I was excited a while back when I saw the headline for this article about a new type of French press coffee-maker. It hinted at a new type of press that could “Solve All Your First World Coffee Brewing Problems”. I read it with interest only to find that the only problem it really solved was keeping finely-ground coffee from the brew. I was disappointed because that’s never occurred to me as a real problem.

What is a real problem with French presses is what to do with the grounds after you’ve poured out the coffee. It’s a wet mass of coffee grounds at the bottom of the glass container. If you dump it into the garbage, the grounds stick to the insides of the carafe but all the watery coffee in them dumps into the bag. If you are composting the coffee grounds, as I do, you still have the water problem. And, in either case, you still have to clean out the remaining grounds in the sink – a messy job that uses more water and potentially clogs the drain.

Again, this is a First World Problem, but it’s a daily annoyance that could be solved with a little design thinking. While the Espro linked on Gizmodo doesn’t address the remaining grounds issue, the OXO “Good Grips” press does. It has a ladle-like piece that goes into the bottom of the carafe and pulls up all the grounds after the coffee is poured out. It’s not perfect, but it makes the removal of the grounds pretty easy. (and, as to the question of fine grounds ending up in the coffee, you are using uniformly ground, large particles of coffee, aren’t you?)

Here is a stunningly beautiful video of time-lapse microphotography of various fungi growing in petri dishes. It may encourage composting, or just squick you out.

I think it’s a sad sign when people, upon being introduced, have to resort to asking one another what they do for a living. The question assumes that people are defined by the jobs that they do, and, on the other hand, that they actually want to talk about while not at work. For some people, their jobs are a large part of their lives, and there’s a good reason. A small percentage of people have jobs that actually define them – or perhaps it’s more correct to say to say that they define those job roles.

Teachers are often that sort of person. Go ahead and ask them what they make. As someone did for this guy:

Bay Area music video celebrity Ashkon teams up with 49ers legend Joe Montana for a little ditty about why you should donate to Season of Sharing. Hint: it involves not hatin’. If you want to donate without spending a dime, just share the video. All the shares that they get until the 25th will be matched with a $1 donation to the Fund by the San Francisco Chronicle.

This year, give the gift of life by telling your loved ones they’re fat. The UK’s National Obesity Forum and International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk have urged people to have frank discussions with their relatives this holiday season. I agree with those scientists that it’s a good thing to bring up as people are busy stuffing their faces around a communal table.

It’s not about discriminating against fat people, or the attractiveness of body types, but the serious health issues that are related to obesity -heart disease, diabetes, stroke. It amazes me that obesity has become a third-rail issue while smoking has become so vilified that people don’t hesitate to call out their friends or family for doing it. And it needn’t be too harsh of a message.

As Dr. Jean Pierre Despres, scientific director of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk, put it:

“Start by encouraging someone close to you to make simple lifestyle changes such as becoming more active, making small alterations to their eating habits and replacing sugary drinks with water.”