Show Notes for July 3, 2013

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  • Tungsten carbide
    • "approximately three times stiffer than steel"
    • "roughly 10 times harder than 18k gold"
    • "part of its attraction to consumers is its technical nature"
  • Price of gold
    • 80% of the annual production goes to jewelry (two third) and industrial applications (12%)
    • The US dollar was pegged to gold at a rate of US$35 per troy ounce until 1971
    • The Swiss franc was pegged to gold until 2000

  • Female urination device
    • Wikipedia
      • "It is possible for a woman to aim her urine from a standing position without using a device. This was the norm in much earlier times, and standing to urinate was commonplace in certain cultures and situations."
    • Examples of products: Shewee, Whiz
  • Vibrators
    • Hitachi Magic Wand "The Cadillac of Vibrators"
    • Many chain stores now add a toy aisle for adults (USA Today)
      • "CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Safeway, Target and Walmart are among major national chains that now include vibrators on store shelves"
      • "First-quarter numbers for 2012 count 318,840 vibrators (all brands) sold at retail outlets, excluding Walmart", "That's $4.4 million worth of vibrators sold"
      • "About 53% of women and 45% of men have ever used a vibrator, suggests a 2008 online survey of 2,056 women and 1,047 men, ages 18-60, by the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University in Bloomington."

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