DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
Working as a ‘hive mind’? PICTURE: Eric Ward/Unsplash
• ‘Hive mind’ (basically, the collective thoughts, ideas, and opinions of a group of people seeming to function as a single mind as in a bee colony), ‘froyo’ (frozen yoghurt), and the ‘Internet of Things’ (referring to the internet connectivity of a growing number of devices) are among the latest new words added to the US-based Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Other new entries include ‘alt-right’ (referring to what are “right-wing, primarily online political movement or grouping based in the US whose members reject mainstream conservative politics and espouse extremist beliefs and policies typically centred on ideas of white nationalism”), ‘dog whistle’ (in US politics, “an expression or statement that has a secondary meaning intended to be understood only by a particular group of people”) and gun terms, ‘open carry’ and ‘concealed carry’.
• An art exhibition designed specifically for dogs and cats will open in Singapore later this month. The exhibition, designed to mark the 10th anniversary of pet food brand Wellness, features works created by local artists in conjunction with vets and animal behaviourists. Works include a room designed to give dogs the illusion they are riding on a magic carpet through a sky of toys and meat snacks and a giant cat-shaped play tower for felines. The PAW-sitive: Interactive Art for Pets by Wellness exhibit opens from 30th September to 8th October.
• A pay-it-forward chain started in a McDonald’s store reportedly lasted for 125 cars. The chain started at a McDonald’s in Ocean Springs, Missouri, after a regular female customer picked up the tab for the car behind her at 7.15am and then went on for about an hour, totalling 125 cars. Heidi Waters, the store’s general manager, said that while it wasn’t unusual for a pay-it-forward chain of five to 10 cars to occur, the length of this one certainly was. We’re yet to hear if it’s any kind of record.
