Author: Willoughby Avenue

The creator of the banana split never received royalties. Because ideas in food belong to culture.

In 1904, a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist named David Strickler was manning the soda fountain at a drug store in Latrobe, PA. On a whim, he sliced a banana lengthwise and put ice cream inside for a few customers. Evidently, they liked it, because the banana split would go viral in the early 1900s, spreading to soda shops everywhere, transcending from a 2,000-calorie uber dessert to a piece of Americana recognized around the world.

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Why the world’s oldest winemaking technique is making a comeback.

For years, I’ve been going to Charleston, South Carolina, to visit family, and for years, I have tried to secure a dinner reservation at FIG. The James Beard award-winning restaurant helped spark a gustatory revolution in that historic city when it opened in 2003, and after many attempts, my husband and I finally got a reservation for dinner in June. I was prepared for the menu to surprise me. I’d heard about chef Mike Lata’s compelling takes on seasonal fare. I hadn’t expected, however, for the surprises to start with the wine list. There, tucked below the whites and mixed in with the rosé, was a category for orange wine. Orange what?

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Automation may boost a business’s bottom line, but overlooking the effects on people will have potentially nasty repercussions.

The rise of robots and other smart machines is likely to have huge ramifications for the way we work and perhaps whether many of us work at all. One often cited study shows that 47% of today’s jobs are at “high risk” of automation over the next 20 years.

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Three years ago, GravityLight raised a ton of money through crowdfunding. Then it was time to actually make it work.

The ingenious GravityLight—a light that gets all its energy from its own weight—first appeared about three years ago. We wrote about it as it was launching on Indiegogo and went on to raise $399,590.

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A new study suggests that the story we’re told about the food we eat may be more important to diners today than the actual meal itself.

The last few years has seen a shift in the restaurant world. Food-based reality TV and food media has contributed to the rise of the celebrity chef, as well as the foodie. Chefs like to be in the spotlight as much as diners like to feel personally catered to. But Is all of this pomp and circumstance becoming more important than the actual food itself?

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To solve the problem of noiseless EVs, the music company Roland will provide “dynamic and dramatic sounds” that change with driving conditions.

What should an electric car sound like? That’s the question that Japanese car maker GLM asked when considering its electric ZZ Roadster. And instead of coming up with something itself, it passed the task to someone who knows about electric sounds: Roland, the synth and musical instrument maker. Together, they will “co-develop a neo-futuristic driving sound generation system.”

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The Uber for kids’ latest release aims to take over the age-old burden of family carpool coordination—and ease parents’ minds about safety.

When Bay Area “Uber for kids” service Shuddle launched last year, it raised a few eyebrows, given the recurring safety concerns around ride-sharing services for adults. But aside from a tussle with the California Public Utilities Commission around child-care rules, with which Shuddle now complies, there have been few reported issues. The company knows it would have no business without earning parents’ trust, and requires its drivers, almost all of whom are women, to undergo thorough background checks and have caregiver experience.

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Nothing will ever be the same again.

Up until now, I’ve only had one qualm with The Karate Kid: the circumstances that force young Daniel Russo to become a kid who does karate. Early on, Daniel relocates from New Jersey to the San Fernando Valley. Despite the daunting task of having to fit in with a strange new peer group, he instantly wins over a bunch of bros by holding his own in a game of beach-soccer. He even musters the courage to flirt with a young lady in front of his teammates, which in the world of high school boys means instant street cred. After that young woman’s recent ex-boyfriend begins to harass her, Daniel is the only one with the guts to stand up to him, and he gets his world rocked by beach-karate in her honor. Here comes my problem. Instead of Daniel’s teammates being impressed by his courage and carrying him home on their shoulders, they make fun of him for not knowing karate and leave him to his beach-tears.

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Avid Life Media is offering a reward for the arrest and prosecution of the “Impact Team” hackers.

In an early-morning press conference held at the Toronto Police Headquarters, Avid Life Media—the parent company of AshleyMadison.com—confirmed through acting Toronto Police Department staff superintendent Bryce Evans that they are offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the hackers who leaked their clients’ information.

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As evidenced by this unbelievable Beyoncé impersonator.

If you needed any proof that Beyoncé’s signature silky voice can upgrade anything, please direct your attention to Jade Novah, singer, actress, insanely bang-on Beyoncé impersonator.

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