I was surprised and honored this week to be one of the recipients of Debbie Dolphin’s Beacon Blogosphere Awards over at the New England Lighthouse Blog. Then, for icing on the cake, that post was picked up by Reuters! Surprise, surprise. One of the awards is already in my sidebar; I’ll install the rest when I figure out how to do it. Thanks, Debbie!

I was also surprised this week by all the attention my Playhouse post received. It was linked at Neatorama, The J-Walk Blog, and YesButNoButYes, although I posted that last one myself. I guess I never told y’all how handy I was with a set of tools, although you should know I’m into hillbilly recycling.



Greenpeace Ad (via Arbroath)

Neatorama is in the process of determining the Top 5 Viral Videos of 2007. You can vote for up to five at the onsite poll, which has links to the 18 videos we thought were most popular. Just about all are family-friendly.

YouTube launched a Russian language edition just this month, and Peter Nalitch has become its first star. Funny, and the music is catchy.

It’s just a run-of-the-mill local story about a case that was dropped when the victim admitted she lied. BUT the defendant has the most unfortunate name in the history of the English-speaking world.

Quick and Dirty IQ Test (via Bits and Pieces)

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

I’ve tested higher elsewhere. Someone said they tested all the answers, and it always scores you low on logic. Maybe that’s because it’s not logical to take an internet IQ test!

There’s a new movie coming out about a woman with... I can’t even type it without giggling.

Ted and Anna get engaged, on the Scrubs set. This is the kind of post that will make you go all verklempt.

Top Ten Terrible Tech Products.

Real-life Superheroes: 10 People with Incredible Abilities. The kind of abilities you once found in carnival sideshows.

Is this a great name for a lawyer, or what?

After creating a comic on the concept, Randall Munroe of xkcd put a ball pit in his home. How cool is that? (via Grow-A-Brain)

Satelloons.

THAT FAMILY

(Thanks, Whitesnake!)
We have a huge council house in our street. The extended family is run by a grumpy old woman with a pack of fierce dogs. Her car isn't  taxed or insured, and doesn't even have a number plate, but the police still  do nothing.

Her bad tempered old man is famous for upsetting foreigners with racist comments. A shopkeeper blames him for ordering  the murder of his son and his son's girlfriend, but nothing has been proved yet.

All their kids  have broken marriages except the youngest, who everyone thought was  gay.

Two grandsons are always seen out in nightclubs. The family's odd antics are always in the papers. They are out of control...

Honestly - who'd live near Windsor  Castle?

Dr. Pepper hired Tay ''Chocolate Rain'' Zonday to make a music video for the new Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper.

Nine Famous Jewels from the Movies.

The science behind burping.

Why guys don’t want to be friends with a girl who breaks up with them. The McDonald’s Analogy makes a lot of sense.

Top Ten Useless Talents. Useless, maybe, but they still impress people, or at least make us laugh.

9 Telltale Signs You're Probably an Asshole.

A ballet pas de deux by amputees that will touch your heart.

A gallery of radioactive products. Most have links to more information, and you can vote for your favorites.

Do you occasionally feel guilty about downloading music without paying for it? Darren Barefoot has the solution with a website called Dear Rockers. Write a letter to a musician, and mail it off with $5. The site has a database where you can find many addresses. Also, send a photo or scan of your letter to the website, and they’ll post it. You can clear your conscience, showcase your creativity, and thank a musician all at once!

Chat Noir. Keep the cat from escaping the field. There are a few tricks you need to figure out to win.

COINCIDENCE

(Thanks, Rich!)
A chicken farmer went to a local bar, sat next to a woman and ordered a glass of champagne. The woman perks up and says, 'How about that? I just ordered a glass of champagne too!'

'What a coincidence,'the farmer says, 'This is a special day for me, I'm celebrating.'

'This is a special day for me too, I'm also celebrating!' says the woman.

'What a coincidence' says the man.

As they clinked glasses the farmer asked, 'What are you celebrating?'

'My husband and I have been trying for years to have a child, and today my gynecologist told me that I'm pregnant!'

'What a coincidence,' says the man, 'I'm a chicken farmer and for years all my hens have been infertile, but today they're finally laying eggs.'

'That's great!' says the woman, 'How did your chickens become fertile?'

'I used a different cock,' he replied.

The woman smiled and said, 'What a coincidence.'

Koopa

Koopa the turtle learned how to stand on his back legs! Koopa is also an artist, whose paintings now hang in all 50 states. You can see Koopa’s creations, and even buy a turtle painting at Turtle Kiss.

Thought for today: In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out. -Joey Adams

humor jokes video funny games

Longtime readers here know my younger daughter loves elephants. She has a herd of them. Toys, art, and accessories, NOT real elephants. But she isn’t the only elephant lover around. There’s something about this strange animal that appeals to all of us. The elephant is the largest land mammal. It doesn’t pose much danger to people, as it is vegetarian. They are intelligent, and can be trained to do amazing things. They do everything with their noses, which is altogether fascinating. But kids’ fascination usually revolves around their size, and kids’ jokes are about the nonsensical juxtaposition of a huge being in a small person’s world. That’s cute. Many of us never outgrow that.



Elephants Playing Darts (via Arbroath)

Tuffi, the elephant who took a dive out of a train.

Video: A Gathering of Elephants.

How do you hide an elephant? (via Everlasting Blort)

Swimming Elephants.

Mythbusters takes on the old story about elephants being afraid of mice, with surprising results.

Those long noses come in handy. Elephants can smell danger! (via Rob’s Place)

Oops. Paris Hilton has nothing to do with drunk elephants.

Why elephant jokes are funny to kids (and not adults). (via Metafilter)

Elephant Shorts

(via Funny Pets)
What did the grape say when the elephant stood on it?
Nothing, it just let out a little wine.

What do you call an elephant wearing pink earmuffs and a dress?
Anything you want, it can't hear you.

What do you do with a green elephant?
Leave it on the tree until it's ripe.

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a fish?
Swimming trunks.

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a skin doctor?
A pachydermatologist.

What do you get when you cross an elephant with a kangaroo?
Great holes all over Australia.

What goes thump, thump, squish thump, thump, squish?
An elephant with one wet shoe.

What happens when you run around in an elephant's stomach?
You get pooped out.

What time is it when ten elephants are chasing you?
Ten after one!

What vegetable do you get when an elephant walks through your garden?
Squash.

Why do elephants trumpet?
They don't know how to play the violin.

Why do elephants wear sandals?
So that they don't sink in the sand.

Why do ostriches stick their head in the ground?
To look for the elephants who forgot to wear their sandals.

Every nation has to write a book about the Elephant

The French book The Sex Life of the Elephant

The English book  Elephants I have Shot on Safari

The Welsh book The Elephant and its Influence on Welsh Language and Culture

The American book How to Make Bigger and Better Elephants

The Japanese book How to Make Smaller and Cheaper Elephants

The Finnish book What Do Elephants Think about Finnish People

The German book A Short Introduction to Elephants, Vol 1-6

The Icelandic book Defrosting an Elephant

The Canadian book Elephants: A Federal or State Issue?

The Swedish book How to Reduce your Taxes with an Elephant

The Swiss book The Country Through Which Hannibal Went With His Elephants

The Israeli book The Elephant and the Jewish Problem

The Danish book Elephants - 100 easy ways of cooking them

Previously at Miss Cellania: Elephants, Elephant Tales, and Elephant Appreciation Day.

Thought for today: My roommate got a pet elephant. Then it got lost. It's in the apartment somewhere. -Steven Wright

humor jokes video funny games elephants pachyderm animals

Airline travel is a hassle. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. Homeland Security looks at everyone as if they are a potential killer. They take pleasure in divesting you of your snacks, luggage, and dignity. Delays are inevitable. There’s a risk you’ll never make it to your flight or get bumped at the last minute. The seats are tiny, the food is lousy (or used to be, when there was any), and there’s always the chance of real trouble. So why do we keep doing it? Because usually the alternative is not going. Although it may take a whole day to fly from one side of the US to the other, it’s still faster than driving for days. Personally, I’d prefer the driving, but I can’t afford the few days or the gas!



Pre-Flight Safety Announcement (via Arbroath)

Furniture made from aviation salvage.

Dark Roasted Blend has a collection of “oops” moments at airports. All are presumed to be quite expensive.

Top Ten Secrets of Air Travel Insiders.

How to sleep on a plane.

What to do if your flight is cancelled.

Top 10 ugliest commercial airplanes ever. (via Dark Roasted Blend)

What do you do when your Boeing 767 runs out of fuel in midair? This is not a hypothetical question; it happened in 1983.

THE GATE

(via Phil’s Phun)
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets.

As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket, and he opened his trench coat and flashed her.

Without missing a beat she said,

"Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub."

BABY PLANES

(via Hoss posting at It’s a Raggedy Life)
A mother and her young son were flying Southwest Airlines from K-City to Chicago. The little boy, who had been looking out the window, turned to his mother and said, "If big dogs have baby dogs, and big cats have baby cats, why don't big airplanes have baby airplanes?"

The mother couldn't think of an answer. So she told her child to ask the flight attendant. So the boy went down the aisle and posed his question.

The attendant smiled and said, "Did your Mom tell you to ask me?"

"Yes, she did," replied the boy.

"Well, then," said the attendant, "you go and tell your mother that there are no baby airplanes because Southwest always pulls out on time.

"Have your Mom explain that to you."

CESSNA

NEWS FLASH! - Tennessee's worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seater Cessna 150 plane, piloted by two University of Kentucky students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today. Search and Rescue workers have  recovered 300 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening.

The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery efforts.

The Airline from Hell (via Dark Roasted Blend)

Thought for today: If God had meant man to fly, He'd have given him lots more money.

humor jokes video funny airline pilot airplane jet flying aviation

Math has been a real struggle for my kids. They don’t just naturally see the patterns in mathematics the way I did at their age. And the dichotomy between school and home isn’t helping. Princess wants help, but she doesn’t want to learn any “shortcuts”. She thinks shortcuts are cheating. I think of shortcuts as a different way of looking at the same calculation. If I could get her to see math from a different direction, I might help her see the patterns I see. But she’s terrified of doing her schoolwork any other way than the teacher’s way... and this year her math teacher is an elderly nun who is a bit, um, set in her ways. So I try to find situations outside of schoolwork to push her in math. I’ve put her in charge of figuring the tip every time we eat at a full-service restaurant. She is to figure 15% and 20% and decide on a round number between them depending on the service. I also consult her when I double recipes or divide portions. So far, it’s helping a bit. Any other tips on teaching will be appreciated.



Abbot and Costello try Math

A mathematician has a formula for finding the best partner. (via Fark)

Some easy math shortcuts everyone should know.

Your odds of winning the Powerball, illustrated with M&Ms. It’s no wonder they call the lottery “a tax on those who are bad at math.”

For some reason, math calculations are never a part of American game shows. This British clip shows how entertaining they can be.

Slide rules are really handy! (via Scribal Terror)

Gesturing Helps Grade School Children Solve Math Problems. I’ve heard it also helps adults release tension while driving.

Radical Math is a resource for educators interested in integrating issues of social and economin injustice into their math classes and curriculum. (via Metafilter)

Impress your friends with mental math tricks. 

Mudd Math Fun Facts, a site of math puzzles and games.

THE HORSE

(via Phil’s Phun)
A farmer had a horse that could understand nearly anything.

The story of the horse spread, and soon scientists showed up to study it.

Sure enough, the horse learned everything that was presented to it, with one exception: geometry.

The scientists were puzzled, but the old farmer knew the problem.

They were putting Descartes before the horse!

WAITRESS

Two mathematicians walk into in a bar.

The first one says to the second that the average person knows very little about basic mathematics.

The second one disagrees, and claims that most people can cope with a reasonable amount of math.

The first mathematician goes off to the washroom, and in his absence the second calls over the waitress.

He tells her that in a few minutes, after his friend has returned, he will call her over and ask her a question. All she has to do is answer "one third x cubed."

She repeats: "one thir -- dex cue?"

He repeats "one third x cubed."

"One thir dex cuebd?"

"Yes, that's right", he says.

So she agrees, and goes off mumbling to herself, "one thir dex cuebd... one thir dex cuebd... one thir dex cuebd..."

The first guy returns and the second proposes a bet to prove his point, that most people do know something about basic math. He says he will ask the blonde waitress an integral, and the first laughingly agrees.

The second man calls over the waitress and asks "What is the integral of x squared?"

The waitress says "one third x cubed" and while walking away, turns back and adds with a wink "...plus a constant."

Thought for today: Theorem: Consider the set of all sets that have never been considered. Hey! They're all gone!! Oh well, never mind ...

humor jokes video funny games math mathematics numbers arithmetic ciphering