Jenny's Noodle

Bread, Milk, Eggs... the everyday grocery list is carelessly scribbled onto scrap paper and expeditiously thrown away.

Far from mundane, this 1518 grocery list illustrated by Michelangelo is much more apropos of a Renaissance master.

Because the servant he was sending to market was illiterate, Michelangelo illustrated the shopping lists — a herring, tortelli, two fennel soups, four anchovies and ‘a small quarter of a rough wine’ — with rushed (and all the more exquisite for it) caricatures in pen and ink.

—Steve Duin, The Oregonian

It's no Sistine Chapel ceiling, but a work of art worth preserving nonetheless.  

(via Open Culture)

Happy 100th Birthday Crossword Puzzles!

If you've been to Google over the last 24 hours, you know why today's date is so puzzling.

(Note: At the time of this writing, Google hasn't yet published the answers online, so here's a link to my unverified solution. With regard to difficulty, I'd give it a Tuesday rating.)

The world's first crossword puzzle was printed on December 21, 1913.

The diamond-shaped puzzle, known as a "Word-Cross" (pictured at right), was published in the "Fun" section of the Sunday paper, the New York World. It was written by Arthur Wynne, a British journalist.

Crossword constructor Merle Reagle explains:

On a snowy evening in the early 1900s, a newspaper editor at the New York World was hunched over his desk trying to think of something special for the Christmas issue.

Remembering the small word squares he’d solved as a young Brit in Liverpool, he drew a diamond-shaped grid with numbered squares and numbered clues. It contained 32 words, and his simple instruction read:

“Fill in the small squares with words which agree with the following definitions.”

The puzzle appeared Dec. 21, 1913, and what 42-year-old Arthur Wynne had created was the first crossword puzzle.

Here's New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz with more:

The Beauty of Mathematics uses a triptych format to reveal how complex equations are constantly in play all around us. On the left is a mathematical equation, in the middle is an illustrated mathematical model and on the right is its application via an everyday object or occurrence (a spinning top, a lamp, a compass, etc.).

(via Laughing Squid)

I never realized that carving a beautiful apple swan could be so simple. All you need is an apple, a sharp knife and two butter knives. I'm definitely going to try this!

(via Neatorama)

Designer Tousue Vang illustrates "the beautiful colors and vibrance of modern menswear." Take a look at a few fashionable examples:

Visit the Locker Rocker for more →

(via Quipsologies)

Slash look-alike/master pinstriper Glen Weisgerber demonstrates the old English Round Hand lettering technique in an unexpectedly hypnotic video.

I especially enjoyed when this happens toward the end:

(via Colossal)

This box of "oil paints" isn't what it seems. Each "tube" is an edible piece of sculpted chocolate, each covered by a paper wrapper indicating the flavor of the filling inside—a variety that includes green tea, coffee, strawberry, vanilla and caramel. I've got dibs on the caramel tube.

(via Foodiggity)

The Pantone Color of the Year is: RADIANT ORCHID! Pantone, the global authority on color, explained their selection as follows:

While the 2013 color of the year, Pantone 17-5641 Emerald, served as a symbol of growth, renewal and prosperity, Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination.

An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society. An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health.

It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.

While I'm not such a purple-lover, there's enough of my favorite color—pink—infused that I can get behind this choice. Besides, the more Radiant Orchid mood boards I discover online, the more it's growing on me.

What do you think about Radiant Orchid? Will you incorporate the color into your lifestyle this year?

Remember that old school contest of guessing how many jelly beans were in a big glass jar? It's being held online right this very minute, and the jar is gigantic.

Guess how many jelly beans are in the jar →

You've got until December 20 to enter. Good luck!

(via Mental Floss)

Using personality test data from over one million people, researchers have identified three distinct personality regions in the United States: friendly & conventional, relaxed & creative, and temperamental & uninhibited.
So long, friendly and conventional Michigan. I'm off to relaxed and creative New Mexico.

Which state matches your personality? Take the quiz →

Illustrator Marcello Barenghi draws in a hyper-realistic style, such that the objects he depicts appear three-dimensional. From the potato chip bag (below) to a crumpled up dollar bill, his YouTube channel has tons of videos demonstrating his process. Barenghi also published his list of art tools, should you feel inspired.



(via Boing Boing)

Photo credit: Graphics.com

A new book, Viva la Pizza!: The Art of the Pizza Box, celebrates a medium that most of us have overlooked as an art form.

On the contrary, the pizza box is largely considered an item to be immediately discarded once it's contents have been savored.

The book's author, Scott Wiener of Serious Eats, has been collecting unique pizza boxes for nearly seven years. His current collection totals over 600, making him the Guinness World Record holder.

Since the origins of to-go pizza, pizzerias and pizza chains have taken great pride in covering take-out boxes with captivating designs. They’ve also wrestled with the best way to manufacture a box that can keep a pizza looking and tasting great.

Here, the world’s expert on pizza boxes presents more than one hundred weird and wild box designs and explores the curious history of the pizza box. Included are international designs, corporate designs, and dozens of quirky images from mom-and-pop pizzerias.

Here's a look at Wiener's pizza box collection:



Viva La Pizza! The Art of the Pizza Box is available on Amazon →

(via Flavorwire)