Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

Bad jokes are in the eye of the beholder. However, there’s one quip that we can all agree is beyond tired: Why did the chicken cross the road? It wasn’t funny when I heard it at age 3, it ain’t funny now, and I doubt that it’ll suddenly become hilarious when I hear it in 30 years. So, who do we have to “thank” for this cruddy attempt at humor? I set out to assign blame where blame is due.

As with many cases of old sayings and phrases, the origin of this joke is a bit murky. However, I did manage to track down a few respected sites that claim the first use of the phrase came about in 1847 in a monthly magazine called “The Knickerbocker.” The magazine Time Out Sydney confirms that fact, and argues that the point of the joke is that it isn’t really a joke. And that’s what makes it funny. Or something.

Xooxle Answers, a professional research service, tracked down a copy of the actual magazine that lists the joke and posted the document on its site. The 1847 magazine originally read: “…There are ‘quips and quillets’ which seem actual conundrums, but yet are none. Of such is this: ‘Why does a chicken cross the street? Are you ‘out of town?’ Do you ‘give it up?’ Well, then: ‘Because it wants to get on the other side!’ Are your sides hurting yet?

Of course, there are alternate punch lines to the chicken joke. Sadly they’re not much funnier. “To get away from Colonel Sanders” or “Because the farmer told him to” are two such responses you’re likely to hear from local 5-year-olds or read on the back of Laffy Taffy wrappers.

Still, while I clearly have a strong aversion to chicken-based humor, I know that there are plenty of other awful jokes out there. So, I want to hear from you. What’s the worst (PG-rated) joke you’ve ever heard? I’m hoping if we get enough responses, we can figure out what might really be the absolute lamest, least funny joke ever uttered. Then we’ll all make a vow to never say it again. Who’s in?

Thanks for reading,

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Photo by foxgrrl

We all have our varied interests, and in the last few years I have discovered that, no matter how obscure or unlikely, every interest seems to have a convention or gathering for enthusiasts. I attend a few knitting conventions, including the Stitches West and Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. And this week, I’ll be in Portland, Oregon, with hordes of other sock-knitting enthusiasts, attending the first-ever Sock Summit. (Rumors claim that it’s going to be the Woodstock of sock knitting!) It doesn’t really get more niche than sock knitting, I think. I’ve also attended a couple of science-fiction conventions, and I’m hoping to earn my badge as a geek once I finally attend my first Star Trek convention.

Not to make it sound like all convention-goers bear knitting needles and/or Spock ears. There are also golf conventions (like the Portland Golf Show), Steamcon (for steampunk enthusiasts), airsoft conventions, fly-fishing shows, and music festivals like Coachella. If you have an interest, you can bet there’s a convention for it, and better yet—other enthusiasts! (In the interest of spreading the word about all things niche-y, there are also podcasts on just about every topic you can think of.)

The best part of hobby-focused conventions, for me, is meeting like-minded people. Clearly, there is a bond of common interest between all in attendance that brings people together who may otherwise be very different. That makes for great conversations, and frequently, lasting friendships.

So what’s your niche? And what gatherings have you attended in pursuit of your hobbies?

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Hey Guys,

I like to think of myself as a polite person. I say “please,” “thank you,” and even utter the occasional “Gesundheit” in the interest of international relations. Lately, however, I’ve been struggling with another question of manners. When, if ever, can I call my friends’ parents by their first names?

Now, keep in mind that I’m not talking about calling people who I just met by their first names. I’m referring to the parents of friends you’ve known for a long time. You grew up calling them “Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So” and thanking them for driving you to the mall. But now you’re not a kid anymore, and calling them by their formal titles feels, well, a little lame.

I found a like-minded person with a similar question on Yahoo! Answers. Though the asker doesn’t specify his or her age, most responders write one should probably play it safe and stick to the formal title until the parent asks you to “just call me Sharon.”

I looked around for a more official answer to this etiquette riddle and found one courtesy of Miss Manners herself. In a column directed toward a teenager who asked whether or not it’s OK to call the parents of friends by their first names, Miss Manners writes that “The correct choice… is whatever and whenever the elder generation decides.”

In other words, age trumps all. If I’m 75 and my friends’ parents want to be called Mr. and Mrs. Jones instead of Frank and Bernice, I don’t have much of a choice if I want to be polite. They put up with me when I was a kid, so apparently I’m grandfathered in until they say otherwise. Miss Manners does offer a hint if you want to make the switch. “If you want to prod them into voicing a different preference, just keep inserting the formal address into your conversation, thus giving them a chance to invite you to use their first names.”

What do you guys think of this rule? As adults, do you still call the parents of your friends by their formal names? Or did you decide the whole thing is ridiculous and adopt a first name only approach? Please leave a comment below and share your ideas.

Thanks for reading,

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Last week, we introduced some of the cool new additions to our blog. With these add-ons, we not only hope to improve your experience on Answers, but we also want to ensure easier navigation. That’s why we’ve included a tag cloud on the sidebar.

The tag cloud will allow you to access a specific topic with a simple click. Each tag is a link that leads you to a collection of items that are associated with a particular subject.

How do I use the tag cloud?

The most popular tags will appear in a larger font size. Scroll over the list of words and click the ones you want to read about. For example, if you’re interested in reading about the Community Guidelines, click that tag. If you prefer to check out posts about celebrities or music, click Entertainment. It’s easy.

To go back to the full list of posts, click “Yahoo! Answers Blog” or “Home” at the top of the page.

As you can see, our blog covers a variety of topics. What are your favorite things to discuss? Let us know so we can include more of what you like on our blog.

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Photo by Bob Jagendorf

As I’m sitting here, dampened by yet another rainy day in the middle of July, I can’t help but wonder what the heck is going on with the weather? This summer has been particularly strange, at least here in New York. We’ve always had the occasional summer thunderstorm, but this year it feels like we’ve been under a constant deluge since spring. I’m exaggerating of course, but I think we’ve certainly had more than our fair share of rain thus far. And according to the forecast, there’s plenty more sogginess to look forward to in the coming days.

With all the talk of global warming and people’s deleterious effect on the environment, the paranoid in me is getting riled up. I wonder whether this is just part of the natural cycle of weather patterns or if this is an indication of something worse. I’ve recently read that that El Niño is on its way. Could that have something to do with this infernal soaking? How will El Niño affect weather in various parts of the country in the coming months? What is El Niño anyway? There must be some weather-head Answers users out there to help me figure this out!

First, I guess I need to figure out exactly what El Niño is. For that, I turn to retired research meteorologist 1ofSelby’s, who has answered quite a few questions in the Weather section. His explanation is too detailed to reproduce here, but check out his answer to gain a better understanding of El Niño and how it differs from La Niña. Answers user uni-verse further helps us understand the mechanics of how El Niño and La Niña episodes are caused by ocean currents and global weather patterns.

As for the positive and negative effects of El Niño, both ridonculous and DustinDawind offer some interesting answers in response to that exact question posed by Ty. Matt answers a very similar question, focusing on how El Niño specifically affects the Atlantic hurricane season, a subject of particular importance in my region. I’ve learned that El Niño can be especially dangerous on the West Coast, in particular California, so for more on that I turn to our current top answerer in the weather section, cyswxman, who assures us that Southern California is probably in for an especially wet winter.

Thanks to all of these wise and informed weather experts, I can safely say that this irritating rain is probably just part of New York’s natural weather cycle and not indicative of anything more worrisome. I also have a clearer understanding of El Niño and La Niña events and realize that they are also just part of earth’s natural weather cycle. I guess I can safely lay my paranoid fears aside. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to run to the hardware store to buy some wood for my ark.

Have you been experiencing any unusual weather where you live? And how do you think this year’s El Niño will affect your area in the coming months?

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