Reviews by Croupier

Croupier says "Devoted to finding inspiration in the contemptibly familiar." about Interesting Ideas

Croupier — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:23:30 GMT

Interesting Ideas enables its visitors to lose themselves in another place, another time--even though the images it presents to viewers are ones that many people see every day of their lives. Some would say that Interesting Ideas makes the ubiquitous interesting or the familiar extraordinary; I believe a better description of Interesting Ideas's work would say that the site simply exposes the fascinating already present in the everyday. In the context of an Interesting Ideas visual study, the near-mansard roof that bedecks many a McDonald's is highlighted as an American re-interpretation of French architecture, heavy with post-World War II ideas about conformity and aesthetics. The ubiquitous gyros signs that hang all over Chicago suddenly seem, when grouped en masse by Interesting Ideas, to stand perfectly for the ur-Midwestern values of hard work and using stick-to-your-ribs food to fuel your labor.

The gyros sign gallery also serves to highlight Interesting Ideas's devotion to and interest......

Croupier says "DamnInteresting.com has more than earned its domain name." about Damn Interesting

Croupier — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:21:47 GMT

DamnInteresting.com is where I learn some damn interesting facts that lead me to damn interesting ideas. The site writers find phenomena (scientific, natural, historical, mythic) and write articles of about 500-1000 words about them. It sounds like a pretty basic, ordinary concept until you consider that DamnInteresting.com chooses its topics for their mystery, their intrigue, the way that they illustrate the infinite complexity of the universe.

People who can't make new memories. Roving gangs of murderers in colonial India. An ancient herb whose seed inspired the "heart" shape as a symbol of love. A breed of dog so flexible that it can bend its head back over its spine without injury. These are some of the topics Damn Interesting has articles on, and there are dozens more. The topics themselves are fascinating enough, but the Damn Interesting writers are able to present the information in a way that is easy to understand without compromising the topics' intrigue. The writers are able to......

Croupier says "My curls are soft and I smell like the hands of God." about Oyin Greg Juice

Croupier — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:48:22 GMT

OyinHandmade.com has been making fantastic beauty products for awhile now, but not all of them worked for me. The shampoo bar didn't lather enough for my tastes and I didn't like the taste of the honeystick. But the Greg Juice. Oh, the Greg Juice. The perfect, lovely Greg Juice.

I'm a curly girl, and as such, I follow Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl routine to a T. Curly hair suffers under most hair-care products and suffers brutally under liquid shampoo; liquid shampoo damages curly hair terribly. It makes it frizzy, unruly, and prickly to the touch. On top of that, regular towels hurt curly hair as well; on top of that, even the most moisturizing conditioners have silicones in them that can cause curly hair to break! I learned in my mid-twenties that everything I had learned about hair care was not written for people with hair like mine. What a rip-off!

Curly hair only needs a few things to survive: conditioner, leave-in conditioner, gel, baking soda, and a microfiber hair turban. You can......

Croupier says "Add hot milk and you've got the perfect coffee." about Community New Orleans Blend

Croupier — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:09:00 GMT

Community Coffee New Orleans Blend is the reason my friends always look forward to coming over for coffee. It's what drags me out of bed at 7:30 every morning. It's the coffee that makes people ask me, "What kind of coffee is this?" It's fantastic!

Community Coffee New Orleans Blend has long been a staple of my morning routine. I brew the coffee double-strength (two tablespoons per six ounces of water instead of one tablespoon per six ounces) while I heat up milk. The milk is best heated on the stove, but the microwave will do as well. I mix the coffee with the milk until the coffee shows an orange undertone. That's when I know it's ready.

The first sip is bold (from the double-strength brewing) and smooth (from the milk). But it's the chicory that makes the New Orleans Blend so special; it offers a fullness that, no matter how many years I've been drinking it, is still a little surprising every time.

Settlers in Louisiana began adding chicory root to their coffee grounds to make the coffee......