Yearly Archives: 2006

There are generally two schools of thought surrounding the growth of allergies in the twentieth century. Both have evidence in their favor, and neither is complete. Both explain why developed countries have seen such a dramatic increase of allergies, whereas developing nations have not.

_Everyday Chemicals_ – Since the end of World War II, an abundance of chemicals has been introduced into the human environment. Not just the HFCS in our soda pop, but the things in soap and shampoo, the chemical residue on our dishes, leftover Teflon from a pan, or the phthalates that leech out of PVC pipes. It’s true that preservatives and additives all undergo years of testing before they are approved for human consumption, but that handful of years mayn’t be adequate to understand what a lifetime of use can do to a body. No one assumes that any one of our common chemicals is responsible, but all in conjunction are creating an adverse holistic effect.

_The Hygiene Hypothesis_ – Over millions of years the human body has armed itself against a number of ills. It’s had to stockpile immune system weapons for all manner of parasites, germs, and junk, but in our age of daily baths, kitchen sanitizers, and purified water those weapons are somewhat superfluous. A million years of hard-won evolution don’t turn inactive after a mere hundred years of environment. No, instead they go cabin-fever, and freak out attack even benign substances like pollen and dust with a fervor of pent-up frustration.

See Immune System Gone Bad on Damn Interesting.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that the Dutch think that a rooster sounds like “kukeleku”. Or that angry Finnish bull sounds like “kukeleku”. Or that a Turkish chicken says “gut gut gdak”.

And what the hell is with the Japanese?!? Do they really think a dog sounds like “wan wan”, a lion “gaooooo”, a cat “goro goro” and a pig “bu-hii bu-hii”? That’s messed up…

See Derek Abbott’s Animal Noise Page

I can’t wait to get my hands on a Nintendo Wii. I’ve owned every Nintendo console since the 8-bit. Nintendo’s console sales have been low since the SNES, so it’s great to see that the crowds at the E3 show are praising their latest offering as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

From Reuters:

Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s new Wii video game console, considered the underdog in the console wars because it lacks the high-definition graphics and multimedia features of its rivals, is stealing the show at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show.

The wait to try out the Wii at E3 pushed past four hours on Thursday afternoon, while the wait for hands-on time with Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 was barely 30 minutes. Both consoles will hit the market later this year, though the Wii is expected to cost much less than rival consoles.

“It’s basically a whole different thing from anything I’ve seen before,” said Josef Faulkner, who had been waiting in line for three hours to get his hands on Wii. He still had an hour to go. “This is definitely the biggest thing here.”

The enduring image of the show might end up being the enormous line, which snakes completely around Nintendo’s floor space. A security guard estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 people have been in the line at any given time.

Matt Rogers and Steve Bollinger said they waited almost three hours to get their hands on Wii, even though they lined up as soon as the convention center doors opened. After exiting the booth, they said the wait was definitely worth it.

“Nintendo really nailed it,” said Rogers.

“They really worked hard to put fun games in this booth,” said Bollinger. “Now I know the next thing I’m getting.”

Adult literacy pioneer Mary Godolphin (1723-1764) (w) rewrote many books, including Robinson Crusoe, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and The Swiss Family Robinson, in words of one syllable.

I was born at York on the first of March in the sixth year of the
reign of King Charles the First. From the time when I was quite a
young child, I had felt a great wish to spend my life at sea, and
as I grew, so did this taste grow more and more strong; till at
last I broke loose from my school and home, and found my way on
foot to Hull, where I soon got a place on board a ship.

When we had set sail but a few days, a squall of wind came on,
and on the fifth night we sprang a leak. All hands were sent to
the pumps, but we felt the ship groan in all her planks, and her
beams quake from stem to stern; so that it was soon quite clear
there was no hope for her, and that all we could do was to save
our lives.

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