Artist Diemut Strebe offered his re-creation of the famous ear of Vincent van Gogh for display in June and July in a museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. In part, he built the ear with genes from a great-great-grand-nephew of van Gogh. He used computer imaging technology to make sure the ear was in the same shape as van Gogh’s. Visitors can speak into the ear. (van Gogh cut off his ear in 1888 during a psychotic episode.)
Too Young To Learn
California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo has a 350-student “viticulture and enology” program, preparing its majors for an industry critical to the state’s economy. But puritanical state law continues to hobble it. Many in Cal Poly’s four-year wine-making program must arrange for a fifth year — after they turn 21 — because, otherwise, faculty and administrators could be felons for “furnishing alcohol to a minor” when they assign students to taste their own class creations. The current California legislative session is considering allowing underage wine-making students to sip and spit.
Science On The Cutting Edge
— On dairy farms across the country, cows queue up, without prodding, to milk themselves by submitting to $250,000 robots that have recently become the salvation of the industry. According to an April New York Times report, this advance appears to be a win-win situation (except for migrant laborers watching choice jobs disappear). The robots are efficient for the farmer and pleasant for the cow, which prefers frequent milking. Cows have learned the drill, moseying up to the precise spot to engage the robot’s arms for washing and nipple-cupping. The robots also yield copious data tracked from transponders around the cow’s neck.
— In 2008, Argentinian agricultural scientists created the “methane backpack” to collect the emissions of grazing cows in order to see how much of the world’s greenhouse-gas problem was created by livestock. Having discovered that figure (it’s 25-30 percent), the country’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology announced that it will start storing the collected methane to convert it to energy. It estimates that 300 liters of methane will power a refrigerator for 24 hours.
Scientists Just Wanna Have Fun
— Bioengineers who work with Dictyostelium slime molds held the “Dicty World Race” in Boston in May for the sake of intellectual adulation at the Annual International Dictyostelium Conference in Potsdam, Germany. The molds oozed down the 0.0315-inch track, lured to the finish line by ordinary bacteria that the molds enjoy. A team from the Netherlands beat out 19 others for the coveted prize. Among the other games scientists play is the “Prisoners’ Smellemma,” in which players mix obscure samples in a test tube and smell the result to guess what their opponent mixed.
Defective Animals
— Lenny, a black-and-white housecat, was returned to a shelter near Rochester, N.Y., only two days after adoption because the new owner couldn’t tolerate Lenny’s flatulence. A braver, second adopter, has taken Lenny in successfully.
— When three parrots were stolen from a home in Saxilby, England, the owner provided police with their descriptions. All three are African greys, are quite talkative, and look very much alike. One of the three, however, has asthma and is easily recognized by his chronic cough.
The Fine Points Of The Law
Paul Stenstrom, 62, lived comfortably in his Palm Harbor, Fla., home from 2002-14 without paying a penny of his $1,836 monthly mortgage bill. He was exploiting federal bankruptcy laws that force foreclosing creditors to back off once a debtor files for protection. Stenstrom and his wife filed 18 separate petitions in that 12-year period, according to an April Tampa Bay Times report. A judge recently cut them off. The Stenstroms were spotted recently preparing to relocate. But Stenstrom said he was considering buying the Palm Harbor house back, since the price has dropped because of the foreclosure.
Leading Economic Indicators
— Several “professional organizers” in New York City told a New York Post reporter that this summer is far busier than usual for clients who need help packing their kids’ trunks for summer camp. One consultant, who charges $250 an hour, said it is as if moms fear that the slightest change from home life will stress out their little darlings. Some mothers’ attention to detail includes packing the same luxury bedding the campers sleep on at home, along with their special soap and candles, and even separate plastic boxes to provide the cuties more storage space.
First-World Sales Launches
— Daneson (an Ontario “purveyor of fine toothpicks”) recently introduced “Artisanal Toothpicks” (at $36 per dozen) in “Single Malt” and other exotic flavors for the discriminating dental raker. The lemon-flavored picks are a bargain at only $19.99. But these too are made from the “finest quality Northern White Birch” and “prepared according to exacting recipes.”
— The Skin By Molly salon in Brooklyn offers “facials” for the derriere. Molly’s offers the “Shiney Hiney Facial” ($65 for a 30-minute treatment). This service is important, says Molly, because “acne can flare up anywhere.”
Least Competent Criminals
— A stocky man in his 30s wearing a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap was sought in New York City in June after holding up five banks in the space of about three and a half hours. For his work, he earned only $449. Of this, $399 came from one Chase branch. Three banks shooed him away without giving him anything.
— Notorious San Diego tagger Francisco Canseco, 18, was present in a downtown courtroom in June for a hearing on 31 misdemeanor paint-vandalism charges. While he was waiting, Canseco managed to tag numerous chairs in the courtroom and benches in the hallway. Officials didn’t discover what he had done until the next day. Vandalism of a courthouse is a felony.
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