One small step鈥�
HOPING to get a foot in the door of the space-based hosiery market, Sock鈥橫 announces itself as 鈥渢he first fashion brand to manufacture designer socks made for 鈥�.
鈥淪pace tourism is closer than we think,鈥� the press releases declares optimistically, 鈥渁nd Sock鈥橫 is here to challenge the commonplace tendency of space being dominated by those with large budgets.鈥�
Advertisement
On its website, Sock鈥橫 derides the sartorial standard for astronauts as 鈥渟tyleless, technical 鈥榗ostume鈥� 鈥�. A little disparaging for a bespoke suit that can keep a human comfortable in the freezing, UV-riddled vacuum of space, Feedback thinks, and besides, there鈥檚 nothing styleless about the dashing silver foil number sported by John Glenn during NASA鈥檚 Mercury programme.
An 鈥渋nnovative project to meet the challenging conditions in space,鈥� Sock鈥橫 offers socks laced with gold and silver threads 鈥渨hich help inhibit the electrostatic charge commonly found in synthetic fabric when in zero gravity鈥�. This is an odd choice, as the socks themselves are made from all-natural cotton, and besides, any space tourists skimming low Earth orbit will still be a long way from zero gravity. The firm also says that the foot warmers are 鈥渇or those of us that don鈥檛 have the resources or the tools to travel to space,鈥� neatly undermining the sole reason for their existence.
Still, Feedback must admit that at 鈧�10 a pair, the millimetre closer to space you would be while wearing them still delivers a better rate of return than any investment you might have made in a space tourism start-up.
鈥淭ired of T-shirts informing him the wearer had completed this marathon or the other, Philip D. Welsby has printed his own declaring 鈥業 have never completed a marath鈥�.鈥�
A fizzy feeling
THE spring supplying our swollen file on enhanced waters shows no signs of running dry (20 May): Anne Barnfield reports the existence of a Canadian offering, Neurogenesis Happy Water, which offers the wet stuff replete with delicious minerals, .
鈥淗appy Water鈥檚 mission is to provide consumers everywhere with the opportunity to experience the benefits of this unique, naturally functional water,鈥� says the website, adding 鈥淗appy Water is more than hydration鈥� it鈥檚 a state of mind.鈥�
Although it points out the role of lithium in , the company website is careful to avoid explicitly promising a mood boost from anything other than good old hydration and the cheery yellow packaging.
鈥淎lthough not explicitly stated in the advertising, use of the term 鈥榥eurogenesis鈥� in the product name does imply the creation of neurons,鈥� says Anne. Those worried this could put Happy Water in contravention of the UK鈥檚 blanket ban on mind-altering substances will be pleased to know that 鈥渙ne neuroscience lab tested this, and unsurprisingly found no significant effect on 鈥�.
In the meantime, there鈥檚 always the classic pep pop, 7Up 鈥� supposedly named for the atomic number of the same mood-enhancing ingredient.
I want to break free
KEEPING an eye open for alternate routes home, Mick Martin notes that the rear window of the bus he was travelling in bears the notice: 鈥淚n emergency break glass with hammer鈥�. The hammer is thoughtfully provided just above the notice, but in a glazed box saying: 鈥淭o obtain break glass鈥�.
鈥淥n the other side of the bus is a second hammer,鈥� says Mick, 鈥減resumably there to release the first, but this is also in a glazed box. I looked in vain for a third box, but I presume the designer realised that by now the bus was bound for .鈥�
He recommends anyone catching a bus in Cardiff should bring their own hammer.
Was it a nash-tag?
A TALE that marches on relentlessly: Howard Ritter says 鈥淣ot to give the etymology of Nazi more attention than it鈥檚 due,鈥� (too late, Howard) 鈥渂ut I must correct both John King (27 May) and Stuart Tallack (10 June) as to the contraction for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei鈥�.
The shorthand word, says Howard, is neither a retronym of NS nor a clipped contraction of Nationalsozialistische. 鈥淭he true explanation is simple: the word 鈥榥ational鈥� in German is pronounced like 鈥榥ot-seeo-nahl鈥�. Nazi is simply a lexeme reflecting the pronunciation of the first two syllables of that word.鈥� This is akin to the 鈥淒ems鈥� in the US.
Foreign phrase
AND lastly (we hope), Matthew Smyllie writes to point out that Nazi is the predominant term in English. 鈥淚n German, the party seems to be more often referred to by the full name, and in Heidelberg, where I live, German-language tourist information signs that reference Nazi Germany often refer to 鈥榯he time of the national socialists鈥� 鈥�.
Clean machines
THE rise of the robots takes a turn for the tidier. Bob Morley reports signs on the M27 in Hampshire telling drivers 鈥淐CTV cameras take your rubbish home鈥�. Bob say he鈥檚 yet to see any of these mechanical Wombles picking up litter, and what the CCTV cameras are doing with it at home is anyone鈥檚 guess.
Bristol, home of Dub
AND finally, Emma Smith writes in with a location based retronym to rival Australia鈥檚 Dee Why (27 May). 鈥淏eing a resident of Bristol, I must let you know of a nominative version that鈥檚 known in this city. There is an area here called Lawrence Weston, which residents refer to as 鈥楨l Dub鈥�.鈥�