Sleep researchers at the University of Britain at Loughborough did several tests on fatigued drivers to compare the effects of different methods for a driver can use to stay awake. They put the volunteers in driving simulators while they were sleepy and let them drive. Some of the tests included rolling down windows for cold exposure, blasting the radio and slapping oneself in the face to try to stay awake. But what researchers found worked the best was a Caffeine Nap.
The Caffeine Nap is simple. You drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a 15 minute nap. Researchers found coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical which makes you sleepy. So in testing, the combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time. The recommendation was to nap only 15 minutes, no more or less and you must sleep immediately after the coffee.
From the new Penguin Classics line of reprint editions featuring new covers by notable cartoonists. The Dharma Bums cover below is by Jason. More are posted at this dude Mark’s blog.
So this morning I woke up to the sound of fluttering and crashing. I opened my eyes and guess what, there’s a goddamn bird trapped in my room!
First response: “What the fuck is that??”
Second response: Promptly hide under a blanket
Third response: “Wait, how the hell…?”
My windows were closed and the door was locked, this bird must have found its way in through a crawl space or something. After standing up and dodging my panic-stricken guest for a minute, I finally got it to fly out the window. So anyway here’s my idea: Alarm clocks that release birds into your room. I dare you to sleep through that.
Happy President’s Day. Here are some of my favorite Bush quotes for your reading pleasure:
“I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” — Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
“First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren’t necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn’t mean you’re willing to kill.” — Washington, D.C., May 19, 2003
“I hope you leave here and walk out and say, ‘What did he say?'” — Beaverton, Oregon, Aug. 13, 2004
“They could still be hidden, like the 50 tons of mustard gas on a turkey farm.” — on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Washington, D.C. , April 13, 2004
“I’m honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein.” — Washington, D.C., May 25, 2004
“Wow! Brazil is big.” — after being shown a map of Brazil by Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2005
“You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.” —Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
“Tribal sovereignty means that; it’s sovereign. I mean, you’re a — you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.” —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004
“I think we are welcomed. But it was not a peaceful welcome.” — defending Vice President Dick Cheney’s pre-war assertion that the United States would be welcomed in Iraq as liberators, NBC Nightly News interview, Dec. 12, 2005
“We had a chance to visit with Teresa Nelson who’s a parent, and a mom or a dad.” — Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 9, 2003
“I recently met with the finance minister of the Palestinian Authority, was very impressed by his grasp of finances.” — Washington, D.C., May 29, 2003
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” — Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
“It’s about past seven in the evening here so we’re actually in different time lines.” — congratulating newly elected Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Washington, D.C., Jan. 2001
“Arbolist … Look up the word. I don’t know, maybe I made it up. Anyway, it’s an arbo-tree-ist, somebody who knows about trees.” — as quoted in USA Today, Aug. 21, 2001
“There’s no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead.” — May 11, 2001
“Anyway, I’m so thankful, and so gracious — I’m gracious that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere as well.” — June 4, 2001
“I’m sure you can imagine it’s an unimaginable honor to live here.” — addressing agricultural leaders at the White House, June 18, 2001
“I couldn’t imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah.” — at a White House Menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001
“Now, we talked to Joan Hanover. She and her husband, George, were visiting with us. They are near retirement — retiring — in the process of retiring, meaning they’re very smart, active, capable people who are retirement age and are retiring.” — Alexandria, Va., Feb. 12, 2003
“See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don’t attack each other. Free nations don’t develop weapons of mass destruction.” — Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003
“Keep good relations with the Greecians.” — as quoted in The Economist, April 9, 1999
“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” — to FEMA director Michael Brown, who resigned 10 days later amid criticism over his job performance, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005
Words can’t describe such an album. If you’ve ever wanted to listen to Fabio do spoken word over sultry sultry music, look no further. I-mockery.com has a great article here with pictures and mp3s from the album.
Feb 3, 1959: A small plane carrying The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), Buddy Holly, and Richie Valens crashes near Mason City, Iowa, while en route to a show in Fargo, North Dakota.
