Tuesday February 17 Links and Banter

Italy has already set its all-time record for Winter Olympic medals. PLUS! An update on the curling scandal(s) sweeping Milan. (Ha. Sweeping.)

How many Ps does an every-ingredient-starts-with-P sandwich actually need? Should we add more? Also, what else might use the name 7P?

DES MOINES, IA—According to underwhelmed sources in attendance Thursday at Cartwright Middle School’s annual science fair, a lackluster project turned in by seventh-grader Benjamin Collins investigated a method by which a potato could be converted into a baked potato. “By applying heat to the subject, I found that an ordinary raw potato can be transformed into a fully baked potato in as little as 40 minutes,” read a description of the experiment that was reported to have been hastily glued to a poster board during the morning bus ride to school. “I also hypothesized that the application of olive oil and salt would make the potato tastier, and in conclusion, I found that it did make the potato tastier. Recommendations for further research include how a regular potato might be changed into a mashed potato, a cheesy potato, or even a scalloped potato.” At press time, Collins declined to comment on accusations that his research had borrowed heavily from the dinner prepared by his mother the previous evening.