Rocket Jones’ Great Random Google Junket

We’ve got a full roster of interesting words to work with this time, and a full bench of reserves for the next go-round.

Starting lineup:
Vaseline – from Tuning Spork
Vainglory – from Susie
Hysterisis – from Pixy Misa
Strop – from Victor
Supernumerary – Jennifer
Aberrant – Serenity

vaseline + vainglory
We’re seeing lots of dictionary word lists, but the second hit for this combination is a list of unclaimed domain names. Inconceivably, both Vaseline.com and Vainglory.com are available.

The second page of hits turned up this poetry and writings. Farther down the page both words are used sensibly. I like how it starts out though, as if talking to a priest in the confessional:

Bless me Father
for I have sinned
And it was so much fun
I might do it again!

vainglory + hysterisis
Google suggested the alternate spelling hysteresis, and the only hit for the original was my site for the last Google Junket. Using the new spelling generated three hits, the first from a German university with the page titled “C. Geertz and Twentieth Century Chinese Cultural Discourse”. Written in english no less.

Hit number two is a page from the Morgan Stanley brokerage house, a Global Economic Forum. Pretty depressing reading, these folks need some prozac or a swift kick in the ass. According to them, we might as well line up now to jump out the window or lay down in front of a bus.

From the third and final hit:
"This is a fragment of a startling drama, sadly not unique, in the life of a great scientist who dared to stand against the Atomists of this century. Atomism is a belief system which holds that by describing the particle composition of material an explanation is thereby produced not only of universal physicality but of all reality. It would reduce thought itself to contingent atomic reactions."

Uh huh. Pass the prozac swift kick please, it’s some kind of epidemic of doom and gloom all of a sudden.

hysteresis + strop
An evaluation of the fibre rope properties for offshore mooring in pdf format. Undoubtably useful to someone, but it’s anti-exciting to me.

There are several more hits, all having the same basic premise – materials engineering. Mildly interesting is that the word strop also means a bight of rope. I didn't know that.

strop + supernumerary
Grand Slam! First up is a portion of David’s Glossary of Theatre Terms. Second on the hit list is the Poet’s Corner, with an introduction to John Masefield’s Dauber, including another glossary, this time of nautical terms used in the poem. Hmmmm... Polydactyl Facts seems to be about cats with extra toes, including one extraordinary example of a kitty with 27 total toes. Is this common? I’d never heard of it. The last page listed is another poem, with the confusing title of “Untitled Birthday Greeting”.

supernumerary + aberrant
Five of the first seven hits relate to cancer of various kinds. The sixth has something to do with dentistry, and the seventh talks about people with extra breast(s). No links.

aberrant + vaseline
This completes the circle, and I was kinda dreading it, but I shouldn’t have worried, because most of what came up was more medical stuff. Apparently Vaseline is some sort of wonder substance. One interesting site is this page of ramblings by the guitarist of a band. And we’ve got a trend going here, with the final link being from IndyMedia. Clinton and Vaseline, and Dean and Aberrant, in one article. Honest!

Ok, so this wasn't the most exciting Junket ever, but at least we didn't have fans reaching in and grabbing letters.

Next time we have several words from Daniel, who was trying to impress me with his vocabulary. Actually I am impressed.

apodyopsis
hypnerotomachia
callipygian
colpocoquette

Susie chipped in with Protagonist.
Jennifer suggests Horsepower.
Stevie tosses out Pixilated (I think she was dreaming about Justin Timberlake naked. Pixilation is exactly what I'd want in my dream).
And StMack antes up with Discursive.

Should be fun! Thanks for the suggestions, keep ‘em coming.

Posted by Ted at October 15, 2003 07:23 AM
Category: Google Junket