if no one on the internet wants a piece of this, just how far from the pack HAVE you strayed?

Raisin Racing:
I was trying to explain this to Moose the other day, but she just looked at me funny and said that Virtual Pooh Sticks was better. The new flatmate got out of the kitchen as quickly as she could, positive that I am certifiable. Was it just my (admittedly slightly odd) family who used to play this innocent game on a Sunday afternoon whilst waiting for the roast potatoes to get nice and crispy?*1* Or are there other closet Raisin Racers out there? Come on, we’ll start a club!

How to Raisin Race:
1) Get yourself:
A fizzy drink, preferably clear like lemonade.
A tall glass.
Some raisins.
2) Pick a raisin each.
3) Drop them in the glass
4) The first raisin to the top that wins. Easy.

The theory behind it is that the bubbles get trapped in the wrinkles on the raisin, and force it to rise. You have to choose carefully though – which will reach the top first? A large one with oodles of wrinkles, or a smaller one with fewer wrinkles but that is lighter?*2*.

Once again, I lay no claim to, you know, being good at making movies. But I was having fun with iMovie, adding a soundtrack and the like, so enjoy (music is the 9-to-5 remix by Too Many DJ’s). That was my raisin that won, by the way!
Raisin Racing Live!

Well, it might not be useful in my thesis, but I just learnt why we yawn (and why it is contagious) – “One example of this interaction is the contagious yawning effect. Yawning is a reflex triggered by the body’s need for increased oxygen. In a situation where one is not getting enough oxygen, others are also encountering the same circumstances. Therefore, witnessing other people yawning serves as a reminder to one’s body that its own cells are feeling deprived.” Now you know. Not sure how that got into my archaeology/social computing research pile. Google Scholar does throw up some slightly odd results sometimes.

Over at Dark Meadow I have been spammed by Jesus Christ. Go, look – the comment on Cryptonomicon. Not sure whether to be pissed off or amused. I will delete the comment soon, but I’m gonna leave it for the next few days at least. What is annoying is that somehow whoever did it sneaked past my page-stats tool. I’m on my third already, and they are all pants. Can anyone recommend a good (free) one?

Endnotes:
*1*Me and my brother were very competitive. I’m not sure who came up with the idea for this game, but it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that we came up with a way to try and beat each other over the Sunday dinner table. Ahh, the innocent fun you can have with fizzy-pop and dried grapes.Back
*2*Tip: don’t use tonic water. It isn’t fizzy enough. Also, tall thin glasses are better than short squat ones. But I only had tonic water (this was going to be part of my G&T this evening), and a short glass, so I used them. Trust me, it is fun. Moose was giggling along like anything!Back
*3*Though I think it would have been even more fun if I had drunk the G&T before doing the Race, but hey! Anything to get out of research!