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

So you think that you're a bit sad then? You've maybe got a collection of model cars, you play Dungeons and Dragons or perhaps you like skipping or something.

Think again.

Not only do some people collect dull things, but they make web sites out of them.

http://www.pencils.com/

... they are not alone ...

http://www.infofreako.com/jad/enpitsu-e.html

but the coup de gras is ...

http://www.pencilpages.com/

... which boasts a gallery and philosophy pages The list is endless. Pages and pages of ...

http://www.the-pencil-place.freeserve.co.uk/pen_phys.htm
http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Hobbies/Collecting/Pencil_Sharpeners/
http://www.pencilcollector.org/membership.htm

... and then there are the pencil sharpener collectors.

http://www.keyworlds.com/c/collecting-pencil_sharpeners.htm

It doesn't stop there. There are other things that people should be ashamed of doing, but instead they build web sites. Things such as International Cup Stacking ...

http://www.speedstacks.com/
http://www.worldcupstackingassociation.org/
http://www.cr.k12.ia.us/trum/Murray/cup_stacking.htm
http://mr-jim.com/cupstacking.htm

... and the movies that go with them.

Make it stop. Make it stop!!

Found you another one!!

http://www.sinasnet.nl/Watergun.html

The largest watergun museum on the net!!

Now I'm no Internet newbie... I know how search engines work - and I must ask - How did you get those links? I can't imagine how bored you must have been to use such search criteria as that which would return such results!

Incidentally, I'm also bored beyond my - not very wild dreams. And I need to be reminded that the world is of course, odder than me.

Well, it all started when I was very bored at work. I thought that the scope of humanity and geekdom would lead to the weirdest possibilties for web sites. So I looked around my desk and saw a pencil. Googled for pencils ... ... my suspicions were confirmed. Web sites dedicated to pencils that boasted galleries and 'ographies of varying sorts.

... Then a colleague told me that if I thought that was weird then I should look at the cup stacking web sites.

AGHAST!! (new smiley required)

I would imagine that there are much duller and much weirder web sites around and it's all downhill from here. Let me know if you find any. Did you see the cup stacking video?

I did /not/ see the video. I saw the moving slideshow of 'Cup Stacking' though, and using advice from the Book itself, decided to run away. Terribly fast.

Regarding Googling things, though. Search for Google, with Google, and on a result that lives on a Google server (say, www.google.com is found), click the 'Cached' link. Then notice the notice 'Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content'. Odd. Who looks after Google if Google themselves are not responsible for it?

There's a thought: Google-isms - There may be a Googleism website - although saying that, have you seen http://www.alltooflat.com/geeky/elgoog - the Google Mirror, in more ways than one. ..?

Holy Crap!!

It's surely not /that/ funny.

Not so much funny as weird and why bother?

Novelty, my friend. Novelty.

Found another!!!

http://www.pegged.co.uk

Fabulous!!

Ridiculous!