Serendipity, Stupidity, and the Web

Blogging, humor, lessons learned, rankings, sports, Teaching and Education, United States 2 Minutes

This is probably about the fifth post I’ve written that refers to the word serendipity.

It’s no surprise given how much I surf the web, and end up clicking on random links that pop up.

Today’s serendipitous moment started while watching ESPN’s Gameday show, which was set at Penn State (where they are having one of their famous whiteout games, as shown above).

One of the student signs said something along the lines of:

“Lions Eat Tigers”

which refers to the fact that the Penn State Nittany Lions were playing the Auburn Tigers.

One of my first thoughts after seeing the sign was who would win such a fight.

So I typed lion vs tiger to Google, and there were over 320 million results, which included several videos. I read a few of the results, and the consensus seems to be that a tiger would win such a battle.

That then led me to see what animal would beat a tiger, and it looked like an elephant is a pretty formidable target for just about any animal.

So I typed in elephant vs tiger and after scrolling down the page a bit, the following results caught my eye:

There was no way I could avoid clicking on some of those links

So of course I checked on the link to find out what is the dumbest animal, half expecting to see my dog at the top of the list

But here is what I found out. It wasn’t my dog, but an ostrich.

When faced with an imposing threat, the ostrich will push its head at the ground (not shove it under the sand, as the legend goes), close its eyes and go invisible. Well, the bird thinks it’s invisible. They’re kind of stupid animals.

I also couldn’t resist clicking on “what is the stupidest state?”

I was hoping it would be a bit more humorous, making fun of a state for some of the antics of its citizens. Instead, it was a list based on real data, using a combination of IQ scores, SAT scores, ACT scores, and percentage of college students. Based on these factors, here are the 10 “dumbest” states:

  • Hawaii
  • Nevada
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • South Carolina
  • West Virginia
  • Louisiana
  • North Carolina
  • Arizona

So yes, serendipity is alive and well on the web. But that’s not to say where it leads will make you any smarter.

In that respect, it’s a lot like this blog…

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

Published

95 thoughts on “Serendipity, Stupidity, and the Web”

  1. I don’t know what smart or dumb is. I think we’re all smart in our own ways, and dumb in our own ways. But to quantify smartness, stupidity, or dumbness is impossible, since it all boils down to a matter of opinion. But I do feel very glad that I’m not an ostrich.

    Liked by 3 people

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    2. quite true. one person might score a perfect sat score and have no idea how to change a flat tire.

      I wonder if the ostrich trick works at all, because I may want to try it someday. especially if you come looking for your money…

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  3. Even if lions could eat tigers, the student’s sign would not apply to Auburn v. PSU. Penn State’s mascot is the nittany lion — otherwise known as a cougar, mountain lion or puma. Fortunately for Penn State fans, the game wasn’t a mascot battle. PSU won.

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  6. It is difficult to not click on some of those links. What surprises me when I search for the answer to a question is that I only type a couple of words and my whole question comes up. I can’t believe I am unable to ask an original question.

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  10. This made me laugh and now I want to click on some of those same links. Right after I check to see if I can find a streaming or OnDemand version of 2001’s Serendipity. Wonder what John Cusack is up to these days? There goes my Sunday . . .

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  12. Hawaii is a surprise. But they have a lot of laid back culture and that probably applies to studying too.

    The SD Wild Animal Park had an ostrich that figured out that staff vehicles stopping at a certain point meant the gating system would open. It would try to get ahead of the vehicles to go through.

    A rhino did the same… but also figured out the button that triggered the gates. When I was there, the “safari” vehicle had to back up, coax the rhino to the back, give it a bunch of apples, and take off while it ate. Only to have the ostrich waiting on the other side!!

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  17. I have tried that Ostrich head in the sand trick when faced life’s challenges and can testify it doesn’t work, I too find myself clicking through once I get started and have found myself in some very strange places, but sometimes serendipity is behind it and I meet interesting people and discover little known facts that might help me beat The Chaser… thanks Jim…x

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