#FakeElements

I've mentioned how Twitter hashtag games work before- sometimes, as with that example, they're meant to be satirical. Other times, they're just for fun. Today's was, as the title of this post suggests, #FakeElements. And the gist is exactly what it sounds like. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments.

First, the ones I came up with...

• The element of style: strunknwhitium
• Anti-nitrogen tentatively named daytrogen.
• Likwise, anti-hydrogen tentatively named lowdrogen.
• The element of suspense: bungium
• The element of surprise, booron
• The basic unit of stupidity: bozonium
• The smallest indivisible particle of music is auram.
• Of course, there's always the criminal element, hoodlium.
• Fundamental building block of modern journalism: echonium.
• Most dangerous element: conservatonium.
• Criminal who becomes successful comedian while in prison: sillycon.
• Main element of bullying: tauntalum.
• Important element of sporting events: hooraynium
• Elemental basis for economy without currency: antimoney.
• Element often spotted on summer porches: geranium.
• Element of outrage: scandalum.
• Most precioussss element: gollium
• Element responsible for pine smell in sunshine: solfir

...then some favorite others, with attributions:

• @TonyNoland Element found in shining armour: knightrogen
• @TonyNoland The element orthopedic surgeons love: kneeon
• @TonyNoland Element found in most antibiotics: healium
• @TonyNoland Most essential element in taxidermy solutions: hiderogen
• @UncleJago  Belgium
• @eroston Material for sculpting heroic statues left to ruin in deserts: ozymandium.
• @TonyNoland The key ingredient in linoleum polish: floorine
• @DrMRFrancis The element that hogs all the electrons and doesn't bond with anything else: aynrandium
• @DrMRFrancis The heaviest element: yomamium
• @4ndyman Kardashium (formerly Hiltonium) is seen all over the place. It's a beautiful element to look at but serves no useful purpose.
• @jon_e_7 #FakeElements Bury 'em: an element found mainly in the American west and Clint Eastwood dialogues

Now oddly, a game that I played both as a high school student and as a student teacher was pretty much the opposite of this. The teacher gives a list of punny descriptions, and the student is supposed to figure out what *real* elements fit the descriptions. For example, "Member of Troy's after-dark guards" would be night Trojan, or nitrogen. A member of the same city's tower watch would be a high Trojan, or hydrogen. "What doctors do with their mistakes" is bury'em, or barium- which in fact shows up above.

Either way you come at it, it's a fun game.

Have a Miserable Wednesday Wednesday

It's pushing mid-nineties here in Corvallis, with the next two days forecast to be nearly one hundred. Bif is not liking this at all; I have the sense he's more miserable than I am. Filled his bowl with refrigerated water last night. *That* he liked. On the other hand, while Ozma was a huge fan of the frozen damp towel trick, Bif didn't much care for it.

So we're both pretty miserable, even without a nice girl. (Photo from JULIA SEGAL TIME)