October Carnival of Squid
The Carnival of Squid highlights the best lenses on a specific topic for the day. I'm looking for your best submissions and for you to vote for your favorites. The top vote getters will be featured on the Carnival blog each week, along with a Barker's Best. Good luck!!
How it works:
- Have a lens for a day's topic? Add it to the list.
- Like the topic but don't have a lens? Make one (a great one!) and add it.
- Check out the lenses for the day's topic and vote for the ones you like (or don't).
- Visit the Carnival of Squid every week to see which lenses made the cut.
Week 1
October 1: Late Night TV
It's 1962 and the eventual king of late night debuts as the regular host of NBC's "Tonight" show. Johnny Carson ruled for years and the airwaves are full of ... inspirations or knock-offs?
What's your favorite late night show? Let's see a duke-out between Letterman and Conan. Video showcase of the best clips. Profiles of the hosts. I know you've got it in you!
October 2: Peanuts
Wow. The comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz was first published today in 1950. That is one old comic strip!! This classic influenced so many of the strips we see today and we still see Charlie Brown and the gang on the small screen come the holidays.
Who's your favorite Peanuts character? Can you understand what the adults say? Has Woodstock been drinking? Could Lucy take Peppermint Patty in a fight? Should Peanuts be retired from newspapers? So many questions!! Give me some answers, folks!
October 5: Monty Python's Flying Circus
Comedy doesn't get much better than Monty Python, which we discovered 40 years ago today when Monty Python's Flying Circus made its debut on BBC Television. For years, Eric, John, Michael, Terry and the rest of the gang made us chortle, gaffaw, giggle and laugh out loud until we drooled.
Lots of room for stories about the cast, duels about the best MP movie, video showcases with classic clips from the show, so have at it!
October 6: Mad Hatter Day
Billed as a kinder, gentler April Fool's Day, Mad Hatter Day is a celebration of silliness. Fortunately, we don't have to look far for silliness these days. (*cough* Congress *cough*) Lots of reasons why this date, but it's silly to care so we won't.
So let's do lenses pointing out the silliness of life, explaining it, celebrating it, but never expecting it to change. Have fun!!
October 7: Edgar Allen Poe
Perfect topic for a Halloween month. Poor Poe died today at the ripe old age of 40. Care to share your take on a Poe short story or poem? Which is scarier - the Red Death or Hop-Frog? Is Poe over-hyped and appeal to our purient side? Hmmm.
We're open to all Poe creepiness today. Scare us silly!
Photo Credit: kevindooley on flickr.
October 8: National Monuments
Have you been to Washington DC? Thousands have over the years and in 1888, the first group of them got to go into the Washington Monument. It's one of the classic symbols in the U.S., along with various memorials.
So what makes something a monument? Debate whether we need them. Share with us narrow-minded Americans the great monuments of your country.
Photo Credit: butler.corey on flickr
October 9: Leif Erikson Day
I admit, I thought this was a joke on Spongebob. But there really is a Leif Erickson Day! It's mean to honor the concept of discovery as well as the contributions of the Norse. Which really means Northmen. Which are commonly called Vikings. (See the horns?)
I'm curious to see what you can tell me about Leif, the Norse, early explorers and Vikings. (Not the Minnesota kind, OK?)
Photo Credit: Eric Weisser on flickr
Week 2
October 12: International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
Ready to let it out? At noon today, take 30 seconds to just scream out your frustrations. But do a lens about them first, OK?
Let's see lenses about frustrating things, tips on screaming, classic screams. (Imaging a scream-off of best movie screams!) How do you deal with your frustrations if you don't scream? Share!!!
Photo Credit: Melle_Oh on flickr
October 13: The Navy
Back in 1775, the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet as events began building for the Revolutionary War. And thus the U.S. Navy was born. Tell me what you know about the Navy (of any country!) - the soldiers, the fleet, the use. Or maybe you want to share the story of your favorite sailor? Anchors aweigh!!!
Photo Credit: Matt Watts on flickr
October 14: Be Bald and Be Free Day
It's all about the eggheads today. (We say that lovingly, of course!) Great day for sharing your story of why you choose to go bald or tips for getting a great shave. Hmmm, wonder who would win a bald guy fight - Seth Godin or Darren Rouse? Famous bald people (gotta leave room for Sinead and Brittany!), fun things to do with bald heads and safety tips. Got it?
Photo Credit: Editor B on flickr.
October 15: I Love Lucy
Laugh yourself silly as we remember I Love Lucy today. The show premiered on CBS back in 1951 and proved a perfect showcase for one of the best comedic actresses ever. So what's the best classic Lucy moment - the candy line or the grape stomping? How to be Lucy for Halloween? Or maybe you can tell us about the other actors and characters that made up the show?
October 16: Dictionary Day
Lexicographer Noah Webster was born today and thus the holiday Dictionary Day. Whether you use a paper or digital version, it's just not possible to be a writer without one. Share your favorite dictionary, remind us what all the notes tell us or tell about the best word you ever found randomly. Or maybe you want to argue that in an age of texting abbreviations, dictionaries are no longer necessarily? Let's hear it!
Photo Credit: Muffet on flickr
Week 3
October 19: Stock Market
There's just something about October 19 and the New York Stock Exchange. In 1987, the market crashed Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value - its second biggest percentage drop. But in 2006, the average closed above 12,000 for the first time ever. Throw in the fact that it's also the birthday of Charles Merrill (oh, he of Merrill Lynch name) and it's definitely a day to talk about the start, highs and lows of the stock market.
Give me some interesting history, stories of the players, explanations of the way things work. Just no playing/timing/beating the market junk, OK?
Photo Credit: Perpetualtourist2000 on flickr
October 20: Teen Read Week
It's Teen Read Week!! Hooray for reading and for teen books! (OK, forgive me. I'm excited. :-) The theme this year is "Read Beyond Reality", which is just begging for fantasy and science fiction, isn't it? But frankly, I'm just interested in hearing about any book appropriate for the teen in your life.
The point of Teen Read Week is to encourage kids to read for fun, so let's see the fun suggestions. Book reviews and suggestions only, please - no movie or product tie-ins. This day (week) is about reading specifically.
Photo Credit: Xanetia on flickr
October 21: Light Blub
Challenging your ability to get creative today. It's the anniversary of when Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. back in 1879. So let's look at the lowly, simple, but highly important light bulb. Don't bore me with a lens on CFLs. Give me the science behind the bulb. Tell me the story of Edison's work. Share a science fair project that uses light bulbs. I know you can do it!
Photo Credit: spacepleb on flickr
October 22: Parachutes
Personally, I think jumping out of planes, off cliffs or off buildings is just nuts. But all you crazy people are able to do that thanks to French balloonist Andre-Jacques Garnerin, who made the first parachute descent today in 1797, landing safely from a height of about 3,000 feet.
So let's talk parachutes today. From use in the classroom to parasailing to cliff diving - lay it on me. Tell me about your adventures, give tips for taking your first jump, share a photo essay of your pictures.
Photo Credit: latch.r on flickr
October 23: National Mole Day
Yes - it's a test to see just how much of a geek you are. Because we aren't talking about that kind of mole. We're talking Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. (Don't remember it? I had to look it up, so don't feel bad.)
Anyway, it's National Mole Day starting at 6:02 AM. The theme for the year is the Molar Express and there's even a song. Yes, yes, there is. I do not lie. I would love to see a video of you singing it. In lieu of that, tell us about moles or Avogadro or other chemistry measurements. Even if they aren't named after animals.
Photo Credit: cowboytoast on flickr
Week 4
October 26: World Pasta Day
Nom, nom, nom. It's the food that makes the world go round - pasta! Perfect day for sharing a recipe, tips for making pasta at home or maybe pasta in different cultures? (Noodles around the world! Love it!) Or maybe you can explain to me why a product called Rice-a-Roni is actually pasta? It's a day for pasta love. Pass the plate, please!
Photo Credit: Andreanna on flickr
October 27: Cranky Coworkers Day
Oh, yeah. You have one of these. The cranky co-worker. (Heck, family member, pet, neighbor - they're everywhere.) So what to do with them? Taunt them? Enjoy them? Placate them? We want to hear about them today, how you deal with them, where you hide from them. (Oops, gotta run ... )
Photo Credit: Jason O'Halloran on flickr
October 28: Rifles
Happy birthday to Eliphalet Remington, born in 1793. He's the Remington behind the typewriter but the Remington behind the razor. But mostly, he's the American firearms manufacturer and inventor (and inspiration for the name Remington Steele, I'm sure). It all started because Remington figured he could make a better rifle than he could buy and ended up starting a company thanks to his inventiveness.
These days, Remington sells mostly rifles and ammunition used in hunting, but the company has a long history of providing military ammunition and innovating. Share what you know about Remington rifles - from tips on collecting to hunting safety to cleaning.
(Note: This day is not to mixed with the previous day. In any way. OK?)
Photo Credit: Michael (mx5tx) on flickr
October 29: Amazing Heists
In 1964, thieves made off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. It just one of the many amazing heists to happen in real life and fiction. Share the history of a great heist, list the top 10 hardest things to steal or explain the kind of security needed for these objects. Maybe you want to debate the best heist movies like Ocean's Eleven or The Thomas Crown Affair. Or pick a favorite heist from a book like The Great American Train Robbery (one of Crichton's best!).
Photo Credit: *saxon* on flickr
October 30: Hoaxes
So we all know the story. On Oct. 30, 1938, "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS Radio. The live drama, which employed fake news reports, panicked some listeners who thought its portrayal of a Martian invasion was true. It's easy to laugh now, but we're still being caught by hoaxes today. (Nigerian money scammer, anyone?) Whether the good fun of an April Fools Day joke or a serious scam, what can you tell me? From Bigfoot to UFOs to Santa Claus - what's the biggest hoax, are they hoaxes and why do we want to believe?
Photo Credit: fotologic on flickr
Thoughts on this Carnival?
I'd love to hear from you! (Remember that I work a couple months out on these so if you're suggesting topics, think December!)
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- WordCustard WordCustard Oct 26, 2009 @ 3:34 am
- I like this idea a lot. I only just discovered it so haven't been able to add any, but will look out for November.
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- naturegirl7 naturegirl7 Oct 23, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
- I wanted to do more, but could only come up with one... maybe next month. Great job! Love the Carnival
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- kab kab Oct 23, 2009 @ 8:59 am
- Today is Mole Day !!!!!!!
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Reply
- boutiqueshops boutiqueshops Oct 20, 2009 @ 9:01 pm
- I love the carnival! Thank you so much for doing this! I only submitted one this month, my USS Lexington Aircraft carrier lens, but always look forward to seeing the new topics and reading the lenses that get submitted. Thanks for all you do!
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- kab kab Oct 19, 2009 @ 10:17 pm
- Yay for Mole Day!
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by SusanVillasLewis
Basic gal from the Dallas area who has a lot to say!! I'm working on lens related to my odd-ball interests, as well as some tying back to my husband'...
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