Friday Four

1. File the latest amusing story from my son's avoidance of diaper changes under, "Amusing toddler habits never get old; the kids just outgrow them." This week, I was going into the laundry room when my son, in the play room adjoining the same hallway, saw me.

"Hi, Daddy!" he said, while slamming the door in my face.

2. From reader Snedcat come amusing bits from the peer review process, like the following:

This paper is too difficult for a journal on Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics.

I won't repeat the name of the site, despite the fact it arguably continues a theme from Item 1.

3. At first, the headline caused me to do a double take: "Smell Test Could Identify Alzheimer's." My immediate reaction was, "I thought that was Parkinson's."

I was wrong, because I was recalling a report from some time ago of a woman who was able to determine whether someone had Parkinson's by scent. This is something new and completely different: New research is suggesting that an inability to distinguish odors might be an early indicator that someone has Alzheimer's.

4. As a craft beer enthusiast, I am familiar with the claim that Jimmy Carter "deregulated the beer industry". But what does that really mean? A blog post at the Atlantic takes a look.

I think the fairest interpretation comes at the end, in the form of an update: Carter's legalization of home brewing removed many barriers to entry, introducing many brewers to the craft. This proved to be a crucial impetus for the transformation of America from wasteland to paradise for beer drinkers. It also shows how much power even a small step in the direction of freedom from a suffocating regulatory regime can have.

-- CAV