For the first time in forever, the Canadian dollar has been consistently cheaper than the US dollar for over a week. There is nothing bad happening in the Canadian economy, so this means the US economy is improving.

About time!

Does anybody know why testing strips and testing needles for blood sugar monitors are prescription only? What will people do if they get an unlimited supply, eat them? Prick their fingers all day long? The latter can be done with a regular needle anyway.

As a new and temporary (I hope) diabetic, I can say that learning to manage this thing is a full-time occupation. It is a mystery how my grandfather managed his Type 2 diabetes for 60 years without medication and in the Soviet Union where there wasn’t much choice as to what food was available.

I’m now getting into that stage of the pregnancy where I invent pretexts to drag myself to the office. Formal clothes, briefcase,  agenda, and makeup get rid of pregnancy-related symptoms a lot better than all of the doctor’s suggestions to stay in bed and take pills. The funny thing is that I never showed my face on campus in summer before getting pregnant and now I’m here all the time.

I love Spain and hope its scientists do finally catch up with the rest of the world, but for now this doesn’t seem to be happening:

Scientists at la Universidad Carlos II of Madrid have put a new spin on Google’s product, creating augmented reality glasses designed specifically for professors.

Dubbed “intelligent glasses,” this product is designed to assist professors who are teaching large lecture classes.

By wearing the glasses, educators will be able to see how well their students understand the concept being discussed. Students select a symbol for how well they understand the topic through their cell phones, and by wearing the glasses, professors can see the symbols students chose above them.

Using this function, educators can also see which individuals know the answer to their question and which do not. In large groups, they can even see a diagram with the aggregate of their students’ answers.

A moderately competent educator always knows exactly who in the room is snoozing, who is confused, who is bored, and who follows the material with interest. Of course, this  doesn’t work in classes with 800 students but such classes have nothing whatsoever to do with education anyways, so who cares?

This is what happens when you expel the Jews: 500 years later your sciences are still in the toilet.