Kickstart: Chemistry lessons from a cone of shame

Every dog owner at some time has probably had to deal with the "cone of shame" — the plastic collar placed on dogs to keep them from licking a spot that needs protection due to a medical issue.

And they probably have stories to tell of how much their dog hated it. But has the cone ever led to a green stain on their fur?

Geochemist Stephanie Olson unwinds a thread on Twitter about her St. Bernard, Olive, the green stain that showed up overnight when Olive had to wear a plastic cone and what it tells us about the conditions of ancient earth.

The full story involves dog drool and the cone that isolated the drool from typical air flow.

As Olson writes, she understands the science behind the stain, but she's still trying to figure out how to clean it.

Reporters have a habit, whenever they're in a new town, of dropping in at a diner to take the pulse of a community about whatever big topic it is they're covering. (Yes, this is why you see so many stories about "what the the regulars at Dinah's Diner have to say" every election year.)

I'm not a big proponent of that in general. To begin with, many of the actual "regular folks" you'd like to talk to are actually at work or their kids' school or taking their parents to a doctor's appointment on a random Wednesday or whenever the reporter "drops in" to chat. But there is a kernel of truth to the idea of the importance of talking to people outside the political or business bubble.

That's why I thought it was interesting to read Automotive News writer Richard Truett's column on spending eight hours at public electric vehicle plug-in stations to get feedback from drivers who aren't employed by the auto industry about how well charging systems work ... or don't work. These are the people we don't normally hear from.

Rather than getting comments from pundits or engineers or industry analysts, how about hearing from a DoorDash driver who doesn't have a home charging system, but instead relies on public spots? Or a retired couple navigating both the charger and the apps that connect with it for their car?

Richard also introduced me to the term "ICEd out," referring to drivers of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars who park in front of the chargers, blocking access for EV drivers.

Trinseo is becoming a bigger player in acrylic sheet.

In December, the Berwyn, Pa.-based materials supplier purchased the acrylic business of Arkema SA of Colombes, France, for almost $1.4 billion. That deal included the Plexiglas brand in the Americas.

And now Trinseo bought acrylic sheet maker Aristech Surfaces LLC for $445 million. The Florence, Ky., company is a maker of acrylic continuous cast and solid surface sheets, serving the wellness, architectural, transportation and industrial markets, with 450 employees at two sites.

The move provides Trinseo with a wider business base, able to offer a full line of acrylic products and "is an important next step towards our goal of becoming a global specialty materials and sustainable solutions provider," executives said.

Check out Frank Esposito's story for more.