Here we are: it's the middle of the summer, and there aren't enough things to do. I'm sure by now everyone has heard as many recommendations on how to keep the summer interesting as I have, and doubtless we have all tried at least one or two of them. So I understand that now might not be the best time to go on suggesting more time-absorbing acts of leisure. But I've discovered one that might just be the most interesting one yet.

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, on this most normal, inauspicious of days, I offer you an opportunity so unique, so clever and yet so simple,so positively goofy, that even the most stoic of you will assuredly fail to detain your laughter. From this moment on, life will never be the same. That is because for the first time ever, the worldwide web offers you the possibility to talk to: A RANDOM SWEDE.

"The first country in the world with its own phone number. Get connected to a random Swede and talk about anything."

130 127 60600

Dialing these eleven numbers are all it takes for you find yourself talking a delightful stranger.

I spoke to a guy named Fredrik for over 20 minutes. We talked politics, life plans, and what he's up to tonight. Fredrik is about 20 years old. He's currently trying to decide what he wants to do with his life and he was DJing at a party when I called.

This is all part of a website the Swedish government began recently in an effort to get the world more interested in Sweden.

I don't know if it'll work for you, but it worked on me.

You can the random Swede website at theswedishnumber.com

Did you know that Sweden had a Charles VII, but never had a Charles I through Charles VI? Maybe if you called a Swede you could find out why.