respublica

The Tetris Effect

What happens is, if you play Tetris or other games featuring moving pieces, your brain continues to visualize the blocks after you have stopped playing. The moving pieces will show up when you close your eyes to go to sleep.

Although it's been years since I played Tetris, I can vouch for this effect in a game I do play on Facebook, Zuma Blitz. Those circling gems keep moving in my head long after I've stopped playing.  What I've learned to do is only play for a short time and never in the evening.  Hard to do with a very addictive game.

Chocolate what doesn't it do?

The first real study of chocolate looking at the benefits and harms of chocolate found that not only does eating chocolate help the heart, blood pressure and glucose levels, but that those who regularly ate chocolate are thinner than those who do not.

Hurray for chocolate. Put those chocolate machines back in our school cafeterias.

An iPhone app which does what it claims to do

Find my iPad, Find my iPhone-apps which will pinpoint on a map where your devices are if you lose track of them. Most of the time my stuff is somewhere else in the house which doesn't help much on maps, but an 8 year old boy in Tennessee made good use of this app. A burgler broke into his house and stole a number of things include 2 iPads. The boy used the find my ipad app which helped police zero right into the motel where the thief was holed up.

Cool.

New York Times going to the dogs

Since Jill Abramson took over as executive editor of the New York Times last November, stories about dogs have increases by 45 percent.

Some find the emphasis on dog stories too much but I think it's great, it leaves less room in the paper for constant republican bashing or rather, democratic pandering.

Meat Shoots!

Last night the Collinsville City Council approved an ordinance allowing the VFW to continue to hold 'meat shoots' as they have held for 25 years as well as allowing for the expansion of meat shoots to other organizations.

This is very bewildering. What exactly is a meat shoot? Do guys go outside and take aim at cows, ducks, turkeys, hogs? Or, does someone lay out packaged roasts and sausages in various places for people to shoot at? 

Shooting meat? It sounds hilarious but I have no idea what it really is.

And yes, the continuation of meat shoots was approved unanimously.

Update: Thanks to Sam for defining Meat Shoots!

Spring scourge

The yellow/green dust is now everywhere, coating cars, window sills, furniture, floors, everything. It's impossible to keep it out.

You can dust and vacuum and sweep and wash your curtains and bedding but it will return. If you have allergies, this is your time.

If you pooh poohed the idea of death panels...

...in the Health Care Bill, well the attitude of many people over Dick Cheney's heart transplant should disprove that opinion.

No sooner was the news of the former VP's transplant made public than the "he's too old and he should not have been allowed a new heart" opinions started. He's 71. Folks 71 is not that old anymore when so many live into late 80's and 90's. Remember all the outrage over Sarah Palin and others worrying over death panels?  We won't have to worry about gramma, she'll be taken care of, anyone who says age will be a factor in treatment is just plain wrong.

Well, it seems there is a large number of people out there believing it's a good thing to refuse treatment of some people because of age.

Worry over nothing? I don't think so.

And so it's Kansas

The Final Four teams are set, the hardest to bear for Missouri fans is Kansas. But, let's find some good in this. The Big 12 is represented and that is a good thing.

Actually the 4 teams represent the more major conferences, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12...do we see a pattern of 'bigness' here. And lastly the SEC. No ACC, the love of Dick Vitale's life.

Should be a good championship weekend.

Hey St. Louis, remember one year ago today?

March 26, 2011. Quite a difference from this year.

Click the link to see what we had to deal with after an unrelenting winter. St. Louis finally looked like spring was coming

and this happened.

So different from this year

Ferdie loves his greens

Radishes, broccoli, turnips, you name it, if it's a cool weather crop he's right there.  Today he found the tastiest mustard green plant.

He loves this stuff

Ambrosia