February 17, 2025

How This 300-Year-Old Pastel Stick Maker Creates Nearly 2,000 Colors — More Than Its Competitors

#forbiddenfrosting

Most hand manufacturing processes are stunning to watch, and in this case it apparently produces a product that is superior to mass manufactured competitors. It has to be way more expensive and time-consuming, though.

So pretty...so mesmerizing...so colorful...

February 10, 2025

The worry about black food plastics...and a correction

This video was published by Adam Ragusea in November 2024 about a study from a month or so earlier than that. 

The tl;dr of the study is that many black plastics are produced from recycled black plastics that are frequently sourced from electronic waste which contains higher amounts of particularly toxic, flame-retardant chemicals. Those 'new' black plastic items could - especially if used in high heat areas like food flippers and turners on the stovetop - release higher than safe amounts of those chemicals.

In the above video, Adam goes through the possible concerns that this raises as well as noting a possible math error in the study's calculations suggesting that the level of concern is slightly lower than the authors might have initially suggested.

The article was corrected - noting exactly the math error that Adam suggested, and Adam published a spectacular video explaining why that error should not undermine faith in the scientific process or even in the researchers and authors of the original article.

February 3, 2025

You're Probably Wrong About Rainbows

 No, I knew most of that information before. I wasn't wrong.

The new stuff for me is the brilliance of the demonstration showing how the different colors of light have maxima at different angles.

All in all, another great - if increasingly lengthy - video from Dr Derek.