Interesting tidbit about another rodent

Last month I learned squirrels are picky about who they hang out with (Blogpost here).

This month I learn yet another surprising tidbit about rodents -- this time about rats.

Apparently, before making a decision rats consider the amount of effort a task requires and if said effort is worth the reward.

In other words, according to this Animal Planet article:

A person buying a new car, for example, must weigh the cost and the effort needed to make payments versus the value of the car. Rats, and likely all rodents, do something similar, only under a lot more pressure.

How did scientists determine this?

They basically created a maze with several endings -- one ending had a lot of pellets while another one had only one pellet. In order to get to the high amount of food, the rat had to go through a difficult, exhausting trail. The low amount of food was a straight shot.

According to the findings:

At first the rats went for the easy pickings, but when they determined more sweets were available on the other side of the maze, they exerted additional effort, but only after a certain point. When the pain yielded too little gain, they stuck with the tiny treat.

In addition, as a result of having to make these high-stressed decisions, rats sometimes suffer from depression.

(Side note: I don't eve know why I read the mainstream media anymore. All the interesting and relevant news is on Animal Planet. Clearly)

The image above is by Socar Myles (cc) and republished here under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Newseum opens its doors

The national museum of journalism, the Newseum, opens its doors today in Washington DC -- and I'm extremely excited.

The Newseum, "where the news comes to life," is the most interactive museum in the world according to its Web site. Visitors can star in their own TV newscast in addition to learning about the impact new technology is having on the business, and the challenges journalists faced covering 9/11. There is also a Great Hall of News with live breaking news from around the world.It only makes sense for the landmark, pictured above, to be in a city with such a rich journalism history where journalism royalty like Woodward and Bernstein reined. The building is located on Pennsylvania Avenue and has a balcony that allows visitors to get a panoramic view of DC. From the picture, I see that the first amendment is printed on the outside of the building -- pretty awesome.

According to this New York Times review, the museum can be seen from the capital building.

It's all pretty symbolic if you think about it -- journalism is constantly overlooking the capital.

It probably is just me and my nerdy love for journalism -- and Washington DC -- but I think this is one of the coolest museums ever created.

The museum is free today. Here is ticket information for all other visits.

Gourmet dining halls

Some of my fondest memories of freshmen year involve sitting at the dining hall and eating with my friends.

Cheese fries, pizza, hamburgers, fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies, cherry cokes -- we ate and drank it all.

Sure healthy options were available -- a salad bar, sandwiches, fresh fruit -- but for better or for worse, we usually opted for the crap.

At the time I complained about the dining hall and it's food (probably while stuffing a grilled cheese in my mouth). Looking back now I realize I had so many choices I did not bother exploring.

I know they're not gourmet but for cafeterias Northeastern's two dining halls are pretty damn good. Business Week even gave the food an A- in 2006. So Northeastern students are pretty lucky.

Or that's what I thought until I saw this article in the New York Times.

Apparently, at several schools stir fry is out and lobster and sushi are in. Some high seniors are not even applying to certain universities because cafeteria isn't to their liking. In addition, florescent lights and your average caf seatings are no longer acceptable.

So what, where and how are these top-tier dining halls serving?

Here's an example from the article:

Stanford offers “spa waters,” mineral water with cucumber, watermelon, mint and other flavors. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst shares guest chefs with eight colleges. Yale has an organic cafe. Brown has a farmers’ market. At Wheaton College in Illinois, low-carbon meals use local and organic food; students can choose Thursday dinners illuminated only by the lights outside.

Also, if you're interested, here's a list of the top 20 Best Campus Foods in 2008 -- and a list of the worst -- according to The Princeton Review. (Northeastern didn't make it on either one.)

While granted the schools with the most lavish menus also receive some of the highest endowments, I think they're going a bit too far to attract students. What's next? Formal attire to the dining hall dinner table?

I could just be bitter filet mignon was not on the menu my first year but I think even if it were, I probably still would've chosen the greasy fries. ... Maybe?

At least I don't have to deal with the transition of having a gourmet chef prepare my meals one year to having to eat my own cooking the next.

____

The image above is by Paul Watson (cc) and republished here under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Want to be famous? Start a blog.

These days, blogging is becoming an increasingly successful business and bloggers themselves are getting more and more recognition. (Check out this post I came across on Journerdism about the potential need for a blogger union).

The wonderful thing about blogs is anyone can have one. (Some people argue that this is the horrible thing about blogs but that's neither here nor there).

Regardless, how do you go from being a 21-year-old college student obsessed with pets -- and the occasional new media -- to being a blogging celebrity, a la Perez Hilton? (Pictured right).

According to this New York Times story, there are several steps one must take including keeping a regular posting rhythm and creating a brand name. All these suggestions were compiled from successful bloggers.

The article is a fun and interesting read especially for those bloggers who want to make a name for themselves.

Maybe one day Pause will be the new blog.

The image above is by Toby Forage (cc) and republished here under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Interesting tidbit about squirrels

I just though this was an extremely random yet interesting Discovery News article about squirrels.

According to a recent study, all squirrels are part of a social network, kind of like the six degrees of separation but with squirrels it's only three degrees. My favorite part about the finding is that it appears squirrels have other squirrel friends -- they don't just hang out with any random squirrel on the street. Looks like they're not as brainless as I thought.

I know this is pretty quirky but doesn't it make you look at squirrels a little differently?

Photo courtesy Flickr user Law_Keven under Creative Commons license.

Fun things to do online during Spring Break

Rate cute animal photos.

Thanks to a Facebook post, I was notified of the Daily Paws Web site.

In between watching the election coverage, I spent a good half hour ooo-ing and ahh - ing over the puppies, kittens, wild animals, barnyard animals and other pets (including hamsters, porcupine-like animals, iguanas and mice).

Here is one of today's top dogs (Mickey):

And a top cat (Angel):

And because I feel bad, a bottom dog (Sexy Daisy) and a bottom cat (Domino):

The site also includes pet tips and pet contests as well as an adoption link.

Of course I'm working on submitting a photo of Pause but for tonight it's back to politics.