Yesterday, I posted a graphic from The Kitchn, that was designed as a way to help people remember how many cups are in a pint, how many pints are in a quart and how many quarts are in a gallon. Lots of readers responded to that post and several of them brought up a different graphic that they remembered from school that had helped them learn their measurements.
This one was called Mr. Gallon and used cups, pints, quarts and gallons in order to create the body of a slightly misshapen man. Reader John was helpful enough to find the image and posted the link in the comments section. After getting a look at him, I thought Mr. Gallon was useful enough to get his own post, and so here he is!
Anyone else have another good trick for remembering measures? What about one that addresses teaspoons, tablespoons and increments of a cup?
Thanks to the huge role the media plays in our daily lives, pregnant women now have way more to worry about than even ten years ago. Getting pregnant means you are suddenly victim to tons of fear-inducing claims and studies, each new one seeming to contract the last. Exercise! Don't over-burden yourself! Eat chocolate! Go easy on the fat!
And now, claims that a little bit of caffeine probably won't hurt you are challenged by a recent study in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology that suggests that women who consume more than 200 mg of caffeine (one small cup of coffee) a day are at a greater risk for miscarrying.
In the study, documented in a NY Times article, 1,063 pregnant women were interviewed about their caffeine intake. Out of the total, 172 women had previously miscarried. The rate of miscarriages was higher in those who consumed 200 mg or more per day (24.5% out of 164) compared to those who drank no caffeine during their pregnancy (12.5% out of 264 women).
But of course, miscarriage occurs for reasons other than caffeine, some which can't be explained away through a study. But I'd love to hear from women who were once or are currently pregnant (or their significant others) to get their take on this news. Do reports like this make you nervous? Do you drink caffeine now? If so, would this study make you think twice? Or do you eschew science in place of good ol' common sense?
Burning your tongue on a hot drink is no picnic, but burning it while drinking from an insulated commuter mug is worse. Not only does the cup disguise the temperature of the beverage it contains, making you more likely to subject your tongue to overly-hot drinks in the first place, but they do not allow drink not cool down fast enough to prevent repeat burns. Combine that with a morning commute in rush hour traffic and you will probably discover the source of many cases of "road rage."
Fortunately, there is a cup that offers a solution. The Tip and Sip Cup keeps coffee hot at up to 205 degrees, which is the temperature that most coffee is brewed at. When it is tipped (for a sip), the coffee passes into a patented Temperature Control Chamber, which lowers the temperature of the coffee to the "Perfect Zone" of 150-170F, leaving you with a satisfying swig of coffee and no burns. The triple function lid has a spill-proof lock setting and a regular "sip" setting that bypasses the temperature control chamber, in addition to the cooling function.
It is available in raspberry, lime, orange, forest, black, or blue and is priced at $19.95. The cost of never burning your tongue again? Priceless.
We have seen a coupleofinterestingmugs in the past, but the design of this one really strikes a chord with me because I drink quite a bit of tea. This tea bag mug is designed with a pocket built right into it for your tea bag - a convenience when you prefer to use a sturdier mug for hot drinks in the evenings, rather than a cup and saucer. If you're not into tea, or brew yours with loose-leaf tea instead of bagged, you can put the pocket to use in other ways. It can be used to hold packets of sugar or sweeteners when serving to guests and can even hold a small cookie or two. But ultimately, this is a nice, large mug for a tea-lover and probably a must-have for those who really love Lipton or other bagged teas.
Although they are a little bit tacky, these "Undress me" mugs are still a fun idea to get your day started in the morning. No, it doesn't have anything to do with getting undresses. There are his and hers versions of the mugs available and each one has a naked man or woman on the inside which is revealed as you drink down your coffee. It's not going to give quite the same effect if you prefer lighter beverages, like tea, so you might want to stick with coffee, hot chocolate of a similarly dark beverage.
I'm not really sure which demographic they're targeting, but I suspect that there are a lot of college-age men and women who wouldn't mind having one at the breakfast table. And now that Folger's is targeting that demographic but seems to have renounced their claim to being the "best part of waking up," they have to have something to look forward to in the morning.
An alternative lifestyle deserves alternative dinnerware and the Piercing Collection of dinnerware certainly qualifies. Not only do the pieces feature black-and-white tattoo-inspired designs, but the cups and bowls are actually pierced with small metal rings. The overall look is edgy and getting dishes with tattoos or piercings is certainly easier (and probably cheaper) than doing either to your own body. The dishes were designed by Barbara Schmidt, are made in Germany and are dishwasher safe.
Only the mugs and bowls seem to be available right now and both are sold separately. You can buy several and make a matching set, or just use one mug at the office to surprise your coworkers. Just make sure there's a good coffee machine wherever you intended to use the mug because, due to the piercing, it cannot be put into the microwave.
After getting all that Pink tea from the Republic of Tea, it's probably a good idea to have something to drink it out of and, since we're already looking at a lot of pink-themedthings for breast cancer awareness month, why not a pink ribbon cup, as well? While buying one tea cup at a time isn't the most practical way to outfit a kitchen, it's nice to be able to get one to support a cause. The Pink Ribbon Tea Cup is another product where a portion of the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and its connection to the charity extends beyond the color outside cup to the little pink ribbon within.
We think that a cup like this would make a great gift set when paired up with some favorite teas. The teas mentioned above would be a good choice, but other purveyors, including Adagio, will give you a wider range of tea options to choose from, although coffee is always an option, too.
The Lap Mug is a mug designed to nest easily and securely in your lap, so you can use it anywhere without needing a table nearby to set it on. The uniquely shaped base can even be used to wedge the mug in between couch cushions if you need to get up.
While the idea behind these cups is an interesting one, they just don't seem terribly useful for a variety of reasons. First, the mug still needs to be supported as it sits on your lap, so shifting to reposition yourself is out of the question, as is sitting in any way that doesn't keep your thighs close together. Second, the cup must be carried when you get up or move. It can only be set on a table or floor if it is mostly, if not entirely, empty. Finally, the designers seem to have forgotten that an ordinary mug can rest upon your lap quite easily, though it needs support to keep it in place, as well.
To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Starbucks is serving drinks from cups bearing their original logo for the month of September. The logo (top right) shows the Starbucks mermaid in full, complete with split tails and bare chest, unlike the more streamlined version that is usually seen in their stores.
BloggingBaby mentioned that a Seattle area school saw some problems with the more detailed logo. The principle or an elementary school in Kent, Washington has asked teachers to make sure that the logo on their coffee cups is completely covered up if they bring it into school. A spokeswoman said that the principle "thought that it could be distracting for students."
Some students, like one 12-year old, said that students would definitely talk about the logo if they noticed it and said that the rule was a good idea. Parents in the area largely thought it was unnecessary, especially considering the very small size of the logo on the cups, and commenters at BloggingBaby felt the same way. Schools, they felt, have bigger problems to worry about than an inch high drawing on a coffee cup that isn't particularly scandalous.
After more than five years of pressure from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, McDonald's recently announced that it will change the design of its McFlurry cups to make them less dangerous to hungry hedgehogs. Apparently the little critters are prone to crawling into discarded cups to lap up the last of the melted ice cream only to find themselves stuck there. The result is often death by starvation and dehydration, according to The Times. The new cups will have smaller openings that should make them harder for hedgehogs to get into.
There are any number of reasons that someone might have unsteady hands, from sheer clumsiness to a serious medical problem, but among the many difficulties that could result from such an affliction, the inability to hold a cup steady is a serious one. Not only is there the risk of burns from hot liquids, but it is just purely inconvenient. A new device called DrinkSteady from HandSteady holds cups with a rotating rubber grip mounted within a plastic frame. Once the cup is in the gadget, the suspension between the grip and the outer frame actually holds the cup steady for someone to drink from, regardless of how their hand might shake. It works with mugs, cups and even wineglasses. DrinkSteady can also be used in cars, trains or airplanes - where outside turbulence might affect the steadiness of a cup.
The gadget won the 2006 Design for Disability Award, as well as several other honors, but will not be retailed for at least another year and the company is looking to make sure there is interest in the product (perhaps to reassure investors) before going forward with production. If you think it's a good idea, you might want to drop them a line and let them know.
And, if anyone has ever had the pleasure of watching Keeping Up Appearances, no doubt you know that Elizabeth, Hyacinth's neighbor, could certainly benefit from one of these.
Burning your tongue on a hot drink is no picnic, but burning it while drinking from an insulated commuter mug is worse. Not only does the cup disguise the temperature of the beverage it contains, making you more likely to subject your tongue to overly-hot drinks in the first place, but they do not allow drink not cool down fast enough to prevent repeat burns. Combine that with a morning commute in rush hour traffic and you will probably discover the source of many cases of "road rage."
We have seen a 
Although they are a little bit tacky, these "Undress me" mugs are still a fun idea to get your day started in the morning. No, it doesn't have anything to do with getting undresses. There are 
An alternative lifestyle deserves alternative dinnerware and the 
After getting all that 
The 
To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Starbucks is serving drinks from cups bearing 
After more than five years of pressure from the 
There are any number of reasons that someone might have unsteady hands, from sheer clumsiness to a serious medical problem, but among the many difficulties that could result from such an affliction, the inability to hold a cup steady is a serious one. Not only is there the risk of burns from hot liquids, but it is just purely inconvenient. A new device called 
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