THE MOST IRRITATING PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY _ According to a new survey. 1. Slow internet 2. Slow computers/phones 3. Car alarms 4. Pop-up ads 5. Automated phone systems 6. Subscription-based software 7. Forgotten passwords and the authentication process 8. Smart home devices 9. “Out of Office” email replies 10. Alarm clocks 11. “Smart” TV menus
MUSIC EVOKES 13 KEY EMOTIONS IN LISTENERS _ Music often does a great job of saying what simple words struggle to convey, and you probably have a favorite song for whenever you’re feeling sad, looking for a pick-me-up, etc. Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley performed an extensive analysis on over 2,500 individuals’ emotional responses to thousands of songs. After finishing their work, the study’s authors concluded that the subjective experience of music across cultures can be represented through at least 13 key emotions. These emotions are amusement, joy, eroticism, beauty, relaxation, sadness, dreaminess, triumph, anxiety, scariness, annoyance, defiance, and energizing.
ABSURD CONSPIRACY THEORIES _ After the panel blew off the Alaska Airlines flight, a number of people shared on social media that the incident was planned. For what reason we don’t know. And that’s when other social media users began sharing some of the more absurd conspiracy theories they’ve heard.
• The Powerball lottery in the US was created to catch time-travelers.
• That people whose blood group has a minus after it aren’t descended from the same ape creatures the rest of the world is. That the minus proves their lineage was “introduced” to the gene-pool, instead of evolved.
• Lindsey Lohan actually had a twin sister who played the twin in The Parent Trap, but between filming and release, the twin died in a car accident, so they marketed the film to make you think Lindsey played both roles.
• Finland isn’t real. A high school kid made it up as a joke, and a whole lot of people took him seriously.
• The moon is a hologram because the real moon was blown up by nukes (possibly by Nazis?) and we would all go insane if we looked up at the sky and didn’t see a moon, so they had to make a fake one.
