The World's Fair

Scienceblogs, as is widely known, is devoted mostly to fashion and men's neckwear. This makes sense: the most pressing concerns in the scientific and technological landscape have, for many years, been dominated by practitioner questions about what to wear, how to wear it, when to wear it, and why. I can't even tell you how many proposals I've had to referee for NSF on this very theme. (Yes, Coturnix, that was me, Anon Referee #4, on NSF #38872GT4-2003; Sorry Tara, I just didn't buy the Intellectual Merit of your #9927K654-2005 -- don't shoot the messenger!). This link should be tops for the audience: Infectious Wearables.

What, you think SARS looks like candy?

This is twice now, in as many days, that I've pushed a product (this being the other). But, come on man, I got this link from my Aunt, and she's getting me a T-Rex bonescan tie. I haven't checked ratemyprofessor, but I foresee the tie as holding a place dear in those future reviews.

To go on in an irrelevant manner... I recall fondly a Periodic Table tie I was given some years ago. True, I've never worn it, but that isn't the point. In fact, I've had to endure the same conversation a dozen times about how chemists wear bowties anyway because they don't want to get acid on their neckwear. Reasonable explanation, but doesn't discount the loss in image. And now you've got Tucker Carlson to contend with. No chemist there. Anyhoo, a Periodic Table placemat now adorns the head of the dinner table and the world goes on. And Mendeleev, well, there's Mendeleev.

All of this means, if you too want to have a Hep-B or Dental Plaque (popular with the kids! so much so that they're sold out...) or, for you Dave, the Human Genome (in Teal *or* Black!!), or, or, for the real leading edge researchers out there, some SARS (the one above) or Mad Cow (the one below), you're in luck, cuz they gottem. You can almost taste the prions, in burnt orange or a yellow-red contrast. Because wow, does that yellow really make the red pop or what? Mmmm, popcorny.