| You might have learned about the hidden elves of Iceland if you read the Michael Lewis article we blogged about recently. (Note: for Icelandic pushback to Lewis’s colorful tales, see here.) The Icelandic government apparently takes these elves very seriously, and often requires that new construction sites be certified as clear of elves before building begins. So how do you find an elf? Slate‘s Explainer has the answer. Among the interesting factoids: 3 percent of Icelanders swear they have seen an elf in their lifetime. Not long ago, we ran Nathan Myhrvold‘s compelling photos of Iceland. Sadly, there are no elves in the frames … or so you think. [%comments]
Elf Problems
and 
. You can also watch it on 
I love the following from the Icelandic pushback.
70 degree c = 158 degrees F. 158 degree water can cause 2nd and 3rd degree burns. . .
3. Iceland’s geothermic water is so hot that when municipal work is being done on the cold-water pipes, sometimes people are “boiled alive” in the shower.
Granted, the warm water stinks like bad eggs and there’s an endless supply of it. But it’s not like the Icelanders run it directly from the volcanoes. Moreover, Reykjavík’s water-utility company says that even if the cold-water pipes are turned off, it’s impossible for the water coming out of a shower to ever exceed 70?C.
While everyone is entertained by articles “revealing” amusing tales about other countries, it’s worth noting that several claims in Lewis’ article (including the one about elves) have been debunked. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/03/reality_check_vanity_fairs_fis.html
Yet another pointless burden of elf and safety regulations.
didn’t Danny DeVito visit Iceland recently?
If elves were found in the U.S., we’d build an ineffective fence to keep them from taking the jobs we don’t want.
#3 – I’m still snickering over that one an hour after I read it and wondering if it is possible my Dad has somehow found this blog and posted
Elves schmelves. Here in NZ mythical geckos have forced highway route alterations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taniwha