How much caffeine is in your drinks

Ive you’ve ever wondered how much caffeine was in popular drinks then Nutrition Action Healthletter will shock the pants off you. I’m not sure what the lethal dose of caffeine might be but Starbuck’s Cafe Grande is either going to kill you or keep you awake for a year.

Measuring the speed of light with Chocolate Chips

Time for some kitchen science. With some chocolate chips. a ruler and a microwave you can measure the speed of light. Head to
Superpositioned.com , grab your kids and unleash your scientific prowess on them.

Great history of chocolate

The national association of manufacturers have great videos on how stuff is made. Their video on chocolate making is fascinating… from beans to bars… lots of history as well: In Aztec days. how many coco beans was a rabbit worth? 10… there’s one for your trivial pursuit nights.
This whole website is worth visiting and browsing for its many interesting videos.
via make blog

microlending causes a stir

I received quite a few comments about my previous post regarding microlending and today I see that the founder of Ebay has just given $100 million to Tuft university on the condition that the school invests in organisations that make small loans to poor people in developing countries.

Pierre ( the ebay founder) realised that nearly 700,000 ebay users support themselves part time or full time selling through ebay and sees that this economic empowerment can flow to developing countries if it has a chance.

Kiva certainly isn’t the first bank to offer these loans. Grameen was probably the first bank to make microlending successfull and now boasts 3.7million borrowers in 46,000 villages doing loans as small as $40.

Read more about ebay’s gift to Tufst

Microlending… you can lend a poor african farmer money… and get paid back

Seth Godin just blogged this great site called Kiva which allows you to lend an African farmer $25 to buy seed or start a small store selling soap or other necessary commodities and you get paid back. It’s these small amounts that make a real difference.

We have experienced this first hand as we have helped friends and relatives in Indonesia and Thailand get ahead with seemingly trivial amounts of money. The problem for these people is they just can’t access spare cash and the money they need is too small for a bank to touch… we have set up water delivery businesses, sewing businesses, export businesses with loans/donations ranging from $100 to a few thousand. This is why we love Kiva so much… we know that some flour, sugar, eggs is enough for a village lady to make some small cakes that she can sell in a market and the profit allows her to not only pay back the loan but support her family.

The best part about Kiva is that your money goes direct to the person needing the money. So unlike many other charities out there, your money is not wasted on admin expenses or expensive houses for the aid workers overseas.

So if you want to help out, visit Kiva to learn more.

Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena

Stare at the cross in the middle of the image above and the dots will disappear – how cool is that?
Here’s a great site full or more Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena.
viaboingboing

Great Vietnamese food blog

Murray has just sent me to a great site/blog by an Aussie living in Vietname blogging about all his bizarre Vietnamese food experiences. A great source of knowledge if you’re thinking about travelling to Vietnam and want to eat like a local.
Stickyrice

Google earth is here.

Flying over brisbane at 3,500 feet…

Murray messaged me last night to tell me that google earth has been released and is free. Here’s what it is and does: it’s a 3d rendering of the planet earth using satelite imagery… that’s photos taken from outer space. You enter a location and then google earth takes you there. But here’s where it gets fun, you can tilt the map and then FLY over landmarks. Last night I went to the pyramids, the statue of liberty, the eiffel tower and flew up the brisbane river. Be prepared to waste some serious time on this… it’s seriously fun and great for the kids. What’s amazing is the clarity of the images and your ability to alter the perspective and literally fly over cities and landmarks. You’re going to need a computer with a good graphics card.

Google Earth – Home

how do you know when things are off?

expiration dates are more of a guide than a countdown to certain doom but things like honey have an indefinite shelf-life. We know that when milk gets chunky it’s probably time to throw it or sell it as yoghurt. If you don’t trust your nose to see if something is ok or not, then the guys at realsimple.com have a list of items in your home and how long they last… even shampoo(???).
Surprising Expiration Dates: “e”

medieval cookies

Murray sent me this link to an incredible site packed full of medieval recipes. The middle age woodcut images and recipes in old english will have you hooked for hours as you navigate through all the different recipes and links. My favourite part is the recipes and moulds for

‘ye olde cookys’. The moulds are awesome and you can buy them online.

Gode Cookery have done an incredible job bringing you a huge range of Medieval recipes to prepare for your next feast or banquet.