Mike Gunderloy came through, of course, on the ditto sheet and mimeograph topic. He points to the Dead Media Project wherein lies an interesting discussion on “The Difference between Mimeograph, Hectograph, and Spirit Duplication.” It actually lists sources in case you want to delve further into the early magic of duplication. Meanwhile I found a page on antique copying machines, including drawings and photos, at the nifty Early Office Museum.

The Field Museum in Chicago is running an exhibit on chocolate which opened, appropriately enough, on Valentine’s Day and runs to the end of the year. They have tie-ins galore, from all angles, with the author of the novel Chocolat lecturing on both the book and movie, lectures on the role of chocolate in history and its place in the environment, and a trip devoted to learning how to make chocolate truffles. They plan to tour the exhibit to other locations, so perhaps it will arrive near you someday. And for the health conscious, remember a bar of chocolate contains more antioxidants than a glass of red wine. But go for the good dark kind which has healthier fats and more antioxidants than milk chocolate which has saturated fats.

The U.S. Mint has announced that they are cutting back on the production of Sacagawea dollar coins. Not surprised, are you? Banks report little demand from retailers and retailers report little demand from consumers. So much for the multimillion dollar advertising campaign. But if demand does happen to pick up for some reason, no need to fret, the Mint has about 324 million Sacagawea coins in storage. In related news, the Ohio state quarter is now in circulation. Featuring an early aircraft and an astronaut, some of these coins were carried on a recent space shuttle mission. Meanwhile, I haven’t gotten my hands on any Tennessee quarters yet. (dollar news via The Other Side)

Traditional ballet pointe shoes provide foot support with cardboard, paper and/or leather saturated with glues. The care of these slippers is critical to their longevity, and many dancers can’t afford a constant supply of new shoes. Dance companies that provide shoes to their members also struggle with funds, often limiting dancers to a certain number of shoes per season. But pointe shoes rarely last more than one performance. Sweat breaks down the glues and the support is lost. Gaynor Minden has brought plastics into the world of ballet. Featured on a recent Tech TV spot, their shoes use a flexible thermoplastic polymeric material (U.S. Patent 5,035,069). The plastic can be heated to help conform to the foot, and is of course longer lasting than traditional materials. But, when given the freedom of an unlimited supply of shoes, one dancer still picks cardboard and glue from Freed of London because they form to her foot better. (via Rebecca’s Pocket)

If you wanted to take a peek inside the digital pen that hit the tech news sites today, OTM Technologies has a page describing “Optical Translation Measurement” which is their core technology, considering they named the company after it. The components are a laser, detectors, and optics. I won’t try to reduce the rest of the technical explanation here.

Are chalkboards going the way of the ditto sheet (aka mimeograph)? The dusty boards in San Jose Unified are going to be replaced with whiteboards. Newer schools have them built in already. Chalk dust is wreaking havoc on computers, but students also complain of headaches from whiteboard markers. Some teachers say that the experience of chalk on a board helps kinesthetic learners better retain the knowledge. What’s next? Perhaps networked computer tablets at each desk so students can write on the “board” without leaving their seats. No chalk or fumes to deal with there. (CORRECTION: Mike Gunderloy has informed me: “Ditto/spirit duplicator is not at all the same process as Mimeograph. The first uses solvents to transfer bits of ink from a master directly to the paper, the second forces ink through holes in a wax-coated stencil on to the paper.” I suspect you may see some relevant links on his weblog soon.)

I’ve seen this linked in many places, but it’s amusing enough to repeat. Washington D.C.’s low-numbered license plates are special and quite elite since only the mayor and 13 council members can bestow them upon worthy car-owning residents. The lower the number, the more coveted the honored plate. I think I’d rather not have that kind of attention. There’s enough politics in D.C.

Miso from Massachusetts? Hai! South River Miso has a little photo tour of their miso production facilities. The navigation is awkward; you have to use the dropdown menu at the top of the page. But make sure you make it to the last step of the process where, to my surprise, the beans are mashed by human feet encased in two pairs of organic cotton socks and plastic (yes, the feet are attached to humans, called treaders).

Dunkin’ Donuts is a New England phenomenon. I didn’t consider how prolific this chain was until I moved away and was confronted by friends who had driven through Connecticut on vacation: “All we saw were Dunkin’ Donuts everywhere!” It never crossed my mind that the “time to make the donuts” company would feel threatened by any competition. But there were people who worried about the effect of one big player: Starbucks. 40% of Dunkin’ Donuts’ business comes from coffee. The Boston Globe looked into it and found nothing to worry about. The two places are catering to a different clientele, at least in the Boston location they researched. Dunkin’ Donuts is getting the fast food style consumers and Starbucks is serving those in need of leisure and luxury. The article also points out that Starbucks’ stronger coffees may be a turn-off for New Englanders’ milder tastes. Tastes can change, though. Another newcomer on the horizon is Krispy Kreme. Will they also be unattractive to customers looking for a fast breakfast? Will tradition hold fast in New England, will the newcomers win, or will everyone peacefully co-exist? A point to ponder: Dunkin’ Donuts just added chai to their menu. Tastes can change. (via Obscure Store)

The Museum of Modern Art is moving to Queens? It’s only for three years during reconstruction of the permanent West 53rd location, but you have to wonder how many tourists with outdated guidebooks or intact memories from past visits are going to be disappointed. Shuffling off to Queens when you were expecting to spend a day in Manhattan is quite a change of pace. Yoshio Taniguchi is the architect for the rebuild which “presents an elegant interplay of stone, metal, and glass in which new spaces combine with the original architecture to form a cohesive whole.” The Queens location is in an old Swingline staple factory and has ample space and its own designers to make sure it is welcoming and worthy, albeit temporary, housing for the ongoing exhibits. (NY Times article on relocation)