The Betacantrips Travelogue

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File under: freckles that mesmerize. The story from Slashdot:

Ponca City, We love you writes “The Telegraph reports that men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive. This leads to speculation that men use up so much of their brain function or ‘cognitive resources’ trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks. Psychologists at Radboud University in The Netherlands carried out the study after one of them was so struck on impressing an attractive woman he had never met before, that he could not remember his address when she asked him where he lived. Researchers recruited 40 male heterosexual students and had each one perform a standard memory test. The volunteers then spent seven minutes chatting to male or female members of the research team before repeating the test. The results showed that men were slower and less accurate after trying to impress the women. The more they fancied them, the worse their score.”

Brilliant. Thanks Beekums. Source:

Pret A Manger is a sandwich shop. Paul McCrudden is an eater of sandwiches. The relationship seems uncomplicated. It probably was, at least until Mr. McCrudden decided to log all of his activity for six weeks and then send invoices for the time he spent interacting with brands. Some might call this an interesting social experiment. Others, a dick move. All we know is that Pret A Manger decided to pay him, and the letter they sent is hilarious. Oh, and the check is nice too.

File under: the mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled; the Kindle; and also that fabulous cover of the Reading Rainbow theme song by 8bit bEtty. Thanks Adam!

After 26 years, the beloved children’s show hosted by LeVar Burton will disappear from the airwaves. Today, educational funding favors programs that teach kids how to read, rather than why to read.

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