Randal A. Burd, Jr.

• Current Events

  Hold the Sauce: McDonald’s and the Condiment Racket

  If you like condiments with your burger and fries, it may cost extra at some McDonald’s locations. The last few years have seen extra condiment fees become a standard practice at most of the company’s franchises. As far back as 2008, unhappy McDonald’s customers would take to the Internet to rant about fees being...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. August 27, 2014
• Current Events

  Disadvantaged Donors? Untangling the Truth Behind Locks of Love

  My wife has long, flowing brunette hair. Every few years she has a length of it cut off with the intention of donating the hair to Locks of Love, a charity claiming to provide wigs for children who are either undergoing cancer treatments or are afflicted with some form of alopecia, a...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. August 21, 2014
• Hoaxes & Rumors

  Termites with Taste: A Penchant for Wood and Rock ‘n Roll?

  Do termites eat faster when subjected to rock music? One writer takes a look at this claim, and his findings may surprise you.

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. August 12, 2014
• Current Events

  The World Is Profoundly Less Happy: RIP Robin Williams

  It would be hard to find a person living in the United States who could not name multiple movies which include the late actor Robin Williams. The 63-year-old thespian was discovered dead in his home on August 11, 2014, and movie watchers around the world immediately entered a state of shock. Something...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. August 11, 2014
• History

  Commodore 64: Best Selling Computer Model of All Time

  The technology-driven classrooms of today are a stark contrast to the learning environments of the 1980s. Students are currently taught interactive lessons on Smart Boards, use Google for much of their research, and take standardized tests in computer labs equipped with the latest hardware and software. But long before the Internet and...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. July 28, 2014
• Hoaxes & Rumors

  Buzz Aldrin Claims We’re Not Special; Believes in Aliens

  In a previous article, I wrote about Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s observations regarding moon landing hoax conspiracies. His latest response to such conspiracies was included in the interview in Reddit.com’s “Ask Me Anything” channel on July 8, 2014. However, Colonel Aldrin not only responded to moon landing hoaxes, he also responded to...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. July 27, 2014
• Hoaxes & Rumors

  Colonel Buzz Aldrin Addresses Moon Landing Conspiracies

  On July 21, 1969, mankind completed a feat which even now seems almost unfathomable. A lunar module piloted by Colonel Edward Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin touched down on the surface of the moon, and Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong down the ladder to be the second man to walk on the moon. His first...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. July 18, 2014
• History

  Saving Faces: The History of Plastic Surgery

  When you hear plastic surgery mentioned, likely the first associations that come to mind are face lifts, breast augmentation, and tummy tucks. However, plastic surgery is much more than just aesthetic changes in appearance. Most plastic surgery involves restoring form and function to damaged tissue. The adjective “plastic” has a Greek origin...

  Randal A. Burd, Jr. July 15, 2014