SLIGHTLY ODD

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- MAY 3, 2025

There is a fine line between interesting and amazing. Things are happening every day that may not be mind-boggling, but could be something to merit a few minutes of rumination. Classify these nuggets as slightly odd. 

A good example of something slightly odd can happen at birth. “Traditional and vintage-sounding baby names can be fun to pass down to the new generation in your family, but some parents opt to go a different route. They want to find something completely new and original, so their children stand out in a room. Au Pair's findings show that the U.S. certainly has its fair share of exceptional names, and they really run the gamut in terms of meanings and spellings.” 

Every state has one name that is is unique (to say the least). In Alabama, thirteen kids are named Zaykeese. In Georgia, there are ninety-nine tots named Nyyear. In Wyoming, Mazikeen is the moniker for 1236 little ones. Perhaps the least inventive name comes from New Hampshire where 952 males have been tagged with Babyboy. In Michigan, ten kiddos are named Fatme. See the rarest baby names in each state at: https://www.mentalfloss.com/rarest-baby-name-in-each-state. 

Those kidlings will grow up and you might assume they would turn out to be locked in to technology. However, something slightly odd is happening. “In our recent study,  we discovered that Gen Z and millennials are still visiting libraries at a healthy clip.”

There's a reason for this trend. “Gen Z and millennials – sometimes characterized as attention-addled homebodies – still see value in trips to the public library. American Gen Zers and millennials read an average of two print books per month. Younger generations tend to be more values driven and libraries’ ethos of sharing seems to resonate with Gen Zers and millennials. At the library, there are no ads and no cookies tracking and selling your behavior.” More findings at: https://theconversation.com/gen-z-and-millennials-have-an-unlikely-love-affair-with-their-local-libraries-220632. 

If you're a golfer, I have good news and bad news. Did you know that an estimated 1.5 billion golf balls have been lost in the U.S. every year since 2020? Many of those wayward shots wind up in the water. 

The good news is that Albus Golf, a Spanish golf ball manufacturer, came up with a solution. “The Ecobioball is made of a recyclable plastic polymer, which dissolves completely within forty-eight hours, revealing a dense inner ball of natural fish food.” 

A non-polluting ball is nifty, but there is a bit of a downside. “The Ecobioball is slightly lighter than the average ball, meaning they do not travel as far when they are hit — about seventy to eighty percent of the usual distance of a traditional golf ball. 

Ecobioballs are not approved for use on traditional golf courses, and Albus Golf specifically recommends using them on cruise ships, beaches, piers, hotels, and resorts.” If you want to practice your swing and feed the fish at the same time, the Ecobioball costs $58 for a box of twenty-four. (https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/biodegradable-fish-food-golf-balls)

If you buy some Ecobioballs, you might want to store them in a unique golf bag. How would you like to own a bag made from T-Rex leather? “The future of high-end materials might just lie buried in prehistoric dinosaur times. Creative powerhouse VML, genomic innovators The Organoid Company, and sustainable biotechnology firm Lab-Grown Leather have joined forces to develop the world’s first T-Rex leather made using the extinct creature’s DNA. Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the biggest and most dangerous land predators to have ever existed.” 

The science behind this is beyond me, but the slightly odd material would be pretty cool. “The first product could be available by year’s end. This next-gen material could be a high-quality, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly alternative to standard leather.” More at: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/world-first-t-rex-leather-handbag. 

If you think having a T-Rex golf bag stuffed with Ecobioballs would set you apart from your fellow hackers, having “calendar synesthesia” would do more than that. Roughly one percent of the population can visualize time as complex spatial arrangements. It’s a phenomenon called 'calendar synesthesia,' in which people see vivid manifestations of days, weeks, months, years, or even decades in the form of shapes and patterns.”

How does this manifest itself? “They may see the months of the year as a circle that surrounds the body, with the current month right in front of them. Or they may visualize years as a straight line, with past years to the left and future ones to the right.” Slightly odd test results at: https://interestingfacts.com/fact/calendar-synesthesia/.

Finally, speaking of time, there is a skill that is disappearing as time marches on. Today's technology is steering us toward a paperless society. That means the art of making and flying paper airplanes could be a thing of the past. 

But wait! Slightly odd help is on the way. “For more than ten years, Fold'N Fly has been teaching people around the world how to make paper airplanes. An extensive database of designs includes step-by-step instructions, video guides and printable templates where you simply fold on the numbered lines to get a perfect paper plane, every time.” The site even has plans for making various paper airplane launchers. Take to the air at: https://www.foldnfly.com. Plus, this fun activity is perfect to share with friends and family.  

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.