Magic beans
IT IS the kind of futuristic horror story that might lurk within a Cormac McCarthy novel. A post-apocalyptic landscape ravaged by radiation and three-eyed fish. No coffee.
That last, at least, could be the fate of citizens of Switzerland, whose government has in preparation for disaster, on the coarse grounds that 鈥渃offee 鈥� is not essential for life鈥�.
Advertisement
Feedback is practically shaking with rage. And caffeine withdrawal. But mostly rage. Has nobody informed them that the only planet in the solar system that contains life is also the only one that has developed the cafeti猫re? That can鈥檛 be a coincidence. Or, if it can, why point it out before we have had our morning latte?
Spring ahead
THE human tendency to take credit for the work of others is a fact of nature rather like the changing of the seasons. Still, the local council of St Petersburg, Russia, surely deserves an award for attempting to claim spring as a public service.
Local resident Natalya Vakhlova wrote to the council on 25 January to complain about icy pavements making it dangerous to reach her bus stop. The council responded on 3 April with a photo of the now ice-free bus stop, saying 鈥減roblem solved鈥�. Local news site Fontanka reports there were 30 .
This strategy might be fruitful for other hard problems, such as Facebook鈥檚 battle to curb racist trolls. Simply wait for the collapse of society or Earth鈥檚 destruction and post 鈥渕ission accomplished鈥�.
Fast fortune
IT IS a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a good fortune must also have an 鈥渙ptimal鈥� lifestyle that he flaunts to the unwary. So we were delighted to see receive so much attention in the global media.
鈥淔ootballer Danny Drinkwater has been charged with drink-driving after a car crash, the BBC reports. 鈥淣ominative determinism is dead,鈥� declared Ted Hill on Twitter鈥�
Dorsey eats only one meal per day, and sometimes doesn鈥檛 eat at all on Friday and Saturday. 鈥淭he first time I did it, like day three, I felt like I was hallucinating,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was a weird state to be in.鈥� In Silicon Valley, such habits are called 鈥渂iohacking鈥�. Others may wish to come up with their own circumlocutions.
Robotic intruder
THE much-anticipated war between humans and machines hasn鈥檛 yet come to pass, but robots are starting to present challenges for law enforcement agencies.
Police in Washington County, Oregon, . There were shadows under the bathroom door and rustling was heard inside. The police announced themselves, but there was no response. With guns drawn, deputies opened the door and encountered a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner.
Height of uncertainty
FROM Nepal comes an alarming admission: . The country dispatched surveyors earlier this month to scale the peak to establish whether the official height of 8848 metres is correct. That figure dates from a 1954 measurement by an Indian team, but it is disputed: a Chinese team claimed in 2005 that the mountain is 3 metres shorter. Moreover, there are fears that the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck the region in 2015 could have diminished Everest鈥檚 stature.
A satellite navigation system should enable the Nepalese survey team to measure its height to the nearest centimetre. Meanwhile, journalists are scrambling for an appropriate comparator for really tall things. We recommend existing alternatives: in height Everest is the length of 354 blue whales, 0.0023 per cent of the distance to the moon, or about one 16th of the square root of Wales.
Pyramid geezers
IN CHINA, authorities are investigating two companies accused of running a pyramid scheme involving actual pyramids. The ornaments, costing 5000 to 100,000 yuan ($740-14,900) depending on size, allegedly absorb the energy of the universe.
A reporter from Beijing News by buying pyramids up front. If you put your DNA in the pyramid, the host explained, it will give you energy wherever you go, thanks to quantum entanglement. The pyramids relieve pain and can even reduce vehicles鈥� fuel consumption by 30 per cent.
Recent figures show that China鈥檚 carbon emissions grew more slowly than expected in 2018. Coincidence? We think so.
Bald facts
WHAT would a bald man give for a full head of hair? Three economists from Appalachian State University, North Carolina, have treated us to a study of it, entitled . Feedback suspects this is an instance where the work鈥檚 potential title inspired the project rather than vice versa, but no matter. A man bereft of hair on top would pay an average of $30,000 to be re-endowed with a full mop, they found.
This isn鈥檛 the first effort to consider pate-hiding in financial terms: in Hebrew, a comb-over is known as a 鈥渟avings and loan鈥�. In Japan, they are referred to as 鈥渂arcodes鈥�.
You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week鈥檚 and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.