0368 | Never Mind the Bullocks | Karl Kruszelnicki

by John on May 4, 2012

Context: In my room at the Kokopo Centre where we were staying during a language survey, I read this while watched by a hideous doll on the wall. Who makes these things?

REVIEW

Not feeling great with an allergy to the mould in this book so it was a quick read… and very interesting. Karl is well-known in Australia as a one-man myth-buster and he sets out to debunk all sorts of commonly held misconceptions in this popular science collection of articles.

I enjoyed this because, while it is obvious that Karl understands far more about the way the world works than I do, he didn’t make me feel like I was a second-class citizen for it. He patiently explains why things are the way they are and doesn’t go into any detail that you don’t need. On top of that, he has a Bryson-esque style about him that had me laughing out loud in a few places.

So, what did I learn? Well, Velcro, despite being popularised by its use by NASA was actually invented by a Swiss dog walker, you can drink alcohol while taking antibiotics, that more US history is bunk than I thought (notably Irving’s embellishment of Columbus), grapefruit juice can be life-threatening if imbibed while taking certain medications and that sports drinks are, for me at least, a waste of money. All useful stuff.

What didn’t I learn? Well, I already knew that cars don’t explode Hollywood-style on impact, that US history is often bunk, that red hair is a genetic mutation, that there is gravity in space and that I’m balding for reasons that are still pretty much unknown (which at least makes me feel marginally better about it.)

This book would make an very good addition to your bathroom and would enhance the dying practice of reading books on long-haul flights.

OPENING LINE	In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first artificial satellite, the Sputnik.
99TH PAGE QUOTE	This far into the book, some of the plot might be revealed. If you want to see the quote, click show In these politically correct times, you have to be careful with your language. For example, it’s no longer proper to refer to a popularly believed story as an ‘Old Wives’ Tale’ – instead you have to call it an ‘Information Item from a Mature Female Domestic Engineer.’ There is a lot of Useful Knowledge in the general population – there’s even a special name for it: ‘The Wisdom of the Commons’. But, some of the Information Items that get passed on can sometimes be wrong. For example, what of the claim that using lemon juice on battered fish is good for you? This claim suggests that the lemon juice destroys or dissolves the fat or oil in which the batter has been fried. This dissolved fat, with all of its kilojoules, is supposed to vanish magically, leaving you with a slim waist. That’s a lot to ask from a lemon.
CLOSING LINE	This might give the game away. If you want to see the last line, click show So, boys, take care – the prostate gland could cause you a wee problem….