A brief reminder: It happened late last night, but I posted “The Top 100 Albums of 2007″ yesterday. Make sure to scroll down if you missed it. Tell your friends.
• Have you ever noticed how time seems to slow down during an emergency? Like when you open the refrigerator on a nice, sunny morning, only to find that you are completely out of bagels? Not one single bagel in the entire house? The ensuing trip upstairs to put your pants on and grab your car keys before getting into your car and driving to the closest grocery store feels like it takes forever, doesn’t it? Well, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston dropped a bunch of volunteers from great heights into safety nets, then asked them how long the fall took. The volunteers estimated their own falls lasted about 1/3 longer than those of their peers. Apparently this is all some sort of trick our mind plays on us, and a particular area of our brain speeds up and creates an extra set of memories when we are scared, which leads us to believe events are taking longer to unfold then they really are. So while it might seem like it’s taking forever to buy a bagel and drive home, it’s really not so bad. Plus, you get to take your pants off again and eat the bagel once you’re home! Everybody wins! [story]
• Oh, and by the way, if you’re in Russia, watch out for that escaped “Werewolf Boy” who likes to snarl and bite people. [story]
• It appears scientists might have found a drug that can eliminate sleepiness, perhaps without all the annoying side effects that come from snorting Adderall. It’s a nasal spray that contains a naturally occurring brain hormone, and it’s already been shown to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, so you know human trials aren’t that far off. The scientists are even saying that this could make a promising “sleep replacement” drug, perfect for pilots flying long distances, or nerdy college kids who are too scared to buy a bag of coke. [story]
• Here’s a list of five girls with whom your girlfriend would happily engage in a threesome. It was written by a woman so you know it’s legitimate. Too bad the choices are all cliche. What about “drunken cheerleader captain from your local high school” or “the desperate ex-girlfriend.” Those seem like pretty logical (and much more probable than Angelina Jolie) choices to me. But, hey, what do I know? I’m not a woman (thank God). [story]
• I’ve always been amazed at the sheer vastness of human stupidity. Like, for example, people who will gladly wait three hours to eat at a Cheesecake Factory. What kind of fucking moron subjects themselves to such a retarded situation. Just go eat somewhere else. It’s not “part of the overall experience of dining at the upscale casual dining restaurant,” it’s “being completely and utterly brain-dead, like, literally brain dead — Terry Schiavo brain-dead — and not realizing there’s a Quiznos across the street with Sammies for $2 that will satisfy your hunger just the same.” [story]
• Before complaining about the smog in L.A., you might want to take a look at this article about air pollution in Beijing. [story]
Here are a few more recent additions to those “Year-End” Lists that have been popping up all over the Internet throughout the month of December:
• Top Ten Astronomy Pictures of 2007
• The Craziest Science Stories of 2007
• The Top Ten New Organisms of 2007
• The Top Ten Most Literate Cities For 2007
• Notable Deaths Of 2007 (Oh, great, The New York Times is taking my ideas now…In the first paragraph alone they drop five of my “top ten” names. How about you offer me a job instead of stealing from me, you fucking assholes!)
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