Tuesday Quickies

Squeegee asks:

What is more rude: letting the elevator doors close as someone is running towards them, or yelling out "Thanks for not holding the doors" when the doors close as you get to the elevator?

Yes. They're both rude. Refusing to hold the elevator for someone obviously hurrying is needlessly boorish, but calling someone - especially a stranger - out on his rudeness is just as bad. So nobody wins in this scenario - except your humble bloggers.

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Dog Mama writes:

I usually feed my little dog twice per day. Lately she has been refusing to eat in the morning but is ferociously hungry in the evening. Could she be pregnant? Is this morning sickness? She was fixed as a puppy, but maybe it didn't work.

I guess I could try to use a home pregnancy test if I could catch her mid-stream in the yard. Do human pregnancy tests work on dogs?

Wait, you have to pee on those things for them to work? I thought your husband just stuck them up there in your sleep, and that would give an accurate reading.

No, I don't think your dog is pregnant, DM. Since this is a new development, I would call and ask the vet/ vet tech for her opinion, and then make an appointment for a checkup if that seems necessary.

And no, human pregnancy tests do not work on dogs.

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Zipper asks:

Can a microwave let out radioactive waves even when off?

Zip, I'm unable to find the actual answer to that specific question, but I have some answers that may allay any fears you have about microwave radiation. A quick tour of the Wikipedia page devoted to microwaves reveals that "[t]he cooking chamber itself is a Faraday cage which prevents the microwaves from escaping." And studies have shown that the radiation emitted by microwave ovens doesn't carry the same carcinogenic risk as other types of radiation, such as X-rays, even after prolonged exposure. Microwaves can damage the skin by heating it, as with any cooking device, which is why they're built with a switch that prevents the oven from functioning when the door is open.

So go forth, and microwave happily: it's not going to kill you unless you stick yourself inside it.