[OSF] Effects of Drugs on Spider's Webs

A great study about the effects of various drugs (caffeine, marijuana, crack, and more) on spiders and their spiderwebs. Seriously though, in the 60's there was a study on the effects of various drugs on a spider's web making abilities. It's pretty interesting...read about it on [CaffeineWeb]

Saltwater into fire...and a cure for cancer?

So this guy from Erie came up with this idea at like 3 in the morning for curing cancer using radio waves. Genius by itself...but, when you add the fact that a by-product of this invention is that he can also set salt water on fire (thus making it combustible enough to be a fuel source)...well, I'll let the video blow your mind for me. It's too early to be witty.

Xylitol can be harmful to dogs

So, anyone who's ever sent me an email forward that made no sense at all knows that I'm very big on debunking that kind of crap. Could Bill Gates POSSIBLY track and pay you for sending emails? WOULD he? Don't be ridiculous. Yet I still get that one sent to me, randomly, 8-10 years later [sigh]. If you're one of the guilty forwarders, I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret: Snopes. Before you hit "Forward", go to Snopes.com, please, for the love of god. Save us all the time and bandwidth. However, some of them actually are true. This is one of them...a big one. As a pet lover, I'm amazed I haven't actually researched this before, but I'm glad I did now. Spread the word to anyone you know who has dogs...be VERY careful, especially with Orbitz and other gums (nothing against them, I love Orbitz, it just seems to be the most likely place a dog is going to get Xylitol from in most households). Xylitol is a sugar alcohol used in candy and chewing gum. It is also found in some pharmaceuticals and oral health products such as chewable vitamins and throat lozenges. It can also be used in home baking. While Xylitol is safe for humans, it can be harmful to dogs. The compound doesn't affect glucose levels in people, but when ingested by dogs it can cause a dangerous surge of insulin. (In as little as 15 minutes, the blood sugar of a dog that has eaten gum containing Xylitol may register a marked drop in blood sugar.) At higher doses, Xylitol is believed toxic to the canine liver. Just three grams of Xylitol can kill a 65-pound dog. [Snopes] [Wikipedia]

Don't buy bacon from K-mart

I love bacon. If it wouldn't kill me, I'd probably eat bacon for every meal of the day. Bacon on cheeseburgers, bacon on sandwiches, steak wrapped in bacon, bacon on bacon with a side of bacon. I loves me some bacon. This however, is not bacon... This was purchased at a K-mart in Denver. Don't ever buy your bacon from a K-mart in Denver. [Read]

25 Health Tips for Computer Nerds

As much as most of us in any computer-related industry would really, really like to be healthy...real life doesn't always allow that. Small steps seem to be the key so far. This one, I'm mostly saving for myself to read later...then again, anyone reading this blog is probably a nerd anyway. So, enjoy. [Read]