It’s Week Two of our Open Mike Weekends! Today, our topic is mythology. Obviously, our Myths of the Modern World series has kicked off and even seems to be popular, which is cool. And as we’ve established, the myths generally explain the answers to ‘why’ something is. Often small things, as the big questions are somewhat broad and often are answered by ‘Randy Milholland’ or ‘Sam, the guy from the television show Quincy.’
Hey, blame the Arrogant Worms.
Anyway. In the comments, feel free to chime in with the myths you would like to have explained! No promises, of course, but we’re always willing to try! Trying is fun!
Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?
Why IS it exactly that whenever a person believes that no matter what, under no circumstances could any person find such a revolting or asexual concept arousing, there’s already a Yahoo group, several YouTube videos, a mailing list and a webring devoted to the fetish?
Where the hell did the word “defenestration” come from, and why is it so awesome?
Why is the sky over Los Angeles that particular color of yellowish gray?
(I mean, there has to be a more interesting answer than “geography of the location and too many cars,” right?)
What is the mystical significance of Wal-Mart’s iconography? (The not-quite red/white/blue color scheme, the appropriation of the smiley face, the blue vests, etc.)
What REALLY is the deal with gasoline prices? Half the time there’s some kind of patent price-jacking going on to coincide with major travel weekends, but the other half it’s like they’ve got trained chickens selecting the price and then the media submits some kind of half-hearted unconvincing post hoc reason as to why they are what they are, either up or down. Who’s really at the switch? And what do they want?
Why is it, when you are walking down a hallway and are blocked by someone walking the other way, he will move to his left as you move to your right (or vice versa), thus ensuring that you will continue to be blocked?
Moe
PS: With apologies to Stephen King: Why is the idea of a ten-foot bug scarier than the reality of one?
PPS: Why did it take so long to create the crochet hook?
Channing:
Fnord*.
Moe
*I actually explained it – but I then decided to delete the explanation and replace it with a Discordian reference. No, honest to God: I really did.
If there really were Secret Masters, this would so totally be the equivalent of an application essay. 🙂
Looking forward to more Mythic Heroes. By the way, we missed you at the Penguins of Doom launch party.
…crap.
Yeah, I suck. I hope you had a joyous time, regardless. And expect significant pimping over on ‘Snark.
Parochial:
“Defenestration” comes to us from the Latin, fenestra, meaning “window.” I know, it’s prosaic, but there you go.
As to why it’s so awesome, that’s even easier — it’s a word for “throwing some SOB out a damn window.” I mean, how sweet is that? And it sounds like something you’d hear two Members of Parliament discussing in some historical drama.
“If it please the Speaker, I would appreciate permission to defenestrate my worthy opponent.”
“Oh, I say!”
Thanks.
Why does the phone always ring when you’re in the shower?
Why does nature like to hide?
Why do hotdogs come in multiples of 4, and hot dog buns in multiples of 5?
I know this has been hack-comic fodder for years, but I feel like it lends itself to the format.
I’ll even link to some seed material for one potential response:
here and here.
Why do we care?
Rather than a request, a suggestion:
If you can FIND it, Ursula Vernon’s “Irrational Fears” is a darned good example of taking common everyday things– like dust bunnies, dreams, and the way we all try to hide under the covers when we think monsters are about— and spin a whole new mythology out of them.
Unfortunately the hunt for it has been something of a needle-in-haystack proposition of late; I can only hope she didn’t yank it offline.
http://rocr.xepher.net/weblog/archives/000288.html
Here you go.
Here you go.
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/uvernon/irrationalfears/
Well, that was weird.
Spam filter triggered on the first two attempts. 😉
Why do we get spam email that’s complete gibberish or random sentences from books strung together?
(This is seperate from spam trying to sell drugs, sex, or what have you, because the gibberish email doesn’t seem to serve any useful purpose.)
I know I’m late; feel free to ignore and/or delete this.
What really happens to the myriad graduate and undergraduate thesis papers after they disappear into the archives of their respective universities, never to be read, cited, peer reviewed, or heard from again?
Here’s a couple:
Who are those people who don’t get off when a train reaches the end of the line? (Happens all the time on the Central Line to Ealing Broadway).
What does hardware feel about firmware upgrades? (I swear my mp3 likes the (unofficial) rockBox firmware, but my phone threw a hissy fit when I tried to install the latest official patch)