Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 06:28:43 +0000
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
From: Bob Rankin
Subject: TOURBUS - 30 Jan 01 - Absolutely Useless
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TOURBUS Volume 6, Number 55 -- 30 Jan 2001
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TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: ABSOLUTELY USELESS WEBSITES
As you may have already guessed, none of the websites featured in
today's TOURBUS have any redeeming value. They are all utterly
useless, a complete waste of time. So I'm sure you'll enjoy spending
countless hours visiting them, just like me. :-)
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=====================
USELESS INFORMATION
=====================
Steve Silverman seems to have too much time on his hands. This
science teacher who lives near Albany, New York has spent several
years putting together a collection of pages he calls "Useless
Information - Stuff you never needed to know but your life would be
incomplete without." Actually, it's a fascinating journey through
history, science and trivia that has attracted thousands of readers
and won a boatload of awards.
* Who REALLY invented the radio? (It wasn't Marconi.) And who
discovered X-rays? (It wasn't Roentgen.) The same person
invented the fluorescent bulb, neon lights, the speedometer,
the automobile ignition system, and the basics behind radar,
electron microscopes, and the microwave oven. Read the
fascinating story of Nikola Tesla, and find out why Thomas
Edison schemed to keep Tesla's name out of history books.
* Read the true story of the Flubber Fiasco, in which some of the
fictional properties of Hasbro's movie tie-in Flubber toy
appeared to become reality. In 1963 the product was selling by
the millions, but after a recall Hasbro found that getting rid
of the stuff was no easy task!
* What's the highest price ever paid for a PEZ candy dispenser?
How would you like to try some Chlorophyll or Eucalyptus
flavored PEZ? Learn more than you ought to know about this
candy phenomenon.
* It's true... George Washington was actually the NINTH
President of the United States, not the first. Find out why
the first eight Presidents are forgotten in history.
* If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does Teflon stick to the pan?
Learn the answer, and find out why cooking with Teflon might
kill your pet birds.
* Does an electrified pickle make a good light bulb? Get the
scoop on Organic Illumination Systems.
* Michael Malloy looked like an easy target for an insurance
scam. But it turns out Malloy was amazingly resilient to
murder. Read about one of history's most bizarre murder
schemes.
Visit the Useless Information page at the address below. I found
the Site Index page to be very helpful in navigating. You may also
want to browse the "Best and Worst" page to see author favorites,
and which stories attract the most and least eyeballs.
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless
=======================
MORE USELESS WEBSITES
=======================
This next site was described as "a waste of electrons" by Wired
Magazine. Humorist Dave Barry calls it "a very useful site", and
Netscape founder Marc Andreesen says it's "One of the best sites on
the Web." When you browse the contents of The Useless Pages, you may
think twice about chlorinating the gene pool. But if you have time to
waste, this is the place to be. Here are some of the current
highlights of Uselessness:
* The CABBAGE CREATOR will instantly transform you into a cabbage!
* Try the Official Al Gore Simulator.
* Groove with Disco Dan, the (interactive) Dancin' Man.
* Squirrel Fishing - a scientific study of Rodent Performance
http://www.go2net.com/useless
We've covered the Centre for the Easily Amused several times in
TOURBUS, but we keep doing it in the vain hope that someday Cathie
Walker will send us money. Or food. Anything. This site is so
useless, and so much fun that it is held responsible for an estimated
0.5% reduction in the GDP, due to people visiting and wasting time at
work.
http://www.amused.com
Bored at the office? Learn a few new tricks at the Totally Useless
Office Skills site. A new "skill" is posted every business day.
http://www.jlc.net/~useless
And finally, here's a site that you will find invaluable if you get a
little too caught up in the other sites in today's issue. Visit Don's
Boss Page for tips on how to surf the Web in stealth mode.
http://www.donsbosspage.com
That's all for now, see you next time! --Bob Rankin
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