I love election season.
You see, I graduated in 2008 from Purdue University with a degree in Communication, and my focus within the communication program was rhetorical advocacy and advertising. My minor is Political Science. In short, I am really good at decoding political messages within the context in which they are presented. (Sounds so college-y, right?) Election season is just the perfect time of year for political dorks like me.
Needless to say, there's a lot of spin on many claims put on by both sides of any political argument (which tend to be amplified during election season), but I feel that spin allows me to become a more informed voter. I can pay attention to a claim put out by a debate or a TV ad, and in knowing the tricks of the trade, go and research those claims to find out if (and really how much) spin there is. It's fun for me; some people say they aren't able to use what they learned in college after they leave. I get to use what I learned at least every two years. Again, yes, I'm a dork.
So, on the note that I bid adieu to this most recent election season, I give you the Links of the Week!
Awwww, look! Baby Robocop! [Gizmodo]
Because we love lists: The 100 All-Time Best Gadgets. [TIME]
A guard for Pepperdine technically dunks over seven people. Watch the video - do the last two even count? [Yahoo Sports]
The original list of basketball rules was sold recently at action for about $2 million dollars. My first thought was "Who the heck buys this stuff?". My second thought was "What were the rules way back when?". My favorite: "13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made." Can you imagine making the game tied as time runs out, only to have some guy say, "You know what? I think we're done. GOOD GAME, SIR!" [Business Insider Sports Page]
Wanna see photos of a bunch of stuff blowing up? Yeah you do! [Chinahush via TheBigLead]
As many of you who read this Links of the Week blog may know, I was fascinated with the whole Leno-Conan late night fiasco that NBC had pulled off earlier this year. This is the best piece on the subject so far since it happened. [Vanity Fair]
Nothing about "Getting drunk at the space bar" isn't funny. [Gizmodo]
Okay, seriously, like you'd see a link that said "The 50 Most Dominant Video Game Athletes Ever" and you wouldn't click? Puh-lease. [Complex]
And for your video of the week, since I'm going through Mad Men withdrawals, Don Draper says "What":