Popcorn Shorts

Cool stuff that’s too small for a big article

Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them.  From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch.

McSpaghetti to McAloo Tikki: Inside the world’s local McDonald’s

(from Kate Heddings on BBC, Sep 2025)  “McDonald’s has a reputation for cultural imperialism, but that’s not 100% true,” declares photojournalist Gary He.  In his new book McAtlas, He challenges assumptions about the global fast-food giant, which operates 42,000 stores in more than 100 countries and serves 65 million people a day. While many believe McDonald’s has homogenised food culture worldwide, He argues the opposite: that the company has thrived by adapting its menu, architecture and brand to local palates and traditions.  “McDonald’s has succeeded because they brilliantly incorporated local flavours and ingredients – from the McRaclette in Switzerland to egg bulgogi burgers in South Korea and the Halloumi McMuffin in Jordan…”

Interactive Fall Foliage Map

It’s getting to be that time… in just a few weeks the Fall Leaves will be turning.  You may have even seen a tinge of orange or red already!  Whether you just need to know the ‘when’ for a leaf-spotting trip in Portland, or you need the ‘when’ AND ‘where’ for an Autumnal roadtrip, this map will show you exactly when the fall colors will be ready for their closeup.  (Spoiler!  Here in Oregon, things are looking really good for the middle of October, but don’t tell anyone!)

Glow-in-the-dark succulents are here!

(from Laura Baisas in Popular Science, Aug 2025)  “Planet Earth hosts a bevy of bioluminescence, from shimmery blue anglerfish to Switzerland’s glowing green mushrooms. Now, scientists have created colorful glow-in-the-dark succulent plants. These succulents shine about as bright as a typical night light, and can recharge using sunlight…  “Picture the world of Avatar, where glowing plants light up an entire ecosystem,” study co-author  Shuting Liu said in a statement. “We wanted to make that vision possible using materials we already work with in the lab. Imagine glowing trees replacing streetlights.”      (NOTE: It turns out succulents aren’t the only glowers our there, but others use different technologies.  Check out these Glowing Petunias, or this website with fungus, plants and more!)

Competitive Sauna

(Pat Cassels in Slate, Sep 2025)  “It was the hottest day of the year in New York City. Oddly, that wasn’t why I was half naked.  And it’s not why I was surrounded by nearly 100 bodies in equal or greater states of undress. We were all in a 175-degree sauna, where partial nakedness is not unusual. What was unusual was what we were all doing there: watching two artists perform an interpretive dance.  Welcome to the Aufguss USA Nationals, America’s first Aufguss World Masters event, a two-day competition held at Brooklyn’s Bathhouse. It was late June, and the nation’s best sauna experts had flown in to show off their skills in aufguss, a blend of dance, sport, theater, therapy, and aerodynamic manipulation so odd it could only come from Germany. I was witnessing, for lack of a better term, competitive sauna–ing…“