June, 2011

Adventures / Inspiration — No Comments
30
Jun 11

Summer Daydreams: Start your own country

Editor’s Note: Today’s post comes from a special guest blogger, our good friend Alex Begley.

Starting your own country sounds great, doesn’t it? Declare yourself monarch, holy emperor, or maybe just president. Come up with a cool name for your new territory and decide what kind of state it is. It could be a micronation! A principality! A city state! A kingdom!

Then you get to design your flag (the best ones have stars), decide on a style of government (constitutional demagogy with a polytheistic parliamentary democracy), read up on history and appoint leaders, assign crazy exchange rates for the currency with your face on it (make sure it’s the good side), assemble an army, design outfits for the army, and so on.

The first thing you need to have figured out when you settle your own micronation is the “where.” Property or land of some kind is key. If you have no sovereign territory to call your own, the chances of anyone taking you seriously dip severely.

Take the Aerican Empire, for example. Their flag has a smiley face on it and their territory map is just a picture of the world. Waxing philosophical about “location” and “place” is nice for a group or a classroom discussion, but no country is founded on ideas alone, they are founded on dirt (or, in some cases, water).

Choose your site wisely and always keep tourism and defense in mind. The tourist trade can lead to big bucks and economic prosperity for your mini-country, but make sure your nation is secure, also. After all, whatever territory you claim as your own will likely face plenty of enemies, like the nation of Shirat HaYam, whose leader had to defend his country from the entire Israeli Defense Force with only one M-16.

Contrary to the popular saying, size doesn’t matter when it comes to nation states. Frestonia consisted of 1.8 acres and still boasted notable citizens like actor David Rappaport and playwright Heathcote Williams.

Once you have your territory squared away you will face the most challenging aspect of raising your small country: the constitution. What does your country stand for? What can your people not live without? What is going to make your country different than just any other patch of land? The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Seas didn’t cut any corners here. They founded their tiny nation with the promise of citizenship to all gay and lesbian people as a haven of equality in life and law.

Other micronations have less good-natured intentions. More than one person has created a “micronation” in the name of greed and get-rich-quick schemes. Though your country may not be officially recognized by any other nation, the crimes committed within its “borders”, virtual or otherwise, are still punishable by someone’s laws. Scotsman Gregor MacGregor’s elaborate Principality of Poyais scheme ended in the loss of life for nearly 200 eager settlers (who had emptied their wallets in pursuit of a better life in the New World nation) and landed him in French and English prisons for fraudulent dealings. A much more recent example of this is Pearlasia Gamboa who has used fake countries to swindle billions of dollars out of investors and attracted the severe attention of the SEC and the United States government.

Once all the serious business is taken care of, you get to do all the fun stuff  like selecting a national anthem (the Northern Forest Archipelago chose Marvin Gaye’s “Mercy, Mercy Me”) and establishing a time zone (the Kingdom of Elleore uses Elleore Standard Time which is 12 minutes behind Danish time). Your flag and your coinage will be the most recognizable aspects of your country so don’t overlook the details. The Principality of Sealand pegged its currency to the dollar in the early seventies and you can purchase coins, stamps, titles of nobility, and t-shirts on their official website.

With the basics of starting your own country under your belt, feel free to day dream away. Just make sure to check back next week for Pluck’s Guide to Micronations.

-Alex Begley

DIY / Drink / Procrastination — No Comments
29
Jun 11

Summer Daydreams: Homemade Beer

What could be more refreshing than an ice cold beer after a long hot summer day? Why an ice cold beer brewed in your own home just a few feet from where you sit of course. The pride and satisfaction that you made your own beer makes it all the tastier.

In keeping with the discussion on delicious summer drinks that Matt began yesterday, I present Pluck’s third summer daydream: brewing your own beer.

Thanks to the repeal of Prohibition-era laws which banned privately brewed beer, it seems like everyone is getting in on the homemade beer craze. Even President Obama has his own homemade beer that is flavored with honey from the White House’s beehives.

To try your hand, head over to HomeBrewing.com which has kits available for as low as $69 as well as a bunch of useful tips.

-Eugene

Drink / Procrastination — 2 Comments
28
Jun 11

Summer Daydreams: Ginger Ale, The Ultimate Warm-Weather Drink

Ginger took root in the Caribbean under the British, who had discovered it during the Asian spice trade. Rather than pay full price for the official variety, they planted the reedy plant in their colonies and grew it themselves. That was the way European colonies worked in those days- why pay full price when they could undercut the market and get it for cheap?

Though dubious for business, their ruse created one of the most indelible drinks of our age, and arguably the most refreshing drink of the summer: ginger, sugar, and carbonated water. Whether spiced-up and rich as ginger beer, or mellowed and sweetened as ginger ale, that familiar tang tastes like warm weather. Add dark rum and you have a Dark N’ Stormy, add beer and you have a particularly British shandy, add two types of rum and orange juice and you have A Night In Old Mandalay.

Fulfill your summer daydream and make your own here.

-Matt

Adventures / Procrastination — No Comments
27
Jun 11

Pluck’s Summer Daydreams: Rent a Houseboat

In anticipation of the announcement of Pluck’s Summer To Do List contest winners, we’ve decided to turn this week into Pluck’s Summer Daydreams. From now until Friday, we’ll talk about nothing but our wildest summer vacation fantasies. White linen tuxedos, champagne, and yachts here we come!

To get this week started, I’ve decided to get a bit nautical and propose renting a houseboat to freely float down a river or a lake with all of life’s amenities close at hand. The idea sounds like a much more idyllic version of Huck Finn where you and your best friends can have all sorts of misguided adventures as you float about while still being able to sleep in a comfortable bed.

Imagine catching fresh fish from the comfort of your living room couch, drinking beer on your balcony which just happens to be give you a majestic view of a tranquil lake, or having a barbeque right on the water. If that doesn’t make you want to call up your best friends and rent a houseboat, I don’t know what will.

To plan your Huck Finn adventure, here is a handy website that provides links to houseboat rentals on nearly every major body of water in the United States.

Since, I’m a landlubber and have barely left the comfortable environs of major cities, I suppose it would be wise to read this helpful guide about one woman’s experience renting a houseboat before you dash off.

Apparently, it’s not as simple as just floating down a river.

Speaking of summer daydreams, don’t forget to submit yours if you want to have it on Pluck’s homepage. Just head over to our Facebook page, hit the like button, and let us know what’s on your Summer To Do List because today is the last chance to get your idea on our homepage.

-Eugene

Adventures / Procrastination — No Comments
24
Jun 11

Pluck’s Marvels of the World: Abandoned Subways

In part five of Pluck’s week of Modern Marvels, I present New York’s abandoned subways.

Over the years as New York has grown and expanded many of its subway stops have fallen into disuse creating a ghostly labyrinth of forgotten memories from the early part of last century.

As New Yorkers rush to and fro, right beneath their feet lies a surprisingly well preserved glimpse into the past. Perhaps the most elegant of all abandoned subway stops is the old City Hall Station with its gilded arches, colored glass tiles, and brass chandeliers. Originally built in 1904, the station was shut down in 1945.

Aside from being a haven for mutant rat kings, these subways have been a gift for photographers, graffiti artists, and urban explorers.

In a daring move, a mysterious group of artists turned an entire abandoned station into a secret underground art gallery. The exhibit showcases work from more than 103 street artists from around the world who were given the time and space to paint massive murals without being harried by the police.

Dubbed the Underbelly Project, the concept was to create a show that defied every single convention. The location is secret meaning it isn’t open to the public and art is not meant to be purchased, instead the art is meant to be discovered and enjoyed by the bold.

For guides of New York’s abandoned stations you can click here, here, or here and to learn more about the Underbelly Project, have a gander at this New York Times article.

Happy exploring!

On a sidenote, don’t forget to visit our Facebook page if you want to have your ideas on Plucks’ homepage. Simply head over to Facebook, “like” the page, and leave us a comment on what you think belongs on our Summer To Do List. Click here for more details. Contest ends on Monday, so hurry up and get your ideas in before it ends.

-Eugene

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23
Jun 11

Pluck’s Marvels of the World: The Salamander

Content to pass away the millennia hidden among the damp, dark places of the world, this species of amphibian is an unlikely addition to Pluck’s List of Marvels. It’s not the fastest animal, nor the smartest, and few would classify its ability to secrete large amounts of mucus as marvelous.  Nevertheless, it’s timid demeanor and slimy looks belie a secret that could change the face of medicine forever.

Last decade, the advanced research arm of the Department of Defense, DARPA, spent millions of dollars to harness the only aspect of the humble salamander that can inspire jealousy: its ability to grow back entire limbs.

Those who paid attention in third grade biology will remember that the salamander has a peculiar defense mechanism. To confuse a striking predator, the salamander leaves behind its still squirming tail, hopefully allowing the rest of it enough time to scamper off to safety. Then, over a period of just a few weeks, the salamander is able to grow back its lost appendage, replacing it perfectly.

It’s also been known to similarly regenerate eyes, arms, and even internal organs. It’s the only vertebrate that has this regenerative capability.

But according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts who received a $1.2 million grant from DARPA in 2006, humans may be able to replicate the salamander’s regenerative abilities through changing the foundation of our healing process.  Mammals, including humans, form scar tissue when injured, while salamanders form blastema, “a large pool of progenitor cells that will specialize and grow to form the bone, muscle, cartilage, nerves and skin of the regenerated limb.”

By exploring ways to generate blastema in humans, DARPA hopes that years from now wounded soldiers will be able to grow back lost limbs and body parts when they return from the battle field. One can easily imagine analogous benefits for civilians as well.

But to the weekend warriors amongst us, please hold off from starting any sword juggling leagues just yet. While DARPA’s efforts moved into Phase II in 2009, it’s still far from certain that there will be any pay off, and, at best, practical benefits are still many years away.

However, if by some miracle the nerds over at DARPA pull this one off, the salamander will be the toast of the town. You heard it here first.

-Nico

Adventures / Read — No Comments
22
Jun 11

Pluck’s Marvels of the World: Molecular Gastronomy

As technology and innovation moves at lightning speed, the world that we live in is chock-full of modern marvels, at least in a disambiguated sense. But what about a marvelous revolution in the kitchen, that has served to elevate one of the most basic human needs to the ethereal?

Advances and interest in molecular gastronomy, the study of the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking, has allowed experimental chefs all over the world to transform even the most banal dishes into mind-bending, taste-defying masterpieces. Initially, molecular gastronomy was an area pursued by scientists who managed to remove every last bit of the sensuality of food in their reports (chapters of reports that were little called “The Factors Affecting The Viscosity Of Cream And Ice Cream”, and “Distillation Apparatus for Vegetable Samples”), despite the incredible contributions these food scientists had on the understanding of food.

Just under twenty years ago, the methods and techniques used in the study of molecular gastronomy started to appear, most prominently in restaurants in the Catalan region of Spain, where the ambitions and inexperienced Adria brothers took over a restaurant and started collaborating with a chemist at a nearby university. Because they were so isolated from the trendy nature of menus in locales like New York and San Francisco and so intensely fixated on producing something new, all the rules of how to cook food went out the window and the enjoyment of the fruits of molecular gastronomy began.

Commonly used equipment in kitchens that invoke techniques from molecular gastronomy include carbon dioxide, which is used for making foam and bubbles, liquid nitrogen, which is used for flash freezing, food dehydrators, centrifuges, lecithin, starches, pectins, syringes, malodextrin, and ice cream makers (which are used for unconventional flavor and texture products).

So what’s the big deal? How does using lab equipment actually make this a marvel? Well, having only been to one restaurant that uses molecular gastronomy, I am no expert, but after reading Adam Gopnik’s fascinating recount of his extensive travels to the cutting edgiest of restaurants, I am in awe of the process.

In his article in the New Yorker, Gopnik describes not just the playfulness of the dishes, but also the nearly psychotropic experience of seeing and believing, and then eating and disbelieving. Gopnik illustrates how molecular gastronomy is not simply using fancy techniques to make your basic dishes; instead, he shows that molecular gastronomy is really an imperfect term for the breakdown of clichéd dishes, lodged so deeply in our minds in terms of what they should look and taste like, that their ultimate deconstruction offers an experience that consumes all of the senses. Gopnik discusses how a dessert, inspired by the look of the country road in fall, included cherry sorbet, salted honey yogurt, frozen chocolate powder, and spice bread, depicting exactly an edible scene of near December’s first frost.

The only comparison fitting for Gopnik’s experiences in tasting such fanciful, unorthodox dishes is to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. And come on. Isn’t that just marvelous?

-Anna

Adventures — No Comments
21
Jun 11

Pluck’s Marvels of the World: Miniatur Wunderland

The Miniatur Wunderland has a lot going for it. It’s tiny, it’s built with Teutonic precision, and, as of the past year or so, it has captured the hearts of the Internet public. Therefore, I think it’s only appropriate to let it stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys during our week of wonders.

There is really no better introduction to the Wunderland than this spiel from its gregarious hosts:

Yes, it is expansive. It rolls all the way from bustling (and fictional) Knuffingen through the great mountain ranges of Europe to the fields of Switzerland and beyond, even into glittery American attractions.

But it’s the little details that really complete the scene. After all, there are, at last count, 200,000 human figures making their way through their little universes- putting out fires, selling goods (and their bodies), taking planes, and watching animals go on trips.

Anyone who has stopped by the life-size brethren of the Wunderland’s Cadillac Ranch or Alps ski resorts will appreciate the tiny swipes of graffiti on the upside-down cars and the diminutive ski instructors on their slopes. There is a lot of fun to be had here, even if the closest many of us have gotten is perusing the intricate photography on their website.

Co-creator Frederik Braun was inspired by a visit to a model railroad shop in Zurich in 2000, and recruited his brother Gerrit, who the company literature calls the “rational and skeptical” partner, to dream up the plans for the Wunderland. Now, with million dollar Euro loans behind them and a warehouse space in Hamburg’s downtown, they employ 150 people.

Each employee spends their waking hours devoted to keeping the trains running on time and the little people busy on their errands. As the brothers say on their site, “We try our best to balance out the roles [of] enthusiastic hobbyists and responsible entrepreneurs – this is a main part of our philosophy. We are convinced that these two contrasts are complementary and not mutually exclusive.”

What really animates the Wunderland (beyond its thousands of little gizmos, switches, and circuits) is that it is a great example of adults working long hours, taking out extensive loans, and drawing up elaborate plans not to build a bridge or to make an investment or to wage a war, but to accomplish something whimsical and assemble the world’s largest model railway. It encapsulates that brilliant moment when parents scramble to put together the kids’ bikes before the holidays, when adult, practical effort goes into building something so carefree.

This sense of play has garnered the Wunderland a lot of attention, and the Braun brothers, while delighted, are a bit perplexed as to what makes the Wunderland so appealing. On their corporate site, they say, “For weeks many thousand people are visiting this page and are watching this video every single day. This is great, but we do not have any idea why.”

I’d say it has something to do with the fun of watching the trains and the little people- and being inspired by the larger people that built it all.

-Matt

Adventures / Procrastination — No Comments
20
Jun 11

Pluck’s Marvels of the World: North Korea

This week kicks off Pluck Magazine’s Marvels of the World feature on our blog. Everyday a different editor will showcase a place that he or she thinks merits your undivided attention.

So without further ado, may I present Pluck’s first modern marvel: North Korea.

This may seem a bit of an odd choice, but no other country in the world is shrouded in more mystery than North Korea. Little is known about the rogue nation other than its dear leader has a wicked penchant for nuclear weapons and enjoys looking at things.

The country is virtually cut off from the rest of the world with no internet connections or cell phones outside of domestic networks, which helps explain their radical devotion to their beloved leader. It is reported that families are required to hang up pictures of Kim Il-Sung. Moreover, to maintain the semblance that the economy is bustling, it has been rumored that the government employs hundreds of people to don a suit and ride the country’s mass transportation system all day.

Given the veritable dearth of information out there, a trip to North Korea will inevitably be an adventure filled with novel experiences. In addition, since it’s nearly impossible to enter and exit the country freely, rest assured that you will be in rare company giving you serious cool points at parties.

If that isn’t enough to entice you to visit, how about a stay at the world’s second tallest hotel in the world, the Hotel Ryugyong, a 105 story monstrosity shaped like a pyramid. It has been affectionately dubbed the Hotel of Doom and dominates the skyline of North Korea’s capital city Pyongyang.

Standing at 1,083 feet tall, the hotel is home to 3,000 rooms, however much of the structure was without windows or walls as a crippling recession forced North Korea to stop construction in 1992. Fortunately in 2008, construction resumed thanks to heavy investment from an Egyptian company. The hotel features five restaurants that sit atop a rotating cone and several pavilions, gardens, and terraces.

Meanwhile, the country’s metro system is among the most impressive in the world. Built nearly 500 feet below ground, the metro also functions as a nuclear bunker and military base. But what really gives this multi-functional mass transit hub its charm is its palatial marble columns, grand hallways, elegant chandeliers, gilded archways, and colorful murals of the Great Leader Kim Sung Il.

The only difficulty is actually getting into the country. Although, if you’re interested in a lengthy stay at one of North Korea’s many fine prisons or labor camps, simply take one step across the China-North Korea border without official documentation and all your travel arrangements will be taken care of for you by an armed contingent of burly men.

For those who are a bit less adventurous, try Koryo Tours, a tour group that specializes in trips to Asia’s most enigmatic Communist country.

I would be remiss if I did not include WikiTravel’s gentle note on safety:

“Under no circumstances whatsoever are you to say something that could be perceived as an insult to Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il, Juche, or the North Korean people or government…You and your guide are likely to face serious trouble but assume that your guide will bear the worst of it…North Korea is known for extremely harsh punishments which range (for the guides) from lengthy prison sentences to a lifetime of torture and forced hard labor in the gulags, while you will most probably be sentenced to a short stay in a local prison or labor camp, deported, and banned from re-entering.”

Go forth young explorers, the only thing stopping you now is getting a visa from the North Korean government. Good luck!

To catch a small glimpse at what goes on in North Korea, have a look at Vice Magazine, which actually managed to get a camera crew inside.

-Eugene

Procrastination / Read — No Comments
17
Jun 11

Pulling IT Out

With the revelation of Anthony Weiner sending pictures of his, for lack of better words, wiener around, I thought this post was fitting.

To help guide those wayward souls who may be struggling with the eternal question of “Should I send her a picture of my penis?” GQ has published a hilarious and informative guide.

My favorite piece of advice: “Penises are not a valentine! Imagine if, when Simone de Beauvoir wrote, “I’m lacerated everywhere by being far away from you,” Sartre had sent back a snap of his wang. No.”

Or how about this other informative tidbit:

“Like it or not, penises are not breasts. (Like it!) Even people who love penises don’t really want to be surprised by one, even if it’s a great penis or the penis of a great guy. Like, Drew Barrymore seems like a cool lady who likes penises. Remember when Drew Barrymore surprised David Letterman with her breasts, and everybody was like, Ha ha. Oh, that Drew. If David Letterman had surprised Drew Barrymore with his penis, everybody would have kind of been like, Whoa! Not cool, Dave.”

Head over to GQ to read more.

Meanwhile to read about our thoughts on the whole Anthony Weiner scandal and why we can’t seem to understand how athletes and politicians continue to expose themselves online, click here.

-Eugene

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