Forgetting how to write your language; solving the Carp problem; Gladstones redux; a fascinating map site; and living without a toilet—all in today’s lunchtime news chum:
- From the “Unanticipated Side Effects” Department: Those of us who speak English have it easy. We have 26 letters in our language, and 26 letters on the keyboard, so in general, we know how to form all the characters. Sure, we may have lost the ability to do a cursive capital Q, but is that really a loss? However, as the LA Times reports, in China the problem is much worse: with over 3,000 characters in the language, people are forgetting how to write certain words properly, primarily because the specialized characters are not used when sending text messages.
- From the “Something’s Fishy” Department: Those who have been following the news know about the problem the Asian Carp brings to the midwest. Some have wondered why they just aren’t harvested for fish meal, or eaten in America. Illinois has a better solution: Catch them and send them to China as a delecacy. Just like Angus Beef, they’ll be marketed as “Wild Mississippi River Fish”. I wonder if they will sell them to Gladstones in Pacific Palisades? According to the LA Times, Gladstones has improved upon its formerly 0-star rating, but reading through the comments, although the food may be marginally better, the prices certainly aren’t.
- From the “Not On Your GPS” Department: One of the reasons I’m the highway guy is that I love maps. Thus, I found this article from the LA Times about mind expanding maps fascinating. Taking advantage of statistical data, these maps give you entirely new views of the world. For example, here’s a map of what makes each country #1. Did you know that Costa Rica was #1 in Happiness? Canada in Fruit Juice Drinkers? Here’s another: The meaning of colors in different cultures.
- From the “You Think You’ve Got It Bad” Department: Consider the saga of the poor Manhatten apartment dweller. They are living in an apartment with a single small bathroom… and they need to remodel it. Suddenly: no toilet, no bathtub, no nothing. What’s a New Yorker to do; how do they live two weeks without a bathroom?
