Wednesday Links

1. Man, oh man. Possibly the coolest website ever and more chemical ecology than I know what to do with (and here's another).  h/t OrchidGrownMan from Biofortified
2. Open source Legos for grownups. Can I have a microtractor? or a microcombine? or a dimensional sawmill? Pleeeease?
3. More scientific sour grapes. Why won't grad students sacrifice their entire careers to do what we think is important?
4. And, as always, maps! This time, watch agriculture spread.  h/t Seed.Feed.Food

Ketchup and the Future of GM Food

It's 3 am local time and I'm wide awake, fixated on the challenge of brand differentiation in ketchup...

I recently spoke with one of the ketchup tomato breeders I know. Among other topics, he lamented the consumer's irrational fixation on price. He pointed out that most of us won't hesitate to grab a generic bottle of ketchup over a trusted brand for a difference of only 20 cents - which breaks down to no difference over the months it sits in your fridge: How do you sell a better product to a customer who's not willing to pay 1 cent more per week?

Craziest Landscape Tree Pruning Ever

It's how the Dutch do it.

A couple people told me it's common to see trees pruned like this out in rural areas - particularly willows. I assume the traditional purpose is to coppice for fuel and baskets - and here it's nostalgia for the countryside.

Heirlooms are Obsolete

"Heirlooms were varieties that were so unsuccessful that they wouldn't be sold today...

Every product declines until it's replaced by new heirlooms."

The backlash was inevitable.

Spring arrives in Metro DC

It showed up a couple weeks earlier in the heat island of the city proper.
The cherries bloomed first in DC, than along the highways and now in my apartment complex. I imagine my neighbors around the courtyard wished these Bradford pears smelled like cherry trees. I don't mind. The scent reminds me of my suburban street hockey days.

"car! ...         game on!"

Genomics in Business Meeting, Amsterdam

Anyone going to the Genomics in Business meeting in Amsterdam next week?

In hindsight, I should have asked earlier but it's been a crazy couple weeks...