TIME Magazine called Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first?" routine "the best comedy sketch of the twentieth century," and I find that hard to argue with. I loved listening to it as a kid, and when I hear it today it still brings a smile.

A couple of weeks ago I received a review copy of Who's on First? in the form of a children's book illustrated by John Martz. I left it on the kitchen table planning to read it later in the afternoon. My nine-year-old daughter Jane saw it when she got home from school and started reading it. She ran into my room and said, "This is great. Have you read it?" I explained that it was based on a comedy sketch performed by a couple of old-timey comedians, which didn't interest her. She loved the book, though, and read it to me that night before bed. Martz' version of the story, which stars a rabbit and a bear, has all the goofy humor of the original sketch. I'd love to see it done as an animated cartoon, using the voices of Lou and Bud.

Who's on First?

Hurray! A new Captain Underpants novel is out. My daughter Jane (9) rips through each Captain Underpants novel the second she gets her hands on a copy. And so do I. These adventure stories are about two mischievous but goodhearted 4th grade boys, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and their crabby high-school principal, Mr. Krupp. The boys learned how to hypnotize Mr. Krupp into believing he is a superhero, and whenever they snap their fingers, Mr. Krupp removes his clothes and toupee and becomes the jolly, heroic Captain Underpants. When someone pours water on Captain Underpants' head, he turns back into Mr. Krupp and has no memory of being Captain Underpants.

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers is Pilkey's 10th Captain Underpants novel and it concerns robotic trousers, zombie nerds, time machines, nuclear bombs, a giant squid, cavemen, and multiple clones of a villain named Tippy Tinkletrousers. Readers get to witness the birth of an ice age and the invention of comics.

Dav Pilkey, the author and artist of the series, invented Captain Underpants as a child, while sitting at his desk. From a 2000 CNN profile:

In the books, George and Harold are described as "behaviorally challenged," and suspected of having attention deficit disorder. In real life, Pilkey was diagnosed with A.D.D., and suffers from it to such an extent that he avoids face-to-face and telephone interviews. He will answer questions only via e-mail.

"I had A.D.D.," Pilkey recently e-recalled. "I had a lot of trouble, um... what was the question again?"

As a second-grader, Pilkey was so disruptive in class that his exasperated teacher put his desk out in the hallway. (Pilkey says he stayed there pretty much throughout elementary school, moving his desk down the hall outside a new classroom each year). He had time on his hands, and a pencil.

"It was there in the hall that I began drawing Captain Underpants," said Pilkey. "Soon I was making my own comic books about him."

Classmates clamored to read each new hand-drawn Dave Pilkey production.

Thankfully, this form of punishment resulted in this funny, clever book series, which has sold 15 million copies. If your kids have not yet experienced the joy of Captain Underpants, you can get books 1-5 in a box set.

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers

Steve Hoefer is a San Francisco-based inventor and creative problem solver with nearly 20 years of experience. He’s contributed projects to the pages of MAKE, including his Indestructible LED Lanterns, Secret-Knock Gumball Machine, and Haptic Wrist Rangefinder. He’s also active in the open source hardware and software communities and is a super nice guy.

One project you’re particularly proud of:

1. The Secret Knock Gumball Machine. A lot of the things I do are for a specific audience or solving a specific problem, but the Secret Knock Gumball Machine has something for everyone and it manages to make candy more fun. It has a feel of forbidden magic to it. It’s not immediately obvious how it works, but you get to see how the trick is done. It’s mechanically and technically pretty simple — you can build your own! I still regularly get messages from people, usually young people, who are inspired by it and have used it as their own springboard into making.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Things About Steve Hoefer

Autodesk's 123D Creature is an iPad app that lets you design a monster and then order a 3D print for home delivery. The app costs $2 and I just bought it. Looking forward to trying it out with Jane tonight!

Create a skeleton
Add joints and create limbs to build up your 3D character in digital clay. Reposition, pose, and scale limbs; and adjust your creature's shape.

Decorate
Add surface details using the sculpting tools, then use the airbrush to paint on color or use image paint add realistic details by to rubbing areas of a photo onto your 3D creature.

Export and share
Bring your 3D creature into the render room to generate amazing images to share with your friends. Use the in-app printing service to order a 3D print of your creature, or export your 3D model complete with textures.

123D Creature

(Via Adafruit Industries)

Last month we reported that the makers of Monopoly were holding an election to add a new piece to the game, and to get rid of one of the existing pieces. I was sure the robot would win, but the cat lovers stuffed the ballot boxes, likely cheating, to make sure the kitty won. No one is surprised that the iron was voted out. (Thanks, Amy!)