Mullet Over


Not everyone is amused by the same things

An electrical engineer from the University of Washington has developed some truly futuristic electronic contact lenses. The devices can feed images to a wearer’s brain. Those images might include a computer screen or the face of a clock or the Periodic Table, etc.  The lenses have reportedly been tested on animals and found to be both safe and effective. I have no idea what a test animal could do with a Periodic Table.

Some very dedicated and scholarly scientists required $3 billion and 13 years of hard work to sequence the 3 billion base pairs encoded in a human genome (task completed in 2003). By 2011, the cost of sequencing an individual’s genome was down to $5,000. In 2012, a biotech company plans to offer the sequencing for $1,000 and promises printed results in three hours rather than the three weeks needed for the 2011 process. Not only can the information reveal one’s ancestry, but it can divulge important health histories and thusly enable physicians to more accurately identify effective medications.

Edward Despard (1751-1803) experienced fluctuating (clean word) fortunes. The man commanded a successful British military expedition in what later became regions of Nicaragua and Honduras. He was rewarded with an appointment as superintendent for the Bay of Honduras, but then things began to go downhill for Eddie. Despard was recalled to London where he got in with a “bad” crowd. He was convicted of plotting to rob the Bank of England and to assassinate King George III. The doomed ex-superintendent became the last man to be legally drawn and quartered (an “unpleasant” experience) in England.

Many schools cancel classes when bad weather occurs. A school in Bellingham, Washington launched a fresh idea during a recent April. Administrators gave everyone a day off for “good weather.” The first spring day that had a predicted high temp of at least 63 degrees (F) and no rain forecast was targeted as a vacation day. Students and faculty were compelled to return after the one-day break (when rain was expected).

Not everyone is amused by the same things. In Denmark, a 43 year old man named Lonka donned appropriate garb, slipped into jail and masqueraded as a prisoner for two days before guards finally noticed him and verified that he did not have the proper documentation for incarceration. The prankster thought the joke was a hoot – at first. An apparently humorless judge provided “proper documentation” and sentenced Mr. Lonka to two months in prison.

Well, celebrate a good weather day some time – and have a great week.


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"Jack, did you hear me?"





"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important … Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.



"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.








"The thing he valued most was … my time."


"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.


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