Sierra Nevada Does It Right: It was difficult to miss Sierra Nevada’s bottle recall this week, as a flurry of sensational headlines made it sound like every bottle they’d filled was personally out to cut your throat. Consider this hot take: by the numbers, the glass defect in question affected an infinitesimal .01% of bottles packaged at their Mills River facility, and Sierra responded by recalling every single package that had the slightest chance of being impacted. That’s doing the job right. From our stash of Celebrations, our hats are off to the rock stars at Sierra Nevada’s quality control team.
Miracle On Ice Chef: Speaking of people doing an excellent job, we enjoyed this profile of Hope Clark, “ice chef” and founder of Viking Ice Works in Chicago. Hope offers some serious insight into the physics of ice carving that will win over all but the most dedicated well-swillers out there. She also might run up your Amazon account when you look up clear ice makers, but we can’t totally blame her.
Sunny’s Stays Put: Brooklyn mainstay Sunny’s scored a victory in a three-year court battle this week, which means they will stay in their traditional Red Hook home and not be forced out in favor of yet another condo. Current owner Tone Balzano Johansen, widow of founder Sunny, told the Times, “I can’t let this be torn down for a view of the Statue of Liberty. It’s ‘old Brooklyn’ wanting to hand it over to ‘new Brooklyn.’ Ironically, I am fighting to keep the story of ‘old Brooklyn’ alive.” Fight on, Tone.
A Pageturning Trend: Independent bookstores, long embattled by the encroachment of chain stores and online retail alike, are starting to retaliate in the best way possible: adding booze. Small shops across the country are applying for licenses to give patrons a chance to sip while they shop. Early reports haven’t mentioned the possibility of spills, but we’re hoping for some librarian-approved sippy cups.
To The Moon!: Inspired by some strange mix of a clear night sky and a long beer run, students at UC San Diego are working on a project to brew beer in space. More specifically, the group has entered Google’s $30 million Lunar X Project contest to get a chance to brew in orbit. The problem is more complex than it seems, as the temperatures and pressures necessary in brewing can be deadly if something goes wrong inside a spacecraft. Reports that Tom Hanks is already interested in the film rights to the story are unconfirmed.
Friday Nostalgia: Remember Homestar Runner? We fell down a serious rabbit hole this week, and we’re happy to say the viral pioneer totally holds up. Enjoy some math from Strongbad, and enjoy your weekend.