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Happiness is a new computer

Published 11:39 pm Saturday, October 20, 2007

By Katie Mayer, Herald staff

Holiday wish list: Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, and the best computer money can buy. But not in that order.

In fact, according to a survey by the electronics industry, Americans would rather have a computer than peace or happiness.

That’s probably because no one can buy you happiness, but someone can fulfill your wish for a shiny new laptop. That way, you can have a computer AND happiness — at least until you have to call tech support.

At most colleges, recruitment events involve campus tours and information on prospective majors. At the University of California in Riverside, there’s a cockroach petting zoo.

The zoo, put on to entice student science buffs, features several kinds of cockroaches. For the sake of future students, let’s hope none of them came from the dorms. Here are a few tidbits about one of the species, a Madagascar hissing cockroach:

  • They seem to like being held, according to the co-director of a campus program sponsoring the zoo. So don’t worry if your pet roach escapes — it’s just looking for someone to cuddle with.

  • They can run up to 3 mph, according to thebigzoo.com, so you can both get some exercise on the treadmill at the same time.

  • They eat decaying plant and animal matter, which means that like dogs, they’ll eat anything you drop on the floor. Unlike dogs, they won’t give you mournful looks while begging at the table.

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