Stevia Sweetened Soda Follow-up

Today, I happened to try this, the Cherry Vanilla Creme version of Blue Sky Free, the stevia-sweetened line from Blue Sky.




It's only fair to follow up on the original article, given the very small sample size.

While this flavor definitely has the characteristic more-muted sweetness of the stevia/sugar alcohol combination, the bright, slightly tart cherry finish seems to totally mask the stevia's potential "winter green paste" effect.

So, at least for today, I'll informally crown Blue Sky Free Cherry Vanilla Creme as the king of naturally sweetened, sugar-free sodas, and formally recommend it.

Hey. We Scooped the Atlantic

I can't believe a few days after I posted my semi-rant photo essay about mulberries, the Atlantic Monthly food blog had to weigh in.
I feel so wronged! (j/k)

Let's compare:

Osmosis' opening line: "My driveway is covered in purple bird shit."
Ultimate solution: Make mulberry vodka

Atlantic's opening line: "Mulberries. Until recently, a mere mention this tree would get me going. I hate mulberry trees. They'll conquer your yard and are nearly impossible to kill. "

Solution: sorbet; panna cotta

Nice piece, Atlantic, but please excuse our vain proclamation: O.O. FOR THE WIN!

One, two, three, I vant to suck your blood

Friend of O.O. Zee Burns wrote this fun piece on Metacritic which ranks vampire shows and offers some commentary. One photo, the Count, indicates that Sesame Street isn't in the running despite the number-obsessed little bloodsucker.

Despite this egregious oversight, this is quite an enjoyable feature. Personally, number four, Angel, is my number one, and number three, True Blood, would come next (though I've only seen season one).

Hamblogger -- a new site we can appreciate

Photojournalism + burgers. Sounds promising. Check it out: http://thehamblogger.com/

666 episodes of Coverville? This calls for a theme show!

One of my favorite podcasts, Coverville -- the cover-song centric, always entertaining music show -- has reached episode 666! Brion Ibbot, host of the show (who spoke with O.O. for this article a few months ago) writes on Coverville.com:

Coverville 666: The Devil Went Down To Coverville
Really, what else could I do for episode 666? You’ll hear songs that reference all things underworldly, and a Rolling Stones cover that will shake you to your very foundations. Maybe.

Sure to be a must-listen -- check it out here, and come back often (or subscribe) if you like what you hear. (Also kinda goes with our new Web Comic, Apocalypse Meh!)

Scott Belcastro posts more art -- have a look!

Scott Belcastro, whose eerily beautiful art was featured by our very own Matt Graves a few weeks ago, has let Mr. Graves and other fans in on a little secret: five more paintings for your perusal over at his site.

I'm especially fond of "At an Immaculate Decimal."

Check 'em out.

More coffee news: $13 Coffee with Jay Caragay

Mr. Jay Caragay, whom we recently interviewed, was cited in a piece on CNN today concerning the, erm, aspirational value of certain cups of coffee.

Aside from the headline, which is just silly (though I suppose we at O.O. shouldn't be throwing headline stones), I thought it was very fair, mainstream coffee coverage. As with comics, another favored topic around here, the world of specialty coffee often gets dumbed down or stupidified in the hands of the mainstream media. So this is a nice little piece.