Top Searches of 2003, A Dave Odyssey, Banned Words for 2004 331
Shockmaster writes "Yahoo! has released their top searches of 2003. Google also has a year-end Zeitgeist wrap-up for popular search queries." Elsewhere, TheFairElf writes "The Miami Herald has Dave Barry's annual roundup of the year's main events titled 2003: A Dave Odyssey. The most significant events include the release of the fifth Harry Potter book 'Harry Potter Reaches Puberty and Starts Taking Really Long Showers' and the discovery of large quantities of sugar in Iraq which the CIA claimed 'is a leading cause of tooth decay'." Finally, wideangle writes "'Calling all metrosexuals: Get rid of that bling-bling - or at least find another word for it. In its annual compilation of language irritants, Lake Superior State University singled out 17 words and phrases that it says ought to be banned as overused, trite, euphemistic or just plain inaccurate." LOL, we wish everyone an Xtreme New Year from Slashdot, OMG.
unneeded words (Score:5, Funny)
fop: A man who is preoccupied with and often vain about his clothes and manners.
dandy: A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners.
dapper: a. Neatly dressed; trim. b. Very stylish in dress.
gentleman: A well-mannered and elegant man with high standards of proper behavior.
I can go on...there are others. But come on, pretending the reemergence of the gentleman fop is something new is just retarded. Jumping on the bandwagon of some writer's column...yuk. Might as well start incorporating slogans from WWE into your daily speech, it's the same concept.
Re:unneeded words (Score:2, Informative)
Re:unneeded words (Score:2)
At any rate the only problem I have with the term is its deragatory nature. Where's the brotherly love? It's kinda pathetic when we have to use such silly social divi
Re:unneeded words (Score:2)
My god, a grammer Nazi. How can you stand to read slashdot?
Re:unneeded words (Score:2)
There's a delightful interview with Georgio Armani in the Economist a few weeks back that touches on this. He points out how hip-hop, unlike rock, induces young people to spend money on decorative objects and clothes.
I'd wondered why a played-out genre was so heavily promoted. Now I know.
The actual list. (Score:5, Funny)
Top ten Jennifer Searches:
1. Jennifer Lopez naked
2. Jennifer Aniston naked
3. Jennifer Garner naked
4. Jennifer Love Hewitt naked
5. Jennifer Connelly naked
6. Jennifer Ellison naked
7. Jennifer Tilly naked
8. Jennifer Esposito naked
9. Jennifer Capriati naked
10. Jennifer O'Dell naked
Top ten movies:
1. Harry Potter slash fiction
2. Matrix download divx
3. Lord of the Rings download
4. Star Wars dvd download divx
5. X-Men hentai
6. Spiderman fanfic
7. Finding Nemo download
8. Hulk download
9. Matrix Reloaded download
10. The Ring download edonkey
The internet is a sad place.
Re:The actual list. (Score:5, Funny)
Top ten Jennifer Searches:
1. Jennifer Lopez naked [google.com]
2. Jennifer Aniston naked [google.com]
3. Jennifer Garner naked [google.com]
4. Jennifer Love Hewitt naked [google.com]
5. Jennifer Connelly naked [google.com]
6. Jennifer Ellison naked [google.com]
7. Jennifer Tilly naked [google.com]
8. Jennifer Esposito naked [google.com]
9. Jennifer Capriati naked [google.com]
10. Jennifer O'Dell naked [google.com]
Top ten movies:
1. Harry Potter slash fiction [google.com]
2. Matrix download divx [google.com]
3. Lord of the Rings download [google.com]
4. Star Wars dvd download divx [google.com]
5. X-Men hentai [google.com]
6. Spiderman fanfic [google.com]
7. Finding Nemo download [google.com]
8. Hulk download
9. Matrix Reloaded download [google.com]
10. The Ring download edonkey [google.com]
Isn't that better [google.com]? And surprise surprise, Slashdot is pissed off. "Too few characters per line (20.1)?" Now that's a wierd metric. Still needs more. Probably hit the compression filter next... well, if you see this this got through.
Shame on you, if any of those links show up in your browser as "already visited"!
expressions I hate (Score:3, Interesting)
"quote... unquote". There is no such thing as "unquote" -- it's "end quote". Using "quote unquote" as a prefix to the purported quote is doubly irritating.
"It's like this...." I don't give a blinking fuck what it's like, I want to know what it is.
People who mess up the meanings of precision and accuracy tick me off. 165.04452 +/= 50 is precise, but not very accurate. Abuse of significant digits is another irritant.
Re:expressions I hate (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
I think it's a case of people hearing a phrase but never seeing it in print. They know what it means, but can't spell it out. Pretty common, knowwhatImean?
No, they don't know what it means... (Score:2, Insightful)
Just because they spell out a homonym, dosen't mean they knew it and just made a typographical error. I fail to see how anyone who knows the meaning of the phrase "intents and purposes" could mistype it as "intensive purposes". These are completely different sets of words.
Another one that I find very irritating is ignorance of the difference between 'Affect' and 'Effect'. However, this one-character substitution might enjoy the benefit of the doubt, if thei
Re:No, they don't know what it means... (Score:2)
I disagree. The meaning of an unknown phrase can be taken from the context in which it is used, not the actual words. You know the phrase "it's just an expression". Expressions often can't be taken literally, so I don't find it hard to believe that the person would just accept the expression's meaning without analyzing the individual
Re:No, they don't know what it means... (Score:2)
Re:No, they don't know what it means... (Score:2, Insightful)
In this example, the question is whether the people making this error ("intents and purposes" typed as "intensive purposes") actually know the meaning of the phrase.
This significant an error is not merely a typo, but an indication that the person knows nothing more than a string of syllables, which they are MIS-assembling into the wrong words. They are unthinkingly parro
Re:No, they don't know what it means... (Score:2)
Are they "unthinkingly parroting" this string of syllables? Perhaps. But you have to keep in mind, that's how language works. People repeat a given series of syllables to convey a given meaning. Whether t
So what you are saying is that... (Score:2, Insightful)
This is true in some limited contexts, where the ECC works and you only care about the current result, not the robustness of the system. But, it is merely pedantic to distinguish between a correct data transmission and an erroneous data transmission that was corrected.
It definitely matters to people who are not already familiar with the phrase, and especially to non-native speake
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Actually, I think the "intensive purposes" thing started off by somebody hearing somebody say "intents and purposes" with a slur/lisp or some other distortion (crappy telephone?), and then the other person picked it up as "intensive purposes" and started using it. I feel the same way about people who write "of" when they mean "ha
I'll fess up (Score:2)
Oops.
At least I now know better.
The one that bugs me is "Could care less" - no, you could not care less - that's the point: your amount of 'care' is at zero, and you cannot go lower....
Did I mention that for all intents and purposes, the North Ko
Re:I'll fess up (Score:2)
Re:I'll fess up (Score:2)
That one used to bother me, till I had it pointed out that to "aim for the lowest common denominator" is (for example) exactly what many businesses do. The ideal product or service is one which is the equivalent of "1", as it appeals equally
Also, for us Geeks there is often the opposite (Score:2)
Rondeyvo and rendezves (phonetic spelling)?
If you only read and never correlate the spelling with the pronunciation, you can be very confused.
Horse devours.
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Regarding overused words or terms, how many times in the past month have you heard/read the phrase, "at risk"?
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
"Misspelling" is misspelled, Miss Spelling [imdb.com].
Re:expressions I hate (Score:5, Funny)
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Funny you should mention this one, as "cut the muster" is actually the correct usage. It became "cut the mustard" because people heard the expression and didn't know what a "muster" was. A muster is the calling out of the militia. To not "cut the muster" would be to be sent home as unfit to serve due to age, infirmity, etc.
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
I have gripes about the usage about certain parts of the language (I am drunk but I think I got the its/it's part right) but we have to keep in mind that the language (and more specifically, the way we use the language) evolves at an incredible rate.
It's (!) like the whole me/I argument. Me and my friend, versus my friend and I. At some point we must draw a line betw
Re:expressions I hate (Score:3, Informative)
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2, Informative)
To summarize, if the true depth was 165 m:
165.04452 +/- 50 --> not precise, accurate
165.04452 +/-
100 +/- 50 -->
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
For all the non-intensive purposes, you do something else!
Sheesh.
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
"case and point" - is that like* when a thief checks out a potential house to burgle and then gestures towards it with an index finger?
"the point is mute" - the point may be moot, but it is never "mute," unless maybe it is being made by a mime.
using "that begs the question" to mean "your statement prompts me to ask this question" instead of its real meaning.
* =P
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Let's make it a peeve party!
"Whereabouts" when the speaker meant "where".
"to be like" instead of "said" - "She's like, where's my metrosexual extreme bling-bling?"
...laura who wonders if she's just getting old
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Don't forget the usual dain-bramaged hand choreography.
The world would be measurably better if people would say "so called" instead of "quote unquote". Even, "And then he used the quote facilities unquote to puke out his drunken little guts."
Some of my personal peeves:
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
Oh, I dunno about that - quite often I like grabbing a digit from around the thirtieth decimal of PI and beating it around the head and shoulders with a large red herring for an hour or so.
Much better than pulling a gun in the midst of road-rage later in the day.
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2, Interesting)
Tell you what I hate, it's people who believe that only their knowledge and experiences are valid. "Quote Unquote" is perfectly valid in the UK, at least. There's even a BBC radio show [bbc.co.uk] called that.
"I could care less." (Score:3, Interesting)
Hooray for legalese?
Re:expressions I hate (Score:2)
One of my bosses used to start his every speach on every meeting by: Well... you know... I mean... It's like this.... The rest of hiw speach was usually much cleaner and even articulated, but the introductionary phrase was irritating, especially being so persistent.
By the way, it was irritating for us ESL-immigrants. Americans used to talk in a similar way and did not found anything wrong in using so many parasite-phrases.
More: expressions I hate (Score:2)
Re:expressions I hate (Score:4, Interesting)
So, there you go.. its not, "where is she?" Instead, its "where's she at?" (technically, "at where is she?") according to Spanish slang.
OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:5, Insightful)
In summary, replace "LOL" with "gay" as an adjective. That would be better.
Also, anyone who says "bling-bling" is going to be shot by me. And anyone who writes in the passive voice.
Wow, the first time a grammar nazi-like post has been on topic. I'll go now
--
* Actually, 'lol ok' == 'is that right?' IMO. My friends and I have shortened that to lok, which is more efficient (save on bandwidth, my friends) than 'is that right?'
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:2)
I mean delete LOL from the list and add gay. Although the other way could work too
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:2)
She ended up getting hooked on crack, then tried to assault her mom and ran away to live in the ghetto though, so maybe it was just some kind of statistical abberation.
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:4, Funny)
> younger girl who used "lol" (pronounced "lawl") in verbal
> conversation. That was too weird.
My kids say it out loud too.
I'm considering selling them.
I can do it in two active verbs... (Score:2)
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:2)
> What do you mean I can't? You might not be able to, but I most certainly can.
True. You may be able to, but I cannot. I should have made that clear.
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:2)
Re:OMFG ROFLMAO (Score:2)
l
o
effin'
l
LOL actually doesn't sound AOL to me, and if you have a sibling you chat with, "haha" sounds too sarcastic and would start fights
Popular Queries - Spain. (Score:2)
2. terra
3. gran hermano
Curious... They have trouble finding the Earth?
Re:Popular Queries - Spain. (Score:2)
Spanish Top Search: Terra ISP
Woohoo! (Score:2)
Yay! I was waiting for this day.
Thank god I killed my MSN account a few weeks ago and only use Jabber now. MSN is for people who can't le
Re:Woohoo! (Score:2)
I can see people abbreivating things like i18n to avoid typing internationalization. But typing u to save yourself
Re:Woohoo! (Score:2)
Yeah, I agree. The people who say 'u' when they mean 'you' must be so bad at typing that the 2 letters makes an appreciable difference in their speed. It's really sad.
"Britney Spears" as most popular Google query... (Score:3, Funny)
uhhh, (Score:2)
Nice work RIAA. By threatening 12 year old girls in housing projects, granmothers and other people who had no clue, you have spread the good news of music sharing far and wide. Only a such a large and well funded organization could create such great advertising. Keep it up.
But that's the way language develops (Score:2)
Re:But that's the way language develops (Score:4, Funny)
Next thing we know, Bush is going to "glork glork" the Iraqi people. Have fun misunderestimating that.
Re:But that's the way language develops (Score:2)
Lighten up.
Re:But that's the way language develops (Score:3, Funny)
~:P
Re:But that's the way language develops (Score:3, Insightful)
For example, check out the IGN interview with Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler [ign.com].
This is a good example of how a lot of people (including myself) conduct verbal conversations. When it is written down, it is next to impossible to understand. What does "Two takes before last, it's like. (makes weeoowee sound). It's coming to an end." mean? Did his bow break, or fly off a cliff, or turn into the chick from Kung Pow or what?
"Metrose
Re:But that's the way language develops (Score:2)
Useful language evolution involves creation of more succinct or precise terms for concepts that previously required longer and vaguer labels. Inasmuch as there are already perfectly good and short terms for the concept ("fop", "dandy"), "metrosexual" is indeed silly.
An omission... (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh well, as long as we're griping about the misuse of language...
The only thing more annoying than these terms: (Score:2)
Metrosexual? Bling-Bling? Well, I would never use them in a sentence, but if some people find one of them useful, then let them
Re:The only thing more annoying than these terms: (Score:2)
There's "hack", though that's probably a bit of a loaded word to use if you're trying to get across a clear meaning
Re:The only thing more annoying than these terms: (Score:2)
The Netherlands (Score:3, Funny)
OMFG... (Score:5, Funny)
You idiots. (Score:3, Interesting)
The X-Files debuted in 1993, well ahead of the "PR-powered phenomonon" ( Phenomenon - now there's an overused word ) of using X in product branding. The X in "X-Games", "X-Box", "X-Wife" refers to 'extreme' ( which, yes, is a trite marketing cliche ). The X in "X-Files" is supposed to connote ideas of mystery or of an unknown quantity.
And of course, there's the following explanation, given in Season 5's Travelers:
Plenty of room in the 'X's indeed. Happy new year everyone.
YLFIXXX (Score:2)
Then came Microsoft, with billions of dollars in advertising money. ActiveX, Xbox, the whole fucking eXPerience, blasted at giga dolar levels. They plastered it everywhere, in the Wintel pulp pages, on TV, on billboards even four page fold outs in National Geographic next to bullshit about "green" enviornmentally friendly NiCad bat
Re:XXX (Score:2)
It is like (loosely translated) "Windows: f.ck-you-if-you-understand-it".
The REAL number one search... (Score:3, Funny)
Suggested change: (Score:2)
Lone Gunman time (Score:3, Funny)
think about us in the pacific time zone!
you bastards!
Yeah, right. (Score:3, Funny)
2. Harry Potter
3. American Idol
4. Britney Spears
5. 50 Cent
6. Eminem
7. WWE
8. Paris Hilton 9. NASCAR
10. Christina Aguilera
I wonder which ones Yahoo were paid to feature in that "top 10" and which one made the real top 10.
I thought the #1 search has always been "Sex".
Re:Yeah, right. (Score:3, Insightful)
was an effort to look legit? In any event looking at the
rest of the page just confirms the decline of the internet
into the abyss.
"Shots rang out" (Score:5, Funny)
Typo in the Zeitgeist (Score:2, Informative)
How is it that the Harry Potter is second only to Britney Spears on the popular queries list and also below the Simpsons on the fictional characters list?
Re:Typo in the Zeitgeist (Score:2)
The All England Tennis Championships are at Wimbledon in the late spring. The French Open is at Roland Garros.
Smoking gun hardly came out the current Iraq war (Score:2)
Yes, shots really do ring out.
"Harm's way is actually in the dictionary."
Embedded journalist may be a new term but a concept that goes back at least until WWII. It has real and important meaning which is not "at the scene." It may be overused now,
New Years Resolution (Score:2)
Banned Word Nomination (Score:4, Interesting)
Normally, bad grammar and malformed words just roll off me. But for some reason this one really gets my back up:
"Incentivize"
The verb form of "incentive", presumably intended to mean, "to provide incentives for," which is another way of saying 'encourage' or 'influence'.
...Except that "incentive" is itself the noun form of the verb "incent", which means to encourage or influence. So you could use an actual word, save five letters, and not look like a pretentious twit.
Don't get me started...
Schwab
Re:Banned Word Nomination (Score:2)
Re:Banned Word Nomination (Score:2)
Verbing weirds language, and that's a prime example.
Doing my part (Score:3, Insightful)
Another popular tactic is to use the poor excuse for an MSN client I wrote a few years back to send them "OMG j00 sh00d 5t0p yoozing 5TVp1D T/\1| LOL!!!!!11111!!!" followed by a bunch of smileys in a very long for loop. It makes a windows 98 machine slow to a crawl suprisingly quickly.
Just doing my part to rid the world of idiots
Notice the Slashdot related item? (Score:2)
It's frankly scary.. (Score:2)
wtf omfg ffs nfw tbh bs h4x ban plskthx
There's a clear solution to this problem: Ban 13 year olds. Actually, you'd need to take out quite a few other ages as well, but that would be a good start.
a recent thread on usenet... (Score:2)
a recent 232 articles' thread on usenet's misc.writing and rec.arts.comics.strips had the "Subject: what are the most annoying cliches" [google.com]...
... but not "shnazizle fazzizle buzizzle" ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:... but not "shnazizle fazzizle buzizzle" ? (Score:2)
Re:... but not "shnazizle fazzizle buzizzle" ? (Score:2)
D00d.. UR post was K-|
(as one might reply back in 1985)
Re:... but not "shnazizle fazzizle buzizzle" ? (Score:2)
and yeah, I didn't use the (P)review button first.. so shoot me.
"place stamp here" (Score:3, Informative)
Basically it cuts down on the costs that the post office has to pay making it very clear to everyone that the addressee will NOT be paying for it. Otherwise they may have to get it halfway across the country before throwing it out.
Patent lawsuit! (Score:2)
Zeitgeist (Score:2)
Which got me to wondering... how honest are these lists? We've read a lot of stories about the great pains Google goes through to score web pages so that a search request will retur
Good/Bad phrases (Score:2)
LSSU (Score:3, Funny)
You insensitive clods!!!! (Score:2, Funny)
"The annual Wimbledon tennis tournament takes place at Roland Garros in Paris each spring."
Umm, folks, the Wimbledon tennis tournament takes place at *Wimbledon* in England. The *French Open* Tennis Tournament is what takes place at Roland Garros in Paris.
Next they'll be saying that the American Open tennis tournament takes place in London, and the Australian Open in New York.
The Out/In List (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Oh no. NASCAR is on the Yahoo! top list... (Score:3, Funny)
Yes. Sometimes, the cars also crash.
~Philly
Re:Oh no. NASCAR is on the Yahoo! top list... (Score:2)
Looking at that top 10 list leaves me very very scared about the state of the world.
Re:Happy New Year (Score:2)