Dry Ice Makes Cleaning Wine Barrels a Blast

Innovators Vic Vasquez and Bob Flook blast dry ice into wine barrels to remove mold spores, bacteria, and fungus while keeping “toast” levels of the barrel.

Great Advances in Dishwashing

Panasonic has created a robotic arm that bridges a critical gap in cleaning up: the bot can pick up a dirty glass, dump out its contents in the sink, and place it in the dishwasher for you. The technology is intended for people with limited mobility, but you know you want it.

Kellogg's Tests Branding Individual Corn Flakes

Kellogg's is experimenting with lasering its logo into every corn flake manufactured in order to combat competition from "fake flakes." Via yumsugar.

Aussies Revolt Against Vegemite "iSnack 2.0"

Following an uproar by Australians, Kraft Foods is recanting on its plans to name a new line of its vegemite product "iSnack 2.0." The high-tech, forward-looking concoction is a blend of vegemite and cream cheese. Yum!

The ludicrous name, which sounds like a joke (but isn't), was selected by Kraft as part of a public naming contest that fielded 48,000 entries.

According to the Brisbane Times, following an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the choice, Kraft issued a statement that it was backing down: "Please bear with us for the next 48 hours as we finalise how Australians and New Zealanders can decide the new name through an independent popularity vote."

An announcement from Kraft Foods regarding the name is expected on Friday.

Scan and Slim: There's an App for That

FoodScanner is a new iPhone app that can scan the barcodes off of food items and record your calorie intake as you eat. Of course, there may be a bigger problem with your diet if everything you eat comes stamped with a barcode.

Coming Soon: Fruit With Tramp Stamps

Not exactly. But, the Chicago Tribune does report that tattoos may soon replace stickers on fruits and vegetables.

In the Future, We'll Be Drinking Remote Controlled Rainwater

A finalist in the 2009 Electrolux Design Lab competition, the "Water Catcher" (by Penghao Shan of China's Zhejiang Sci-tech University) sends out flying tennis ball-size robots into your neighborhood to collect rainfall. Once full, the roving balls automatically return to a homing tray for filtration, whereupon they may then be summoned to you to fill your glass with water.

A video, below, demonstrates how the concept might work.

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Big Demand for Pixelated Plates

Despite the recession, there's one place where the restaurant industry is booming: a virtual world on Facebook.

Finally, A Pyramid-Shaped Watermelon

Japanese farmers, who advanced growing technology with the creation of a heart-shaped watermelon, have really outdone themselves this time by engineering a pyramid-shaped watermelon. Via Fork in the Road.

Tweets on Tap

A tweeting beer tap posts a tweet for every pour. Via Mashable.