1) In 1998, Burger King took out a full page ad in USA Today to announce their new “Left-Handed Whopper.” The new burger was the same as the regular Whopper, but all of the condiments were rotated for the convenience of left handed customers. Thousands fell for it, trying to order the Left-Handed Whopper, while others insisted on the right-handed version.

2 ) In 1992, listeners to National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation were stunned to hear Richard Nixon announcing he would run for President again. The show was overwhelmed with calls from angry and shocked listeners. Only in the second half of the show was the hoax revealed.

3) In 1976, British astronomer Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that the alignment of Pluto with Jupiter at 9:47am would temporarily counter-act gravity. He said if a person jumped into the air at precisely that moment, they would feel the sensation of floating. Hundreds of callers told the BBC they had felt the sensation.

1) An April 1st, 1985 Sports Illustrated article by George Plimpton profiled pitcher Sidd Finch, who could throw a fastball accurately for a strike at 168 mph! The story said the New York Mets prospect had learned to pitch in a Buddhist monastery. The first letter of each word in the sub headline spelled out the words “Happy April Fool Day – ah fib.” Two weeks later, the magazine revealed the joke.

2) Taco Bell accounts in a 1996 full-page ad in The New York Times that they had bought the Liberty Bell from the U.S. Government. According to the ad, the artifact had been renamed the Taco Liberty Bell. The fast food company said it had made the deal to help reduce the government debt.

3) In 1965, hundreds of British television viewers were delighted by the BBC’s test of sending smells over the airwaves. Many called the BBC to report the test had succeed. Not content to rest of it’s laurels, the Beeb repeated the joke on its website in 2007.

Okay, so I love gadgets. And Apple is King of cool gadgets. But, Apple’s toys don’t get along with me. It’s my fault. My fat fingers have very bad aim. I can’t ever seem to pinpoint the URL I’m trying to follow, and forget about text messages. On an iPhone, I write like I would sound with a mouth full of gravel.

That’s why something like the Pogo iPhone Stylus is a sure winner for me. The stylus is specially designed to work with iPhone and iPad screens, which only respond to fingers. The Pogo stylus works perfectly, and it’ll keep you from grunging up your screen with Cheeto grease.

They’re only $14.99 and you can order them online from ThinkGeek!

Ever get a little bored with your favorite music? Sometimes, I just need something new, but if I don’t know about a band, how would I ever be able to find them?

The tuneglue musicmap may be the answer. You begin by simply entering the name of a music artist.

Your choice appears as a grey circle in the center of your screen. Clicking it opens up your choices. You can delete your choice, lock its position on the screen, get a list of that musician’s releases or expand. Expanding creates a web of performers with a similar sound to the original.

My choice, R.E.M. expanded to include U2, Michael Stipe, The Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows and The Minus 5. Hmm… The Minus 5? I’d never heard of them. I hop over to Pandora, and create a The Minus 5 station and sure enough, I love the sound. The song I hear first, “With a Gun,” sounds like Tom Petty, The Byrds and yes, R.E.M. Time to do a little shopping!

Sometimes it just takes a little incentive to do the right thing.  This fun experiment sponsored by Volkswagen in illustrates how a little sound effect can go a long way.  And have a positive effect on the environment!

I’m thinking of sounds that might get me to change my behavior.  A police siren every time I top 70 mph might be a good deterrent.  Or a laugh track when I open the refrigerator door for a midnight snack!  If you’ve got any ideas, be sure to share them with us all!

And now for a little history lesson.  Please open your volume of Kluge’s Guide to Egyptology to page 732 and read along with me.  Tutankhamun was a pharaoh in the 18th dynasty, approximately 33-hundred years ago.  He became pharaoh when he was nine, and ruled for ten years before he died mysteriously.  His  mummy was discovered by Howard Carter and his team in 1922.

Now many of you will think, big deal:  Who cares about a dusty old mummy that never once drank a Coke or saw an episode of The Simpsons?  The answer to that enduring question is simple:  Steve Martin cares.

Yes, you see folks, it was the year 1978.  Many of you weren’t around then, so you probably don’t know anything about this era.  The President was a man named Jimmy Carter.   “Dallas” made it’s debut on CBS.  And over on NBC, history was made on April 22nd when Steve Martin and Toots Uncommon were recorded in the clip above.  Coincidentally, that show was also the debut of the Blues Brothers.  And you thought history didn’t matter!

Dear Mall Book Store,

I love books. I love magazines. I love all your little trinkets, knick-knacks and tourist trap gifts. I buy things from you so often that you know my name.

And you should know by now that I don’t want join your Book Store Card cult. Every time I buy something, you want me to sign up for your card. You’re going to give me miraculous savings, if I just agree to sign up. Sometimes, you even want me to pay for the privilege to get on your mail list.

I’m standing up, here in public, to insist that you stop asking me your Book Store Card cult. I won’t. If you want to give me a discount, I’m all for it. Heck, I might even choose you over Amazon. Or one of the few real book stores left in this world.

And please inform your clerks that when I say no the first time, that’s not their cue to ask me three more times. I’m sure that poor kid behind the counter has to meet a quota, but by now, he should just see me coming and realize that under no circumstances am I going to join your cult.

If you’re the type that forwards every last email you get to everyone you know, please stop reading. I’m about to make fun of you. That includes you, Mom.

You see, my Mom, like so many others, loves to send me all the crazy, funny or horribly false emails she gets. She sends them to me, my wife, to my brother and sister-in-law, her sisters, her cousins, her nieces and nephews, her old friends from Anderson, South Carolina, people she works with, people she worked with, even some people I’m not sure she actually knows in person.

And here’s the thing: She forwards along just about anything, even if it sounds to crazy to be true. And usually it is. Which is why I love Snopes.

Just recently, she sent me an email that claimed the state of Florida was equipping interstates with cameras to catch speeders automatically. Fascinating, but false as this link explains. Every time she forwards one of these hoaxes or scams, I’ll reply to everyone she emailed with the link to Snopes that proves her email is just a hoax.

Good times.

What’s it going to take to live forever? If we sit around and wait for medical science to keep us alive long enough to see the Cubs in the World Series, we’re in trouble. No, if you want to live for longer than normal, you’re going to have to do a lot of the work to get there.

But first, you’re going to need a plan. And a good place to start is this little corner of the interwebs. Nedelja’s lonely little blog post lists one hundred tips for improving your health, especially for your heart. Some of these ideas you’ve heard before, but there’s a lot there. Some are lifestyle changes. Others involve diet. But all include a citation of their source.

Good stuff if you really do want to see the Cubs make to the big show someday.

Looking to get away from it all? Tired of the same old get-aways? Aquiziam has come up with a list of Ten Strange Places around the world.

The list is fascinating and is complete with pictures of the locations. They range from the Nine Hells of Beppu to the Great Blue Hole of Belize. These places are real, although the reasons for their particular oddities are not always clear.

My favorite on the list is the Mount Sanqing National Park in China, an area of steep cliffs and rock formations, lush landscape, and misty, foggy weather.