sword-billed hummingbird » Listmania

Weirdest Post Ever (not really)

Ben — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 13:52:45 +0000

Things like National Geographic’s “Ten Weirdest New Animals of 2010″ always seem like a mixed bag, to me. It’s definitely great to promote public awareness of new species, but any list is going to be at least somewhat biased (admittedly, this particular list doesn’t limit itself to the cute and the furry — between the tyrant leech king and a dart-shooting slug, it establishes that pretty firmly). Fair enough; it’s still getting awareness out there, reminding people that new species are being discovered all the time, reminding people that there are rich and not-wholly-explored ecosystems still out there, still in danger.

The tendency I noticed in this particular list, however, is one I’m ambivalent towards: relating these animals to the public through a pop culture filter. I suppose you have to present these things in a way that people can relate to, but describing the one bat as a “Yoda” bat? Or the “Simpsons” toad? People are going to call ‘em like they see ‘em, but it’s particularly irksome when the pop culture reference edges out any actual information. I don’t even know where you’d go to find more information about the Simpsons toad, given that there’s not any other identifying information in the article. (Again, the criticism is a little unfair when we’re talking about a list with limited space marketed toward a casual audience [in this case] in a periodical that’s promoting research in other ways, too, but…)

(originally via BB)

Satisfaction

Ben — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:50:45 +0000

I don’t know why, but I actually feel good about having only seen 10 of the things on this “Definitive List of the 99 Things You Should Have Already Experienced on the Internet Unless You’re a Loser or Old or Something.” Admittedly, the 10 I’ve seen were pretty good. (Well, eight of them. Well, seven.)

But who doesn’t love a good list?

You Know You Want More

Ben — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:11:23 +0000

Reading: read (most of) Kelly Link’s Magic For Beginners online, for free, legitimately! (And then read an interview with her at Meeting House Mag.) [via Bookslut]
Watching: watch Stalker, online. It’s a movie by the guy who did the good Solaris. What’s not to like? [via Warren Ellis]
Listening: all about con men. And by “all about”, we mean “some about”. Which is still more interesting than none about. Australian con men, mind you. Though there’s presumably some universality to conning. [source misplaced]
Anticipating: Timecrimes.
Remembering: That word… you know… the one with… it’s like… Whatever. Finally, a resource for finding the word you kind of sort of remember, partially. [Tip of My Tongue, via Lifehacker]

Strangely, ‘Left Behind’ isn’t

Ben — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:43:02 +0000

The top 10 most discarded books in hotel rooms

1. The Blair Years by Alastair Campbell
2. Don’t You Know Who I Am? by Piers Morgan
3. A Whole New World by Jordan
4. Wicked by Jilly Cooper
5. Dr Who Creatures & Demons by Justin Richard
6. The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
7. I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna
8. Humble Pie by Gordon Ramsay
9. The Story Of A Man And His Mouth by Chris Moyles
10. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

(via Bookslut)

Things That Are Ridiculous

Ben — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:14:02 +0000

Two words: Velociraptor Safari
The stillness
Fears of the end of the universe
Prosthetic legs with secret iguana-smuggling compartments
Bikinis cultivate impatience, in more ways than you might expect

Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age

Ben — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:11:35 +0000

…or when they were whatever age it is you put into the form. Some of it depressing, as you’d expect, in that it lists the enormous accomplishments by Historical Figures and Celebrities in their youth(s). Other bits are comical, such as the following two pieces, from which I can hardly pick a favorite:

Jan Birkeland from Norway managed to get to work without hitting a single red light.

Derrick Pallas was horrified to realize he was losing his hair, just like Dad.¹

All of this found at the eponymously-titled web site.

(via MeFi)

¹ Both of these things accomplished by the age of 26, in case you were wondering.

Number what?

Ben — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 15:12:08 +0000

Washington Monthly digs into the omnipresent US News & World Report College Rankings, turning them inside-out and upside-down and everything. WM re-orders the list based on things like national service, research grants & student aid, and so forth. Unsurprisingly, US News & WR’s list is flip-flopped a bit, with some top-ranked schools sinking to the bottom (w/, for instance, national universities, only 2 of US News & WR’s top 10 make it to Washington Monthly’s top 10) and some underdogs rising to the top (like the previously unranked South Carolina State University).

Sure, a list can only tell you so much. But they are fun, lists are.

More 2005 lists

Ben — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 02:17:23 +0000

A bit past-due, I realize. But worth perusing. A list-of-lists, Fimoculous compiles links to lists of practically everything, best, worst, or otherwise. Top 10 kitchen utensils of 2005, 100 most annoying things, best serial dramas, best i-pod accessories… it’s all there. And more.

Things you didn’t know

Ben — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:27:23 +0000

…last year, at this time; a list of 100 things, put out by BBC News Magazine. A sampling:

Baboons can tell the difference between English and French. Zoo keepers at Port Lympne wild animal park in Kent are having to learn French to communicate with the baboons which had been transferred from Paris zoo. (#7)
In America it’s possible to subpoena a dog. (#23)
You’re 10 times more likely to be bitten by a human than a rat. (#52)

Lots more, obviously.

(BBC News Magazine: “100 things we didn’t know this time last year.” [Dec 30, 2005])

Bestselling Books 1950-1998

Ben — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 22:05:31 +0000

Not totally up-to-date as far as the more recent years go (e.g., 2002), but interesting for the historical content, or something like that. 1981′s bestselling novel was by James Clavell, and the bestselling non-fiction book was a diet book. 1919′s bestselling novel was The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, by V. Blasco Ibanez (which, if you’re interested, you can read thanks to Project Gutenberg).

Bestselling info from Publisher’s Weekly, and hosted web-side by Publisher’s Lunch.