One of the best things I ate on my last trip to Japan: This cheap steak at Steak Hanamasa in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
I ordered from (and paid) a vending machine, and then presented my ticket to a server. A few minutes later, the steak basically came out raw (with butter on top) on this hot cast iron plate. I stir fried it until it was cooked, and then doused it with that sauce. Served with bean sprouts, green beans, and rice. And, of course, a beer.
The crazy auto-cleaning toilet seats at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport are finally catching up to American waistlines.
Sometime within the last few months, the toilets in American Airlines’ Terminal 3 got an upgrade, and the seats are now a few inches longer.
It no longer feels like you’re borrowing a toddler’s Fisher-Price potty chair. There is still, however, the weird feeling that you are squatting on a grocery bag.
According to this Knight News Service article, Chicago first installed the automatic plastic seat cover system in July, 1993, as a way to promote hygiene without clogging toilets with paper seat covers. (Side note: This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Google newspaper scan show up in search results like this. Cool.) Some 600 toilets cost the city $350,000 to install, or about $580 each.
The first system was by Swiss-founded Hygolet, which may explain the small size. But the one in my first picture is a Sani-Seat, made by New Jersey-based North American Hygiene. I didn’t get a chance to check out who makes the new ones — knowing Chicago, probably a distant cousin of Mayor Daley — but they seem to be better all-around.
Here’s a random guy’s YouTube video showing the newest toilet seats at work. There’s plenty of videos on YouTube of the old ones.
The Antlers‘ Peter Silberman — Feb. 5, 2010 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House
I discovered these guys completely by accident last year when they opened for another group at a show in Brooklyn, and they quickly became one of my favorites.
Inspired by my friends Ludwig and Emma in Stockholm, my latest pet project is a Crystal Red Shrimp tank.
Right now I have six of them in a 10-gallon aquarium, holding steady at about 75 degrees. So far, they mostly swim around, chew on plant pieces and shrimp food, and hide in the roots of one of their plants. In theory, someday, they may breed. (At $10 a pop, let’s hope so!)
Here’s a peek at some of my new critters using the Macro video feature on my digital camera.
I haven’t spent enough time in San Francisco to know all the winners, but this place — Tartine Bakery in the Mission — is already one of my favorites.
This ham and cheese sandwich came out of the oven bubbly and amazing. (Those round, dark things are roasted tomatoes.) That pickled carrot was really good, too.
I also highly recommend the Gruyere rolls (moist inside, crusty outside) and the croissants (extra flaky).
Just a great place for a quick breakfast before a day walking around San Francisco.
Nice packaging design, and cute gifts for your favorite Starbucks Via instant coffee fanatic. (Assuming those exist.) But even I would feel a little silly carrying these around.
Btw, you can buy 12-packs of the Colombia or Italian Roast from Amazon for $9.95; purchases made through these links help support this site.
Dan Frommer lives in Brooklyn, writes about tech, makes web sites, travels on trains, and cooks six nights a week. He’s been working on this site since 1995. More →
Dan Frommer lives in Brooklyn,