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whatthehey

(3,660 posts)
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 12:34 PM Mar 2015

Joke Competition; Signed Dawkins Books as Prize

In honor of Dawkins' birthday tomorrow I'm running a genuine competition.

I am getting rid of almost all my dead tree books to clear space and in favor of digital versions; using donations mostly. However it struck me that folks here might appreciate a couple of them more than a random used book joint. I have signed recent edition paperbacks of The Blind Watchmaker and Climbing Mount Improbable in read but excellent condition, and since it wouldn't be fair just picking someone or resorting to chance first responses I'm going to run a joke contest.

Rules: Submit an evolution/creationism based joke that would make even the famously reserved Richard himself giggle in this thread between now and midnight on his birthday tomorrow.

Because it's my contest I'll pick a shortlist.

Because I'm not the only arbiter of humor and don't want to be accused of picking favorites for some reason, I'll post a poll here for everyone to vote on the shortlist.

Majority rules and top vote getter will get the books mailed at my expense. Yes you'll have to PM me an address but a) it could be work or a friend's b) I'm not a psycho stalker nor interested in becoming one.

Have fun!

10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Joke Competition; Signed Dawkins Books as Prize (Original Post) whatthehey Mar 2015 OP
Since you didn't say it has to be original, I'm in. Curmudgeoness Mar 2015 #1
How can you tell the sex of a chromosome? PassingFair Mar 2015 #2
Sometimes half the battle really is showing up! whatthehey Mar 2015 #3
Congrats to the winners. LiberalAndProud Mar 2015 #4
This was a great idea! onager Mar 2015 #5
I read all of Ray Bradbury's books while I was growing up. PassingFair Mar 2015 #7
Woo Hoo!!! I got in just under the wire! PassingFair Mar 2015 #6
Well, lucky me. Curmudgeoness Mar 2015 #8
Chicken Dinner! Shout out to whatthehey!!! PassingFair Apr 2015 #9
Digital rules. AtheistCrusader Apr 2015 #10

PassingFair

(22,437 posts)
2. How can you tell the sex of a chromosome?
Thu Mar 26, 2015, 10:57 PM
Mar 2015

Pull down its genes!

I would LOVE a signed copy of The Blind Watchmaker

😃😃😃

whatthehey

(3,660 posts)
3. Sometimes half the battle really is showing up!
Fri Mar 27, 2015, 10:45 AM
Mar 2015

Since we got just two it would be crass to compete between them and I think I can manage the additional couple of dollars for postage with no ill effects so if you are both ok I'll split the books one each. Since we have one stated request for the first book is Mount Improbable ok with you curmudgeoness? (you deserve a prize for the name anyway)

Drop me addresses by PM and I'll ship them out to you toot sweet as the French (don't really) say...

onager

(9,356 posts)
5. This was a great idea!
Fri Mar 27, 2015, 03:35 PM
Mar 2015

Hope we see some other people do this. And congrats to the winners!

I should have copied your idea when I was shedding books to move. Still ended up with over 50 banker-boxes full of the damn things. Currently in storage.

My excuse is that many of those are reference/photo books that don't always translate well to electronic media. I especially enjoy collecting oddball tomes. In Mexico City I found a giant photo-book about the 1915 collision between Pancho Villa and the US govt. Loads of fascinating photos showing how that event used the latest technology of the time (airplanes, radios) and the oldest (Apache scouts on horseback).

One of my few autographed books is a Ray Bradbury collection. Which I only mention so I can work in this completely offtopic story: Bradbury said that when he got his first VCR, like many older people he couldn't figure out how to program it. His daughter, 18 or 19 at the time IIRC, came in and saw the "12:00" blinking. Naturally she had it up and running in a few minutes. According to Bradbury, she just smirked at him and said: "World's greatest living SCIENCE-fiction author, eh?"

PassingFair

(22,437 posts)
7. I read all of Ray Bradbury's books while I was growing up.
Fri Mar 27, 2015, 04:39 PM
Mar 2015

I was really disturbed when I found out that he was a conservative.

Most writers that I veered towards happened (i found out MUCH later) to be
atheists, agnostics or "unaffiliated".

PassingFair

(22,437 posts)
6. Woo Hoo!!! I got in just under the wire!
Fri Mar 27, 2015, 04:36 PM
Mar 2015

Had to use my phone!

I'll be looking in the mail box!

Thank you whatthehey!!!

I first mistook you for whatthehell in another thread.

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
8. Well, lucky me.
Tue Mar 31, 2015, 11:45 AM
Mar 2015

Glad that no one else decided to get in on the fun.

Thank you, whatthehey. This was a fantastic idea.

PassingFair

(22,437 posts)
9. Chicken Dinner! Shout out to whatthehey!!!
Fri Apr 10, 2015, 09:53 AM
Apr 2015

I got my grand prize last week!!

I snapped a picture of it and sent it to a friend of mine who is a Dawkins Fangirl...

I want you to know that I am passing it on to her after I re-read it.

It lives!!

On Edit: THANK YOU!!!!

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)
10. Digital rules.
Fri Apr 10, 2015, 10:09 AM
Apr 2015

I've got less than a hundred pounds of paper books left in my house. It's awesome.

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