Off the Top of My Head

Answering the Questions of Google Searchers - Part 4

Posted by Jason on March 30th, 2006 — in Question Time

Today was supposed to be the Chapter on Building Your Site as a part of our Online Business Tutorial. This latest Chapter is still being written by myself and to really include everything, I need another days worth of work. So as I work on that, I figured I would do another installment of Answering the Questions of Google Searchers. It seems Yahoo and MSN also like Off the Top of My Head (Its about time) so the title should really include all 3, but I don’t feel like changing it so too bad.

 

paragraphs and taste

We have plenty of paragraphs here but I can’t help you out with the second one

fatih böhürler

Two tildas and a percentage…You win the most unpronounceable name ever

50 things i want to do before i am 80

How much fun can any of them be if you have to search on Google for them. I will give you 5 to get you started:

1.) Push your eyes for interesting light show
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes. Try to make out things your subconscious is trying to send you a message? Can you control what you see by pressing different areas with different forces? Would it be possible to somehow see the same effects on TV?

2.) Try to not think about penguins
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.

3.) Get yourself as nauseated as possible
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Best achieved by looking straight up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can’t even stand up. This is also entertaining due to the “makes boredom seem a lot better” effect (see “Hurt Yourself”).

4.) Send spooky emails
(Amusement Potential: 15-60 minutes)
Look up someone’s CV on the web, do some research on them via Google and then send them an email full of personal references claiming to be an ex-work colleague who fell in love with their shoes. Or something.

5.) Repeat the same word over and over until it loses its meaning
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Pick a random word out of a magazine and say it aloud to yourself until it becomes a meaningless set of noises.

Stolen from Urban 75

imo abbr. in chatting

A sure sign that I am getting old as it took me around 10 minutes to figure out what that sentence even meant. I am that much more ashamed that I was able to figure it out - In My Opinion Abbreviation in Chatting

ring of fire preperation h

Something tells me you weren’t sitting down when you searched for that

initial capital for starting a sugar making

Don’t leave me hanging…I’m dieing to know what the end of that search was…Was it “Initial Capital for Starting a Sugar Making Spy Ring?” or maybe “Initial Capital for Starting a Sugar Making Midget Wrestling Arena?”…Please come back

back off copycats!!11

That was the original chant of the Thundercats but after they showed it to focus groups, they went with “Thundercats Hoooooo!”

sometimes i want drop a brick on my head

- Donald Trump on whether or not he has used enough hairspray

frum -david -fÓrum -fÒrum -john -myspace -linda -jon -dave

Step away from the Google Advanced Operators

safe to eat a urinal cake

How many times do I have to tell you people, Don’t Eat the Urinal Cakes!!!

penn dieing

Man, news takes a long time to get to the far reaches of the globe. I know Off the Top of My Head isn’t the best person to inform you of this (Hope you are seated)…….Sean Penn is Dead

is making vodka dangerous?

Only if you live with Mikhail Gorbachev

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French Unrest and the State of Protesting

Posted by Jason on March 29th, 2006 — in Society

It seems not a day goes by that we don’t hear about violence in France these days. It began with rioting in the suburbs when the angst built up after growing unemployment and what those rioting call “police harrasment”. These started after an incident where police were chasing some suspects of a break in at a construction site and their subsequent electrocution when fleeing police. Those arguing the other side claim that they ran from police, not because they were involved in any criminal activity, but because they knew they would be questioned endlessly about things they knew nothing about, or basically harrased.

Now it seems, and even shortly after the incident, that the spark that started it has long been forgotten. Few people took to the streets specifically in protest to those killed but instead some did to show their disgust with their treatment over all. The larger majority however is part of a much larger trend which is repeated all over the world on a regular basis. Most riots these days are fueled by those that are looking to profit or just have a thirst for violence and are looking for any excuse to fulfill it. There are serious issues in France yet those that forget those issues in the persuit of thug violence do no justice to any cause. In fact they further damage the cause and lead the country down a road which is very dark indeed. Many of these thugs attacked innocent women in the street stealing their bags and punching and kicking them in the process. What point can that possibly prove? Those that may have initially sympathized are further pushed away and support for the original cause, respect and support, is lost in an instant.

Now add to this mix, the protests over the French government possibly putting new employment law into affect that would affect younger workers. In an effort to actually tackle the rising unemployment factor (a huge driving force in the initial riots), more riots have been caused as now a different group wants to be heard. In this case, there is even more misunderstanding amongst protestors as they don’t even realize that this type of change in employment law has been shown to increase employment. I could argue its virtues in Frances economy (remember, they are no longer an independant country but are part of the bigger European Union), but once again as in the original example, the cause no longer matters. The violence won’t stop, or at least I hope not, sound economic policy in a country that desperately needs it. It will only serve to alienate that group of workers from the rest of French society and when lawmakers realize that divide, being the vote hungry people they are, will only pass more reform.

Like the Dublin Riots not so long ago, there is a small group which believes in the cause enough to peacefully protest, but there is a much larger group that thrives on violence and division and until a society stands up to those people, mob rule will always be the way. I believe in protesting and have been a part of many peaceful protests which have changed things, but never through random violence.

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Caricature Artists Think Everyone Has Downs Syndrome

Posted by Jason on March 28th, 2006 — in Society

I had an idea the other day that I would hire a Caricature artist to do a black and white portrait of me and I would use that in the design of this blog. At the time I thought I was brilliant as although a lot of people include their picture, few use a cartoon version of themselves. So I sent of my order to a place in the US that does them for $20 then emails you the jpeg. When I received it back, I then remembered why I actually hate caricature artists. I have a firm belief they think everyone has Downs Syndrome. Why else would they make my forehead 3 times bigger then reality and move my eyes together as close as they can go without making me a cyclops.

So, it goes without saying that I won’t be using the image in conjunction with this site. The next try is going to be for a cartoon portrait in normal proportions and see what comes of it. For now though, caricature artists join my useless list along with clowns and webmasters that comment on Digg.

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