I last took a science class, oh, back when Earth Shoes (remember those?) seemed to be de rigueur for graduate students. So, I don't think I qualify as a "science geek" (though I might be geeky in other ways).
Still, I got a laugh out of this:
The first time you saw or heard the word "oxymoron", what did you think?
Perhaps it's indicative of the time in my life when I learned it that I thought about a stupid kid with zits. Back then, a product for treating acne that had "Oxy" in its name had recently been introduced. Is that product still being made?
Anyway, being the sort of person who remembers examples better than abstract definitions, whenever I heard the word "oxymoron", I would think of "military intelligence", "dietetic candy", "authentic reproduction" and "business ethics". Oh, and there was a sign I saw in a supermarket: "Fresh frozen jumbo baby shrimp."
Here's another one to add to the list: a riderless bicycle.
Now, such a thing may be plausible, at least in an etymological or epistemological sense. (I teach college. I have to use words like those at least once a year. There, I got it over with!) After all, a bicycle is nothing more than a vehicle with two wheels. So, I suppose, one could have a bicycle without a rider. Of course, I have to ask: Why?
Well, someone seems to have a reason: research. Yes, you can get away with inventing practically anything for research purposes. But I think this project may have practical applications: The riderless bicycle's creators are trying to learn more about gyroscopic forces and what keeps wheeled vehicles stable.
Maybe one day, if I have money to burn, I'll buy one of those bicycles for someone whom I tried, and failed, to turn into a cyclist!
