After going to a concert my ears always ring. And I always imagine that the buzzing sound is my ears squealing for help because I have just subjected them to an onslaught of very loud music. But my ears don’t really have a conscience. They couldn’t really be telling me off for enjoying a good [...]
Archive for July, 2009
Jul
14
Feeling the heat: the facts behind sweaty palms
Wet hands. There is nothing less attractive than shaking someone’s hand to find that it’s wet. It’s even worse if they’ve just come out of the toilet. And this is quite bizarre really; because it’s more likely a grown person would wash their hands after going to the bathroom and not dry them properly, than [...]
Jul
4
Getting high on hypercolour
In the beginning of the 90’s there was an amazing movement, that astounded even the most creative minds. No, it wasn’t Peter Andre’s surprising success or the slow demise of the perm, it was the hypercolour T-shirt. For those unfamiliar with this fashion craze, the concept is easy: people were purchasing fabulous clothing that changed [...]
Jul
4
Turning poo into energy: “Where are you going today?” said Poo(h)
These days’ ideas for renewable energy seem to be coming from everywhere: the sun, the wind, and now, science is slowly working on cost effective ways to human waste into energy. We’re not there yet, but things are looking good for this unconventional energy source. Biosolid is the politically correct term for poo, particularly when [...]
Jul
4
There’s (still) a hole in the Ozone: Dear Eliza.
The story of the ozone layer is above all things, a story of hope. The international community realised that having a hole in the ozone layer could spell disaster for its inhabitants so they joined forces to solve the problem. This is a story of a world that pulled its finger out of its arse [...]
Jul
4
Artificial Sweeteners: sweet or sour?
Every time I see a can of soft drink that claims to have zero calories, I smirk. It can’t be true. How could these cans not have some calories hidden behind the label? And even if these cans didn’t have hidden calories, they couldn’t possibly be good for you. Could they? Rumours have always followed [...]
Jul
4
What’s hot, and what’s snot?
They say that nothing in life is more certain than death and taxes. But I say nothing in life is more certain than people picking their noses, particularly in cars with tinted windows. Despite this opening line, I’m actually not so curious about why people think that we can’t see them, but why snot is [...]