Hourglass clock

The maker says (after doing a spell check to make a correction):

This hourglass shaped clock displays minutes on the top and hours at the bottom, with an attractive second rotating timer displayed on the upper surface. This attractive and unusual looking clock would look great in the kitchen.

Yes, it would work in the kitchen nicely. Guests would think it was an egg timer.

Should make a good conversation piece. You could have guests try to guess what it is, and then have them guess how read the time displayed by the clock.

Link here.

Do animals blush?

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Man is the only animal that blushes

…or needs to
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Puter toon

Man as ‘Industrial Palace’ on 1926 Fritz Kahn poster

German author and artist Fritz Kahn made this poster in 1926 depicting the human body as an ‘industrial palace’ by turning it into a complicated chemical plant using metaphors of 1920’s industrial life.



I find Kahn’s almost morbid ‘dream’ anatomy very interesting. His mechanical visualization of the inner workings of the human body reminds me of a somewhat similar illustration I loved to look at when I was in the fourth grade.

I stumbled across a ‘mechanical inner man’ illustration in an old three-volume encyclopedia in the school library. It was less complicated than the Kahn poster (pictured) but as a fourth grader I was intrigued by it and often drew my own versions (wish I’d kept those drawings).

More on Kahn’s ‘body machines’ here.

Hot oil turkey fryers are potentially very dangerous

There is a video demonstration at the link below showing just how hazardous a hot oil turkey fryer can be.

Most fryers do not have thermostats and can easily overheat causing the cooking oil to combust. Most fryers will tip over easily.

When lowering a frozen turkey into the fryer the difference in temperature can cause a boil over and the spilled hot oil will catch fire from the burner.

Putting too much oil in the fryer will cause a spill over when the turkey is lowered into the fryer.

Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors, away from buildings and never on wooden decks or patios.

Have a save Thanksgiving without a turkey fryer fire.

Link

Shoe manufacturer CROCS sued by investors

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the maker of CROCS footwear (product sample shown in photo).

The suit alleges that the company and certain of its officers and directors violated federal securities laws.

Specifically, defendants issued materially false and misleading statements and failed to disclose:

(i) that CROCS was experiencing significant distribution problems in Europe as it had moved distribution facilities and was experiencing distribution problems in Japan with a third-party distributor, causing the Company to lose tens of millions of dollars in sales.

(ii) that the Company's sales were being negatively impacted by seasonal conditions as consumers reduced purchases of the Company's products in cold weather climates.

(iii) that the Company's inventory levels were building far beyond historic levels as sales began to slow and the Company's sales began to be impacted by seasonality.

(iv) based on the foregoing, Defendants lacked a reasonable basis for their positive statements about the Company, its earnings and prospects.

Further, back in June Crocs (NASADQ: CROX) insiders were dumping their stocks which fell from $74.75 per share to $47.74 per share during the third quarter of 2007.

Executives and board members of the company are accused of selling a total of $58 million in stock in the third quarter.

Link here and here.

Hot Dr Pepper ads from the 1960’s

These are Dr Pepper advertisements from the 1960’s suggesting a new way to serve the beverage - hot.

The larger advertisement says hot Dr Pepper is “devilishly different.”

If you have a “sweet tooth” you may like hot Dr Pepper because it tastes much sweeter when served hot.

Click here for a YouTube video of an old TV ad for hot Dr Pepper. The 1960’s magazine ad for hot Dr Pepper is here.