The wonderfully detailed images below come from three USGS topographic maps of the Big Moose-Old Forge-West Canada Lakes region of the Adirondack Park in New York State. They are from the edition of July 1903 reprinted 1951, March 1901 reprinted 1949, and June 1903 reprinted 1948. Let’s have a look at some memorable names:

First, we have Witchhopple Lake. Apparently witchhopple is a type of plant, although it sounds more like a disease.

Witchhopple Lake

Next, we have Deadmans Gulch. For those who don’t know, a gulch is a steep valley formed by a stream. Odds are no one died here – instead the name probably stems from dangerous floods after heavy rain.

Deadman's Gulch

No, this is not a dessert made of cats. Kitty Cobble was probably named after the size and shape of the stones in the area (a cobble is a rock measuring from 3-12 inches in diameter). Someone probably thought the rocks formed the silhouette of a cat’s head.

Kitty Cobble

The name Queer Lake is perfect for this irregular body of water. Only God knows how this one was formed.

Queer Lake

Say the name of the next one five times fast. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. Shingle Shanty Pond. No shanty is shown on the map – it must have fallen apart before the turn of the century.

Shingle Shanty Pond

Notice how Stink Lake is located next to Balsam Lake. What are the odds?

Stink Lake

What a terror you are, Terror Lake. This one is as oddly shaped as Queer Lake.

Terror Lake

Finally, we have a lake whose name shall be censored for this post. There are two potential reasons for naming this body of water N***** Lake. 1) the lake is dark in color 2) the lake was discovered by an African-American and at the time, it was common practice to honor such an individual by naming it thus. Decades later, this lake was renamed ‘Negro Lake’.

N***** Lake

Marilyn Cole, Playboy’s 1973 Playmate of the Year received a P1800 hatchback for her achievement:

The infamous pink P1800 {volvo1800pictures.com}

More recently, the new Volvo C30 appeared in the 2008 movie Twilight. Despite appearing in a couple of scenes, sales of the car were actually down 10% for the month following the film’s release compared to the same month in 2007.

Car of choice for vampires {blog.leasetrader.com}

Finally, the edgy Volvo Sweden website features a man wearing an unbuttoned shirt and shorts refueling in a snowscape. The V50 may not be a hatchback, but this image is even more attractive than Marilyn Cole.

Volvo Sweden's homepage

Almost time to celebrate...

As the decade draws to a close, it is time to start remembering what made the years 2000-2009 so special. Most notably, the ten-year period can be defined by the burgeoning mobile industry. However, other cultural segments saw some unique changes over the course of the decade:

• Music: We’ve seen a shift from traditional pop music to more hip hop/club flavored songs. The public has said goodbye to Jewel and Alanis (although they are still greatly loved as members of the 90’s music canon). The Black Eyed Peas have the new formula down, and have consequently been successful for much of the past 10 years. Boy bands marked a transition from the 90’s to 00’s and are by now long gone. Also, indie music has become more mainstream than ever.
• Food: Asian fusion and sushi have really caught on. Wraps were big in the mid-decade and trans fat is no more.
• Internet: YouTube and social networking, plus random memes and blogging. No explanation needed.
• Mobile: The digital mobile network hardly existed 10 years ago. Imagine a voice-only analog network where weak signals meant distorted calls and then think of today’s 3G.
• Computers: Apple. From iMac to iPod.
• Sports: Football is more popular than ever; baseball is losing its audience.
• Climate: What was global warming before the year 2000?
• TV: Survivor and co. have given way to performance-based shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.
• Fashion: Cargo pants are dead and slimmer fitting pants are in. Hipsters abound.
• Drugs: Crystal meth is up; smoking is down.
• Auto: Everyone knows someone who drives a hybrid. CUVs are replacing SUVs and minivans are a thing of the 90s.

• sing-song voice
• bright eyes
• head turns
• concerned/distraught facial expressions
• gazes into the distance

Brie on "Community". An overachiever with mainstream sex appeal.

Everyone knows about Alison’s run as Trudy Campbell in 20 episode’s of Mad Men, and her current role on Community. Her first credited role seems to be a lead character in “Stolen Poem“, 2004 short that was made while Alison was a student at California Institute of the Arts, but sadly, no video seems available online. Here are the available online video clips of her lesser-known roles:

Web shorts/series:

Alison Brie in "Hot Sluts"

• One of Alison’s best roles, hands down. More impressives is that she did this after the first season of Mad Men. “Hot Sluts” is described as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz stepped into Boogie Nights. Watch all 5 episodes at Atom. The trailer is hilarious and the 90’s filming style is perfect:

• On the 2008-2009 web series “My Alibi” Alison plays an overachieving high school student, very similar to her character Annie on Community. Each of the 19 episodes is 3 minutes or less in length. The first one:

• In “Buddy ‘n’ Andy”, Alison plays a love interest of Andy (a piece of meat) in his dream:

• Singing “Santa Baby” in a comedy series titled “Christmas Idol”

Short films:

• Alison has a role as Alyson in “Us One Night”, a short film set at an engagement party. The trailer is available, and the film was recently screened at the Williamstown Film Festival:

• In 2008, Alison played a sexual abuse victim in “Salvation, Texas”, a film that appeared at a couple of independent film festivals:

[myspace 13992670]

Television:

• Last year, Alison appeared as a high school student in “The Deadliest Lesson“, a Lifetime Movie Network film about drugs and murder. Who doesn’t love a Lifetime movie?

• Alison appeared on a 2006 episode of “Hannah Montana” as a girl who was paid to pretend she is in a relationship. :

Other:

• Here’s a classy black & white video portrait shot by Tyler Shields, the man who also shot the Cary Brothers video mentioned here last year:

• For pictures, check out the Facebook fan page.
• IMDB has a list of Brie’s credits. Expect to see her soon on the big screen in as a teenage daughter in Montana Amazon alongside Olympia Dukakis and Haley Joel Osment.

The first image shows a man and woman provocatively positioned on a love seat being carried down a ladder by a policeman from a burning building while a dragon, held by a shocked young girl, blows fire from below:

Disturbing, but clever.

The next image makes little sense. One side is just plain bizarre; the other is extremely racist. Either way, why is a woman kissing a robot? And, how was this allowed in public?

Wrong on so many levels...

Needless to say, today’s fairground art is much tamer.

The first 7 outfits can be found on eBay; the 10 others (and perhaps most creative) hail from Etsy. You’ve got to feel bad for the cat wearing the shark costume…

Click to enlarge. Quotes from search.twitter.com and thedrunkpirate.com

Max Vibe is the current leader in the race for most alcoholic drink by volume. Think of it this way: a 24oz. can of Max Vibe is the alcoholic equivalent of 4 cans of beer. Plus, it has caffeine. The fruity beverage was released in Summer2009 and still remains somewhat elusive – the official website as promised on the can (drinkmax.com) is still parked courtesy of GoDaddy. Not a good sign.

Still, user feedback can be found via Google, and it is promising. Nearly everyone who allowed Max Vibe’s nectar into their veins speaks favorably of the experience. Apart from a few that question the flavor of the beverage, the reviews (containing vivid language) are glowing. Many alcohol drinkers look for something that will get them drunk quickly and on a budget. Max Vibe seems to deliver. The brave souls – from Alaska to the rest of the continental U.S. – who dared to imbibe on the 12% ABV successfully became intoxicated. Some questioned the effect of both caffeine and alcohol on their body. Others questioned if the drink contained crystal meth. A handful found themselves in risqué situations with women. If you are fortunate enough to find Max Vibe buy one and share it with a friend.