Friday Finds! Science!

You know what's nice? This is the first Independence Day without George Bush we've had in a while. I feel a bit more independent, that's for sure. Hopefully, we won't hear about anybody "taking away our freedom." So, even though it's probably time for a "red, white, and blue" themed Finds, you're not going to get it. What are you going to do, purchase all of it for next year? It's too late. Besides, all the red, white, and blue things I went looking for and liked ended up being nautical or French, so the theme would be wacky.

So instead I'm celebrating independence from GWB by focusing the Finds on something he just hated: Science!

Check out these "Good Chemistry" salt & pepper shakers from coolstuffexpress.com. Only $16.95


This remote control ceiling mounted solar system mobile is only $35 from the same site!



The "Fun with your Cat" science kit ($20) scared me at first, but check it out:
See the colors your pet sees
Do cats see the same colors we do? You might be surprised.
Try taste experiments to find out if cats can taste sweets. Grow a cat grass treat for your pet and investigate feline food preferences

Make catnip toys
Have fun with catnip toys and treats. Playful experiments will show you the many ways your pet learns.

Know your cat’s personality
Give your cat a personality interview to explore its moods. Find out what your pet is saying with its whiskers, ears, and tail. Observe traits it shares with lions and tigers

Cute!

The Hungry Scientist handbook is all about science experiments in the kitchen. Make your own edible underwear, serve up light up lollipops and electronic cakes! $15 at Thinkgeek.com



This cocktail chemistry set is also at ThinkGeek, and for $35 you get all this goodness:

Sure, it's $85, but this caffeine molecule necklace is awesome!

You would think that scientists are too busy being all sciencey to be drunks, but you'd be WRONG. Scientists have found a way to keep your drink icy cold without the sad moment of dilution via melting ice. It's called "whiskey stones" (unglamorous name, but what do you expect?). For $18 you get a set of 8 soap stones that go in the freezer and cool off your glass without melting. Just wash 'em when you're done and repeat at the next party.
For the record, if you like whiskey cold and not diluted, this makes great sense, but my mother would never drink something with rocks in it. It's purely a matter of your ability to be comfortable with a stony drink.

If you're thinking about different kinds of themes for a nursery, science is a good one! Check out this nursery
Super expensive Crib and changing station by Nurseryworks, but you could totally approximate this look with Ikea furniture and those pre-cut wooden circles they have at craft stores. But be careful, if you lean too heavy on science when your kid is little, they may grow up to be hippies. Just a thought.

Also, there were so many cool things at American Science and Surplus that I spent way too much time there. You should go check it out. Plenty of science and educational stuff at below retail.

So folks, enjoy learnin' under the new regime!

Skate or Die No Longer a Choice

Nothing gets you ready for fall like deli slices of people's bodies! Yesterday I went with my friend Trista to see the Body Worlds 3 Exhibit at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. Wow. I was excited to see it because I had heard so much about it. But when I got there, it felt very strange. Not strange like "bodies!" but strange like "these were people." I was remarking to Trista as we were waiting in line that I bet the people who donated their bodies to science had no idea that they would be displayed in positions like "flamenco dancer" or "skateboarder."

I wanted immediately to amend my donor status, as I have the little pink dot on my license. Do you think you can put some restrictions on it? Like, "no plastination positions that involve crouching, bending over, or touching other plastinated bodies. Also, in no way is my body to be displayed in association with defects or diseases (especially relations to being "fat, overweight, large in size, etc.)." I think it's a new priority for me. I was disturbed by the posing, and by the effects used to make them seem more human; for instance, their faces had added skin parts in areas like eyebrows, noses, lips and they had glass eye balls.

It definitely brought them to life, and made me wonder if the learning that was happening around me was worth the questionable dignity of the exhibit. Men's naughty bits were hanging out all over, and ladies breasts, but the vulva was shrouded in secrecy. There were reproductive organ displays, but there was no equivalent to the plastinated penises. No outside lady parts, just uteruses (uteri?), fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Cross sections of obese people and cancerous lungs made for a cautionary tale. So afterwards we immediately had to wash off the ick factor (and the serious B.O. going on amongst the patrons) with a little shopping and eating on Santa Monica's 3rd St. Promenade.

My bounty from the shopping trip was a few bird things:

It was a good gals night out, and I did some learnin' which makes things worthwhile. I have to say, as someone who was kind of weirded out by the exhibit, I can only imagine the dinner discussions that followed amongst the families that were there. There were infants, toddlers, little kids, and tweens there. I probably wouldn't have brought my kid to horror central. My drams last night were not about bodies, though. I dreamt that Jason Statham and I were in a literature class together and he asked me out on a date even though he knew I was married. What is THAT about?