Dress alterations
ONLY a few people can still be puzzling over the hotly discussed photo of a dress that was either white and gold, or blue and black, after it took the world by storm two years ago (bit.ly/ns-thedress). Luckily, those that are have published in the Journal of Vision.
, a neuroscientist at New York University, says that both interpretations stem from assumptions the brain makes about the source of light that illuminated the dress. An online survey of 13,000 people found that those who assumed the room was lit by daylight saw a white dress, while others saw a blue dress illuminated by yellow indoor lights. Furthermore, these assumptions correlated with sleeping patterns 鈥� with early risers more likely to assume the dress was in daylight, and see it as white.
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For the record, the dress was most certainly blue. But an important lesson remains: if you want to see the world in a different light, .
鈥淭he Globe Trekker channel tells Eric Pladsen that 鈥渇or 4,000 million years, people the world over have turned to the delicacy of chocolate鈥︹�� Galaxy bars, perhaps?鈥�
Downunder blunder
PREVIOUSLY, Feedback pondered the ways in which a cruise ship could sail from Southampton to Iceland in four days while fitting in a quick jaunt to Sydney, Australia, on the way (25 March). 鈥淚t is not inconceivable that the cruise you mention could take in Sydney,鈥� says Terence Hollingworth, 鈥渟o long as it鈥檚 Sydney, Nova Scotia.鈥�
Feedback adds that if you feel sorry for the copy editor on that travel brochure, spare a thought for Dutch teen Milan Schipper, who, after a booking mishap, last month found himself 17,000 kilometres from his intended destination, facing the snow-capped Canadian hills instead of the balmy Tasman Sea.
When life gives you lemons
GOOD news for the not-so-clean living among us: nutritionist Jenna Barclay creates 鈥渉ealthy solutions for everyday cravings鈥� and knows exactly the kind of craving adults suffer from most. Her Skinny Lemon drink offers 鈥渞everse osmosis carbonated water鈥�, lemon juice and stevia, allowing you to stay somewhat healthy as you mix it into your 鈥溾��.
Barclay says she created the mixers because she wanted 鈥渟omething low-calorie that didn鈥檛 also contain a bunch of artificial crap that would wreck my skin, body and health鈥�.
A good start, but the very pious among us could ditch the mixer altogether and drink their spirits neat for a really detoxed intoxication.
Missed note
WITH an air of amiable resignation, Feedback must reset our 鈥渄ays without mentioning nominative determinism鈥� chart to zero, to make an exception for a splendid example from Ed Fox.
鈥淚 wonder whether you are aware of the designers of the church organ in the parish church at Crediton, Devon,鈥� he writes. 鈥淚n 1915 the newly appointed church organist, Mr Harold Organ, began work on plans for a new instrument.鈥� Sadly, Mr Organ was killed in action in 1917 before his plans could be finished, 鈥渟o work on the organ was completed in memoriam by his successor, Mr Cyril Church.鈥�
鈥淟acking a sense of humour,鈥� says Ed, 鈥渢he parish officials named the finished instrument 鈥楾he War Memorial Organ鈥� instead of the much more fitting 鈥極rgan-Church Church Organ鈥�.鈥�
Inside out
OUR mention of the journal Internal Medicine Review (not to be confused with the Internal Medicine Journal) has Ian Napier wondering whether 鈥渢here are equivalent 鈥楨xternal Medicine鈥� imprints?鈥�. Hmm, how often is there much to say, bar 鈥減ut everything that鈥檚 outside back inside, and quick鈥�?
Categorical error
FINDING himself mired in an etymological fix, Brian Smith seeks assistance from Feedback readers. Autological words have or represent the property they describe, 鈥渟uch as short, English or polysyllabic鈥�, he says, 鈥渨hilst heterological words are those which describe something they are not, such as monosyllabic or French鈥�. So far, so good.
But what about the word heterological itself? If it does not describe itself, it can be labelled heterological, but that would make it autological, says Brian.
But if autological, this particular word could not be allowed to describe itself, making it heterological. Can any lexicographers 鈥� or set theory mathematicians 鈥� help?
Essoess
ALSO having trouble finding the right words is Ian Freney, who says 鈥淚 wonder if you or your readers have a name for the phenomenon I call a retronym, of which emcee is one example. I鈥檝e only noticed two others: okay, and kayo in the boxing columns.鈥�
Words derived from acronyms are ten a penny 鈥� see laser, radar, scuba, and snafu. But we can think of only one more that arises from attempts to sound out the constituent letters: jeep, from the US military鈥檚 abbreviation for a 鈥済eneral purpose鈥� vehicle. Can you suggest more?
A revealing slip
MORE troublesome truncation: 鈥淢y grandchildren鈥檚 school recently sent an email to parents inviting them to a lecture on the adolescent brain,鈥� says Leo Kelly. The announcement didn鈥檛 strike the right tone, however, as the resulting subject line read 鈥淯nravelling the teenage bra鈥�.
To affect and serve
FURTHER to reports of the Kent Police Crime Support Unit (25 March), John Stolarski sends word that 鈥渙ver in Northamptonshire, the local authority have a flourishing 鈥榊outh Offending Service鈥�. However, I have yet to witness any council official offending any youths in public.鈥�