AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED NEWSCASTER: JON STEWART

In a new poll by Time Magazine, Americans were asked "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart beat out newscasters from the major networks marking a significant change in the perception of previously trusted news sources. Considering the legacy of American television journalism, it certainly is odd, a joke maybe, that a comedian is percieved as more trustworthy than actual news source anchors. (no matter how awesome he is) Therefore this poll appears to be a rather sad reflection on the state of American journalism today, especially considering the recent growth of entertainment news and a shift from journalists like Cronkite (who did much of his own research and writing) to news casters who do little other than look good (sometimes) and read teleprompters. Now, Jon Stewart isn't even a "newscaster" in the typical sense, (or at all) but he does much of own research and writing and his viewers are consistently the most informed compared to every source of news available. (according to Pew Research, see below) So it may be fair to say that Stewart is upholding at least a few of the grand journalistic tradtions that Cronkite helped establish, even if it is for the sake of entertainment. (which is what Stewart has openly stated is his job, not reporting news)

It must be said, that the poll, conducted online, is clearly missing a few notable Fox and CNN anchors, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Bill O'Reilly, Chris Wallace, etc. As of right now, I don't know if the available choices were chosen based on popularity or some other more subjective criteria. Regardless, it speaks volumes that Stewart received more votes than the established anchors he beat out.

FUNNY EXAM ANSWERS

As a high school teacher, I do occasionally see some pretty damn funny/creative responses to homework/project assignments and test questions. Rarely do I get anything as crazy as the work seen on Funny Exam Answers, but I have a small, fairly-entertaining collection piling up in an unused drawer in my desk. The site (no explanation necessary) is good for at least an hour of wasted work time and should give you some confidence in the creative talent of our nation's youth. Not sure how comfortable I'd be sharing my students' work (or lack there of) on line, but I'm glad somebody is. I've included a few gems pictured above; the one about the dissolving bears is dynomite. (click on the image for a larger version)

NEW MATH= WASTED TIME + LAUGHS

Craig Damrauer creates simple math equations for life that are surprisingly accurate. His site New Math is worth dozens of looks and laughs. Kiss productivity goodbye. (via It's Nice That)

THIS IS WHY YOU'RE FAT

This Is Why You're Fat is a compilation of the most delicious and yet, disgusting meal choices known to man (or Americans anyway). While this doesn't explain why I'm fat (or slightly overweight), it's clear that if you eat anything pictured on this site, weight gain is probably the least of your worries. Bon appetit.

SWISS COMPANY RELEASES BABY REVOLVER

Are you letting your baby breastfeed unarmed? Is your toddler unable to protect your home in your absence? Have no fear brave parents, weapons manufacturer Swiss MiniGun (yes, from the notoriously neutral country of Switzerland) has invented a truly tiny revolver. The gun is 5.5 cm long and fires a bullet 2.34 mm in diameter (OF COURSE IT FIRES, WHAT WOULD THE POINT BE OTHERWISE?) at over 300 mph. Yes, it can kill you. Or home-invaders, or bullying 2 year olds (hard to imagine death from a 2.34 mm bullet, but possible nonetheless).

Unfortunetly, you can't get these in America. Yet...
A message from the SwissMiniGun website:

"The US Department of Justice has mentioned that our miniature revolver, ref. C1ST does not meet with the minimum size prerequisites referring to the Factoring Criteria for Weapons ATF Form 4590.

Therefore, our revolver is not classified as sporting and is not importable into the USA.

We feel sorry for all the US collectors who have showed interest in our miniature revolver.

We promise that our next model will meet with the US Factoring Criteria for Weapons."

Yes, that's what America needs... tiny, deadly guns that fit in your wallet. (via gizmodo)

NO ESCAPE FROM NEW ADS.

Marketing firms are always looking for new ways to "break through the clutter" to reach potential customers in more cost effective ways. My students are consistently surprised at the places they find ads, but they've never seen anything like these. In the picture on the left, an elevator floor becomes a high-flying ad for a Swiss skydiving company created by Wirz/BBDO Switzerland. On the right, shoppers resemble fleas (imagine that) on a gigantic floor sticker is seen from the upper levels of a Jakarta, Indonesia shopping mall for Jakpetz and Frontline flea spray courtesy of Saatchi and Saatchi (once one of the biggest ad firms out there). Speaking of Frontline, the PBS series produced the must-see documentary on the subject of advertising and persuasion called "The Persuaders". According to the movie, and unfortunetly for us, breaking through the clutter usually just leads to MORE CLUTTER. Where will it end? I'm sure we don't want to know. (via coolhunter)