9/11

Although referenced so frequently it seems as if it was yesterday, September 11, 2001, was eleven years ago. Everyone likes to share their stories of where they were when they first heard the news. Some people I know were in airports, waiting for a plane of their own. Others were just beginning a normal school day, trying to explain to their students what was going on, even if they didn’t know themselves. The commonality between all the stories is that they are normal everyday experiences – what surprises us is that such a normal day became infamous. I find these stories fascinating because they give a glimpse into an average person’s average life. It becomes a shared experience between everyone – something we can all relate to.

I don’t particularly like sharing my own story, however, as I don’t think the events of 9/11 should be focused around me. The people in the building, on the planes, and those who risked their lives for the safety of others are those who should be remembered.

Looking back at old newspapers dated September 12, 2001, everything seems surreal. Those images should be in the background of an alien apocalypse movie poster, not on the front page of The New York Times. With the wreckage cleared, new buildings constructed, and time progressing, I feel as if the events of that day are slowly escaping my memory like a once vivid dream from the night before. I may forget the dreams I’ve dreamt, the people I’ve met, and the places I’ve been, but some things I hope I never forget.

Moses’s Supposition

What if Moses painted his toenails with little red flowers?

My reaction
                                                                                                     

If Isis hypothesizes her eyeses are spieses, then Isis hypothesizes decisively.

Amazing Optical Illusion!

Optical illusions are always fun, even if it takes me a while to see them.  They generally exploit some property of our sight to confuse what our brain perceives as reality.  I have constructed an optical illusion of my own below.  Stare at the dot in the center for 30 seconds without blinking.

If you did it correctly, you should feel slight eye pain from staring at a screen for an extended period of time.

A Trip To The Zoo

A while ago I was at my local zoo, in the aquarium section.  Unfortunately there was a school group crowding the area closest to the tanks.  Instead of pushing through the wild mass of screaming kids, I decided to wait for the group to move on by reading a sign describing aquatic life.  After reading the poorly-written sign a few times over, I tried to get a close look at the animals, despite the presence of the children.

The crowd was about five kids deep, and the viewing are was quite small, so some of the kids blocking the view were not actually taking advantage of their position, but trying to maneuver themselves through the crowd.  After observing their behavior for a few moments, I noticed that the kids weren’t focusing their undivided attention toward the tank.

I was about to push my way through, but I realized there was no porpoise.

Eyjafjallajökull

You might recognize the title as the name of a volcano in southern Iceland that erupted in 2010.  The only reason it received attention is because of the length and apparent incoherence of its name.  My personal theory of the origin of this name is that an official in charge of naming significant icelandic landmarks heard an awful pun told by one of his co-workers, and proceeded to headdesk on his keyboard.  

This word is actually an excellent exercise in pronunciation.  In the same way a preschooler is taught to read words by the sounds of each individual letter, try to establish a pronunciation of Eyjafjallajökull that you can say quickly and concisely.  Then, listen to the real pronunciation.  

Internet Political Ads

Political ads, especially the banner ones on the internet, really annoy me.  I don’t strongly takes sides or get easily offended, but their claims are usually ambiguous or outrageous.  So to ease you into the hell that is political season, here are a few fake ads I created myself.  Enjoy.