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Idea request: About that origins book...
What do you want to be in it?
If you've ever wondered who invented putt-putt or how a creature as gawky as a giraffe came to be, you're in luck -- we're working on an entire book devoted to the bizarre beginnings of stuff you might take for granted today. Right now we're making a list of topics, from "asteroids" to "zippers," we might like to include. So far we've got:
* condoms (the guy who came up with them got the idea from sausage casings)
* spam (the somewhat-edible kind and the e-mail kind)
* BB guns (why make guns that don't do the one thing guns are really good at?)
And lots of other stuff that doesn't involve sex, bas cuisine or firearms -- but we want your input. If you know a great story about the origin of your favorite invention or odd natural phenomenon, let us know by using the "suggest a topic/link " button at the top of the page.