PODCAST | For decades, Esquire magazine has published some of the most influential pieces of nonfiction writing. Along with a newly launched archive of every article in every issue, comes a new podcast called ESQUIRE CLASSICS where host David Brancaccio, of Marketplace Morning Report, talks with writers and critics of some of the magazine's most inspiring pieces. In the first episode, Tom Junod talks about his iconic article "The Falling Man," and his quest to find the identity of the man whose leap from the World Trade Center on 9/11 was captured by a photographer. Other installments feature Gay Talese's "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," written without ever interviewing Sinatra himself, Norman Mailer's 1960 profile of JFK, "Superman Comes to the Supermarket," and Nora Ephron's "A Few Words About Breasts."
COFFEE | Most days around 3 pm, I think very seriously of laying down for a quick nap on the yellow couch down the hall from my desk. The afternoon slump is an occupational hazard of being a reporter, and another cup of coffee (or two) typically does the trick. Well, now the folks at Nestlé are trying to save me the trouble with research into TIME-RELEASED CAFFEINE. Studies into "biological capsules" that release molecules periodically could mean I'll be buzzing on caffeine all day after just one cup in the morning. The research focuses on the same process used to release medicine in some drugs. Coffee with time-released caffeine is not on the shelves yet, but it's good to see that they're thinking about it.
WEED | Weed is legal, but the stoner stigma (and smell) can still follow you around. It was only a matter of time before pot accessories that project a more sophisticated smoker cropped up. A couple of women from New York think they've found the answer. Their company, ANNABÍS, now sells bags designed to hold all your marijuana accessories — rolling papers, mints, gum, a lighter, eye drops — in addition to the skunky bud, without letting everyone else around you know. The bags are made of Italian leather and use "Odor-Loc technology," with layers of resin film used in the food, medical and electronics industries, to block out the smell. They range in price from $120 to $295.♦
