News from the Mudd

Does This Look Funny To You?

Picasso pitcherPablo Picasso was born on this day in 1881. On Oct. 25, 1955 Tappan sold its first microwave oven. It cost $1,200. That same year Picasso painted this pitcher. It’s worth $8,000-12,000. If only he’d had access to a microwave, maybe he could have melted the actual pitcher and painted it the way it REALLY looked instead of having to use his imagination.

Here’s a super cool Picasso site from Texas A & M University.

Adding Article Links to Moodle

You’ve found the perfect article for your class in JSTOR and now you want to add the link to your Moodle course page, but where do you find the URL? JSTOR and many (but not all) of the library databases have what they call persistent or stable URLs that you can quickly copy & paste into Moodle. Be sure to have the article links open in a new window so that students lose track of their Moodle page. Check the guide for more information.

O Mole Mio

moleNational Mole Day is today. Please choose from the following the type of mole that is being recognized:

1) the kind that lives in the ground

2) the kind that lives on your skin

3) the kind who infiltrates an organization

4) a spicy sauce made with chilies and usually chocolate

5) a mass (in grams) whose number is equal to the atomic mass of the molecule

If you said #5 you would probably fall down laughing at this joke that passes for humor in chemistry circles:

Q: What did Avogadro teach his students in math class?

A: Moletiplication

Curl up by the fire with a book on molecular theory.

Haunted Lawrence Tour

Ever wonder if there are any haunted places on campus? Given that Lawrence has been around for 160 years, there certainly is! Come and learn more about the haunted and creepy places on campus on Sunday, October 28 at 7 pm. We’ll meet at the Information Deck in the Union and tour the campus, including Cloak Theater, Memorial Chapel, and Main Hall. The tour will end in Riverview Lounge in the Union where a Midterm Stress Relief Social will take place. This even is sponsored by the Dean of Students Office, the Wellness Committee, and the University Archives.

Have a question about Lawrence ghosts and just can’t wait until Sunday to ask? Stop by the Archives, call or e-mail. And in case you’re wondering, sorry, no ghosts in the Archives have been spotted!

Archery, Schmarchery

mcdonalds signThe Eau Claire, WI city fathers have spoken: archery is no longer permitted in Archery park. The park on the Eau Claire river is decked out with an archery tower and is set among wooded hillsides to keep those pointy little suckers contained within the park grounds. However, several have escaped into the neighboring yards over the years, hence the kibosh. We see an opportunity for a major fast food emporium to move in and take over the grounds.

Pennies: What Are They Good For?

toad tapeThat well-respected bastion of urban legend de-bunk-ation, snopes.com, has a surprising number of reports of the magic power of pennies. Can rubbing a penny on a bee sting ease the pain? (No.) Can a penny remove a wart? (No.) Will sucking on a penny defeat a breathalyzer test? (No and this is just crazy.) However, one folk cure was proven here a couple of years ago in a now-famous un-blind experiment. One of our own librarians was relieved of her warts by the constant and rigorous application of duct tape to the afflicted areas. We were convinced, and should any others at the Mudd ever develop warts, we’ll jump onto the duct tape bandwagon, which would be an excellent name for a rock group. Our new motto: The Mudd – Now Wart Free.