First off, my thoughts are with Houston and surrounding areas dealing with the Harvey flooding. It’s awesome seeing online how the people are helping each other. There are good people in the world. Shout-outs to my friends James and Amy who are safe and now are collecting food for the shelters; and to Joe and his buddy who bought a boat and drove from Austin to help rescue people. HoustonStrong. TexasStrong.
  
Not just food and grocery stuff this time around, but a few tech related things got my attention too.

  
  
People often wonder who actually makes some of the private label products in Trader Joes. Well with some clever detective work (like tracking recall notices) several of the products have been figured out.
(link to: Eater: What Brands Are Actually Behind Trader Joe’s Snacks?)
  
  
A lot of people are speculating, in the wake of all the Amazon and WFM hubbub, who will be next? And Sprouts comes up a lot. But would Sprouts actually look to buy someone else and grow themselves, that’s what Supermarket News is saying could be possible, with Fresh Thyme.
(link to: Supermarket News: If Sprouts is selling, who’s buying?)
  
  
I’ve been familiar with ube, the Filipino sweet potato or yam, originally known to me as Japanese Okinawa-sweet-potato. I’ve used it in making a version of sweet potato pie before and it was delicious. In recent years, I’ve seen it more and more around LA, along with the rising popularity of Filipino food in general. And now see it talked about in the media.
(link to: Grubstreet: Is Ube the New Matcha?)
  
  
I know when I need a snack, a lot of the time it’s not only salty that I am looking for, but the crunch that I am looking for. Data here is showing that salty snacks are a huge market.
(link to: Nielson: Craving a Snack? Chances are High You’ll Reach for Something Salty)
  
  
Bug Burgers… that’s all I’ll say here.
(link to: NYPost: Bug ‘burgers’ are hitting supermarket shelves)
  
  
So is now selling in Starbucks the new jumped the shark? Chicken Maki Rolls (aka sushi burritos) are now being sold in the coffee cafe chain. When a new trend catches up to the large chains (like sriracha flavored whatever) is that trend no longer a thing?
(link to: CNBC: Starbucks is now selling sushi burritos)
  
  
I’ve long been a fan of Patagonia for not only their quality clothing/gear but also their respect for nature and the community they create. I had not realized that they have never done a tv ad before.
(link to: MediaPost: In First-Ever TV Ad, Patagonia Targets Trump Administration)
  
  
Kind has expanded their offerings with more products geared for kids. Now coming out with fruit snacks too.
(link to: Business Insider: Kind Snacks is venturing outside of nutrition bars for the first time ever — and it should terrify Welch’s)
  
  
diy power storage sounds like a cool project that I’d like to try out, but looks like a lot of people are doing it and now the recycled laptop batteries are getting harder to get. Keeps them out of landfills which is good. I need to look into this project further.
(link to: Vice Motherboard: DIY Powerwall Builders Are Using Recycled Laptop Batteries to Power Their Homes)
  
  
This is cool from a technology point of view, but should make photographers worry.
(link to: Digital Synopsis: Google Creates Algorithm That Removes Watermarks From Stock Photos)
  
  
I’m a bit tired of all the lists that seem to dominate the internet these days to get clicks – so just scroll down to the bottom to see the infographics of what they (the ppl at Hater dating app, I didn’t even know the app existed but does sound intriguing) compiled as the hated foods by state.
(link to: Buzzfeed: Do You Hate The Same Food Your State Hates?)
  
  
This got my attention, just because when I was a kid I worked at Chuck E Cheese. I didn’t get in costume but I worked the game room and fixed the game machines. I was first interested in working there because I heard that Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, is who started Chuck E Cheese. Yeah, I was a nerd/geek since way back then.
(link to: NPR Music: Say Goodbye To The Pizza Time Players: Chuck E. Cheese Retires Its Band)
  
  
It is really great to see more and more farming operations happening in shipping containers. This tech company is based in Los Angeles and looks to be making headway into sustainable ag. I need to research them more.
(link to: KCET Food & Living: How Local Roots is Helping Solve the World’s Food Waste Problem with Robots and Tech)
  
  
This is really interesting, how what is basically composting can make a difference. And over a long period of time it helps bring back an ecosystem. I hope people really learn from this study.
(link to: Upworthy: A juice company dumped orange peels in a national park. Here’s what it looks like now.)