The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies

"The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies... where tools of the trade that have died or have just about died a slow slow death are cheerfully exhibited."

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Give a laptop. Get a laptop. Change the world.

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Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

"This site is dedicated to spreading the word about the Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie and how it can help the average human. Here you will find a description of AFDBs, how to make and use them, and general information about related subjects.

What Is An AFDB?

An Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie (AFDB) is a type of headwear that can shield your brain from most electromagnetic psychotronic mind control carriers. AFDBs are inexpensive (even free if you don't mind scrounging for thrown-out aluminium foil) and can be constructed by anyone with at least the dexterity of a chimp (maybe bonobo). This cheap and unobtrusive form of mind control protection offers real security to the masses. Not only do they protect against incoming signals, but they also block most forms of brain scanning and mind reading, keeping the secrets in your head truly secret. AFDBs are safe and operate automatically. All you do is make it and wear it and you're good to go! Plus, AFDBs are stylish and comfortable."

What are you waiting for? Make one today!

Bad Haiku

"There are many rules to take into consideration when writing formal haiku, but the advantage of bad haiku is that you don't really have to follow any of them. On this site, most people do 17 syllable haiku structured in a 5 / 7 / 5 form.

So, basically, if (so ba si cally if)
you can speak in syllables (u can speak in syl la bles)
you can write haiku. (u can write hai ku)

The Bad Haiku site has been on the internet and accepting poetry since 1996.


View the bad haiku site!

Get Cash for your Gadgets

"Gazelle wants to change the world – one cell phone, one laptop, one iPod at a time.

It is our purpose – and our promise – to provide a practical, rewarding way for people to finally rid themselves of all those old cell phones, digital cameras, and gaming systems that they no longer use, but can’t seem to find a way to let go of.

Too often when people think of recycling, they rush straight to smashing things into bits for parts. We believe that reuse should always come first. If your GPS unit still works, why not keep it in circulation AND get paid for it? If reusing isn’t in the cards, then let us recycle that vintage camcorder. We think of it as ReCommerce."

View the Gazelle website

The Pop Vs Soda Map

"The map details the areas where certain usages predominate.

• coke: this generic term for soft drinks predominates throughout the South, New Mexico, central Indiana and in a few other single counties in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. ‘Coke’ obviously derives from Coca-Cola, the brand-name of the soft drink originally manufactured in Atlanta (which explains its use as a generic term for all soft drinks in the South).

• pop: dominates the Northwest, Great Plains and Midwest. The world ‘pop’ was introduced by Robert Southey, the British Poet Laureate (1774-1843), to whom we also owe the word ‘autobiography’, among others. In 1812, he wrote: A new manufactory of a nectar, between soda-water and ginger-beer, and called pop, because ‘pop goes the cork’ when it is drawn. Even though it was introduced by a Poet Laureate, the term ‘pop’ is considered unsophisticated by some, because it is onomatopaeic.

• soda: prevalent in the Northeast, greater Miami, the area in Missouri and Illinois surrounding St Louis and parts of northern California. ‘Soda’ derives from ‘soda-water’ (also called club soda, carbonated or sparkling water or seltzer). It’s produced by dissolving carbon dioxide gas in plain water, a procedure developed by Joseph Priestly in the latter half of the 18th century. The fizziness of soda-water caused the term ‘soda’ to be associated with later, similarly carbonated soft drinks.

•Other, lesser-used terms include ‘dope’ in the Carolinas and ‘tonic’ in and around Boston, both fading in popularity. Other generic terms for soft drinks outside the US include ‘pop’ (Canada), ‘mineral’ (Ireland), ‘soft drink’ (New Zealand and Australia). The term ‘soft drink’, finally, arose to contrast said beverages with hard (i.e. alcoholic) drinks."

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Five Hoaxes that Fooled the World

"Long before Bonsai Kittens and the tourist guy, hoaxsters have been wreaking havoc on the gullible to amuse themselves and maybe gain a little notoriety. Here are a few hoaxes that pre-date the Internet, in some cases by centuries."

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Play with a Spider

An experimental project to make a natural spider in Flash, combining math and graphics. If spiders give you the creeps, don't click on the link. But it really is a very well done flash site. It loads an interactive spider and lets you control various characteristics of it, drag it around by the leg, and give it bugs to eat!

Go and play with a spider!

The Condiment Packet Gallery

Chris Harne began collecting condiment packets in November of 2003. Initially the purpose of the collection was a more practical one. He came to the conclusion that ketchup was no longer a reasonable thing to spend money on. A handful of packets here and there would do just fine. He began to pick up other condiments as well. He stopped at a variety of locations in order to gather new types of condiments. It was around this time that he discovered how many different condiment packets existed. A collector by nature, the only logical thing for him to do was attempt to get every different packet design he possibly could. The Condiment Packet Gallery is the result, an archive of flexible portion control condiment packets. Who knew there where so many and so colorful to look at!

View the Condiment Packet Gallery

TypeRacer

Just enter a name (or not), wait for the countdown, start typing the on-screen text, and see if your skills take you to the finish line first. Text selections are often from famous movies or books. See your average typing speed and overall skill level.

Play TypeRacer