Don’t Leave Your Skull on the Bus
My daughter, the medical student, brought home a small, cube-shaped box the other day. I joked that it probably contained a human head. I was right! It was a skull. Turns out it's standard practice for medical students to study anatomy using real skulls and bones.
Like any other student, homework is part of the gig. There are some rules, though. Don't leave your skull on the bus. This must have happened to someone. Don't study your skull at a coffee shop. Apparently it might make other customers uncomfortable. It is OK, however, to study your skull while others in the same room are watching NFL football players bash their skulls together.
This got me thinking about some other odd caution and safety rules I have read in user manuals. I recently got a new battery for my laptop. One caution states, "Never hammer a nail into the battery pack." Seemed like a random warning. Yet there is no caution against smashing it, or my computer, with a brick when it becomes frustratingly slow.
A few years ago, our son checked out an iPad from his school. Among the restrictions was the fact it was not acceptable to use the item to commit consumer fraud.
We had a couple of trampolines while our kids were growing up. Thankfully, we made it through those years without injury. When I think back to safety rules including no more than one person at a time on the trampoline and no flips, I again am thankful to have avoided any injuries.
I sometimes find myself afraid to drive down a hill or around a corner, as every car ad I see on TV comes with the disclaimer, "Professional driver. Do not attempt." I anxiously await the day of driver-less cars and the list of safety measures that will come with that.