CYCLIST Lance Armstrong did not have to take performance-enhancing drugs to succeed, Michael Kolmet suggests. All Armstrong needed to do was wear the magnetic socks Michael found promoted at . These could have helped him win his seven Tour de France titles and fixed his golf swing as well.
鈥淧ain and muscle fatigue,鈥� the website tells us, 鈥渃an slow you down when cycling 鈥� but the magnetic technology of the SPM鈩� Bike Line socks help to facilitate coordination and ease muscular cramps 鈥� improving mental and physical endurance.鈥�
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How do they do this? We鈥檙e not sure, but anything 鈥渂ased on the principles of foot reflexology, Chinese acupuncture, and the therapeutic properties of magnets鈥� must be good, mustn鈥檛 it?
But Michael has a worry. 鈥淲hat happens when you have a hole in your magnetic socks?鈥� he asks. 鈥淲hat do you mend them with?鈥�
The makers of the Vactor sewer cleaner, Ronald Davis notes, claim it has
THIS year鈥檚 competition run by UK newspaper The Guardian to win 鈥渟ix mind-boggling science books鈥� included the following question: 鈥淔ood that doesn鈥檛 contain any chemicals: a) is known as organic; b) was grown without pesticides; c) will help you lose weight; d) is much healthier鈥�.
Our mind, like Paul Manson鈥檚, was boggled by the question. Paul suggests an additional answer: 鈥渆) doesn鈥檛 exist鈥�.
A SELF-STYLED 鈥渋mportant memo鈥� forwarded by Robin McKellar warns that the Ottawa Citizen newspaper is being delivered later than normal 鈥渄ue to a shortage of carriers鈥� 鈥� and 鈥渁pologises for the incontinence鈥�.
As it happens, the note was delivered to Robin鈥檚 mother in her nursing home.
READING our story about an 鈥渁strological telescope鈥� (24 November) made Bryn Glover wonder if two areas of study haven鈥檛 been 鈥渞everse named鈥�. 鈥淎strology鈥�, he points out, means, from its roots, the 鈥渟tudy of stars鈥�, which is mostly what astronomers do 鈥� whereas 鈥渁stronomy鈥�, also from its roots, means the 鈥渘aming of stars鈥�, which is mostly what astrologers are concerned about.
鈥淧erhaps,鈥� Bryn suggests, 鈥渢he two old enemies should get together and agree a name swap.鈥�
He goes on to wonder if readers can think of any other areas where swapping names would lead to greater clarity.
Keep those electrons on the move
DON鈥橳 let those electrons get lazy. That, Neville Howard discovered, is the warning Apple gives iPod users at . 鈥淯se iPod regularly,鈥� Apple advises. 鈥淔or proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it鈥檚 important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally.鈥� Apple users at the New 杏吧原创 office have since confirmed that Apple gives this same advice to users of all its laptops, smartphones, iPods and iPads. Very strange.
READER William Urton supplies our favourite title of the week 鈥� albeit one belonging to a paper published in 2008 in the American Journal of Physics (vol 76, p 143).
Its author, Hrvoje Nikolic, begins his attempt to compare the work of the quantum physicists David Bohm and Max Born thus: 鈥淚 discuss a hypothetical historical context in which a Bohm-like deterministic interpretation of the Schr枚dinger equation is proposed before the Born probabilistic interpretation and argue that in such a context the Copenhagen (Bohr) interpretation would probably have not achieved great popularity among physicists.鈥�
In case that isn鈥檛 entirely clear, sums it up simply: 鈥淲ould Bohr be born if Bohm were born before Born?鈥�
STAFF at Humber College in Toronto, Canada, recently received an internal email informing them that 鈥渇or the second year in a row, Humber was named one of 鈥�.
Given this remarkable prescience, instructor Brett Reynolds tells us he is really looking forward to working there next year.
鈥淲ARNING鈥�, alerts the sign in the otherwise bucolic photo that Jim Jobe sends, 鈥淪hallow water鈥�. The sign is near a bridge over a stream in Northallerton, UK. It could more usefully be worded, 鈥淒on鈥檛 dive here, stupid!鈥�
Jim observes that in any case the sign is not always accurate. In late November, to his amazement, the stream 鈥渕ade the national news when it burst its banks鈥�, nearly flooding a nearby hospital
FINALLY, it only remains for us to thank the thousands of readers who have written to us over the past year. It is impossible for us to print all your great stories or answer all your witty comments, but we鈥檙e always very glad to hear from you and there would be no Feedback without you.
Compliments of the season and a happy new year to all of you.