Tag Archives: Biology

Don’t Turn the Poppy Into a Stick

Nothing to do with technology this, but it is to do with racism, multiculturalism, and my old country, Britain. A recent piece by Carol Gould of FrontPage magazine: The First Step to Britishness Is Your Poppy The poppy is a symbol of the terrible loss of life in World War I in the fields of… Read More »

Podcast: Bacteria at Your Fingertips

Here’s another podcast from the BBC’s World Business Report: this one is on how to prevent the gunk in keyboards from killing you, and it derives from a Loose Wire piece I did for WSJ.com and The WSJ Asia on September 30. (Subscription only, I’m afraid.) Here’s a snippet: The gunk in your keyboard could… Read More »

Tamiflu and the Online Buying Epidemic

Sadly, this might be the way of the future: Selling prescription drugs that everyone wants in the middle of a pandemic to the highest bidder. The Register reports that people have been selling Tamiflu on eBay for up to four times its usual price: Internet auctioneer eBay has shut down sales through it service of Tamiflu,… Read More »

The Gum Lobby

Calvin, who subscribed to ‘Chewing’ Magazine and took his gum seriously, would approve: The leading producers of chewing gum from around the world have launched the International Chewing Gum Association (ICGA). Sadly, it’s not what I thought it was: a gathering of folk who will share their experiences of gum chewing and bubble blowing, a… Read More »

Whistling In The Dark

OK, this is not tech related but I’d like to know the answer. What exactly does ‘whistling in the dark’ mean? I found several different definitions (not including sexual ones. This is a family blog): To attempt to keep one’s courage up (from reference.com, Steve The Whistler ) Trying to make a point or convince people… Read More »