Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Cool Facts From the Cave of Cool - 1


In 1835, John Batman settled in what was to eventually become Melbourne, Australia. He named it “Batmania”. Two years later it was renamed Melbourne in honor of the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. This is so cool. Think of all the geek tourists that would visit just to get their passports stamped. If they only knew then what they know now.

The Forer effect is the observation that individuals will give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them, but are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. This is the effect which makes fortune telling and horoscopes appear so accurate when they are, in fact, entirely fabricated. I knew it had to have a name because no way do those chinese horoscope napkins at the all-you-can-eat chinese food places know my exact personality by the year I was born in. They do however know that I am hording shrimp in my jumper for the ride home.

A flatulist is a performer who receives payment for farting in an amusing and/or musical manner. Saint Augustine in City of God (14.24) mentions some performers who did have “such command of their bowels, that they can break wind continuously at will, so as to produce the effect of singing.” So I could have been making money off of what I did for free on my sister's head? I will hear the 'ching ching' of coins everytime I let one go on the couch during 'Dancing With The Stars'. OMG. I made chilli for supper. That is an easy ten bucks!

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