Daily Dose of Common Sense

As the weather turns warmer, kids start breaking out bathing suits. And, sadly, this means a lot of kids will drown. In fact, drowning is the second-leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., and 3/4 of all drownings take place between May and September. It stands to reason, then, that teaching kids to swim is an important safety skill.

However, parents might also be tempted to rely on water wings or floaties for the safety of their water-loving tots. It may seem like a good way to keep kids above the water, but this plan of action is not recommended:

Do not use air-filled or foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner-tubes, in place of life jackets (personal flotation devices). These toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

Many experts believe flotation devices have no place in helping a child learn to swim and should be used sparingly, if at all. Most importantly, these should not replace close and constant parental supervision. Children need to experience their own weight in the pool (while being held or closely supervised by an adult) in order to feel the buoyancy of the water. Always having a floatie or water wings on gives kids a false sense of security: they think they can swim when they really cannot. One of the best floatation device policies we’ve seen, complete with explanation, can be found here.

On separate occasions, I have witnessed two children, recently removed from toy flotation devices, jump into the pool and then flounder underwater. The kids forgot they didn’t have their water wings on and could not swim back up to the surface. Both episodes ended happily, with caregivers nearby pulling the children to safety.

Teach your kids to swim safely. And stay nearby. Even if they know how to swim, they could still get in trouble and need help.

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This post originally appeared on July 28, 2009. It’s our second most popular post to date.

Bill Gates recently quit Facebook because he had too many friends. He had trouble keeping track of who he actually knew and which friend requests were from strangers. Although you aren’t Bill Gates, you may still have a little dead weight in your Facebook friend list. Here are some ideas on how to annoy those connected to you and potentially lose some friends.

Mundane Status Updates
“Joe Smith is tired.” Yeah, we’re all tired, Joe. Is that the best you can do? Continually updating your friends on all the mundane tasks in your life just may cause a few folks to de-friend you. So, keep it up with such snooze-alerts as “is bored” and “is going to the gym.”

Talk Politics and/or Religion
Politics and religion are two touchy subjects. People have their own opinions and it’s very hard to convince them to change sides. Talking about your views is a possible way to offend a few Facebook friends who don’t agree, especially if you trash the other side.

Take Every Quiz and Share Results
There are thousands of Facebook quizzes, and some are even entertaining. However, your friends don’t want to know which “Sex and the City” character you are or your Simpsons IQ score. If you want to lose friends, then take all the quizzes you can and publish the results each time.

Keep Sending Invitations
Mafia Wars and Vampires may be fun to you, but receiving invitations to them over and over again is just annoying. We realize that getting more people to play helps your score. And, we don’t care. Lil’ Green Patch may be a good cause, but we’re tired of it. So, if you want to annoy your connections, keep kidnapping people and passing drinks around.

Be an Over-Poster
Everyone has at least one or two over-posters on their friend list. These are people who update their status WAY too often and share links and photos galore. Appearing too frequently in your network’s News Feed is a good way to cause “friend fatigue” and get yourself de-friended.

Tag Friends in Unappealing Photos
Dig up those dusty old photos and crank up your scanner. Horrify your friends! Embarrass your family! It is especially helpful to find pictures where your targets have bad hair days, closed eyes, or strange expressions. And, make sure to tag the photos so everyone can recognize each other.

There are many other ways to annoy on Facebook (like over-punctuating your updates), so feel free to suggest some of your own pet peeves.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: jurvetson

It is always surprising to get in an elevator in a hotel and see the numbers go from twelve to fourteen. We all know there’s a number missing. Are some people really still paralyzed with fear over the number thirteen?

There are many theories as to why thirteen has gotten a bad rap. Some say it has Christian roots revolving around the Last Supper. Others say the ancient Egyptians believed the number thirteen to be a symbol of death. There are also Norse and medieval ties to this number as well. Regardless, we all know superstitions are just crazy, right?

For example:
- Knocking wood won’t really change your luck (there’s no such thing as luck).
- Spilling salt doesn’t bring the devil (it means you’re clumsy).
- Sneezing doesn’t let your soul escape (it means there’s an irritation in your nose).
- A sudden shiver doesn’t mean someone is walking on your grave (it means you’re cold!).

And yet, the fear over the number thirteen persists. Friday the thirteenth is not just a horror franchise; many people actually alter their plans when this day rolls around. A small percentage of people polled said they would request a room change if given accommodations on the thirteenth floor.

A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests a large majority of Americans — 87% — would be comfortable with a 13th floor room assignment. But 13% say they’d be bothered by a 13th floor room assignment, including 9% who would be sufficiently bothered to seek a room change.

The poll shows women, people age 65-plus and those with annual household incomes below $30,000 are more prone than average to seek a new room if assigned to the 13th floor.

The trend of renaming the thirteenth floor in buildings and hotels began in the late 19th century. However, in a rash of rationality, some newer hotels have bucked this nonsense and have installed elevator buttons with thirteenth floors. I say let the 9% move to a different floor–and get a grip. But, until then, I guess I’m staying on the “fourteenth” floor of my hotel.

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Last month, a German teacher jumped in the polar bear exhibit at the Berlin Zoo and took a swim. The result? Polar bear attack.

This episode continues a bizarre pattern in recent years of inappropriate behavior at zoos. People seem to have forgotten that these are WILD animals. Last November, a student was bitten by a panda bear in China because he was attempting to hug the animal. In 2007, a 15-year old boy jumped into the panda exhibit in the Beijing Zoo, only to have the bear bite him severely on both legs.

Obviously, no one is glad that these people were injured. But some folks have clearly forgotten that polar bears and panda bears, while cute, are still BEARS.

It’s sad that zoos need to not only think about keeping the wild animals in but also the crazy zoo visitors OUT.

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Well, folks, for those of you betting we couldn’t do this for a year…you lost. Daily Dose of Common Sense turns ONE on May 1st. It’s been a crazy first year, and if I would have known then how much I was committing to….

So, dear reader (yes, we know there is only one of you), please give us some feedback. Things you like, things you don’t like, what you’d like to see more of, site design, etc. Let ‘er rip!

Seriously. I’d like to hear what you have to say. The only thing you can’t say is to write more than one post a day, ’cause that ain’t happening at this juncture.

All this week we’ll be reposting some of our favorite posts from the past year. So, get ready for a clip show!

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Here is a stairwell sign that was found in the Bronx. While the grammar isn’t much to cheer about, you’ve gotta love the message!

[Thanks to Viveca G. for the photo!]

Would you give up a finger to save your iPad? No, me neither. A man in Denver lost most of one finger because he tried to thwart the theft of his new iPad.

Jordan, 59, said he’d just purchased Apple’s latest must-have item and was near the parking garage when the robber struck.

Jordan had the bag containing the iPad wrapped around his left hand and was “holding on tight,” he told police.

The robber jerked so hard that it stripped the skin on part of Jordan’s pinky down to the bone. Most of the finger had to be amputated.

Here’s how I see it: iPad = replaceable (eventually). Finger = not replaceable (generally). No brainer, in my opinion.

This is similar to a purse snatching, where the advice is always to give the robber what they want. Your life, limbs, or digits aren’t worth losing over whatever is in inside.

[Via the fine folks at Pat's Papers]

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Want a cup of coffee but not the annoying part where you actually have to drink it? Well, lazy caffeine junkies, there’s a product for you called Le Whif. It’s an inhaler of coffee. Here’s how it works:

The canisters spray an edible aerosol shot of the substance directly into your mouth, without your lips even touching a single glass.

It takes 8 whiffs to give the same results from one cup of coffee.

Is this how desperate and lazy we’ve become? We can’t even enjoy a cup of freakin’ coffee? This company also sells another product where you can whiff chocolate. It gives you a burst of chocolate flavor without the calories (or drool-worthy enjoyment) of real chocolate. Maybe this is the direction food science is headed: all science and no actual food?

[Thanks to Kathy D. for the link!]

Have you ever said, “Wow, I love my new DS game!”? Or, “That ride is awesome. I love it!”? Yes, at some time or another, you have expressed love for some inanimate object. But, being a rational person, you knew that didn’t actually mean LOVE love. Well, some folks can’t understand the difference and have actually married an inanimate object.

Here is a slideshow of the weirdest cases of people marrying inanimate objects. A pillow, Nintendo DS game, roller coaster ride, Eiffel Tower…all the levels of craziness are represented.

Being single can be tough. Between bars, online dating, and getting set up through friends, it’s sometimes hard to meet compatible partners. But, if you’re considering marrying an inanimate object, I offer this advice: DON’T! It’s better to be alone than to be with the Berlin Wall, isn’t it? I mean, what kind of companionship and comfort can a rock offer? Can you dance with a rock at weddings? Can the rock get you a snack from the fridge in the middle of the night? Can the rock pick you up from the airport? (And I don’t mean The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, who can obviously do all of those things if you know the right people.)

The plus side with an inanimate object, I guess, is that you don’t have to argue over petty things, like control of the remote or whose turn it is to do the dishes. Seems like a small victory in order to live in Crazytown.

How awesome is this bathroom sign?

I wish all bathrooms had such a direct, to-the-point message. No one wants to see your hair, pee, or WORSE after you’re done doing your business. And, for those of you who think only men’s rooms are disgusting…you are wrong! Women’s bathrooms are gross, gross, gross, too.

Clean up after yourselves!

(Thanks to Dean Cameron for the photo.)