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Sep

Aha Moment Maker: The Potato Chips Are Down

by Your friends at OIC on September 14, 2013

SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1853—Hotel chef George Crum was just trying to get through another dinner service at Moon’s Lake House. But a cranky guest kept sending back plate after plate of Crum’s fried potatoes, insisting that they were too thick, too soggy, and too bland. As an insult, the chef sliced the next batch paper-thin, fried them until they were brittle, and purposely over-salted. Read more...

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Your Own Aha Moments

Aug

Overcoming Obstacles: What’s Right with Lefties

by Janine Boylan on August 12, 2013

lefty writer, illustrating overcoming obstacles and Left-Handers' Day

Happy Left-Handers’ Day!

What is wrong with the photo above? No left-handed person would voluntarily write in a spiral notebook like that—it’s horribly uncomfortable on the hand!

About 10% of the population is left-dominant. They prefer to write, toss balls, cut paper, and open cans with their left hands. Often this means they have to overcome obstacles daily by struggling with tools, like spiral notebooks, thoughtlessly designed only for right-handed people.

About twenty years ago, a fed-up group of lefties, the Left-Hander’s Club, started International Left-Handers’ Day, which is now celebrated annually on August 13. According to the official site, the event allows left-handers to “celebrate their sinistrality and increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.” Read more...

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Discoveries

Jul

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: Some Interesting Cat Facts

by Janine Boylan on July 22, 2013

illustrating a sense of curiosity about recent cat research

A Sense of Curiosity About the Facts

Cats. People tend to have a lot of opinions about them.

So my sense of curiosity took over: How do the facts about domestic cats stack up to what we think we know? I tackled some recent cat research to find out, and the interesting cat facts provided many “Oh, I see” moments!

Cats vs. Dogs

Cats are the most popular pets. Or are they? Read more...

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