Quickies
Skepchick Quickies, 3.14
- Examining the runner’s high.
- Notes from Lizzie Borden trial revealed. (Via The Mary Sure.)
- US researchers have found that voters prefer political candidates with low-pitched voices. (From Debra.)
- In the UK, Durham council chiefs agree to exclude number 13 from new streets.
I wish Barry White were still alive because I would totally vote for him. America could use some of his sweet, sweet love right about now,
As Whacking Day approaches once again, so could the snakes.
I think you mean "The Mary Sue". :)
That thing about the streets in the UK, in my opinion, is stupid. I know I practice some superstitions out of habit (using favorite numbers to decide what lockers to use at the gym, not stepping on cracks – those are partially due to OCD, though) – they are more just kind of destressing rituals for me at this point, similar to when I meditate (which I don't think is woo, since it's just taking a mental break and clearing my thoughts). Why are people so paranoid about 13? It irritates the hell out of me.
The trick is not stepping on the cracks *without appearing to try to avoid them*. I got quite good at this. You need to be looking about 3-4 steps ahead, to avoid the cracks with only minor changes to stride length. Once, when I was about 12, somebody noticed.
My spouse and I decided to get married on Friday 13th. I have since survived my brothers divorce, and my father-in-laws divorce, who both said we were crazy to do it. We actually celebrate any Friday 13th in whatever month it appears in for fun. On a side note, I worked for many years for the phone company (land lines remember those) and they actually had an extension 666. The phone company wasn't superstitious, but people freaked out when they got them and sometimes they had to pay to change it. Satan's minions at work.
Not the Akron DBAC by any chance?
I worked for Ameritech/SBC/ now ATT and I believe it was an Akron based exchange in the 216 area code, but I think there may have been others in different area codes as well. I used to try to tell people that 666 was a mistranslation, or it actually referred to a Roman Emperor who was already dead, so they were safe. No one bought that though. Every once in a while people were secretly happy and wanted to know if they could get 666-6666, but businesses love those numbers (taxi cabs especially) because they are so easy to remember and are usually already taken.
The paper is here: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/03/06/rspb.2012.0311
I wonder if "runner's high" is related to the fact that running, as is opposed to sitting or strength training, seems to make ejaculate volume go up (almost double for some). I've never seen a study on this. I also wonder what the correlate in women would be? Women put a lot of resources into running in circles, too.