Last week’s column on laughter, inspired by John Tierney’s column in the New York Times, mentioned that rats make a high-pitched squeak when tickled. Tierney’s blog has had several laughter-related posts since his column appeared. Here’s another one, specifically about rat-tickling–complete with a link to a rat-tickling video! (And how often can one say that?)
Category: Blog
Tanning junkies
Everyone has heard by now that too much sun is bad for your skin, yet you still see normally pale-skinned people who stay nut-brown all year long—even in the depths of winter. In the summer, they lie in the sun. In the winter, they lie in a padded coffin and have themselves irradiated. The danger …
"Firefighter Rescue Robot Eats Human Bodies"
That’s Technovelgy.com‘s headline, not mine…but I had the same idea the first time I saw the picture.
Talk about your low-emission automobiles…
…this one runs on compressed air. Not only that, it’s on the verge of production.
Vast caverns on Mars…
…if they exist, would be a great place to look for life and water. Now some researchers think they may have spotted them.
But did it contain a miniature Racquel Welch?
News item: Some 40 years after the release of the classic science fiction movie Fantastic Voyage, researchers in the NanoRobotics Laboratory of École Polytechnique de Montréal’s Department of Computer Engineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering have achieved a major technological breakthrough in the field of medical robotics. They have succeeded for the first time in …
Just to balance things out…
…David Louis Edelman now offers Five Things That Do Happen When You Become A Published Author. These also ring true with me.
Derryl Murphy throws hat in ring for SFWA VP
Further to the previous post about John Scalzi running for president of SFWA, Derrly Murphy, former Canadian regional director, has put his name forward for vice-president. I’m leaning his way, too.
John Scalzi for SFWA president?
John Scalzi has announced he is in the running as a write-in president for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). I just received my ballot and haven’t given it any serious thought yet, but after reading his comments and platform, I have to say I’m leaning toward writing him in. If you’re …
The debate about global warming "a mirage"?
That’s what three scientists, one from Denmark and two from Canada, say in a new paper: The entire debate about global warming is a mirage. The concept of ‘global temperature’ is thermodynamically as well as mathematically an impossibility, says professor at The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Bjarne Andresen who has analyzed this hot …
God–or somebody–really does answer prayer, study suggests
From Science Blog: Does God or some other type of transcendent entity answer prayer? The answer, according to a new Arizona State University study published in the March journal Research on Social Work Practice, is “yes.” David R. Hodge, an assistant professor of social work in the College of Human Services at Arizona State University, …
Replacing the u-word with the z-word
YA fantasy author Justine Larbalestier does not like unicorns. Just today she posted: What is it with you people? I tell you what an abomination in the sight of the Lord unicorns are and how much I love love love zombies and what do you do? You send me an endless stream of unicorn-related stuff. …
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