Professor Charles Gerba, the lead researcher, swabbed the handles of 85 carts in four states for bacterial contamination.
Gerba says 72% of the carts had a positive marker for fecal bacteria. When they examined some of the samples, they found Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, on half of them.
Researchers say they actually found more fecal bacteria on grocery cart handles than you would typically find in a bathroom, mainly because bathrooms are disinfected more often than shopping carts.
There were two winning Mega Millions lottery tickets last night. These lucky individuals will be splitting $355 million dollars.
But way, that’s not the amazing part. Did you know that the winning lottery numbers were 4,8,15,16,23 and 42? That’s coming awfully close to the winning lottery numbers that Hurley played on the T.V. show Lost:
If you did happen to have played the Lost lottery numbers then you would have won banked $150. Not a bad take for aping the actions of a fantastic television character.
Oddly enough, following the advice of a fortune cookie can also result in a winning lottery ticket. In this particular case the Mega Number was also 42.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go finish up Douglas Adams’ (ghostwritten) final chapter in the Hitchhiker’s series…
Signs of mercury poisoning includes psychological disturbances (angry fits, short term memory loss, inability to sleep), inflammation of the mouth, loss of bone around teeth (they fall out…yay!), ulcerated gums, digestive tract problems (cramps, diarrhea), blood pressure changes, chest pains, respiratory problems (emphysema, persistent coughing) and neurological problems (headaches, vertigo, tinnitus, uncontrollable trembling and shaking).
Famous people who died of mercury poisoning include George Washington, Ivan the Terrible, Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women), King Charles II, Daniel Fahrenheit (discovered the use of mercury for thermometers), Tycho Brahe, William Makepeace Thackery, Rubens and Renoir.
Given the obvious inherrent danger of mercury in both liquid and gaseous form, I’m shocked and astonished that anyone would not only willingly get close to large pool of this hazardous substance, but also lean over and casually toss a heavy object into it causing a large splash:
Interesting? Yes.
Sciency? Yes.
Crazy as a temperamental mule on Monday? Absolutely.
While wandering about the vast dank recesses and dusty tomes of the ‘net this past weekend I happened upon a quick mention of something called “callsign UBV-76″. The writer mentioned the unending signal of UBV-76 while waxing eloquently about the amateur radio scene of his youth. This casual, offhanded, throwaway reference piqued my interest. It seemed like a code or a secret handshake used only within the confines of a highly specialized and overlooked subset of society.
Damn it, I had to know more.
Curious, I did a bit of research and came up with the following:
UVB-76 is the callsign of a shortwave radio station that usually broadcasts on the frequency 4625 kHz (AM full carrier). It’s known among radio listeners by the nickname The Buzzer. It features a short, monotonous buzz tone, repeating at a rate of approximately 25 tones per minute, for 24 hours per day. The station has been observed since around 1982.In rare occasions, the buzzer signal is interrupted and a voice transmission in Russian takes place. Only three to four such events have been noted.
There is much speculation; however, the actual purpose of this station remains unknown.
This signal has been interrupted only three times since its discovery. At each interruption a Russian voice could be heard reciting a series of letters, numbers, and names, the latter of which possibly being a phonetic alphabet.
Some people theorize that this station is used to direct the Russian military in times of crisis, while others believe that it serves as a sort of “dead man switch” for a doomsday weapon.
I love the mysterious, the alien, and the unexplained. It’s stuff like that that makes my world go ’round (well, that and artichokes). I hope you take a moment to read up on this topic. Information can be found at the UVB-76 wiki page and a recording of the buzzer can be heard here.
This weekend Karin took the kid out to dinner to show him off to some friends. Feeling a bit lonely, I decided to google the word “alone”. This is what I found:
1. Alone
What you’re not. Although it may seem like there is nobody there who cares about you, who is like you, or can be a friend to you, there is someone miles and miles away who would like to be there with you if they knew you were calling.
This is a message to all of the lonely and depressed people out there on their computers, reading definitions of words they’re feeling in hopes to find some comfort, if only for a short while. Regardless of whether you’re reading this in five weeks or in five years, and regardless of whether I’m still browsing this site regularly or dead in a car crash, just know that tonight, I was feeling very lonely, crying out for you.
You’re not alone. I’m not alone. We’re not alone
Thanks Urban Dictionary for making me feel a little less lonely.
