Opening soon in theaters across the nation, the movie Wonder, adapted from the eponymous bestseller by R. J. Palacio, is already the subject of intense controversy. The story centers on the character of August Pullman – ‘Auggie’ to his friends – a ten year old boy, about to start school. And Auggie is no ‘normal’ [Read More…]
The year is 1999. The location is the scientific research station Moon Base Alpha, nestled in the moon’s crater, Plato. The team of scientists is led by one Captain John Koenig who oversees operations in the orbiting satellite/nuclear waste dump. The personnel inhabiting the moon base include technicians, security, and a handful of non-humans including [Read More…]
Here at Berkshire, we love solving riddles. So here’s one that had us scratching our heads as we searched for an answer: What do floppy discs and salads have in common? It’s ok, we’ll wait while you ponder. Give up? Cleanrooms! Wait, how can lettuces have anything to do with cleanrooms? We’re glad you asked [Read More…]
Given the number of food-related articles we’ve published in recent months, you may be forgiven for thinking we are somewhat obsessed. While researching topics like activated charcoal in ice cream to wine-infused coffee beans to last month’s unveiling of the all-new ruby chocolate, we at Berkshire have enjoyed feasting our eyes on some exciting new [Read More…]
Last week saw the much anticipated, and subsequently critiqued, launch of Apple’s latest generation of i-products. From the new and improved Apple TV to the updated Apple Watch with integrated SIM card, fresh innovation seemed to be the theme of the keynote held at the newly unveiled Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, CA. But it [Read More…]
Food contamination. Food insecurity. GMOs. Frankenfoods. Synthetic products. What’s next to find its way onto our dinner plates? Could it be ‘cultured meat,’ a product that’s disrupting the conventional paradigm of animal agriculture? From Maastricht to Silicon Valley, ‘clean meat’ is the next Big Idea, but what is it and why do we need it? [Read More…]
In our high-tech age where each generation is glued to a screen – texting, surfing, Instagramming, Snap-Chatting, tweeting – it’s refreshing to reflect back on earlier times. To recall the low-tech pastimes that did not rely on zeroes and ones, bits and bytes, but more on the innocence of childish wonder and learning. We’re thinking [Read More…]
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to our astute readers that here at Berkshire we love technology. All kinds of high tech – from the nanotech of graphene to the mega-tech of MarsOne. And, as a corollary, we also love the trivia that comes with it. So, ahead of next week’s other-worldly excitement of the [Read More…]
Civets and coffee cherries, pachyderms and poop – can the artificial fermentation of coffee beans mimic the digestive effects that produce the world’s most expensive – and arguably most unusual – cup of joe? To learn more about kopi luwac, the morning caffeine hit that’ll set you back $60 per cup click over to Food-Contact-Surfaces.com
Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions is a novella exploring the world through the eyes of ‘A Square,’ a character who exists in only two dimensions. A Square lives in Flatland, a world conceptualized by writer Edwin A. Abbott in 1884 as a critical commentary upon the hierarchical nature of the rigidly stratified society of [Read More…]
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