kimmie nguyen:

Hello Kitty Wine: Kitty Lovers and Alcoholics Rejoice?

Was it tough to get Sanrio to agree to let you put Hello Kitty on an alcoholic beverage? Her image is very sweet and innocent, after all.

Drew Hibbert, CEO of Innovation Spirits (which will be marketing the wine here in the United States): I was not involved in the original approval process, but my limited experience with Sanrio indicates to me that they see the Hello Kitty brand identity as being somewhat mature at this stage and open to all kinds of product interpretations. Our tagline for the wine products is "Our favorite girl has grown up", which is done intentionally to indicate that Hello Kitty, in her 35 years of existence, has crossed over from being a children's brand to being a brand for children and adults alike.

via blogs.laweekly.com

Undoubtedly will not taste like my favorite bottle of Beaujolais but it sure is cute. I also like that I'm about the same age as Hello Kitty. I can totally go buy this without feeling silly. ;) Thanks for sending @connietsao, I'll be be on the lookout next time I'm shopping.

Easy Writer: Bikers Risk Texting On Vietnam's Roads

Everyone knows that texting while driving isn't smart. Now consider this: texting while driving a motorcycle, in heavy traffic. It's not uncommon in Vietnam, where motorcycles are the primary source of transportation.

And it's got public health officials worried.

Pham Thi Thuy Linh is 21, a college student and — according to a recent contest sponsored by a mobile phone company — has the fastest fingers in Vietnam.

She says she can text 160 characters in 25 seconds, though she says she is a little slower texting with her eyes closed — or when driving her motorcycle.

"I think I'm about 20 or 30 percent slower texting on my bike. And it's easier to make mistakes because I'm trying to watch the road in front of me," Pham says.

via www.npr.org

My people. They scare me.

India Deploys World's Hottest Chilli to Fight Terrorism

via www.guardian.co.uk

"The Indian army believes that the pungency of its ground seeds of the bhut jolokia – a capsicum hybrid, growing around the banks of the Brahmaputra river, that is reputed to be 100 times hotter than a jalapeño – could be harnessed in smoke grenades against rioters or to flush out terrorists in confined spaces. The army said the weapon could also be used in aerosol sprays by women warding off attackers.

...

The 3in-long stubbly red pepper has been measured at 1,041,427 units on the Scoville scale, twice as hot as the next fieriest pepper, the Mexican red savina, and 200 times hotter than Tabasco sauce, so much so that it gained a place in Guinness World Records. A jalapeño, by contrast, registers a measly 10,000 on the Scoville scale."