Mangesh Hattikudur
Watercooler Ammo Reject Pile!
by Mangesh Hattikudur - March 12, 2010 - 2:26 PM

watercooler_signup_header

This week Jason and I started a new, Monday-Thursday newsletter called Watercooler Ammo. The idea is to send readers one super fun bit of trivia, a photo that makes us laugh, or a nerdy, whimsical link, that you can pass on to friends. This week’s series included all sorts of fun topics: How an embarrassing Hello Kitty patch helped keep Thai cops in line, the time the Army Corps of Engineers stopped the Niagara falls from flowing, why cell phones might help cure Alzheimer’s, and much more. And basically, this whole experiment was just a fun way for Jason and me to send you more nerdy stuff.

For you non-subscribers, here’s a sneak peek at the sort of stuff that was almost good enough for the letter, pulled from the first week’s reject pile:

Dinosaur Ballet

This video, by animator Ross Butter, makes me laugh every time I watch it. If you’re thirsting for culture, there’s really nothing quite as satisfying as Dinosaur Ballet. (Link via the always incredible Neatorama)

Downsizing the Solar System?

While you can’t exactly pick up the Solar System and put it in your pocket, new research from Nathan Kaib at the University of Washington at Seattle points to the idea that the Solar System is much more compact than previously thought. The link comes from New Scientist magazine, and it’s pretty fascinating to think that Kaib’s models could help solve some of the mysteries about comets and the Solar System’s outer Oort Cloud that have been plaguing astronomers for years.

The Explanatory Sling

As someone who hates (hates!) talking about himself, and repeating the same story over and over, these arm slings seem like a great way to avoid at least the first part of a “How did that happen” conversation. The designs come from
Brazilian designer Andre Montejorge (if you want to look at the rest of his wonderful site, the Google translate function really helps!).
Screen shot 2010-01-21 at 1.13.26 PM

Dinner Table Trick, 2.0

The Presurfer posted this BMW motorcycle ad, which does a wonderfully cheeky revision on that old magic trick. While I’m not a huge fan of promoting ads, this one made me smile, and you’ll see why it almost made Watercooler Ammo.

If you want to see stories better than these in your inbox (these are from the reject pile after all), be sure to sign up for Watercooler Ammo here.

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Click here to get a Risk-Free issue of mental_floss magazine
Comments (11)

  1. I’m a subscriber (because ALL the cool kids are), but all I get is the heading and subject line with no link. Is anyone else having the same problem?

    posted by Helenann on 3-12-2010 at 2:48 pm

  2. I did not have any problems…the link was always there and worked. I did miss it this morning, since it’s only a Mon-Thurs feature, but the Reject pile almost made up for it.

    posted by Anna on 3-12-2010 at 2:59 pm

  3. Oh no! I’m sorry about that Helenann… why don’t you forward the messages you’re getting to watercoolerammo (at) mentalfloss (dot) com, and we’ll take a look for you. Some people haven’t been getting the message because they have mental_floss blocked on their e-mail filters, but I think most of our subscribers have been able to read it.

    posted by Mangesh Hattikudur on 3-12-2010 at 3:01 pm

  4. I get it and I love it! BTW, the dancing dinosaurs was hilarious. Just the pick me up I needed this close to getting off work.

    posted by tinkerschnitzel on 3-12-2010 at 3:17 pm

  5. Someone blocked Mental_Floss on their filters?!? Shame on them!

    posted by Witty Nickname on 3-12-2010 at 3:18 pm

  6. I didnt’t get my watercooler ammo for today… :(

    Ive been getting it all week…

    posted by Chrystani on 3-12-2010 at 4:38 pm

  7. Technically, that’s the second oldest trick. The oldest one is drinking while peeing.

    posted by Dave on 3-12-2010 at 5:19 pm

  8. @Chrystani: the watercooler ammo is only out monday-thursday, which would explain why you didn’t get one today.

    Dinosaur Ballet was awesome! I just showed it to my little brother & he laughed for like 5 minutes! priceless :D

    posted by sammylee on 3-12-2010 at 5:47 pm

  9. Great post! You should post the reject pile every week . . .

    For a name, might I suggest “The Drip Tray”?

    posted by Firebrand36 on 3-12-2010 at 7:27 pm

  10. Well, I feel like an idiot! My computer’s filter at work blocked the links. It works fine at home.
    *blush*
    Can I still come to the site? :)

    posted by helenann on 3-12-2010 at 11:42 pm

  11. I subscribed, but didn’t receive anything this week.

    posted by KerriD on 3-13-2010 at 9:38 am

Comment

commenting policy