polka dot suitcase » Archive for August 2009
Terrified? Or just surprised?
Here’s something interesting. A recent study by researchers at Glasgow University suggested that people in different parts of the world interpret facial expressions differently. Apparantly, Western peeps look at the whole face when trying to figure out if another person is ticked off, frightened, or otherwise experiencing an emotion. People in the Eastern countries look primarily at the eyes. So, when shown a bunch of photos of people expressing emotions, the study participants from Asian countries were more likely than Westerners to interpret “surprise” instead of “fear” and “anger” instead of “disgust.” All this is interesting, but what tickled me in particular was this write-up that listed the difference in emoticons between East and West — note the lack of mouths in the Eastern emoticons: East West differences in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
Dusticals
Hi, This is Mister steel! What I have been doing lately is working on a BAND called the Dusticals. It’s a band with Sir Buffalo Sushi, my dog Dusty and me! We have no instruments so it doesn’t sound too well. Sir Buffalo Sushi gets boxes and bangs Tinker Toys on them for drums. He makes my dog sing (really he sings in a high pitched voice to indicate Dusty singing while she’s just laying there) … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
Yay! Nice Energy review
So, I was trying to find a “toot your own horn” category to place this under, but the idea of ego-stroking still makes me squirm — maybe a leftover token from my Catholic upbringing? So I’ll just file this under “education.” But in any event, the National Science Teachers Association has a really generous review of my third book, Energy: 25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power and How We Get it. Many thanks to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
Travel safety
On occasion, the guys and I travel without Big Fish. While we definitely miss his company and would prefer to move as an intact family unit, sometimes schedules conflict and it just doesn’t work out. On those trips, I miss Big Fish’s company most at night. Um. I mean, I miss Big Fish’s company most at night because that’s when darkness falls, and my mother’s and woman’s instinctive fear of the boogeyman begins to kick in. Hey, I never said I was a brave person. Fortunately, a very strong survival instinct runs in my family. We enjoy being alive, and we’re not afraid of a hearty mix of common sense, proper planning, and a good dose of paranoia to keep us safe. There are the usual personal safety tips: Stay aware of your … Read entire article »
Filed under: Adventure
Find fun…but not too much fun
Every so often, I remember I have a Twitter account and pop over to check out what fun I’ve been missing. This morning, I caught a little news Tweet about an Atlanta family who had been kicked out of Universal Studios in Orlando. Why? Their 7-year old daughter screamed on a thrill ride. No kidding. After the ride was over, another guest rounded on the little girl, demanding to know why she had to scream so loudly, using a cuss word to emphasize her point. Ack! Shoot, we’ve all been in the other guest’s shoes — another family having a little more fun than we are, and we feel we’re not getting our money’s worth. Or maybe that we’ve never been able to scream well — that every time we try, it … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
Pie irons and meteors
Okay, so with the heat index reaching 107 today, I wimped out and didn’t light up a fire for the pie iron test. However, like a good inhabitant of the 21st century, I did the next best thing — Googled it. If you had to guess, how would you rank these from hottest on down: gas grill, campfire, charcoal grill? Put your pencils down. Hottest is the campfire. Then charcoal, then gas grill. So, while we were desperately trying to toast our sammies over the gas grill, we were really out of luck from the get-go. And what’s more — and you probably already know this — different colored flames are hotter than others. So if you’re sticking your pie iron on the red-hot flames, you’ll actually get a lower temp than … Read entire article »
Filed under: Toys and Gadgets
Hot momma!
That’s me. I’m one hot momma — because not only is it 98 degrees outside, but the weather people tell me with the heat index it could hit around 107. Ugh. Hot. Hot. Hot. Last night, I was trying to use my new birthday present: a pie iron. (For the uninitiated, a pie iron is two small squares of cast iron joined with a hinge that allows you to make toasted sandwiches — or dozens of other toasted yummies — over a campfire.) The first pre-season football game was on (go, Bills) and I thought, “What would taste better right now than a pudgie pie?” The answer was, “Nothing.” I didn’t have the ambition to actually make a campfire, though, so I lit the grill. How much different could it be from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
Top four books with Sir Buffalo Sushi
Hello, Bloglings! Sir Buffalo Sushi here. I’ve been reading a lot lately, and have some favorites. *= 1 star, **= 2 star, ***=3 star, etc., etc. The Invention of Hugo Cabret This is my favorite book of all time. It’s around 500 pages, but 280 something are pictures. I think all ages would love this. I rate it: ***** Diary of a Wimpy kid Coming in second on my list is Diary of a Wimpy kid. I read this in about three and a half hours, but I’m a fast reader. It’s like reading the the funnies. Or watching Homer Simpson eat two dozen pink doughnuts in five seconds… It’s so innocent, but extremely funny. I rate this: ***** Among the hidden This is the kick off book of a great series of seven. Great readings! The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fooling Around
The South won the war?
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are coming out with a study about how people who watch historical movies remember them better than if they’d read a historical textbook. Which may sound hunky-dory…until you add in something called creative license. Hollywood blockbuster movies, even those based on actual historic events, can sometimes play around with the details. Just a smidge, of course. Only kids and movie makers can get away with such things. The researchers point out this example (among others): In the 2000 movie Tombstone, Doc Holliday kills Johnny Ringo. In reality, they say, he was in a courtroom with witnesses that day, making this event…well, a movie boo-boo. Apparently Ringo committed suicide IRL. True confession: Here at Chez Polka Dot, we like historical movies. Check out my Netflix list … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activities
