Friday Recap: Junk Food Science Edition
Goodbye week of November 8th; I did not enjoy the knots in my shoulder and stiff neck you gave me. Several of my coworkers thought I was doing the robot this week, when all I was really trying to do was turn and wave. Aside from the severe beating I took last night from a massage therapist, there’s lots more news to report on!
Let’s kick off the festivities with, well, festivities; Veteran’s Day and Carl Sagan Day both occurred this week. I know many people share my same sentiment of gratitude for the people who serve our country in military duty. [Including many of our own in the SEO community -- Susan] The king of the cosmos, Carl Sagan, was also celebrated this past Tuesday. While veterans worked to protect our freedoms here on earthly soil, Sagan looked to the stars to imagine the possibilities outside of our worldly duties. I salute them both.
In other news, a company is accused of firing over a Facebook post, raising questions of free speech violations. The National Labor Relations Board is asserting the company didn’t have legal grounds for termination of the employee. I wonder, should personal accounts in online communities like Facebook be classified by employers as your “personal life”?
A nifty Google Places heatmap study from ionadas local and Sentient Services asserts that even though the research was done prior to the roll out of Google Place Search, much of the data is still relevant, including the finding that people have been pretty much ignoring the map altogether.
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How’s about some kitty kat communiqué?
1. Donate your time to a good cause. Play with cats in humane shelters from the comfort of your own home via browser plug-in that allows you to control cat toys with robotic arms and watch on a kitty cam.
2. Cats rule and dogs drool. Turns out, the way cats drink is much more sophisticated than dogs. A scientific study shows cats have a mechanism that allows liquids to stick to the tongue versus the cup-and-scoop method of dogs. [Why was this Science? Who gave these people research money? --Susan]
3. Learn how to pet correctly. If you do not follow the rules of the cat, prepare to feel its wrath.
In health-related news, we found out this week that if you have itchy genitals, there’s an app for that. Yes, folks, it’s come to this. Once the technology is developed, the app is looking to be sold inexpensively in vending machines – like in the same places you can buy condoms, according to Wired. What a delightful and complementary duo that will be.
That concept is almost as odd as the man who lost weight and saw improved cholesterol levels from eating nothing but Twinkies and other sugary snacks. A professor at Kansas State University conducted this experiment on himself to prove that in weight loss, calorie counting, not the nutritional value of food, matters most. Congratulations, dude, your Twinkie-laden dead body will now decompose light years slower than before.
And just when you think it couldn’t get any weirder, something straight outta a Jerry Lewis movie happens in real life: A French doctor taking a leisurely stroll in Paris catches a baby who falls from a balcony and bounces off a café awning right into his arms. [I love how blasé he is about the whole thing. Catching babies, anyone could do it! --Susan]
And with that, I bid you adieux. Have a great weekend!
A light-year is a measure of distance, not time. Your anchor text should be something similar to “decompose many years later”.
@ November 12th, 2010 at 16:06Well thank you for the science lesson. I suppose I should call my grandmother back right away and tell her to cancel the ton of salt I told her to add to her dinner recipe earlier.
@ November 12th, 2010 at 16:29Regarding the employee and the Facebook post, I have heard a lot of people say it is a victory for those who want to bash their boss or employer on social media sites. I do not think this is the case at all. Every instance of this happening is different from the last and I really think that stuff like this is going to be handled on a case by case basis for a really long time.
@ November 13th, 2010 at 12:33OMG I’d totally “like” this comment string if it was an option.
@ November 14th, 2010 at 08:21I think the doctor’s blaseness is solely because he’s French
Oh, and I think Nitpicking Pedant might just be having a laugh. I hope.
@ November 15th, 2010 at 07:20Yes, being French can do that to a person, I suppose. Have a great week ahead, Andy!
@ November 15th, 2010 at 09:03LOL … Hi, V!
@ November 15th, 2010 at 09:13Hi Vee, thanks for the comment. I agree it will probably be a case-by-case assessment until something solid emerges. With social media, so many lines are blurred right now between privacy, your professional identity and personal life. In the end, I think each person has to take responsibility for their online persona — essentially their “brand” — and think holistically about the implications of what they are saying online. If someone is really fed up with his or her place of employment, maybe it’s better to discuss with a close friend over a glass of wine versus blasting it out to your friends on Facebook. On the other hand, I don’t think you should feel intimidated to speak freely on your personal Facebook account due to the threat of your employer lurking in the background.
@ November 15th, 2010 at 12:21