There’s too much Internet—with newfangled solutions to never miss an important call or forget how to make a mixed drink—and too little time. That’s why we curate a list of the best of the best (aka “the Greatist”) things we’ve come across on the Web this week. In other words, it’s the stuff we’d email/gchat/tweet/text you immediately if we were besties. While we’ll never stop striving to bring our readers amazing content on a daily basis, we know not all the best stuff comes from us.
1. I Can Eat It: Taking a Bite Out of Food Allergies (Stanford Medicine)
Food allergies are a scary thing—throat swelling, hives, blue lips. Up until now, an EpiPen was the first line of defense. But researchers at Stanford are exploring what happens if we treat food allergies like outdoor allergies. People with severe cat, pollen, or ragweed allergies get booster shots that introduce their bodies to the allergens so they can better fight them off. This same approach, when monitored closely, is working for people with severe food allergies. The problem now is getting their brains to believe the food isn’t harmful anymore.
2. Lay Off the Artisanal Ice, You Ignorant Hipsters (Mother Jones)
Sure, those perfect blocks of artisanal ice in your old fashioned take longer to melt (so the only thing watering down your drink is a cheap bartender), but these crystal clear cubes—no bubbles, thanks to the innovative cooling process—are major energy sucks. It takes three times as long to produce artisanal ice as it does to produce the ordinary ice-tray variety. So the beautifully crafted hunks of frozen H20 in your cocktails might be offsetting your other environment-friendly efforts like buying local produce and meat.
3. The New Health App on Apple’s iOS 8 Is Literally Dangerous (Pacific Standard)
The health and fitness world was abuzz when Apple announced that its health app would be available on every device that upgrades to its new operating system. The app offers innovative ways to track fitness, nutrition, sleep, and vitals. There’s just one problem: You can’t delete it. That can spell disaster for people with eating disorders and other health-related obsessive compulsive disorders.
4. Hungry People Make Better Life Decisions (Men’s Fitness)
Going to the bank to get a loan? Heading into your boss’s office to sign a new contract? You’ll want to do that on an empty stomach. New research shows that people who are hungry when they make big life decisions take fewer risks and keep the long-term repercussions and benefits in mind.
5. When Sweatpants Become a Form of Protest (New York Magazine)
Fashion sweats—and more broadly athletic wear (now dubbed “athleisure”)—is the hottest new trend, from the runways to your local department store. This casual attire isn’t just more comfortable than most fashion trends, it’s a silent and subversive form of protest. Taking the Beyoncé lyrics “I woke up like this” quite literally, fashion sweats are a rare trend that prioritize being comfortable over dressing for potential onlookers.
