* * IDEABANK: IDEA02.BNK (Article Ideas) * * DATE: 19980220 * * * NUMBER OF ARTICLE IDEAS: 25 * (The hope is that this number will get smaller and smaller...) * * * * I26 -- Serial Killers * I27 -- Cereal Killers * I28 -- Economic Benefits Of Lazy People, The * I29 -- Some Implications Of Rupert Sheldrake's Theories * I30 -- Tricycles * I31 -- Bicycles * I32 -- Lake District, England, UK, Earth * I33 -- Inventing Urban Legends * I34 -- Card Tricks * I35 -- Drinking Games * I36 -- * I37 -- Food Industry Conspiracy * I38 -- Mistaken Ideas About ?-th Century Fashion * I39 -- British Rail * I40 -- Flashbacks * I41 -- Walkman * I42 -- Weird Allergies * I43 -- Peeing In Your Pants * I44 -- Flaming * I45 -- Network Marketing * I46 -- Satan * I47 -- Wankers * I48 -- Belching * I49 -- Projectile Vomiting * I50 -- Nothing, The Weirdness Of * * %t Serial Killers %n I26 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Cereal Killers * Mad Mosher (I.R.Purdie@bradford.ac.uk) on 19940618, but I think he gave up. *EOA* %t Cereal Killers %n I27 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Serial Killers %e Unfortunately I heard from someone a really bad movie has been made on this subject. %e *EOA* %t Economic Benefits Of Lazy People, The %n I28 %x Economic Benefits Of Pollution %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e Lazy people only want to work half the week (if not less). So two lazy people are equal to one hard working fellow. With one hard working fellow and one unemployed lazy b*****d, double money goes to the working guy and the one gets money from the government (different in different countries). With two lazy guys at work the money of the one is spread equally and no money has to come from the government. As economic growth cannot go on forever (pollution) less income is needed, so no problems with low wages. Lazy people are the laborers of the future (work for everyone). Try to make this story stick better than I managed to. %e *EOA* %t Some Implications Of Rupert Sheldrake's Theories %n I29 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e Someone must have read his newest books. Be his theories acceptable or not, it must be possible to draw conclusions and to invent further extremely far going implications of his theories. For instance, experiment with the idea of phantom-pain (you still feel your amputated limbs), examine the difference in a patient if you bury of burn their amputated limbs. What implication does this have on your state if you're, after dying, buried or cremated. Maybe the subject's a little outdated now. %e *EOA* %t Tricycles %n I30 %s What Are They For %x Means Of Transportation For The Earth-Confined Hitchhiker %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e Another means of Transportation ------------------------------- The tricycle is often associated with motorized vehicles with three balloon- like wheels. But there is also a non-motorized, peddle driven three wheeled tricycle. Tricycles are commonly used by people who have a handicap concerning loss of balance and/or loss of strength. The extra wheel prevents the cycle from falling over in situations where a two wheeled (bi-)cycle would fall over, thus preventing lots of pain and distress. obroadway@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Oliver Broadway") comments: > I am reminded of the fact that once, when a child, I did manage to make a > tricycle which I was riding fall over, causing myself considerable pain > and distress (a grazed knee is a big deal for a kid of my then tender > years...) For a hitch-hiker who wants to get somewhere very fast, this is not an advisable vehicle. The typical tricycle is mostly rather heavy built and absolutely not aerodynamic. It could however be tremendous fun if you could manage to hitch a hike from someone already driving a tricycle (standing on the back axis, chatting away the distance). You could also contemplate using it when you want to peddle yourself and simultaneously want to carry a lot of luggage. The tricycle is, due to it's three wheels, always stable. People have been known to cruise around the world on a tricycle. %e *EOA* %t Bicycles %n I31 %s What Can You Do With Them %x Means Of Transportation For The Earth-Confined Hitchhiker *EOA* %t Lake District, England, UK, Earth %n I32 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e I want to know more about this place, cause I went there when I was six and I hardly remember a thing (except accidently putting sugar on my chips). obroadway@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Oliver Broadway"): > Erm... > I also accidentally put sugar on my chips in the Lake District when I > was a child... > These weird coincidences are beginning to make me paranoid... jharmon@mtu.edu (Jon Harmon): > I'd say one of you HAS to write an article now, or someone else can write > an article and include this. Perhaps it's common protocol when visiting > said district.... Roel: The lake district is an area in the west of England (location) where there is a lot of nature and there are a lot of lakes (hence the name). Parents take their children there on holiday, and it is common practice to arrange the dinner table such that the children cannot but accidently put sugar on their chips/fries for the first time in their life. It is in fact part of the learning curve of children, just like burning, cutting and bumping yourself into things... %e *EOA* %t Inventing Urban Legends %n I33 %s The Amusing Pastime Of Inventing Urban Legends %i alt.folklore.urban %e Nothing is more fun than making up a weird story with all the aspects of an urban legend, telling it around and later on seeing how the story spreads and people actually believe it (and papers write about it). %e *EOA* %t Card Tricks %n I34 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Lecture Games %e Quite some years ago, when I was still in school, during the brakes we played all sorts of card games. Once I played a card trick that puzzled everyone. The trick is as follows: from a deck of cards you take five, including a five (of any kind). You lay them out like this (example:4 6 5 3 8) You have an accomplice, who discusses with the victim which card to choose. During this conversation you were in another room and once you get back you have to guess the chosen card. Your accomplice points: is it this one, this one or... The trick is, that the five in the middle provides a map of the cards. Your accomplice first points out on that map which card they've chosen. This can of course also be done without the five, if you agree that the accomplice first points in the general direction (on an arbitrary card). The thing that happened to me, was that after a few rounds they got rid of my accomplice(not lethally). The victim pointed himself, but I was able to just guess it wright on the both times the victim tried it. He never figured out how I could do this amaaaaaaazing trick. There are some variants: 1) Use of nine cards. 2) Use of seven cards. 3) Placing the number card (i.e. 9 for 9 cards, 7 for 7 cards) in a place other than the middle. 4) No use of the number card, but pointing to the respective position on a card. The last one is usually the best, since rearranging the cards, and leaving the number card in the same place can reveal the trick too easily. The most fun can be had in a group when a few people don't know how it is done, and a few do. This way, you can alternate several people finding the chosen card. Really befuddles someone who hasn't seen the trick. There must be more of this kind of card tricks. %e *EOA* %t Drinking Games %n I35 %c Alex McLintock (alexmc@biccdc.co.uk) %i Shithead %e I have a half written set of rules for "shithead" which is a card game you can play when drunk. I think I would like to see articles on drinking games from around the world. OK, so there is the spinning the bottle game. The game in Indiana Jones where you drink shots until you cant sit up straight. How do underage Americans get their alcohol? do they? What is the age limit on alcohol consumption? David Kraics (krader@pipeline.com): > The age limit is 21. Underagers get their alcohol by getting some friend > of the appropriate age to buy it in the first place. Rather easy to do, > actually. Jon Harmon (jharmon@mtu.edu): > Or by buying "fakes", aka fake ID's (I'm 21, so don't try to prosecute > me...:) %e *EOA* %t %n I36 %s Mostly... %x Earth %e Standard is to write something about the town you were born, where you grew up, where you live now, where you've been on holiday, where you've passed through, where you've been bored, great buildings and cliffs to not jump off of, etc. etc. We can never have enough of these, because that's what a real guide is for. %e *EOA* %t Food Industry Conspiracy %n I37 %s You Didn't Want To Eat, But Now You Have To %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Opinions On UFOs %e Is it psychology or does the Food Industry really add ingredients to all kinds of food, to make you want some as well, and let your saliva run, whenever you see someone eat, for instance, a mars bar or a hamburger. Are babies a good indicator of additives? Yet unspoilt they refuse to eat. Alex (Alex@arcfan.demon.co.uk): > Some E colourings make some kids hyperactive - > Food manufacturers claim you can be allergic to many more natural products > than man made additives. I remember a urban myth about a cinema owner who placed subliminal messages in films for people to buy coke in his refreshment stands. %e *EOA* %t Mistaken Ideas About ?-th Century Fashion %n I38 %s Wasp-Waist Caused By Heimlich Manoeuvre %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e The fashion of the ?-th century, with the wasp-waists and everything, was not due to esthetics, but due to bad eating habits, choking and then using the Heimlich manoeuvre. Alex (Alex@arcfan.demon.co.uk): > Flares, hair styles, > disco disco disco > medallions, open shirts, > the cardigans worn by starsky and hutch - not to mention huggy bear. %e *EOA* %t British Rail %n I39 %s Things a hitchhiker has to know about British rail %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %e Alex McLintock (Alex@arcfan.demon.co.uk) has this to say: Firstly British Rail doesn't like Hitchhikers. London Underground (not BR) has instant ten pound fines if you are caught without a ticket. BR signal men are on strike today - as they have been for the last two Wednesday's. You have a one in five chance of getting your train today. NEVER EVER eat British Rail sandwiches. Its not that they are bad - they are OK, if a little over priced. It is just that everyone says how bad they are that if you did eat one then you are likely to suffer psychosomatic food poisoning. The rec.food.veg FAQ has this to say on this subject: > British Rail > * Make sandwiches. Book seats far from the *very* smelly burgers in > the restaurant carriage. Actually I have a lot to say on this subject - I am writing an article on how to get into London and transport in London. I am also writing a small article on Eurostar which is the train which goes underneath the English Channel. It isn't very funny I am afraid. %e *EOA* %t Flashbacks %n I40 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) *EOA* %t Walkman %n I41 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Internal Walkman, The %e Is this handy to have with you on your journeys or what. %e *EOA* %t Weird Allergies %n I42 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Meulen, Roel van der %e I have some strange types of allergies. Starting at reasonably normal, I have hay fever. This causes me to sneeze and my eyes to itch during summer time, when pollen float around like dust. The trick is to never touch your eyes for then you're lost. Have with you a lot of handkerchiefs. Second I have an allergy for nuts (the ones you can eat and don't talk back). Especially walnuts and hazelnuts cause my palate to itch like crazy, my head to ache, my face to turn bright red and then white, my stomach to ache, and me to feel sleepy. Other foods, like carrots, bananas etc. also cause my palate to ache, but much less and with no other symptoms. Third, a couple of times a year, I seem to have an allergy against myself. That is, after having sported actively, and taking a shower, I discover red itching spots all over my body. They itch like hell, but they're gone in a few hours. There is no predicting when this will happen (no difference between other days of sports). Yes, it drives me crazy. No, I'm not an alien. I've also heard of people being allergic to other types of food (eggs, milk, sweets) and animals (dogs, cats, bees). Are there any more types of allergies? Ryan Tucker (RTUCKER@INS.INFONET.NET) said: > I'm allergic to pollen, cats, eggs, dust, monitor static (yes, I am!), > slightly allergic to bee and wasp stings (I got swarmed last night and I'm > still a bit droopy), and horrible weather casters. :-) Thank you Ryan. Warren Kurt vonRoeschlaub (kv07@iastate.edu) told: > Well, I have an allergy to peanut oil (just the oil). I guess technically > it isn't an allergy, I just can't digest it so it sits in my stomach for > days. I once ate a cereal loaded with peanut oil and didn't eat for two > days as a result. (Roel: This reminds me of the time I got sick after eating some good Chinese dinner. My friend who ate the same had nothing. It couldn't explain it until I found out they used peanut oil to fry everything) > I'm also allergic to cyanide. not a problem, except cyano-acrylate is the > main ingredient in superglue. If I even touch something that was > superglued my hands start itching and get all blotchy. > > Okay, so they aren't that weird. But my mother is allergic to dried human > skin (the main component in dust), including her own. That was a wonderful contribution. Finally, Mark (mark.tetrode@infoboard.be) explained: > Yep, my father is allergic for clamps. If he eats one (or just gets the > water the clamps are cooked in on his toast), he vomits for about a day! > > and my neighbour is allergic to red peppers, not chili peppers but paprika > peppers, even in powder form. One tiny little bit in the food and it is > barfing hour again... Thanks Mark. Enough ingredients here to cough up a wonderful article. By the way, sunglasses are a pretty good way to avoid hay fever: the pollen don't get into your eyes. %e *EOA* %t Peeing In Your Pants %n I43 %s Voluntarily And Involuntarily %i Bladder Control %x Defecation %x Martial Arts and Farts %c Roel van der Meulen %e Babies have to learn not to pee in their pants. This can be very annoying for the parents, but more so if the child gets older and still does it at night. Older people can also get trouble with holding their pee, due to old age. Other people have difficulty holding their pee when laughing their heads off or being extremely frightened. These are the involuntary types. Some people like to do this for fun. It then mostly becomes, or is seen as, part of sex play. As a side phenomenon you have your golden showers. Work these ideas out extensively, with all related problems (f.i. mention occasions when it's hard to hold your pee, and what clothes and what weather types are best suited for peeing in your pants. Mention all types of diapers for babies and incontinents. Mention the difference between men and women w.r.t. bladder control and clothing (skirts)). How to induce people peeing in their pants. Run water. Mention the old prank of holding a sleeping persons finger in a glass of water. That's it for now. Have to run (to take a leak). %e *EOA* %t Flaming %n I44 %s The Most Disgusting And Childish Activity On Internet %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %i alt.flame %i How Does It Feel To Be A Reproductive Organ? %e Flaming is an excuse for calling people names. It is a misplaced feeling of using your creativity. It is destructive and hatred spreading. Immature. They even have their own newsgroup. Alex McLintock said: > On the contrary I think that flaming by email (rather than posting) is the > democratic force in action on the internet - witness the law firm who > posted to all those newsgroups. Roel: OK, so there are good and bad sides in everything. The article has to mention both. %e *EOA* %t Network Marketing %n I45 %c David Carroll Hall (Nomad of Norad) (nomad@tlvx.UUCP) %x Avon %x Tupperware %x Chain Letters %e Someone brought up the subject of chain letters, you know, those things where they say to add your name and address to the end of a list, copy it, and mail it on to the guy at the top of the list, with a dollar bill stuffed in. It's illegal as can be. (Alex: The laws about this were recently tightened in the UK but I know of no case where it was tried. Essentially you must not _threaten_ anyone - even with bad luck.) Oddly enough, though, there are OTHER kinds of "chain letters" which AREN'T illegal. They DON'T involve money, though. One of them is the so-called round-robbin letter, which involves a stack of letters going out to a series of participants, one person at a time. When it comes back to you, you read the other letters, take out YOUR letter from the front, and put a NEW one at the back where you respond to what the other letters said, and send this stack on to the next participant. And I read recently in _Star Trek Memories_ by William Shatner that the enormous letter-writing campaign that saved Star Trek almost 30 years ago was, technically, a kind of chain letter. Hmmmmm... Anyway, looking at this discussion of the illegal kind of chain mail, and how "someone aught to write a Guide article about it, so more people will be warned about these pyramid schemes..." and I thought to myself, "Hey, SPEAKING of pyramid schemes... some people mistakenly label Amway and other network-marketing thingies as 'pyramid schemes,' why not write some articles about THAT, TOO?" (Alex:I am sorry but I have been in too many flame wars about pyramid selling Amway _are_ a pyramid seller. They may well be well respected, and quite honest but it is a pyramid selling organisation. I have no direct experience of this - I just hear too many people arguing about it. I have no desire to encourage pyramid selling what so ever. If someone involve in Amway or similar wants to write a humorous article about their organisation/club/business then fine. But there is no need to encourage other people to do it.) So, here's a good suggestion: Someone write an article about Network Marketing in general, then have other people write articles about specific companies, like Avon, Tupperware, Quorum, and so on... and crossref them to the generalised article. (Alex: I don't actually think this is a good suggestion at all. If you think it is such a good one then _you_ write it. If it is enjoyable then we will all read it and thank you for it.) Oh, and the general article should stress that Network Marketing is NOT a "pyramid scheme." %e *EOA* %t Satan %n I46 %s Not such a bad dude once you get to know him %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %i Satanism %i alt.satanism *EOA* %t Wankers %n I47 %s The Monosexual %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) *EOA* %t Belching %n I48 %s Some of the best words to utter when belching %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %x Defecating %x Peeing In Your Pants %x Martial Arts And Farts %e In the disgusting series. I find "blubber" is the best word to say in a belch. More suggestions? ("blubber" is Dutch for mud) %e *EOA* %t Projectile Vomiting %n I49 %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) %i alt.tasteless %e In the disgusting series. In what cases does this occur and how far can you get. There have been some movies with projectile vomiting f.i. The Meaning of Life by Monty Python. %e *EOA* %t Nothing, The Weirdness Of %n I50 %s Nothing Has Different Characters %c Roel van der Meulen (vdmeulen@strw.leidenuniv.nl) * Ben Hausmann (countzero@whoever.com) wrote an article on the subject of * nothing. %e Take movies. When nothing happens it can either be boring, extremely humorous, or full of suspence. Has something to do with the things surrounding the nothing. %e *EOA* * * End of file: IDEA02.BNK *