Blowhard, Esq. writes:
- Do you know more about science and technology than the average American? Take this 13-question quiz to find out. (I got 12/13. I couldn’t remember if it was hydrogen or nitrogen.)
- The Human Genome Project just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Has it been worth it?
- Looks like the Pulitzer is now a consolation prize. (H/T Glynn Marshes)
- School sucks.
- You read enough stories like this, it can almost shake your faith in the integrity of our system. Thankfully, I’m sure it’s just an isolated incident, so nothing to worry about. (UPDATE: Feinstein denies her husband has any financial connection to the winning company.)
- 1948 Buick Streamliner
- Crank, first-person shooters, The Matrix, parkour, and Russia: Awesomest Country on Earth™ combine to produce one of the best action movies I’ve seen in years. (H/T Brundle Guy)
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
On the science quiz, there’s a funny exception to the general pattern of the younger ages being more likely to answer correctly. Probably because those school-delivered factoids haven’t had as much time to decay in memory.
They ask about what a major concern of antibiotics is — even if you didn’t already think of “antibiotic resistance,” wouldn’t seeing that as a choice make ya think, “Oh, right… That does sound pretty bad.” Wasn’t too hard for the 30-49 and 50-64 year-olds to figure out. They scored about the same, just over 80% getting it right.
The 18-29 and 65+ groups weren’t just a little worse but quite a bit — only 68% getting a freebie correct. The former generation was brought up as children during the 1990s, when the return of hygiene craziness took off — antibacterial this, that, and the other thing. And the latter generation were brought up as children during the mid-century, the previous peak of OCD about hygiene (all those school films about how to wash your hands, clip your nails, etc.).
It seems like they go so hit over the head with the message about Scrubbing It All Clean, that they have real trouble seeing, and perhaps cannot perceive, the danger of trying to focus a sterilizing laser on the whole world.
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As a country, Russia is starting to grow on me.
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