STRANGE MUSEUMS _ There are around 5,300 museums in the U.S., some large and many small. Some of the world’s more interesting museums:
• The Instant Ramen Museum in Japan. In 1958 — after a year of experimenting in his backyard shed — Momofuku Ando invented the world’s first instant noodles: Chicken Ramen. The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum documents this chapter of Japan’s food culture, where visitors can view instant noodles packages from around the world.
• Dog Collar Museum. This museum, in Kent, England, was founded in 1977, when antique collector Gertrude Hunt presented her beloved collection of 60 dog collars to Leeds Castle. Since then, the museum has continued to expand, and there are now more than 130 exhibits, dating from the sixteenth century.
• Kansas Barbed Wire Museum. Did you know that barbed wire was first patented in 1874? Or that it played a crucial role during the World War I, when its high tensile strength made it a powerful deterrent against enemy tanks? This museum has more than 2,000 types of barbed wire on display.
GUY LEAVES PARKING INSTRUCTIONS ON NEIGHBOR’S CAR _ Some people are cheering a guy in the UK who left a parking diagram on a woman’s car in an apartment complex parking lot. The diagram shows four hand-drawn cars from above, each evenly parked in their own spaces. On the same paper, below that, is two cars in the four spaces, with one of the cars taking up two parking spots. The note gave the woman “2/10 for effort” for parking across two spaces. While some reddit commenters thought the anonymous diagram drawer was “mansplaining,” others said he should be given a medal since hogging two spaces is one of the biggest jerk moves any driver can do. One comment confused many people: “If you want to be ultra picky, you’d point out that the cars in the top row are also technically not parked correctly as you are supposed to park with your left wheels as close to the left line as possible. Everyone does this, everyone has room to get out. Problem is almost no-one anywhere does this.” Mind you, the post was from the UK, where drivers site on the right right side of the car. This suggestion would mean you’d have extra space for the driver. Except most people had never heard of this. • PHOTO
YOUR PHONE IS A ‘SECURITY BLANKET’ _ Do you instinctively reach for your smartphone whenever you’re in an awkward chat with unfamiliar people, or just feel like you’re the odd one out? Researchers found that people treat their smartphones as “security blankets” to help them cope with uncomfortable social situations. In experiments, they found that people allowed to keep their phones had lower stress hormone levels when ignored in conversations, whether or not they were allowed to use the devices. Just the presence of the phone was enough to set them at ease. It might have to do with what the phone represents. It’s a symbol of your “larger personal network.” It may represent all the people you’d like to reach out to when you’re feeling isolated. It might not matter that the people in front of you are being inconsiderate when all your social media friends are sitting in your pocket. And while there is an argument to be made for people losing their connection to the moment by staring at their phone screens, the researchers believe this mobile blankie can be helpful by offering a “sense of security” you wouldn’t otherwise have.
