Hello guys and girls,

    I am a bit new on this forum, but I wanted to save ya'll some future trouble, by letting you know I just wrote a unique online calculator that calculates hydration, converts between almost anything - for example 4.63 ounces of 125% starter equals how many cups of starter, and has some other functionalities. It is hosted at:

http://www.whatsthesequency.com/cakey.php

The "other functionalities" is a pretty neat chart that maps every kind of baked good and is able to read in any recipe for baked goods and correctly place it on the chart. I like to think it's something special. Anyway, I would love any feedback ya'll have on what I wrote, corrections, etc.

Thanks,

Michael O.

So, as an amateur baker (though I'm learning), I've had a good deal of fun in a miniature extended chemistry lesson regarding yeast and all its wonders.  Otherwise, though, I have a lifelong lay devotion to cosmology (daughter of an astrophysicist, go figure), and spend hours reading various science news.  However, in the archives of one of my favorite publications, New Scientist, I unearthed this brief article which I find terrifying...  

 http://www.newscientist.com/blog/environment/2008/07/why-global-warming-is-bad-for-bread.html

Apparently, according to some studies last year, rising carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere may lead to lower-gluten wheat which in turn leads of course to bread disasters!  Noooo....  I'm so glad I recycle!  Anyhow, I thought this might be interesting to others, too...