Just to continue on my probability and statistics theme of earlier, after writing the Birthday odds post below, I decided to randomly type the following into my browser's search engine, just to see what would come up: "One out of every 200 people" The results were pretty interesting. For instance, according to the websites linked to, did you know that: About one out of every 200 people is allergic to peanuts. In the United States, about one out of every 200 people rides a wheelchair.... READ ON

If you're looking for a an air mattress that truly lives up to the name, check out the new magnetic floating bed designed by Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars. 6 years in the making, the bed debuted at this year's Millionaire Faire, and can supposedly carry more than 1800 pounds. But how's it stay in place? In addition to the magnets keeping it afloat, the bed has four, thin tethers to keep it from shifting. Of course, you're going to have to shell out some serious cash if... READ ON

With memories of the media retreat rapidly, er, retreating from my mind, I thought I'd better provide the answer to the question I posed on Friday. A reader named Xander (hi, Xander!) offered his solution via the comments: People are generally loss-averse so most will choose the guaranteed loss of $3000 to avoid the likely hit of 4 grand. In the case of the winning money, nothing ventured, nothing gained, something cliche: people will roll the dice for the extra cash cause hey, if you don't win,... READ ON

The media has definitely covered the obesity epidemic in America in recent years and the situation doesn't seem to be improving. Doctors are coming up with anything they can to try to get kids to exercise a little more. One idea is to trick them into lifting weights by putting weights in their toys. One study included five boys and five girls, who were an average of 7.5 years old, who were randomly assigned to carry either large, cardboard toy blocks that weighed less than a quarter of a pound (0.10... READ ON