Wikipedia can give you routine ideas!

[Joe Hadsall]

Seriously, it can. Oliver Meech wrote about it on The Clog (all the links here on the blog). In a nutshell: Click the "Random article" link on a Wikipedia page, then use your result to fire up your creativity. I tried it (results also on the blog), and it worked fairly well. So, your turn.

Click here to go to a random Wikipedia page. Then think up some awesomeness.

What did you come up with?

[Steerpike]

I got a challenging one. The article I was linked to was a stub for the word Jelen, which is a Slavic surname and also the word for deer.

I Googled the symbolism of deer in Slavic folklore and found that it's a symbol for wealth and was commonly inscribed on pisanki, which are traditional ornaments from the Slavic world similar to Easter eggs. The eggs are not boiled, but instead drained through a pinhole bored into the shell. They're scribed with beeswax using a copper stylus and then dyed. After each dying, a new design is added with wax to lock in the color before dying again in successively darker colors ending with black. At last, the entire egg is blackened and with a candle flame and tissue, the wax is melted and brushed off to reveal the intricate and complex patterns in a variety of colors.

My family actually has a set of these from Prague. We have a few relatives in the old country. Ribbons were threaded through the draining holes and the egg shells become Christmas ornaments.

Now ideas...

The most obvious to me would be to do a parlor show involving crafting a crude pisanki myself (laden with shortcuts of course since they take so long to make). The image of a deer would be drawn on the egg shell, the symbol of wealth.

Crack the egg open, and coins spill out. A classic effect seasoned with a little folklore to give it a more organic feel.

[Goudinov]

I got "International Panel of Umpires and Referees" in the category "Cricket umpiring"...

Sorry... no way.

[jongefing]

I got La Crosse Central High School. So I called them and I booked a show for next week. Thanks!

Actually, I like this idea. I'll have to sit down when I'm feeling a bit more creative and give it a shot.

[Genesis6496943]

By whatever freak of Wiki-randomization, my first three random articles were about religion... one about a priest, one about a bishop, and then a general article about something to do with Islam (That sounds a bit ignorant of me, but it sounds that way because I don't have the time to read huge long articles like that). I stay away from common religions in all of my performances, because that's too dicey for me.

Fourth try: The Slovak Republic. Haven't even read the article yet but was reminded by the whole history concept of mythology, which is a definite place for some presentational ideas.

Thanks for posting Joe!

[jongefing]

By whatever freak of Wiki-randomization, my first three random articles were about religion... one about a priest, one about a bishop, and then a general article about something to do with Islam (That sounds a bit ignorant of me, but it sounds that way because I don't have the time to read huge long articles like that). I stay away from common religions in all of my performances, because that's too dicey for me.

I don't know about a magic trick, but your first three hits could almost certainly be turned into a joke: A priest, a Bishop, and the nation of Islam walk into a bar (stop me if you've heard this one)...

[4757joshua2]

Mine was "Highway 90". (A long road built a few decades ago.)

Nothing I want to work with there, but this is a good idea! Thanks for sharing.

[Steerpike]

I don't know about a magic trick, but your first three hits could almost certainly be turned into a joke: A priest, a Bishop, and the nation of Islam walk into a bar (stop me if you've heard this one)...

There's a card trick in there somewhere.

Mine was "Highway 90". (A long road built a few decades ago.)

Nothing I want to work with there, but this is a good idea! Thanks for sharing.

Do you have any idea how many ghost stories there are involving roads and highways in the US alone? To Google!

[4757joshua2]

Do you have any idea how many ghost stories there are involving roads and highways in the US alone? To Google!

That's the first thing that popped into my mind actually! :D

[ScottBaird]

There's a card trick in there somewhere.

"A priest, a bishop, and the nation of Islam...

"... and they said, SAM, we need to find some ladies! And we'll give you a 2 dollar tip..."

:)

Scott.

[ScottBaird]

PS: Mine said, (in full)

Köndələn (also, Kendelyan) is a village and municipality in the Shaki Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 780.

So...

ever play 780-card pick-up?

:P

Scott.

[Tempest]

I draw inspiration and creativity from both Wiki and Dictionary.com.

Very useful for creating, and who would have thought so?

|| sean ||

[complik]

Peruvian handcraft. Wow.