This was always a fun read; I think that it was about 20 years ago that a falling out among the editors led to a split between IJR and the Annals of Improbable Research, now best known for their annual Ig Nobel prizes.<p>I got the &quot;best of IJR&quot; book many years ago, and continue to tell people about one article in particular: &quot;National Geographic: The Doomsday Machine.&quot;  You can read it here: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jir.com&#x2F;geographic.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jir.com&#x2F;geographic.html</a><p>In short, so many people in the Northeastern US subscribe to National Geographic, and never throw it out, that the continent is in danger of tipping over.