Doris O'Brien is a retired college Speech teacher and banker. She has published two books of humor (Up or Down With Women's Liberation and Humor Me a Little) and for many years contributed light verse to the Pepper 'n Salt column of the Wall Street Journal. She is an avid writer of letters to the editors.
Doris celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in the same year she welcomed her first grandchild. She now lives in Pasadena with a great view of the San Gabriel mountains — and the annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
She can be reached by e-mail: witsendob at (@) gmail.com
Just add water: A Computer That Operates On Water Droplets
Because of its universal nature, the droplet computer can theoretically perform any operation that a conventional electronic computer can crunch, although at significantly slower rates. Stanford Engineers, however, have a more ambitious application in mind. "Our goal is to build a completely new class of computers that can precisely control and manipulate physical matter." more »
America's Favorite Dish: Pyrex, Shaped Not Only By Designers and Engineers But By Women Consumers
The company hired Sarah Tyson Rorer, an editor at Ladies' Home Journal, and Mildred Maddocks of the Good Housekeeping Institute, to promote the brand through cooking demonstrations at department stores. In 1929, Corning hired full-time home economist and scientist, Lucy Maltby, to manage the company's new consumer services office. By 1931, Maltby had established a Test Kitchen at Corning Glass Works, designed to evaluate new products before they were put on the market. more »
It Was Here a Minute Ago
Rose Madeline Mula writes: In the time I've spent searching for lost keys, glasses, my pearl earrings, my favorite chili recipe, I could have written one of those trashy novels other people find time to read. Instead, I can only dash off this short article — which is a real exercise in futility since I won't have time to send it to any publishers. I'll be too busy looking for something. Like my car. more »
Testing a Hypothesis: Poor Sleep Could Be an Early Warning Sign or Biomarker of Alzheimer's
"Sleep is helping wash away toxic proteins at night, preventing them from building up and from potentially destroying brain cells," said UCB neuroscience professor Matthew Walker. "It's providing a power cleanse for the brain. Sleep could be a novel therapeutic target for fighting back against memory impairment in older adults and even those with dementia." more »
