pesky 8th month

This writer proposes that we get rid of August, and lists all the reasons why. Sounds good to me. Wonder how it would affect the last-minute rush to get your time done.

elegance

If I had a lot of money, I wouldn't spend my money on flashy cars and appalling fashion. I would buy fine quality writing instruments and personalized stationery.

Ah, I think I've found my weakness...

*sigh* Such a snob when it comes to the written word.

muse

I think someone should write a song where the lyrics rhyme "señorita" and "Velveeta" in a clever way.

Radium Craze

I'm currently reading "Obsessive Genius" by Barbara Goldsmith, a biography about Marie Curie. I would recommend it, as it's very interesting. I've just passed the section that talks about Curie's isolation and identification of the element radium in 1902. I never realized this discovery touched off a "radium craze" around the world.

The book's website has an abridged chapter posted, noting that radium can be diluted up to 600,000 times and still retain its power. Dilutions of radium were added to tea, health tonics, face creams, lipsticks, bath salts, even water. One American industrialist, Eben Byers, drank the radium-water product Raithor at a rate of a bottle a day for 4 years, "at the end of which he died in excruciating pain from cancer of the jaw as his facial bones disintegrated."

I wonder how much of the weird health issues we're facing now has to do with this glorious chapter in history. Radium has a half-life of 1,620 years, after all.

Related links:

The Radium Girls
Theodore Gray apparently collects item from the radium craze era; it's scary to think of what you can buy on Ebay.
More history on atomic energy use through the years

Yet another use for duct tape

Who says you have to spend a lot of money to give a classy gift? For those of you lacking manual dexterity, consider this pre-assembled alternative.

I love my country. Long live consumer culture!

Stay in school, kids (part II)

If I owned a grocery store, and had a "10 items or less" lane, I would rig it so that alarms and flashing lights would go off once the cashier scanned an 11th item. A soothing voice would announce, "We're sorry, you have activated our automated idiot-detection system. Please step back and an associate will help you shortly." At which point the customer would be whisked to a back room for remedial math lessons.

I bet that would help speed up checkout.

Stay in school, kids

While I was waiting in line at Burger King the other day, I started reading the rules and regulations for their Star Wars "Choose Your Destiny" game pieces. When I got to section 4-B (it was a long line), I noticed an interesting statement (viewable online here) that dealt with how to redeem your food prize:

"Canadian residents are required to obtain a Skill Testing Question Sheet (available at participating BURGER KING® restaurants in Canada) and correctly answer the mathematical skill testing question on the sheet. Prior to awarding prize, a Canadian restaurant employee will verify Game Piece and the answer to the skill testing question."

Can you imagine them doing that in the US? Might help cut down on the obesity problem...

But I found an explanation for the skill testing question. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the popular concept that if you're stupid, you don't deserve food. Too bad.

Behave yourself

I wonder if the ASBO concept will ever make it to the US.

Out of the loop

Maybe it's because I live in a third-world country now, but I've never heard of Crazy Frog. Perhaps I should count that as a blessing. But if you're really curious, you can see what all the fuss is about.

And if you really have too much time on your hands (or if you binge on cable connections after living in a third-world country), read the lyrics or the history of what some consider "the most annoying thing."

Ubergeeks

So are you one? Check out this NY Times article

ick

I find padded toilet seats disturbing in a way I cannot express in words.