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Cost of living: if you can’t afford as much fresh produce, are canned veggies or frozen fruit just as good?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> The cost of living crisis is affecting how we spend our money. For many people, this means tightening the budget on the weekly supermarket shop. One victim may be fresh fruit and vegetables. Data from the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/australians-consuming-fewer-vegetables-fruit-and-less-milk#:%7E:text=Paul%20Atyeo%2C%20ABS%20health%20statistics,278%20to%20267%20to%20grams.%E2%80%9D">Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> (ABS) suggests Australians were consuming fewer fruit and vegetables in 2022–23 than the year before. The cost of living is likely compounding a problem that exists already – on the whole, Australians don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating">Australian dietary guidelines</a> recommend people aged nine and older should consume <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/fruit">two</a> serves of fruit and <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/vegetables-and-legumes-beans">five</a> serves of vegetables each day for optimal health. But in 2022 the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/dietary-behaviour/latest-release">ABS reported</a> only 4% of Australians met the recommendations for both fruit and vegetable consumption. Fruit and vegetables are crucial for a healthy, balanced diet, providing a range of <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-told-to-eat-a-rainbow-of-fruit-and-vegetables-heres-what-each-colour-does-in-our-body-191337">vitamins</a> and minerals as well as fibre. If you can’t afford as much fresh produce at the moment, there are other ways to ensure you still get the benefits of these food groups. You might even be able to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables. <h2>Frozen</h2> Fresh produce is often touted as being the most nutritious (think of the old adage “fresh is best”). But this is not necessarily true. Nutrients can decline in transit from the paddock to your kitchen, and while the produce is stored in your fridge. Frozen vegetables may actually be higher in some nutrients such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526594/">vitamin C and E</a> as they are snap frozen very close to the time of harvest. Variations in transport and storage can affect this slightly. <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf504890k">Minerals</a> such as calcium, iron and magnesium stay at similar levels in frozen produce compared to fresh. Another advantage to frozen vegetables and fruit is the potential to reduce food waste, as you can use only what you need at the time. As well as buying frozen fruit and vegetables from the supermarket, you can freeze produce yourself at home if you have an oversupply from the garden, or when produce may be cheaper. A <a href="https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/freezing-vegetables-and-herbs-the-garden-foodie-version/">quick blanching</a> prior to freezing can improve the safety and quality of the produce. This is when food is briefly submerged in boiling water or steamed for a short time. Frozen vegetables won’t be suitable for salads but can be eaten roasted or steamed and used for soups, stews, casseroles, curries, pies and quiches. Frozen fruits can be added to breakfast dishes (with cereal or youghurt) or used in cooking for fruit pies and cakes, for example. <h2>Canned</h2> Canned vegetables and fruit similarly often offer a cheaper alternative to fresh produce. They’re also very convenient to have on hand. The <a href="https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can#gsc.tab=0">canning process</a> is the preservation technique, so there’s no need to add any additional preservatives, including salt. Due to the cooking process, levels of heat-sensitive nutrients <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jsfa.2825">such as vitamin C</a> will decline a little compared to fresh produce. When you’re using canned vegetables in a hot dish, you can add them later in the cooking process to reduce the amount of nutrient loss. To minimise waste, you can freeze the portion you don’t need. <h2>Fermented</h2> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723656/">Fermentation</a> has recently come into fashion, but it’s actually one of the oldest food processing and preservation techniques. Fermentation largely retains the vitamins and minerals in fresh vegetables. But fermentation may also enhance the food’s nutritional profile by creating new nutrients and allowing existing ones to be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9352655/">absorbed more easily</a>. Further, fermented foods contain probiotics, which are beneficial for our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10051273/">gut microbiome</a>. <h2>5 other tips to get your fresh fix</h2> Although alternatives to fresh such as canned or frozen fruit and vegetables are good substitutes, if you’re looking to get more fresh produce into your diet on a tight budget, here are some things you can do. 1. Buy in season Based on supply and demand principles, buying local seasonal vegetables and fruit will always be cheaper than those that are imported out of season from other countries. 2. Don’t shun the ugly fruit and vegetables Most supermarkets now sell “ugly” fruit and vegetables, that are not physically perfect in some way. This does not affect the levels of nutrients in them at all, or their taste. 3. Reduce waste On average, an Australian household throws out <a href="https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/">A$2,000–$2,500</a> worth of food every year. Fruit, vegetables and bagged salad are the <a href="https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/">three of the top five foods</a> thrown out in our homes. So properly managing fresh produce could help you save money (and benefit <a href="https://endfoodwaste.com.au/why-end-food-waste/">the environment</a>). To minimise waste, plan your meals and shopping ahead of time. And if you don’t think you’re going to get to eat the fruit and vegetables you have before they go off, freeze them. 4. Swap and share There are many websites and apps which offer the opportunity to swap or even pick up free fresh produce if people have more than they need. Some <a href="https://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/environment/sustainable-lifestyles/community-fruit-and-vege-swaps">local councils are also encouraging</a> swaps on their websites, so dig around and see what you can find in your local area. 5. Gardening Regardless of how small your garden is you can always <a href="https://www.gardeningaustraliamag.com.au/best-vegies-grow-pots/">plant produce in pots</a>. Herbs, rocket, cherry tomatoes, chillies and strawberries all grow well. In the long run, these will offset some of your cost on fresh produce. Plus, when you have put the effort in to grow your own produce, <a href="https://mdpi-res.com/sustainability/sustainability-07-02695/article_deploy/sustainability-07-02695.pdf?version=1425549154">you are less likely to waste it</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229724/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cost-of-living-if-you-cant-afford-as-much-fresh-produce-are-canned-veggies-or-frozen-fruit-just-as-good-229724">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

Quincy Jones rushed to hospital

Legendary music producer Quincy Jones has been taken to hospital after suffering a medical emergency. The 28-time Grammy winner, 90, experienced a “bad reaction to some food he ate”, a representative of his told TMZ. "Out of an abundance of caution he called 911 for help,” the spokesperson said. Page Six reported that paramedics were called to Jones’ Los Angeles home on June 17, where they transported him to the emergency room. Jones got the all-clear from doctors and was soon released from his short stay in hospital. Jones is most famously known as the producer of Michael Jackson’s all-time best-selling record, Thriller. The 90-year-old has also worked on records with various industry icons like Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Rufus & Chaka Khan. Jones also produced the hit television sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which saw actor Will Smith rise to fame. This isn’t the first health scare endured by the composer. In 1974, Jones suffered a life-threatening brain aneurysm which required rigorous operations, leaving him with six steel pins in his head. "I actually had two brain aneurysms,” Jones revealed in his 2018 documentary titled, Quincy. "So I guess I would classify as having some experience with trauma to the brain. Also, my mother suffered from mental illness," he added. Jones was also rushed to hospital in 2015 citing chest pains and shortness of breath whilst in his Bel-Air home. At the time, a spokesperson of Jones told Page Six, "Quincy is fine. He had some shortness of breath and in an abundance of caution, he went in for observation. He is fine though." Image credit: Getty

Caring

Mamma Mia! 3 receives confident update from producer

Mamma Mia! Here we go again! Judy Craymer, the creator and producer of the beloved musical comedies, has revealed there could be a third instalment. In an interview with Deadline, discussing the Mamma Mia! I have a Dream talent show on ITV, Craymer shared a confident Mamma Mia! 3 update. "It’s in its earliest stages... I don’t want to over-egg it, but I know there’s a trilogy there. There is a story there, and I do think Meryl should come back — and if the script is right, she would, I think, because she really loved playing Donna,” she said. Craymer’s comments come after a long line of remarks made about a possible third movie, with her saying in 2020 that it was always "meant to be a trilogy." Even though the producer said it's in the early stages of development, it’s unclear when there will be an official announcement from Universal. Familiar faces Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Lily James, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan have all expressed interest in returning to reprise their respective roles. Craymer also revealed in her interview that she has come up with a way to bring back all the franchise’s favourite characters, including the iconic Meryl Streep. Bringing back every member of the franchise’s massive ensemble cast might be why the third instalment has made little progress in recent years, but Craymer remains confident that the next instalment will go ahead. Image credit: Getty/Instagram

Movies

Give this AI a few words of description and it produces a stunning image – but is it art?

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but thanks to an artificial intelligence program called <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/04/06/openai-dall-e-2-photorealistic-images-from-text-descriptions/">DALL-E 2</a>, you can have a professional-looking image with far fewer. DALL-E 2 is <a href="http://adityaramesh.com/posts/dalle2/dalle2.html">a new neural network</a> algorithm that creates a picture from a short phrase or sentence that you provide. <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/">The program</a>, which was announced by the artificial intelligence research laboratory OpenAI in April 2022, hasn’t been released to the public. But a small and growing number of people – myself included – have been given access to experiment with it. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZcWO2AEAAAAJ&hl=en">As a researcher studying the nexus of technology and art</a>, I was keen to see how well the program worked. After hours of experimentation, it’s clear that DALL-E – while not without shortcomings – is leaps and bounds ahead of existing image generation technology. It raises immediate questions about how these technologies will change how art is made and consumed. It also raises questions about what it means to be creative when DALL-E 2 seems to automate so much of the creative process itself. <h2>A staggering range of style and subjects</h2> OpenAI researchers built DALL-E 2 <a href="https://github.com/openai/dalle-2-preview/blob/main/system-card.md#model">from an enormous collection of images</a> with captions. They gathered some of the images online and licensed others. Using DALL-E 2 looks a lot like searching for an image on the web: you type in a short phrase into a text box, and it gives back six images. But instead of being culled from the web, the program creates six brand-new images, each of which reflect some version of the entered phrase. (Until recently, the program produced 10 images per prompt.) For example, when some friends and I gave DALL-E 2 the text prompt “cats in devo hats,” <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronHertzmann/status/1534947118053355522">it produced 10 images</a> that came in different styles. Nearly all of them could plausibly pass for professional photographs or drawings. While the algorithm did not quite grasp “Devo hat” – <a href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5761baff746fb9f420bb3ffc/1495765600043-HHVOESOJR2LLK7B820SS/?content-type=image%2Fjpeg">the strange helmets</a> worn by the New Wave band Devo – the headgear in the images it produced came close. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "cats in devo hats" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle</a> <a href="https://t.co/kkFaKF0zUJ">pic.twitter.com/kkFaKF0zUJ</a> — Aaron Hertzmann (@AaronHertzmann) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronHertzmann/status/1534947118053355522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote> Over the past few years, a small community of artists have been using neural network algorithms to produce art. Many of these artworks have distinctive qualities that almost look like real images, <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-ai-art-has-artists-collaborators-wondering-who-gets-the-credit-112661">but with odd distortions of space</a> – a sort of cyberpunk Cubism. The most recent text-to-image systems <a href="https://www.rightclicksave.com/article/clip-art-and-the-new-aesthetics-of-ai">often produce dreamy, fantastical imagery</a> that can be delightful but rarely looks real. DALL-E 2 offers a significant leap in the quality and realism of the images. It can also mimic specific styles with remarkable accuracy. If you want images that look like actual photographs, it’ll produce six life-like images. If you want prehistoric cave paintings of Shrek, it’ll generate six pictures of Shrek as if they’d been drawn by a prehistoric artist. It’s staggering that an algorithm can do this. Each set of images takes less than a minute to generate. Not all of the images will look pleasing to the eye, nor do they necessarily reflect what you had in mind. But, even with the need to sift through many outputs or try different text prompts, there’s no other existing way to pump out so many great results so quickly – not even by hiring an artist. And, sometimes, the unexpected results are the best. In principle, <a href="http://adityaramesh.com/posts/dalle2/dalle2.html">anyone with enough resources and expertise can make a system like this</a>. Google Research <a href="https://imagen.research.google/">recently announced an impressive, similar text-to-image system</a>, and one independent developer is publicly developing their own version that <a href="https://huggingface.co/spaces/dalle-mini/dalle-mini">anyone can try right now on the web</a>, although it’s not yet as good as DALL-E or Google’s system. It’s easy to imagine these tools transforming the way people make images and communicate, whether via memes, greeting cards, advertising – and, yes, art. <h2>Where’s the art in that?</h2> I had a moment early on while using DALL-E 2 to generate different kinds of paintings, in all different styles – like “<a href="https://www.odilon-redon.org/">Odilon Redon</a> painting of Seattle” – when it hit me that this was better than any painting algorithm I’ve ever developed. Then I realized that it is, in a way, a better painter than I am. In fact, no human can do what DALL-E 2 does: create such a high-quality, varied range of images in mere seconds. If someone told you that a person made all these images, of course you’d say they were creative. But <a href="https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/5/244330-computers-do-not-make-art-people-do/fulltext">this does not make DALL-E 2 an artist</a>. Even though it sometimes feels like magic, under the hood it is still a computer algorithm, rigidly following instructions from the algorithm’s authors at OpenAI. If these images succeed as art, they are products of how the algorithm was designed, the images it was trained on, and – most importantly – how artists use it. You might be inclined to say there’s little artistic merit in an image produced by a few keystrokes. But in my view, this line of thinking echoes <a href="https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/5/244330-computers-do-not-make-art-people-do/fulltext">the classic take</a> that photography cannot be art because a machine did all the work. Today the human authorship and craft involved in artistic photography are recognized, and critics understand that the best photography involves much more than just pushing a button. Even so, we often discuss works of art as if they directly came from the artist’s intent. The artist intended to show a thing, or express an emotion, and so they made this image. DALL-E 2 does seem to shortcut this process entirely: you have an idea and type it in, and you’re done. But when I paint the old-fashioned way, I’ve found that my paintings come from the exploratory process, not just from executing my initial goals. And this is true for many artists. Take Paul McCartney, who came up with the track “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvZA5AYhB4&t=35s">Get Back</a>” during a jam session. He didn’t start with a plan for the song; he just started fiddling and experimenting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Back#Early_protest_lyrics">and the band developed it from there</a>. Picasso <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=dZyPAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA2&ots=xYVek5tbjg&dq=%22I%20don%27t%20know%20in%20advance%20what%20I%20am%20going%20to%20put%20on%20canvas%20any%20more%20than%20I%20decide%20beforehand%20what%20colors%20I%20am%20going%20to%20use&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false">described his process similarly</a>: “I don’t know in advance what I am going to put on canvas any more than I decide beforehand what colors I am going to use … Each time I undertake to paint a picture I have a sensation of leaping into space.” In <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aaronhertzmann_aiart/">my own explorations with DALL-E 2</a>, one idea would lead to another which led to another, and eventually I’d find myself in a completely unexpected, magical new terrain, very far from where I’d started. <h2>Prompting as art</h2> I would argue that the art, in using a system like DALL-E 2, comes not just from the final text prompt, but in the entire creative process that led to that prompt. Different artists will follow different processes and end up with different results that reflect their own approaches, skills and obsessions. I began to see my experiments as a set of series, each a consistent dive into a single theme, rather than a set of independent wacky images. Ideas for these images and series came from all around, often linked by a set of <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-15524-1">stepping stones</a>. At one point, while making images based on contemporary artists’ work, I wanted to generate an image of site-specific installation art in the style of the contemporary Japanese artist <a href="http://yayoi-kusama.jp/e/biography/index.html">Yayoi Kusama</a>. After trying a few unsatisfactory locations, I hit on the idea of placing it in <a href="https://mezquita-catedraldecordoba.es/en/">La Mezquita</a>, a former mosque and church in Córdoba, Spain. I sent <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CehcE4DvN1d/">the picture</a> to an architect colleague, Manuel Ladron de Guevara, who is from Córdoba, and we began riffing on other architectural ideas together. This became a series on imaginary new buildings in different architects’ styles. So I’ve started to consider what I do with DALL-E 2 to be both a form of exploration as well as a form of art, even if it’s often amateur art like the drawings I make on my iPad. Indeed some artists, like <a href="https://twitter.com/advadnoun">Ryan Murdoch</a>, have advocated for prompt-based image-making to be recognized as art. He points to the <a href="https://twitter.com/NeuralBricolage">experienced AI artist Helena Sarin</a> as an example. “When I look at most stuff from <a href="https://www.midjourney.com/">Midjourney</a>” – another popular text-to-image system – “a lot of it will be interesting or fun,” Murdoch told me in an interview. “But with [Sarin’s] work, there’s a through line. It’s easy to see that she has put a lot of thought into it, and has worked at the craft, because the output is more visually appealing and interesting, and follows her style in a continuous way.” Working with DALL-E 2, or any of the new text-to-image systems, means learning its quirks and developing strategies for avoiding common pitfalls. It’s also important to know about <a href="https://github.com/openai/dalle-2-preview/blob/main/system-card.md#probes-and-evaluations">its potential harms</a>, such as its reliance on stereotypes, and potential uses for disinformation. Using DALL-E 2, you’ll also discover surprising correlations, like the way everything becomes old-timey when you use an old painter, filmmaker or photographer’s style. When I have something very specific I want to make, DALL-E 2 often can’t do it. The results would require a lot of difficult manual editing afterward. It’s when my goals are vague that the process is most delightful, offering up surprises that lead to new ideas that themselves lead to more ideas and so on. <h2>Crafting new realities</h2> These text-to-image systems can help users imagine new possibilities as well. <a href="https://daniellebaskin.com/">Artist-activist Danielle Baskin</a> told me that she always works “to show alternative realities by ‘real’ example: either by setting scenarios up in the physical world or doing meticulous work in Photoshop.” DALL-E 2, however, “is an amazing shortcut because it’s so good at realism. And that’s key to helping others bring possible futures to life – whether its satire, dreams or beauty.” She has used it to imagine <a href="https://twitter.com/djbaskin/status/1519050225297461249">an alternative transportation system</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/djbaskin_images/status/1533970922146648064">plumbing that transports noodles instead of water</a>, both of which reflect <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathonkeats/2021/02/11/is-twitter-really-offering-verified-badges-for-san-francisco-homes-an-artists-satire-nearly-starts-a-civil-war">her artist-provocateur sensibility</a>. Similarly, artist Mario Klingemann’s <a href="https://twitter.com/quasimondo/status/1533877178496163840">architectural renderings with the tents of homeless people</a> could be taken as a rejoinder to <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronHertzmann/status/1526710430751522817">my architectural renderings of fancy dream homes</a>. It’s too early to judge the significance of this art form. I keep thinking of a phrase from the excellent book “<a href="https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1662-art-in-the-after-culture">Art in the After-Culture</a>” – “The dominant AI aesthetic is novelty.” Surely this would be true, to some extent, for any new technology used for art. The first films by the <a href="https://iphf.org/inductees/auguste-louis-lumiere/">Lumière brothers</a> in 1890s were novelties, not cinematic masterpieces; it amazed people to see images moving at all. AI art software develops so quickly that there’s continual technical and artistic novelty. It seems as if, each year, there’s an opportunity to explore an exciting new technology – each more powerful than the last, and each seemingly poised to transform art and society. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/give-this-ai-a-few-words-of-description-and-it-produces-a-stunning-image-but-is-it-art-184363" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. <div style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"> <div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: 'Libre Baskerville', Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"> <div style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </div> </div> </div> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; --tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-color: rgba(51,168,204,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">

Art

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

Imagine a world where the smart watch on your wrist never ran out of charge, because it used your sweat to power itself. It sounds like science fiction but researchers have figured out how to engineer a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/bacterial-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacterial biofilm</a> to be able to produce continuous <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">electricity fr</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">o</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">m perspiration</a>. They can harvest energy in evaporation and convert it to electricity which could revolutionise wearable electronic devices from personal medical sensors to electronics. The science is in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32105-6#ref-CR7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> published in Nature Communications. “The limiting factor of wearable electronics has always been the power supply,” says senior author Jun Yoa, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), in the US. “Batteries run down and have to be changed or charged. They are also bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable.” But the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, so a small, thin, clear and flexible biofilm worn like a Band-Aid could provide a much more convenient alternative. The biofilm is made up of a sheet of bacterial cells approximately 40 micrometres thick or about the thickness of a sheet of paper. It’s made up a genetically engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens to be exact. G. sulfurreducens is a microorganism known to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209890/#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%20Geobacter%20sulfurreducens%20also%20called,electron%20transfer%20through%20the%20biofilms." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">produce electricity</a> and has been used previously in “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0173-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial fuel cells</a>”. These require the bacteria to be alive, necessitating proper care and constant feeding, but this new biofilm can work continuously because the bacteria are already dead. “It’s much more efficient,” says senior author Derek Lovley, distinguished professor of Microbiology at UMass Amherst. “We’ve simplified the process of generating electricity by radically cutting back on the amount of processing needed. “We sustainably grow the cells in a biofilm, and then use that agglomeration of cells. This cuts the energy inputs, makes everything simpler and widens the potential applications.” The process relies on evaporation-based electricity production – the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0228-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydrovoltaic effect</a>. Water flow is driven by evaporation between the solid biofilm and the liquid water, which drives the transport of electrical charges to generate an electrical current. G. sulfurreducens colonies are grown in thin mats which are harvested and then have small circuits etched into them using a laser. Then they are sandwiched between mesh electrodes and finally sealed in a soft, sticky, breathable polymer which can be applied directly onto the skin without irritation. Initially, the researchers tested it by placing the device directly on a water surface, which produced approximately 0.45 volts of electricity continuously. When worn on sweaty skin it produced power for 18 hours, and even non-sweating skin generated a substantial electric output – indicating that the continuous low-level secretion of moisture from the skin is enough to drive the effect. “Our next step is to increase the size of our films to power more sophisticated skin-wearable electronics,” concludes Yao. The team aim to one day be able to power not only single devices, but entire electronic systems, using this biofilm. And because microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks, it’s an exciting alternative for producing renewable materials for clean energy powered devices. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=200509&title=Producing+electricity+from+your+sweat+might+be+key+to+next+wearable+technology" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/electricity-from-sweat-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: Liu et al., doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6 </div>

Technology

Strictly Ballroom producer’s hottest property hits the market

Just two years after dropping a record-setting $10.25 million on a Rose Bay apartment, film producer Antoinette “Popsy” Albert has put her historic Bellevue Hill property up for sale in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. The asking price is expected to be a high one, with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/film-producer-popsy-albert-lists-bellevue-hill-house-inhigh-20-million-range-1106705/" target="_blank">some sources</a> saying it could be within the “high $20 million range”. Designed by architect Espie Dods in the 1980s, the five-bedroom home features five bathrooms, several formal and informal living rooms, dining areas and a loggia (a covered seated area) that spills out into the garden. The home also boasts a custom theatre, next door to a wine cellar, and one of its bedrooms acts as a self-contained apartment. The 1400-square-metre property is nestled among some of Bellevue’s most famed homes, all found on Ginahgulla Road. The co-producer of Baz Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom has <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.domain.com.au/10-ginahgulla-road-bellevue-hill-nsw-2023-2017435033" target="_blank">listed</a> the home with Christie’s realtor Ken Jacobs. Albert and her late husband, music producer Ted Albert, purchased the home in 1982 for $825,000 from the estate of late racehorse owner Allan Lewis. Images: Getty Images, Domain

Real Estate

"She was NOT holding back": Former Ellen producer's parting shot

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in element-type-p"> A former producer on The Ellen Show didn't hold back and slammed Ellen on a breakfast talk show just hours after Ellen announced her final season. Ellen confirmed that she is ending her talk show after an intense year of bullying claims and toxic workplace allegations. Former producer Hedda Muskat said that the show's demise came because viewers have "woken up" to Ellen's true nature. “The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really ‘stepping down’ - the viewers fired her.” Muskat said she was one of the show's first hires back in 2003, claiming that Ellen loved "kissing ass with celebrities" and "despised" the non-celebrity human interest guests that Muskat provided. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "She’s not really stepping down, the viewers fired her" Former The Ellen DeGeneres Show Producer <a href="https://twitter.com/heddamuskat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HeddaMuskat</a> delivers a fiery spray against the comedian after she announced the end of her long-running talk show. <a href="https://t.co/Co7wOUAkkj">pic.twitter.com/Co7wOUAkkj</a> — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1392607321293869060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2021</a></blockquote> “She really was not in a position to interview real people because she really couldn’t carry a conversation with them,” she said. “This is not ‘bah humbug’ on my end, because I just did my job and went home, but I feel that for the guests it was bad goodwill for them. They just really were not able to connect with her.” Ellen plans on sitting down with talk show titan Oprah Winfrey on tomorrow's episode of The Ellen Show to discuss her decision to quit, which is another move Muskat slammed. “Frankly, I am very disappointed that Oprah is lowering herself to interview Ellen,” she told the hosts. “Oprah can interview kings and queens, I love Oprah … and for her to interview Ellen, it’s like, why? Who cares about Ellen anymore?” The talk show hosts were left in shock, with David Koch and Natalie Barr asking the former producer what she thought Ellen had planned next. “I’d like to see her work on a farm where she can relate with all of the animals and the pets and the dogs and the cows and the pigs because if you can relate to animals far more than she does with people,” she said, prompting shocked laughter from the Sunrise hosts. “I was not able to have any connection with her, make any eye contact, and here is the thing: It’s not just me or three of us, there were over 100 employees over the 19 years that walk away with this sickened feeling about working there. “As much as I loved my job as a booker and producer, I was almost relieved when I got fired... I wanted to take a shower, it was like a whole new dawn. I don’t feel like she has the trust anymore of the viewers, and so I don’t think she is going to come back anytime soon.” Barr joked that Muskat didn't hold back, saying "she went for it then". </div> </div> </div>

TV producers name the most difficult celebrities to interview

Mornings can bring out the worst in people – even celebrities, apparently! After chatting to past and present breakfast TV producers, <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/breakfast-tv-producers-name-and-shame-diva-celebrities/news-story/ffe33983c0b2abf5216bc77a37e81b24">news.com.au</a> has revealed some of the most difficult-to-handle celebrities, and you may be surprised by the results. 1. Elle Macpherson reportedly had to approve all the camera angles, lighting and focus settings. The supermodel even knew all the right technical terms. “She was a very nice person, just super controlling.” 2. Ricky Martin demanded his dressing room had the same lighting as the program’s set. He also had other very specific lighting requests. “His PR person […] discovered that Ricky would be exposed to fluorescent lights during his 50 metre walk from his dressing room to the studio and she told us that Ricky doesn’t do fluorescent lights.” 3. Lady Gaga said she would only drink tea out of antique china. “My colleague went down to Vega and got a floral Royal Doulton teacup,” one producer said. “Gaga had no idea.” 4. Michael Richards (who played Kramer on Seinfeld) was the total opposite of his famous character. “He sat, slumped in a dressing gown, looking like he didn’t want to be there. He wouldn’t chime in on any Seinfeld stories, he just wanted to talk about his tour.” 5. The Kardashians were actually “super nice”, but their support team were quite the handful. “They said the Kardashians weren’t allowed to be addressed in a certain way and they were only allowed to have certain fruit on the platter. But Kim and Khloe couldn’t care less about any of that.” 6. Jessica Alba was surprisingly difficult both on and off-screen. “She made us shut down the air-conditioning to the whole floor before she’d go in the studio. During the interview she made no eye contact and gave, at best, two syllable answers.” Have you ever met a celebrity? Were you pleasantly surprised by them or somewhat disappointed? Share your experience with us in the comments below. Source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/breakfast-tv-producers-name-and-shame-diva-celebrities/news-story/ffe33983c0b2abf5216bc77a37e81b24">news.com.au.</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/12/secrets-from-your-favourite-reality-tv-shows/">Secrets from your favourite reality TV shows</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/11/reality-tv-and-narcissism/">Reality TV is related to narcissism</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/11/rolling-stone-list-top-100-tv-shows/">Rolling Stone releases list of the top 100 TV shows of all time</a>

The Beatles producer, Sir George Martin, has died at 90

Sir George Martin, the man whose collaboration with The Beatles shot them to fame, died peacefully in his home on Tuesday. The 90-year-old had worked with countless artists over a career that spanned seven decades - the likes of Elton John, Peter Sellers, Shirley Bassey, America, Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck and Celine Dion, to name a few. His fame and influence, however, came from the seven years he spent with The Beatles, the most successful group in music history. Martin is attributed to propelling The Beatles to the top spot with his musical expertise, tasteful arrangements and willing experimentation. The relationship would go on to re define the boundaries of popular music and eventually, pop culture. Paul McCartney said, Martin was "like a second father to me." "If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George," he said in a statement. "From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I've ever had the pleasure to know." Adam Sharp, the founder of C A Management, which represents the music producer, said ³In a career that spanned seven decades he wasrecognised globally as one of music's most creative talents and agentleman to the end. The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time. In an interview with Rock Cellar in 2013, Martin was asked if he would do it all again. "No, I wouldn't want to do anything again. I'm not a person to look back. I don't honestly think I could do anything better than what we did." Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/10/john-lennons-son-sean/">John Lennon’s son is the spitting image of his father</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/11/best-george-harrison-songs/">The top 5 George Harrison songs of all time</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2015/11/best-inxs-songs/">The top 5 INXS songs</a>

News

Fresh produce for February

It’s finally February: the sun is shining, the bees are buzzing and the plants are growing. It’s a green, leafy and sunny month, filled with plenty of fresh produce. Purchasing seasonal foods is a healthy and cost effective way to approach food shopping for each new month. We’ve got the items that need to be top of your grocery list for this February. <ul> <li>Asparagus</li> <li>Beetroot</li> <li>Bok choy</li> <li>Broccoli</li> <li>Brussels Sprouts</li> <li>Cabbage</li> <li>Cauliflower</li> <li>Carrots</li> <li>Celery</li> <li>Grapefruit</li> <li>Kale</li> <li>Lemons</li> <li>Lettuce</li> <li>Leeks</li> <li>Oranges</li> <li>Onions</li> <li>Pears</li> <li>Shallots</li> <li>Sweet Potatoes</li> <li>Tangerines</li> <li>Turnips</li> <li>Rhubarb</li> </ul> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/01/watermelon-sangria/">Watermelon sangria</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/01/mocha-frappe/">Mocha frappe</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/01/pear-pomegranate-and-feta-salad/">Pear, pomegrante and feta salad</a>

Food & Wine

10 clever tips to keep produce fresher, longer

No one likes spending money on fresh produce only to have it go off before you can use it. With these tips, avoid that problem by keeping your food fresher for longer. 1. Wrap the stem of your banana bunch to keep them from ripening as quickly. 2. Put an apple in your bag of potatoes to stop them from sprouting. 3. Line your vegetable crisper with paper towel to absorb excess moisture and prevent sogginess. 4. Keep apples, which contain ethylene gas, away from other fruit to help the rest keep longer. 5. Prevent strawberry mould by washing them in water and vinegar, one part vinegar to three parts water. 6. If you don’t live in a very hot climate, don’t refrigerate your tomatoes to keep their flavour and texture ideal. 7. Store mushrooms in a paper bag to prevent sliminess. 8. Bring new life to limp lettuce by soaking it in ice water. 9. If you only need a bit of lemon juice, skewer a hole into the lemon and squeeze out the juice to avoid prematurely dry lemons. 10. Prolong the life of asparagus by keeping the ends in cold water.

Home & Garden

Film producer turns hand to new projects, remake of Goodbye Pork Pie

The Blondini gang's little yellow mini is roaring back - with a boost from the NZ Film Commission. The producer of Kiwi smash hit The Dark Horse Tom Hern is set to tackle another national icon, Goodbye Pork pie, and things are looking good for a slate of other new projects too. Hern is not new to New Zealand's entertainment industry - fans of the small screen will remember him as the face of religious fanatic Baxter Cormack on Shortland Street, circa 2005. But these days, the 30-year-old is more likely to be found behind the camera. He now runs production company Four Knights Film, alongside longtime collaborator James Napier Robertson, who wrote and directed The Dark Horse, and writer/director Max Currie. Four Knights is one of five production companies to get a cash injection under the New Zealand Film Commission's 'Boost' scheme, with grants of between $50,000 and $130,000 given out to further develop television and feature films at all stages of production. The company has seven feature films and two television shows on the go - one of which is a remake of the 1981 classic Goodbye Pork Pie, with Matt Murphy, the son of original director Geoff Murphy, attached to direct. Hern and Robertson are also working on a follow up to The Dark Horse, an "ambitious project" that has sparked a lot of interest off the back of the success of previous film, Hern says. When Hern started working with Napier Robertson, the idea was that producing would help him create vehicles for his acting. He starred in the pair's first feature I'm Not Harry Jenson in 2009, but quickly fell in love with producing gig, how varied the role was. The two began work on The Dark Horse, a biopic looking at the life of bipolar chess champ Genesis Potini, in 2009. The film was released in New Zealand in July last year, soaring up the box office rankings, grossing more than $3 million. Hern said The Dark Horse has become calling card for the pair, opening doors to bigger and better projects. "We looked at the likes of Niki Caro off the back off Whale Rider and what she was able to do with her follow up feature, we looked at the likes of other hit Kiwi films like Once Were Warriors and what Lee Tamahori was able to do off the back of that film," he said. "We were looking for that high pedigree, quality picture that would announce us to the international market and go, here's what we can do. Now let's talk about what we're going to do next." The film went to festivals like the Toronto International Film Festival, the Rotterdam International Film Festival, where it won the MovieZone Award, and the Palm Springs Film Festival, where it was runner up for best film. At the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards, it picked up best picture, best director, best screenplay and best score. Cliff Curtis took home the best actor Moa for his portrayal of Potini, and James Rolleston was named as best supporting actor as Potini's nephew Mana. The film will have a US release in December. "You can talk about all kinds of strategy … but at the end of the day, if you make great work, the opportunities will come," Hern said. "It's that simple" Written by Kashka Tunstall. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/10/iphone-photo-tips/">8 iPhone photo tips you’ll want to know about</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/10/social-media-health-benefits-study/">Social media good for older people’s health</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/10/people-failed-at-technology/">8 people who utterly failed at technology</a>

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