I’ve been wondering how old the tree in front of our house is. It is an American Sycamore, which means it will drop seed balls all over the lawn every year. It isn’t huge, but it probably was planted by early owners, if not the original owners of our house, which was built in the 1950s. Although a home inspector told us that the roots were not going to disturb the foundation, I don’t know if he meant not in the near future or not in twenty years. For that reason, I wish the tree was a little further away from the house, but it does offer ample shade. I stumbled across an article in The Washington Post about determining the age of trees. Many trees aren’t as old as people would like to assume. With good conditions trees can grow large in a short amount of time. An increment borer can be used to take a core sample and read the growth rings, but it can harm the tree. We seem to be over-eager to place historical significance in trees when they are not actually as old as we’d like to believe.

Alton-Brown-Watch: Looks like he’s doing a few benefits and a mini-tour of Sur La Table cooking classes later this year. Mark your calendars. (also noted: Alton-Brown’s-Watch)

This goes in the “learn something new every day” department for me: “Mohawk ironworkers have built bridges and skyscrapers throughout the United States and Canada for more than 100 years.” The National Museum of the American Indian has a photography exhibit that covers the past and present of ironworkers who came from the Akwesasne and Kahnawake communities. Mohawks began working on bridges in the mid-1800’s and have helped construct the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, George Washington Bridge, World Trade Center and, currently, the AOL Time Warner towers. (source: NY Times)

The Glass Museum in Tacoma, Washington had its grand opening this past weekend. The docent training includes drama techniques as professional actors will be adding theatrical elements to the tours. Dale Chihuly’s website has photos of the 500-foot-long Bridge of Glass. It was commissioned by the museum and gifted to the city.

A NY Times article lists retailers who are getting wired, or should I say unwired, up with radio frequency identification. 5.5 million people have signed up for Exxon Mobil’s Speedpass, which lets them buy gas and convenience store items at 7,500 of their 16,000 locations. McDonald’s is testing Speedpass at 400 locations in Chicago. Personal preferences can be stored with the account, so if you like a plain burger you may not have to say “just the meat and the bun” again. Phillips Petroleum and Shell Canada are testing systems, but Shell in the U.S. ended its trials this year. McDonald’s tests have been successful enough for them to try two other systems, FreedomPay, and a hookup with E-ZPass that allows people with the automatic toll paying devices to buy burgers at the drive-through window. Imagine a standing morning order at a drive-through coffee shop. Just pass through on your way to work, pick up your latte, and get back on the road in seconds.

In 1942 some five hundred magazine publishers banded together to display the American flag on the cover of their July issues. It was a concerted effort in the face of potential rationing to demonstrate their patriotism and importance in keeping America informed and lifting morale. The government also appreciated the help in selling war bonds. The Smithsonian has created an online exhibit of these magazine covers including a section highlighting the award-winning designs as judged by The United States Flag Association.

The political philosophy of “saving people from their own stupidity” and deaths from tetanus are the reason why fireworks, once a backyard activity, are now public spectacles in the U.S. A campaign, started in 1912, restricted the sale of at home firecrackers and drove the manufacturers to create large scale pyrotechnics for exhibitions. Fireworks-related tetanus deaths are still occuring in the Philippines around New Year’s, the traditional time to make lots of noise. This Philippine article says that horse manure is used to make firecrackers, making tetanus easy to contract from a firecracker wound. Even if your wound heals, the tetanus germs may still be breeding inside. I’m not sure if that is what caused the U.S. tetanus cases; one would think that they would have just banned the use of manure, but, as we know, the government doesn’t always fix the root cause.

Educational and cool: Mathematical Lego sculptures. (via Graham)

Before you buy the clothes off the racks at the store, someone decides to put them there. Kal Ruttenstein is the “senior vice president for fashion direction” at Bloomingdale’s, which means that he has the ability to trigger trends and launch designers’ careers. He’s pretty sure “Hairspray” will be a big hit, so he’s got boutiques ready with sportswear inspired by the musical and a plan for gigantic cans of Aqua Net on the sidewalks spraying something yet to be determined. Hopefully this won’t be a miss like the time he told Gloria Vanderbilt no one would want to wear jeans with her name on the rear. But despite a couple of faux pas and accusations of knock-off designs over the years, he commands respect in the sometimes fickle fashion industry.

Alton Brown smoked a fish and demonstrated his hair dryer-enhanced Weber grill on NPR’s All Things Considered. The segment and extras are available on the web. Only Alton could make a cooking segment actually come across well on the radio. Listen to him effectively turn on the charm with Korva Coleman; I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh so hard. (Thanks Renee!)