Cloud city
WHEN property prices skyrocket, buyers need to go the extra mile to find something affordable. Or in the case of Kevin Davey, 2 billion miles, to Uranus, which he discovers is being sold off by online store Living Social for just $19 per acre.
Buyers will receive a property deed, a map indicating the location of their purchase, and a fact book about the seventh planet from the sun. The seller also informs us, counter-intuitively, that land on Uranus is valued at $40 per acre, although by who we鈥檙e not sure. 鈥淪hould I tell them that this gaseous planet has no land?鈥� asks Kevin.
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Traces of tiger
OUR litany of strange smells in nature shows no signs of abating. Paul Finlow-Bates writes to tell us that the guides at Tiger Island in Australia鈥檚 Dreamworld theme park inform visitors that they may get a sudden whiff of peanut satay sauce, even in the absence of any Indonesian fast-food stall.
鈥淭his is because they take the tigers for a walk around the park in the early hours,鈥� says Paul, 鈥渁nd the males like to mark their territory along the way. Their urine, apparently, smells just like satay.鈥�
鈥淎lan Edgar writes: 鈥淏eing interested in acoustics and music, I was delighted to discover the organist at York Minster is one David Pipe鈥濃��
Tea time toes
IN A variant on the popcorn scent of greyhound feet (21 May), Tracey Neville reports that her husband 鈥渦sed to insist our dog鈥檚 feet smelled just like digestive biscuits鈥�. Rather than a greyhound, this was a beagle. 鈥淥ur latest dog is a beagle mix. Her feet are less smelly, but he says they are 鈥榓 bit like digestives鈥�.鈥�
The smell of fear
PREVIOUSLY Steve Backshall told us that CK One perfume is used to attract big cats to camera traps (21 May). 鈥淧resumably the pumas are disappointed to discover that the smell does not originate from some soft, pampered, cologne-wearing city slicker who will make easy prey,鈥� says Dave Ball.
Food for thought
WE HAVE determined that we鈥檒l never be able to move on from nominative determinism. 鈥淚 know that your file is at bursting-point,鈥� writes Peter Hardy-Smith, 鈥渂ut I was unable to resist writing in after watching today鈥檚 edition of Australia鈥檚 rural affairs programme Landline.鈥� In which, Peter tells us, 鈥淏evan Eatts, chairman of Southern Forest Food Council, brought us up-to-date on a subject in which he is obviously well-qualified.鈥�
Logical outcome
SOMETHING to ponder: Dennis Chesters reports that the University of Helsinki in Finland is home to a professor of philosophy named Jan von Plato.
Hidden treasure
AND lastly, Steve Carper sends us a news clipping about a college lacrosse champion who goes by the name Danny LaCrosse. Feedback is distracted, however, by further information in the source, which tells us that 30 years ago, columnist Peter Taub of The Times-Union newspaper in Rochester, New York, had a regular feature he called 鈥渘ames that work 鈥� for instance, a tailor named Taylor or a mechanic named Carr.鈥�
Can it be that a cache of nominative determinism examples lies forgotten in the records of that now defunct paper? If anyone has some old copies lying around, be sure to tell us.
Crystal question
A PILLAR of malachite is arousing some debate online over the, er, suitability of such material for intimate use. First posted to Bijoux et Mineraux, , undulating spar was strictly for display purposes only.
The resulting thread takes in chemistry, microscopic structure, the relative acidity and moisture content of parts of the human body, microbiology and the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
You can read the full discussion at the appropriately named ().
Bridge over troubled water
PATRICK FENTON asked us if a term existed for sentences in web pages that were truncated in interesting ways (30 April). 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure if there is one,鈥� says Ginny Craig, 鈥渂ut was surprised to read on the British Columbia newsfeed that 鈥楿pgrades aim to reduce the stink wafting up from below Alex鈥�.鈥�
Was the press mobilising against a particularly smelly citizen? No, says Ginny: 鈥淒isappointingly, the full text revealed that the river flowing under the Alex Fraser bridge had sewage problems, which were causing a stink and deterring motorists from using it.鈥� Good news for local drivers, and for stinky Canadians named Alex.
Press precision
IN THE era of declining newspaper sales, the Swindon Advertiser is giving individual attention to its readers: Sam Millard notes that the newspaper boasts that it is 鈥渞ead by 46,872 people in print and online every day鈥�.
Such a precise figure boasts a phenomenal level of loyalty 鈥� or consistency. 鈥淕iven that readership is not identical to sales volume, due to many people reading the same paper, I find this level of precision even more remarkable,鈥� says Sam.
Naked lunch
JUST the thing for those who want a salad without the dressing: London restaurant Bunyadi is hiring 鈥渆xperienced, passionate and hard working鈥� staff who will need to be confident, as 鈥渘ot only will the food be pure, clean and naked, the customers and you will also be naked鈥�. Feedback has rather lost our appetite.