Ever wonder how English ended up as this planet’s “International Language”?
If you’re Greek, then you’ve probably heard about the vote that happened some time during the last century to decide which language would be used for international affairs, business, signage and so on. According to the story, Greek lost to English by just one vote. In fact, the especially dramatic version says that, while everyone was voting, one last grecophile was in the toilet.
So close!
Of course, the whole story is bullshit.

It looks like this is New York Times Week, because I’m linking to another great article I read over there. Does Your Language Shape How You Think talks about, well, how language shapes the way we think. It’s a fascinating piece.

Among other things, it compares languages that assign genders to inanimate objects (French, German or Greek for example: le pont, die brücke, η γέφυρα) and languages that don’t (the bridge).
I like English. It’s concise, easy to learn and constantly evolving. It’s also often ambiguous, very context-sensitive and has tons of homophones. Which is great for comedy.
I don’t mind it being the “International Language”. In fact, I would argue that it might be better suited for a modern, civilized world than many others. A language that doesn’t discriminate between, say, a male or female teacher is much better suited to a society where people of both genders (and everything in between) are considered equal.
Of course, language is, possibly, the least of our problems, but it’s an interesting thought.

Anyway, read for yourselves, and let me know what you think.

(photo by Horacio Salinas for The New York Times)

According to this NYT article, we’re going through “emerging adulthood”. Some psychologists are trying to establish it as a new stage in human development. Its main characteristics include “pervasive ambivalence towards self and society,” “the feeling of absolute freedom, of living in a world of pure possibilities” and “the enormous value placed upon change, transformation and movement“.
So it’s basically a second adolescence for spoiled, rich kids.
Here’s another great quote from the article: “The 20s are like the stem cell of human development“.
Go ahead and read it (it’s pretty long) then come back. I’m not going anywhere (after all… I’m in the army).

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m displaying all the signs of “emerging adulthood”. I’m also the last person to say no to any excuse for postponing maturity.
But I often wonder: how much is too much. How long can I afford to keep searching? Is there a cut-off age? A time when you decide that your dreams (whatever they may be) are no longer a possibility? Is it thirty? And, anyway, what are you going to do about it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Stephen Colbert on Greece’s economic downfall.

(via USTV)

This was too long for A4, so I used toilet paper, instead.

Next we have a kinda surreal one, by Kia:

Here’s another one that’s sort of odd. This year’s batch is kinda thin on humour, most of the “funny” ads are silly, or fun but not really laugh out loud material…

Still, there’s something to be said about ads that are just plain fun, especially if they feature playful violence.

Finally, we conclude our collection with the obligatory beer ad:

Seriously, though, none of them come even come close to the awesomeness of this one, from 2006. Aah… those were the days.

This is flawless. A simple concept with which anyone can empathize, coupled with a fantastic twist. Frankly, there’s no way this could’ve been funnier.

Almost a year in the making! Enjoy!

First I thought I was getting spam from Benjamin Button. But if you check the timestamps, it turns out this guy is just aging reallyreallyfast.
I also love how his signature changes as he gets older.

(via BoingBoing)

Despite appearances, this is not a music blog. Here’s some proof, from last year. And, since I’m digging through my past work, anyway, I might as well go all the way and link to this poem I wrote when I was 12. It’s sort of about Christmas, too.

Happy Holidays, everybody!