The Power of Cartoons: The Internet (And the World!) Through the Eyes of a Cartoonist [Video]

In a series of witty punchlines, Lebanese/Swiss Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte (known simply as Chappatte in his cartoons) makes a poignant case for the power of the humble cartoon. His projects in Lebanon, West Africa and Gaza show how, in the right hands, the pencil can illuminate serious issues and bring the most unlikely people together.

[Source: TED]

Creepy, Last Minute Halloween Recipes: Sweet Spider Eggs and the Bloody Squid

Today, I have for you two recipes of my own devising. One is for your sweet tooth, and the other one will chill you out. Both are super easy and quick. Trends these days in Halloween cuisine tend to go toward the remarkably detailed and complicated. Which is fine. Certainly plenty of folks out there are doing amazing things. But, if you’re like me, you’re still working on your costumes most likely, and you’re far from prepared for this upcoming weekend. (Not to mention having spent the better part of last weekend elbow-deep in fondant for a D&D cake I made for my husband.)

First up: simple spider eggs. The only difficulty with these guys is finding the right ingredient: cotton candy. And not pink or blue, but either white or yellow. I scanned the web with no luck, and only happened upon some at Target the other day.

The inspiration for this was simple. Be it Dragon Age or World of Warcraft, the spider pod is one of those symbols of fantasy RPG games. Originally my intent was to make my own pods out of sugar—but the involvement in something like that is a little over my current capabilities (we have a TINY kitchen) and probably not the safest (considering most of the day I’m accompanied by a four year old with a very Tookish streak).

So: enter cotton candy. I separated the yellowy white from the pink and blue (two bags set me back $2.00). All you’ve got to do is mold the cotton candy into an oval shape. It’s naturally webby and light. Just like real spider eggs. Peel off some fronds for extra effect. Then, use chocolate to make spiders. You can, of course, buy some pre-made spiders and use them, but I like going my own way. The chocolate sticks easily to the cotton candy, and you can arrange them however you like. Use some D&D miniatures (non-edible, you should point out to your guests) to add in the ambiance. But be warned, these are sweet enough to send you to the dentist. Still, they melt in your mouth. Weblicious!

Next, my personal favorite: The Bloody Squid (pictured at the top of the post). I have a thing for cephalopods—in fact, the last novel I wrote featured them prominently. Little, brain-controlling squidlings!

Don’t worry: there is no seafood in this drink. (Although, I bet fried calamari would be a great addition, not to mention some squid stew.)

Anyway, while perusing the clearance aisle in my local grocery store, I came upon a jar of hibiscus flowers in syrup. Inspiration struck, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Turns out, if you cut lengthwise down the hibiscus flower petals, you’ll get a total of ten arms for your squid. They really have a tentacle-like appearance. Add tonic water, liquor of choice (I’d go with Vodka) and slowly pour some grenadine down into the center. The grenadine will pool at the bottom. Bonus: the tonic water will make the drink glow under black light! The best part? The bubbles from the tonic water collect and actually move the arms slightly in the glass. Add an “escaping” squid on the top of the glass, and you’re all set.

Mmm, creepy squid.

Whatever your culinary approach this Halloween, remember that some of the best ideas lurk just under the surface with ingredients you already have. Even if it is last-minute, being a geek means you can hack together some pretty sweet stuff in no time.

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China breaks 2-petaflop barrier

Chinese websites are claiming the country has overtaken the US as the home of the world’s fastest supercomputer. The official result is scheduled to be announced next week.

The rankings in question are the TOP500 project, which has published a list twice a year since 1993. It measures the maximum speed achieved in a standard test, with tiebreaks decided by the theoretical peak.

The current number one ranked machine is named Jaguar, a Cray XT5 system housed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2009. It’s been in the top spot for a year and achieved that position with a speed of 1.759 petaflops (1,759 trillion calculations per second.)

But now reports from China claim a machine named Tianhe-1 (which means Milky Way) is number one in that country. It’s said to have achieved a sustained processing speed of 2.507 petaflops, blowing away Jaguar. While the next TOP-500 rankings period doesn’t close until Sunday it appears that, if the figures are correct and verified, there’s virtually no chance of a rival machine beating the achievement.

In the last rankings, released in May, Tianhe-1 was “only” listed as achieving 563.1 petaflops, and even its theoretical maximum was only half the speed it’s now said to have achieved.

This would be the first time since 2004 that the US has not held the top spot: Jaguar was preceded as number one by IBM’s Roadrunner and Blue Gene/L. Japan is the only other country to produce machines topping the list. If there is some consolation for the US, the staggering improvement in Tianhe-1 looks to be partly the result of an upgrade involving Intel and NVIDIA chips.

The apparent takeover of the number one slot by China won’t come as a major surprise. Last year the Chinese-made Nebulae debuted in second place, and its theoretical maximum speed was the highest on the list.

As is common with supercomputers, Tianhe-1’s uses include meteorological simulation, a task that is simple in concept but involves numerous calculations to deal with the vast range of variable outcomes.

(Picture credit: Tianhe-1 via National University of Defense Technology)