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'Mail Goggles' Prevents Regrettable Late-Night Email

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 10:00 PM on October 7, 2008

A new Gmail Labs feature dubbed "Mail Goggles" has Gmail ask you a series of math problems before allowing you to send out emails late on certain nights—like, say, those nights when you're artificially motivated to tell your boss/significant other/frenemy just what the deal is. You can adjust the bewitching hours and difficulty of the math problems in your general settings. [via Official Gmail Blog]


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Is four beers a binge?

Australian Post Posted by Angus Kidman at 1:40 PM on June 16, 2008

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Debate is currently raging over reports that new drinking guidelines for Australia will define binge drinking as more than four mid-sized alcoholic drinks a day for men. The official healthy upper limit for both men and women is two standard drinks a day, which seems reasonable, but the leap to "binge status" with just two more drinks a day, though unconfirmed, has inspired plenty of criticism. It seems clear that someone consuming more than four drinks day in, day out probably has a problem, but does having four beers on a Friday night make you a binge drinker? What do you think would be reasonable? Let us know in the comments.


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Load Up on Carbs and Vitamins to Prevent Hangovers

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 10:00 PM on June 11, 2008

The Dumb Little Man blog adds to steps a smart drinker can take to minimise their next-morning misery. In addition to drinking lots of water before, during, and after your big night, try to fit in some bananas, whole grains, or anything with soy in it, because:

Alcohol is, at its heart, a poison. Your body does a lot of work to remove that poison ... That work, mainly done by your liver, uses a lot of vitamins like vitamin B and Potassium that aren't available to you later. This can cause queasiness, tiredness and muscle cramps.
That's just one part of the cure, of course. For more hangover help, check out our readers' tips and mix a little ginseng into your pre-game ritual. Photo by Cia de Foto.


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Make Your Own Infused Vodka

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 6:30 AM on March 30, 2008

Flavored vodkas have become a popular ingredient in mixed drinks, but most shelves have the same selection of citrus and other stock flavors. Shake things up and save some cash while you're at it by infusing your own vodka. A decent bottle of the unflavoured stuff, some chosen ingredients, and a strainer are all that's needed to give it a shot yourself. Hit the link for instructions and advice on making your own high-quality hooch. Photo by miss karen.


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Make Holiday Drinks Like a Pro

Posted by Kevin Purdy at 2:30 AM on December 13, 2007

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This time of year gives people great excuses to do silly things—spend far too much time shopping, go crazy decorating in red, and make and drink ancient cocktails. If you relish tackling that last tradition, Wired has a great guide to making all the classic concoctions, like eggnog, mulled wine, and Tom and Jerries, with variations and preparation tricks for each. As a bonus, you'll learn the drinks' origins and have at least one holiday party conversation starter locked down. For more drink recipes, check out the drink databases ExtraTasty and Webtender. Photo by decor8.

Recover from a Hangover

Posted by Gina Trapani at 10:30 PM on November 1, 2007


You threw back a few too many pumpkin-coloured vodka shots at the Halloween party last night and woke up this morning dressed like a nun with a raging headache. Sucks to be you! Luckily, health web site Diethack has a few tips for getting over and through that hangover. Quick tip: get yourself some ginseng.

Take about 1000 mg to 3000 mg of ginseng before the party. You will be able to support the effect of alcohol better and your mind will be more focused without having to resort to a cup of coffee. Ginseng also helps the liver in its job to neutralise the toxic agents in alcohol. Ginseng accelerates the decomposition and the elimination of alcohol.
Even if you didn't get the ginseng pre-party, it can help the next morning. Happy hydrating, friend.