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Parents Blame Facebook for 400 'Sweet 16' Party Crashers



Earlier today, the UK's Independent reported that a 'Sweet 16' celebration for a Brighton girl devolved into a raging, crowded house party. And the parents blame Facebook.

After planning the party for their daughter Georgiana, and allowing her to send out 100 invitations on Facebook, Michael and Sylvia Hobday left their East Sussex mansion for the evening, trusting that the kids were alright. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Hobday received a phone call from police, who informed him that 300 "out of control" revelers were creating a disturbance at the townhouse.

Rushing back home, Mr. Hobday found his home in disarray, as he later -- hilariously -- described to the Independent:
The garden has been ruined, the grass is mud, people were walking through the pond and I heard one boy was trying to headbutt the mirror. Some people were climbing up the balcony and trying to get through the windows. My floor was blackened with dirt and there were cigarette burn marks around the bottom of the door.
Figuring that these uninvited guests had caught wind of the party via the Internet and cell phones, Mr. Hobday was certain that "Facebook [was] a major cause, as well as texting." We find two distinct aspects of this story to be absolutely hilarious:

  • For one, the fact that the Independent has written such a dry, factual story about a high school party getting crashed borders on absurdity. At first, we had to double-check to make sure that we weren't, in fact, reading the Onion.
  • Secondly, Mr. Hobday's blaming of Facebook and texting is laughable. Anybody who has ever been a kid, or watched a John Hughes movie for that matter, knows better. Since long before the Internet or cell phones came into existence, teenagers have been to parties as hound dogs are to sides of bacon.
Maybe, and this is just an idea, the Hobdays shouldn't have skipped out on a palatial house full of teenagers. [From: The Independent]

'Bottoms Up' Beer Dispenser Pours 10 Pints in 10 Seconds


In keeping with the close kinship between beer and technology, the Scotsman company has introduced the innovative Trufill beer dispenser, Uber Review and Foodbev report.

With Trufill's pioneering design, beer enters the glass through the bottom, allowing a bartender (or overly enthusiastic drinker) to pour as many as 10 pints of beer in 10 seconds. This speedy dispensing technology could be a boon for crowded bars and concession stands, who often lose sales with the time it takes to pour a headless beer.

Scotsman Beverage Systems' Web site explains that the Trufill's functionality depends upon a 'non-return valve' in the bottom of a specially designed glass. That's too bad; we'd really hoped that the folks at Scot-Bev had invented some sort of fluid-teleportation device. [From: Foodbev via Uber Review]

Summer Fun

Robot Bartender Serves Drinks In Less Than Two Minutes


Asahi Beer has experimented with robot bartenders in the past, but it looks to have really outdone itself with its new Mr. Asahi bot, which just made its public debut at Selfridges in the UK. Apparently, the robot was built in about 200 hours and spent a full six months fine-tuning its bartending skills, which includes being able to serve customers in less than two minutes. That's done with the aid of a discreetly-hidden PC that controls the compressed air and the robot's various switching mechanisms, not to mention its pleasant demeanor.

Be sure to head on past the break for a video of the bot in action courtesy of Channel Flip.

[Via Tech Digest, image courtesy of Asahi Beer]

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Summer Fun

Best Grill Tech, Courtesy of the BBQ Blogger



Barbecue season is upon us! It's Independence Day weekend and nothing says patriotism like gathering together around a smoking pile of drumsticks and hamburgers.

Robert Fernandez, editor of BBQ blog 'Get Your Grill On,' dishes about technology and barbecue, with tips on how to get the best flavor faster.

Fernandez cautions that many BBQ purists prefer simple contraptions like the traditional charcoal grill, (they just love that smoke flavor) and would not be into the new-fangled advances that may "take all the flavor and excitement out of outdoor cooking."

Now gas grills are king, but, says Fernandez "gas adds no flavor to the food." Despite this unfortunate side effect, gas grills are the biggest cash cow of the barbecue business.

Grilling monolith Weber has been tossing around ideas to help grillers get the best of both worlds -- the instant gratification of the gas grill + the flavor of the charcoal classic.

Weber came up with useful shortcuts such as "chimney starters," cylinders with sawdusty stuff in them that help get the charcoal going, and also a gas ignition system to easily light charcoal.

Another crazy innovation is the searing station, which involves 900-degree blue-flame burners and can cook a steak in a fraction of the usual time. Don't worry, it promises to keep the juices intact.

Rival company Char-Broil has unveiled infrared RED grills, stainless steel and glass contraptions that cook with evenly distributed heat and prevent scary grill "flare ups." They will cost you: $599-$899, at Home Depot. We will stick with the George Foreman thing.

(Not directly grill-related, but fascinating: Char Broil also has a product called the 'Big Easy,' which is an infrared, oil-less turkey fryer! "No oil, no mess, and great fried foods" says Fernandez, a Big Easy fan.) H.O.T.!

Fernandez is also into a few high-tech smokers, though he's really all about cooking over a trash barrel, really! But he's repping his Weber Smokey Mountain ($199 on Amazon), which he calls a "great and efficient smoker." There's another one he likes called "The Big Green Egg" which is ceramic, and expensive, but great! He affirms.

Last thing: temperature is the key to the barbecue. Many people don't know this. Their pork comes out dry and foul. Says National BBQ association prez Howard Miller, "pork is ready to be used at 145 degrees." Remember it.

Remote thermometers can help you impress friends and family with perfectly cooked meats. Fernandez recommends: On the cheap, one from Taylor ($17). Moderate Williams-Sonoma's ($50), and if you are throwing money around the Thermapen from ThermoWorks ($95) is apparently all the rage. [Source: Newsvine/MSNBC]

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