On that note, I give you StrangeFacts.com.
You know those emails that you get from your Aunt Kathy with the subject "FW:Fw:FW:FW:fw:FW:It's True!!!!!!!" and you have to scroll through three years of email headers and notes from people you have never even heard of and references to people/events you don't know but feel very voyeuristic reading.
Hey, Jackie! I just got this from Stan (STAN!!!) and thought that you and everybody else on my address list would want to see this!
-Karen
These emails, once you find the actual content, contain lists of "Facts" that are only validated by the fact that they were written down by somebody. Why would they waste time writing them if they weren't true, right?
Did you know...
*Popsicles contain equal amounts of sugar and aluminum shavings
*The first man to use the letter M was Walt Disney
*Your heart beats 150 times a minute. This is faster than a car engine running at 4000rpm.
*If you dream about killing a person, they will dream about being killed
Well these emails have been harvested from other people's websites and email junk filters into the entirety of StrangeFacts.com. On a first look, StrangeFacts has all the aesthetic appeal of a 2nd grade art class display case, but if you take a closer look, your first impressions will be validated.
Upon arrival to the main page, I was suddenly confused as to what it was I was supposed to do. Where are the strange facts? I began bashing my keyboard against the wall in frustration, but then noticed the helpful message "To continue, click a button below". Whew! Disaster was averted. I clicked on "Strange Fears" because I wanted to make sure that I didn't have any of them. Oh joy! A new window popped up. This is very convenient for me because I do hate having to use the on-site navigation tools or, god forbid, the back button on my browser. No, I much rather having a new window pop up on every link I click. So, I cracked my knuckles in anticipation for some good "Strange Fears". I hunkered down in my chair, adjusted my monitor for optimum viewing, and got my hopes up. WHAT?!? Under construction! That's false advertising! I wanted to link to StrangeFacts.com so you all could see what I was talking about, however when I clicked on the link to do so, that part was also under construction. HOW WILL I LINK TO HIS PAGE NOW?!? In fact, many of his pages are "Under Construction".
On a positive note, StrangeFacts.com does provide quite a public service. Every few lines is a black bar with a reminder to breathe. This was very useful because I was starting to asphyxiate as I was so enthralled with the facts that my brain began to cease involuntary functions.
*Did you know that 15,000 people die annually because of asphyxiation due to interesting reading material?
So why does this page exist? What could the motivation be? There are no ads and you can't buy a shirt with "Did you know that, in Africa, the sun rises and sets 3 times a day?" written on it.
The answer is, promotion. That's right, if you look at the bottom of the page, this website was designed and maintained by Bram Hernick Media Inc. This very real company is very real and very established. They are incorporated (As the name suggests) and they have a sign and everything. That's right, this guy is selling his 'Hypertext Markup Language' and 'MSPaint' skills to the highest bidder. I was just about to contact them so I can have a bite of the Bram Hernick pie, but their Contact Us page was under construction. Five years is just not enough time to post a phone number to a web page.From BHMedia.com:
"Our designers take the time to discus your needs, and goals for your web site."
I hate it when people take a freshman HTML course and think that entitles them to start a web design company. Strangefacts.com, I hate you.
Kids! Post your OWN strange facts in the comments section!
Did you know that 34% of all statistics are made up?
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