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Minor Strangeness (IHTM)

I never knew that "Earl Grey Tea" was seasoned with bergamot. Not a tea guy here, but hear me out. There was a reddit thread about unpopular culinary opinions the other day and someone mentioned the fact.

I've been using a certain crossword puzzle app that downloads the latest from various newspapers. Well, you get used to certain clues and/or answers from across the board, but I well and truly (and for you puzzle freaks, this was a long answer) never ran across this particular clue or answer before, yet lo and behold, the clue was something about a tea flavored with bergamot. Obviously, I knew the answer immediately, but I consider this synchronicity and find it a weird, wild beast.
 
I never knew that "Earl Grey Tea" was seasoned with bergamot. Not a tea guy here, but hear me out. There was a reddit thread about unpopular culinary opinions the other day and someone mentioned the fact.

I've been using a certain crossword puzzle app that downloads the latest from various newspapers. Well, you get used to certain clues and/or answers from across the board, but I well and truly (and for you puzzle freaks, this was a long answer) never ran across this particular clue or answer before, yet lo and behold, the clue was something about a tea flavored with bergamot. Obviously, I knew the answer immediately, but I consider this synchronicity and find it a weird, wild beast.

A few years ago there was a news story about an ocarina that was stolen from a car. The owner made a public appeal for its return.
The day I heard about this the word ocarina was an answer in a crossword, and appeared several times in different puzzles over a few months.
I'd never heard of the instrument before.

(I do crosswords at work. You have to pass the time somehow.)
 
I've been getting little electric shocks off all the metal appliances in my kitchen, all day today (including the stainless steel sink).
As you'll be aware, these are all electrically earthed (including the sink) using a system known as equipotential bonding. Therefore you are electrically discharging via those physical contacts. It could be at thousands of volts, but with negligable current

I can only assume it is static electricity somehow related to the brand new acrylic jumper I'm wearing?
Yes, but the new slippers you got for Xmas are also playing a major part (which we'll come back to)

As you move your arms against your body, and move through a dry indoor atmosphere, you are knocking electrons off of the outer layer of fibre (which has, at a molecular level, a vast surface-area).

Your slippers are electrically (as well as thermally) insulating you from a dry floor, so your relative electical charge (compared to that of the planet Earth under your house) becomes highly positively charged.

Some people cure the sitution by locating a humidifier in their house (even just an open bowl of water). Spraying anti-static treatment onto the soles and liners of your slippers, and wearing non-manmade fibre socks, will also help.

Failing that, get a short trailing carbon-fibre fishing rod and attach it to your back via kitchen foil and parcel-tape. I'd recommend you remove it before leaving the house, or people may presume you're an android.

I've had 'static' problems when on antibiotics, so thought I'd ask.
Fascinating. Care to speculate as to why? As an electronics person (but not an electronic person: presumably?) you must've come up with a theory. If it is somehow related to intracellular neurogenerated nanovoltages, could we build a body-worn joule-thief that'd recharge our smart-phones from amoxycillin and nylon jumpers?
 
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I never knew that "Earl Grey Tea" was seasoned with bergamot. Not a tea guy here, but hear me out. There was a reddit thread about unpopular culinary opinions the other day and someone mentioned the fact.

I've been using a certain crossword puzzle app that downloads the latest from various newspapers. Well, you get used to certain clues and/or answers from across the board, but I well and truly (and for you puzzle freaks, this was a long answer) never ran across this particular clue or answer before, yet lo and behold, the clue was something about a tea flavored with bergamot. Obviously, I knew the answer immediately, but I consider this synchronicity and find it a weird, wild beast.
OH, MY TEA (dough? Nah)
 
A few years ago there was a news story about an ocarina that was stolen from a car. The owner made a public appeal for its return.
The day I heard about this the word ocarina was an answer in a crossword, and appeared several times in different puzzles over a few months.
I'd never heard of the instrument before.

(I do crosswords at work. You have to pass the time somehow.)
Strange things ocarinas (name itself is peculiar). Weirdly my godmother had a great interest in them, although I can't remember ever having heard her play one.
 
My Dad owned one when he was young. He played various wind instruments in jazz bands when he was in his 20s. The ocarina would have been used rarely. I think all those instruments went when he married my Mum.
 
As you'll be aware, these are all electrically earthed (including the sink) using a system known as equipotential bonding. Therefore you are electrically discharging via those physical contacts. It could be at thousands of volts, but with negligable current

Yes, but the new slippers you got for Xmas are also playing a major part (which we'll come back to)

As you move your arms against your body, and move through a dry indoor atmosphere, you are knocking electrons off of the outer layer of fibre (which has, at a molecular level, a vast surface-area).

Your slippers are electrically (as well as thermally) insulating you from a dry floor, so your relative electical charge (compared to that of the planet Earth under your house) becomes highly positively charged.

Some people cure the sitution by locating a humidifier in their house (even just an open bowl of water). Spraying anti-static treatment onto the soles and liners of your slippers, and wearing non-manmade fibre socks, will also help.

Failing that, get a short trailing carbon-fibre fishing rod and attach it to your back via kitchen foil and parcel-tape. I'd recommend you remove it before leaving the house, or people may presume you're an android.

Fascinating. Care to speculate as to why? As an electronics person (but not an electronic person: presumably?) you must've come up with a theory. If it is somehow related to intracellular neurogenerated nanovoltages, could we build a body-worn joule-thief that'd recharge our smart-phones from amoxycillin and nylon jumpers?


I don't wear slippers, but I get your point! I was wearing sandals yesterday.

Later in the evening I noticed it had stopped happening. I expect the humidity in my little kitchen had gone up a bit.
 
Strange things ocarinas (name itself is peculiar). Weirdly my godmother had a great interest in them, although I can't remember ever having heard her play one.

An ocarina is one of the "punchlines" in the sex education sketch of Monty Python's Meaning of Life, which is where I first head the word.

But there's an ocarina solo in the Troggs' Wild Thing, and in The Red Hand Gang, leader Frankie would play one at idle moments, though I didn't know its name as a kid.
 
Fascinating. Care to speculate as to why? As an electronics person (but not an electronic person: presumably?) you must've come up with a theory. If it is somehow related to intracellular neurogenerated nanovoltages, could we build a body-worn joule-thief that'd recharge our smart-phones from amoxycillin and nylon jumpers?
It appeared to be linked to a body chemistry change. My skin became very dry and most food was 'waved through' by my digestive system. I suspect I got subtly dehydrated or possibly the amount of oil in my skin was depleted due to not absorbing fats.

After two weeks I was a walking Van de Graf generator and was banned from touching fixtures on a show stand as I triggered the ELCB's if I touched anything conducting, shutting the whole thin down.

This entertaining condition cleared up within two days of completing a three week course. A recent one week course of the same did not elicit the same effect.
 
Another word game coincidence.

I'd been feeling a bit unwell for several weeks and at first put it down to my changed eating patterns /diet due to a series of tooth aches and extractions not to mention getting used to to the damn false teeth.

After a bit the symptoms started getting worse and it began to niggle me that it wasn't that at all and could be something serious and, well you know how it is, over the next week or so I'd managed to convince myself it was the big C. so got myself to the GP .... turned out to be a urinary infection. Doh why hadn't I thought of that? ho hum.

In relief got back home and logged onto the face book Scrabble app which had been playing up the previous day. Bingo! I got into it at bloody last ..... but was amazed to see 'ASSHOLE' and 'WOMB' shouting out at me from the top of the list, the self same body parts I'd been so anxious about!!!!

I accused the player (a friend IRL) of being either psychic or putting a hex on me. Pertinent comment as the last time we played real life Scrabble the convo had turned to things fortean!!

In retrospect I was so pleased the app hadn't let me in the previous evening as that would have stressed me out even more ('it's a sign, it's a sign I tell you!') instead of being the minor coincidence that it turned out to be. :)

Sollywos x
 
The bank made me have a card with that on it. I didn't want that facility and have never used it (wouldn't know how).

Should I wrap my bank card in tin foil?

I am worried now. :(
 
My first urban mushrooms this year. Definitely not edible. I'm too lazy to determine them because the I have to go through the whole mushroom book page by page and still end up with 10 possible candidates. But they're nice and mysterious as always.

mushrooms2019a.jpgmushrooms2019b.jpg
 
Should I wrap my bank card in tin foil?

A modern variation of the tin foil hat, and more realistic :)
I myself just take the risk. They can steal 25 euro max (or 50) and untill that happens to me I will not be worried.
 
The bank made me have a card with that on it. I didn't want that facility and have never used it (wouldn't know how).

Should I wrap my bank card in tin foil?

I am worried now. :(
I'm not advocating doing this (as there are dangers involved), but there are Youtube videos that show how to deactivate the RFID chip by drilling a hole.
 
The alternative is to use a card protector.
 
RFID safe wallets can be bought on Ebay. Got one myself.
 
Thank you. I will be looking out for one. Until then I will use tin foil.

And yes, I know I probably seem very paranoid. But all this technology stuff is really weirding me out these days.
:parapet:
 
My first urban mushrooms this year. Definitely not edible. I'm too lazy to determine them because the I have to go through the whole mushroom book page by page and still end up with 10 possible candidates. But they're nice and mysterious as always.

View attachment 17025View attachment 17026
I like how you took the pic from the underside. Any fairy rings spotted?
 
Don't know where to put this. Proof of concept > modern pickpockets:

I think you'll find that this should be put into urban myths - Snopes Electronic Pickpocketing
It is possible to scan a credit card RFID but then what - you need a bank account to put in the money which is traceable and easily recovered if it's a fraudulent activity.
The risk/return is just not worth it - it's far easier to buy credit card details online, by their thousands, for a few pennies.
The scam seems to be the RFID wallet manufacturers.
 
Minor strangeness ..

.. our person who does the washing up at work has been unable to separate a round espresso cup that's become brilliantly lodged inside another larger round coffee mug ..

Being an ex barman, I've dealt with these before so submerged the base of the larger mug in scalding hot water and placed ice cubes inside the espresso mug confident that expansion and contraction would do the trick again .. nope .. someone suggested using washing up liquid and then oil to lube it up .. nope .. someone used a machine that vibrates and also a butter knife as a gentle lever to work the cups free .. nope ..

At this stage I was becoming seriously fond of these cups that refused to be released from each other, jokes were made about just throwing them at the wall which would solve the problem quickly .. nope, because I wouldn't let them. I want the riddle of separating these cups to piss people off for decades.

The Mrs has got involved now, googled it and has put them in the freezer for 2 hours because apparently that works. I seriously hope it doesn't in the purest Fortean sense.
 
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