Small fish, big pond

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today: Let’s learn how to make a Floradora; Android just made it easier to stop the doomscroll; and new music from U2 has just arrived! 🎶

Let’s get into it!

The Floradora is a gin-based cocktail that frankly screams summer brunch as much as a mimosa or a Bellini.

It wasn’t always associated with brunch, though. It was likely invented around the turn of the 20th century, given it’s namesake of the 1899 musical, Florodora, which was imported to Broadway from London’s West End at the time.

The first time its recipe actually appeared in print was in Jacques Straub’s Manual for Mixed Drinks in 1913.

The recipe is fairly simple and has more or less held true to its origins for the 125-plus-year lifespan of the spicy and citrusy beverage.

Somewhat similar to the Honey Deuce famously served at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the U.S. Open, this highball cocktail calls for one and a half ounces of gin, along with half an ounce of raspberry syrup, and half an ounce of lemon juice.

On top of the main ingredients, pour some ginger ale to add some spice, and garnish with raspberry.

This drink is pretty much exactly as refreshing as it looks, and is just what the doctor ordered the next time you’re looking for something boozy to go with your brunch.

Doomscrolling is probably an epidemic that will be written about in health papers as much as technology papers for years to come. Legislation is increasingly targeting the lack of restrictions on social media use, particularly for young people, and Google just announced a new feature built into Android devices to combat it.

Called Pause Point, it forces device owners to wait a certain amount of time after opening an app before actually using it. The feature applies to apps labelled by the device user as “distracting.”

“Android is more capable than ever, but we also want to give you the tools to disconnect when you need to,” said Dieter Bohn, director of product operations for Google’s Platforms & Ecosystems organization.

“I think that we are all guilty of going into our phone and then opening some app and getting stuck on autopilot, and an hour has gone by,” he said.

When activated, the feature will visibly block everything in the app the user is trying to open for a specified amount of time. It can also display a message to encourage the user to—for example—take a deep breathe while they wait, ideally causing them to reconsider even trying to use the app and going back to more productive activities instead.

Curiosity has been killing cats for as long as anyone can remember, but it turns out it’s only been for about 150 years. Prior to that, it was “care.”

It’s important to understand, though, that the word “care” itself carried different meaning until fairly recently in the context of the English language. While its use today is understood as being about “carefulness,” it used to refer more to anxiety or worry.

"Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, uptailes all, and a poxe on the hangman."
- Every Man in His Humour, published by Ben Johnson in 1601.

"What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.”
- Much Ado About Nothing, published by a fellow named William Shakespeare in 1602.

In other words, for hundreds of years, it was believed—at the very least, by the literate—that it was worrying about one’s health that truly led to the failure of one’s health.

Perhaps curiosity is an extension of that? Curiosity is typically what motivates one to alleviate their anxiety, but there’s something to be said about not asking questions you don’t really want the answers to, lest curiosity kill the cat.

A Canadian publication appeared to be the first to figure that out in 1876.

“Wonders will never cease! Curiosity killed the cat; Kitten, don’t be so anxious.”
- New Dominion Monthly (Montreal, Can.), 1 Sept. 1876

U2 casually stood atop a school bus in a Mexico City alley, surrounded by excited fans clapping along as Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and even Larry Mullen Jr. played Street of Dreams, a song off the band’s highly-anticipated upcoming studio album.

The album’s title is yet to be revealed, but the band officially announced it will be out some time later this year, and the Street of Dreams clip is the first detail to be revealed.

U2 hasn’t put out an LP since 2023’s Songs of Surrender, which was actually just a reimagination of previously-released U2 songs. The last album of brand new music was 2017’s Songs of Solitude, meaning the upcoming release will be the first in nearly ten years.

That’s not to say U2 hasn’t been busy. Until the Eagles took over the Vegas Sphere, U2 were the kings of the technologically mesmerizing landmark of 2020s live music. What was initially supposed to last just five nights turned into a 40-concert residency generating roughly $256 million in revenue.

Mullen was sidelined during the residency while recovering from neck surgery, and his presence in the Street of Dreams performance was just the second time he’s made a major appearance since.

"It was difficult being away because of injury," Mullin told the BBC. "So I'm thrilled to be back in a creative environment, even if I'm not 100% there…When I was away from the band, I missed it, but I didn't realize how much I missed it."

Byrne-n down the house

Happy birthday to the one and only David Byrne! To celebrate the legendary Talking Heads’ frontman, we’re quizzin’ you on all things art rock with today’s trivia 😎