Thursday, August 14, 2008

This is funny and well worth a read. It talks about something called the condom game where you pick three items from a shop, one being condoms and see whether you can get a reaction from the cashier. I won't spoil the punch line but it had me in stitches. What items would you pick?

posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 12:33:58 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback

This article suggests that rather than tackling faster prey cavemen often preferred to tackle something a little slower like tortoises. Scientists have found the remains of 526 tortoises in a cave that was occupied by early humans over 2.6 million years suggesting that cavemen were rather partial to eating the creatures. The bones show that the tortoises were roasted whole over fires and then cracked against rocks to remove their shells. Other bones from animals such as lions and hippos were also found in the caves so it appears cavemen did also hunt harder to kill creatures. Were they lazy or simply rather intelligent to target things that were easier to catch?

posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 11:48:02 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Wednesday, August 13, 2008

According to this article this new health drink called skinny water can suppress hunger and fight fat. It costs 99p a bottle and its manufacturers say it is scientifically proven. Nutritionists, however, say that its claims are not supported by clinical trials. The pomegranate flavoured water contains L-Carnitine and chromium which supposedly reduce sugar cravings and improve the body's ability to burn fat. Personally I'm rather skeptical, I still think the only way to lose weight is simply to eat less and exercise.

posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 7:35:01 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The recent wet weather seems to have encouraged the frogs in the garden to leave the pond and start hopping around looking for food. Unfortunately this means that in our garden they are almost certain to come into contact with one of the cats. The cats obviously think frogs are lots of fun. You can pounce on them and they jump, let them go and then they jump again. Frogs also scream when they are cornered and stressed. They make a very high pitched screaming noise which doesn't seem to deter the cats. It does, however, alert me to the fact that the cats are playing with another poor frog. So far this morning I have rescued two frogs and returned them unharmed to the safety of the pond. My cat Oliver has also learnt this morning (after picking a frog up in his mouth) that whilst frogs are great fun, they actually don't taste that good. I wonder whether he will remember this when the next frog comes along, my guess is that the urge to pounce on another jumping frog will be stronger than the memory of the bad taste.

posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 8:33:46 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Monday, August 11, 2008

Bacon A candy ship in Santa Cruz has started selling chocolate covered bacon. The bacon is sprinkled with sea salt and then covered in dark chocolate and according to this article is "a good combination of sweet and salty". I'm not convinced.

posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 12:25:25 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback

When Hector the great dane started drooling and looking unwell, it was obvious there was something wrong with him, so his owner took him to the vet. It was only when, he was given an X-ray, however, that it emerged he had managed to swallow a 63cm stick. The stick was so long that it stretched over two thirds of the dogs body. It was later removed under anaesthetic and Hector appears to be fine despite the sticky situation.

posted on Monday, August 11, 2008 9:21:38 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Sunday, August 10, 2008

Sainsbury's will launch a new range of chickens that are kept in better conditions meaning that a third of its stock will no longer come from battery farms. It will also start phasing out chickens from battery farms completely so that all of its stock will meet RSPCA standards. Sainsbury's have said that sales of poultry reared in better surroundings were up 60 per cent since January so I wonder whether this move is simply in response to consumer demand for better quality chicken.

posted on Sunday, August 10, 2008 11:25:45 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Saturday, August 09, 2008

Sandal Shoes This is an interesting idea, its a pair of shoes that are also sandals. As you can see from the picture the top part of the shoe unzips to reveal a sandal inside the sole. They are made by Nat-2 design and cost £59.99. There are currently over 20 different designs available and you can also mix and match the soles with different top part. Currently the only place to buy them in the UK is Wild Goose in Twickenham. They seem like a great idea for the unpredictable UK weather.

posted on Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:38:27 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Friday, August 08, 2008

I found this flood game the other day. Basically it allows you to make decisions about what flood defences to implement in the UK and how much money to spend over a three year period. You can do things like build a flagship project, plant trees and repair the drainage system. You also need to choose which regions of the country to protect and how much to spend on each project. After you have made your decisions it then shows you exactly how much of the country gets flooded based on your choices. I didn't do badly but I managed to keep flooding Scotland.

posted on Friday, August 08, 2008 8:00:15 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
 Thursday, August 07, 2008

I have been taking a forced break from my new exercise regime over the last few days due to trying to do too much and ending up with a swollen ankle. I am actually finding I am missing my morning run, and am getting a little impatient with the slow healing process of my ankle. For those who don't have the time to exercise there could soon be a new solution in the form of a pill. The pill fools the muscles into thinking they have worked out which means they burn fat and increase fitness. In effect it should give you all the benefits of exercise without leaving the sofa. The bad news is it is not going to be available for several years. Back to running then as soon as my ankle is better.

posted on Thursday, August 07, 2008 8:34:44 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback