In past posts, I've mentioned that I'm a tennis fan. The last few days have been quite exciting in the tennis world as No.-1 ranked, four-time French Open champ, Rafael Nadal, was defeated in the fourth round by No. 23-ranked Robin Soderling, a Swedish player who never won so much as a third-round match at a major tournament before beating Nadal. Soderling went on to thrash Nikolay Davydenko and is now in the semifinals.

I've watched these matches on the Tennis Channel (replays in the evening, Dan), which, like most channels, runs commercials. Many are for stores selling tennis apparel or exotic locales where you can play tennis to your heart's content. However, one commercial that declares "humans are smarter than apes" has captured my attention and made me laugh on more than one occasion. It also made me wonder how much smarter we really are, especially when I recently read about a relatively complex chimp-made toolkit.

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Today, April 1, is known in the U.S., the U.K., and various other countries as April Fools ' Day, a day in which practical jokes are expected and can be performed without impunity—unless, of course, the joke causes serious harm.

My dictionary-that-weighs-a-ton defines practical joke (an oxymoron?) as "a mischievous trick played on a person, especially one that causes the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort.” By this definition, many fall victim to practical jokes every single day of the year—some perpetrated by schemers who prey on others for their own personal gain. When and if they are caught, these jokers must suffer the consequences for the unbelievable suffering they've caused others. What goes around, comes around.

But this day of the year is not about those grand schemes that cause untold damage. Rather, it is (or should be) about good-natured pranks that make us laugh and lighten our day. Who couldn't use a little levity? Sit back and read about some of the most noteworthy pranks of all time and be inspired.

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Listen up, fabricators. Looking for a new product to fabricate? One that capitalizes on the "green" movement and, therefore, stands a decent chance of finding a market? Then look to the sidewalks of New York City.

Ignore any pigeon droppings and trash bags awaiting pickup. Focus instead on some whimsical powder-coated steel structures that look like art but meet a very practical need—one shared by communities of all sizes.

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I just came back from a 10-day vacation. My wife and I visited England and Ireland for four days each. The trip was fun, but it’s hard to just put your life on hold for an extended period nowadays.

As we slept in our tiny hotel room built for none on the fourth day, I tried not to think about work, but the mind drifted to responsibilities of the job. The FABRICATOR’s fall issues tend to be some of the largest of the year, and plenty of assignments were left incomplete before I jetted away. Additionally, what was I going to write about for this week’s blog.

So in a lame attempt to tie in some of my vacation stories with the world of metal, here I go.

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Quick—off the top of your head—what metal product introduced in the U.S. in 1945 is made from 98 feet of wire, is advertised with one of the most memorable jingles of all times, sells for less than $5.00, has sales totaling more than 300 million, and still is being made in the U.S.?

Here's a hint. It also is the official state toy of Pennsylvania. Maybe not the best hint, unless you live in Pennsylvania.

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I haven't seen "Iron Man," but after reading a news release today, I'm moving the movie to the top of my must-see list. It's beating all others at the box-office, but that's not my main reason for wanting to see it. In fact, I generally stay away from superhero movies.

"Iron Man" stars Robert Downey, Jr., as Tony Stark, a comic book hero who constructs a high-tech suit of armor that allows him to battle evil. What caught my attention in the press release is the machine Stark used to build his suit. Its maker is well-known in the U.S. metal fabricating industry. Can you guess who it is?

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Have you seen the Dunkin' Donuts (DD) commercial that features men wielding oxyfuel torches to toast food? When this commercial aired as my husband/resident welding expert and I watched TV the other night, he immediately began to point out all the things that were wrong from a technical standpoint.

Most viewers would think the commercial is creative and memorable, particularly since it features culinary expert and Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson Rachel Ray. (Somehow the culinary expert and Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson combination seems oxymoronic.) But according to my expert, it's rife with mistakes.

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When you make a fast-food cashier roll her eyes, you know it’s been a long day.

Unfamiliar surroundings can make me about as smooth as when I accidentally stabbed my date with the corsage pin before junior prom (yes, that did happen). I’m on the road this week, and today I drove a certain rental car for which, I’m sure, designers had to be playing some sort of cruel joke.

Picture this: I pull up to the drive-through speaker and get ready to roll down the window when, to my surprise, I see no window crank or controller. I look on the wheel, by the air and heat knobs, by the clock—nothing. A curb is to my left and right, so I can’t simply pull out of the drive-through lane. And of course, as I frantically look for the window control, a car pulls up behind me. I can’t even back out. So, with all the dignity I can muster (which isn’t much at this point), I open the door, stand by the speaker, and give my order. I get back in the car, drive up to the window, get out of the car again and stand there, meekly. The cashier looks at me like I’m some sort of nut.

“It’s a rental,” I say, even more meekly. “I can’t find the hand crank for the window. Just unfamiliar surroundings.”

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Chicago police shot a cougar on the North Side on Monday afternoon. I guess the cougar didn’t feel like running anymore and stood its ground, leaving the policemen no other choice than to kill the 150-pound cat.

That’s not the story you expect to wake up and read in the morning paper. I have to admit it’s made me thankful that I only have to deal with raccoons and the occasional rabbits. Of course, with the appearance of cougars in northern Illinois, maybe I won’t have to worry about the small critters any more.

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Dec. 23 is fast approaching. That means Festivus is upon us.

Of course, this is the “unholiday.” It is derived from a 1997 “Seinfeld” episode in which George Costanza’s dad, Frank, introduces the holiday he invented as a sort of protest against the commercialization of Christmas. The symbol of the holiday is an “unadorned and lusterless” aluminum pole, currently available from Milwaukee fabricator The Wagner Companies.

The two major traditions associated with this day are the feats of strength and the airing of grievances.

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