I don't know if the age of social networking sites has lessened the amount of the spam or just redistributed it, but I, for one, feel less inundated with trash messages about help finding missing teenager Ashley Flores, how California wildfires will lead to a shortage of toilet paper, or how a kid is doing a "science experiment" about first names and needs yours on their list.
Which makes them that much more irritating when they do show up. Just the other day I received a forwarded message about a "trailer park wedding" complete with a photograph of the happy toothless couple. Skeptical, I immediately went to my favorite modern urban-myth-busting website, Snopes, and soon found this picture and story to be a complete fabrication!
I've used this site before and been surprised to find that the claims of the forwarded message are indeed true, or not far off from the truth. I remember an email of sports-related trivia once that claimed the Matterhorn in Disneyland housed a basketball court. I checked with Snopes and it turns out that that top of the faux mountain does indeed contain a hoop and floor markings, although the term "court" is a bit exaggerated!
The site does a great job of giving readers the possible versions of the rumor that are out there, and then either confirming or refuting the claim. Often times a detailed explanation or why the rumor exists or how it came into being is also included. This is definitely a site to have bookmarked for the next time someone sends you a message informing you that Applebee's in giving away $50 gift certificates.
Sergio del Limonar
Showing posts with label trends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trends. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
MUSIC: Buenos Dias San Juan
Every week the good people at iTunes "give away" a few songs for free out of the goodness of their hearts (or new age version of payola). Most of the time the selections of mediocre but when it's free, it's free; the "beggars can't be choosers" adage rings true.
Once in awhile a gem pops up though. This week's Spanish-language "Cansión de la Semana" is such a tune. The group, called Domino Saints, is from Puerto Rico and the song, "Buenos Dias San Juan" is off their eponymous album. It's funky and you don't need to know any of the Español to feel the groove. It's free and worth it until Tuesday...and then it will just be worth it.
Once in awhile a gem pops up though. This week's Spanish-language "Cansión de la Semana" is such a tune. The group, called Domino Saints, is from Puerto Rico and the song, "Buenos Dias San Juan" is off their eponymous album. It's funky and you don't need to know any of the Español to feel the groove. It's free and worth it until Tuesday...and then it will just be worth it.
Monday, May 11, 2009
WEB: SS Database of Baby Names
A government website for a ZONINO??? Really...?
Trust me, this is interesting and a GREAT time waster...
Every year about this time the good people at the Social Security Administration finish compiling the 1,000 most popular names from the previous year. Conveniently, released around Mother's Day, the list shows the top names for both boys and girls, points out trends and potential reasons for them (this year "Barack" and "Miley" increased significantly in popularity), as well as breaks popularity down by state.
My favorite part of the site is at the bottom where users can enter their own name and track it's popularity since the tracking began, as long as the moniker made the top 1,000 of course. Sergio, for a humble example, has been in the top 1,000 consistently since 1945!
Now, go and see how unique you are!
Sergio del Limónar
Trust me, this is interesting and a GREAT time waster...
Every year about this time the good people at the Social Security Administration finish compiling the 1,000 most popular names from the previous year. Conveniently, released around Mother's Day, the list shows the top names for both boys and girls, points out trends and potential reasons for them (this year "Barack" and "Miley" increased significantly in popularity), as well as breaks popularity down by state.
My favorite part of the site is at the bottom where users can enter their own name and track it's popularity since the tracking began, as long as the moniker made the top 1,000 of course. Sergio, for a humble example, has been in the top 1,000 consistently since 1945!
Now, go and see how unique you are!
Sergio del Limónar
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