Once again, folks, the sun rises on yet another exciting month here at the Zone. Don’t forget to write your entry for the current Writing Project: What I Learned From…

In the meantime, there’s thrills, chills, spills – and that’s just what’s been going on at MY desk! Just imagine what else has been happening out there…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!
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Dept. of Herpetology

Ah, those whacky Google folks; it’s never just an ordinary day at the office over there. Especially on Sunday, April 1. Seems one of the New York Googlers (affectionately known as NYooglers), well, sortof… um, lost his pet snake in the building. Naturally, what with it being April Fool’s Day and all, there was a certain, er, skepticism on the part of the authorities. Not to mention the one they pulled on us all (did you sign up?)

But luckily, the snake was found the next day, and all returns to crazy insane normal (come to think of it, “crazy and insane” probably fits) at the ol’ office once again…

NOTE: FYI, this isn’t the same snake (click on photo for bigger view); it’s just a creepy photo of some fool nitwit guy with his pet snake “Baby Lois”.

International Relations Dept.

Thanks to Chip for pointing me to this little jewel. You can check, in real time, whether or not your blog is accessible in China! Actually, if you check that little ClusterMap thingie over on the right, you’ll see there are already a few folks in China dropping by every now and then. Thanks; a tip o’ the cowboy hat and a ni hao, y’all!

Dept. of Threats and Intimidation

Don’t you just love the fact that the web is just chock full of all kinds of useful little things you can use in your everyday life, no matter who you are. For instance, kidnappers now no longer have to spend hours (or sometimes even days) clipping those little letters from newspapers and magazines in order to produce a really good ransom note. No, sirree, Bubba! Now you can go right to the Random Note Generator and make your own! What a country! What a world! (click on the picture for a bigger view)

Improbable Research Dept.

Attention, all scientists! And all outstanding Heads of Scientists! If you happen to have long, flowing hair (yes, you read it right!), you may be qualified to become an exalted member of the amazing Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists. (And, just so ya know, Dr. Piero Pravadino proves it’s not gender-centric.) If you happen to have long, flowing hair (and you are, of course, a scientist) just click on the link and follow the instructions for submitting your application. Do it! Do it now!

And for the rest of us short-haired non-scientist types, believe it or not, there actually IS an Improbable Research department. Check it out.

Dept. of Transportation

And yet again those charlatans whack jobs amazing folks at Google make you wonder if ANY of those millions Google earns is being wisely spent, particularly on the help. Just for fun, here’s a set of instructions for you to follow (it’s OK, just trust me on this):

1. Go to www.google.com
2. Click on “maps”
3. Click on “get directions” (at the top right, under the blank info bar)
4. Type “New York” in the first box (the “from” box)
5. Type “London” in the second box (the “to” box)
6. Scroll down to step #23

And don’t forget your water wings.

(via my buddy Fred C.)
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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

And finally, for those of you who are perhaps new to this site, or unfamiliar with the concept of OOB. It stands for “Out Of the Box” and rhymes with, well, “oob” (well, it does!) If you’re feeling REALLY lucky, you might want to check out all the earlier episodes (#1 explains it all):

OOB #1   OOB #2   OOB #3   OOB #4   OOB #5

OOB #6   OOB #7   OOB #8   OOB #9   OOB #10

Then again, you might not (but remember, one day you will be assimilated).