Strange BUT TRUE

• It was noted 20th-century author of speculative fiction Harlan Ellison — whose writing credits include episodes of the original “Star Trek” series — who made the following sage observation: “The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.”

• After his death in 2005, the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson — pioneer of “gonzo” journalism and author of the infamous novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” — were fired spaceward from a giant cannon to the accompaniment of fireworks and the Bob Dylan song “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

• Wasps, evidently, don’t have any time to waste. Those who study such things say that they take less than a minute to complete their courtship and mating rituals.

• All species of dog have a pink tongue — except one. Chows’ tongues are black.

• The automatic dishwasher was invented way back in 1886. A woman named Josephine Cochrane came up with the idea because she was unhappy with the way her fine china was being chipped by the servants who were washing it.

• According to a recent Zinus study on sleep anxiety in America, women are more likely than men to dream about being chased and having teeth fall out. Men, though, dream more often about being naked in public and flying.

• If you’re thinking of redecorating your child’s room, you might want to keep this in mind: Studies show that the color pink has a soothing effect on children, blue lowers their blood pressure and increases attentiveness, and yellow excites and cheers kids. Avoid red if at all possible; it has been shown to raise children’s blood pressure, respiration and heart rate as well as brain and muscle activity.

Thought for the Day: “Unfortunately, computers are also stupid. Unlike human beings, computers possess the truly profound stupidity of the inanimate.” — Bruce Sterling