You Now Have a New Polling Place

Blogger has a new polling thingy (check it out on the right). Basically I can make up random polls and you can vote on them. Given that the large spike in my viewer/readership is attributed to a whopping 7 people looking at my blog in one day, I'm not sure how many votes these polls will generate, but I thought I'd try it out. So vote away! Also please leave comments of anything you'd like to see polled.

I was going to do a posting on my mere-minutes-at-a-time of fame on the internet (a collection of various websites that have posted my picture or thoughts) but the one that I scored today has my name in it, and I'm trying to remain anonymous on here for those people who don't already know it's me. Since I can't include any links, I'll be vague:
1) Two (2) whole photographs in Creative Loafing, the "alternative weekly" (due totally to the fact that I have some friends that work there)
2) A question I wrote in answered in one of my favorite blogs

This is nowhere near as exciting as it would be if I could actually put the links in. Sorry.

About Those New Seven Wonders...

Who gets to decide that it's time to revamp the seven wonders of the world? I'm not sure I'm in agreement with this move. When were the first seven first chosen? Which set is better? I'm doing a little research on this, just for you, dear reader. Then we can decide.

The Classic Wonders:

1. The Great Pyramid at Giza
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
6. Colossus of Rhodes
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria

Okay, well Herodotus was one of the people who named them, so I'm going to say that gives the Classic Wonders a huge advantage. The list was compiled mostly by the ancient Greeks as sort of a tourists' guide. They didn't call them "wonders," they called them "must-sees." It's unfortunate wording for those of us living in the present day because they've all been destroyed.

During my "research" I discovered that there are several Seven Wonders lists. Some are pretty dumb. One man is responsible for all of them. He too is a travel writer, but he's no Herodotus.

On to the new set:

The Seven Wonders 2.0

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Petra Haha, just kidding.
3. Machu Picchu
4. Christ the Redeemer Statue
5. Chichen Itza
6. The Colosseum
7. The Taj Mahal

8. Whoa, the Great Pyramid only made it to "Honorary Candidate" on this list. Ouch.

I have been to a few of these wonders and I think they're pretty amazing (especially Machu Picchu), but I'm not so sure about the Christ the Redeemer thing. A statue? That's wonderous?!?!

So who wins?
It's hard to judge since I can't see the original wonders. I was going to say that the Christ the Redeemer statue knocked 2.0 out of the running, but there's a statue in the first set too. I think I might call it a draw. The Original Wonders win because of originality and authenticity. The New Wonders win because they have a broader geographical scope, I can go visit them, and most of them are pretty stunning.

P.S. If you're really into categorization of Seven Wonders, check this out.

How Does This Happen?

Every time I make ice, I get one cube like this. Only one (though I make two trays), every time. Over time, the stalagmite shrinks. How/why does this happen? No, there isn't anything dripping from the ceiling of the freezer.

I Heart Scanner

I am a regular reader of Nerve.com, particularly the Scanner section. I feel like I'm friends with the writers at Scanner, particularly Sarah because she's responded to every email I've ever sent (which is only two or three, don't think I'm some crazy fan!) and because she's from Michigan, which makes me feel like I know her. I particularly love her for a line in today's Scanner:

"American beer is shite. Sorry, hipsters, your Pabst Blue Ribbon is little but a punishment for that stupid haircut."

I don't really agree with the American beer is shite comment–a cold Budweiser can be very delicious at times–but I am SO with her on the stupid haircuts. And she's even more obsessed with the dramatic chipmunk than I am.

That's all for today (baby steps). Happy Fourth of July!