Yfke van Bergen in The Times of London:
The trouble is that single-focus lenses such as those in humans suffer from chromatic aberration. This means that different wavelengths of light are focused at different distances from the lens and, as a result, some colours are blurred.More here
In the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology , the researchers reveal that many animals solve this problem by using multifocal lenses.
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Has Jürgen Habermas – gasp! – found God? The neo-Marxist philosopher who once viewed religion as an alienating reality now credits Christianity with spreading egalitarianism... more
The Psychology Behind Yogurt via Big Think by Big Think Editors
Experiments at University College Cork in Ireland have shed light onto the mind-body connection through yoghurt, specifically the probiotic bacteria it contains. When researchers fed yoghurt to mice and measured their behaviour changes, they found that “when probiotic …
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Alcoholics May Wobble Forever via Big Think by Big Think Editors
Researchers at Neurobehavioral Research Inc., in Honolulu, want to know how long the physical effects of alcoholism last. Scientists recently studied the balance abilities and gaits of diagnosed alcoholics who had been sober for several weeks, those who had been sober …
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via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Was he or wasn't he? Neoconservatives wrap themselves in the mantle of Lionel Trilling. But for a thinker of his subtlety, such labels are irrelevant... more
Stowaway mouse grounds Nepal Airlines flight for 11 hours via Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin
A Nepal Airlines flight was delayed for nearly 12 hours by a mouse that managed to find its way on-board a Boeing 757 9N-ACB Monday. It was discovered in of a box of drinks at 9:30am local time, and was found dead in a mousetrap a little after 8:30pm.
The plane could not have taken off with a mouse on board as the rodent can cut vital cables. It couldn´t even be poisoned and had to be captured for certain so that it would not die at some vulnerable location in the plane.
Full article here, includes a history of related incidents on other airlines (thanks, Miles O'Brien!)
Photo: “Mouse living in Logan Airport”, contributed to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool by Animal Detectors.
The King and I via Prospero
More than 30 years after his death, Elvis Presley has been reduced to the shorthand of iconography. In the September/October issue of Intelligent Life, Ray Connolly remembers meeting the man …
Elvis Presley changed my life. I’m old enough to admit it now. Actually he changed a lot of lives. That’s the point about him, the reason why we hear his name and see his face so often, why his record company still releases two or three albums of his songs every year, why his best work can still be given away with a newspaper looking for a sales boost, and why he is recognised by his first name as easily as anyone in the world. He’s been dead for 34 years, yet everyone knows about Elvis.Read more
via Arts and Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The fate of "forsooth." Like other abandoned words, it is but an archaic fragment. Its history is distinguished, its future nonexistent... more
PG Wodehouse’s wartime mistakes via Reading Copy Book Blog by Richard Davies
PG Wodehouse was a great comedic writer but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. The creator of Jeeves and Wooster was living in France when the Germans invaded at the start of World War II, and was happy to do a little broadcasting for the Nazis. Poor Plum was surprised that he was viewed as a collaborator by many Brits. The Guardian dwells on this rather sad story.
Long live The Empress of Blandings
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