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Showing posts from October, 2007

You in the Mirror

or not. A cool existential prank.

Old Man and his Moped

An old man on a Moped, looking about 100 years old, pulls up next to a doctor at a street light. The old man looks over at the sleek shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya got there, sonny?" The doctor replies, "A Ferrari GTO. It cost half a million dollars!" "That's a lot of money," says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?" "Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the doctor proudly. The Moped driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?" "No problem," replies the doctor. So the old man pokes his head in the window and looks around. Then, sitting back on his Moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right... but I'll stick with my Moped!" Just then the light changes, so the doctor decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He floors it, and within 30 seconds the speedometer reads 160 mph. Suddenly, he notices a d

To Get Rid of Dust Mites

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Here's one for Marbella's research... wanna get rid of those dust mites under the covers? Don't Make Your Bed ! Just another one of those findings that seem to keep coming up about what some of us do naturally. :-) We had a German neighbor once. She used to mow her lawn with one of those cool little mowers that power their blades totally from the motion of the wheels. She mowed about 3 times a week. And it used to drive her batty that whenever I mowed the lawn, I would always leave a patch of it wild. At first she thought maybe there were rocks or something there, but what really set her off was when she noticed the location of the wild patch would change with each mowing. I finally had to explain it to her: "You're German, I'm Irish; you see, the Irish believe that you should always leave areas for the wild things in your life." I don't know if she bought it or not, but she didn't bug me about it after that. Of course, the Irish are also known for

Fear and Individual Freedom

This is a fascinating documentary, showing some amazing historical threads that most people are unaware of behind our most recent conflicts of ideologies with the middle east and with the erosion of individual freedom in america. It's not a conspiracy film and it is solidly grounded. Highly recommended (a bit long though, but it keeps you riveted if you set away some time to learn about this. It *will* make you think and will give you some facts that 98% of the people with strong opinions on these issues have no clue about.) Part 2 is here , for you over-achievers.

Final Illusion

So, play this, then hit replay and hear the notes continue to climb. Try hitting replay again. Note that you are hearing the SAME sounds :-) AMAZING Audio Illusion - Funny video clips are a click away

Another Head Trip

Watch this and listen to what he is saying, then close your eyes and listen to what he saying; is it different? :-)

Brain Dominance Test

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OK, I thought this was a trick. But now I'm not so sure. She would be spinning one way and then she'd spin the other way. I had to get bright-eyes too look at it exactly the same time I did ---and we saw it going different directions. WTF? Which way is she spinning in the picture? Clock-wise or Counter-clockwise? Click on the picture to see the animated version. Supposedly if you see her going counter-clockwise you are left brained and clockwise you are right brained. I guess if she keeps changing directions you are just MESSED UP! Although the same thing happened to bright-eyes, so it may be contagious. LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philos

I'll Have Mine Chastised

Woke up with a strange dream fragment rattling around in my head. A group of us had made our way up to Cloudcroft and were sitting around a table at a restaurant trying to decide what to order. I was thinking about the chicken-fried steak, but the menu kept changing. The guy sitting next to me decided he wanted the catfish, but he didn't want it breaded, he wanted it chastised. Now I'm not a gourmet chef, but this was the first I heard of this method of preparation?

Creative Exam Answers

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FDA

You decide . . . "FDA calls aspartame ... one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved. The agency says the more than 100 toxicological and clinical studies it has reviewed confirm that aspartame is safe for the general population." -vs- "Our study has shown that aspartame is a multipotential carcinogenic compound whose carcinogenic effects are also evident at a daily dose of 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg), notably less than the current acceptable daily intake for humans,” the authors write." Don't Drink the Diet Coke No, It's for Real: Aspartame Causes Cancer Hmmm, if this is the most thoroughly tested stuff they've ever approved, kind of makes one wonder about the rest, no?

Scintillating

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I Can Relate

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. . . except for the "could recall memories learned at other times" bit... Cockroaches: Morons in the Morning, Geniuses in the Evening "They found that the individuals trained during the evening retained the memory for several days. Those trained at night also had good retention. During the morning, however, when the cockroaches are least active, they were totally incapable of forming a new memory, although they could recall memories learned at other times." Been reading some interesting bug studies lately. Like about fireflies, and how that "bling" in their bellies is more than a pretty light show for attracting mates; it's actually a high-wire act between death and sex , played out in the lazy theaters of warm summer nights. Perhaps little kids running around trapping them in jars was the least of their worries?

Read the Labels

Eduardo Arias did. He wondered why diethylene glycol was listed on the ingredients of a tube of discount toothpaste. A minor detail, overlooked by health authorities in dozens of countries, including the U.S.A. Diethylene glycol is a toxic ingredient commonly used in anti-freeze; it's a cheap substitute for glycerin, a more expensive thickener common in household products. Good thing it was listed on the label, I suppose. Just makes me wonder... all those efforts that Homeland Stupidity expends confiscating bottles of Evian spring water and sewing kits, and the FDA becoming(?) more the voice of the political and economic interests ("we'll let this on the market but you must list the possible side-effects: liver disease, brain aneurysm and, uh, death.") --- what happens in a country where the economic interests trump the human and environmental ones? (Much less common sense?) I can think of some shining examples. But is anyone other that us Eduardos of the world taking