Enlarge / This was not a real slide from Google I/O 2022, but it could have been. (credit: Google / Ron Amadeo)
Google held its I/O conference earlier this month, and for longtime Google watchers, the event felt like a seance. Google CEO Sundar Pichai stepped on stage for his keynote address and channeled the spirits of long-dead Google products. "I'm hearing... something about an Android tablet? And a smartwatch?" he seemed to say.
By my count, "resurrecting the past" accounted for around half of the company's major announcements. In all of these cases, Google would be in a much stronger position if it had committed to a long-term plan and continuously iterated on that plan.
Unfortunately, the company doesn't have that kind of top-down direction. Instead, for most of the resurrected products, Google is trying to catch up to competitors after years of standing still. There's a question we have to ask for every announcement: "Will things be different this time?"
Enginering students from Johns Hopkins University prototyped an edible adhesive tape, called Tastee Tape, to keep burritos and other wrapped foods sealed up during consumption. (In the image above, they used tape colored with dye.)
From Johns Hopkins University:
"First, we learned about the science around tape and different adhesives, and then we worked to find edible counterparts," said Tyler Guarino, who teamed up with fellow engineering seniors Marie Eric, Rachel Nie, and Erin Walsh on the project.
The team tested a "multitude" of ingredients and combinations before settling on a final recipe, which is edible, safe, and has the tensile strength you can trust to hold together a fat burrito.
Because they are applying for a patent, team members declined to disclose their secret formula.
"What I can say is that all its ingredients are safe to consume, are food grade, and are common food and dietary additives," Guarino said.
Months spent prototyping resulted in rectangular strips measuring half an inch by two inches. These come affixed to sheets of waxed paper. To use, simply remove a strip from the sheet, wet thoroughly to activate, and apply to your lunch, dinner, or favorite snack.
“Do Sonny and Cher still have that stupid show?"
"No. She won an Oscar, and he's a congressman."
"Good night!" pic.twitter.com/kfUnVIZRcg