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Things you can do with absolutely nothing...
Push your eyes for
interesting light show:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes.
Try to make out things - is your subconscious trying to send you a message?
Can you control what you see by pressing different areas with different
forces? Would it be possible to somehow see the same effects on TV? Or
for that matter, watch TV with your eyes shut doing this?
See how long you
can hold your breath:
(Amusement Potential: 4-20 minutes) Not that much fun, but it sure passes
the time. Play with a friend, or try to beat your own personal best. Some
tips: hyperventilate before hand, and stay as still as possible.
Try to not think
about polar bears:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) This is especially hard, because by
trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of.
If you try too little, you end up thinking about polar bears anyway.
Scratch yourself:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even
if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?
Hurt yourself:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) What is pain? Why is it unpleasant?
There's nothing physical about it - it's all in your mind. Plus, after
pinching yourself for awhile, boredom will seem nice next to being in
pain.
Try to swallow your
tongue:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) There's not much to say about this
one. It is possible.
Look at something
for awhile, shut eyes, study after image:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) Another great time waster. It takes
about 30 seconds of staring to create an after image, and the image is
then viewable for about the same length of time. Fun to combine this one
with pushing on your eyes.
Get yourself as nauseated
as possible:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) Best achieved by looking straight
up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can't even stand up. This
is also entertaining due to the "makes boredom seem a lot better"
effect (see "Hurt Yourself").
Things you
can do with very little:
See what's in your
neighbour's trash:
(Amusement Potential: 20-30 minutes) You can learn a lot about people
by what they throw out. You might uncover some dark secret about them.
Plus, they might be throwing out something with value that still works,
like a VCR.
Watch TV, repeat
everything said in Italian accent:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) Sort of entertaining. Fun to pretend
the people on the screen are actually talking that way.
Call up people who
write editorials you disagree with:
(Amusement Potential: 15-60 minutes) I'm surprised no one has thought
of this before. Unleash your fury on the person who had the nerve to write
a letter like that! I'm pretty sure it doesn't qualify as a prank phone
call, too.
Make prank phone
calls:
(Amusement Potential: 20-60 minutes) Very entertaining, but requires discipline.
Remember - vulgarities don't make a call funny, but getting the other
person to believe a ridiculous story will. Even more fun if you get a
bunch of people on the line using a Wonderphone and take turns making
the calls. One to get you started off: Call McDonald's, try to make reservations.
Pretend all humans
will die except for people in the room with you:
(Amusement Potential: 10-20 minutes) What would you do if this really
happened? Would the group stay together, or would there be factions? Who
would join what group? Remember, there would only be power for a few days
before the plants ran out of fuel or broke. To travel, you would always
have to be near cars to siphon gas out of. Best to do with people you
know.
Step off a curb with
eyes shut, imagine it's a cliff:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) To get any benefit out of this one,
you have to have a good imagination. Don't step off immediately, build
up to the jump. Study the ravine below. Feel the winds at that altitude.
Step off and... AHHHHHH!!!!!
Burn things with
a magnifying glass:
(Amusement Potential: 5-30 minutes) Ants are always fun to use for this,
but burning the face of someone you don't like, under some circumstances,
can be just as entertaining.
Things you
can do with another person:
Have a water drinking
contest:
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes) While the competition is fun, you
probably won't feel too good afterward. To give your event an old western
theme, slam the cups upside down on the tables after you have emptied
them.
Stare at the back
of someone's head until they turn around:
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes) This works on the "I have the
feeling I'm being watched" principle. Conduct an experiment--does
this really work?
Have a "Who
is less competitive" competition:
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes) Trying to win at this will make you
lose. Trying to lose makes you win which makes you lose. Not trying at
all makes you lose which makes you win which makes you lose.
Pick up a dog so
it can see things from your point of view:
(Amusement Potential: 3-5 minutes) Think about it: your dog has only seen
the house from a viewpoint from 6" to 2' high (15 to 60 cm for all
you metric fans). It's never seen the tops of counters, what you keep
on your desk, the tops of shelves, etc. Try looking at things from its
point of view, too.
Pull out a hair,
stick in someone's ear:
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes) Best done to sleeping people. Added
challenge in having no one else around, because then you can't blame it
on anyone else. Try to beat your record number of times before the person
catches on.
Pour water in hand,
make sneeze noise, throw water on back of person's neck:
(Amusement Potential: 5-15 minutes) Always a good gag. For an even bigger
reaction out of the person, act like you're not sorry at all for what
they think you did. Comment instead on how big that sneeze was or about
how there was a lot of mucus in that one.
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