h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A simple one this week.

What is the main similarity between a frog and a spaceship?

They both use pads?


lil x

The main baddies inSpace Patrol Orion are the FROGS, or Foreign Race of Galactic Scoundrels?

they both left the pad at the same time?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/13/nasa_ladee_frog_launch/

Neither can propel themselves backwards.

Any more suggestions?

I like BG's suggestion, but I'm clueless.

According to the X-Files, I think it was, frogs can't swallow with their eyes open. But I don't think that applies to spaceships...

Something about leaping through space, maybe ?


...

...
Yum!

Hmmm... apparently today is Frog Jumping Day, commemorating Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".

What that has to do with spaceships.

Heat resistant skin? No, that would be salamanders ...

Neither s nor s have discernible necks.

Do both have 360 degrees of vision?

The problem with a question like this, is while we all think we know what we're talking about with , what exactly is ?

Or is it ?

/
/ / ???

A spaceship flies to the moon while a frog moons to the flies? No, that can't be right.

They both have webbed feet. *folds her arms and looks defiant*

OK, I have to admit this wasn't really a quiz as such. It was a cross between an experiment and a demonstration.

It's an example of a creative icebreaker. If you try it with a group of people, you'll see that people are at first short of ideas. There isn't anything obvious really.

As time goes on, a few people start to think of things - launch pad, giant leap, etc - and then people feed off these and become even more creative, like Gnomon's 'moons to the flies'. You'll also get some great zany ones like Asteroid Lil's 'both have webbed feet'.

Eventually, as people open the boundaries more and more, you'll find the ideas come in a flood. In fact there are more similarities than differences. Given enough time, you might even wonder whether there are really any differences at all.

Did we demonstrate this? I think so. We are a small group, not colocated, so it took longer, but we did get creative in the end.


I hope you found that interesting. If you want to know the model answer to this question. There isn't one.

Oh, except that they're both green.

*Arrives late again*

They're both found on the cover of 'Wings' by Terry Pratchett, and neither are made of cheese.

<BB<

This reminds me of a joke I heard on NPR this last weekend.



What's green and has wheels?




Grass...




I lied about the wheels.

That's almost as bad as:

Q. What's blue and white, and can't climb trees?









A. A fridge in a denim jacket.