Wordiness

A random round-up of some of the words used in my blog since its inception:

You aren't from around here, are you?

That's a question I am asked a lot. Most recently in the grocery store a few weekends ago. I find that it's a good thing that I can't be pinpointed to an area of the country whenever I open my mouth. There are enough stigmas about having an accent from a particular region of the country, whether it is the South, the North, or the Midwest, that being associated with one or another is enough to cause people to view you differently. So in the interest of "research," Brian sent me links to some accent quizzes to determine where we rate on our English speaking ability.

Exhibit A:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Boston
Philadelphia
The Midland
The Inland North
The West
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Exhibit B:

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Neutral You're not Northern, Southern, or Western, you`re just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don`t really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Exhibit C:
The Yankee or Rebel Test
49% Dixie. Barely in Yankeedom.

Technobabble

I think I've gotten much better at this whole HTML/CSS code thing, with editing layouts and all. (Nice to know not all of my Computer Applications knowledge has gone to waste...but I can recall that when I was taking those classes, CSS was still relatively new in the Internet coding world.) Besides that, I managed to put a nice tag cloud on here, instead of the usual "labels" list, and changed the specs to match my blog. Not to mention, also used the great Google search to find hex codes for colors that Blogger won't normally give you. :-) I'd give myself a pat on the back if I didn't feel so dorky. :-p

P.S. Does it bother anyone else that these days it's perfectly acceptable to say things like "Google it" when asked a question you don't know the answer to or use "Facebook" as a verb? Or that increasing numbers of people rely on Wikipedia for factual information for papers and reports? It's almost like people can't take the time to appreciate dictionaries, encyclopedias, or reputable online reference sources anymore. The printed word still exists in our increasingly-reliant-on-technology world, and has been around since man figured out how to make papyrus. Granted, technology and the Internet have made things easier and quicker to access, but at the same time, I feel like it has caused people to lose their grounding with the real world--the world of turning pages, handwritten-script, physical books and papers you can actually lay your hands on. Of course, this might seem a bit of an oxymoron coming from me, writing in an electronic blog, but I still make a point and take the time to write (with pen in hand!) in my bound book journal. I like to be able to experience the way that ink flows across the page in my script, to enjoy the way that books smell when new and old, and to be filled with satisfaction at the physical output of filling pages with my thoughts. This technology age is also why I get frustrated sometimes at the library, missing the good old card catalog like the one we had in elementary school, you know, the one with all the card drawers you could pull out?
Well, the point of all that is I find our over-reliance on technology a little disturbing and frustrating at times. I hate to think what might happen in the future with the development of new technology, pushing us further into the 21st century and beyond--maybe a world not unlike Terminator or I, Robot, or maybe perhaps an environment like Brave New World, Gattaca, or Minority Report. Interesting and scary to think about, no?

The I-Rack

I found this randomly while reading blogs on the internet about Korea--it's pretty funny so check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCPDqdgOg7Q

I took this political quiz today, it was kinda interesting to see the results:

84% Barack Obama
83% John Edwards
83% Hillary Clinton
78% Chris Dodd
76% Bill Richardson
73% Joe Biden
72% Dennis Kucinich
71% Mike Gravel
44% Rudy Giuliani
38% Tom Tancredo
35% Mitt Romney
29% John McCain
25% Fred Thompson
23% Mike Huckabee
18% Ron Paul

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Help Hunger, and Serpentes on a Shippe!

This isn't an entry as much as a note for a few interesting things. One of which is a site that my friend Megan sent me a link to: FreeRice. You can quiz yourself on vocabulary here, and learn a lot of new words, while in the process, donating 20 grains of rice for every word you get right. The rice is paid for by the advertisers on the bottom of the site, and it goes through United Nations to starving countries. So if you ever felt like you wanted to make a difference but never knew how, here is a great way to do so.

Another interesting thing I found was this blog: Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog. For those who might not remember, he's the guy you had to read in Senior English; he wrote the Canterbury Tales. (Which I might say, is some pretty racy stuff at times!) I don't even remember how I found it, but it is definitely worth checking out, cause it is funny. The site even has a store so that you can buy custom t-shirts and things, perfect for the Chaucer or English nerd in your life. :-p

I think I did this a long time ago, but it's nice to bring it out again--it's fun to see the responses.

Your Life Soundtrack
IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
7. When you're finished, repost so other people can do it!


Opening Credits: "You're My Better Half" - Keith Urban

Waking Up: "Speed of Sound" - Coldplay

Falling in Love: "Africa Bamba" - Santana

Fight Song: "With or Without You" - U2

Breaking Up: "What If You" - Joshua Radin

Prom: "Raining on Sunday" - Keith Urban

Life: "I'll Stand By You" - Carrie Underwood

Mental Breakdown: "Won't Back Down" - Mat Kearney

Driving: "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" - Nine Days

Flashback: "One Thing" - Finger Eleven

Wedding: "She Thinks She Needs Me" - Andy Griggs

Birth of a Child: "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" - Michael Buble

Final Battle: "Back To You" - John Mayer

Death Scene: "Once Upon a Dream" - Jekyll & Hyde OBCR

Funeral Song: "Thank You" - Dido

End Credit: "Staple it Together" - Jack Johnson

http://kevan.org/johari?name=tarheelpoet

If you feel inclined, you should check out this link. Tell me what you think (you don't have to put your name if you don't want to!) Thanks for looking! :o)

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