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What Coke Contains (2013)

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Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#41
post #14

> The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero. This reminds me a fact I remember time to time. If civilization collapses after, say, a world war, I most probably can't make a pot, can't grow plants, can't differentiate if one is edible or not, can't dig for petrol, can't make plastic (or even glass), can't reinvent concrete, can't make gunpowder etc., you get the point. I can only write softw…

Man doesn't live his life in the state of an emergency/fear. Meaning, there is no reason to prepare or give thought about how you would live your life after a world war - simply put, your quality of life would drop, likely predating you back to the standards of 1880 and dying at the age of 45 bc you can't fight simple sanitary infections. If your worry is honest you would want to advocate freedoms all of which are being taken away and increasing the likelihood of world wars today.

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#42
Speaking as somebody who's never even smoked a cigarette or a joint: are there people who tried to recreate the "original" coke recipe? The one with "unprocessed" coca leaves? Is it available on say the latest instance of Silk Road? What is it like?

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#43

> The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more magnesium than the rest of the can. Nope, the pressure from the carbon dioxide pushes equally against all sides of the can. If anything the pressure at the top is slightly lower than at the bottom, at le…

You are correct, but I read that as "the weakest part of a can is the top and bottom, so it needs to be stronger"

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#44

> The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more magnesium than the rest of the can. Nope, the pressure from the carbon dioxide pushes equally against all sides of the can. If anything the pressure at the top is slightly lower than at the bottom, at le…

The pressure difference is trivial. The reason it has to be thicker is because the top is flatter than the sides (convex) and bottom (concave). If the top was domed up it could be thinner. Have you ever seen an overheated or frozen can? The top is usually bulging while the rest is still intact.

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#45

I wish Coca Cola would make a acid free version of coke. The Phosphoric Acid adds a slight tang to the drink, but in exchange absolutely destroys your teeth over years of consumption. For regular drinkers like myself I'd happily pay a small premium to buy the "acid free" version of the drink. The sugar still does damage but with both the acid AND sugar it is like a double whammy of "badness" (acid which destroys your…

The problem is, the acid is a vital component of the flavor. Try mixing water with sugar to see what I mean...it is sweet, but it's not particualy good. To make it taste better, the best approach is to add some acid (lemon juice naturally gets you lemonade, but other edible acids would get you a similar effect.) Even fruit juice follows this basic flavor formula (most fruits are acidic, though watermelons are basic)

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#47
post #14

> The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero. This reminds me a fact I remember time to time. If civilization collapses after, say, a world war, I most probably can't make a pot, can't grow plants, can't differentiate if one is edible or not, can't dig for petrol, can't make plastic (or even glass), can't reinvent concrete, can't make gunpowder etc., you get the point. I can only write softw…

These books are super dense with that sort of thing. We bought them when we moved out to the country, I've barely scratched the surface. Not really durable though.

http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Wisdom-Know-How-Everything/dp...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1579123686/

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Wisdom-Know-How-Everything-Harv...

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#48
post #3

The same type of story as the classic "I, pencil," published in 1958: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2C_Pencil

He edited the piece to note that one. I love this tool chain type piece. Someone should write one about computer tool chains.

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#49

> coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive stimulant cocaine According to Wikipedia "The Stepan Company is the only manufacturing plant authorized by the Federal Government to import and process the coca plant, which it obtains mainly from Peru and, to a lesser extent, Bolivia. Besides producing the coca flavoring agen…

It would be interesting to see how the cocaine supply line works. I imagine they'd need armored vehicles and a lot of security for the entire trip from NJ to MO.

No more so that the security used for painkillers like Oxycontin. I haven't seen armed guards doing deliveries at CVS, but you never know. There are a lot less suspicious ways to acquire cocaine than to hijack a semi.

Re: What Coke Contains (2013)

#50
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Grandfather used to use it to take the rust off his car.

In my country Coke is used by plumbers to unblock drains and pipes. Just knowing that has always discouraged me from drinking it.

Unless you're a little backed up...
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