Ok, this is just dumb.

The Big Word Project is redefining words. You pick a word and link it to your website. Your website is then the new definition. Simple.

So you can buy a word for $1 a letter and they'll put a link to your website on that word. They try to present themselves as researchers doing some kind of grand experiment to redefine words.

The project is aimed at changing definitions and creating a new tapestry of words, meaning altogether different things.

Please.

It's so transparent it would be funny if it wasn't sad. Look, The Million Dollar Homepage was clever because it was new. It may have even been worth it for a couple of the early buyers because it ended up getting a lot of promotion. But this words thing is just a stupid copycat attempt. There's no advertising value here, there's no social value, there's no ownership value (who cares if you "own" a word at this random website?) there's nothing of value whatsoever.

Honestly, I feel a little bad mentioning it at all, because they're bound to make a little money with any kind of publicity. Oh well, at least nobody reads this stupid blog.

Every time it rains in Southern California, newcomers to the area come out of the woodwork to bash native drivers. It's always the same conversation: "Every time it rains, people around here just go crazy!", "Learn how to drive, it's just water!", "People in [Seattle/Boston/NoCal/Wherever] don't have this problem, they drive in the rain just fine!".

I'm tired of it.

The funny thing is, it's become such a cliché that I've even had people recite the lines to me, and not even know what they're talking about. I asked someone once, "So, are you saying people here drive too fast, too slow, or what?", "Uh, I don't know, they're just idiots!". Yeah, nice argument.

Thankfully, I'm here to give you the truth (don't worry, you can thank me later). You know what I see when I'm on the freeways in the rain here? A lot of very sensible drivers taking reasonable precautions due to the conditions. Why are there a lot of accidents when it rains in Southern California? Two reasons. First, accidents are more likely when it rains after a dry spell (see this article from drivers.com). Second, and most important, there are more accidents when it rains in Southern California than in Seattle because there are a lot more cars on the road in Southern California. Accident rates go up everywhere in bad weather, it's just magnified here because of the huge number of drivers.

So there you have it. Now, can we please stop with this nonsense? It's boring and makes you sound like an idiot.

</rant>