key will be a series of “waterwalks”, in which the aquanauts walk out along the sea floor having adjusted their diving suits to mimic the gravity of Mars. Just like in a real spacewalk, the aquanauts are given outside missions to accomplish, which they use to test performance of both procedures and even equipment that could be someday be used in similar situations in space. Among the equipment being tested is a prototype wearable from the ESA called the mobiPV. The wearable can be used to stream a series of personalised instructions, including visuals, to an astronaut headset while they are completing a mission.

The first of the mission’s simulated Martian-gravity expedition will take place today, when the aquanauts construct a coral nursery near the underwater lab.

[Fuzz]

20 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Reveals Who Star-Lord's Dad Is, And It's Stupendous

 

WTF? What happened to J'Son of Spartax?

[MIKA27]

18 hours ago, Fuzz said:

WTF? What happened to J'Son of Spartax?

Mate, I've given up on wondering what these movie makers are doing. For those who don't know, Fuzz (And I hate saying this) is right, J'Son or as he is now known as "Mr Knife" is Star Lords father.

 

I'll wait for the movie to clarify whats happened here.

[Fuzz]

31 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

 For those who don't know, Fuzz (And I hate saying this) is right

 

What about Brie Larson? How do you feel about her being chosen to play Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel? To be honest, I could think of other actresses I'd rather see in the role; Katheryn Winnick, Yvonne Strahovski, Tricia Helfer or Charlize Theron.

[MIKA27]

11 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

What about Brie Larson? How do you feel about her being chosen to play Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel? To be honest, I could think of other actresses I'd rather see in the role; Katheryn Winnick, Yvonne Strahovski, Tricia Helfer or Charlize Theron.

My friend, you seriously beat me to naming who I'd love for that role and goes without saying Tricia Helfer from BSG. I endured re-watching Battlestar purely to see Tricia

Not just eye candy either, she's a great actress.

 

[Fuzz]

Personally, I would have gone for either Yvonne Strahovski or Charlize Theron, but Tricia Helfer would have been great as Captain Marvel.

[MIKA27]

11 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Personally, I would have gone for either Yvonne Strahovski or Charlize Theron, but Tricia Helfer would have been great as Captain Marvel.

I'm all for Charlize Theron but she too is over-saturated in movies these days IMO. Not saying she isn't a great choice for that role, indeed she would be but surely there's a ton of men and women out there who would be great for various roles instead of the usual suspects. Hello SLJ, I'm talking about you! 

 

[polarbear]

I personally was hoping for Rhonda Rousey

[Fuzz]

57 minutes ago, polarbear said:

I personally was hoping for Rhonda Rousey

If she could act, maybe. But she can't, so no. Hell, I wish they had picked somebody like Lucy Lawless or Cory Everson for the role of Wonder Woman, but instead they went for a wafer thin model.

[MIKA27]

18 hours ago, Fuzz said:

If she could act, maybe. But she can't, so no. Hell, I wish they had picked somebody like Lucy Lawless or Cory Everson for the role of Wonder Woman, but instead they went for a wafer thin model.

What are you on about? Gal Gadot is a great Wonderwoman. Hell, I was THE MOST SCEPTICAL and totally against her but after BvS, I stand corrected.

Lucy Lawless, son you need glasses.  Maybe as an older version of WW or WW mother. 

[MIKA27]

The Gunk Inside Our Noses Is Being Used To Produce The Next Great Antibiotic

Scientists have discovered a microbe in the human nose that produces an antibiotic lethal to the MRSA superbug, among others. The discovery could lead to powerful new therapies to treat problematic bacterial infections, while also demonstrating the potential for the human body to produce bug-killing compounds.

As we inch closer and closer to the antibiotic apocalypse, researchers are hunting far and wide for undiscovered microbes capable of staving off antimicrobial resistant bacteria. To date, scientist have searched for such bugs in the soil, at the bottom of the ocean and even on the surface of a Dalek. But as a new paper published in Nature points out, we should also be looking in the human body — particularly the gunk inside our noses.

Andreas Peschel and colleagues from the University of Tubingen discovered the new bacterium, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, while trying to solve a longstanding mystery. For some reason, about 30 per cent of all humans have Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in their noses, and the remaining 70 per cent do not. It turns out that S. lugdunensis features antibiotic properties that are toxic to S. aureus, making it an ideal candidate to fight certain bacterial infections. The researchers weren’t actually trying to find a new antibiotic, but it appears that’s exactly what they have done.

After examining the nasal swabs of more than 180 hospitalised patients, the researchers learned that S. aureus is capable of taking root in nearly six per cent of individuals who carry S. lugdunensis, compared with 35 per cent of individuals who don’t carry it within their noses.

Armed with this knowledge, the researchers created a new antibiotic medicine called “lugdunin”, and it’s the first of an entirely new class of antibiotics. It’s also the first time that an antibiotic has been developed from one that actively works to suppress a competitor in the human body. Lab tests showed that lugdunin can be used to treat skin infections in mice, and destroy methicillin-resistant S. aureus — the superbug otherwise known as MRSA — in both rats and mice.

The researchers aren’t entirely sure why the newfound bacteria is toxic to S. aureus, or if the new antibiotic is safe or effective in humans. More work is needed, though clearly the bacteria doesn’t seem to bother the one in three people whose noses it infests. It’s also not known if antibiotic resistance will eventually develop in people, which seems likely given the rapid rate at which bacteria are evolving to resist current antibiotics.

All this said, the preliminary results are promising, and the researchers are optimistic that similar bacteria-fighting microbes are still waiting to be discovered within the human body.

[MIKA27]

James McAvoy Plays A Terrifying Bad Guy In New M. Night Shyamalan Trailer

In 2015, M. Night Shyamalan released his best film in years, found-footage nightmare The Visit. He returns to a conventional style with Split, which may or may not delve into the supernatural, but definitely flirts with some very weird science. It also has a killer cast; James McAvoy alone gets to play 24 different characters. Holy S**t Charles Xavier is literally a Psycho!

Yes. Because his character has 24 different personalities. According to the official synopsis, Split is about a guy named Kevin (McAvoy) who has shared 23 different personas with his shrink (Betty Buckley) — but actually has one more very sinister face lurking deep within. It’s slowly rising to the surface, and has compelled Kevin to kidnap three teenage girls and stash them in his basement, where they frantically fight to survive as their captor grows ever more confused and insane.

Here’s the intriguing trailer, featuring multiple McAvoys and The Witch‘s breakout star, Anya Taylor-Joy, who’s barely recognisable with brown hair and a modern American accent. It looks like a dark fairy tale wrapped in a contemporary horror movie — and the ominous strings and the title typeface underline Split‘s debt to Psycho, too.

And don’t forget … Psycho had a big twist, decades before Shyamalan ever made Bruce Willis a ghost. We’ll find out if Split does when it hits theatres on January 19.

 

[MIKA27]

James Cameron Thinks Neill Blomkamp's Aliens Sequel Script Is 'Gangbusters'

James Cameron put it very delicately when he admitted that he didn’t like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But he has no such restraint when discussing the sequel to his Aliens, the polarising Alien 3. It begins with the cruel discovery that Aliens‘ hard-fought survivors — other than Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley — have all perished.

“I thought [the decision to eliminate Newt, Hicks and Bishop] was dumb,” says Cameron, who was at Comic-Con to celebrate Aliens‘ 30th anniversary. “I thought it was a huge slap in the face to the fans. [Alien 3 director] David Fincher is a friend of mine, and he’s an amazing filmmaker, unquestionably. That was kind of his first big gig, and he was getting vectored around by the studio, and he dropped into the production late, and they had a horrible script, and they were re-writing it on the fly. It was just a mess. I think it was a big mistake. Certainly, had we been involved we would not have done that, because we felt we earned something with the audience for those characters.”

Cameron has, however, been privy to Neill Blomkamp’s script for a hypothetical Aliens sequel, which would ignore and replace the events of Alien 3, and he approves. Strongly. “I think it works gangbusters. He shared it with me, and I think it’s a very strong script and he could go make it tomorrow. I don’t know anything about the production, and I don’t know what Ridley [Scott]’s doing. But hopefully there’ll be room for both of them. Like parallel universes.”

Cameron and Aliens co-producer Gale Anne Hurd know a lot about what makes a successful sequel — among their other collaborations is Terminator 2: Judgment Day. “The rule when we made Aliens was that a sequel would cost twice as much and make half as much. It never really looked like a particularly good business model, so they were relatively rare,” Cameron says, noting that the Oscar-nominated Aliens helped change that attitude in Hollywood.

Hurd thinks sequels have “gotten out of hand” three decades later, and offers this advice: “As opposed to formulaic filmmaking, go to an auteur and have the auteur write the script, and re-invent the story while staying true to canon.”

Cameron believes that sequels present a particular challenge. “I think there’s a tricky balance when you’re doing a sequel, between making it fresh, surprising the audience, but not surprising them with such a swerve that they feel that it’s not honouring the first film. You’ve got to play to expectations, you’ve got to play against expectations. And I always think that it’s about answering a question that you didn’t know to ask. But when they see it, it seems obvious.”

[MIKA27]

DOCUMENTARY: SPITFIRE!

Spitfire! is a wonderful documentary that actually talks to some of the men and women directly involved with the iconic fighter aircraft’s design and construction – including a lady who accidentally ended up clinging to the tail of a Spitfire as it took off and had to circle back around to the airdrome.

The film was made by the BBC back in 1976 when many of those involved in World War II were still alive and kicking, and the stories of the legendary aircraft’s design, development, and use in battle are extraordinary to hear right from the mouths of those who were at the controls and in the factories.

If you’d like to read a little more about the Spitfire you can click here to visit the RAF.

The below image was taken by the talented SAC Graham Taylor of the RAF Coningsby Photographic Section.

 

[MIKA27]

Dragon Hole of the Monkey King is World’s Deepest Blue Hole

It’s a massive blue hole that’s often called the “eye” in the South China Sea. Some fisherman believe it’s the mythical Dragon Hole where the Monkey King found his Ruyi Jingu Bang – the “Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod” that can change in size from 17,500 pounds to the size of a needle. Whatever you call Longdong, it’s now officially the deepest underwater sinkhole in the world.

Researchers with the Sansha Ship Course Research Institute for Coral Protection have been exploring and measuring Longdong for a year using sonar scanners, deep-sea current meters and a Video Ray Pro 4 underwater robot. It’s located near the Paracel Islands, which have been fought over by China, Vietnam and Taiwan for over a century. On July 22nd, the researchers announced that Longdong is 426 feet wide and 987 feet and claimed world record status by 300 feet from Dean’s Blue Hole near the Bahamas.

Blue holes are underwater sinkholes or caves that are open to the surface of a body of water, often with a rim of limestone or coral. The rim and the walls of the sinkhole help give the water in it its dark blue hue. The walls also keep the waters of the blue hole somewhat separate from the body of water it’s in, often giving them different marine life, temperatures, salinity and other features.

That’s the case with Longdong. According to media reports, the researchers found 20 different varieties of fish and marine creatures, but only to about one-third of the way down. After around 300 feet, it’s devoid of oxygen and life.

The government of Sansha, the closest major city in the Paracel Islands, has decided to officially claim the blue hole and named it the Sansha Yongle Blue Hole. However, vice mayor Xu Zhifei promises that the city will not turn it into a tourist attraction.

Good luck with that. In a sense, Dragon Hole is already a tourist attraction. The classic 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West mentions it as the place where the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) finds his secret weapon – the Ruyi Jingu Bang, a giant size-changing golden staff.
Whatever you call it, the Dragon Hole has the record and is taking on all challengers.

 

[MIKA27]

BEANPLUS COLD DRIP

For most all coffee fiends, cold brew is a summer essential. The drink is pretty expensive, however, and if you’re trying to make it yourself? You have to plan at least a day in advance in order to let the beans brew properly. Or, at least, you used that’s the way it used to work. The BeanPlus Cold Drip coffee brewer cuts most brew times in half thanks to its dutch brewing method.

The brewer is split up into three different sections, a top area for storing cold water, a stainless steel sieve to hold your favorite ground beans, and a carafe for all of your coffee to gather. Simply load up the top portion of the brewer with water and it’ll drip through the non-clogging drip mechanism and onto your beans. It’s a fun and clean take on a brew method that can be time consuming and downright messy at times. Save yourself both time and money this summer and pick up yours staring at just $44. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

SHINOLA RAMBLER TACHYMETER CHRONO

Between the years of 1963 and 1965, Craig Breedlove broke the land speed record five times. He pushed the limit from 407 miles per hour to 468, 526, 555, and finally 600 in two vehicles, one named Spirit of America, and then in the Spirit of America Sonic 1. Like the names of those vehicles would suggest, he represented to many a very American impulse to work hard and constantly aim for what is just out of reach. Shinola is honoring Craig’s memory by releasing the Rambler Tachymeter Chrono, the first Tachymeter they’ve ever produced.

For the uninitiated, a tachymeter scale sits on the bezel of a watch and is used to measure either distance based on speed or speed based on travel time. Each of the four different styles of Rambler that Shinola is offering were constructed in Detroit, Michigan, and feature a chronograph stopwatch function and an argonite movement that sits inside a 44mm case. Three of the four styles come with a stainless steel case, while the Rambler 600 is built with a Titanium case and strap. Not only do the watches look great, they may help you record some P.R.s of your own. Prices range from $875 to $1,325. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

CONVERSE AUCKLAND MODERN RUNNING SHOE

We always enjoy a well-executed collaboration, especially when that collaboration pays homage to a brand’s healthy legacy from decades prior. Converse’s Auckland Modern is one such collaboration with Nike and the HTM design collective – which consists of Fragment founder Hiroshi Fujiwara, Nike design legend Tinker Hatfield, and Nike CEO and designer Mark Parker.

Specifically, the Auckland takes its inspiration from the Converse’s previous collaborations with runners and their coaches in the ‘70s and ‘80s. In turn, it features a vintage design wrapped in modern charm. The new construction takes into account contemporary sport-inspired innovations with a noticeably clean look. There’s a knit upper with TPU overlays that increase comfort and resilience to wear and it also features Nike’s lightweight Hyperfuse construction for support. Thanks to the Auckland’s Pylon outsole, wearers will enjoy lightweight cushioning and its deep flex grooves facilitate natural motion, a monumental advantage that runners look for in a quality shoe. All in all, it’s a brilliant collaboration perfect for both seasoned and novice runners. Available now for $130.

[MIKA27]

Why Rémy Martin’s Barrels are So Important

Anyone who’s anyone in the world of cognac will tell you that, when it comes to quality, the most important difference between a good and bad finished product all begins with a solid eau de vie—the colorless, clear raw product that results from the distillation of white wine from the dry, acidic grapes in the Cognac region. The eau de vie is essentially a 140-proof alcohol that, if drank straight, burns like the pits of hell.

While the eau de vie is a critically important piece of the cognac puzzle, there’s another aspect of it that people tend not to think about—coopering.

Luckily, our friends at Rémy Martin invited us out to France for a few days to learn more about the process of producing quality cognac and why the cask is so important.

Not Just Any Oak

As with many brown liquors—bourbon, whisky, brandy, etc.—oak is the preferred wood for aging cognac. However, just like cognac grapes, the location of the oak trees is essential. Cognac companies search long and hard for the perfect oak, and each company uses different grain woods from different regions of France, including Argonne, Bourgogne, Allier, Troncais, Nevers, and more. Each region’s oak trees grow differently, varying in hardness or softness, porousness, flavor profiles, and more.

Rémy only uses oak from the French region of Limousin. Oak from Limousin is medium and large grain, which means it’s more porous than other popular French cask oaks. It offers a pronounced flavor profile that’s heavy on vanilla and rich in tannin, which helps in the maturation process and gives Rémy Martin’s cognac its distinct flavors.

Respecting The Process

Once the right trees are sourced, the job isn’t done.  Rémy Martin takes their wood and ages it for two whole years.

Sandra Trichet, a guide from Seguin Moreau, the company who produces all of Rémy Martin’s carefully crafted casks, took us on a tour through a small part of their six-hectare facility, where we saw rows and rows of aging lumber.

As we walked through the lumberyard, Trichet explained that even after the oak is selected, it goes through rigorous testing before it’s actually used. Woodchip samples are tested to make sure there are no hazardous molds or other batch ruining bacteria.

If the wood passes the tests, it’s cut into planks, stacked onto pallets, and placed in the yard. For the first 45 days the wood is watered for 45 minutes, every two hours. After that, it is left to the elements. It sees all the seasons of cognac—summer, fall, winter, and spring. Trichet told us the maturation of the lumber in Cognac, the place, is critical, because the climate there is perfect.

After the aging process, the wood is then sanded down and crafted into the barrels that will store the cognac for the next few decades (yes, decades). A team under the supervision of Seguin Moreau’s master coopers manufactures the barrels according to detailed specifications set forth by Rémy Martin.

Unlike bourbon and whisky, whose barrels are often heavily charred before being filled, cognac barrels are only slightly roasted. The light roast helps bring out the natural vanilla and spicy flavors from the Limousin oak, which complements perfectly the naturally sweeter flavors of the eau de vie.

Getting Better With Age

Once the barrels are made, they’re filled with the eau de vie, and placed in storage. For Rémy, that includes 29 different cellars, each averaging 6,000 barrels. In these cellars they’ll remain for anywhere from 40 to over 100 years, where they’ll age to the tradition of the house. What makes slow aging so important is that not only does it give the cognac time to blend with the wood, but the Limousin oak’s porousness allows the cognac room to breathe and react with the air inside each individual cellar—a critical part of the process whose importance can’t be stressed enough.

You’d think that the cellars would have been modernized and updated with all the emerging tech over the last couple of decades—precision climate control to ensure optimal air quality at all times, more updated filtration system for “purer” cognac, more scientific blending formulas, etc. While they do take digital measurements of how much liquor has evaporated from the barrels (a term endearingly labeled “The Angels Share”) for taxation purposes, and while they do have thermometers and hygrometers to, the facility is as traditional as the modern world allows. And that’s the way Rémy Martin prefers it to be. We can’t speak for other companies (because we didn’t get down inside their cellars), but at Rémy, the casks are still stored on raw earth.

Baptiste Loiseau, Remy Martin’s famed Cellar Master, told us that the brand’s widespread growth and popularity over its 300-year history is a true testament to their process. In short, if it ain’t broke, they don’t intend on fixing it.

Loiseau explained that because the wood is porous and naturally reacts with the air in the cellar, it’s important for the cognac to experience seasonal changes—like becoming warmer and more humid in the summer, and cooler and dryer in the winter—because that’s the way things have always been done.

Throughout the aging process, eau de vies may be transferred to different casks of different ages or even blended with other eau de vis at different maturation points, but at the end of the day, one thing remains certain: Without a good barrel, it’s all just fancy French moonshine.

[MIKA27]

The BMW Titan Concept Is Modeled After a Shark

Despite its size, a great white shark can hit speeds of 35 mph. Industrial Product Designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem used that as inspiration when crafting this BMW Titan Concept. With the goal of breaking the land speed record for motorcycles (376 mph), the designer turned to the hydrodynamics of a shark to craft this wild ride. The similarities are obvious. You have a large rear wheel in place of a tail. You have sharp side pieces where fins would be. You even have intakes where a shark would have gills, and the closed front helps send air right to them. Unlike Jaws, however, this thing is packed with a turbo-powered engine to make quick work of the Salt Flats.

[MIKA27]

Dagadam Watch

Say hi to Dagadam Watch, a beautiful smart watch with a clean and perfect round design. The idea is that a smart watch doesn´t have to be bulky and full of standout features, it is simply an extension of your smartphone and should need only discrete notifications and small app icons. Made of durable and tough aluminum used in the aeronautics industry, the Dagadam Watch has a Spectrum display with a 400x400 resolution, and a round fullscreen with gorilla curved glass that is anti scratch and anti-reflective. It also has a operating system that is optimized for power consumption, and a battery save mode that enables the watch to remain active up to 5 days. Compatible with both iPhones and Android smartphones.