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Death Cap Mushroom Season

Usually I post about wonderful edibles. Today, we have an inedible.

Kathy's blog warns that this is the season in Northern California for the aptly named Death Cap mushrooms, Amanita Phalloides. Not just a worry for people, keep an eye out for them in your yard, lest the dogs take a bite. It smells like honey and looks like a snack. Three recent dog deaths were reported in Oakland.

More: Wikipedia (also the source for the photo).

Edmund Pseudoscientific

As a science-minded boy growing up on a farm, I depended on mail-order for scientific tools and toys. The most coveted source was Edmund Scientific (or as they now call themselves, "Scientifics Online"). Even as an adult, I order from them still. I have been their customer for more than 45 years.

I was surprised to read a thread on Facebook, posted by Skeptical Inquirer, in which John S. Duckering, another customer, objected to their inclusion of a Ghost Meter in their present offerings. He said, "A reputable scientific products company selling Ghost Meters?! What in hell are you doing? With the pandemic of misinformation promulgated by paranormalists, spiritualists, Creationists, seers, and other quacks and con-artists, Edmund Scientifics is also jumping on the lunatic band wagon?! ... You thoroughly disappoint me!"

To the company's credit, Tim Burns, a brand manager at Edmund, replied, openly explaining that customer objections are leading him to rethink their policy. He later agreed to Mr. Duckering's request for permission to share the thread. He sais, "...I realize now that this is offensive to some the Edmund Scientific customers, people with very strong scientific sensibilities who look to Edmund for products that promote critical, empirical thinking, and real science as a hobby. I am currently rethinking my decision on this product line. I apologize for the offense."

Impressive. I am writing Mr. Burns to express my disappointment as well, and to support his willingness to rethink the policy, in public. I haven't found a direct e-mail address, so I used snail mail — letters (on paper) are a great way to be noticed in the electronic messaging era.

If you would like to write one, here's the address:

Tim Burns
Brand Manager
Edmund Scientific and X-treme Geek
60 Pearce Ave.
Tonawanda, NY 14150

Splodato

You know how they tell you to pierce a potato with a fork before you microwave it, lest it explode? Turns out that's pretty good advice.

Read the Question? What a Concept!

OK, my new pet peeve: Customer support organizations that reply without reading the question. Today's is Long's Drugs. I asked:

Nature of Comment: Longs Web Site

Comment: My eFills prescription list has several old prescriptions that are irrelevant (e.g. an old antibiotic prescribed for a single illness years ago). How can I remove them?

The answer:

Please feel free to contact your local Longs pharmacy directly so they may further assist you regarding your prescription concerns. If you have any other questions, concerns, or need a pharmacy number please feel free to contact us directly at 1-800-To-Longs (800-865-6647).Hope you have a nice day.

Last week, it was PayPal. Three exchanges so far, and little evidence they are reading the question.

Grumble.

Just. Read. The. Question. Please.

Where to Hide Cash

Keeping your bank account under your mattress is a foolish idea but there are good reasons to keep some cash. (These days, cash is doing better than any investments, anyway!) But where? Consumer Reports suggests some cash-stash ideas. Don't miss the Comments for some reader suggestions.

A Taste of Dad

It's always beautiful when FoodGal, one of my favorite food writers, writes about her Dad. Here, she posts a lovely recipe for foil-wrapped chicken (which I will be making soon!) from her Dad.

Quote

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
  - G. K. Chesterton

For Faster Service, Choose the Right Time

Recently, I went to the DMV. The parking lot was full and the line went to the door. The wait would be over an hour! I left.

A day later, the place was nearly empty! They called my number before I could complete the forms and there were no lines at any station. I was driving away 16 minutes after I had arrived. 

Most people look for service at the same times. By avoiding the busy hours at clinics, government offices, warehouse stores like Costco, and other crowded places, you can generally get faster service. Hints:

• Avoid the weekends, Mondays, and Fridays. Tuesday through Thursday are the least busy.
• Mornings are generally better. I usually go an hour or so after they open (avoiding the rush of people who stop by on their way to work).
• Mid-afternoon, after lunch hour and before 3 PM, is sometimes a good time. However, many service staff take their lunch at 1 or 2 PM, so you may wind up arriving when they are short-handed.
• Ask! The staff is happy to advise you when the least busy times are.
• Immediately after the office opens can be a very good or a very bad time. At Costco, for instance, the hour before closing is often an excellent choice. But at some places, people often arrive at the last minute, so it's a good idea to ask the service staff.

Quote

Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
  - Sir Arthur Eddington

I'm Rich!

I was party to a discussion about wealth, stimulated by the Global Rich List, which tells you how you rank in the world, based on annual income.

It's all in the definition. Most people think "rich" is a monetary condition. It's not -- it's 100% about attitude.

I have always considered myself rich, even when I was technically poor. It came from my parents. When I would ask if we were rich or poor, they always said we were "middle class." When I wondered why we didn't have certain things, the answer was always that we had what we need. I never, never, heard my parents say "we can't afford it." It was always that we weren't choosing to buy it.

Only when I was in college did I realize that there was one less zero at the end of in my parents' annual income than many of my classmates had. We weren't poor, but we were not in the middle of "middle class."

The definition I've always used for "rich" is having more money than I need to spend. That begs the issue, of course, because you then have to define "need." In the end, it's a self-imposed condition. If you always want things, then you always think you don't have enough, and you can never be rich. On the other hand, if you take "I can't afford it" out of your brain, you're rich.