Wednesday links

An earlier battle in the clash of civilizations - May 29, 1453: the fall of Constantinople. 

A Toilet That Vaporizes Your Poo.

Diet tip of the day: Drinking tequila can lead to weight loss. Among other things.

Kurt Vonnegut's May 29, 1945 letter home after imprisonment in an underground slaughterhouse (Slaughterhouse Five) during the Dresden bombing.

What's the Difference Between Moths and Butterflies?

Do Snails Fart? A Behavioral Ecologist Answers This Burning Question.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include when the worst problem large cities had to deal with was horse manure, advice from 1896 on how to drive an electric car, getting your amputated limbs back from the hospital, and Memorial Day history and links.

Our guacamole recipe

All quantities are approximate - add more or less to taste: This mixture feeds 4 - 6 people as an appetizer.

You need:

3-4 ripe avocados cut into good sized chunks (they'll get somewhat smushed when you stir everything together, so start with chunks)

2 good-sized garlic cloves (or 1/2 Tablespoon chopped garlic from a jar)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 finely chopped good-sized jalapeno, seeds and white pith removed

2 - 3 Tablespoons diced tomato (I cut grape tomatoes into quarters)

1 lime, juiced

Tortilla chips

Chop the avocado and set aside.

Grind together the salt, onion, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic if using the jarred chopped stuff. If using fresh garlic, squeeze it in using a press. Start grinding (or smearing) so that approximately 1/4 of this mixture is smushed and the remaining 3/4 is still in its chopped condition.

If at all possible, you should do this in a molcajete made of lava stone or unpolished granite - the rough interior is really good for grinding the ingredients together and you can serve in it. If you don't have one, use a shallow bowl and a small amount of coarse salt and smear everything together with a fork, or you can use a coffee/spice grinder and grind up approx 1/4 of the onion mixture.

Fold (gently) the chopped avocado and chopped tomatoes into this mixture. Squeeze lime juice over the whole thing.

That's it - serve with tortilla chips!

Monday links

Happy Memorial Day:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Historical images of Arlington National Cemetery.

When the worst problem large cities had to deal with was horse manure. Slightly related: When San Francisco’s Chinatown Was Quarantined for Plague.

Belgian monks resurrect 220-year-old beer after finding recipe.

Advice from 1896: how to Drive an Electric Car.

Because I've been watching a lot of old Gunsmoke episodes recently: How Dodge City Became The Ultimate Wild West.

Will Hospitals Give Back an Amputated Limb if You Ask For It?

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include what happened to Napoleon's looted art, why some countries drive on the left and others on the right, the pistachios that need police protection, composting dead family members, and illustrated guides to always being battle-ready - the tactical order of dressing and how to poop like a Samurai.