"The Horror of Blimps"

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Morrigoon posted a link to this over on Micechat but I thought the folks here might get a good laugh out of it as well.

If you have a few moments, read this (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=160851).

It's one of my favorite posts ever to a message board. :)

[AllyOops!]

Thank you for posting that link, MBC! :D :snap: I have to admit, that was way entertaining to read! Hahaha!!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Haha, nice.

Speaking of blimps, CP and I saw an odd sight this weekend, heading up the 5 towards Dodger Stadium. A bizarre pyschedelic blimp floating through the skies. I snapped a couple shots as it passed (which I have yet to pull of the camera). There were no identifying marks to tell me from whence it came.

2 days later, when I suddenly remembered seeing it, I began some research. I typed "psychedelic blimp" into google — well, I typed "psychadelic blimp" and then clicked "Did you mean 'psychedelic blimp', you inept moron?" link — and lo and behlod, it appeared!

http://blimp-operations.us/soaring-dreams/ameriquest%20041.jpg

Turns out it's owned by Ameriquest and is linked to "Soaring Dreams", a charity project aimed at giving kids creative opportunities or something of the sort.

Dude's lucky his model blimp didn't look like that, then he probably WOULD have had a heart attack!

On a side note, while poking around the Soaring Dreams website, I came across this list of amazing innovations...


The telescope paintbrush for children in wheelchairs
The shoe-paintbrush for those who are unable to manipulate a paintbrush with their hands
The fruit-flavored paintbrush for those children who can not paint with their hands or feet.
Welcome to the 21st century.

[Kevy Baby]

Made my day! So I went ahead...

[Hades]

This little tale had me in tears!

On a side note, I know exactly the feeling this poor bastard had when the blimp "attacked" him in his sleep. I had a desk lamp pull the same sinister attack on me. I had fallen asleep with the lamp just above my head at arms length. As the night wore on, the evil forces of gravity brought the lamp slowly closer and closer to my face. When I opened my eyes, my vision was completely dominated by this huge white circle with a large bulbous object residing in it's center just inches away from my face! I, too, let out the same kind of war cry and felt my heart hit the same cadance that he must have felt. When the fog of "fight or flight" had lifted, I had to laugh at myself for having reacted as I did. :rolleyes: I still curse that lamp. :mad:

[Tito's Kitten]

That was a fun read. It reminds me of my boyfriend who is constantly fighting sinsister things attacking him in the night. (and scaring the hell out of me as well....)

[sleepyjeff]

Funniest link ever:)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

OMG FUNNIEST THING EVER!!!!!

I can't believe he PUNCHED IT! It's so funny I can't get over it. Lordy.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Looks like the guy (deservedly) got paid for his writing skills! Road and Travel (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.roadandtravel.com/roadhumor/images/blimp.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.roadandtravel.com/adventuretravel/blimp.htm&h=86&w=110&sz=7&tbnid=Q1-6sXobnSIJ:&tbnh=62&tbnw=80&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhorror%2Bof%2Bblimp%26svnum%3D10%26hl %3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG)

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Looks like the guy (deservedly) got paid for his writing skills! Road and Travel (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.roadandtravel.com/roadhumor/images/blimp.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.roadandtravel.com/adventuretravel/blimp.htm&h=86&w=110&sz=7&tbnid=Q1-6sXobnSIJ:&tbnh=62&tbnw=80&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhorror%2Bof%2Bblimp%26svnum%3D10%26hl %3Den%26lr%3D%26c2coff%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG)

Hmm, interesting. I never knew that. :) I'm glad you all got a kick out of it. And thanks to Morrigoon for reminding me of the thread!

Edited to add: Apparently that thread traveled all around the internet and back a few times. As of June 2003, the thread had over 150,000 views and was reprinted in many places. Pretty impressive, and like you said, well-deserved.

[Jazzman]

Thank you so very much for such a great read. I haven't laughed so hard in ages! And I laugh at everything!

[lizziebith]

Hmm, interesting. I never knew that. :) I'm glad you all got a kick out of it. And thanks to Morrigoon for reminding me of the thread!

Edited to add: Apparently that thread traveled all around the internet and back a few times. As of June 2003, the thread had over 150,000 views and was reprinted in many places. Pretty impressive, and like you said, well-deserved.

Yes, I remember reading it a few years ago...I even bookmarked it on my old PC and would re-read it whenever I needed a pick-me-up! It's still one of the funniest things I've ever read, so thanks for the link! Now it's bookmarked again... :snap: :snap:

[Betty]

So who is going to buy the blimp and test it out for all of us?
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72340.asp?promo=to_teens

[Capt Jack]

AAAAAAHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

*ahem* good one.

:D

[Alex]

I've been reading the pompous ass that is Scylla for years. Can't stand the man. Only one Straight Dope poster is more overrated than him, but they're not allowed to talk about Wally over there any more.

By which I mean to say, enjoy it for the humor (though I find it difficult to find anything the man writes as funny) but don't take it as actually having happened. All of his stories are presented as true, but every month or so something equally fantastic happened to him.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Alex, I'm normally no fan of Scylla either. He annoys me to no end. Still, fabricated or not, I did get a hell of a laugh out of this story. His other posts, not so much. :)

[Not Afraid]

True or not, it is as great story and a fun read. But, I kept hearing David Sedaris reading it (but the wife and kid part was a bit off).

The "Keith Harring" blimp is docked at the Long Beach Airport. I see it all the time flying off on one of it's missions. It really moves!

[Alex]

Well, if it is Sedaris-like then that may be why I don't consider it all that funny (I'm not a big fan of Sedaris's writing, though like him quite a bit in spoken form). But I think it is just because I don't like the man trying to be funny.