Banana equivalent dose

hanelyp · Post by **hanelyp** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:26 am

Serious and a chuckle at the same time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose

Giorgio · Post by **Giorgio** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:50 am

That was some interesting read!

Never occurred to me that bananas could be radioactive, let alone that they could be used as a reference frame.

Josh Cryer · Post by **Josh Cryer** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:32 pm

Was aware that bananas were radioactive but that was an amusing and awesome read. Thanks.

BenTC · Post by **BenTC** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 6:52 pm

More units of measure here

And I also got a chuckle from this... (source)
Justin O. Schmidt deserves a medal for the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Personally stung by 78 species of insect, he compiled a a scale of the pain they caused. From 1-4, he classified and described the pain they caused — with vivid detail. In fact, reading his descriptions might cause you to question Schmidt’s sanity, but hey, being stung by all those critters might drive anyone up the wall. Rather than wax lyrical about the index, I’ll let the WTFery speak for itself:

1.0 Sweat bee: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.
1.2 Fire ant: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch.
1.8 Bullhorn acacia ant: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek.
2.0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.
2.0 Yellowjacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.
2.x Honey bee and European hornet: Like a matchhead that flips off and burns on your skin.
3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.
3.0 Paper wasp: Caustic and burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.
4.0 Pepsis wasp: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath.
4.0+ Bullet ant: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel

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