Why did they spend so much effort teaching us about the fifty American state capitals? Wouldn't that time have been better spent teaching us about the fifty largest American cities? Is this quirk a result of the fact that our schools are run by the government?

(Where "us" means "us Americans".  Sorry, international folken.)

Today's phrase is "more awesome than a box full of awesome".

That is all.

I want a cane to spin around while I'm thinking.

...you reach into your pocket, pull out your keys, hit the "unlock" button on the key fob, and say "Alohomora!"

Don't worry, I ran out of books, and I don't expect to see the new movie more than once or twice this month.

You think you're media-savvy. You think you don't believe what commercials tell you; you think you know what's good without needing to pay attention to what New York ad agencies say is cool.

But then you buy an iPod, and in a graphic display of the influence of ads on the unconscious mind, you find yourself trying to dance around randomly.