(Photo from behind the bar at the club Jalopy in Brooklyn.) News The McGurk Effect video everyone’s been on about. Harry McGurk came across it while studying infant perception of speech. The effect works with various syllables. Here’s one that combines McGurk effect with the Ventriloquist effect. New mathematical model of ‘harmonious’ and ‘dissonant’ sounds. [...]

ABSINTHE Valentin Magnan: 19th century studies showed negative responses to alcohol-diluted wormwood in animals, but wasn’t studied in humans. What’s the deal? Here’s the deal: There wasn’t enough thujone in pre-ban bottles to cause trouble. And yes, it occurred to them that the chemical composition might have changed over time. Vintage and modern absinthe is [...]