December 2010
Chindōgu →
bestofwikipedia:
Chindo-gu is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, chindo-gu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions would find that it causes so many new problems, or such significant social embarrassment, that effectively it has no utility...
backmasking
dictionaryofobscuresorrows:
n. the instinctive tendency to see someone as you knew them in their youth, a burned-in image of grass-stained knees, graffitied backpacks or handfuls of birthday cake superimposed on an adult with a degree, an illusion formed when someone opens the door to your emotional darkroom while the memory is still developing.
“Based on all of the existing data regarding weight loss efforts, I cannot...”
– Marilyn Wann Against Weight Loss Resolutions - Large & Lovely (via bbwprincess)
Swardspeak →
bestofwikipedia:
Swardspeak (or “gay lingo”) is a vernacular language derived from Englog (a Tagalog-English pidgin) and used by a number of homosexuals in the Philippines. It uses elements from Tagalog, English, and Spanish, and some from Japanese, as well as celebrities’ names and trademark brands, giving them new meanings in the context of this unique language. (via Ry-Guy)
My favorite Yuletide crackfics so far
Old Spice guy/Texts From Last Night crossover.
Old Spice guy/Beowulf
Harvard/MIT hatesex anthropomorfic.
Jack Harkness / Mayhem (Allstate Commercials) on an ice floe.
Rachel Maddow investigates the mysterious, multi-faced guy they’re calling The Doctor.
Goodnight Moon post-apocalypse fic.
Niles and Frasier Crane, hunters of the Supernatural.
C. Wright Mills, Michel Foucault, and...
fuckyeahrule63:
http://WintersKnight.deviantart.com/art/Lady-Doctor-6-71208598
Hell yes Lady Doctor.
Hatebeak →
bestofwikipedia:
Hatebeak is a death metal band, formed by Blake, Mark and Waldo, a 19 year old Congo African Grey Parrot. The band members do not use their last names “for the mystery.” Hatebeak is unique in that they are the only band to feature a parrot on vocals. They are currently signed to Reptilian Records.
Valsalva maneuver →
bestofwikipedia:
The Valsalva maneuver is performed by moderately forceful attempted exhalation against a closed airway, usually done by closing one’s mouth and pinching one’s nose shut. Variations of the maneuver can be used either in medical examination as a test of cardiac function and autonomic nervous control of the heart, or to “clear” the ears and sinuses (that is, to equalize...
2 + 2 = 5 →
bestofwikipedia:
The phrase “two plus two equals five” (“2 + 2 = 5”) is a slogan used in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four as an example of an obviously false dogma one must believe, similar to other obviously false slogans by the Party in the novel. (via Larson)
Batman (unit) →
bestofwikipedia:
The batman was a unit of mass used in the Ottoman Empire and Central Asia. It has also been recorded as a unit of area in Uyghur-speaking regions of Central Asia. The equivalent unit in British India was anglicized as the maund. The value of the batman (or maund) varied considerably from place to place. (via defrost)
MIDDLECONTEST!!!
nataliemorales:
Make up a MiddleVillain. Give me a name and description. Javi and I will vote. Poll closes Friday at 12pm PST. Email submissions to MiddleShirt@yahoo.com. You can submit as many times as you want. Good Luck!!
Time slip →
bestofwikipedia:
A time slip (also called a timeslip) is an alleged paranormal phenomenon in which a person, or group of people, travel through time via unknown means. As with all paranormal phenomena, the objective reality of such experiences is disputed. (via Maevre)
Venus Effect →
bestofwikipedia:
The Venus effect is a phenomenon in the psychology of perception, named after various paintings of Venus gazing into a mirror. Viewers of such paintings assume that Venus is admiring her own reflection in the mirror. However, since the viewer sees her face in the mirror, Venus is actually looking at the reflection of the viewer. (via Larson)
