Tools, tube tops and the truth

Is there possibly any man in existence who has told a woman something like "When you wear that tube top and those tight shorts, I become so focused on your brilliant ideas, your intelligence" or "Seeing you in a bikini always makes me want to get into your brains and never fails to bring out the gentleman in me."

Based on what I know about men, they're quite visual. And that's all I'll say about it. Plus the fact that I appreciate the "built-in" differences between men and women, and that with the help of one another, each man and woman can eventually achieve being the best version of himself/herself.

Interested in the topic? Here's an interesting article:

Sex objects: Pictures shift men's view of women

Looking at images of women's bodies activates the part of men's brains associated with using power tools. Photograph: Getty

Men are more likely to think of women as objects if they have looked at sexy pictures of females beforehand, psychologists said yesterday.

Researchers used brain scans to show that when straight men looked at pictures of women in bikinis, areas of the brain that normally light up in anticipation of using tools, like spanners and screwdrivers, were activated.

Scans of some of the men found that a part of the brain associated with empathy for other people's emotions and wishes shut down after looking at the pictures.

Full story

When photographs were more precious

An online friend pointed out sometime ago the notion of telling kids nowadays that television programming didn't always use to be a 24-hour affair. The TV signed off at night after playing the national anthem, and the screen went blank (or showed that "static image" or whatever you call it) till the programs resumed the following morning. Oh, and there was a time when we actually got up from our chair and walked to the television set if we wanted to change the channel (which during that period was one of only 5 or 6 choices).

To help kids develop an appreciation for the various tools, devices and the general lifestyle they have, it might be good to tell them about camera film as well. "We didn't take 150 shots in a span of 20 minutes; we carefully chose what to shoot before shooting, we aimed, and waited a few minutes before taking the next shot. Then we made a trip to the camera store to have the film developed and again we chose carefully before deciding which shots to have recopied to give to family and friends. We even counted our money before deciding whether to buy a 12-, 24- or 36-exposure roll of film if we knew there was going to be a party or any special occasion soon. Oh, and there was no need to charge batteries for the camera because cameras back then didn't need batteries -- they worked fine on their own."

How's that for a teachable moment with your little ones?

Old pictures can be a joy (or a laughing trip) to peruse. Thanks to the internet, I found some really old ones of famous people. Some of them are harder to recognize than others.






I wonder if the tall one was the guy underneath all that fur as Chewbacca...







Guess who. He was so familiar but I had to take a peek to finally get his name.







Not that hard to figure out, but I like the shot -- Elvis Presley with fans.






Few will probably guess who the violet-clad dude is (here with his grandmother).







Charming even as a little girl -- Audrey Hepburn.






Captured in this 1957 photo are George (14), John (16) and Paul (15). I have no idea who that other one is.






Cat looks over Marlon Brando's shoulder.



If you haven't figured out who the bespectacled lad and the violet-garbed hippie-looking guy are, maybe you can try to guess some more -- then scroll down to see if you guessed correctly :-)















* Boy wearing glasses -- George Clooney

* Hippie dude -- Eric Clapton