MARTIN GARDINER writes to tell us that he was wondering about phone phobia â as one does â so he visited , the website that offers advice on how to âlive free of fears, phobias and anxiety attacksâ.
The site defines phone phobia as âa persistent, abnormal and unwarranted fear of telephonesâ. It goes on: âTo learn more about our 24-Hour Phone Phobia Program, please call us at 1-800-828-7484âŚâ
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AS WELL as demanding usernames, passwords and PINs, many websites now insist, as an extra security measure, that you respond to a âsecretâ question to which only you know the answer. This is not as straightforward as it might seem.
The website is an online community of film-makers (not assassins). Peter Newman tells us that one of its administrators recently informed members: âMy own mini survey shows that 90 per cent of Shooters who have chosen as their secret question âWhat was the name of the first person you slept with?â canât remember the answer they gave when they first signed up for Shooting People, while 100 per cent of Shooters who chose âWhat did you call your first pet?â remember the answer, no problem.â
Retrospective energy reduction
DAVID WHITEHEAD came across an article on reporting that Hewlett-Packard has made a remarkable breakthrough in the field of energy conservation: âThe Palo Alto, California-based company announced Wednesday that by 2010 it will reduce the amount of energy it used in 2005 by 20 per cent.â
âWhen Mark Jones was shopping on Amazon, the following wildly generous offer popped up on his screen: âProduct Promotions. Save ÂŁ0.02 when you spend ÂŁ100,000.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by ââśÄ
âWhy stop there?â Whitehead wonders, imagining the potential benefits from applying HPâs retrospective energy-reduction technology on a global scale.
FROM an AFP news release earlier this month: âJohn Billings, founder of the natural contraceptive system known as the Billings Method, has died in Australia aged 89, his colleagues said Monday⌠Billings is survived by his wife and eight of their nine children.â
IT WAS not so much the title âSuperhero-related injuries in paediatrics: a case seriesâ that amused us (Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol 92, p 242), as its use of language in this statement in the text: âThree of them tried to imitate Spiderman and one Superman. Three were injured after initiating flight without having planned for landing strategies.â
AND here is a distinctly unsurprising summary of a research paper: âSword swallowers more likely to be injured when distracted or swallowing unusual swordsâ is from the press release about a paper in the BMJ (vol 333, p 1285).
We were also not very surprised by this headline for an article on the US National Academies website: âHigh School Survey Finds That Students Are Bored in Class.â
Gosh. Hold the front page.
HARD on the heels of the âTo my wifeâ card that is not suitable for children under 3 years (17 March), several readers have told us about a âHappy 1st Birthdayâ card that warns it is ânot suitable for children under 36 monthsâ.
ON THE main staircase of the physics building at the University of Tasmania is a sign: âWelcome to the School of Maths and Physics. You are on level 2. Level 3 is one floor up.â
Jon Marsden-Smedley feels reassured that the mathematics department is able to tell us this.
ACCORDING to the blurb on the jacket of Daisyâs Wild Ride by Bob Graham, which school librarian Jenny Wilson recently added to her schoolâs book collection, âThis series of first learning books provides young children with the perfect introduction to basic scientific concepts.â
At the end of the story, which is all about Janeâs pet pig Daisy hurtling down a hill in a cart, are some helpful âBackground notes for parents and teachersâ. They include: âGravity is what keeps everybodyâs feet on the ground â literally. When astronauts go to the moon, where there is no gravity, they just float about.â
Weâre sure parents and teachers will be grateful for that insight.
FINALLY, we want to rename this column in preparation for its branching out as a blog on , and to avoid the confusion experienced by those who think âFeedbackâ means âcontact usâ (14 April). We invite readers to send in ideas for a new name by email or post. Please restrict each suggestion to a maximum of two words and do not send in more than two suggestions. You could be the winner of a magnum of champagne if we adopt your suggestion.
All suggestions must reach us by Monday 14 May and the editorâs decision on the winner is final.