1990's

Steve Urkel of Family Matters. I had no TV in the 1990's, but you probably did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s

This intriguing and massively important decade of human history is responsible for, among other things, the very method of instantaneous worldwide connection that is connecting author to reader right now. Bill Clinton presided over America for most of this decade, which made us financially prosperous (and later, entertained (see Monica Lewinsky). For a lot my life, the 90's have been recent enough to be safe from rampant nostalgia, criticism of styles, mockery of colloquial speech, etc., but now that we're a decade removed from this era that reared the fellows of my generation, it's officially become a fun enterprise to mock away. 

This era brought us cloning, the internet, the first Gulf War and the Hubble Telescope, and took away Princess Diana and Soviet Russia in the process. We can be resentful towards the 90's about some of these trade-offs. Without others, I'd either be faxing this to your office or calling you on your car-phone to tell you about it. For those people that would contest the idea that one decade may be more important to our development than another, I invite you to read about the 960's (snooze).

Athlete's foot

Athlete's foot through a microscope...for the overly curious, you can see a symptomatic foot here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athlete's_foot

At the risk of my “grab bag” theme leading me into downright unpleasant territory, I will now move (possibly just this once) into the realm of medical conditions. 

This nasty (but relatively common) fungal infection is associated with athletes because of its ability to thrive in moist environments where people walk around barefoot, like locker rooms. It is a communicable disease, usually going from one host to another when they share shoes or hang out in the same wet place. Towels can spread the disease, but this is uncommon for an obvious reason: how long did you spend vigorously drying your foot with a towel today? There are several over the counter remedies, although in rare cases antibiotics can kick the stuff for good. Athlete's foot can spread to other areas, including your groin (!) or elsewhere. This condition has been common for a long time, and there are several “alternative methods” of treatment found across the world. Tea tree oil can ease the symptoms, and some even use Ajoene, a compound in garlic! Apparently stinky things will find each other eventually...  

Thanksgiving (United States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)

The choice is obvious, but I think it's a fun choice. I always enjoyed those Wikipedia pages that explain things to you like you're an alien that's never been to Earth. Most people who might find their way to this blog should already know the basics of Thanksgiving, so I'll move right along to...

Highlights:

-The event we usually think of as the “First Thanksgiving” (although there is evidence of earlier celebrations of the holiday) lasted three days and featured six different kinds of seafood, four different kinds of meat, and every easily accessible new England vegetable in existence! No wonder we have to overeat to keep this tradition alive.

- In its early days, the holiday was not set and observed on a particular day every year; rather, the current president would declare a specific day (often in mid-December, rather than November) as a Thanksgiving Day only on some years, as he saw fit. In fact, no Thanksgiving was declared at all between 1799 and 1814. Them thar were a slender 15 years for America, I'd imagine.

-All the traditional Thanksgiving dinner animals/plants (turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries) were native to the Americas, and largely foreign to the pilgrims.

Stephen Baldwin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Baldwin

WARNING: Today's article is rife with subjective comments.

The youngest of the “Baldwin brothers”, Stephen is the annoying conservative one (and therefore also the most interesting one to read about). The Baldwins have been known in Hollywood for the past 25 years for their ability to suck at acting (with the obvious exception of Alec, the oldest), and Stephen is certainly no different. However, his off-screen antics, which have dominated most of his time for the past decade, are what has kept him in the limelight. In 2006, he led a campaign to prevent an adult bookstore from being opened in the small town in which he resides. He's popular in the US among fellow “evolutionary skeptics”, and like most of them, seems unfazed by the unshakable science behind evolution. During the 2008 presidential election, Stephen endorsed the McCain/Palin ultra-conservative dream team until they lost. In fact, Sarah Palin herself remarked to his brother, Alec, that Stephen was her favorite Baldwin brother. Well, that seals the deal for me...hopefully Stephen sticks around, as he seems just as good at entertaining us in this world as his brother is in all the imaginary ones.

Anubis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis

This ancient Egyptian deity, said to preside over the underworld, first appeared in Egyptian writings around 4,500 years ago. Anubis was depicted as a half-man, half-jackal; the latter animal was associated with death and graveyards in Egypt due to the threat it posed of exhuming bodies for consumption. Anubis is known as a son of Ra (think the Egyptian version of Zeus or Odin), but the facts surrounding him changed as he became more associated with Osiris, another god of the Underworld who became more important later in history. The mummification process and the Egyptian belief that one can bring earthly objects with them into the afterlife are popular concepts in modern interpretations of this culture; it is the meeting with Anubis for which the dearly departed were preparing. Anubis has been misconstrued and misrepresented several times since the advent of the cinema, most recently and memorably in the American film “The Mummy Returns”, in which he is depicted as actually having a vested interest in the events of the living world. This is inaccurate; rather than a “soul harvester”, Anubis was more of a liaison between one place and the next.  

Scotch whisky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky

The crown jewel of the European liquor industry, this alcoholic beverage has been in production in the northern part of the British Isles for centuries. Usually consumed “on the rocks” or “straight” for maximum taste appreciation, Scotch is subject by legal regulations to a very specific formula and method of preparation. In fact, Scotch Whisky doesn't just mean “whisky made in Scotland”- it's actually illegal for whisky to be produced in Scotland that isn't made by the rules of Scotch (as this practice might reduce Scotch's quality). Scotch can be single malt, blended malt, or single grain, which refers to the ingredients used to make the whisky (malted barley as opposed to mixture of other cereals) and the process that a distillery employs to get its end product; a single batch of scotch “mash” is produced for Single Malts, whereas different batches are mixed in the creation of blended malt. Another Scottish law requires whisky to be aged for three years and one day in order to be considered Scotch. It's safe to say that a developed palate for the stuff requires a strong stomach, a seasoned liver, and (most importantly) a plump wallet.

Cat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

This small, domesticated feline's worldwide popularity as a companion of humans has caused the species' population to skyrocket to ridiculous heights. This association has also brought them to virtually every corner of the globe. Since cats often represent a living example of science/animal biology in the home, proactive parents often teach their children some of these basics through the household cat; this tendency has caused a slough of misconceptions about the animal. Conversely, the factual details of feline anatomy are also widely known for this reason. The internet has been directly responsible for recent crazes of "cat obsessiveness", and "lolcats" widely evince humanity's gullability for the faux innocence of these charmingly cocky little creatures.

Highlights:

-There is much truth to the common folktale that depicts cats as objects of worship in ancient egypt; they were “sacred animals” for Egytians, representative of grace and cunning, and in some instances the animals even received mummification with comparable care to their masters.

-Cats aren't entirely color blind. They can see two colors clearly, green and blue, but have trouble discerning other color contrasts. Conversely, cats have perfect vision in 1/6^th the amount of light required for humans.

Tech N9ne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tech_N9ne

This famously underground rapper from Kansas City, Missouri, has made waves for his dynamic rapping styles, delivery speed, and nationwide cult popularity, despite spending much of his career unsigned (or affiliated with his own small record label, Strange Music). Tech got his start in the early 90's with a group called Black Mafia. In 2008, his album Killer helped him reach one million career record sales. Tech N9ne may be approaching his first taste of true widespread fame, as he has plans for collaboration with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Lil Wayne. One of my personal favorite aspects of Tech's influence is the “Caribou Lou”, an alcoholic concoction the creation of which is explicitly explained in Tech's track of the same name. The drink is well-recognized in a lot of bars.

Highlights:

-Tech N9ne's early life was marked by a serious search for a higher power; he spent much of his post-high school career exploring abandoned buildings in search of a ghost sighting.

-Although he did not appear in the film, Tech's song “Caribou Lou” (mentioned above) appeared in the 2006 film Alpha Dog; he was also instrumental in assisting the production staff in placement of tracks.

Cargo Cult

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult

This truly fascinating South Pacific archipelago cult phenomenon, most widespread during and after World War II, was an unintended consequence of the colonization of areas with small populations and little exposure to modern technology. Members of a “cargo cult” see technological imports as magical artifacts coming from deities; they believe that the white man's activities on their islands are rituals to appeal to the gods to send more “cargo”. The John Frum cargo cult has prophesied a time in the unspecified future when the white messiah Frum (whose existence is debatable, albeit quite plausible) will return with enough cargo for everyone. In an attempt to provoke this second coming, cult members crudely imitate white culture, making mock runways, air traffic control towers, radios, and even to-scale planes (as pictured), out of island materials like wood and leaves.

In this context, the term “cult” seems somewhat unfairly pejorative; many religions that are taken seriously today are based on a similar historical misunderstandings of the world and the way it works; shouldn't a religion that claims the earth is 6,000 years old be provided a similarly condescending indicator? Apparently not. Oh well.

Galway Kinnell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_Kinnell

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I've been striving to give my Articles of the Day a certain “grab-bag” theme, I will need to move briefly into the realm of poetry from time to time (if only to give outsiders a brief, occasional lesson about why it's awesome).

This majorly influential 20^th Century poet turned heads for his brilliant depictions of nature. war, love and language. He is notable for the blend he has managed between popularity among readers and acclaim among critics (although both of these groups overlap VERY frequently, with each other and with the poets themselves). When I first read Kinnell, his depictions of natural beauty and harmony (or disharmony) in rural New England made him seem like a free verse Robert Frost. As it turns out, he's much more than that; his most memorable pieces came later in his career, and deal primarily with war (The Fundamental Project of Technology) and familial affection/sex/life (After Making Love We Hear Footsteps).

Highlights:

-His experiences protesting the Vietnam War in the 1960's are chronicled in a book-length poem entitled The Book of Nightmares.

GG Allin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GG_Allin

This outrageous 80's punk rocker created a legacy in his 36 years of life not through his music, but rather through his revolting and unorthodox performances, serious substance abuse problems, and indisputable mental illness. Allin's shows often included defecation, sexual acts, and self-inflicted injuries. He used about every drug known to man, and rarely bathed; serial killer John Wayne Gacy (whom he idolized and met with several times) made mention of his fondness for Allin in interviews, also mentioning how bad he stank. It seems to me that Allin's cult popularity was a result of his shrewd ability to see how the 80's movement of hardcore punk rock was the only venue through which his disturbed tendencies could be carried out with any acceptance. I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing in a communal / artistic sense (who am I to judge poop lovers?), although it's a shame Allin never got any psychiatric help or drug rehab- he clearly needed both.

Highlights:

-A documentary entitled Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies was released in 1994; it was the directorial debut of Todd Phillips, who went on to direct Road Trip, Old School, and The Hangover!

Kenneth Lay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Lay

In 2001, this American businessman and his fraudulent fellows contributed the word "Enron" to a trash heap of business-names-turned-curse-words that features such gems as Exxon, Phillip Morris and most recently BP. Lay drove the energy company deep into debt in the late 90's and early 2000's, paying a lot of corrupt finance employees to keep that issue from the company's shareholders. It's estimated that his antics cost Enron stock holders and customers billions of dollars; thousands lost their job as well as their life savings when the scandal came out. Despite all this, only 18 months prior, he was being considered for Bush's Treasury Secretary. Bad luck, Kenny! If only you'd gotten THAT job, nobody would've pestered you with any of that “personal accountability” jazz.

Highlights:

-Lay's death has spawned conspiracy theories. Between conviction and sentence (he would have been given as much as 45 years plus monetary penalties), he died in Middle Of Nowhere, Colorado, of a “heart attack” and was promptly cremated. His case's abatement meant that his estate has not borne a shred of financial responsibility for his actions. Sherlock Holmes wouldn't have had much trouble with this one...

CSI Effect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect

A quick read for today, but extremely fascinating. This recent crime phenomenon has many dimensions. The term refers to increased awareness of forensic science due to shows like CSI; this has had an effect on the way people commit crimes, the way victims and their families view criminal investigations, and the way juries respond to the presentation of evidence. It's exciting to ponder how the “perfect crime” could be committed; lately, in the post-CSI world, it seems more intangible than ever (could this be why so many crime stories are now conveniently set in eras past?). It just seems to have (almost humorously) spawned idiots trying to cover up their crimes with techniques to counter what they saw on CSI. Of course, most people who commit premeditated murders are insane or unintelligent anyway; otherwise, they wouldn't have done it in the first place, right?

Highlights:

-I had no idea that the abilities of forensics that we see on CSI are totally overblown in comparison to the real forensics. Shoulda known!

-Forensics in television has led to an increased interest in college students, and many Universities are adding or expanding their courses for Forensic Science.  

SPAM (food)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(food)

This ubiquitous American canned meat product originally produced in the 1940's, despite being the butt of many jokes and puns about its true origins and taste, has been well-loved the world over since its advent in a small town in Minnesota. Despite all the crap we give SPAM, it's really not much different from the processed meat in our hot dogs, bologna and sausages, most of which are universally acceptable and widely consumed. The stuff has found its way onto grocery store shelves all over, being produced now in Asia as well as the US, with several different flavors and sizes. Despite all this, however, somehow its name became so synonymous with something unwanted and ignored, we named our junk email after it...where's the logic in that?

Highlights:

-The town of Austin, Minnesota, where SPAM originated, holds annual SPAM-related festivals, and there's even a SPAM museum in town!

-SPAM has created hot dogs from its products, and even spreadable SPAM (yuuuuck!) Considering how easy this must be to do, it's a wonder they haven't gotten more creative than that (although, in several countries with countless creative SPAM dishes, the consumers have).

The Downward Spiral

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Downward_Spiral

This brilliant concept album and poster child for 90's industrial music came to our ears directly from the twisted (but oh-so-interesting!) mind of Trent Reznor. I find it impressive that he managed to produce such a mature and well-developed ensemble with very little artistic support from anyone else, and only on his second attempt. I find it difficult to view the album through any lens but an enraged and suicidal one. Ever impressive is Reznor's ability to pull this off without seeming whiny, petty, or trite. The most affecting lines in the album (for me) come in the 6th track, which is essentially a battle within the “character” of the album's deteriorating psyche. The words repeated at the end of the song, I suggest, come not from the protagonist, but from the voice inside his head urging him to kill himself: “You didn't hurt me. Nothing can hurt me. Nothing can stop me now.” It gives me chills every time. This album is more than worth a listen, and the story of its creation is equally fascinating.

Highlights: The album was filmed at the site of Sharon Tate's murder at the hands of the Manson family; creepy!

The Turk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turk

This mysterious and fascinating 19th century automaton stumped the western world for years with its apparent mechanical mastery of chess, and provides us today with some very interesting reading. Wolfgang von Kempelen and subsequent owners of the Turk managed to trick a cornucopia of notable names from the early Victorian west into believing they were beaten at chess by a machine; it was discovered much later that the secret of the trick was an unidentified-to-this-day chess master hidden inside.

Kempelen's genius as an illusionist was to show his audience the inside of the casing, affixing it with phony cogs and machinery (even though there was actually a small unseen area in which the operator hid). The Turk could recognize illegal moves, complete a knight's tour (a popular chessman's puzzle), and even communicate with its spectators via letterboard. All of this was controlled via magnets and levers, by candlelight. It's surprising nobody ever noticed the Turk's turban emitting faint wisps of smoke while it played. Less surprising that the cause of the machine's ultimate demise was a fire.

Highlights: Construction is arguably the most interesting of sections, but the whole article's worth a look.

London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London


This famous (infamous? nah) European hot spot has gone through quite the metamorphosis since its days as the Roman settlement Londinium.The place was essentially the center of the universe from Imperialist European perspectives as they forged into the modern era; that attitude seems to have stuck with the people of the area (I kid, UK, I kid!). In fact, the country spends an exorbitant amount of money on its Queen, money that comes out of taxpayer dollars. But who am I to judge?Her wealth dwarfs what we pay some of our favorite movie stars and CEO's in the States. Maybe the British have it right! Good thing I don't live in 18th century America, or I would've been tarred and feathered for that.

Highlights: The history section is worth a read from start to finish; I found it interesting that the settlement was actually abandoned for a short period between Roman and Anglo-Saxon control. There's lots to be learned about Londoners' architecture, even if you think you know the important ones. Although, I was famously informed quite recently of exactly what "Big Ben" was, to the astonishment of everyone I knew, so apparently I know nothing about British buildings.

Jim Jones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Jones

This American cult leader and his commune gave us the expression "drinking the Kool-Aid", and yet more than 30 years later we still don't fully understand the events of Jonestown, Guyana. What blows my mind is that nobody saw the sinister acts of Jones coming; in fact, many otherwise legitimate and trustworthy individuals considered him to be "a man of the highest character" (Harvey Milk). I feel like I would have at LEAST gotten a bit of a creepy vibe from the guy. Come on, the sunglasses? The creepy stares? The...ewww? Maybe hindsight is 20/20.

Highlights: Interesting how signs of being a sick psychopath manifest themselves in a person early on; apparently Jim stabbed a cat to death as a kid. I find it so creepy that the American hub of the People's Temple church was in Northern California! As a sociological experiment, at least it shows that communism is ineffective even on a tiny scale. The same issues pop up: manipulation, deception, isolation, and megalomaniacal, sadistic leaders.

Book of Revelation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation

This is one of the most fascinating books in the bible (in my humble opinion) and contains more examples of literary technique than any other. Whether it represents genuine prophecy isn't for me to say (although I find the idea outrageous), but I think we can all agree that it makes for some damned good reading--no pun intended (between the quality of the reading and what God may do to me if I'm wrong about this book). What I don't understand is when people ask "Do you think we'll see the rapture in our lifetime?"...even if you believe in this stuff, how could you possibly know the answer to such a question? Another weird thing to me is God's repeated insistence throughout the book that "I am coming soon." Considering the book was written around 59 A.D., he seems a bit late. Conversely, scientists speculate humans have been on the earth for as much as 250,000 years; in that context, 2,000 years isn't long to wait, I suppose.

Highlights: The sections about John of Patmos' use of literary devices is really interesting. I love the symmetry of seven that is seen throughout Revelation. While reading this section, I was looking up corresponding direct passages for reference, and got to know www.biblegateway.com very well. The site offers sound clips of the whole book, in dramatic voice over, with a score. Sort of like a book on tape. Super, super cool. I found it so neat, I listened to the whole book!

Deadpool

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool

I'm not into comic books, but I watched "X Men Origins: Wolverine" today, and it got me interested in some of the characters in "Project X", which is touched on but briefly in the film (which touches on, but avoids full explanation of, quite a bit, which is one of its problems). Ryan Reynolds' portrayal seems relatively faithful to the character's biography, but he has less than ten minutes of screentime, despite seeming to be a major character in the comics. I love Deadpool's story, the way I love any good character's back story, and for this reason I actually enjoyed this article more than the film.

Highlights:

-Deadpool's name comes from the time he spent in a prison for rejects of the mutant experimentation program he was part of. The inmates had a betting game about who the warden's next murder victim would be, appropriately called "the dead pool". Wade Wilson appropriated this name after he escaped.

-When Wade was given his superpowers, it drove the cancer he already had into overdrive, which caused his body serious disfigurement due to scarring.

Introduction to this Blog

Hello, all! My name's Rob and I'm a teacher, reader, writer, information junkie, and full-time thinker. I spend at least an hour a day on Wikipedia (often a lot more), and almost every day I read an entire page that relates to whatever random subject has inexplicably piqued my interest. I thought I would document those pages (and add a few comments).

My intent is that fellow "info-holics" might use my Page of the Day as a jumping-off point; hopefully my commentary is provocative enough that is gets you started on your own Wikifrenzy. Hell, maybe my Page of the Day even becomes yours. I'll try to post every day, but limit my thoughts to 200 words at maximum.

I am a free-thinking person, not easily offended. I'm agnostic, liberal, and internationally minded. While I don't go out of my way to be offensive, I won't take any pains to shield readers, so be forewarned in case that bugs you.

External links: www.wikipedia.org
                      www.thewikigame.org