Swiss Measuring Spoons – $9.95

You took an oath to always be prepared, but sometimes even the best chef needs a little assistance. If your old measuring spoons no longer measure-up get yourself a set of handy dandy Swiss Measuring Spoons from the NeatoShop. This ever so useful measuring spoon set includes:

• 1/4 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon
• 1 tablesoon

Now go forth and be cheerful, brave, and cook wonderful things.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more useful Kitchen Stuff.

Link

Running out of ways to use your Kinect? Well don’t worry, because Swiss engineers have created a software which allows you to control radio controlled quadrotors via body movements. Now you can convince your friends that you are controlling the ‘copter via telepathy and blow their minds! Check out more, including a video, over at Popsci.

Link

Now, onto what you’ll learn about the 700 year old Appenzeller cheese, renowned as the “spiciest cheese from Switzerland:”

The dairy guys get to work at about 4 AM to receive and test the milk brought in by local farmers. They test it to ensure that the cows ate nothing but hay and meadow grass. If farmers bring in bad milk once, they get a warning; twice and they are banned.

To create a consistent product, part of the milk is skimmed, then slowly re-added to the whole milk to ensure an exact fat content. This is a practice older than most cheese dairies.

That’s only the very beginning of the process. If you are ever in Switzerland, you can take a tour of the cheese plant yourself! Link

A recent trend of cows leaping off the high mountain cliffs in the Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen has given rise to speculation. With no natural predators, locals are puzzled as to what could have spooked the cattle into jumping to their doom. Twenty eight cows have died in three days as police continue to investigate.

Are a few wild dogs or other critters spooking the cattle? Or have these cows turned suicidal because of a bad case of the blues?

‘We are investigating because cows growing up in the mountains normally can estimate dangers and do not plunge down cliffs.’

According to local reports, there had been violent thunderstorms in the area which may well have spooked the animals.

Cows do occasionally fall to their deaths in these Alpine regions although it is rare for so many to fall in one particular place.

There has been speculation in the past that when this does happen it is because a tightly-grouped number have followed each other as they search for more grass.

Link – via tywkiwdbi

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by coconutnut.

While using Google Earth, Swiss police discovered that not all green masses on their screen are trees and jungles. In fact, they discovered a huge  marijuana plantation hidden inside a corn field!

I don't know what I'm more suprised with: the weed farm or the police using rudimentary software available to any internet user to crack the case.

Officers discovered the hemp field in the northeastern canton (state) of Thurgau last year while investigating an alleged drug ring, said the head of Zurich police's specialist narcotics unit Norbert Klossner.

The plantation, measuring almost two acres (7,500 square meters), was hidden inside a field of corn. But officers using Google Earth to locate the address of two farmers suspected of involvement in the drug operation quickly spotted the illegal crop.

"It was an interesting chance discovery," said Klossner.

Link

From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by sisyphus33.

This delectable Swiss Chocolate Knife is made of the finest Swiss chocolate, and is filled with hazelnut praline. With its featured Victorinox Swiss Army logo, this fine confection is modeled after the Swiss Army Spartan multitool. LINK