“Does My Butt Look Big In This?”

How many times have you uttered those words? My friends and family will tell you they’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made them to “honestly” answer that question. As I think about it, I can’t remember a time I’ve gone shopping for jeans without raising the butt question. After all, who wants to drop $50 on good denim if it makes your rear look unflattering? I, for one, appreciate having someone who can convince me to put back that pair of super skinny jeans… and stick with khakis. But what happens when you are jeans shopping ALONE? It’s … Continue reading →

Celebrities Unite To Help Find Missing Girl

By now I’m sure you have heard the story of 4-year-old Madeleine McCann. She is the British girl who was allegedly kidnapped from her family’s vacation villa in Portugal on May 3rd. News of her disappearance made international headlines and inspired many celebrities to contribute to her reward fund. Currently, the Madeleine McCann reward fund (given to the person or persons who provide information that helps assist in the child’s safe return) has exceeded $5 million. According to British press reports, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has to date pledged the single largest contribution to the fund. One newspaper called … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Goes High Tech

I have blogged about the power of YouTube in previous entries, but this latest incident truly proves how powerful the medium has become. Police in New Zealand say they were able to catch a thief thanks to a video posted on the popular Internet video sharing site, YouTube. According to officers, the man was taped circling the store, stealing a laptop computer, slipping it into his overcoat, then stepping out of the store unnoticed. Or so he thought. Shortly after the thief took off, his performance in the store was posted on YouTube – set to “The Pink Panther” music … Continue reading →

Inventor Of The TV Remote Dies

The man known for making the couch potato possible has died. According to news reports, Robert Adler, the co-inventor of the television remote died Thursday of heart failure at a Boise nursing home. He was 93. Adler worked at Zenith Electronics Corporation for more than 60 years and earned more than 180 patents, but was best known for his 1956 Zenith Space Command remote control. The device won him an Emmy Award (along with fellow engineer Eugene Polley) and helped fuel many a fight in households with multiple children and one TV. Depending on the source, credit is given to … Continue reading →

Retro Mondays: The Hula Hoop

I know we all like to hear about the latest celebrity gossip, know what fashions are hot, and just read the latest pop culture news in general. BUT, there are times when I like to reminisce about pop culture’s past. After all, there has been a lot of stuff that could classify as pop culture happen in the past 100 years in this wonderful country. So, on Mondays, I am going to start doing a retro blog. I will pick something that made an impact on us and write about it. But, I would like your help. Let me know … Continue reading →

Life Changing Inventions Make History

What does the MRI, the LP record, and a popular weed killer have in common? Their inventors have just been picked for induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The creators of those life-changing inventions join 15 other inventors to make up the 2007 class of inductees. The honorees are in good (make that great) company joining history-making inventors such as Thomas Edison, Velcro inventor George de Mestral and Charles Goodyear, developer of vulcanized rubber. Despite the fact that some of the inventors have created products that have literally changed the way we live our lives, most are not … Continue reading →

How To Become A Part Of Popular Culture

You’ve seen them posted all over the Internet… home videos of stupid pet (and human) tricks, weird stunts, and bloopers. But, have you ever wondered how each video makes it online and how much (if any) money was exchanged for the post? Popular culture wouldn’t be what it is today without someone uploading video of what happens when you combine Mentos and Diet Coke or what happens when you stuff your mouth full of live praying mantises. Online videos are fun to watch, and in some cases even more fun to post… and yes, those weird stunts captured on camera … Continue reading →

The Evolution of Recording Mediums and Devices

I was watching a Discovery Time special last night called “Yearbook.” It was covering 1978 and talked about how that was the first year the Walkman came out. It went on to say how it was the first time we could actually walk around and carry our music with us. I told my husband how funny it was that now, with the invention of the iPod you could carry around ALL the music you own in one small little device. I started to think how lucky I was to have seen almost all the mediums and devices for music. Actually, … Continue reading →

The Story Behind T.M.X. Elmo

Did you know that when T.M.X. Elmo was unveiled on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” three months ago only about 50 people in the world had seen it? It was just part of the toy’s creators master plan. For nearly two years before it became one of this year’s hottest holiday sellers T.M.X. Elmo was shrouded in so much secrecy not even the sales force at manufacturer Fisher-Price Inc. knew exactly what they were selling before the toy debuted on national television in mid-September. But, now that Elmo is flying off shelves, his creator’s are singing like canaries. Recently, members of … Continue reading →

One–Of-A-Kind Shopping Cart

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… flying shopping cart? Not exactly. But, it could be once the kinks are worked out. And once it takes flight we’ll have two University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee engineering graduates to thank for the jet-propelled shopping cart invention. Andy Kraft of Milwaukee and Erik Hopfensperger of Appleton just graduated from college (both were awarded bachelor’s degrees on Sunday), but they are already making names for themselves. All it took was a little ingenuity… and a lot of work to create their one-of-a-king shopping cart complete with a motor from a rechargeable drill, a homemade … Continue reading →