Stupidity


How fake presidents would solve real problems

How would the Harrison Ford president of Air Force One deal with financial regulation? Would Jed Bartlett support gay marriage? And would any Hollywood president tackle climate change?

PHOTO GALLERY: The worst sci-fi novel covers of all time

Unicorns, dragons, and naked men riding killer whales: a classic collection of hilariously bad sci fi and fantasy novel covers.

The 15 richest people (who don’t actually exist)

Forbes has released its annual list of the richest characters in fiction. This year, a newcomer has taken the top spot: Carlisle Cullen from the Twilight series, who is worth $34.1 billion.

How to make Steve Jobs’ head out of cheese

Liven up your next dinner party by serving cheese carved into the shape of Apple founder Steve Jobs’ chiseled cranium. A step-by-step guide, including recipes for Apple Cheese Plate, Spicy Steve Nachos Supreme, and iPad Thai.

Crikey Competition: Create a soundtrack for Newspoll

Tim Dunlop reckons Dennis Shannhan, the Newspoll entrails reader at The Australian, needs a soundtrack. Send him your suggestions and win some Crikey swag.

How to cook dinner in a dishwasher

OC Weekly’s food bloggers test what foods will and won’t cook in a dishwasher. Catfish, Brussels sprouts, corn? Yep. Strawberry cobbler? Not so much.

PHOTO GALLERY: A year of Obama feigning interest in boring things

Being President of the US isn’t all hanging out with Oprah and organic veggie gardens: you have to spend a lot of time visiting factories and schools and other snoozefests. Marvel as Obama fakes interest in bolts, lab projects, wire and more.

IKEA product or Swedish Olympian?

If there’s two things Sweden is great at, it’s functional-yet-affordable DIY furniture and sports involving beanies and subzero temperatures. But can you tell their lounge suites from their luge competitors?

Help nickname Europe’s financial crisis

Europe’s economies are in meltdown and financial journalists need a catchy and simplistic nickname for the crisis. The WSJ is running a poll: “Panicopita” is the clear stand-out, but “The Straits of Defaulters” is currently in the lead.

The Barack Obama 2010 State of the Union drinking game

Barack Obama is set to give his annual State of the Union address tonight, and HuffPo has the unofficial drinking game. Click on to WhiteHouse.gov and break out the whiskey — this could get messy.

Semicolons explained (with bears, party gorillas and hairy knuckles)

The Oatmeal explains the dos and don’ts of using the widely misunderstood semicolon in its own unique way: with unicorn burgers and Godzilla.

Eating food off the floor: a flow-chart

You’ve dropped food on the floor. You know the rules: you have three seconds to decide whether to shove it in your gob or surrender it to the bin. A chart to help you make the big call.

VIDEO: Star Wars: the stock market strikes back

The New York Stock Exchange is opened by Darth Vader and a team of Storm Troopers. Yes, great way to reform your image, Wall Street.

What your taste in magazines says about you

Jezebel shamelessly (yet hilariously and accurately) stereotypes various magazines’ readerships. Vogue? “People who use the names of seasons as verbs”. Time? “People waiting to get a colonoscopy”.

It’s Festivus: air your 2009 TV grievances

Televised Revolution is upholding the fine tradition of Festivus by asking readers to list all the ways Aussie TV has disappointed them over the past year — and adding a few of its own.

What does a genocidal regime’s holiday card look like?

The most ironic Christmas card on Earth, courtesy of the Republic of Sudan.

PHOTO GALLERY: The 30 best mug shots of 2009

Former child stars, rednecks with no teeth, drawn-on eyebrows, men with half-a-beard and the ShamWow guy all feature in this hilarious round-up of memorable police mugshots.

Where’s my flying car? Technology we never got

Cities under the sea, food pills, self-driving cars and man-made oceans: this was supposed to be the future! A look at the failed predictions of the 20th Century.

If magazines were restaurants

With news that Rolling Stone mag is going to open a chain of restaurants (Oy. Rock ‘n roll-themed eateries attached to a hopelessly dated brand. Hard Rock Cafe, anyone?), Slate imagines what other glossy rags would look like as food outlets.

Internet meme origami

Internet memes and papercraft — has there ever been a more perfect marriage? Get print-out-and-make templates for origami versions of Keyboard Cat, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Hamster on a Piano are more.

Inside a Sarah Palin book signing

Sarah Palin’s Gone Rogue on her book tour across the States, but what’s it like to actually attend one of her book signings? Wonkette’s got the goss, but be warned, Palin may steal your book.

Video of the Day: Star Trek say what?

What would happen if Star Trek was dubbed with what it looks like they’re saying. It may not make sense, but it is disturbingly accurate.

Rambonkers: Sylvester Stallone has an art exhibition

Just in case you thought that only talented artists get exhibitions, along comes Sylvester Stallone with terrifying bright swirly painted things for his first exhibition. The paintings were available for sale — and sold! — for around $50,000 each.

Straight vs. horizontal: the science of sandwich slicing

What’s the best way to slice a cheese toastie or Vegemite sanga? Straight across into rectangle, or diagonally into triangles? Chefs, foodies, architects and mathematicians weigh in.

Slate‘s “write like Sarah Palin” competition

Slate reveal the winners of their “write like Sarah Palin” contest, in which readers had to emulate the, err, “unique” writing style of Alaska’s favourite hockey mom in her new memoir Going Rogue. Gold.