x marks the spot book review

X Marks the Spot: The story of archaeology in eight extraordinary discoveries

REVIEW BY AMARA THORNTON

Popular histories of archaeology have been published, in one form or another, for centuries. These narratives, at least those produced for European and American readers, frequently lean heavily on adventures and derring-do, thrilling revelations of ancient remains, often overseas. X Marks the Spot does not stray too far from that well-worn path.

In archaeology, context is everything. A discovery without context – location, stratigraphic layer, provenance – is a far less meaningful one. The same could be said for the history of archaeology and the history of archaeological discoveries, which are more complicated and more numerous than most popular narratives would have you believe. A history of archaeology without this complicated, populated context is really no history at all.

In his introduction, Scott outlines three main aims for his narrative of ‘the story of archaeology’: to highlight the decisions made on what to research/investigate; to reveal changes to how such investigations have been done; and to present the importance of the afterlives of discoveries. X Marks the Spot begins on familiar ground with the discovery of the ‘Rosetta Stone’ (p.11) during Napoleon’s Egypt campaigns, and the story of Champollion and the decipherment of its text which enabled scholars to gain access to written ancient Egyptian sources. One of the positive attributes of the book is that, apart from the Rosetta Stone and Machu Picchu (in Chapter 3), the discoveries and sites chosen are not what one might expect in a popular history of archaeology.

The first chapter is the only one set in Egypt, so if you’re looking for Howard Carter and Tutankhamun, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, we are taken to Peru, to the Silk Roads in Central Asia, to East Africa, to China, to Turkey, to Siberia, and to the Cyclades. Scott introduces some compelling support characters. We meet ‘half-Scottish and half-Chinese’ (p.54) diplomat and translator George Macartney and the monk Wang Yuanlu in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, alongside unnamed ‘African excavators’ (p.129), it is an unnamed ‘part Maasai, part Kikuyu’ man who had reported to Louis and Mary Leakey the location of ‘bones like stone’ (p.131), which decades afterwards led Mary Leakey to a significant discovery. And in Chapter 6 there is Mehmed Çakir, a Turkish sponge diver whose profession – as Scott demonstrates – had a long association with underwater archaeological finds. But people like Macartney, Wang, the unnamed man, and Çakir are not the main focus. In part, the shape of the narrative is driven by sources available to the author; but it is also a choice.

X Marks the Spot promises that it ‘is dedicated to this quintessentially human itch to find out about, and relate ourselves to, the physical remnants of our pasts’ (p.3), delivering this through eight individual stories taking place ‘in a particular era of archaeology’s evolution’ (p.5) from the early 19th century to today. By the fifth story, we are already in the 1970s, so nearly half the book focuses on the latter half of the 20th century. The chronological leap that the book takes is explained by the dual themes Scott examines: the context and ethics of ‘discoveries’ on the one hand, and the technological and intellectual evolution that drives archaeological advances on the other. The attempt to explore these two somewhat separate themes makes X Marks the Spot a book in two halves; its narrative feels, as a consequence, slightly disjointed. It is a battle between context and technology, neither of which wins.

The story of archaeology is not just one of progress in technology or interpretation. It is a story of people, politics, empires, culture, society itself. In discussing the Terracotta Warriors (Chapter 5, pp.161-162), Scott makes an important point: that ‘discovery’ is a battleground too. X Marks the Spot would have been more compelling if this point had been evenly and adequately presented throughout.

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X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries Hardcover – 25 May 2023

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'If you love Indiana Jones, this is the real thing' DAN SNOW 'A thrilling investigation' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB 'Alive with the spirit of adventure' SIR RANULPH FIENNES Through eight sensational stories of discovery, Professor Michael Scott traces the evolution of modern archaeology from colonial expeditions to today's cutting-edge digs, unearthing traps, curses and buried treasure along the way. We uncover why different periods and places have caught our attention and imaginations at different times. We meet the characters, some celebrated and some forgotten, who found world-famous discoveries like the Rosetta Stone, the Terracotta Warriors and Machu Picchu. We investigate ancient human footprints, stunning shipwrecks, mythical princesses and surprising rituals as keyholes to the wonders of past civilisations. And we unravel how archaeological finds have often become emblems of modern fascinations and dilemmas. Crossing millions of years, trekking from the jungles of South America to the frozen highlands of Central Asia, X Marks the Spot reveals how much the discovery of our past is intertwined with the concerns of our present and why X never, ever marks the spot. 'Fascinating' GREG JENNER 'An essential read for anyone with even a fleeting interest in exploring the past' JANINA RAMIREZ

• Print length 320 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date 25 May 2023
• Dimensions 15.8 x 3.2 x 23.6 cm
• ISBN-10 152936776X
• ISBN-13 978-1529367768
• See all details

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Book description, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hodder & Stoughton (25 May 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 152936776X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529367768
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.8 x 3.2 x 23.6 cm
• Best Sellers Rank: 320,328 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books )

About the author

Michael scott.

Michael is a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick; Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement; winner of the 2021 Classical Association Outreach Prize; Director of Warwick Classics Network; National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; Fellow of the Royal Historical Society; member of The Royal Society Public Engagement Committee; Honorary Citizen of Delphi, Greece; President of the Lytham Saint Annes Classical Association and Trustee and Director of Classics for All. He was delighted to be made a Lego Classicist in 2019, and in 2022 was honoured to be International Lego Classicist of the Year.

He is the author of 5 books on the ancient Mediterranean world as well as ancient Global History, which have been translated into multiple languages. He has also written and presented over 12 TV and Radio documentaries about the ancient world for National Geographic, History Channel, SBS Australia, ITV and the BBC. He writes regularly for national and international magazines and newspapers, and has appeared in a wide range of Podcasts including several times on BBC Sounds You're Dead to Me.

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@profmcscott), as well as on Facebook (search for ProfMichaelScott page). Join him for his regular live Q&A's on Facebook where you can ask him your questions about his books and about the ancient world.

Check out his website - www.michaelscottweb.com - for more information on all his projects and to give your feedback on his books.

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Michael Scott

Academic, author and broadcaster in history and archaeology.

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X Marks the Spot: The Discovery and Discoverers of Our Past

I am delighted to announce that Hodder & Stoughton have decided to publish my narrative non-fiction book ‘X Marks the Spot: The Discovery and Discoverers of Our Past’ that will explore the history of discovery.

Senior commissioning editor Anna Baty commented: “I’m thrilled to be welcoming Michael Scott to Hodder. He’s a brilliant historian and communicator who I’ve been a fan of for many years. His new book, X Marks the Spot, is told with the spirit of an explorer and the intellectual rigour of an academic, making it an exhilarating and eye-opening read.”

This new book will be a journey of intellectual discovery and adventure through eight of the world’s greatest archaeological discoveries, from underwater shipwrecks to settlements in the clouds. X Marks the Spot will offer a reflection on the nature of history and discovery itself, peeling back layers of history to simultaneously examine the time of an artefact’s creation, as well as the time of its discovery millennia later. I will also uncover the fascinating characters behind great discoveries.

My love of the past began with Indiana Jones, and this work is a tribute to the real-life Indianas of our past, present and future. Join me to follow their struggles through deserts, fights through jungles, battles against the narcotic effects of nitrogen deep under water, and perseverance through the icy cold of the mountains to uncover the objects, locations and peoples that have unlocked the secrets and wonders of our past.

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Bbc books: the story of the ancient world.

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X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries Paperback – Sept. 3 2024

'Fascinating' GREG JENNER 'I couldn't put it down' JANINA RAMIREZ 'Fabulous' NATALIE HAYNES 'Alive with the spirit of adventure' RANULPH FIENNES 'If you love Indiana Jones, this is the real thing' DAN SNOW Ancient shipwrecks in crystal seas, mythical princesses preserved in ice and astonishing lost rituals - this is the story of archaeology. Professor Michael Scott uncovers the true stories behind history's most monumental discoveries, unearthing traps, curses and buried treasure along the way. Full of extraordinary characters - from glory hunters to forgotten heroes - X Marks the Spot explores our love affair with the past.

• Print length 320 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Hodder
• Publication date Sept. 3 2024
• Dimensions 12.6 x 2.6 x 19.6 cm
• ISBN-10 1529367859
• ISBN-13 978-1529367850
• See all details

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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hodder (Sept. 3 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1529367859
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529367850
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 240 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.6 x 2.6 x 19.6 cm
• #4,187 in Archaeology (Books)

About the author

Michael scott.

Michael is a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick; Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement; winner of the 2021 Classical Association Outreach Prize; Director of Warwick Classics Network; National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; Fellow of the Royal Historical Society; member of The Royal Society Public Engagement Committee; Honorary Citizen of Delphi, Greece; President of the Lytham Saint Annes Classical Association and Trustee and Director of Classics for All. He was delighted to be made a Lego Classicist in 2019, and in 2022 was honoured to be International Lego Classicist of the Year.

He is the author of 5 books on the ancient Mediterranean world as well as ancient Global History, which have been translated into multiple languages. He has also written and presented over 12 TV and Radio documentaries about the ancient world for National Geographic, History Channel, SBS Australia, ITV and the BBC. He writes regularly for national and international magazines and newspapers, and has appeared in a wide range of Podcasts including several times on BBC Sounds You're Dead to Me.

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@profmcscott), as well as on Facebook (search for ProfMichaelScott page). Join him for his regular live Q&A's on Facebook where you can ask him your questions about his books and about the ancient world.

Check out his website - www.michaelscottweb.com - for more information on all his projects and to give your feedback on his books.

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X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary Discoveries Hardcover – 25 May 2023

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'If you love Indiana Jones, this is the real thing' DAN SNOW 'A thrilling investigation' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB 'Alive with the spirit of adventure' SIR RANULPH FIENNES Through eight sensational stories of discovery, Professor Michael Scott traces the evolution of modern archaeology from colonial expeditions to today's cutting-edge digs, unearthing traps, curses and buried treasure along the way. We uncover why different periods and places have caught our attention and imaginations at different times. We meet the characters, some celebrated and some forgotten, who found world-famous discoveries like the Rosetta Stone, the Terracotta Warriors and Machu Picchu. We investigate ancient human footprints, stunning shipwrecks, mythical princesses and surprising rituals as keyholes to the wonders of past civilisations. And we unravel how archaeological finds have often become emblems of modern fascinations and dilemmas. Crossing millions of years, trekking from the jungles of South America to the frozen highlands of Central Asia, X Marks the Spot reveals how much the discovery of our past is intertwined with the concerns of our present and why X never, ever marks the spot. 'Fascinating' GREG JENNER 'An essential read for anyone with even a fleeting interest in exploring the past' JANINA RAMIREZ

• Print length 320 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date 25 May 2023
• Dimensions 15.8 x 3.2 x 23.6 cm
• ISBN-10 152936776X
• ISBN-13 978-1529367768
• See all details

Product description

Book description, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hodder & Stoughton (25 May 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 152936776X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529367768
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 550 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.8 x 3.2 x 23.6 cm
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ United Kingdom

About the author

Michael scott.

Michael is a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick; Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement; winner of the 2021 Classical Association Outreach Prize; Director of Warwick Classics Network; National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; Fellow of the Royal Historical Society; member of The Royal Society Public Engagement Committee; Honorary Citizen of Delphi, Greece; President of the Lytham Saint Annes Classical Association and Trustee and Director of Classics for All. He was delighted to be made a Lego Classicist in 2019, and in 2022 was honoured to be International Lego Classicist of the Year.

He is the author of 5 books on the ancient Mediterranean world as well as ancient Global History, which have been translated into multiple languages. He has also written and presented over 12 TV and Radio documentaries about the ancient world for National Geographic, History Channel, SBS Australia, ITV and the BBC. He writes regularly for national and international magazines and newspapers, and has appeared in a wide range of Podcasts including several times on BBC Sounds You're Dead to Me.

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@profmcscott), as well as on Facebook (search for ProfMichaelScott page). Join him for his regular live Q&A's on Facebook where you can ask him your questions about his books and about the ancient world.

Check out his website - www.michaelscottweb.com - for more information on all his projects and to give your feedback on his books.

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Words and Reviews

The word, wordprompts, and opinions on books, book review: x marks the spot,  by sean deffely.

A Book Review   \ by Jackie Houchin

The posh, dapper-dressing, brilliant, but oh, so, conceited Detective Chief Inspector, James Thaw assures everyone that he will certainly solve the case. And while he reads detective novels or simply sits and “thinks,” it appears his “right-hand-man, Detective Inspector, Thomas Friday does all the research and legwork.

Just when it looks like the case is getting away from him, Thaw, like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, comes up with possibilities and connections the reader never sees. But of course, they all make sense when he tells them.

And at the end of the book, also like Homes and Poirot, he calmly reveals his methods and conclusions in a single room gathering of everyone involved – a truly surprising and satisfyingly denouement.

The Epilogue is a very sly lead-in to the next book in the series to whet your appetite, so beware. It made me want to check out the other DCI James Thaw mysteries!

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X-Men '97 Episodes 1-3 Review: That Thing You Remember

So, how are we feeling about nostalgia these days?

Ever since South Park coined the concept of "member berries" and associated it with voting for old men and their regressive prejudices, it’s been commonplace in fan communities to rage against perceived pandering. The Rise of Skywalker is widely considered to have done it too much, and every surprise cameo in a Star Wars or Marvel show tends to annoy as many viewers as it pleases.

Perhaps, though, the problem is in who the alleged pandering is for. Gen X nostalgia is everywhere, but Millennial nostalgia? Could that be a different beast? Judging by the overwhelmingly approving response of the Millennial with whom I share my life to the first three episodes of X-Men ’97 , it’s a perfect replica of the show that was so formative nearly 30 years ago.

Grab a Surge and Some Bubble Tape

Rest assured, X-Men ’97 isn’t just a modern continuation of the animated series that began in 1992. It’s a full re-creation, with only the tiniest of modern tweaks. It’s the same art style, the same limited animation and overly basic lip-sync, the same overly explanatory dialogue, and a ’90s period setting that includes references to pagers and "…Not!" jokes. This isn’t an X-Men cartoon geared to kids today, but one that reproduces what thirtysomethings remember, the way they remember it. You don’t even have to ask whether or not it includes that familiar Haim Saban and Shuki Levy theme song that the movies bizarrely eschewed. Of course it does, over what is still one of the best cartoon intro sequences ever.

It’s preceded by a new Marvel Animation logo which includes glimpses of their ’60s shows all the way through to What If…? And let’s face it, one of the biggest missteps What If…? has made is sticking to the same animation style throughout, when an animated multiverse ought to represent all styles of animation, as Sony’s Spider-Verse does. The addition of a retro-’90s style to the repertoire suggests that at least Marvel Studios may not be married to one house style for a medium as potentially unlimited as animation.

X Vaguely Marks the Spot

You could be forgiven if you don’t remember every plot point and nuance of a ’90s Fox Kids series, but the show quickly gets viewers up to speed, assuming they have a basic knowledge of who Cyclops, Wolverine, and the other major players are. Professor X is now dead, murdered by a racist terrorist. Jean Grey is pregnant, and she and Scott/Cyclops are considering leaving active superhero duty behind to raise a family away from the action. Cyclops is a weak leader as things stand, with a lot of pushback from Wolverine, Rogue, and Gambit.

As for the other primary team members, Storm and Morph are a bit more chill, the former because she has godlike powers, and the latter, well, just because they’re that kind of person. Yes, Morph is now officially they/them non-binary. It only makes sense, really, for a shape and gender-shifter. Jubilee’s still an enthusiastic teen, while Bishop mostly stands around waiting for genius Beast to fix his time-travel device so he can go home.

That’s about it for the major characters, though Morph frequently shape-shifts into other familiar beings. If you find yourself wondering why, say, Archangel or Spiral suddenly showed up, well, it’s usually Morph.

The continuity may be a touch off. It’s hard to recall every plot point from years ago, but it sure seems like some characters who ought to know each other, don’t. Best to not worry about that too much and see this as loose continuity. (Or maybe I’m remembering wrong. That can happen when you’re old enough to be nostalgic for 30 year-old things.)

What’s New?

We watch cartoons a bit differently nowadays than the classic Saturday morning block, and X-Men ’97 has adapted to that. While each of the three new episodes sent for review contains a stand-alone adventure, they also all end with a soap opera-like hook for the next one, a trend that will presumably continue through the streaming season. The show is also no longer bound by Fox Network standards and practices. While that doesn’t mean full-on sex scenes or anything, there are more innuendos and scary/dark moments than ’90s networks allowed kids to see.

Episode 103 in particular seems like one where the animators watched a lot of Akira first, and it there’s a sequence of shattering stained glass that looks like it got the sort of digital assist unavailable in 1997. These are small things that may ultimately build to transition the show more into the modern era, but it makes sure to firmly plant itself in comfort-food territory first.

Retro X-tacy

Not everyone will be down with that – look at all the fans who complained about Ghostbusters 2016 not being a sequel, then complained again when an actual sequel shoehorned in "too many" references to the original. Rated for what it is, though – a perfect continuation, in exactly the same style, of Millennial childhood bliss – it’s hard to find any fault with X-Men ’97, because even its "faults" are in character.

X-Men ‘97 debuts with the first two episodes on Wednesday, March 20, exclusively on Disney+

What If Snapdragon X Marks the Spot … for Chromebook? (Premium)

• Paul Thurrott
• May 11, 2024

It's probably not surprising that my recent MacBook Air M3 triggered a rabbit hole of conjecture about coming Snapdragon X-based Windows laptops. But what about ChromeOS? Isn't this lightweight personal computing platform an even better match for this intriguing new family of Arm chips?

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that Snapdragon X could transform Windows on Arm from an also-ran into a mainstream solution and provide the foundation for a new decade of PC use. But I also have concerns and fears based on too many years of experience and too many disappointments. And while Snapdragon X seems to address the hardware-based disappointments of the past, there are still some concerns on the software side of this equation.

These concerns are part of a much broader topic, a topic I've been grappling with since the web and then mobile devices transformed the industry. Many years ago, I voiced these concerns in the form of a semi-rhetorical question about which outcome was more likely: Microsoft simplifying Windows, its complex legacy platform, or Apple (at the time) making its simpler iOS mobile platform more sophisticated?

The history since is messy. Microsoft has tried to simplify Windows in more ways than most remember, with Windows RT, Windows 10X, S mode and Windows 10 S, Windows 11 (albeit all surface-level), and so on. Apple has steadily improved iOS, splitting off iPadOS as a semi-independent fork, and adding laptop capabilities. And ChromeOS, which started off as the simplest-possible platform, has expanded with Android and Linux app compatibility and more premium hardware experiences. No clear winner has emerged. Today, Windows PCs, iPads, and Chromebooks are all viable product lines, but none has replaced the others. We are, in many ways, in the same place we were 10 or 15 years ago or more.

I feel strongly that simplicity wins in the end, but I sometimes have to remind myself that those simpler platforms—iPad and Chromebook—are offshoots of far more complex, legacy platforms too. The iPad came out of the iPhone, obviously, but that came out of Mac OS X, which was itself based on the Mach kernel and UNIX. And Chromebook, likewise, is a stripped-down version of Linux, originally designed to host the Chrome web browser. Point being, simplicity can grow out of complexity, like a flower can grow out of a pile of dung. It just has to be done correctly.

Microsoft's attempts at simplifying Windows, alas, have not been successful. And it is perhaps instructive to study these attempts to understand why that is so. These missteps explain why Windows is what it is today, and why Microsoft only has Windows whereas Apple has Mac, iPhone, and iPad and Google has ChromeOS and Android.

In Windows Everywhere and the article series that it sprung from, I make the case that the history of Windows as a platform can be seen as a series of reactions. And one of the most visceral of those reactions occurred in 2012, when Microsoft rele...

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9 places to nosh on bagels in southern Maine

From old-school spots to foodie favorites, there's a 'hole' lot to try.

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Bread and bagels at The Works Cafe in downtown Portland. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

From New York-style boiled bagels to Montreal-inspired wood-fired ones, there’s lots of great bagels in southern Maine and several shops have the accolades to back that up.

In 2023, Bon Appetit named bagels from Rose Foods and Rover Bagel among the best in the country.

Two years before that,  Food & Wine Magazine put Rover, Forage and Scratch Baking Co. on its list of best bagels in the U.S.

Whether you like yours toasted with cream cheese or as the bread for your breakfast sandwich, you can find plenty of styles and flavors from Biddeford to Brunswick.

BEACH BAGELS

The offerings at Beach Bagels include a French toast and marble bagel, and the cream cheese menu comprises spreads like strawberry, olive and honey walnut. Along with breakfast sandwiches, Beach Bagels has hearty breakfast options like omelets and pancakes. Best of all, you’re steps away from a beach stroll. Just don’t let the seagulls steal your bagel. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily WHERE: 34 Old Orchard St., Old Orchard Beach. beachbagels.yolasite.com ______________

Dutchman’s opened in 2022 as a pop-up housed at Nomad pizza in Brunswick’s Fort Andross building. It’s since become a permanent fixture there and uses the pizzeria’s wood-fired ovens to bake its bagels. The hand-shaped, honey-boiled bagels come in plain, roasted garlic, poppy and a bagel-of-the-day flavor.

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday to Sunday WHERE: Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. dutchmans.me ______________

FORAGE MARKET

Making bagels at Forage Market involves a two-day aging process. The bagels are naturally leavened with wild yeast starter and baked next to a hardwood fire. There are usually five flavors available, including sesame and garlic. Breakfast sandwiches (including vegan options) are available. Forage also has a location in Lewiston. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 123 Washington Ave., Portland. foragemarket.com _____________

MISTER BAGEL

There are 10 or so Mister Bagel locations in Maine, including South Portland and Falmouth. It all began with the Portland location, which was the first bagel shop to open in Maine. The late Rick Hartglass started Mister Bagel in 1977, and it is still a family business. Music fans will appreciate the breakfast sandwich menu, which includes The David Bowie (bacon, egg and American cheese), the Jimmy Buffett (egg with roast beef and cheddar) and The Lady Gaga (avocado, salt and pepper, with or without egg).

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday WHERE: 599 Forest Ave., Portland. misterbagelforestave.com ______________

At Rose Foods, the menu varies depending on the day, but there are usually six to eight flavors available. For example, should you pop in on a Friday, you’ll find a poppy and onion bialy (a cousin of the bagel that is not boiled). Rose Foods also makes a number of bagel sandwiches, including the Classic Nova with Nova lox and the Classic Whitefish. Advertisement

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily WHERE: 428 Forest Ave., Portland. rosefoods.me

______________

ROVER BAGEL

At Rover Bagel, you’ll find wood-fired plain, poppy, sea salt, sesame and everything bagels available most of the time, and the spread game here is strong with cream cheese options like lemon-thyme-honey cream and chili-garlic.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 10 West Point Lane Suite 10-204, Biddeford (Pepperell Mill). roverbagel.com

______________ Advertisement

SCRATCH BAKING CO.

You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the line of devoted fans waiting for Scratch Baking Co. to open, especially on weekend mornings. Along with the popular Maine sea salt, plain and other everyday flavors, Scratch has a daily special bagel. There’s honeyed rosemary on Wednesday and jalapeno cheddar on Thursday. Scratch is also famous, at least to locals, for its P-Cheese spread. It’s a pimento cheese recipe made with cheddar, mayo, roasted red peppers and seasoning and was passed down to co-owner and head baker Allison Reid by her grandmother, Mern.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to noon Sunday WHERE: 416 Preble St., South Portland. scratchbakingco.com ___________

THE MAINE BAGEL

The Maine Bagel is a drive-thru with several breakfast and other kinds of sandwiches available. With a bagel list that features egg and bialy among the standards, the family-owned spot is the perfect place to stop on your way to Pine Point Beach. The Maine Bagel really shines with a dozen kinds of cream cheese spreads, including raisin-walnut, lox, strawberry, cranberry-nut and bacon-chive.

WHEN: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. WHERE: 117 Route 1, Scarborough. themainebagel.com Advertisement

THE WORKS CAFE

The Works Cafe is an institution on the edge of the Portland’s Old Port. It opened in 1990 as Bagel Works before it changed its name in 2002. The original shop in this regional chain opened in Manchester, Vermont, in 1988, and there are 11 locations around New England, though just the one in Maine. Gone are the ’90s-era banana-walnut bagels and cold pizza cream cheese, but The Works Cafe is still a reliable place to grab a salt, multigrain or cinnamon raisin bagel, among others. The menu also has bowls, sandwiches and smoothies.

WHEN: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily WHERE: 15 Temple St., Portland. workscafe.com

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When will Apple release new M4 Macs?

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

With the surprising announcement of the M4 chip for the new OLED iPad Pro , Apple declares the end of the M3 processor family by focusing on this new era. However, it means Cupertino needs to start updating all its MacBook and Mac models with the M4 chip. Here’s when these devices might get a refresh.

Is the M4 chip any good? How will it impact a new MacBook?

According to Apple, the M4 chip has a powerful new CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores, with next-gen ML generators. Up to 50% faster CPU compared to M2. With a 10-core GPU, it offers Dynamic Caching and hardware ray tracing. M4 can deliver the same performance as the M2 with just half the power. The Neural Engine comes with a 16-core design, with up to 38 trillion operations per second. It’s 60x faster than Apple’s first Neural Engine.

M4 MacBook and Mac models’ release date

Knowing that the M4 MacBook will be a huge improvement, especially for those with an M1 Mac or older models, expect a release date for M4 Macs starting later this year. So far, Bloomberg ‘s Mark Gurman is the only reporting about Apple’s new Mac models calendar. Here’s what we know.

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• MacBook Pro: Later this year, Apple will unveil the variants of the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max for its low-end and high-end MacBook Pro models
• Mac mini: Later this year, with M4 and M4 Pro variants
• iMac: Later this year, with the M4 chip
• MacBook Air: Similar to the M3 models, the release date for the M4 MacBook Air, in 13-inch and 15-inch options, is expected for spring of 2025
• Mac Studio: While it seems Apple will skip the M3 Ultra, it means a new Mac Studio might not be announced during WWDC 2024; that said, expect an M4 Max and M4 Ultra options in mid-2025
• Mac Pro: Gurman thinks the release date for the M4 Mac Pro will be in late 2025.

Gurman also reports that Apple plans to “beef up” the Mac mini as customers complain about the specifications available on current models. On the other hand, high-end Mac desktops could support half-terabyte of memory, while current Mac Studio and Mac Pro top out at 192GB.

That said, the main focus with the M4 Macs is to add new AI features across its products, as it’s planning to preview a slew of new features at  WWDC 2024 . Gurman says, “A large swath of those features are designed to run on the devices themselves — rather than in remote servers — and speedier chips will help drive those enhancements.”

This article talks about:

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.

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Xpress Burgers

Updated by business owner 1 month ago

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Corpus Christi, TX 78409

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About the Business

At Xpress Burgers, we love what we do, and it shows in everything we create. Our team is made up of burger enthusiasts who are passionate about bringing you the best burgers you have ever tasted. We pour our hearts and souls into every burger we make, from crafting the perfect patty to selecting the freshest toppings, and we are dedicated to delivering a memorable dining experience to all of our customers. When you choose Xpress Burgers, you are not just getting a meal - you are getting a taste of our passion and dedication to making burgers great again. Xpress Burgers is the ideal choice for anyone who appreciates quality, fresh, and homemade burgers made with love and care. Our commitment to excellence shines through in every aspect of our business, from the ingredients we use to the passion we put into each burger we create. When you dine at Xpress Burgers, you can expect a delicious, satisfying meal that is crafted with the utmost attention to detail and care. Come experience the difference of Xpress Burgers for yourself and taste the love we put into every bite. …

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The BEST burger I have had in a while! So glad we found this hidden gem, will definitely be back again soon. That GENIUS sauce... oh em gee!!

Xpress Burgers is a to go shop located inside of Exxon Mobile gas station on Mckinzie Rd and I-37 Access Rd. Prices are pretty affordable with a burger for $8.99 and combos between $10.99-$12.99. You walk in, decide what you want, and write it on the order slip. Then hand it to one of the workers and they will prepare it! It costs .99 cents extra for grilled onions and jalapeno. What I ordered: Cheeseburger with grilled onions/jalapenos and pepper jack cheese - The first thing I noticed is that the burger is super greasy. That really is the only negative. The beef tastes good, grilled veg is not overdone, and the bun was fantastic! Honestly, the burger I had was pretty good and I would come back for it. The price is fair, size is big, and definitely filled me up. Just watch out for all the grease. It was leaking through my paper bag.

Xpress Fat Burger

If you're passing through Corpus Christi and crave an authentic, mouth-watering burger, or especially if you live here . Xpress Burger is your go-to spot. Don't let its unassuming location fool you; this place is a treasure trove for burger lovers. What makes Xpress Burger stand out is their incredible double-decker burger. It's not just any burger; it's a culinary masterpiece. The patties are thick, juicy, and cooked to perfection, capturing the essence of what a homemade burger should be. You'll feel the love With the Fresh ingredients sandwiched between fluffy buns, each bite takes you on a delightful journey of flavors and textures. The service at Xpress Burger is as impressive as their food. Ordering is a breeze at the counter, and despite the small size of the restaurant, they've managed to create a cozy dining area. The staff is welcoming and efficient, ensuring you're not waiting long to dig into your meal. I can't wait to go back to try something else off the menu. In conclusion, Xpress Burger is a must-visit for anyone in Corpus Christi. It's a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. Their burgers are easily some of the best I've ever had, making this spot well worth a visit

Super juicy and tasted great. Best burger for miles around! We heard about this place from coworkers.

By Xpress Fat Burgers

Honestly the best burger I've had and it's surprising cause corpus has a lot of meh food but this burger is honestly one of the hidden gems. We had the double on sourdough buns with grilled onions and extra cheese (I highly recommend) and we also had the Philly the flavor was good but it just needed some extra cheese and mayo on it. And we also got the mozzarella cheese sticks and they was pretty good not the best I've had but still good. The only sad part is I had it delivered and they forgot my sauce but even without it..it was still amazing even tho it was like 15 minutes old. Definitely gonna try more of the menu and also try some extra things there

i'm not even being generous this place was just one of THE best burger i've had it is a little pricey but worth it the "genius" sauce goes great with it i wouldn't be surprised if they expand and make restaurant trust me go to this place n u won't regret *grilled onions is a must*

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Misti M. said "I am in corpus visiting my son. We decided to eat here. Wow!!! We are used to subway so this was a treat. Tons of meat, it was great. We all enjoyed it tremendously. The girl at the front was a little rude when my husband asked for…" read more

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