Fat Tailed Thoughts: Vacation
Hey friends -
No letter this week. I spent the long weekend and Rosh Hashanah with friends and family instead. We'll be back with a new one next week.
Articles from around the interwebs and a cocktail below to tide you over!
Cocktail Talk
Cannibal toads are experiencing evolution on hyper-speed. The invasive cane toad tadpoles often lack adequate food in their nursery ponds so slightly older, slightly larger tadpoles consume the younger, helpless tadpoles. But the times they are a-changin'. New tadpole clutches now reach a more mature stage where they can swim away 20% faster than their predecessors. (Live Science)
More from the animal world! Cockatoos are even smarter than we previously knew - they fashion tools to eat their favorite fruits. While other birds like crows have been known to fashion individual tools, the cockatoo appears to be unique in that it fashions an entire set. Check out the video to get a glimpse. (Science)
Governments worldwide are stifling free speech and protest by shutting down the internet. In the past 5 years alone, there have been over 750 shutdowns and the trend continues to accelerate. While often underreported, unfettered access to information and communication is setting up to be one of the most pressing issues of our time. (Jigsaw)
If having your internet shut off by the government wasn't enough, you can always move to Australia. The Australian government recently rushed through legislation that permits warrantless surveillance, planting material on citizens' devices, and account takeovers without consent or notification. Such laws passed anywhere are an attack on freedoms everywhere. (Digital Rights Watch)
Your Weekly Cocktail
A bit of fun exploring new flavors this week!
Dark Tamarindus
2.0oz Bully Boy Boston Rum
1.0oz Lime Juice
1.0tsp Tamarind Paste
2 dashes King Floyd's Ginger Bitters
I love a Dark & Stormy. I've only ever had one complaint with the drink - I want it to be sourer. The challenge is finding something that can stand up to the rich molasses of a dark rum. Enter tamarind with that wonderfully sour-sweet tangy flavor that's at once both sourer and a lot funkier than citrus. When you first try it, the flavor hits you right in the back of the jaw and stands up beautifully to the rum. And what a rum it is - Bully Boy revived a very old rum recipe that would be more familiar 500 years ago in Massachusetts than it is today. It's wonderfully spiced, but not overwhelmingly so, and it plays nice with others in cocktails. This drink is not at all balanced today - it's a wallop of sour and spice that'll wake you up no matter what's going on. Just the way I like it.
Cheers,
Jared