Mind Blown

I am addicted to Ice Breakers Sours...but one thing has always bugged me about them.  I was always annoyed that the sticker on the top was backwards - the side labeled "to share" was on the tiny opening, and the side labeled "not to share" has the large opening.  This makes no sense to me, because you'd think "to share" = free for all/everybody dig in, thus needing the bigger space to accomodate greedy hands.

Well my brother told me that I was wrong - the sticker is indeed correct for this reason: when sharing, you don't want to spread germs, so you use the small side to drop the mint into your friend's hand.  Because you don't want their germy hand touching ALL your mints.

Guess that just means that you are spreading your OWN germs with your friends when you share with them :)

Science Saturday 2.9: Live Long and Drink Coffee, Catching a Dragon, & More

Another Science Saturday installment on a Sunday...because I was a bit lazy on Saturday :)

I'm sure you've heard about the study released a couple weeks ago that suggests drinking coffee can promote longer life.  This blog post by Scicurious does an excellent job of analyzing the data presented in the study.

via

The drug thioridazine (or chlorpromazine) is an antipsychotic well known for its use in treating schizophrenia.  Recently, scientists have discovered that it is also a potential cancer treatment, particularly killing off cancer stem cells.  The drug specifically targets acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells, and does not harm normal cells in the body.  Finding chemotherapy treatments that target only cancer cells and not ALL cells in the body greatly reduces risks of side effects, and also helps give insight on the mechanism of the cancer growth and how to control it.

via

The SpaceX Dragon capsule made it's way to the International Space Station (ISS) this week,  historically becoming the first commercial spacecraft to dock at the ISS.

"By handing off space station transportation to the private sector, NASA is freed up to carry out the really hard work of sending astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before... investments [are] intended to lead to regular resupply missions to the space station and stimulate the commercial space industry in America. "

via

Speaking of traveling "farther into the solar system", here is a great little video explaining exactly how scientists measure the universe:

Five Positive Things

Here are five positive things from my week, linking up with Lydia as usual...join us and share your five positives!!

[one]  I arrived home safely after a lovely long visit to WI.  It's great being back with my hubzy and my puppies!!

[two] I got a new bible!!  It's the ESV study bible, and I've been wanting one for a long time.  It turned out that my sister had a new copy that she didn't want, so she gave it to ME!  I love it - it's chock full of cross references and footnotes to help me get more into the Word.

[three]  Thanks to Lauren, I joined an amazing community of women on Twitter and Instagram at the hashtag #shereadstruth.  We are going through the "Soul Detox" reading plan on the YouVersion bible app, and it is definitely smacking me in the face with TRUTH.  If you'd like to join us, please do!  It's never too late to join in!

[four]  Because of all my traveling, I was able to read a TON in A Storm of Swords in the airport/on the plane.  I'm coming to the halfway point.  I was also spoiled on one of the biggest reveals in this book (the internet is a DANGEROUS place for ASOIAF readers), so I know that it's coming soon.  But even though I know the outcome, I'm still excited to read the build up.  Also, check out this amazing fan art of Robert vs. Rhaegar at the Trident...it almost makes me want to convert to House Baratheon ;)

via reddit.com/r/gameofthrones

[five] I turned on the TV today, and there is a Star Wars marathon on Spike.  So as of right now, I have watched Star Wars Episode IV THREE times in the past 24 hours.  Yesterday may have been Geek Pride Day, but I'm proving that it's definitely Geek Pride LIFE :)

via wikipedia.org

h4ppy 933k pri1d3 d2y!

May 25th is known as "Geek Pride Day" for a number of good reasons:

• The anniversary of 1977's cultural phenomenon known as Star Wars (today is specifically the 35th anniversary of my favorite saga!)
• It's also "Towel Day", in celebration of Douglas Adams' The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• The "Glorious 25th of May" is celebrated in Terry Pratchett's Discworld
• Sir Ian McKellen's birthday (he's 73!)
• ...and for the first time, a commercial spacecraft (SpaceX's Dragon) docked with the International Space Station today.

In celebration, I've discovered 3 new (and legitimate) ways to watch SW Ep IV in addition to the (what some call "horrific") special edition changes that George Lucas continues to make to his movies:

1.) In ASCII

(Mac users can just type "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" into your terminal)

2.) As a crowd-sourced fan reenactment

3.) "Despecialized" as close to the 1977 release as possible

(will take some techie knowledge to obtain these, but it's legal since it's a fan preservation)

The first venn diagram is what I used to classify myself as a "geeky nerd"a few years ago, but it looks like someone made one even more specific and detailed as seen below.

       

Being a geek isn't about "proving" that you know a bunch of obscure science-fiction references, it isn't about wearing thick rimmed glasses and pocket protectors, and it certainly isn't about excluding "non-geeks" from your circle because they haven't liked Star Wars or comic books as long as you have...

Being a geek is about embracing the love of things you are passionate about and sharing it with the world and accepting them when they decide they love it too!  

I'm proud of being a geek, and so should you!  Nerd on, friends!