by phsiii

Going Through a Phase

From Chemgal:

She notes, “I know phase changes, and expect someone else will immediately understand the bouba and kiki part, but I do not.”

Not sure “immediately” is the operative term, but it did sound vaguely familiar; Google finds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect, now alles klar. Even more interesting is searching “kiki bouba english”, which reveals that it’s not just an English phenomenon, although it does vary somewhat.

Oh, and hovertext is:

Even when you try to make nice, smooth ice cubes in a freezer, sometimes one of them will shoot out a random ice spike, which physicists ascribe to kiki conservation.

by zbicyclist

We’re gonna need a bigger website

Well, no, we aren’t going to need a bigger website. But today we’re paying comic homage to that ad-libbed line from Jaws, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”, which is #35 on the American Film Institute’s list of top movie quotes, right in between some other famous ones:

A definite call-out here, with the opposing team name being Sharks.

by zbicyclist

[E]n[o]u[gh/ff] said

Jack Applin sends in this New Year’s CIDU. “A tepid comic, not much more than “Huh”/“You know it”. Two things: Is 2024’s beard talking? Point that speech bubble toward his mouth!
Also, was I the only person to stumble over “ ’nough said”? I blame Stan Lee for making me so used to “ ’nuff said” so that I didn’t recognize the standard spelling. See https://cbr.com/marvel-comics-stan-lee-fantastic-four-nuff-said/ for a history of that.”

And a big Happy New Year wish for all of us. Here’s a classic Nancy.

by zbicyclist

How Did Those Resolutions Work Out?

According to this article in The Guardian, ” In the US, 44% of new year resolutions last two to three months; only 6% last a year..”

The most common resolutions:

About 40% of Americans make resolutions, but this varies by age. Younger adults (59% of those ages 18 to 34 versus 19% of those older than 55), which I would ascribe to the optimism of youth versus the resignation of those whose past resolutions haven’t really improved their fitness or finances.