Reed's Ruminations: The Past, Present, and Future
Reflections on science, technology, and computing — leavened by personal experience
Category: Food and Drink
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Holiday Explanations: So, What Do You Do?
During the holidays, researchers are often asked what they do. Answer carefully; do not confirm stereotypes.
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I Can’t Do Much, But I Can Do This
The undying need for respect, to make a difference and to matter, regardless of circumstance, crosses cultures and generations. It was just a cherry pie, but it was much, much more.
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Dreams of a Final Theory: The Origin of Fruitcake
The observed half life of fruitcake is stunningly long, with single instances surviving for decades. This may explain fruitcake regifting, the practice of recycling an unwanted gift as a gift to another person. There is, of course, the ultimate question. Why is there any fruitcake at all?
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The Power of Plum Jelly
The dilapidated two story house marked the corner of two single lane roads in the Arkansas hills, and it was old and weather-beaten long before I was born. The windows stared sullenly at the sky, covered only by cheap roller shades that had never seen better days. A rusted tin roof (iron actually, but we…
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Low Hanging Fruit: Memories of Childhood
Low hanging fruit – it’s a metaphor native English speakers often use to denote an opportunity on which one can easily capitalize, a reward readily grasped without stretching. Yet I doubt most of us, particularly those in urban areas stop to consider the agrarian origins of such phrases, when hunter-gatherers quite literally foraged for food.…
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Joe, Java, Espresso: Fueling Innovation
Surprisingly, I completed graduate school without succumbing to caffeine addiction, but I did seem to need coffee to get tenure.