The Hump Day Humor-Gram,  November 7, 2007    Issue Number 237
================================================================
Hello Hump Dayers!  Please check out our latest e-book:
“340 Ways to Add Humor to the Workplace” available through 
www.mikekerr.com. It’s a great reference guide to all the 
great ideas we’ve talked about over the years, plus many 
new, never before seen ideas! Wow! Is that exciting or what?  
================================================================
1. AHA!   

As we’ve mentioned oh-so many times, there are many, many 
motivational forces at work far beyond the old pay check. 
In a recent survey by the Fairfax County Economic
Development Authority, 21% of respondents said they would 
change jobs to be more creative at work, even if it meant
taking less pay, while 29% said they’d change jobs to be
part of a “creative community.” And this desire to be more 
creative and to exert more ownership and control over one’s 
day to day work life will grow as younger workers enter the 
workforce. 
===============================================================
2. Mike's Fun at Work Tip  

Although we need to be careful that we’re not using humor
as a band-aid solution or window dressing, apparently sometimes 
all it takes to affect change is the power of a little smiley
face. Homeowners in California who were told how low their 
energy consumption was in comparison to their neighbors
were more likely to keep up conserving energy when their 
bills included a smiley face, than those homeowners who didn’t
receive the symbolic smiley face pat on the back! So, :) 

==============================================================
3. Deep Thought of the Week

A journey of a thousand miles begins with Dad saying,
“I know a shortcut!”   :) 
================================================================
4. It's a Wacky, Wacky, World  

The Ig Nobels were recently announced. The “Igs” are awarded
annually by the “Annals of Improbable Research” for scientific
studies that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” 
Amongst this years winners: scientists who discovered that 
Viagra helps hamsters overcome jet lag; a study looking into 
the extraction of vanilla from cow dung; a paper examining 
the side effects of sword swallowing and, my personal favorite,
a study by Spanish researchers looking into that age old question 
as to whether or not rats can discriminate between Japanese 
and Dutch spoken backwards. 

Happy Hump Day! Keep smiling! :)  (Is it working yet? :) )  
================================================================
Copyright Michael Kerr, 2007. mike@mikekerr.com  www.mikekerr.com