You gotta be good at something!

I remember back to my first economics class where I learned about the theory of comparative advantage, and how the fact that you only have to be relatively better at something (rather than absolutely better at something) drives the world’s trade models.

So we know that every country in the world must be number 1 at something, but I’m not sure how helpful some of these things really are. Plenty more interesting visuals, by the way, at information is beautiful.

… and could the same be said for people? Helpfully the good people at the Universal Records Data Base are helping us to find out. The idea started at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada Desert where some friends set up a tent and invited people to be the first at something (pretty much anything like, apparently, the record for the world’s longest “Sssshhhhh”)

Since turned into a great website, you can browse for hours and even set your own record at the touch of a button. It just needs to be measurable, beatable and you need to provide documentary evidence. Records on the site include:

1. Most Questions Answered About LOST In Two Minutes By Someone Who’s Never Seen The Show (click here)

2. Most Giraffe tattoos on a shoulder (click here)

3. Fastest Time To Take A Photo Of One’s Son With An iPhone And Digitally Apply A Mustache To It (click here)

If you think you can set your own record or better one of the above, then go to the site and prove it. You gotta be good at something, or my economics professors were wrong and world trade will stop!

Copyright 2010 Caspar Schlickum