Shades of Mediocrity

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Well, not exactly. But my week and a half in the Black Hills with assorted friends, family, and critters was a welcome break from my usual quotidian concerns. I'm still catching up, though, which is why Shades has been silent. There's more to come soon, but here's something to ponder in the meantime:

"Meat makers may one day sit next to bread makers on the kitchen counter."

So says Jason Matheny, one of the scientists involved in research that could lead to the synthetic production of meat (yes, that's right, meat) for human consumption. Reading this description of their work makes me a little queasy. On the other hand, if their optimistic visions prove true, engineered meat could provide a satisfactory response to a lot of the troubling moral and ethical issues tied up in meat consumption. I bet they'll need some insanely great marketing to sell the stuff, though...