Haha! Of course it’s not. But it is, well, interesting: now there’s a blog dedicated to rooting out (or at least pointing out) abuses of the word “literally.” It’s about time.
This is literally world-ending
Posted by Ben on March 9, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/this-is-literally-world-ending/
Cheekiness gets you… bananas
Not particularly current or important, but curious and fun nonetheless: In 1986, Silo (a chain of home electronics stores) ran a television commercial in 23 markets nationwide, offering stereos for “299 bananas.” They never thought anyone would take them at their word; after all, “banana” is a widely accepted, if playful, term for greenbacks. Who […]
Posted by Ben on March 1, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/cheekiness-gets-you-bananas/
AFI Top 25 Film Scores
Decided by a jury of 500-ish musicians and whatnot, via the American Film Institute. Star Wars – 1977 – John Williams Gone With The Wind – 1939 – Max Steiner Lawrence of Arabia – 1962 – Maurice Jarre Psycho – 1960 – Bernard Herrmann The Godfather – 1962 – Nino Rota Jaws – 1975 – […]
Posted by Ben on February 23, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/afi-top-25-film-scores/
Weep and recall
Apparently, those who try to rein in their emotions at critical moments may fare poorly when it comes time to remember what it was they were trying to avoid bein’ all emotional about. James Gross at Stanford University in California and Jane Richards at the University of Texas at Austin showed 57 volunteers a disturbing […]
Posted by Ben on February 20, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/weep-and-recall/
More 2005 lists
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.
Posted by Ben on February 18, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/more-2005-lists/
Adding entirely new meanings to the word “parking”
In what seems to have been some sort of combination of performance art and environmental protest (maybe?), a group took a parking space in San Francisco, fed the parking meter, and transformed the space into a park of sorts. Tranforming a private space (parking space) into a public one (park… space). Witness: One of the […]
Posted by Ben on February 18, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/adding-entirely-new-meanings-to-the-word-parking/
Things you didn’t know
…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) […]
Posted by Ben on February 1, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/things-you-didnt-know/
Motorola of the Future-Past
Or would that be past-future? “Futuristic” adverts from roundabout the 60s, Motorola making your future-selves more leisurely fantastic comfortable. Fun. (More descriptive, if you like: paintings commissioned by Motorola sometime in the 60s to, like, advertise, showcase, what-have-you.) (via BoingBoing)
Posted by Ben on February 1, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/motorola-of-the-future-past/
Bestselling Books 1950-1998
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 […]
Posted by Ben on January 27, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/bestselling-books-1950-1998/
Famous Literary Hoaxes
Much fun. Background & info on literary hoaxes spanning over 200 years (though only by virtue of the two examples that come from the 1700s; the rest are from the mid- to late- 1900s). Forrest Carter’s The Education of Little Tree One of the stranger hoaxes. Published in 1977, Forrest Carter’s celebrated memoir about a […]
Posted by Ben on January 26, 2006
https://www.swordbilled.com/famous-literary-hoaxes/