Hulleye Comes By!

Scientists have determined that people had their teeth drilled at least 9,000 years ago. University of Kansas anthropologists dated skulls containing drilled teeth that were found in a Pakistan graveyard. The research was published in the scientific journal Nature, which also released photos demonstrating how a drill fashioned from flint, a rod, and a bow string might have been wielded sometime around 5500 - 7000 B.C.. From the Associated Press:

“The holes were so perfect, so nice,” said study co-author David Frayer, an anthropology professor at the University of Kansas. “I showed the pictures to my dentist and he thought they were amazing holes.”

How it was done is painful just to think about. Researchers figured that a small bow was used to drive the flint drill tips into patients’ teeth. Flint drill heads were found on site. So study lead author Roberto Macchiarelli, an anthropology professor at the University of Poitiers, France, and colleagues simulated the technique and drilled through human (but no longer attached) teeth in less than a minute.

“Definitely it had to be painful for the patient,” Macchiarelli said.

I am assuming that they had some form of an anasthetic or got high from all the opium plants growing before they had any dental work done.

observations from the new yorker.

When you sign up online for Skywards, which is the frequent-flier program of Emirates, the international airline of the United Arab Emirates, you enter your name, address, passport number, and other information, and you select an honorific for yourself from a drop-down list. A few of the choices, in addition to the standard Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, and Dr, are: Admiral, Air Comm, Air Marshal, Al-Haj (denoting a Muslim who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca), Archbishop, Archdeacon, Baron, Baroness, Colonel, Commander, Corporal, Count, Countess, Dame, Deacon, Deaconess, Deshamanya (a title conferred on eminent Sri Lankans), Dowager (for a British widow whose social status derives from that of her late husband, properly used in combination with a second honorific, such as Duchess), Duchess, Duke, Earl, Father, Frau, General, Governor, HRH, Hon, Hon Lady, Hon Professor, JP (justice of the peace?), Judge, Khun (the Thai all-purpose honorific, used for both men and women), L Cpl, Lt, Lt Cmdr, Lt Col, Lt Gen, Midshipman, Mlle, Monsieur, Monsignor, Mother, Pastor, Petty Officer, Professor, Senor, Senora, Senorita, Sgt, Sgt Mjr, Shaikha (for a female shaikh, or sheikh), Sheikh, Shriman (an Indian honorific, for one blessed by Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, wisdom, luck, and other good things), Sister, Sqdn Ldr, Sqn Ldr, Sub Lt, Sultan, Swami, The Countess, The Dowager, The Duchess, The Marquis, The Matron, The Rev Canon, the Reverend, The Rt Hon, The Ven, The Very Revd, Ven, Ven Dr, Very Revd, Vice Admiral, Viscount, and Viscountess.

Anyone who chooses King obviously goes in first class, Private in economy, Wing Cmdr in an exit row. But what about Cardinal?

read on. via 3qd

i love short stories. so i thought i’d share two of my favourite ones over here. i hope you like them. i read them in high school and they sort of stuck with me. the first one is by this american lady, shirley jackson. the lottery is one of her most famous works and the first story that you should read today.

next in line is a short called “–All You Zombies–”, by famous sci-fi writer robert heinlein known more commonly for his famous novels such stranger in a strange land. this is a slightly longer and much harder, and much, much darker read. please be aware of the time line. the storyline is pretty bizarre and makes you wonder how much you can mess with reality.

here’s a graphic to help you out with the timeline of the story to keep next to you while reading.

hope you enjoy them and do let me know what you thought of the short stories, especially ‘all you zombies’.

here are the wikipedia entries for the lottery, and all you zombies.