bookofjoe

BehindTheMedspeak: 'To a child this is a lethal injection'

Great quarter-page ad from the November 11, 2008 New York Times.

Playtime Clock

Created by Rita Botelho from a repurposed 16mm film container.

7"Ø x 1.5"D; quartz movement.

Apply within.

[via Milena]

whack-job or wack-job: which is it?

The phrase appears increasingly often these days, sometimes with and sometimes without the "h."

If you put "whack-job" into Google, some 367,000 results are said to be out there.

If you put "wack-job" in, about 124,000 results are returned.

Pretty convincing case for the "h," what?

I'll address the hyphen issue another day.

Nesting Bowls

Every time I see a picture of these I want them — not to use, just to look at.

From the website:

Joseph Joseph Nest 8 Multicolored Bowls

Designed by Bill Holding and Ben Cox, this practical, space saving and overall good looking set is a useful addition to any kitchen and a perfect gift for those setting up their first home.

Made from durable melamine, it comprises two bowls, a colander, a sieve, and four measuring spoons.

Dimensions as pictured: 12.8"W x 10.23"L x 5.3"H.

....................

$59.

BehindTheMedspeak: Anesthesia in 1922

Via Linda Lou Turner comes the photo above, captioned "1922. 'Surgery #12.' Another selection from the 'Surgery' series of images, this one showing an anesthesiologist administering nitrous oxide prior to the operation."

So now it's 86 years on and I still sit on a little stool and hold a mask over a patient's face and give nitrous oxide prior to the operation.

Not much has changed in that regard; what's new is the monitoring technology that now occupies the empty space behind the gas passer.

Also, I now have a multi-drawer workshop cart to hold all the masks, tubes, drugs and whatnot I might need during a case.

99% of the time, though, I could get by just fine with the little rolling table the guy in the picture's using.

I'll keep the monitors, thank you very much.

My new favorite pencil

Pictured above and below, it's the Dixon Tri-Conderoga.

Three sides, fat, and ever so pleasant to hold, with a silky black "soft-touch" finish.

Writes like a dream.

Bonus: extra-large triangular eraser.

Bonus #2: eraser is latex-free.

Bonus #3: very cool, elegant and stealthy looking, especially with the label side down and no visible markings.

One negative: It's so large it doesn't fit in my Panasonic battery-powered pencil sharpener but instead requires using the hand-held sharpener with a suitably large orifice (top two photos) that comes with a box of the pencils.

Small price to pay for delight this immense.

12 for $4.31 (bespoke sharpener included).

'50 great things you never knew you could do with tennis balls'

I searched in vain for one immortalized in a medical case report — complete with x-ray — some years back.

Perhaps another day.

In the meantime, this list

should give you plenty to conjure with.

Urban Indian Bracelet

Created by Brazilian designer Mana Bernandes from acetate and rubber.

Apply within.

[via greenupgrader and Milena]