Adderall on Campus

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Exam time is here. And according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, roughly six of every 100 collegian brains are illegally swimming in amphetamines. That is to say, in FDA-approved, but illegally procured amphetamines, the kind that are bummed or bought without benefit of a prescription. You may know the most common … Read more

The State of Affairs: How Many People Cheat?

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The main reason is to express our affection, our love for our partner. Another reason is cultural—we’re surrounded by TV shows and movies where kissing is extremely important in a romantic context, so we learn through a kind of osmosis. And the third reason is, as Freud pointed out, we all go through various stages … Read more

Are Politics Genetic? The New Science of Political Physiology

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Red or blue, right or left—we have plenty of ways to identify our politics, and they don’t usually include the anterior cingulate cortex. But what if political leanings are actually hard-wired? Political thought is the latest space for nature/nurture debate—with implications for the future of bipartisanship. If genes determine politics, is compromise really possible? A … Read more

Everyday Hazards: Tape

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MacGyver kept tape in his back pocket. Socrates may have jury-rigged a piece of it with hide and sap. There’s even some on the Moon. Whether duct, masking, packing, Scotch®, surgical, or electrical, it seems like there’s a roll in every garage and under every sink in America. What can’t it fix? As it turns out: your … Read more

Constructing a Language: A Look at Invented Tongues

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Many of the 2010 Best Picture Oscar nominees had something in common: a focus on language. Much of The Hurt Locker (the winner) is spoken in Arabic; some of District 9, in Afrikaans. The plot of Inglourious Basterds hinges on characters’ ability (or inability) to understand multiple languages. Up gives dogs the ability to speak, and both District 9 and Avatar feature made-up languages. District 9’s is … Read more

How to Win at Monopoly

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Here is a quick, sportsmanlike guide to killing your opponents in Monopoly. Many thanks are due to Phil Orbanes for permitting Book of Odds to develop probabilities based on his definitive guide, The Monopoly Companion, a vade mecum for players of all levels. The following tactics are derived from the Master himself. His book contains many more strategies. … Read more

Tornadoes: How Deadly Are They?

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The deadliest tornado in history was invisible. In 1925, the Tri-State Tornado ravaged a mile-wide path for 219 miles across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana at 60 miles per hour—twice the forward speed of the average tornado. It lacked the classic funnel cloud, but the damage was catastrophic: nearly 2,000 people were injured, property losses totaled … Read more

SUPER BOWL COWS

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A football is often referred to as a “pigskin,” though it’s been a long time since that term was accurate. Modern day footballs are made out of cow leather, which is manufactured from the hides of slaughtered cattle. That got us at Book of Odds wondering: Forget human beings, what are the odds a cow will … Read more