- Here’s an easy way to get people to eat more vegetables … give them a fancy name. A Stanford University study found that students at the university cafeteria were more likely to put veggies on their plates when the vegetables were given more enticing names like "rich, buttery roasted sweet corn," "dynamite chili and tangy lime-seasoned beets" and "twisted citrus-glazed carrots.” (Time)
- A woman’s grandmother was in the hospital and really wanted to see her dog. Unfortunately, the hospital had a no-pets policy. So what’s a good granddaughter to do? You disguise the little dog as a sleeping baby and sneak it into your grandma’s room. And document it on Twitter, of course! (Mashable)
- Do you spend more time with Facebook than your friends … even when you’re together? Ignoring your real-life friends right in front of you because you're busy with your social media friends has become such a problem – and common practice – that there is now a name for it. Psychological researchers from the University of Kent have dubbed this "phubbing" (aka phone snubbing) – the practice of focusing on your phone instead of on the friends sitting around the table with you. (Redbook)
- This is buzzworthy … A swarm of bees covered a woman’s car. Apparently Shirley Taylor of Hull, England, got a text from her neighbor warning her to be careful when she got home … because some 20,000 bees had created a massive hive on her car. According to bee experts, it could take a while to safely move the hive. Yikes! (Mashable)
- Skip the swiping and the small talk … and get right to the date. A new dating app called First is all about the first date. Members pick a date idea and a time, and people can ask to join them. You pick who you want … and then just show up for the date. And get this … there is an official “No Flakes” policy. Just two no-shows and you get banned. (Elite Daily)
- Travel tip: Don’t take a bath in your hotel room. According to a study, if you are soaking in a hotel tub you are pretty much soaking in bacteria and cleaning chemicals. Fact is that housekeepers’ sponges and mops – the same ones used to clean hotel bathrooms – are full of germs. (Reader's Digest)