This gallery contains 5 photos.
Of all our country’s illegal drugs, cannabis is by far and away the most popular. Depending on where you live, it may not even be illegal for much longer. On Tuesday two states, Washington and Colorado, voted to legalize marijuana … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
In August of 1951, a strange epidemic struck the sleepy little town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in France. Over the course of a single day, hundreds of people lost their minds. A little boy tried to strangle his grandmother. A man realized … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
I almost hate to admit it, but when I was younger there was a time when I liked Guns ‘n Roses, and even today I still like some of their music. (I tried singing “Mr. Brownstone” at a karaoke bar … Continue reading
This blog reached a new milestone recently. For one, the total hit count for Puff the Mutant Dragon just broke 100K. There are now over 250 people following this blog via RSS feeds, email, etc, which represents a ∞% increase on … Continue reading
This gallery contains 6 photos.
How many TV shows can you name that star a chemist as hero and feature references to reductive amination and x-ray crystallography? I can think of only one. Breaking Bad is by far and away my favorite show on TV. It’s … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
I have a confession to make: I love illegal drugs. Heroin makes me happy. I’m crazy about cocaine. I’m mad about meth and I love LSD. And not because I’ve ever taken any of these drugs or ever would. No, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
When I was growing up, my family was deeply religious, and they had some interesting beliefs. We had a book at our house, for example, entitled “Dinosaurs and the Bible”. I was surprised recently to find this strange book is … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
Race is a word with an ugly history. Powerful countries have often used supposed differences between “races” as an excuse to conquer and enslave nations with technology less advanced than their own. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European scholars … Continue reading
This gallery contains 8 photos.
This is a GoogleMaps picture of a farm near Goldsboro in North Carolina (map). The two salami-colored ponds on either side are lagoons, but not the kind where you want to swim. They’re open basins full of feces. To get … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
The year 1900 marks the birth of an organization that now plays a prominent role in British politics — the UK Labor Party. Their first manifesto is a curious document. Read about a quarter way down the page and you find … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
It started out as a crazy stunt — a gag to keep commuters entertained. DJs at KDND-FMSacramento had lined up 20 volunteers for a water-drinking contest. Whoever drank the most water without urinating would take a Nintendo Wii home as … Continue reading
