Arsenic
In 2003, Red Lobster ran an “Endless Crab” promotion. The all-you-can-eat deal backfired spectacularly. Red Lobster misjudged just how many seafood lovers would pour into restaurants around the United States […] Red Lobster lost $3.3 million in seven weeks. […] Fast forward 20 years, and Red Lobster made a nearly identical mistake, but with shrimp
the presence of a personality disorder may represent an elevated risk for psychedelic use
The characteristics of sexual behavior in blind men in Ganzhou, China — The participants obtained sexual knowledge mainly through sounds from mobile phones, peer-to-peer communication, sounds of television and radio. Voice was the most frequent perception of the sexual partners’ beauty, followed by figure, skin, and body fragrance.
The physics of karate and the science of sprint
For the first time, scientists observed a primate in the wild treating a wound with a plant that has medicinal properties. […] The plant the orangutan used, known as akar kuning or yellow root, is also used by people throughout Southeast Asia to treat malaria, diabetes and other conditions. Research shows it has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Orangutans rarely eat the plant. But in this case, Rakus ingested a small amount and also coated the wound several times. Five days after the wound was noticed, it had closed, and less than a month later “healed without any signs of infection,” Dr. Laumer said. […] Primates have been observed appearing to treat wounds in the past, but not with plants. A group of more than two dozen chimpanzees in Gabon in Central Africa have been seen chewing up and applying flying insects to their wounds. […] Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and white-handed gibbons are all known to occasionally eat rough, whole leaves, presumably to help them expel parasites. [NY Times | Nature]
Nearly 46% of Americans opened a new credit card last year, according to Forbes, which means millions of Americans also canceled old ones. When you switch cards, Netflix doesn’t just stop your service — they just start charging your new card. […] In 2003, Visa U.S.A. started offering a new software product to merchants called Visa Account Updater (VAU) […] Whenever someone renews, or switches a credit card within their bank, the institution automatically update the VAU. This system lets Netflix and countless other corporations charge whatever card you have on file.you
Traditional economics makes ludicrous assumptions and poor predictions. An alternative approach using big data and psychological insights is proving far more accurate
Economics terminology that differs from common usage
Shakespeare toys with numerous European languages throughout his work, including Italian, French, Spanish, and Dutch. Often, these are spoken in thick accents, with comedic pronunciation. The same holds true for his use of the various British dialects—Scots, Welsh, Cornish, and Irish—heard in scruffy taverns or high courts. […] the mystery of Shakespeare’s “gibberish” has gone unsolved in part because it doesn’t look like Euskara
The Secret Life of Arsenic — During the 1850s, reports of Austrian peasants eating arsenic to give them a healthy porcelain-like complexion swept through Europe and America. The New York Times opined that the “natural arsenic in the cucumber makes it valuable as a skin whitener.”
The Affair of the Poisons — The case began in 1675 after the trial of Madame de Brinvilliers, who was accused of having conspired with her lover, army captain Godin de Sainte-Croix, to poison her father and two of her brothers in order to inherit their estates. There were also rumours that she had poisoned poor people during her visits to hospitals. Madame de Brinvilliers was tortured and confessed, was sentenced to death, and on 17 July was tortured with the water cure (forced to drink sixteen pints of water) and then beheaded, and her body burned at the stake. Her alleged accomplice Sainte-Croix did not face charges because he had died of natural causes in 1672. The sensational trial drew attention to other mysterious deaths […] Authorities rounded up a number of fortune tellers and alchemists who were suspected of selling not only divinations, séances and aphrodisiacs, but also “inheritance powders” (a euphemism for poison). Some of them confessed under torture and gave authorities lists of their clients, who had allegedly bought poison to get rid of their spouses or rivals in the royal court.
