A Fantastic Waste of Time

Following a series of random links today, I discovered a wonderful invention of the internet, known as the AutoMotivator.

Here's a small taste of what is possible:

State Quarter Quiz

I've been a collector of state quarters since the first year they came out. In fact, just this year I collected the Washington State quarter, an event I've been anticipating for eight years!

I got a quiz in the mail a few days ago testing ones knowledge of the backs of the state quarters with the text removed. Go ahead, give it a try. I got 17 out of 20 right, but some of them are mighty tricky.

Seeing the quarter backs without the words made me appreciate the state histories and landscapes that we so often forget about. Divorced from my contemporary perception, I begin to remember that each of the states has their own complicated story of what it means to be from Utah or from Kentucky or wherever. Sometimes I wonder if our obsession with being "true" Americans has devalued our own state identities, which have a rich value in of themselves.

If you didn't the first time, take the quiz and reflect, for just a moment, on how little we really know about our 49 other neighbors.

Learn the Truth

Quickly, watch this video before NBC files a DMCA takedown notice against YouTube on behalf of Cadbury.

The world must know!

The New Seven World Wonders

Folks over at the NewOpenWorld Foundation have decided to name seven new world wonders. For those not "in the know" six of the seven world wonders have failed the test of time. To name a new seven the organization started with 200 and paired it down the 21 now up for public vote. Feel free to participate.

I voted for the following:

• The Acropolis of Athens (450 - 330 B.C.) Athens, Greece
• Angkor (12th century) Cambodia
• The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
• The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy
• The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China
• The Hagia Sophia (532 - 537 A.D.) Istanbul, Turkey
• Sydney Opera House (1954 - 73) Sydney, Australia

I tried to be geographically diverse, but favored older structures over newer structures. The Syndey Opera House, by far the most modern on my list, was not chosen for its location in the Southern Hemisphere so much as I think it's really cool looking. The Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty can be listed once they've stood up for another thousand years. I don't see how The Great Wall wasn't already part of the original World Wonders... perhaps my vote didn't get counted the first time.