Science

As a persistent and strident critic of excessive federal spending, I feel compelled from time to time to comment on a national program that seems defensible. One of those is the "orphan products" program of the Food and Drug Administration.

Are you people out there doping yourself up digitally every time I turn my back? First, Digital Goddess Kim Komando warns us that Web sites are targeting our kids with so-called digital drugs, audio files that have the same effect as drugs:

There are different slang terms for digital drugs. They're often called "idozers" or "idosers." All rely on the concept of binaural beats.

It is incorrect to call binaural beats music. They're really ambient sounds designed to affect your brain waves.

Now we know why the county health police are cracking down so hard on outdoor cooking. It's a plot to keep us stupid and controllable:

Humans are "strange" and smart animals, and according to a new study out in this month's issue of Genome Biology, it may be because we're such good cooks.

You say you've met more people that you'd like to remember who just kept making the same mistakes over and over again? There's a reason:

(Shameless "As Good As It Gets" ripoff follows.) My brother sent me an e-mail a few days ago wondering if I was worried about the possibility of Russia having sole access to the space station for five years. "Well, not until now," I replied.

Then I saw this today:

Russia's invasion of Georgia is sending ripples right out into space, with NASA facing the possibility of no longer being able to hitch a ride to the International Space Station on Soyuz flights.

We don't have the space to print letters to the editor from out of state (unless they're commenting on something from our paper that the writers read online). Once in a while, I get one I'd like to run, however, such as this one from J. Andrew Smith of Bloomfield, N.J.:

Some ideas on global warming:

Other people want to get in line to be one of the first to take a commercial space flight. This is what I'd like to reserve:

Don't go out in the sun -- you'll get cancer! OK, fine, I'll stay indoors more. Oops:

Inadequate vitamin D could increase your risk of death by 26 percent, a new study concludes.

Yet many people are not getting enough vitamin D, which the skin makes naturally when exposed to sunlight. A nationwide survey found that 41 percent of men and 53 percent of women in the United States were not getting enough of this vital nutrient.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Be wary of first impressions. Appearances can be deceiving. Not so fast there, you trusting soul:

But if we count butterflies here, won't that cause floods in Brazil?

Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation will hold its 11th annual butterfly count from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 9 at the farm, 817 W. Dupont Road.

Participants will learn how to identify butterflies and will be given nets to catch whatever they can. Finally, participants will tally the species they find.

Just wondering. And they're going to actually catch them, too, so maybe we ought to start preparing for the Rapture.