Episode #260
News Items
Question #1 – Flag Worship
- Geo and The Rogues, That’s right! I am interested in hearing the hosts from both of my favorite podcasts’ answer to this question that popped into my head the other day. I thought it might be especially interesting to see if your opinions diverged. First of all, lots of kudos to all of you; you make my walks to work much more entertaining than they would otherwise be. And now on to my question: What is with the flag? I was outside the other day, looking up at the flag near my place of employ, and started to wonder about the import people put upon that piece of cloth. Up until that point, I never really questioned it; it was an important symbol, worthy of our reverence. Then, my skeptical brain kicked me in the butt. So what is it in our brains that causes us to basically worship some fabric and dye? And, more importantly, is it only Americans? Or are other countries/cultures the same way? Thanks for your time! Roguely and Vibrophoneally yours, Jason Smith Columbus, OH
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
The current world speed record for a bicycle is 268.831 kilometers per hour (167 mph). http://www.fredrompelberg.com/en/html/algemeen/fredrompelberg/record.asp
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Item #2
Science
While greater than 90% of neurologically typical people are right-handed, only about 45% of people with autism are right handed. http://www.springerlink.com/content/n16680560k117000/fulltext.pdf
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Item #3
Fiction
Venus is the only planet in the solar system to orbit the sun in retrograde direction – clockwise when seen from ‘above’. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus