This is what the cultural elite wants us to believe: if our writers don't make sense, or bore us to tears, that can only mean that we aren't worthy of them. [more inside]
posted by philip-random on Nov 26, 2009 - 143 comments

Joseph Brodsky: In Praise of Boredom -- from his Dartmouth College commencement address in 1995. " Boredom is your window on the properties of time that one tends to ignore to the likely peril of one's mental equilibrium. It is your window on time's infinity. Once this window opens, don't try to shut it; on the contrary, throw it wide open. For boredom speaks the language of time, and it teaches you the most valuable lesson of your life: the lesson of your utter insignificance. It is valuable to you, as well as to those you are to rub shoulders with. "You are finite," time tells you in the voice of boredom, "and whatever you do is, from my point of view, futile."
posted by vronsky on Aug 20, 2009 - 38 comments

Illustrated Notes from Computer Science: Tom Murphy VII gets more bored in class than you. And thanks to his free fonts, your boredom can look just as snazzy. (Previous Tom7-related action here. This guy keeps busy. I blame the 80/20 rule.)
posted by nebulawindphone on Mar 15, 2005 - 14 comments

Pen spinning is very cool. Have a look at Pentrix, with guides to help you learn, videos of some very nice looking variations, basic tricks and combinations. A word of warning though, trying these things in an open environment may well annoy your fellow humans; but this may be the only distraction for the bored and restricted office worker.
posted by ed\26h on Jul 2, 2004 - 16 comments

Nobel Prize Winners Hate School. Not that it takes a genius to figure out that 'school is a lot like prison but worse' (George Bernard Shaw) or that it "smothers every truly scientific impulse" (Einstein)....
posted by limitedpie on Jan 14, 2004 - 49 comments

Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so. [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso on Feb 25, 2003 - 33 comments

Media Conspiracies Revealed! Ever notice unusual references to "creamy thighs," "okra," or the phrase, "it was as if an occult hand had. . . " in your daily newspaper? From The Poynter Foundation website, candid confessions from journalists about how they fight the boredom of writing daily news. It's a conspiracy, all right--"right down the cock."
posted by busbyism on Feb 8, 2002 - 5 comments

Killing Time Shamelessly. How to kill time before leaving your job. This article explains how to fill the endless hours of tedium that make up many working days, with suggestions that include breaking into secure areas of your firm, writing a novel with the contents of your inbox and even...God forbid...doing your job Guess what? MeFi made the list of sites to browse shamelessly...
posted by bloated_guts on May 11, 2001 - 14 comments

I am sitting here watching a grown man cutting raw potatoes. Yes I have no life. Do you watch, or am I more pathetic than usual? [more]
posted by ZachsMind on Aug 20, 2000 - 9 comments