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

[MIKA27]

Christopher Ward C8 UTC Worldtimer

Christopher Ward watch company was founded in 2004 in London UK. From the start the company has always tried to find a way for everyone to enjoy the truly visceral pleasure derived from owning and wearing a premium quality Swiss made watch. They wanted to create..."the cheapest most expensive watches in the world." Their new C8 UTC Worldtimer is a pilot-style twin-crown sport watch with a world time bezel and an aviation-inspired dial design. Measuring 44mm wide, the elegant timepiece is available with a steel case in either a brushed finish or black DLC, and a choice of a few different leather strap options. A casual and travel-ready Swiss-powered design at an accessible price point

[MIKA27]

WISDOM WOODS

There's no better place to recharge than the Great Outdoors, and Wisdom Woods is making it more accessible than ever with their private retreat center. Located deep in the Wisconsin forest, their aim is to help you relax and unwind, whether that means sweating it out in the sauna or biking through the mid-western snow. Accommodations include both cabins and glamping sites, and aside from the more calming amenities like hot tubs and campfires, the camp also offers fishing, boating, hiking, and access to a private beach.

[MIKA27]

MASTER & DYNAMIC MW50 WIRELESS ON-EAR HEADPHONES

Thanks to a robust, timeless design that leaves their aluminum antenna exposed, the Master offer range to match their sound. They work as far as 100 feet away from the Bluetooth source, while producing outstanding audio thanks to 40mm beryllium drivers. They charge over USB-C, offer 16-hours of battery life, and with a body that's 30% smaller and lighter than their big brother MW60, are ideal for on-the-go use. Available in silver metal with black or brown leather accents and ear pads.

[MIKA27]

REDBREAST LUSTAU EDITION IRISH WHISKEY

The partnership between sherry distillers and whiskey makers goes back a long way, and Redbreast Lustau Edition Irish Whiskey places that relationship front and center. The Lustau Edition was matured in traditional bourbon and sherry casks for 9-12 years before spending an additional year in first fill hand selected sherry butts seasoned with the finest oloroso sherry from Bodegas Lustau in Jerez. The Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey benefits greatly from the accenting sherry flavors and is the first permanent addition to the Redbreast collection since 2013.

[MIKA27]

ALO PHONE

Imagining a future where phone's don't even need screens, the Alo Phone is an intriguing concept. It was created by French designers Jerome Olivet and Philippe Starck and is crafted from an aluminum unibody coated in natural resin. The combination works to provide haptic and even temperature-based feedback, and also allows the skin to repair scratches and scrapes automatically. An advanced AI is built into the phone, getting rid of the need for a screen by responding to your commands, reading texts it detects with its camera, and letting you respond to emails and texts in your natural voice. Currently just a concept, Olivet is working with Thomson to create a working prototype.

 

[MIKA27]

FIRESTONE WALKER BRAVO IMPERIAL BROWN ALE

Nearly twelve years since it was first brewed, Firestone Walker Bravo Imperial Brown Ale is finally being bottled for the first time. One of the driest beers in the Vintage Reserve series, it's also a crucial component in the annual blending of Firestone Walker's Anniversary Ale and helps balance out some of the sticky sweet components. Clocking in at 13.2%, Bravo is also the first beer in Firestone's barrel-aged line to move to a 12 ounce size from the previous 22 ounce standard. This gives drinkers a much more reasonable serving size and price point to commit to with beers that regularly top 10% ABV.

[MIKA27]

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER’S ELECTRIC G-WAGON WILL CRUSH YOUR PRIUS

Civilian electric cars were never meant to look or behave like this. Arnold Schwarzenegger is rarely considered a civilian these days even though he is retired.

Welcome to the Terminator’s vision of an electric future. A highly modified version of Mercedes-Benz luxurious G-Wagon which replaces the prehistoric V8 combustion engine for a fully electric unit that can send the car from 0-100km/h in under six seconds whilst the electric top speed reaches a respectable 177km/h.

In electric car world these are pretty good figures especially since the car has zero emissions and can afford Schwarzenegger and his buddy Dylan 300km of mileage on a single charge.

Recharging the car to 80% will take just under thirty minutes so quick get aways shouldn’t be an issue either. The car officially named Kreisel Electric was developed by Kreisel, a German firm which specialises in advanced electric motors, powertrains and batteries.

Is it the German Tesla? You’ll have to wait and see. For now you get cigar-chomping Arnie negating his carbon footprint.

 

[MIKA27]

These Stump Glasses are Made from an Oak Branch Mold

We’ve seen drinkware made from actual wood before and thought, “Huh, that looks cool, but there’s no way I’m ever drinking out of it.” Stump Glasses are a better solution.

The glasses in the cocktail set—two tumblers and a larger cocktail number—were made using a mold of an actual oak branch as a way of paying homage to the aging process of whiskey. Vitreluxe, a handmade glass company based in Portland, Oregon, then blew a glass bubble inside the mold to deliver the unique texture of these glasses. The set even comes with cocktail stirrer so you can whip up your next batch of beverages. The Stump Cocktail Set looks good and won’t leave a splinter in your lower lip. 

[MIKA27]

SIDE PROJECT DERIVATION IMPERIAL STOUT

Despite the fact that they've only been around for a few years, Side Project Brewing has quickly become the makers of some of the most sought after bottles in the craft beer universe. Side Project Derivation Imperial Stout — the breweries series of barrel-aged imperial stouts — are a great example, each taking a big, bold imperial stout and aging them in bourbon or rye whiskey barrels. Each clocks in at 14% or more, and has their own signature quality to help them stand out. Six blends have been released already, and each recipe, barrel and time spent aging, and special additions vary. Each batch of Derivation is a well thought out, decadent treat that's perfect for sharing at your next special occasion.

[MIKA27]

This Show That's Basically Taxicab Confessions But For Uber Is Weirdly Captivating

Last fall, Samuel Schoemann was between jobs at a commercial production company, so he did what seemingly anyone with a car does nowadays if they’re in need of quick cash: he started driving for Uber. Then, he did what probably any Uber driver has thought about doing: film his interactions with passengers.

The 51-year-old has lived in Los Angeles since 1980, and his LinkedIn profile shows the guy has a background in business and the entertainment industry.

A self-described avid car guy by virtue of living in LA, Schoemann has a history of making use of his downtime: in 2013, he published a book called Swimming In Lake Me, described as “one man’s journey of discovery.”

 The book, he told Jalopnik, stemmed from a divorce about five years ago that was compounded by losing a job. The blurb on Amazon goes further in detail:

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“What do you do when you think you done everything right— then wake up one morning and realize nothing has turned out as planned” You buy a Corvette and take a cross-country trip to try and make sense of it all.”

What I’m trying to make sense of is why I can’t stop watching Schoemann’s newest thing that he sent along to us recently: a web TV show that is essentially a reprisal of Taxicab Confessions, except it involves him and people he picked up during a brief stint while driving for Uber earlier this year. Schoemann said he plopped two GoPros into the car, and just started shooting.

“This is something I did over the summer literally just between jobs,” he told Jalopnik by phone. “I just needed money.”

The end-result, Ride Share Confidential, is weirdly captivating. The set-up and interactions seem contrived, but Schoemann’s adamant that it’s legit. He provided us copies of non-disclosure agreements and release forms signed by the two passengers in the first episodes on YouTube. “It’s not my first rodeo,” he said. Asked when he told riders if they were OK being filmed, and whether anyone said no, Schoemann coyly demurred.

“It’s reality TV for the Web. Don’t want give away the ‘Secret Sauce’ so to speak. :-)” he said with a smile in a later email.

Now, I don’t want to overstate what’s going on. This is a run-of-the-mill voyeuristic reality TV concept, and the concept here isn’t exactly original, beyond the Taxicab Confessions-mime. A couple pilot teasers exist on YouTube of a rideshare confessional-type show, and GQ ran a feature in 2014 by a writer that drove for Uber and conveyed his experience. It’s hard to look away.

The first episode, titled, “Love Me Tinder,” opens with Sam nasally announcing to the camera: “Alright, we’re picking up Allie.”

Allie is going out on a Monday night, because “adults can do that,” she says. She’s a writer, and before moving to Los Angeles, she grew up in Alaska, which is portrayed as a freezing hellhole where something like a few dozen people live and everyone has dated one another.

“Just imagine the coldest, darkest place ever where you cry yourself to sleep every night,” she tells Schoemann, laughing. “No, actually, growing up in Alaska is great, it’s really great — but as an adult. you get tired of hooking up with people you’ve hooked up with since middle school.”

There’s also America’s Favorite Hockey Mom. “We come from the place where Sarah Palin’s from,” Allie says, prompting a groan from everyone from here to Alaska.

“Oh my gosh,” Schoemann sighs.

LA, which is unlike Alaska, is far cooler, according to Allie. You can order booze or food to your door, something apparently the entire U.S. has been equipped to do besides Alaska. There’s also Tinder.

Sam sounds as if the concept of the app is fresh to him. 

“So, do you just like, you connect, they come over, and it’s on?” he inquisitively asks.

Allie promptly responds: “I don’t waste time. What happens if i like you so much and then you suck at sex?”

“I would rather just have an awesome time with somebody and if it turns out they suck as a person at least i have something good to remember them by.” The meandering back-and-forth ends on Allie discussing her dating life in LA, and soon enough, the ride’s over.

With episode 2, “The High Seas,” we’re pretty much taken for a ride from the outset, once John gets inside. John needs to get to Pasadena.

“My favorite band, Mile a Sin, is playing a show there tonight,” he says, sporting what appears to be a t-shirt for Mile a Sin, possibly the only band without any presence on the Internet whatsoever, if they’re indeed real. (Are you in Mile A Sin? I need to know.)

John goes on. “Yeah, they’re a heavy metal band. Yeah, I’ve been a head banger for like 30-40 years.”

“Seriously???” Schoemann says.

“I still do mosh pits.”

“Oh, are you kidding?” Schoemann, exasperated, says. “Watch out for flying elbows around John.”

“I’ve had my nose broken.”

The conversation shifts toward the open seas, and Schoemann discloses that he enjoys sailing (“I just love the water.”)

Coolly, John offers with a hint of pride: “Been there done that.” I’ll let them take it from here.

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S: Oh, really did you have a boat?

J: I was a captain in the Merchant Marine. I retired after 20 years.

S: Woah, so like big boats?

J: Everything form a 27 ft. rescue boa ... to a 700 ft tanker.

S: Nice. What was it like living out on the high seas?”

J: Well, point A is great, point b is great, and in between is ... dull. Boring. Same thing every single day.

S: I can imagine, I can imagine.”

J: Oh, I found a way to spice it up.

S: Oh, you did? how do you spice that up?

J: Well, if you don’t mind taking the risk of smuggling drugs.

 

It’s here for the first time that Schoemann comes across somewhat genuinely in his disbelief at what his passengers are relaying. “Shut up!” he says.

“No, absolutely,” John says. “I did that so many damn times.”

Schoemann, curious gumshoe he is, asks whether John ever got in trouble? No, he responds, but a couple once got “busted for marijuana.

“We had frickin’ guns put to your heads and all sorts of stuff,” John says. “Nobody got killed. It’s one of the many times I’ve had a gun pointed in my face.”

“Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine,” Schoemann says, in a way that crystallizes that he really can’t imagine being in a precarious situation to that degree. “That just sounds crazy ... what were you smuggling? Hashish?”

“Hashish, marijuana, cocaine,” he says.

Cocaine from South America?

“Yep.”

“So you got, like, the real cocaine,” Sam responds, looking to confirm if this is The Real Deal.

“Oh yeah, oh yeah.”

“Oh, sheesh.” Then, this. An incredulous bit from John:

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You know how I got it through customs? Once I became an officer, I got to wear the uniform. Well, when you’re flying back - a lot of time we do a delivery, we take the ship down there and leave it and fly it back. So, I put on the uniform, and when you walk through customs wearing the uniform, they don’t give you a second look; it’s just like OK, no problem. And you got a freakin kilo in your bag. And they would never search once.

There’s another anecdote John offers about how he joined the Mile High Club, and Schoemann comes across like he met one of the most interesting people in his life. When John leaves, Schoemann says aloud:

“That was awesome.”

Schoemann’s goal, he said, would be to “figure out a way to do this kind of work full time.”

“I think I’m the classic creative guy, but figured I’d have to be in business, so all my life I’ve said no you’ve got a family and you’ve got responsibilities ... and I think about 6 months ago I thought to myself, I’ve got to really let this creative part of me out.”

Schoemann said he expects to release more in the near-future. I’ll be watching.

[MIKA27]

This Drone's Eye View Of Rallye Monte Carlo Is Incredible

The most famous rally in the world ran last month, the deadly Rallye Monte Carlo, in the French mountains above Monaco. These are the among the most challenging roads in the world, and you need to see them from the air.

Listening to the turbo whistle on the new Toyota Yaris makes my heart flutter.

These are the fastest rally cars in a generation, new for 2017, and getting to see them move around on the intermittent ice and tear down long tarmac straights is unreal. I can’t wait for the rest of the season.

Bonus:

 

[MIKA27]

What It's Like To Fly A Garage-Built Airplane Designed In 1928

If you thought cars were an expensive hobby, check into the operating costs of a used prop plane. (It’s a lot.) Unless, apparently, you whip up your own aircraft from some plans drawn up about 90 years ago like the guy in this video.

If you’ve never heard of the Pietenpol airplane, like I hadn’t until yesterday, it was designed in 1928 to bring aviation to the common man. No, seriously! According to the Pietenpol Aircraft Company, which will still sell you the plans and parts to put yourself in the air for less than the cost of an economy car, Bernard Pietenpol was basically trying to build affordable airplanes an in era when televisions were the size of refrigerators but the screens were the size of your iPhone.

“It’s nothing more than a big balsa wood airplane that you happen to fly in,” this video hosts explains as he narrates alighting in his Pietenpol for the first time. “You can build one of these for under $10,000, it’s something you can do in your garage over the course of three years.”

 The Pietenpol plane looks like a tchotchke that’d be hanging in an Applebee’s. And that just makes it all the more impressive that people are actually brave enough to go airborne in these oversized toys.

Pietenpol was obviously ahead of his time. People are still building and flying in the contraptions he dreamed up 89 years ago! It appears that Pietenpol’s descendants operate the company now, and have laid out how to build your own plane pretty neatly on their website.

The site quotes the original Mr. Pietenpol with saying: “If you realize that you are not capable of building a good ship, then do not try. Either buy a ship or have someone build it for you that can. Don’t build an unsafe ship.” Strange he didn’t use airplanes in that assessment, but I think the general idea is that he was pretty risk-averse for somebody on the bleeding edge of flying machine technology.

“I do not believe in stunting, it is the cause of nearly all accidents,” he’s quoted. “I believe in safe and sane flying only. My advice is, do not stunt much or take unnecessary chances.”

My advice, if you get the chance to build and fly your own plane, take it.

[MIKA27]

The New Ghost In The Shell Teaser Feels Like A Cyborg Fever Dream

 

Say what you want about the problematic casting, but Ghost in the Shell is going to look absolutely bananas.

There's some new footage in the latest glimpse of the the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie, which seems to be the commercial expected to debut during the Superbowl this weekend. If you're looking for something to be excited about, the over-the-top art direction is probably your best bet. The mindscrew story beats and crazy action choreography in the new promo clip for the Hollywood adaptation of the iconic Japanese manga/anime property are to be expected. It's the hyper-saturated sensory overload aesthetic of the near-future world that actually makes me want to see this movie.

 

[MIKA27]

Who Will Pay $400,000 For Hitler's Bunker Phone?

If you have hundreds of thousands of dollars and are extremely creepy, you can now buy a one-of-a-kind piece of history: Adolf Hitler's personal telephone.

The phone will be sold by Alexander Historical Auctions in Maryland, and is expected to sell for between $US200,000 ($264,577) and $US300,000 ($396,866). It was taken from Hitler's bunker shortly after his death by Brigadier Sir Ralph Rayner, who died in 1977; his son Ranulf inherited the phone. According to the auction listing, Rayner was given the phone by Russian officers:

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Very likely the first non-Soviet victor to enter the city, Rayner went to the Chancellery where Russian officers offered him a tour. On entering Hitler's private quarters, Rayner was first offered Eva Braun's telephone, but politely declined claiming that his favourite colour was red. His Russian hosts were pleased to hand him a red telephone - the telephone offered here.

The listing goes on to note the phone's uniquely horrific history:

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It would be impossible to find a more impactful relic than the primary tool used by the most evil man in history to annihilate countless innocents, lay waste to hundreds of thousands of square miles of land, and in the end, destroy his own country and people...with effects that still menacingly reverberate today.

The auction house also posted a YouTube interview with the phone's owner, where he notes that Hitler used the phone "as a mobile phone", taking it with him wherever he went:

Bill Panagopulos, owner of Alexander Historical Auctions, says they tend not to attract neo-Nazis trying to buy Nazi memorabilia, because "they're simply too uneducated to understand it", and they tend to want "their own symbols" rather than historical Nazi gear. In fact, he says a large percentage of their customers are Jewish, "because they understand the importance of preserving" such artefacts.

That's encouraging to hear, because the auction house is selling a number of other disturbing items: Metal tattooing stamps, the kind that were used to tattoo inmates at Auschwitz (though Panagopulos says these weren't necessarily actually used at the camp), and several Hitler Youth items, including slides from an antisemitic slideshow and a Hitler Youth knife.

The same auction house once sold Donald Trump's "Executive Slim Line" bible, which was inscribed to his second wife Marla Maples in what appears to be Trump's signature black Sharpie: "Sept. 30 / 91 Marla - Mrs. [Christine C.] DeMoss sent this to me - She and Billy Graham are wonderful people who you made a great impression on. Read every word! Love Donald."

According to Panagopulos, Rayner is selling the phone because the insurance costs were high, and hopes a museum will purchase it.

[hjmclain22]

15 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

The New Ghost In The Shell Teaser Feels Like A Cyborg Fever Dream

 

Say what you want about the problematic casting, but Ghost in the Shell is going to look absolutely bananas.

There's some new footage in the latest glimpse of the the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie, which seems to be the commercial expected to debut during the Superbowl this weekend. If you're looking for something to be excited about, the over-the-top art direction is probably your best bet. The mindscrew story beats and crazy action choreography in the new promo clip for the Hollywood adaptation of the iconic Japanese manga/anime property are to be expected. It's the hyper-saturated sensory overload aesthetic of the near-future world that actually makes me want to see this movie.

 

Looks like it could be very good ScarHo notwithstanding.  

[MIKA27]

3 Billion-Year-Old Lost Continent Found

There’s no lost-and-found for lost continents, so it appears that the next best thing for would-be continent hunters is to look for a trail of zircon crystals. That technique led to the recent discovery of a 3.6 billion-year-old lost continent under an island in the Indian Ocean that was covered with 3.6 billion-year-old … take a guess.

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Mauritius is an island, and there is no rock older than 9 million years old on the island. However, by studying the rocks on the island, we have found zircons that are as old as 3 billion years.

Lewis Ashwal, a professor and geologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in South Africa, revealed the discovery in a study published in Nature Communications. Since land mass is considered to be old while the ocean floor is young, he and his team were surprised to find such old rocks on a volcanic island that was so recently on the bottom of the ocean. As a result, their first discovery of zircon crystals on Mauritius in 2013 was met with suspicion – they could have been blown there from the mainland or brought on the shoes of a visitor. Follow-up expeditions found more zircons embedded in ancient 6-million-year-old trachyte rocks, removing the doubts.

Zircon embedded in trachyet

What ‘lost continent’ did Ashwal and his team find? He believes it is a piece of the supercontinent Gondwana, which itself was a piece of the previous supercontinent Pangaea. Pangaea formed about 335 million years ago and was a solid mass of all of today’s continents. It broke into two parts about 175 million years ago: Laurasia, which held the beginnings of North America and Eurasia; and Gondwana, which contained today’s Antarctica, South America, Africa, Madagascar, Australia and the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian Subcontinent.

Ashwal says this new discovery indicates that at least one additional piece of Gondwana broke off and disappeared.

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According to the new results, this breakup did not involve a simple splitting of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, but rather a complex splintering took place, with fragments of continental crust of variable sizes left adrift within the evolving Indian Ocean basin.

For now, the ‘lost continent’ is being called Mauritius after the island that island that led to its discovery. Mauritia is part of the Mascarene Islands volcanic chain, which contain rocks even older than Mauritia’s zircons. Michael Wiedenbeck, team member from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, knows what you’re thinking and he agrees.

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Our study shows that the supposedly uniform oceanic crust is in fact quite heterogeneous. Most probably the oceanic crust holds many more pieces of ancient continental crust that are yet to be discovered.

The movement of the continents continues today. While some researchers believe we’ll find more lost continents, others predict the current ones are heading towards smashing together into a new supercontinent.

[MIKA27]

What Really Happened at Hanging Rock

The geological formation outside Melbourne is famous for the fictional disappearance of a school group. But it's also the site of a very real mass disappearance.

Hanging Rock is a popular tourist spot in central Victoria, about an hour from Melbourne. It's a moody place—eerie, arresting—made famous by Joan Lindsay's 1967 book, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and infamous by Peter Weir's 1975 film of the same name. Every year fans flock to the landmark, attracted by the mystery of Lindsay's missing schoolgirls. It's even custom to cry out "Miranda!" at the top of the rock.

Down at the base, you'll find an "interpretative Discovery Centre" where visitors are enthralled by life-sized dioramas and video displays about the schoolgirls who mysteriously disappeared in Picnic at Hanging Rock. Of course, none of it ever happened. No matter how ambiguous Lindsay was about the origins of her story, there were never any schoolgirls who vanished at Hanging Rock.

Yet amidst the obsessive retelling of a fictional disappearance, there's hardly a mention of the area's Aboriginal people, nor of their very real disappearance. It barely rates a mention.

Of course, Hanging Rock is just one landmark in the vastness of Australia where history seems to begin only after 1770. But it's not for lack of interest in stories about the land. We are obsessed with lost-in-the-bush stories, as long as the hero is white. The lost Duff children in Western Victoria, the White Woman of Gippsland, even the tragedy of Azaria Chamberlain. These are all stories told repetitively and remembered. But when do we remember, retell, and mourn frontier slaughters of the original landowners, or the lives of stolen Aboriginal children? It just doesn't happen.

It's a phenomenon cultural theorist Elspeth Tilley explains as "white vanishing." She notes "how good non-Aboriginal Australians are at memorialising their own sufferings." For millennia though, Aboriginal history was passed down from generation to generation in an oral tradition—stories told and remembered, rather than written down. The problem is that when the people disappeared, so too did their stories. The absence of visible Aboriginal history at Hanging Rock doesn't mean there's no story to tell. Rather it's evidence of a violent and destructive wave of colonisation that passed through the region.

Etchings by the German zoologist William Blandowski, made during his 1850s expeditions into central Victoria. He was one of the first Europeans to describe Hanging Rock, as it's now known.

From what we do know, the traditional owners have lived around Hanging Rock for more than 26,000 years. It's believed the Rock was an important inter-tribal ceremonial meeting place, and a significant landmark on the boundary of three different groups—the Wurundjeri, Taungurong, and Djadja Wurrung.

Yet attempts to uncover Hanging Rock's Aboriginal name have proven difficult. Some think it is "Anneyelong" because of an inscription underneath an engraving of the rock made by German naturalist, William Blandowski, during an expedition in 1855-56. Historian and toponymist Ian D. Clark believes Blandowski misheard the name, and the word was possibly "Ngannelong" or something similar. The evidence does tell us that when Europeans settled the region, huge numbers of Hanging Rock's Aboriginal population died and were forcibly removed from their land. Many suffered from introduced diseases, such as outbreaks of smallpox. Then in 1863, the Aboriginal people who survived disease and conflict with settlers were rounded up and relocated to the Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve in Healesville.

Visitors barely register this information at the Hanging Rock interpretative Discovery Centre. But they do read all about how three schoolgirls from Appleyard College and their governess vanished from the summit of the rock on Valentine's Day in 1900. Hanging Rock, it seems, is haunted by a convenient fiction rather than an uncomfortable fact. On the whole, Australia's understanding of its own history has been described as a nursery book version, a palatable, whitewashed fairytale that avoids recounting the evident violence and destruction of settler colonialism. We'd prefer to tell comfortable tales of schoolgirls going missing in the bush than face our past. As writer Bruce Pascoe reminds us: the history has not gone away—we just choose not to see it.

Could we do better? When Australians are faced with evidence of absent Aboriginal lives, mass destruction, and lost culture, why do we choose to overlook it? Shouldn't we acknowledge their loss in potent, affecting panels, artworks, and monuments? Artist Horst Hoheisel's bold but unrealised proposition for a Holocaust memorial in Berlin provides a powerful anti-monument to absence. Rather than commemorating the destruction of a people via a new construction, Hoheisel proposed instead to blow up the Brandenburg Gate (the symbol of Berlin). "How better to remember a destroyed people," Hoheisel asked, "than by a destroyed monument?"

Black Lives Matter activists in the US have insisted on honest discussion of the nation's history—campaigning for the removal of confederate monuments and symbols. And as writer Jeff Sparrow argues, "if black lives really matter in Australia, it's time we owned up to our history." Sparrow has called for similar grassroots campaigns to identify and commemorate Australia's troubling frontier past. These, he says, must involve localised activities aimed at drawing attention to specific histories in specific places, like Hanging Rock.

It's for these reasons that I started a campaign called Miranda Must Go. Hoheisel was right: the only way to make people fathom loss on a mass scale is by taking away one of own beloved cultural icons. Our addiction to mythic vanishing whites must stop. We need a detox: a moratorium on Miranda. By ditching our obsession with the disappearing schoolgirls of Hanging Rock we can create space in the landscape to remember Aboriginal people, their losses, and incredible survival despite white Australia's efforts to destroy them for 229 years.

But this is just one campaign in one location. There needs to be hundreds, thousands of others aimed at challenging the white narratives that dominate across Australia. It's time to let go of our comforting nursery tales and address our past like grown-ups.

[MIKA27]

Why Houston's Food Deserves the Hype

 In a word, Houston cuisine is hot. It was hot before the city secured Super Bowl LI. As The New York Times said in April last year, "I nonetheless come today to proclaim Houston one of the great eating capitals of America." And as tens of thousands descend upon Houston for Super Bowl LI, mixed in amongst Patriots fans, Falcons fans, vagabond thrill-seekers, and C-level execs will be deft travelers who already took a minute to sniff out the food and drink scene.

They scoured the James Beard Awards and discovered Bryan Caswell's Reef, considered the best seafood restaurant in America.

They googled Justin Yu, Best Chef: Southwest 2015, and booked all the tables at his Oxheart. They found Beard finalist Hugo Orteaga's trio of goodness–Hugo's (authentic Mexican), Caracol (coastal Mexican), and BackstreetCafe (al fresco American)–as well as nods to The Pass, Helen GreekFood , Anvil Bar & Refuge, State of Grace, True Food Kitchen, North Italia, and Kata Robata, where Chef Hori is the only fugu-certified chef in Houston. (If the puffer fish doesn't kill you, his Rising Sun Roll and Texas Hamachi might shoot you straight to heaven.) The second they secured tickets, they scrolled through Eater Houston's "Essential 38" and January 2017 "Heat Map." They are prepared.

But Houston cuisine will continue to be hot long after the Super Bowl ends, and without the impossible-to-snag reservations. Here's how to take advantage, whether during Super Bowl weekend or in trips after.

Houston's Culinary Background

Houston is like New York City with its density of mom and pop ethnic restaurants. It has huge areas of sprawl with malls and strip centers where no English is spoken and you can find kumquat trees, bootlegged electronics, and food carts selling fried chicken, crawfish, and noodles. It is home to the third largest African-American community in the U.S., and it's the largest non-zoned city in America. Its neighborhoods are motleys of offices, restaurants, and hidden gems.

And Houston cares a whole lot about football. As Caswell of Reef puts it: "Our team was plucked from us. Our beloved Houston Oilers! These Texans are a new team with no history, and yet we're the number one tailgating city in the U.S." But when you take into account Houston's diversity–in an oil state–along the Gulf of Mexico, tailgating looks and tastes a whole lot more interesting. "It's not a bunch of white dudes," says Caswell. "It's not Spanish dudes. It's all dudes."

Where to Eat

Houston is a dressed-down city, but for those looking to kick it up, Beard winner Yu recommends starting at Anvil for drinks, heading to Tony's for peerless fine dining, and then closing the night at Public Services, Yu's wine and whiskey bar, which features hard-to-find wines and straight spirits served beneath a painted ceiling in the historic Houston Cotton Exchange building. When you can't get a rezo at Oxheart, come here for the unpretentious table service and sup on Yu's bar snacks.

If you only equate Houston with brisket barbecue, wake up and smell the pho. "Drive to Chinatown in Bellaire," says Yu. "Go to Pho Binh for Vietnamese or Shanghai for serious Cantonese. Yes, the name is Shanghai, but it's Cantonese." Yu also recommends blowing your budget on prawns and fish at Sinh Sinh and eating Pakistani food at Himalaya.

Tex-Mex is indicative of the region with its heavy cheeses and sauces, but don't miss the rustic, less border-style Mexican cuisine and coastal flavors from Tampico, where the red snapper a la plancha is legendary.

Love Buzz cooks up the best down-and-dirty, late-night pizza in town. They have old school arcade games and Skeeball, plus salty bartenders and an unspoken No Hipsters rule. Ask for the owner's favorite pie: the Whizard Sleeve with sauce, thin-sliced ribeye, peppers, onions, smoked provolone, and dollops of cheese whiz.

The brand-new Riel may be the most buzzed-about opening in town. While it's near impossible to get a reservation, walk-ins at the bar and common table are first come, first served. Order the hanger steak and pierogis made by true Canadian ex-semi-pro hockey player Ryan Lachaine.

Finish any wild eve at a late-night taqueria like Chapultepec Lupita, where smothered enchiladas are topped with two fried eggs. Or hit them for breakfast and then pop over to D It looks like a ratty convenience store, but it has a small and super-curated collection of wines and the city's best craft beer selection. Speaking of vino, Texas is just behind Virginia in wine production, and grapes like Viognier and Tempranillo have found new fertile ground in Texas Hill Country. Keep eyes peeled for offerings from Brennan, Duchman, McPherson, and Pedernales.

Where to Drink

Old divey bar Rose Garden in the Heights only accepts cash. If you're lucky, Rose will cook up a pot of beanie wienies or no-beans chili to go along with cold Bud Lights. Tiki bar Lei Low also slides under the radar, buried in a shopping center and serving super-strong, super-delicious drinks. nutsuoH (pronounced NUT-so) is Houston spelled backward, and on a walk down Main Street, you may pop in for music, art, poetry, booze, or general weirdness. Seek out Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge for their sublime bourbon collection, and ask Jonas about the free birthday shots. Oh, and there's honest-to-god real retro pinball.

Capt. Foxheart's Bad News Bar overlooks the skyline with beautiful drinks, gorgeous views, $2 Happy Hour session beers, plenty of mezcal, and lots of vinyl. Some say it makes the best Old Fashioned in the world. Or order a Collins–both are off-menu. There's no sign, so it's hard to find, and owner Justin Burrows doesn't mess around with obnoxious twits. (Check his Yelp reviews where he answers each and every complaint.) There's only one bottle of vodka, and it's bad, so don't ask for a vodka-soda.

The Hay Merchant features 80 taps, five casks, and tacos made with half a pig's head that feed four to six people. The Ginger Man is one of the oldest, most important beer bars in America. Conservatory Underground Beer Garden offers everything from barbecue to noodles, espresso, and 60 brews on tap. There are nearly 20 breweries in metro-Houston, but the first is still the best: Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Or just grab a Löwenbräu at Natachee's Supper'n Punch, because when's the last time you had a Löwenbräu?

Specials for Super Bowl LI

Several restaurants are doing specials via UberEats for the Super Bowl. For example, Caswell's sliders, shakes, and fries joint, Little Bigs, is doing party-packs delivered anywhere Uber goes. Coltivare Pizza isn't doing rezos during Super Bowl week, but it does have a car taking wait-listed guests to Eight Row Flint, its whiskey/beer/tacos bar down the street. And La Table, with its French sommelier and second-floor views, has a special LI menu. If you land the miracle booking, ask for corner booth table #13–the best seat in the house–and pre-order the chicken; it's a call-ahead plate.

At the Stadium

For the actual Super Bowl game, Houston's NRG Stadium is spotlighting the teams by using signature ingredients from each hometown. The Beantown Griller is a slow-cooked tri-tip pot roast sammy with caramelized onions and cheddar served with a side of baked beans. The ATL Fried Chicken Stak features waffle fries topped with buttermilk fried chicken, peach marmalade BBQ sauce, sour cream, and green onions. And to honor Houston, there's the Bayou City Bánh Mì with grilled fajita steak, avocado spread, and pickled vegetables.

Exactly what tailgaters will be chowing on remains to be seen, but while the Vegas line puts New England at 3.5 point favorites, it's a sure bet that the parking lot will be filled with Texans fans, Ronnie Killen-inspired BBQ, enough fish and pork tacos to feed J.J. Watt, and enough 5 O'Clock Pils to forget Brock Osweiler's $72 million contract. For the record, I see a high-flying matchup with Matty Ice earning his first ring and Julio Jones hauling in the game-winner, and the Super Bowl LI MVP trophy. Falcons over Patriots, 37-33.

 

 

[MIKA27]

'Bad Lip Reading' Crushes It Again, This Time for the 2017 NFL Season

Last week, "Bad Lip Reading" took on the near-impossible task of making the inauguration fun. It succeeded not just by goofing on what presidents and first ladies, future and former, were saying, but by playing on the fact that they were all trying very hard to act like they didn't hate each other. Well, the crew at BLR is back again this week, and this time they're getting back to their roots: the NFL.

Yes, Bad Lip Reading made its bones by hijacking tape from NFL coverage to make our sports heroes look a little less superhuman. Here's their take on the 2017 season, just in time for the Super Bowl this weekend.

 

[MIKA27]

Here's a First Look at Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #1

As always, expectations are high for this year's slew of Super Bowl commercials, which reportedly cost a whopping $5 million for a 30-second spot. As The Big Game™ in Houston approaches, Super Bowl 51 advertisers have already begun rolling out details and teasers for their 30-90 seconds in the spotlight on February 5. Here's a look at what we can expect from this year's lineup (so far).

84 Lumber

After 84 Lumber's original commercial, which included a border wall, was rejected by Fox for being too political, the company decided to show a different part of the journey across the border for its Super Bowl debut. The original, controversial ad will be posted on 84 Lumber's website immediately after the game.

 

T-Mobile

Justin Bieber, Rob Gronkowski, and Terrell Owens are the lucky celebrities following in Kim Kardashian's T-Mobile footsteps. This year, Bieber offers a comprehensive history of the touchdown dance.

[MIKA27]

Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #2

Ghost in the Shell

For her next appearance on the big screen, Scarlett Johansson will take on the role of the Major in Ghost in the Shell, hitting theaters March 31. You can expect to catch this preview just before kickoff.

Audi

Rather than showcasing sleek sports cars, Audi has dedicated its 60 seconds of airtime to a message we can all get behind. In this year's commercial, titled "Daughter," the luxury car brand makes the case for equal pay.

 

[MIKA27]

Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #3

Wonderful Pistachios

Wonderful Pistachios has released its 15-second ad, which features its mascot, Ernie the Elephant, hitting the gym for the first time in a while. We've all been there, Ernie.

Tiffany & Co

Lady Gaga will be making a halftime and commercial appearance this year. Tiffany & Co recently announced that it is teaming up with the singer to promote its Tiffany HardWear collection for the jeweler's first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

[MIKA27]

Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #4

Squarespace

For its fourth Super Bowl campaign, Squarespace has decided to lend a hand to aspiring fashion designer, John Malkovich. And you thought he was just in actor. In the 30-second spot, Malkovich takes on another John Malkovich, who seems to be holding his domain hostage.

Buick

Miranda Kerr and Cam Newton make an appearance at a pee wee football game in this year's Buick commercial. The 60-second spot continues Buick's too-good-to-be-a-Buick push.

 

[MIKA27]

Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #5

Kia

Kia will be advertising its 2017 Niro with some help from Melissa McCarthy this year. The full ad shows McCarthy trying to save the planet, but soon realizing that a hybrid car might be her best bet.

Old Spice

For those who don't want to fork over the $5 million, social media might offer a different way to reach Super Bowl watchers. Old Spice will be giving it a try with a commercial that will air on YouTube just before the big game. The first ad of the campaign, "Jungle Hero," is already available.

[MIKA27]

Super Bowl LI's Commercial Lineup #6

Budweiser

Budweiser has unveiled an incredibly relevant, pro-immigration commercial for this year's big game. The 60-second ad, which feels more like a short film, follows Adolphus Busch's journey from Germany to America.

Mr. Clean

Super Bowl first-timer Mr. Clean will be making a pretty risqué debut during the third quarter this year. The full 30-second commercial, titled "Cleaner of Your Dreams," has already been released on YouTube.