32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow (Or Make You Roll Your Eyes)
Some cool stuff (and some dumb and/or ridiculous) in this compilation in The New York Times. Here's #17, written by Clay Risen -- Terrifying Playgrounds, that relates to the radio show I'll be doing Sunday Night With Free-Range Kids author Lenore Skenazy:

Two Norwegian psychologists think that modern playgrounds are for wimps. Instead of short climbing walls, there should be towering monkey bars. Instead of plastic crawl tubes, there should be tall, steep slides. And balance beams. And rope swings. The rationale is that the more we shield children from potential scrapes and sprained ankles, the more unprepared they'll be for real risk as adults, and the less aware they'll be of their surroundings. Leif Kennair and Ellen Sandseter's ideas have won the support of playground experts on both sides of the Atlantic; one company, Landscape Structures, offers a 10-foot-high climbing wall that twists like a Möbius strip.

Risen wrote this one up, too -- #23, Teeth That Think:

Scientists at Princeton and Tufts are working on a superthin tooth sensor (a kind of temporary tattoo) that sends an alert when it detects bacteria associated with plaque buildup, cavities or infection. It could also notify your dentist, adding an extra layer of social pressure to make an appointment. The sensor may have wide-ranging use: the researchers have already used it to identify bacteria in saliva associated with stomach ulcers and cancers. While the sensor won't last long on the surface of a well-brushed and flossed tooth, Michael McAlpine, the project's leader, says that the sensors will be inexpensive enough that you can replace them daily.

#28 is Michelin-Star TV Dinners:

Frozen food may soon be on par with anything you can get at a three-star restaurant. Sous vide -- a process in which food is heated over a very long period in a low-temperature water bath -- has been used in high-end restaurants for more than a decade. (Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud were early proponents.) But the once-rarefied technique is becoming mass market. Cuisine Solutions, the company that pioneered sous vide (Keller hired it to train his chefs), now supplies food to grocery stores and the U.S. military. Your local Costco or Wegmans may sell perfectly cooked sous vide lamb shanks, osso buco or turkey roulade. Unlike most meals in the freezer aisle, sous vide food can be reheated in a pot of boiling water and still taste as if it were just prepared. And because sous vide makes it almost impossible to overcook food, it's perfect for the home cook. Fortunately, sous vide machines are becoming more affordable. "It's like the microwave was 30 years ago," Keller says.

Oddly, Michael Ruhlman, who wrote that up, couldn't bring himself to mention the affordable Sous Vide machine for the home that you can buy at Amazon. Here's a link: SousVide Supreme Sous Vide Water Oven. Here's a link to the smaller, cheaper one: SousVide Supreme Black Demi Water Oven Electric Vacuum Cooker.

Oh, and by the way, the Sous Vide Supreme is a product of Dr. Michael Eades and Dr. Mary Dan Eades, best known here for their evidence-based advice on low-carb eating.