LL :: Volume 2 :: LR

This short work (35 minutes) is a stark look at the drug trade in coastal Portugal. From the images of airplanes being blown out of the sky, trailing debris and sparkling powder, to the interviews with cheerful street peddlers selling their baggies to squat grandmothers along with fresh fruit, the movie is relentlessly non-judgemental. The only hint of commentary is the soundtrack: a continuous, thirty-five minute long recording of a flushing toilet. Yes, it sounds absurd; but the gurgling and rushing sounds, constantly twisting around themselves without resolution, build up an astonishing amount of tension. The final GLUGG and silence is a tremendous relief.

Kitchen Smoke Alarm. This smoke detector uses spectral analysis and thermal properties to distinguish the smoke of burning food from flaming wood, paper, or cloth. Avoid those embarrassing alarms which just add insult to the injury of your ruined dinner.

Basement Bear Trap. For houses where the mice have all been chased away by unsightly bears. Also usable on mice the size of bears, though not on bears the size of mice.

Kraft Foodwerk is pre-announcing its new line of flavored ice cubes, which are made using a patented technique to keep the flavor molecules in suspension while the ice freezes. They plan to start by marketing cinnamon, mint, and chocolate, but peanut butter, coffee, and various fruit flavors are likely to appear soon.