Lucasfilm has dropped an amazing new trailer for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and it’s everything we hoped for if you’ve ever dreamed of a Goonies-inspired Star Wars adventure! From the retro soundtrack to the classic kids-on-an-adventure setup, it fully captures the 80s Amblin vibe we grew up loving. And, yes, it’s giving Goonies meets Stranger Things, but set in a galaxy far, far away.
Premiering on Disney+ on December 3, 2024, Skeleton Crew kicks off with its first two episodes. This is one Star Wars adventure that’ll be a fun ride for both kids and adults. Adding to the hype, Skeleton Crew is already getting its own line of Funko Pops! The first wave includes Jude Law’s character Jod Na Nawood, as well as the kids Wim, Fern, KB, and Neel. These figures are available for pre-order, with shipping expected this month – so fans can bring home a piece of this nostalgic adventure while waiting for the show’s release.
Ever wonder about the fascinating world of real-life “superpowers”? Check out this video where amazing conditions like Hyperthymestic Syndrome (giving people photographic memories), Tetrachromacy (allowing some to see a world of extra colors), and Myostatin-Related Muscle Hypertrophy (creating impressive natural strength) are explored. From Congenital Insensitivity to Pain to the rare “Vampire Syndrome,” each unique condition highlights just how incredible—and sometimes challenging—the human body can be!
For today’s edition of “Deal of the Day,” here are some of the best deals we stumbled on while browsing the web this morning! Please note that Geeks are Sexy might get a small commission from qualifying purchases done through our posts. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
–1minAI: Lifetime Subscription – Why choose between ChatGPT, Midjourney, GoogleAI, and MetaAI when you could get them all in one tool? – $234.00 $39.99
Ever heard that cooking with black plastic utensils might not be the best choice for your health? If you’re even a little worried about things like microplastics in your food, you might want to rethink using that black plastic spatula or spoon in the kitchen. Here’s why: Some black plastics aren’t just regular plastic—they might come from recycled electronics. Yes, that old gaming rig could be what’s stirring your pasta, and it might bring some less-than-appetizing chemicals along with it.
Why Black Plastic?
Unlike clear or lighter-colored plastics, black plastic is a bit more mysterious. It’s harder to recycle, and sometimes recycling plants mix in plastic from electronics, which can carry leftover chemicals from their previous life. And while recycling is usually great for the planet, mixing electronics into kitchen tools could mean that things like flame retardants or even heavy metals end up in our cooking tools—not exactly things you’d want near your food!
Why Heat and Plastic Don’t Mix
Cooking with any kind of plastic can get a bit risky because heating plastic can release chemicals that can seep into food. Black plastic can be especially problematic because the heat can break down the plastic and make it more likely to “leach” these chemicals into what you’re cooking.
So, every time you scrape your black plastic spatula along a hot pan, tiny bits of plastic or unwanted chemicals might be mixing in with your food. Not very appetizing, right?
Easy, Safer Alternatives to Black Plastic
Luckily, you don’t have to ditch every plastic item in your kitchen—just swapping out black plastic utensils for safer options can make a difference. Here are a few alternatives:
Silicone: Silicone utensils are great for cooking; they’re heat-resistant, come in lots of colors, and don’t have the same chemical worries as black plastic.
Wood: Wooden spoons and spatulas are classic and safe, and they don’t leach chemicals into your food. They’re also sturdy and long-lasting!
Stainless Steel: If you’re cooking with metal-friendly pots and pans, stainless steel is another safe option, though you may want to avoid it on non-stick surfaces.
A Simple Change for Peace of Mind
Swapping out your black plastic spatula isn’t going to change your life, but it’s a small way to keep some extra mystery chemicals out of your meals. So go ahead, give your black plastic the boot, and replace it with something that won’t be plotting chemical ambushes in your soup.
Please note that Geeks are Sexy might get a small commission from qualifying purchases done through our posts. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cosplayer @myriadcosplay looks nothing short of stunning and fierce as Red Sonja in these gorgeous cosplay photos by Satin Dress Photography. I admire the attention to detail that went into creating this costume, complete with a weathered battle axe and fur cape.
It’s hard to believe that it was almost 20 years ago, on November 9, 2004, when Firefox first launched. Who could have predicted that this spiritual successor to Netscape Navigator would not only survive but thrive in the ever-evolving world of web browsers?
With Mozilla Firefox 132 now available for download, just a few days ahead of the browser’s big 20th anniversary milestone, it’s the perfect moment to celebrate! This update brings great news, including enhanced privacy features like blocked third-party cookies (goodbye, creepy ads that seem to follow you around!) and a host of other cool enhancements that make upgrading worthwhile.
A Quick (and Slightly Hilarious) History of Firefox
The tale of Firefox begins with Marc Andreessen, one of the brains behind the NCSA Mosaic browser, who decided in 1994 that the world needed a new champion in web browsing: Netscape. Netscape Navigator quickly soared to popularity, dominating the mid-1990s with over 80% of the market share. Things were amazing for Netscape, but one day, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer showed up in and turned the whole scene upside down.
In the end, Microsoft won the browser war against Netscape because it could place Internet Explorer for free on the home screens of over 90% of the personal computers sold at the time. That’s like showing up at the prom with the hottest date—good luck competing with that!
In a bold move in 1998, Netscape decided to release its browser’s source code to the public. This led to the formation of the Mozilla Foundation, tasked with continuing development and bringing a fresh approach to browsing.
Fast forward to November 9, 2004, when Mozilla launched Firefox 1.0, ushering in a new era of web surfing. In an amusing twist, just months earlier, Mozilla announced that the browser would be renamed from Firebird, to Phoenix, and finally to Firefox. That day also marked the release of version 0.8, setting the stage for what would become one of the top browsers in the world!
As we celebrate this 20-year journey, it’s clear that Firefox has navigated through ups and downs, much like our own attempts to avoid pop-up ads. You can check out the original Mozilla press release and explore the version history on Wikipedia for more details. Here’s to many more years of innovation and user empowerment!
Ze Frank is back with a new episode of True Facts, and this one features parasitoid wasps. These wasps have parenting techniques that redefine creepy: from laying eggs inside living hosts to using paralyzing venom and virus manipulation. Ze Frank’s knack for comedic science storytelling sheds a bizarre light on wasps who avoid hands-on parenting by creating literal nightmare fuel. Check it out!
From their caramel centers to chocolatey coatings, several widely used candy-making processes go into the production of a single Snickers bar. NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images
It’s Halloween. You’ve just finished trick-or-treating and it’s time to assess the haul. You likely have a favorite, whether it’s chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, those gummy clusters with Nerds on them or something else.
For some people, including me, one piece stands out – the Snickers bar, especially if it’s full-size. The combination of nougat, caramel and peanuts coated in milk chocolate makes Snickers a popular candy treat.
As a food engineer studying candy and ice cream at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I now look at candy in a whole different way than I did as a kid. Back then, it was all about shoveling it in as fast as I could.
Now, as a scientist who has made a career studying and writing booksabout confections, I have a very different take on candy. I have no trouble sacrificing a piece for the microscope or the texture analyzer to better understand how all the components add up. I don’t work for, own stock in, or receive funding from Mars Wrigley, the company that makes Snickers bars. But in my work, I do study the different components that make up lots of popular candy bars. Snickers has many of the most common elements you’ll find in your Halloween candy.
Let’s look at the elements of a Snickers bar as an example of candy science. As with almost everything, once you get into it, each component is more complex than you might think.
Let’s start with the nougat. The nougat in a Snickers bar is a slightly aerated candy with small sugar crystals distributed throughout.
One of the ingredients in the nougat is egg white, a protein that helps stabilize the air bubbles that provide a light texture. Often, nougats like this are made by whipping sugar and egg whites together. The egg whites coat the air bubbles created during whipping, which gives the nougat its aerated texture.
A boiled sugar syrup is then slowly mixed into the egg white sugar mixture, after which a melted fat is added. Since fat can cause air bubbles to collapse, this step has to be done last and very carefully.
The final ingredient added before cooling is powdered sugar to provide seeds for the sugar crystallization in the batch. The presence of small sugar crystals makes the nougat “short” – pull it apart between your fingers and it breaks cleanly with no stretch.
Chewy caramel
On top of the nougat layer is a band of chewy caramel. The chewiness of the caramel contrasts the nougat’s light, airy texture, which provides contrast to each bite.
Caramel stands out from other candies as it contains a dairy ingredient, such as cream or evaporated milk. During cooking, the milk proteins react with some of the sugars in a complex series of reactions called Maillard browning, which imparts the brown color and caramelly flavor.
Maillard browning starts with proteins and certain sugars. The end products of these reactions include melanoidins, which are brown coloring compounds, and a variety of flavors. The specific flavor molecules depend on the starting materials and the conditions, such as temperature and water content.
Commercial caramel, like that in the Snickers bar, is cooked up to about 240-245 degrees Fahrenheit (115-118 degrees Celsius), to control the water content. Cook to too high a temperature and the caramel gets too hard, but if the cook temperature is too low, the caramel will flow right off the nougat. In a Snickers bar, the caramel needs to be slightly chewy so the peanuts stick to it.
Chocolate coating
To make chocolate, raw cocoa beans are harvested from cacao pods and then fermented for several days. After the fermented beans are dried, they are roasted to develop the chocolate flavor. As in caramel, the Maillard browning reaction is an important contributor to the flavor of chocolate.
The milk chocolate coating on the Snickers bar happens through a process called enrobing. The naked bar, arranged on a wire mesh conveyor, passes through a curtain of tempered liquid chocolate, covering all sides with a thin layer. Tempering the chocolate coating makes it glossy and gives it a well-defined snap.
The enrobing process in action.
The flow of the tempered chocolate needs to be controlled precisely to give a coating of the desired thickness without leading to tails at the bottom of the candy bar.
The Snickers bar
When done right, the result is a delicious Snickers bar, a popular Halloween – or anytime – candy.
With about 15 million bars made each day, getting every detail just right requires a lot of scientific understanding and engineering precision.
