Daily Radar: Friday, Nov. 26, 2010

By Adrian Ma

On Friday's Daily Radar: a computer program reveals the most boring day of the 20th century, McDonald's offers McDegrees, and test your knowledge of CFL history ahead of this weekend's Grey Cup.

1. Christmas may be a month away, but that didn't stop a flash mob of carollers from breaking out into a flawless rendition of Hallelujah at a busy shopping mall food court in Welland, Ont. A video recording of the surprise performance posted to YouTube has gone viral, attracting more than 1.6 million views since it was posted last week. While the singing is fantastic, the best part of the clip may be the stunned expressions of the burger-clutching onlookers.

2. A U.K. scientist has developed a computer program that has calculated the most boring day of the 20th century. The program was fed millions of facts about people, places, and news events, and then used complex algorithms to determine which day was most lacklustre, the Telegraph reports. Apparently, the 20th century's most boring day was April 11, 1954. The programmer, William Tunstall-Pedoe, said no major events happened that day, and nobody significant died. Belgium held an election, and Turkish electrical engineering professor Abdullah Atalar was the most notable person born. "The irony is, though, that -- having done the calculation -- the day is interesting for being exceptionally boring," Tunstall-Pedoe said. "Unless, that is, you are Abdullah Atalar."

3. The world-famous annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City has come and gone, but you can relive the festivities at blog.rounds.com, thanks to this pretty cool parade balloon photo essay. After all, nothing commemorates thankfulness and the bountiful harvest more than a terrifyingly huge Spider-Man balloon floating down the streets of Manhattan.

4. Would you like a degree with that Big Mac? Fast-food giant McDonald's is now offering a business management program for its U.K. employees, according to the BBC. The two-year degree program, accredited by Manchester Metropolitan University, incorporates the school's management development syllabus but has been modified to include online courses and on-the-job training, so McDonald's employees can complete it without having to stop serving up McNuggets.

5. Finally, the 98th Grey Cup takes places in Edmonton this Sunday. The Saskatchewan Roughriders will meet the Montreal Alouettes in the ultimate battle for Canadian football supremacy. While the players test their mettle on the gridiron, you can test your knowledge of CFL history with this CBC Sports.ca quiz. 

What stories are you following today?