Author: therandomtexan

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An Etiology of Cursing

therandomtexan

Karen Swallow Prior has some interesting thoughts in The Real Problem with 4-Letter Words. She has one interesting warning Research has also shown that swearing can actually lessen physical pain, which is why it can be so easily triggered involuntarily by sudden pain or fear. Yet overusing taboo words diminishes that effect. In other words, the more we swear, the less “effective” it is. Well, F! me. Tip from the ever resourceful K J Lopez at National Review. Continue reading An Etiology of Cursing

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Science Continues to be Unsettled

therandomtexan

Local geology doesn’t yield such a sight, so Frank went back a few weeks later and crawled inside. It was a single shaft, about 15 feet long; at its end, while on his back, he found what looked like claw marks all over the ceiling. Unable to identify any natural geological explanation for the cave’s existence, he eventually concluded that it was a “paleoburrow,” dug, he believes, by an extinct species of giant ground sloth. Continue reading Science Continues to be Unsettled

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Take a look at Atkinson Hyperlegible

therandomtexan

Enter the Braille Institute’s contribution, the Atkinson Hyperlegible computer font, especially designed for those of us with blurry vision. Follow the link to download your free copy, ready to install on a Mac or Windows PC. I gave it a spin yesterday with Microsoft Word, and it works like a charm, much more readable than Word’s default Arial or Calabri fonts. Continue reading Take a look at Atkinson Hyperlegible

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Name your poison, pardner

therandomtexan

So I was glancing at the American Council on Science and Health article The Environmental Defense Fund’s Silly Food Chemical Claim, and came across an unfamiliar term, the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC). A bit of link-chasing landed me in the midst of a delightfully geeky set of toxicology tutorials at the ChemSafetyPro website. Probably more than you or I would ever want to know, but it’s all in plain view for the interested. Cool stuff. Tip from Maggie’s Farm. Continue reading Name your poison, pardner

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Good news for windmill operators

therandomtexan

Good news from a long-term experiment in Norway: painting a single blade of a power-generating windmill may reduce fatal birdstrikes by as much as 70%. This is certainly an experiment that bears replication, especially at facilities that (1) keep careful records of birdstrikes and (2) care enough to make the effort. It’s pretty sad that the Norwegians spent 7 years on this, and few other researchers got on board with it. If this were clinical research for a debilitating disease, mobs would be clamoring for more trials.  Bird conservationists should be outraged at the pace. Of course, they’re not even … Continue reading Good news for windmill operators