The Google logo today is a Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss.

eta: I'm trying to remember which book the yellow bears in the middle are from.

I *think* they're from Hop on Pop.

Yes, those are the bears who "Walk walk we like to walk / walk talk we like to talk / Hop hop we like to hop / we like to hop on top of Pop."

not that you've read it or anything.

Certainly not more than two or three thousand times.

I'm curious - maybe some Buffistas who are parents can try this out....

Names turn preschoolers into vegetable lovers

Do you have a picky preschooler who's avoiding their vegetables? A new Cornell University study shows that giving vegetables catchy new names - like X-Ray Vision Carrots and Tomato Bursts - left preschoolers asking for more.

When 186 four-year olds were given carrots called "X-ray Vision Carrots" ate nearly twice as much as they did on the lunch days when they were simply labeled as "carrots." The Robert Wood Johnson-funded study also showed the influence of these names might persist. Children continued to eat about 50% more carrots even on the days when they were no longer labeled. The new findings were presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the School Nutrition Association in Washington DC.

"Cool names can make for cool foods," says lead author Brian Wansink. "Whether it be 'power peas' or 'dinosaur broccoli trees,' giving a food a fun name makes kids think it will be more fun to eat. And it seems to keep working - even the next day," said Wansink.

Similar results have been found with adults. A restaurant study showed that when the Seafood Filet was changed to "Succulent Italian Seafood Filet," sales increased by 28% and taste rating increased by 12%. "Same food, but different expectations, and a different experience," said Wansink, author of "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Eat More Than We Think."

Although the study was conducted in pre-schools, the researchers believe the same naming tricks can work with children. "I've been using this with my kids," said researcher Collin Payne, "Whatever sparks their imagination seems to spark their appetite."

teeny tiny tender peas -- that was the pea description in my house growing up.

OK, this is why I'm glad I don't work from home -- because my work webmail was handy in my browser, I just sent a couple of work emails. I would totally work half-assedly all the time, instead of having clear boundaries.

Brussel sprouts were shrunken heads in my childhood.

I didn't like'em, but we ate 'em.

I called mushrooms slugs for my sister's benefit.

Why do I have a cold?