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December 31, 2005

Reflections and Resolutions

The New Year, they say, is about reflections, resolutions and high hopes for the future. We take time to reflect on the year just ended and look hopefully ahead toward the fresh new year just beginning. Too often, admittedly, our reflections are about last year’s uncompleted list of resolutions and, yes, I’m just as guilty as any of you.

But 2005 was a pretty good year for me – hopefully 2006 will continue that trend. And being the optimist you know me to be, I have high hopes for the coming year on a wider scale as well. You could say that I see the glass as being half full rather than half empty.

I hope the residents of El Dorado Hills reconsider the advantages of cityhood and can focus on the issues involved without the tainted special interest ads that unfortunately confused voters this year.

For California, I hope the state and its citizens find ways to work together for the good of the people and that the politics of negativity get buried beneath the overwhelming swell of goodwill that success produces.

Yes, I’m an optimist. I see the year ahead as one filled, not with problems, but with challenges and opportunities.

For the country, I hope 2006 brings us closer to a positive conclusion to the war in Iraq. There are good things happening in the Middle East – we need to acknowledge them. And I hope the President is able to maintain our national security without sacrificing too many of our civil liberties, although I’m certainly prepared to sacrifice a few so-called “liberties” for the sake of security. It’s not that hard to reconcile if you remove the politics.

For New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast, I hope they find ways to rebuild and start anew. And I hope our tax dollars are used wisely for reconstruction and not squandered for political advantage. I hope we’ve learned that the ideology of grouping poor people together in a ghetto-like existence of low-income housing has never worked. Anywhere.

And finally, for myself, I look forward with enthusiasm and anticipation to the coming year. I have the love of an amazing woman whom I cherish, children I am proud of, beautiful grandchildren I adore, and wonderful friends I respect and appreciate. I look forward to retirement, more time with my family and friends, continued good health, and the opportunity and motivation to continue checking things off our "list.”

Thank you everyone for a pretty darn good 2005. I wish you all a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.

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December 30, 2005

Best Idea of 2005

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

LONDON (Reuters) - If you have an envious streak, you probably shouldn't read this.

Because chances are, Alex Tew, a 21-year-old student from a small town in England, is cleverer than you. And he is proving it by earning a cool million dollars in four months on the Internet.

Selling porn? Dealing prescription drugs? Nope. All he sells are pixels, the tiny dots on the screen that appear when you call up his home page.

He had the brainstorm for his million dollar home page, called, logically enough, www.milliondollarhomepage.com, while lying in bed thinking out how he would pay for university.

The idea: turn his home page into a billboard made up of a million dots, and sell them for a dollar a dot to anyone who wants to put up their logo. A 10 by 10 dot square, roughly the size of a letter of type, costs $100.

He sold a few to his brothers and some friends, and when he had made $1,000, he issued a press release.

That was picked up by the news media, spread around the Internet, and soon advertisers for everything from dating sites to casinos to real estate agents to The Times of London were putting up real cash for pixels, with links to their own sites.

So far they have bought up 911,800 pixels. Tew's home page now looks like an online Times Square, festooned with a multi-coloured confetti of ads...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE: Alex has sold 947,400 pixels. Only 52, 600 left. Happy New Year Alex!

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December 29, 2005

The Big Story of 2005

Definitely the purple finger. But Bush spying on America is a good thing, too...

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December 28, 2005

Words of the Year 2005

As 2005 winds down, it's time to consider at least some of the myriad lists of new words added to our collective vocabulary, old words reentering our collective consciousness or, in some cases, words which have lost their usefulness in our ever evolving language and have been tossed aside.

According to the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary, 'Podcast' is the Word of the Year for 2005. "Only a year ago, podcasting was an arcane activity, the domain of a few techies and self-admitted 'geeks.'" Now it's included in daily conversation even among those who aren't really clear what it means. Runners up include 'bird flu,' 'lifehack,' 'rootkit,' and 'trans fat.' You can read the entire list here.

Merriam-Webster, on the other hand, bases their Words of the Year on the number of online lookups during 2005. While Oxford recognizes "new" words which entered mainstream usage during the year (and will be added to the next edition of their dictionary,) Mirriam-Webster counts anonymous online inquiries to determine which existing words most piqued our interest during the year. Their number one word this year? 'Integrity'. Other words making the top 10 list include 'insipid,' 'tsunami,' 'pandemic' and 'levee.'

Seattle based Tegic Communications, makers of T9 text input software for mobile phones, has compiled a list of the top ten "buzz words" to be added to the T9® dictionary for 2005 which includes: 'Playlistism,' (judging a person based on what songs are on the playlist of his or her digital music player,) 'Podjack,' (to plug the cord of one's digital music player into the jack of another person's player to hear what the person is listening to,) and, perhaps just for whimsy, 'Puggle,' (a dog bred from a pug and a beagle.)

The Global Language Monitor, in its annual worldwide survey, lists 'Refugee,' 'Tsunami,' and 'SMS' (Short Message Service) among its Top Ten Words of 2005. You can view the list, and others, here. Their list of Top 10 Phrases is particularly interesting. It includes 'Jumping the Couch' (a la Tom Cruise) and 'Deferred success' (There's no such thing as failure, only deferred success.)

Of course, some words fall out of favor each year and are dropped from dictionaries. I haven't included a list of them because, well, they're history. But Lake Superior State University has again selected words and phrases that make up its 30th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness which includes 'carbs,' 'You're fired! (and the little hand movement, too!)' 'wardrobe malfunction,' and 'izzle-speak,' the quasi-language made popular by rappers and now overdone in television commercials (e.g. Chrysler.) Here's the complete list.

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December 27, 2005

King Kong -- A Review 

Wifey and I went to see King Kong last week with my oldest son and his family. We'd seen the 1933 version many years ago, and had passed on the 1976 remake. But technology and special effects being what they are today, we were anxious to see what director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) had done with the story of a struggling actress who falls for a big ape.

First, let me say that the film is definitely worth seeing. The special effects are great -- Kong is very well done, as are most of the other computer generated critters -- and the casting, with the possible exception of Jack Black, is well done. I single out Black because he's basically a goofy guy and I didn't think the film needed that ingredient. And I suppose one could nitpick about Naomi Watts' character who spent a little too much time staring at her captor as if thinking to herself, "I think the big brute loves me." And is it just me, or does she look a little like Tuesday Weld?

My only other critical assessment was the length of some of the scenes which seemed to drone on and, when strung together, made for an unnecessarily long viewing experience -- 187 minutes. The dinosaur episode comes immediately to mind, with the cast running in terror beneath the feet of a herd of stampeding dinos and miraculously avoiding, for the most part, being crushed. The scene stretched on forever and was followed by an even longer one wherein the cast, forced to spend the night in the jungle, is overtaken by giant cockroaches and what appear to be giant centipede-like thingies. A classic example of when less would have been more.

Overall, though, this is a good movie. By all means, it's worth the price of admission so long as you and your bladder can handle three hours in the chair. Maybe order the small soda. Or none at all. For an A-Z guide to the making of Kong, check the Entertainment Weekly site. And here's a shameless plug for Apple -- Shake software was used for most of the digital compositing in the film.

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December 26, 2005

Many Happy Returns

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December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas

Dawn and I wish each of you a very merry Christmas

and a safe, healthy and prosperous new year

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December 24, 2005

Until Then...

It's Christmas Eve. Most of us are finishing up the last of our preparations for Christmas day. If we have small children, tomorrow will begin early with cries of delight as boys and girls discover that Santa has come as promised and left loads of goodies for all.

Perhaps you will all go to church and give praise for the real meaning of Christmas. And later, perhaps family members from near and far will gather for a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. It's a wonderful time of year, isn't it?

But some are not with us. Some are serving on foreign shores and won't be with their families this Christmas. Let's not forget their service and the sacrifice made by our military families.

The linked Flash presentation was compiled to honor those serving in harm's way and those who have served before them. Include them in your thoughts and prayers. Pray for their safe return to their families at home. And until then, God bless us one and all.  [Link]

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December 23, 2005

Sasquatch Caught on Tape in Sonoma County

Another Sasquatch (aka Bigfoot) was sighted last month by a hiker in a mountainous portion of Sonoma County in Northern California. And he was able to video tape it!

Dubbed the Sonoma Footage by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), the video is, unfortunately, short, shaky and quite blurry (Why is that always the case?) because, explains the hiker, he had to run after the Sasquatch while trying to zoom in on it causing the image to be out of focus...

Nonetheless, says a spokesman for the BFRO, they know what the illusive critters look like and this was definitely one of them.

Watch the video and judge for yourselves.  [Link]

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December 22, 2005

By all means, let's not offend anyone...

...during the CHRISTMAS season!

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December 21, 2005

'Snowzilla'

You have to wonder what possesses folks to do some of the things they do. Billy Ray Powers of Anchorage, Alaska, got the bug to build a snowman so, with the help of his kids and some of his neighbors, he built a 16-foot giant of a snowman, dubbed Snowzilla by the local press. The project took a month and involved using all the snow in his yard, then sending his kids out into the neighborhood to pilfer more from his neighbors.

"It's solid ice," says Powers. "I put the arms in with a power drill." He used beer bottles for the eyes. (Why does that not surprise me?)

For better or worse, Powers (and his neighbors) are getting lots of attention, with cars filled with sightseers cruising their street day and night. And, with the giant fellow being solid ice, I suspect that'll continue well into summer.  [Link]

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December 21, 2005

Today is Winter Solstice

Explanation: Does the Sun always rise in the same direction? No. As the seasons change, the direction toward the rising Sun will change, too. The Sun will always rise and set furthest to the south during the day of Winter Solstice, and furthest to the north during Summer Solstice. Today is Winter Solstice, the day of least sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere and of most sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere. In many countries, the Winter Solstice brings a change in season, as it is the first day of winter in the North. The solar heating and stored energy in the Earth's surface and atmosphere is near its lowest during winter, making it usually the coldest months of the year. On the brighter side in the north, daylight hours will increase every day from now until June. Pictured above are the different directions of the rising sun throughout the year above a small town in Greece.

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December 20, 2005

Regular readers will find this hard to believe, but AFP failed to make Time's list of the 50 Coolest Websites for 2005. Shocking, yes, but understandable given that we're so, uh... new  unique  specialized  "unevolved." But we'll not be deterred...

Nevertheless, I thought you might like to see the list of sites that Time thinks are the coolest. I know, I know, none even hold a candle... Just wait 'til we get our sea legs and become a blog...

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December 19, 2005

Smoke Rings in the Dark...

German photographer Thomas Herbrich has created an impressive portfolio of digital composite images used in advertising. He not only displays them on his site, but he explains how each was created through a combination of model making and studio photography. I'm often amazed at how someone can spend several weeks or even months to create a single image or series. Yet the results can be staggering.

But what really peaked my interest was his series of photographs of cigarette smoke. This is an art form I'd not seen before and I was mesmerized. Take a look at his site and you'll see what I mean.

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December 18, 2005

Iraqi Elections

As you know, I try to avoid, as much as possible, serious political news on this site. But, as you also know, the free elections in Iraq are a major development in the Middle East. This Fox News clip sums up my feelings on the matter perfectly...

Betty doesn't mince words.

(Via Political Teen)

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December 17, 2005

Okay, here's what I want for Christmas...

Since so many of you (well, not hoards, but some of you) have asked what I'd like for Christmas, I thought I'd let you know right up front so as to make your shopping for me less stressful.

I know, you've considered several things already -- a quad processor Mac, loaded to capacity with enough power to launch the Space Shuttle, a Nikon D2X and some wide angle glass, a new Porsche Cayman like the one pictured here. But no, my friends, what I really want is none of these...

It's this...

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December 16, 2005

Snowblower for Real Men

For those of you in snow country, this belongs under your Christmas tree (or rather in your garage); the Original V-8 Snowblower!

This isn't some anemic hardware store snowblower, mind you, but a real man's beast of a snowblower. This baby sports electric start, electric block heater, antifreeze heater, and a 454 cubic inch big block Chevrolet V8 that produces 412 horsepower, 430 foot pounds of torque and can throw snow 50 feet at just 3500 rpm.

And she's been ingeniously designed to route the engine coolant through the handlebars while the rear mounted, enclosed radiator keeps the operator warm and toasty.

If that's not enough, guys, you can customize this puppy -- with Lunati camshaft, Milodon Gear drive, Holley and Edelbrock components to name just a few. And there’s always fuel injection, too, if you feel you need to throw your snow out of the county -- or assure your place in the neighborhood "Blower Blingster Hall of Fame."

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December 15, 2005

Addressing a Letter to Santa Claus...

As one might expect, The USPS has published standards on how to properly address letters to Santa and explains on their web site what becomes of them. For example, children (the one's most often, though not always, writing letters to Santa) need to involve mom or dad to assure conformance with addressing and content standards as well as, of perhaps even greater importance, affixing correct postage.

Including a return address is also important in the event one of Santa's helpers, described on the site, needs to know where to deliver the requested goodies. And, although he loves candy and his deer love hay, we are warned that USPS sorting equipment is often unkind to such enclosures in letters addressed to Santa.

While Santa receives most letters addressed to him at the North Pole, some are sent to certified organizations and individuals who help those in need and will be answered by a variety of Santa’s helpers – charitable organizations, employees of local Post Office locations and volunteers who want to help make children’s holiday wishes come true. I've volunteered at one such organization and, dressed as Santa, delivered Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve to needy children in our area. And Dawn and I have selected letters to Santa at the Post Office and purchased and delivered requested Christmas gifts to underprivileged children. Both are heartwarming experiences.

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December 14, 2005

National Wildlife Photo Contest Winners

One of my favorite hobbies, though not seriously pursued in recent years, is travel and wildlife photography. It  requires lugging the heavy gear, getting up before daylight to be in the right place at the right time, and great patience waiting for the miracle to happen. More often than not, the moment doesn't come or, worse yet, we miss it when it does. But every once in a while, everything seems to fall into place and we get a really great image. And that's what keeps us going back for more.

Here's one example, not one of mine I'm sorry to say, but a finalist in this year's National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Photographer Victor S. Lamoureux, a high school biology teacher, knows frogs. So when he went frog-watching with his son and niece at a nearby pond and spotted two male green frogs clinging to each other, he knew it was something unusual. "Then my son said, ‘Dad, Dad, look—there are three frogs!’" says Lamoureux. As it turned out, there actually were four: three males in a conga line behind one put-upon female. Lamoureux raced back to his house with the kids in tow, and returned to take this digital image with a 180mm macro lens.

More than 4,000 images were submitted during the past year to National Wildlife’s 35th annual photo contest. Selected by the editors on the basis of originality and execution, the winners appear in the linked article. They are amazing and include captions by the photographers describing how they captured each image. Great!

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December 13, 2005

The Top 10 Weirdest USB Drives Ever

USB drives come in myriad sizes, shapes and colors. But here's a list of some real attention getters. My personal favorite, shown here, is runner-up for the list leader and, you guessed it -- it's a "thumbdrive." When it's not plugged into your computer, there are probably countless other uses for it. It's certainly a conversation piece whenever you pull it out of your pocket. And the gags alone are worth the price. Imagine dropping it when you're chopping salad. Or pretending to find it in your chili at Denny's.

The idisk is clever, too, but would too easily get misplaced or lost, although it might make a great necklace pendant. And the USB Barbie drive, although admittedly quite funny, seems a little to big for practical portability. But go ahead and check out the complete list and draw your own conclusions. There are some clever -- and some pretty weird -- products out there.

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December 12, 2005

Get Back in the Box

Douglas Rushkoff's new book, "Get Back In The Box: Innovation from the Inside Out," will hit bookstores tomorrow. On his blog, Doug has posted his final "Thought Virus" from the book. Here's an excerpt:

"Why do we motivate ourselves and everyone else in our lives by acting as if our very survival were in question? The language and logic of business are organized around the survival instinct, even when survival is not in question. This is inefficient, unprofitable, and, perhaps worst of all, depressing.

Instead of relentlessly pursuing survival even after our survival needs are met, we must learn how to do things because they fulfill us— because they are, in a word, fun. Fun is not a distraction from work or a drain on our revenue; it is the very source of both our inspiration and our value. A genuine sense of play ignites our creativity, eases communication, promotes goodwill and engenders loyalty, yet we tend to shun it as detrimental to the seriousness with which we think we need to approach our businesses and careers.

If we can switch our orientation to fun, and see it not as an anarchic threat that needs to be quelled but rather as the core motivator and source of meaning for all human thought and behavior beyond basic survival, we will enable ourselves to reach levels of success that were previously unimaginable. Our very definition of success transcends survivalist notions such as cash reserves, time remaining, or personal safety, into the realms of self-worth, meaning, connection to others, and greater purpose. Plus, it’s better business."

Looks like a "fun" read.

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December 9, 2005

Birthplace of the Silicone Valley

Would you spend more than a million dollars to renovate a 12X18 garage? You might If it was the one at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto where David Packard and William R. Hewlett set up shop in 1938 and started their company. Hewlett-Packard recently spent $1.7 million to buy the property. Company officials plan to offer tours on December 11, 12 and 13. After that, the house will be used for corporate functions.

The restoration project was a difficult one. Restorers had only six photos to go on so they relied heavily on recollections referenced in writings by the pair and Packard's wife.

The property, assessed today at $1.84 million, was used by the owner as a rental property for Stanford students until Hewlett rented it for $45 a month. He wrote to Stanford classmate Packard and offered him the shed next to the garage for lodging. The two set up shop in the garage and, as they say, the rest is history. Read the whole story here.

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December 8, 2005

Giant Jellyfish Invade Japan

The echizen kurage, as they are called in Japan, sound like monsters from Japanese science fiction. But they are quite real and they are threatening the country's food supply. Six feet wide and weighing 450 pounds, its numbers have surged in the last few months. When one is killed, more appear to take its place.

No one is sure why their numbers have grown so dramatically this year. Of course, theories abound from global warming to over fishing. But the governments of Japan, China and South Korea have apparently united in an effort to fight the monster and save their fishing industries. They'll meet later this month for a sort of "jellyfish summit" to discuss ways to combat this new enemy.

The threat posed by these invaders is serious. Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has formed a "jellyfish countermeasures committee." Fishermen are working on technologies to keep the monsters out of their nets.

And following the adage, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade," the Japanese are making jellyfish sushi and tofu products...

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December 7, 2005

Pearl Harbor Remembered

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It was sixty four years ago that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, ushering the U.S. into WWll. Eight American battleships and thirteen other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost two hundred American aircraft were destroyed and more than three thousand military personnel were killed or wounded.

A day later, President Franklin Roosevelt went before Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Japan and its Axis partners, Germany and Italy. The speech lasted seven minutes, but the war that it requested would last for more than three-and-a-half years, until the surrender of the Japanese on August 15, 1945.

"December 7, 1941, a date which will live in imfamy...

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this

premeditated invasion, the American people, in their

righteous might, will win through to absolute victory."

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

                              U.S.S. Arizona                                              Fires at Pearl Harbor drydocks                                           U.S.S. California

Think about that day and about the sacrifices of the men and women who sought to preserve our freedom in the days and years after the attack. If there's a Remembrance ceremony near you, attend it. This is a day that must live in infamy.

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December 6, 2005

Know someone with a built-in "body clock?"

I do. My wife has had one for as long as I've known her. It's an amazing thing. I've seen it work countless times including when we've unexpectedly lost power and had to awaken at some horrendous hour without an alarm. She simply "sets her body clock" and awakens at the designated hour. Like clockwork. Amazing. Wish I had one.

So I was pleased to read that researchers at the University of Lubeck in Germany have discovered what may be the first biological evidence for the curious ability to wake up at will. As I might have guessed, they believe it has to do with hormonal secretions triggered by the stress of having to wake up. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, they haven't yet developed a psychological technique to strengthen the ability to set one's internal alarm clock. Cognitive self-instruction, they speculate, in which a person drills himself in his plans for the next day, may wind the alarm.

So for now I'll depend on the alarm clock. And my wife.

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December 5, 2005

World's Richest (Fictional) People

Like me, I know most of you wait with baited breath for Forbes to release its annual list of the world's richest people. Maybe we want to see if we made the list - more likely, we want to see if any of our friends or relatives did.

Less familiar, though, is The Forbes Fictional 15, a list of the world's 15 richest fictional characters. Now, here's a list you can really sink your teeth into! You know these people!

Naturally, you'd expect to see Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor on the list. And probably Thurston Howell III. But I was happy to see, joining the list for the first time at number 13, Lara Croft, my personal favorite.

You can read a short bio of each listed character and sort the list by name, rank, net worth, age and residence. Much more fun than those stuffy other lists...

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December 4, 2005

How to Outsmart Automated Phone Systems

Press 1 if you've ever been trapped in phone-system hell when calling the customer-service line of a large company.

Press 2 if you've ever cursed, yelled or hung up in despair before reaching a human being.

Press 3 for shortcuts to go straight to a real person.

We've all been there, right? Well, Paul English, an entrepreneur and self-described phone geek from Arlington, Massachusetts, shared our pain and decided to do something about it. He's developed what he's dubbed the "IVR Cheat Sheet," a growing list of shortcuts to help you get out of IVR hell (big companies' automated phone systems, called IVR or Interactive Voice Response) and reach a human - and he's published it on his site for your perusal.

Companies are slowly beginning to recognize that customers want service. Meanwhile, this looks like a useful tool to help you get it faster.

Of course, reaching a human at these companies doesn't guarantee you'll get the answers you need. But it's a start.

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December 3, 2005

Tiger Shark Caught with Shark in Mouth

Those of you who know me know that I'm an avid scuba diver having traveled to many of the exotic and adventure diving destinations of the world. But not Australia, and here's one of the two primary reasons -- tiger sharks.

The garbage disposals of the ocean, tiger sharks have been found with all sorts of things in their insides including handbags, rolls of linoleum and yes, parts of people. And while they are sometimes found in Fiji, New Guinea and other Pacific Islands where I dive, they seem more prevalent in the waters of Australia.

This large tiger shark was apparently caught at Tannum Beach, Australia, last week. It seems that the smaller shark was caught on shark lines and, as it was being pulled in, the tiger decided to make a meal of it. So reluctant was he to let go of his catch that he was eventually pulled all the way on to the beach, the smaller shark still protruding from his mouth!    More photos and information here and here.

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December 2, 2005

Think You Own Your Name?

Maybe not.

Nearly two years ago, Samantha Buck of Astoria, Oregon bought a small coffee shop in downtown Astoria and named it "sambuck's", after herself.

A year later, Starbucks Coffee opened a store five miles away and promptly served Samantha with a cease and desist order demanding that she stop using the name "sambuck's" because they claimed it was causing confusion for Starbucks customers who might be led to believe they were patronizing a Starbucks store. They offered her $500 for the expense of removing her name from her store.

Sam said no and soon thereafter Starbucks filed a lawsuit seeking an immediate injunction. A lower court found in Sam's favor denying the injunction. Score one for the little guy.

Well, after nearly two years of legal wrangling, a federal judge has ruled that the name "sambuck's coffee " above Sam's hole-in-the-wall coffee shop is too similar to Starbucks Corp. and must be changed. So Sam is left with thousands of "bucks" in legal fees, has to toss her entire inventory of Sam Buck's branded supplies, and buy a new sign. Score the final killing blow for the corporate behemoth.

I have mixed emotions . On the one hand, I side with the little guy, especially in a case where I doubt either the sign or the name would actually confuse anyone. I recall a local entrepreneur who opened a family taco fast food store. His family name was Bell so he cleverly named it "Bell Taco". "Taco Bell" went ballistic and the Bell family was forced to change the name.

On the other hand, though, I understand trademark law. I just wish it worked for the little guy instead of just big corporations and that the burden of proof (that folks are confused) was higher. If you look at the photos in this case, you'll see little chance for confusion. At least Sam got a lot of local support and publicity. Hope it translates into $$ for her.

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December 1, 2005

The Physics of Cow Tipping

They still haven't found a cure for the common cold, mind you, but I'm happy to report that scientists have been hard at work analyzing the dynamics of cow tipping — "a pastime allegedly common in rural areas, in which participants sneak up on an upright sleeping cow and then push it over for amusement" — and concluded it would require 4.43 able-bodied hayseeds to accomplish the task.

The physics seem sound. One objection that could be raised, however, is that the formula fails to take one critical factor into account: the total volume of alcohol consumed prior to the event. The groundbreaking study deserves kudos nonetheless.  Read more...

Personally, I'm of the school of thought that believes cow tipping is pure urban legend. After all, I've never known anyone who has actually tipped a cow. Usually, they know a guy who knows a guy who has a friend whose crazy cousin Wilbur from Wisconsin used to go drinking with some guys who tried to break the local record for cows successfully tipped in one night, and probably would have if the cops hadn't showed up and spoiled the attempt.

But I'm always open to being proven wrong, so if you're a real live cow tipper and are willing to prove your unusual skill by tipping a few for me, let me know. I'll bring the video camera and a case of beer. Maybe we can put this age old question to rest once and for all...

For more information and science on this exciting and controversial subject, check out Wikipedia where offered are evidence that cow tipping is an urban myth and, conversely, the possibility that cow tipping may be achievable.