Y. Karp? Why Not!

I had an email exchange with a co-worker today about Aussie Rules football. I have worked with him for over 5 years and so it wasn't a surprise when he replied to one of my jargon-filled emails "I even understood some of that". He then asked me if I would like to learn about baseball. I replied with a list of all I know about the great American game: Create a World Series competition and only invite North America. Wear tight-fitting, striped, knee-length pants. Eat peanuts and crackerjacks. Sing the American anthem. Cover yourself with padding, wear a vision-obscuring helmet, and signal rudely to the pitcher. Shout "Strike One!", "Ball!" and "Safe!" at random moments during the game. In a gravelly voice, saliva spitting from your mouth, yell the words "you're" and "out" so that it sounds like "YEROUT!" while pointing to any player. Wear one oversized glove. Chew gum, spit generously and swear at the umpires. ...

A placebo button is a button that, when pushed, does nothing other than make the button pusher feel like he has effected change. A famous example is the "close door" button in an elevator. Does pushing it actually close the doors, or do the doors close according to their programmed cycle, anyway? Certainly, pushing the button makes you feel like you have done something, but whether you actually have or not can only be determined by experimentation. The Museum of Hoaxes blog busts the myth that all cross-walk buttons are placebos. Some are, some aren't, some never were but are now. This whole thing got me thinking: What other things do we do that are really just placebos, dummy deeds we do to make ourselves feel in control? Just how much of our lives is rigged? Are we all being manipulated? Is there some great super-governmental force out there giving us the illusion that our opinions count? Here's a few things that might really be placebos: Half the operations we do ...

I've been spending my time collecting witty phrases to share with you. Some are from the Internet, others I made up. Enjoy: This device is cuter than a box of puppies The back seat is harder to get into than MIT Cheaper than pirated software If your tumor were any more minor it would need a hardhat with a light on it The engine guzzles more than a college student at spring break It's uglier than an Elton John outfit It's sexier than a 1973 Porche He's more washed out than a room full of Maytags He's as washed up as an oil-covered duck As useless as a chocolate kettle He's brighter than Hiroshima He's as dim as a 40 watt bulb The grinding noise it makes is louder than an American tourist More persistent than a tabloid journalist This perfume smells worse than a political cover-up This supermarket has more isles than the Hawaiian Archipelago More distracting than a teenager with a cell phone This thing has more wires than a coathanger factory A heater that bea...

Wired's Autopia Magazine quotes a study by insurance.com that lists the top 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving (I like no.9 the best!): 1. Coffee. It's hot. It can spill. That's bad. That said, we're guilty of this. So are you. Admit it. 2. Hot soup. It's hot. It can spill. That's bad. 3. Tacos. Very messy. 4. Chili. It's hot. It can spill. That's bad. And it's very messy. 5. Hamburgers. Greasy hands and a steering wheel do not mix. 6. Barbecued food. Um, that should go without saying. 7. Fried chicken. You think burgers are greasy? 8. Jelly or cream-filled donuts. Ever bitten into one and not had it squirt all over the place? 9. Soft drinks. Big threat of spillage, says Insurance.com, and unacceptable risk of "fizz up your nose." Huh? 10. Chocolate. It melts on your fingers, which makes a mess on the steering wheel. A while ago I presented a list of foods most likely to make you flatulate. Keep the roads safe. Don't combin...

I just want to know when I am entitled to have a mid-life crisis. Is it possible to actually calculate how long I am going to live and then time my crises to occur exactly at middle age? According to Wikipedia : Middle age is the period of life beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings. So I looked up the average life-expectancy of males and found that in Israel, that age is 76.46, at least according to the CIA World Factbook Estimates, 2008, as quoted in Wikipedia . So that schedules my mid-life crisis at between 38-57 years old. I don't know if I can wait that long. I'm quite stressed out now and only 35. Actually, it's worse than that. Since I am from Australia, where the average life expectancy of males is supposed to be 77.8 years, I shouldn't have my mid-life crisis until I'm between 39-58 years old. So this begs the ques...

A non-exhaustive list of flatulence-causing foods. Add more in the comments! Looks like nothing is safe! Source: The Internet Apricots Artichokes Asparagus Baked beans Bananas Bagels Bean salads Beer Beets Black-eyed peas Bog beans Bread Broad beans Broccoli Brussel sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Cereals Cheese Chickpeas Chili Corn Cucumbers Dressings Eggplant Field beans Fruits Garlic Ice cream You fall within the normal scale if you produce between 1 to 4 pints of gas per day. Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Onions Parsley Peppers, sweet Seeds Lentils Lima beans Mung beans Peanut butter Peanuts Peas Pinto beans Most individuals release a little burst of air through the rear quarters approximately 14 to 23 times each and every day. Potatoes Pretzels Prunes Raisins Red kidney beans Sauerkraut Sodas Soybeans Barley Breakfast cereals Granola Oat bran Oat flour Pasta Pistachios Rice Rice bran Rye Sesame flour Cows actually burp and toot so frequently that they are responsible for about...

Everyone tries to be smart. Everyone wants to be clever. Everyone wants to get ahead. So you read newspapers, magazine articles and blogs to get to know what the pundits are saying about the latest economic data. You study the consumer reviews to make sure that you buy only the best value; and you work hard to obtain the right information to make the most informed decisions possible. You just want to get that edge over the rest of the crowd. So the name of the game is to keep all good ideas to yourself. Here's an example: Last time I went to vote I had to wait in line for a really long time. A friend of mine hobbled up next to me on his crutches. I was number 688 and he was number 734. Since they were only up to number 465, we both had a long wait ahead of us. Not so. Once they saw his crutches, Dave was given VIP Gold-Club, Presidential treatment. He was in and out of the voting booth in about five minutes. Next time they hold elections, I’m going in with a pair of crutches. Look ...