Day: February 13, 2008

Take it from Snee: The science behind fairy tales, love

In keeping with this week’s theme of love, whether it is love of the New England Patriots, movies or Shaquille O’Neal, I’m looking at what those stories and plenty of others hint at: fairy tale love.

Live Science reported on theoretical studies about fairy tales, the purpose of these being to find out if their plot devices are physically possible.

  • A prince could scale Rapunzel’s tower, so long as she tied her trusses to a support beam first.
  • Ariel (a.k.a. the Little Mermaid) could have her voice blocked with a transplant that bends sound waves, rendering them inaudible.
  • A carpet can fly if air vibrates at the right frequency.

Continue reading Take it from Snee: The science behind fairy tales, love

I’ll see your frivolous spending and raise you one ghost

Many are the complaints about United States government’s spending on things that are felt to be otherwise unnecessary. Without getting too political, these range from battles that are felt to be both unneeded and unwanted to government agencies that hire people not to do actual work per sé, but to literally watch over the janitors.

But fret not, loyal arrogant USA’ers, as we’re no longer the only country to have incredibly silly and gratuitous items clog up our federal budget, as now London joins our ranks. Why so? Because unlike The Guys, they seem to be plenty scared of ghosts, and have hired a psychic to tell a ghost that’s haunting their building to hit the bricks. Despite, y’know, London having both wind and open windows, thus possibly explaining why stuff moves around.

I’m just saying, is all.

Next they’ll be adding fluoride

It is all too common for citizens and water connoisseurs alike to complain about the taste of their town’s water. Sometimes it’s pumped in from other places, sometimes it’s disgusting well water that turns your shower an unnatural shade of reddish orange. Lititz, Pennsylvania has had something many towns would want: mint tasting water.

Purely by coincidence, the town is home to the world’s largest Listerine manufacturing plant. The company of course denied that they had any part in why the town’s water suddenly changed taste. So Lititz had some water tests done. Wouldn’t you know, there were some “mouthwash flavoring agents” in the town’s water.

Not so excited about this news is the town that is home to the world’s largest Clorox plant.