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Best. Time-waster. Ever.

Speaking of Einstein, if you have any interest in putting words in his mouth, check out this new Internet plaything -- you can take the famous photo of him at the chalkboard and quite literally rewrite history, changing his scribblings from R(subscript)IK = O2 to whatever fanciful text you desire. I know what my Christmas cards will look like this... READ ON

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So a Polish guy walks into an IQ testing center...

This ought to interest the six people in the world who still find "dumb Polack" jokes funny "“ it turns out Poles are smarter than all the other Europeans, save the Germans and the Dutch. A British professor recently surveyed all the nations on the Continent and found that those three nations had the highest average IQs (107 for Germany and the Netherlands, 106 for Poland), while the poor Serbians clocked in last at 89.   I'm not sure the nutty professor's work is... READ ON

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Jobs for Everyone

As Disney and Pixar continue to work out the details of their Monster deal, expected to be completed by the summer, I can't help but wonder if the acquisition is the direct result of Michael Eisner losing control of his company. Eisner, if you recall, is at once credited with saving Disney in the 80s and destroying the company in the 90s. He and Steve Jobs, CEO of Pixar, got along about as well as Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. So, when, in 2004, Pixar and Disney couldn't come to terms, Jobs announced... READ ON

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Stem cells: a meaty issue

I have no doubt that NASCAR-flavored bacon will be a big hit with red-state folks, but what about those of us in the blue states who love a good cheeseburger "“ and also were moved by the "little tortured baby cow" episode of South Park? What are ethically-minded carnivores supposed to eat? If scientists have their way, we'll soon be chowing down on test-tube hamburgers. Researchers have already been able to grow mouse and frog meat from stem cells in Petri dishes "“ the... READ ON
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A wonderfully long list of long things

After seeing the story this week on the new Guinness record for largest/longest buffett (510 different dishes on 500 feet of table), I stumbled into TheLongestListofTheLongestStuff AtTheLongestDomainNameAtLongLast.com. Because sometimes it's good to return to your elementary school obsession with Guinness records. Check out the world's longest nose (I really think I had a friend in college who the record keepers just haven't seen), the longest beard (at 17.5 feet and now on display at the Smithsonian - for... READ ON

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Wake up and Smell the Nascar!

Not sure if you guys read about this, but BoingBoing was reporting today that NASCAR has launched a new line of meat products (their slogan is "Taste the Excitement.") It's true! From hot dogs, to bacon, to sausage to lunch meat, NASCAR's definitely all over the grocery aisle, and it kind of reminds me of the time the WWF got into the cologne business. Of course, BoingBoing made a crack that the goods probably taste like burned rubber and car crashes. We're not one to upset... READ ON

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Snooze Radio

Sometimes I forget what a crafty genius I am in the morning. Last night I made the mistake of trying to outwit my morning self by setting my alarm for the ungodly hour of 6, and placing it on my desk on the other side of the room. That way, I figured if I hit the snooze button multiple times, which I'm ashamed that I'm prone to do, I'd at least get a workout doing laps until I woke up (I'm also ashamed that that's what my workouts consist of). I did NOT, however end up doing... READ ON

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Hooters Airlines: A Failure Not Without Precedent

Sad news for anyone who enjoys air travel or has ever thought a stripper was hitting on him: after three short years flying the friendly skies, Hooters Airlines is discontinuing public service. (Sports teams and "tour groups" can still book flights, however.) Anyway, I played through my pain and decided to do some research on defunct discount carriers. I found the amazing story of the rise and fall of Sir Freddie Laker, which I present to you now. In 1977, Freddie, who taught himself how to fly a... READ ON

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Cartesian Freakonomics

Today is the 410th birthday of noted French philosopher and mathematician Rene "I think therefore I am" Descartes. Known as the father of both mathematics and philosophy (he also fathered a daughter, Francine, out of wedlock), Descartes' work and life are plenty fascinating. But we bring up his birthday only because it is our best opportunity in weeks to share our favorite fact in the entire history of facts, which we learned from Britannica via floss contributor A. J. Jacobs: Rene Descartes had a... READ ON

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Doggy Day Camp

This AP story, which is presumably headlined "Pet Boarding Industry Finds Pampering Pays" because the title "People Willing to Pay $78 a Night So Their Dogs Can Have Storytime Are Idiots" would have been too long, got me to thinking about history's most pampered pets, and frankly the Doggy Camp industry has a long way to go before they can match my Top 3: 1. Caligula's horse Incitatus. Roman historians claimed that Incitatus had "a stall of marble, a manger of ivory, ... and a collar of precious... READ ON

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