I'm not crazy; the beets were tested.

For years I've told people that beets taste like dirt, no matter how carefully they are scrubbed before cooking.  I finally gave up when I got tired of being told that it was all in my imagination.  Well ... it turns out that science has finally backed me up!  (I knew I liked science.)

If you want to visit the home of this lovely poster, click here.  There, you will find this quote:

"Geosmin is also present in beetroot, and responsible for its earth flavour. Additionally, the presence of geosmin in water can cause an unpleasant, muddy taste."

So, thank you science!  I am officially a little less crazy now!

The mixing of molten metal and ants

I have always loved Chemistry.  It makes so much sense to me; I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

However, this video is enough to make me think twice about Entomology.  Enjoy!

A Novel Approach to Science

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to video/computer games or gamers? I was curious so I did a poll at work.  The answers were, in no particular order: Dungeons & Dragons, Teenagers, Atari, and Mario Brothers. 

Hua?  Doesn't it seem odd to you that Molecular Biochemical research didn't come up? 

Apparently a research group at the University of Washington was having some trouble coming up with the 3D structure for an enzyme that they were studying (for the full article, click on this link).  They decided to turn it into a video game on the web and let the gamers at it.  It took them less than ten days to find the lowest energy (aka the optimal) structure.

I guess mom isn't always right.  Clearly video/computer games were not a waste of time for these guys.

The NEW universal language is ....

Tickels!!

More can be found here.

When will I EVER use this in REAL life!?

How to escape a $400 traffic ticket with the power of physics

I just found this today.  Being the geek that I am, I had to read the article...seriously, it was a must.  After that, I had to read the paper.  I'd never forgive myself if I missed out on that one.

To me, it seems like a very long winded way to successfully argue that the view of your car was blocked by a car that is approximately a meter longer.  However, I loved every second of it!

The links are there, should you feel the need to indulge.

Turd Burgers, a soylent green subsitute

There are many things for which recycling can be used for.  I'm just not sure that this is one of them.

I think that it's time we admit that there's a limit to what we are willing to recycle.

FYI

Did you know that...

(1) Impressing a girl/guy can be deadly? One day Molly and her husband checked into a hotel. When Molly saw the extremely thin rail that ran around the balcony, she was ecstatic. She could impress her husband with her gymnastic ability. While I'm sure that the back flip onto the rail was flawless, her balance wasn't.

Two guys (we can call them Hans from Germany, and Bob from Ohio) tried impressing their gals with a very macho showing of strength. They decided that since there was a really high balcony, they would do pull-ups. I really hope that Bob didn't read about his buddy on the Darwin awards, and think he could do better.

(2) After you've impressed your significant other, making out on the rooftop is not a good idea. Linda and Chester found this out the hard way.

(3) Katrina Chalifoux created a wedding dress made entirely of Charmin and tape, for a toilet paper wedding dress contest. I hope the bride doesn't sweat when she gets nervous. But if she has allergies she's covered...at least for a little while.

(4) If you trace your family tree back 25 generations, you will have idenified 33,554,432 direct ancestors.

(5) 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

(6) The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named El Pueblo la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula.

(7) There are more collect calls on Father's day than any other day of the year.

(8) A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.

(9) What could possibly be the largest living organism in the world is a fungus. It was discovered in the Malheur National Forest, in Oregon, and is estimated to cover 2,200 acres.

(10) June 20th is the happiest day of the year. Cliff Arnell has devised a scientific equation that takes into account physical and emotional stress factors. His research was funded by Wells Ice Cream.

And now we come to the purpose of this blog entry. Those of you who have seen The Bucket List will understand what I mean when I say "The cats beat me to it."