Ze Frank on Valentine’s Day

Ze Frank has to be one of the most creative forces on the web. His website, zefrank.com, is highly recommended.

17 Facts About Friday the 13th and the Number 13

If you fear Friday the 13th, then it hasn’t been a good year, has it? Next week’s unlucky day is the THIRD one this year.  This triple whammy comes around only once in every 11 years.

Here are some more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist at the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years and Donald Dossey, a folklore historian and author :

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date’s digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
4. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
   
5. One of the earliest recorded incidents relating to Friday the 13th refers to the massacre of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307.
6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
   
7. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.
   
8. Parisian diners superstitious of the number 13 can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
   
9. According to Smithsonian Magazine “fear of the #13 costs American a billion dollars per year in absenteeism, train and plane cancellations,  and reduced commerce on the 13th of the month.”
10. Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and misfortune.
11. A witches coven has 13 members.
12. Tarot Card number 13 is the Death Card, depicting the Grim Reaper.
13. 13 people, Christ and his 12 disciples, were in attendance at the last supper.  Judas was reportedly the 13^th to arrive. This is where the Christian belief ties in, making Friday a believed unlucky day, as the crucifixion occurred on a Friday.
14. A baker’s dozen consists of 13 for a reason. The origin of the term is disputed. One theory has its roots in the 13^th century where the baker’s dozen is related to the severe punishments which existed in England for bakers who shorted their customers; out of fear of accidentally violating the law, bakers threw an extra loaf in to make sure that the lot of bread would be of the proper weight.
15. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend. “They only had food for 12.”
    
16. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
    
17. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle’s head, 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there’s been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

Audi Gets Bitchslapped in Public

Well I’m sure that the ad execs for Audi thought this concept for a billboard was a great idea at first, but this pic clearly shows that BMW has the smarter ad agency. Absolutely brilliant!

Cheese Grater Toilet Paper

This ain’t your Grandma’s Charmin! Available through play.com, this manly toilet paper is the perfect accessory for that hunting camp or Una-Bomber shack.

Via: Nerd Approved

Funny Church Signs

Here’s a great collection of funny church signs from across the USA. Funny seems to be nondenominational… Enjoy.

22 Great Life Philosophies

Here are some great philosophies that you can use to guide your life…

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
3. It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
4. Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
5. Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.
9. If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
12. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
13. Some days you’re the bug; some days you’re the windshield.
14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Duct tape is like ‘The Force’. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
19. Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.
20. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

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