No s***, Sherlock

Today I learned that I'm sensitive to yet another laundry detergent. Detergents lull you into this false sense of security, of cleanliness, and then, when you finally decide they're harmless, you put a little in with your sheets. Then BANG, what with the cork and pollution excitement, suddenly at 12:30 am, your heart is hammering in your chest, and you decide to go sleep outside, where, surprisingly, nothing changes. It's all the same on the kitchen table, too, so you give up on sleeping. Then, about 3 am, while reading about things like laptop battery fires and an exceptionally pathetic use of carbon dating, you realize: you feel better, so it's not the air. It's your freakin' bedding. Again.

Since I only got about three hours of sleep last night, we all need a quote of the day, so here's one from the battery article:

What if a laptop ignites in an overhead compartment? Or under the seat in front of you?

Or worse, in the baggage compartment of the plane?

United Airlines, apparently not eager to discuss this issue in detail, responded to my inquiry with this e-mail: "When it is safe to use electronic equipment in-flight, for example not during take-off and landing, our customers can use their laptops."