Sticky tape makes x-rays
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This has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve learned recently. According to a recent Nature article (see e.g. the ABC story here or last week’s Economist):
One of the more unusual things you can do with a roll of adhesive tape is to take an X-ray photograph of your finger.
[..]
Peeling take from a reel results in a phenomenon called triboluminescence. The breaking of intermolecular bonds that hold the layers of tape together releases energy in the form of light. As the tape peels, the sticky acrylic adhesive, on the back of the tape, becomes positively charged, while the polyethylene roll becomes negatively charged, according to this hypothesis.
How extraordinarily weird.
Speak UP!
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What is it with Finns and their sparing of words? I know I’ve brought this up before, but it just never seizes to amaze me how people here consider the following completely normal:
- Elbowing your way through crowds in a bus, a grocery story, department store etc without saying a word. Not a single word.
- Whizzing 1cm past you from behind on a bike without ringing the bell or yelling “on your right!”
- If a bus goes past your stop despite having pressed the stop-button, what do most people do? Nothing, that’s what. Rarely does anyone speak up and ask the driver to, like, stop when he’s supposed to. No, people just continue to ride to the next stop or wherever, resigned to their fate.
Seriously. One would be forgiven to think that most Finns are mute altogether. But unfortunately what it really is is bad manners and disrespect.
The most-broken law in the country
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For some years now, it’s been illegal in Finland to speak to a cellphone when driving if you’re not using a hands-free kit. However, there is nothing anywhere to make you think this would be forbidden. If you take a look at the traffic, you’ll soon notice that 10-20% of the drivers are breaking this particular law at any given point in time.
- This includes everybody from the hockey-moms to the busy businessmen and road “professionals” like taxi drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers etc. There is conclusive evidence that speaking on the phone while driving is dangerous, though I’m not sure there is evidence that hands-free systems help significantly. In any case, it’s blatant disregard for the law. Kind of like red lights, which don’t seem to mean a thing – or at most, means “hit the accelerator” – for some drivers in Helsinki.
Seems like you are going through same thoughts as I have been. You get used to it living there, but see the huge difference if you travel somewhere abroad. I’ve always been a fighter and let the driver know and even called afterwards to his supervisor. Nothing will change if people are just happy with their faith and this unfriendly “customer service”.
And cell phones should be banned altogether! Life is so much simpler here where calls are expensive so people don’t just babble on the phone nonsense. They call when they really need to, not just to waste time letting everyone know what’s going on in their lives
Much healthier way of life I would say…
I agree with you 100% that nothing will change if people are just happy! It’s not like the companies will improve just out of their goodwill towards mankind; as long as customers don’t complain, they typically figure the quality of everything can be lowered some more. It’s not always easy being a consumer activist, but luckily if you take the complaints high enough, there’s usually some reaction.