Pathetic Most Popular Story

I'm a loyal reader of Yahoo News, have been for 5 years now, I visit at least 2 or 3 times a day (can't stand the latest site revamp though.)

I don't know... there's good coverage, AP, Reuters, etc., a great bunch of categories on the homepage, and I like the mouseover story previews. I feel like there's almost a "switching cost" for me to get my news from any other site at this point. I'm sure some of you can relate.

So I like them, that's the point... but for the last 2 weeks, or maybe even more, despite all the election focus, and the economy news, and everything else infinitely more important going on, the following headline as been in the top four stories for the Most Popular category, EVERY DAY:

"The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure"

...how on earth has this story managed to stay so popular? The headline leads to a legitimate story originally from LiveScience.com, and don't get me wrong, I like a good fart reference like the next guy, but what does this say about humanity (because it's not just us Americans contributing to the popularity of this headline), that with all that's going on, we choose to find out more about farts than almost anything else.

And I don't even know where else this link exists other than as one of the four headlines under the Most Popular category on the Yahoo News homepage... so when you think about it, it's popularity is all (or only) based on being one of the four headlines under the Most Popular category on the Yahoo News homepage. I mean, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing it initially under the Health category, but then it just showed up under Most Popular overnight, and hasn't disappeared since. It must have received a colossal number of clicks in a matter of hours and then just kept rolling on into infamy.

What with all the newsworthy competition, it's just incredible. To me anyway.


UPDATE Oct/30/08 11am EST: It's finally gone.

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Bottled Water Backlash

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the recent proliferation of articles, both online and off, chastising the consumption of bottled water?

I say it's about time this industry is exposed for the farce that it is.

I've actually never been a really big bottled water fan, not because of any high and mighty opinions about the environment and such, but just because it's always seemed so pointless to buy, considering it's always come out of a tap for free everywhere I've ever lived. I must admit though, after reading last month's Fast Company article, I've started to not like the idea of bottled water for more reasons than just my thriftiness.

It's audaciously wasteful, we now know it's not nearly as pure an experience as we were led to believe, and worst of all, I can't help but feel like there are overpaid bottled water company executives, smoking cigars and sipping scotch (straight of course - no water), laughing and nudging each other at the thought of the ignorant throngs paying them more per gallon FOR WATER than gasoline!

So just say no people. Eliminate at least one exploitation from your life.




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