Do you feel lucky? (updated occasionally)
Here is a list of words and phrases google users have found “lucky” recently, according to our inner sanctum (for even more fun, vote for your favourite by selecting the link that brings you full circle!).
Phrase discovered May 4, 2007:
Earlier this year, the Canadian Cancer Society brought back its nutbar “Driven to Quit” campaign, which offered smokers who quit for the month of March the chance to win a new car. We blobbed about it with our usual aplomb. Result? if it’s “driven to quit” smoking that describes you, it’s “Quittin’ to Drive” that the Cancer Society would make you. Good luck!
Phrase discovered April 11, 2007:
Some of you may have heard of the illustrious Lancet Medical Journal. Google has. It records 4.6 million hits for those three words. About three weeks ago we wrote about the Lancet’s ground-breaking study of drug, licit and il-, with the suggestion that “the car” could be examined with the same lens they apply to, for example, tobacco (and heroin). Did it strike a nerve somewhere? Today we’re at 14 on the 4.6 million. Time to ban car ads!
Phrase discovered March 16, 2007:
While a lot has happened in the history of the world, apparently among the events proclaimed March 17 (google cites some 2 million items) the invention of ALLDERBLOB day last year tops the chart. Or as the St Patrick’s day poseurs put it: “top o’ the chart” to ye.
List produced February 23, 2007:
Plug these two into yer search engine and get outa the way!
1. car-hater (you’ll want to check out the speed racer hits too)
2. schadenfreude, epicharikaky (both words together, although the second one alone works too).
List produced July 21 2006:
July 3, 2006
animal safari ontaro (note typo!)
st jamestown toronto (out of a million hits, ours is number 15)
circlear logic (in an abtuse reference to the way our erstwhile southern neighbours pronounce “nuclear,” the Allderblob sought to poke a little fun. Strangely, there are two other hits google gives us for this term. And they’re in earnest).
July 14, 2006
“The blob we know as Canada”: Definitely “Lucky.”
Think there’d be lots of folks writing about “moralists” and Jane Jacobs? We figured the same. Doesn’t everyone want to kick sand on her memory? So to find ourselves in the top 10 must mean we’re on to something, right?
Think “Everyone hates cars”? Well, so do we. Funny though, hardly anyone else writes about the fact.
And in a personal fave, the ALLDERBLOB asks: “Where is the ‘war on terror’ when need it most?” Strangely, we’re not the only ones asking.
July 20 2006:
You’ll not be surprised to hear the phrase “advertising versions of reality” returns some 26 million hits on google. After all, what else is there to advertise (arguably, what else is there besides “versions” of reality)? So it is with some measure of humility [ha! –ed.] that we note our place in the list at number one.
We never actually wrote about “pseudoscience in car ads” but googling the phrase will net some hits–159,000 or so. What we’re beginning to wonder about is if a random search for anything negative coupled with “car ads” will find our page. What we’re beginning to wonder about is if the ALLDERBLOB is just a big negative-land, a festival of negativity. We wonder if you, dear reader, will be corrupted and depressed by our daily brush with dross. We hope your mental health coverage is up to date.
And finally: ARCista. What can we say. It’s not as if we made the word up. Not like “automobilious,” which reminds us of the acid-reflux symptoms everyone feels in the presence of cars. Not like “bicyclicious,” referring to the “full flavour of a bicycle experience.” ARCista is no more than a friendly howdy-do to our pals at ARC, Toronto’s Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists. But it’s not a word in wide use. Oh, it gets a few hundred hits. But the first fifty are in furrin langwidges. It’s not until 51 that you get English. Which is we.
List produced June 13 2006:
“people and parks belong together”
“alcohol†equals freedom, “car†equals defeat.
List produced May 14 2006:
Really lucky:
Pretty lucky:
Bizarre, but getting warmer!
1. “your first car” “toronto star”
[...] brings readers to our blob” –ed.] we occasionally come across quirky facts (see “Do You Feel Lucky” at right). Strangely, for example, a search for “Jack Lakey” and “smasher of [...]