Category: In the News

Are you ready for smart underwear?

Some researchers have invented smart underwear that monitors your flatulence. Side note: This conversation could go a couple of different ways, so let’s explore both! 🙂

On the serious side, this is actually helpful. Scientists can learn a lot about people’s gut health based on their flatulence, and up until now it was difficult to study. It has been attempted, but it involved “extremely invasive techniques”, and the less said about that the better! Now, with smart underwear, people can easily submit information about their microbiomes to scientists. It contributes to a research study called the Human Flatus Atlas. It tracks the amount of farts per day and the hydrogen content. Did you know your toots are made of mostly hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen? Methane is also in the mix, but less common.

The first group test with this new underwear included 19 healthy participants, and it found that the average number of farts per day was 32, ranging from 4 to a maximum of 59. While 59 is a rather large number of farts for one day, I had a college roommate who once passed gas over 100 times in a day. It was so excessive that he actually counted them. And I believe him, because I unfortunately had to witness some of that. I don’t know what he ate to enable that superpower.

Someone had told me about this smart underwear, so I searched for info on it, and one headline said, “Everyone does this. But how much is too much? Scientists want to know.” The article started out with: “Whether you call it breaking wind, sounding the trumpet, or cutting the cheese, everyone farts. But how much gas is too much? The short answer: no one knows – yet.” It’s safe to say that 100+ is too much for one day. Not only was something unusual going on with their health, but probably everyone around them!

Is this topic gross? To some, yes. But as another article said:

Whether you’re breaking wind, farting hard or just letting out a quick toot, flatulence is — whether you want to admit it or not — as much a daily necessity as breathing.

So while it is necessary, some people don’t like to talk about it. That’s fine. If you are one of those, you should probably not finish the rest of this post. You have been warned. 🙂

On the lighter side, this invention could be used for fun! For people who enjoy farting, there could be a competition setting. Someone could create a way for friends to have a leaderboard. The results could be uploaded to a shared site or sent via text. The smart underwear could track the number of times, the loudest volume, and the most stank. Obviously this isn’t for everyone, but I guarantee there are some people who would enjoy making it competitive.

Changing Daylight Saving Time Might Reduce Obesity

I knew it was because of Daylight Saving Time that I’m overweight! I just knew it! Okay, perhaps that’s a slight embellishment. My slightly-more-than-ideal weight might be partly due to what I eat and how much (or not much) I exercise. But according to a new study at Stanford University, if our government gets rid of Daylight Saving Time, it could provide incredible health benefits:

The researchers estimate that permanent standard time would prevent about 300,000 cases of stroke per year and reduce the number of people with obesity by 2.6 million, compared to biannual changes. Permanent daylight saving time would also be positive, although with a smaller impact.

So it’s the changing of time that matters, and to some degree, having more daylight. So apparently even if the government never changes the system officially, one could just ignore the time change and be less fat. Works for me! I could switch my sleep habits an hour if that helps me be less overweight. That would surely be easier than eating healthy and exercising more! 🙂

So far I’m having fun with this. However, it is an actual scientific study, and they used mathematical models to simulate this, trying to find the impact of time policies on light exposure and circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock). But I’m skeptical. Normally I’m all for the use of math and the scientific method, but I think those numerical claims are vastly exaggerated. There might be a real benefit — I’m not arguing that — but preventing 2,600,000 cases of obesity? Whatever.

If we’re not going to change Daylight Saving Time, I’ve got some ideas to improve it, which I’ve discussed before: a better way to fix Daylight Savings Time. Most people would be for one of those plans, I think, but so far it has been ignored.

As far as reducing obesity in America (which is a big problem), I wish changing the clock would be a solution. But I think the best solution is still eating less and exercising more. That strategy is no secret, but perhaps we need a fresh approach to promoting it… (I have an idea, which will be in a future post.)

World Smile Day

The first Friday in October is World Smile Day. It’s good that they chose a Friday, because studies show that people are usually happier on Fridays than other weekdays.

The purpose of the day is not only to be smiling some, but showing kindness to others to make them smile. So spread smiles! Bonus points if you can make people around you laugh.

Did you know that smiling and laughing actually help you feel better? Fake smiles don’t work so well at this — scientists have researched that specifically, with mixed results. But genuine smiling and laughing release endorphins that boost your mood. And it helps the people around you. Just being around someone who is happy can help you be more happy.

Would you like to smile and laugh more? Who wouldn’t? So what are you going to do about it? That’s right, what are YOU going to do about it?

I discussed the other day about how many people just let life happen to them. They get stuck in a rut of routine, doing the same things every day, until it becomes boring and mundane. But if you want your life to be fun and awesome, you have to make it happen. No one else will, nor can they. So it’s up to you. So, make it so.

The world didn’t end? INCONCEIVABLE!

So apparently the world was supposed to end yesterday. I had no idea. No one told me. How rude! If people actually believed that, wouldn’t they spend all their time and money making sure everyone knows? I mean, it’s kind of a big deal, and people need to be ready, and if they were right on the timing, there would be no need for money afterward.

I’m talking about “RaptureTok”. Supposedly there are “apocalyptic influencers” who insisted the end times would occur yesterday. I wonder if anyone is going to sue them for emotional distress. I’m not suggesting anyone do this, because we’re all liable for what we believe, but the immediate start of the biblical end times and eternal judgment could be a stressful time for some. It doesn’t have to be stressful — if you have accepted the gift of forgiveness and salvation that Jesus offers, which He paid for by dying in your place, then there’s nothing to worry about. You can be certain of your eternal fate, if you are living according to God’s terms (covenant). (Pro tip: It’s worth thinking about this, seeking the truth, because it will happen someday, and you want to be ready.)

This isn’t the first time the world has failed to end on schedule. These predictions happen every few years, and they’re always wrong. Of course, the Bible warns about this in Matthew 24: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”