Testing the USPS

Following on my earlier post on the beauty and efficacity of the US Postal Service, here's a study by Jeff Van Bueren and the Improbable Research team on the USPS's service. What will they deliver, and how will it arrive?

Will a twenty-dollar bill wrapped in a clear plastic sheath arrive at its destination? (Answer: Yes!)

Will a feather duster, with address attached by wire to the handle, arrive at its destination? (Answer: Yes! although the clerk at the pickup station will remark that such packages should be wrapped.)

Will an unwrapped lemon arrive at its marked destination? (Answer: No.)

Will a rotting, dead fish in a box arrive at its destination? (Answer: Yes! With a stern warning about mail service abuse.)

This is an older article--it dates from 2000, and I think I've seen it before--but it still makes me very happy.

[Via TNH]