Why Is the Green M&M the Horny One?

Mars Company has been producing M&M Chocolate Candies since 1941. Various rumors have since been attached to different colors of the candy: the green ones are an aphrodisiac; if the last candy out of a bag is red, make a wish and it will come true; if the last candy out of a bag is yellow, you should call in sick and stay home; orange M&Ms are good luck, but brown ones are bad luck. M&M/MARS notes that all these rumors were developed by consumers, not the company.

The rumor that these green candies are an aphrodisiac apparently started or first gained prominence in the 1970s, when students reportedly picked the green ones out of packages to feed to the objects of their desires.

Very key article on colour legends. Here's another:

“There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.” [Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918]

Pause for Beauty

What impresses us, nowadays?
Mass reproduction and accessibility has altered the way we perceive the extraordinary. If we can download that gut wrenching solo instantly, if we can buy that t shirt with the Botticelli angels on it, how do we approach the real thing - played live, seen two feet away? Is the nature of our appreciation altered by context? Are we too rushed to care?

The Washington Post ran an experiment.

They got violin virtuoso Joshua Bell to stand in a Washington terminal, busker-style. He played a series of technically difficult, incredibly moving works on one of the finest instruments in the world.
Typically he commands $100 for an adequate seat in the finest venues on the planet.
This day, he played for free to whoever cared to pause their day, and just listen.

The results provide a fascinating glimpse into what happens when we hurry through the day, disregarding the rare, the fantastic and the surprising.

Read it here.