Emotion. Somatic. Affective. Adrenaline. Noradrenaline. Fight or flight. Old Norse. Facial expressions. Aggression. Well-being. Displays. Manipulation. Social influence.
Over the years, Wikipedia has done so much for scholars, vandals, and the United States House of Representatives. Wikipedia also provides the ideal playing board for restless surfers of the interwebs. You may already know the game in which competitors individually open a mutually agreed-upon random Wikipedia article on their own computers and race to find a page relating to sex.
But whether or not you have ever played the WikiGame (WikiGame>Teletubbies>sexologist), you are guaranteed to love Wikipedia: the Page-Guessin' Game, or WPGG.
Last night I was engaging in mature conversation with a number of bosom friends when, spontaneously, we discovered an urgent need to apprise ourselves of the distinction between "second" and "third base." Luckily, one in our group knew precisely the Wikipedia page to turn to in such a circumstance, and, having satisfied our longing for wisdom on the matter, we took it upon ourselves to peruse the rest of the page.
This was one of those pages that could only benefit from the humorlessness of Wikipedia editing. So, apart from finding out that "second base" comprises "aggressive stimulation between the neck and waist" (so where does aural* fit in?), we also learned that these running-the-bases euphemisms arose during the aftermath of World War II. While trying, with little success, to correlate the Cold War with open-mouth kissing (well, it's French?), we were tickled by the eclectic set of Wikipedia pages that were linked to from our particularly instructive article: adolescents, baseball, euphemistic, metaphor, sexual intimacy, and aftermath of World War II.
Thus was Wikipedia: the Page-Guessin' Game brought into this world. One Reader is beset with the task of navigating to a salient Wikipedia page, the identity of which he or she keeps secret. To the gathered Guessers, the Reader recites the page's internal links in order, skipping any that might be particularly identifying. The first Guesser to correctly name the article then takes the position of the Reader.
What is the name of the page whose links are at the top of this blog post?
Good luck!
A Concerned Friend
*So, according to Google, I was apparently not the first to discover this dialectally-engendered homophone...
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Quite-Live-Blogging of the State of the Union! The Second
7:45 PM: On C-SPAN, they're talking about the designation of a Cabinet official to be excluded from the Chamber in case everyone else dies. It reminded me of this spectacular episode, where Jed Bartlet totally chose the wrong invincible Ascending mayor to take over the government in case of such an apocalyptic circumstance.
7:49 PM: I learned a mildly interesting fact about the SotU this morning. Apparently, Woodrow Wilson was the first President since Adams (J., not J.Q.) to give his address in person.
7:51 PM: Oh, gross, John.
7:53 PM: I totally thought that military servicewoman was making a queer love connection in the balcony, but perhaps not. Still, that's totally legal now!
7:56 PM: Gabby Giffords, American hero, for real.
7:57 PM: I wonder if she's sick of the attention. She sort of looks it.
7:58 PM: Michelle is a hottie with a bottie!
8:02 PM: It's past 8! What could be keeping him? I wonder if he and his speechwriters threw away his whole speech a half hour ago and rewrote it.
8:05 PM: It's Obams! Seemingly without an introduction--was this a screw-up on behalf of C-SPAN or the House Chamber?
8:10 PM: Those are some fancy manila envelopes. I would like some presidential envelopes of my own one day...
8:12 PM: Safer and more respected? I don't know about that, B.
8:12 PM: I thought we were done with cheering over Bin Laden's death?
8:15 PM: Really, B? Your grandfather was in Patton's army? Let's see THAT certificate.
8:18 PM: "THOSE ARE THE FACTS. BUT SO ARE THESE."
8:20 PM: Made in USA, baby!
8:21 PM: Say it, B. We need more American ingenuity in the auto industry -- ELECTRIC CARS.
8:23 PM: For real. Tax those outsourcing assholes.
8:25 PM: "SEND ME THESE TAX REFORMS, AND I WILL SIGN THEM RIGHT AWAY."
8:28 PM: Is it Republican to worry about a lower level of competition within the United States? I'm not a Republican, right?
8:29 PM: Jackie needs to work that hair out, that's for sure.
8:30 PM: Raising test score standards does not equate to raising standards for learning!
8:31 PM: "TEACHERS MATTER."
8:32 PM: "STOP TEACHING TO THE TEST."
8:34 PM: You hear that, _____ College/University?
8:37 PM: WOMEN!!!!!!!!1111
8:37 PM: Clearly Obams did not read that Steve Jobs bio.
8:39 PM: Ditch the off-shore! Electric is the answer.
8:40 PM: We clearly are choosing between our environment and our economy. Chipmunks and beavers do not use "NATURAL" gas.
8:43 PM: Flight (sic) climate change. Do it.
8:45 PM: Yes, let's think ahead! $10 billion over 10 years is good. But that natural gas is going to run out in 100 years.
8:47 PM: Repay that goddamn deficit of trust, banks.
8:49 PM: I don't know; I kind of like regulations.
8:50 PM: What a cute smile.
8:52 PM: "THE REST OF US ARE NOT BAILING YOU OUT EVER AGAIN."
8:53 PM: I wonder how often Holder grooms his mustache.
8:54 PM: Obams just sort of cursed on C-SPAN. I don't know--that might be legal.
8:55 PM: Warren Buffett's secretary has some nice glasses.
8:56 PM: "OUR FAIR SHARE."
8:59 PM: You're wrong, Obams. I'm not thinking that. I believe in Washington! Just look at how well-dressed our Congresswomen are.
9:01 PM: Fix it!
9:02 PM: Well siree, Mistur Obamer, you just rewraitin' that conistutin.
9:04 PM: Awww, well, that's cute. Just like this.
9:07 PM: Please take a few of those options off the table. Like invasion.
9:10 PM: Half a trillion, bitches!
9:10 PM: Cyber threats like these?
9:12 PM: ...OR GAY!!!!!!!
9:15 PM: Elena Kagan is totally not wearing one of those fluffy collars that R.B.G. wears.
The takeaway: there's nothing we can't face, except for some types of bombs.
7:49 PM: I learned a mildly interesting fact about the SotU this morning. Apparently, Woodrow Wilson was the first President since Adams (J., not J.Q.) to give his address in person.
7:51 PM: Oh, gross, John.
7:53 PM: I totally thought that military servicewoman was making a queer love connection in the balcony, but perhaps not. Still, that's totally legal now!
7:56 PM: Gabby Giffords, American hero, for real.
7:57 PM: I wonder if she's sick of the attention. She sort of looks it.
7:58 PM: Michelle is a hottie with a bottie!
8:02 PM: It's past 8! What could be keeping him? I wonder if he and his speechwriters threw away his whole speech a half hour ago and rewrote it.
8:05 PM: It's Obams! Seemingly without an introduction--was this a screw-up on behalf of C-SPAN or the House Chamber?
8:10 PM: Those are some fancy manila envelopes. I would like some presidential envelopes of my own one day...
8:12 PM: Safer and more respected? I don't know about that, B.
8:12 PM: I thought we were done with cheering over Bin Laden's death?
8:15 PM: Really, B? Your grandfather was in Patton's army? Let's see THAT certificate.
8:18 PM: "THOSE ARE THE FACTS. BUT SO ARE THESE."
8:20 PM: Made in USA, baby!
8:21 PM: Say it, B. We need more American ingenuity in the auto industry -- ELECTRIC CARS.
8:23 PM: For real. Tax those outsourcing assholes.
8:25 PM: "SEND ME THESE TAX REFORMS, AND I WILL SIGN THEM RIGHT AWAY."
8:28 PM: Is it Republican to worry about a lower level of competition within the United States? I'm not a Republican, right?
8:29 PM: Jackie needs to work that hair out, that's for sure.
8:30 PM: Raising test score standards does not equate to raising standards for learning!
8:31 PM: "TEACHERS MATTER."
8:32 PM: "STOP TEACHING TO THE TEST."
8:34 PM: You hear that, _____ College/University?
8:37 PM: WOMEN!!!!!!!!1111
8:37 PM: Clearly Obams did not read that Steve Jobs bio.
8:39 PM: Ditch the off-shore! Electric is the answer.
8:40 PM: We clearly are choosing between our environment and our economy. Chipmunks and beavers do not use "NATURAL" gas.
8:43 PM: Flight (sic) climate change. Do it.
8:45 PM: Yes, let's think ahead! $10 billion over 10 years is good. But that natural gas is going to run out in 100 years.
8:47 PM: Repay that goddamn deficit of trust, banks.
8:49 PM: I don't know; I kind of like regulations.
8:50 PM: What a cute smile.
8:52 PM: "THE REST OF US ARE NOT BAILING YOU OUT EVER AGAIN."
8:53 PM: I wonder how often Holder grooms his mustache.
8:54 PM: Obams just sort of cursed on C-SPAN. I don't know--that might be legal.
8:55 PM: Warren Buffett's secretary has some nice glasses.
8:56 PM: "OUR FAIR SHARE."
8:59 PM: You're wrong, Obams. I'm not thinking that. I believe in Washington! Just look at how well-dressed our Congresswomen are.
9:01 PM: Fix it!
9:02 PM: Well siree, Mistur Obamer, you just rewraitin' that conistutin.
9:04 PM: Awww, well, that's cute. Just like this.
9:07 PM: Please take a few of those options off the table. Like invasion.
9:10 PM: Half a trillion, bitches!
9:10 PM: Cyber threats like these?
9:12 PM: ...OR GAY!!!!!!!
9:15 PM: Elena Kagan is totally not wearing one of those fluffy collars that R.B.G. wears.
The takeaway: there's nothing we can't face, except for some types of bombs.
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