12/3/25 - Fictional Gadgets, Christmas Smells, and Oxford's Word of the Year
- bribriny
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Wednesday 12/3/25
Celebrate:
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Let's Hug Day
Make a Gift Day
National Apple Pie Day
National Green Bean Casserole Day
National Package Protection Day
National Peppermint Latte Day
National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Special Kids Day
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What are the most popular Christmas Smells?
1 Fresh Pine / Evergreen - The most nostalgic and "unmistakable" scent of the holiday. It evokes joy and a traditional Christmas atmosphere.
2 Cinnamon / Spice - The quintessential warm, classic holiday spice. It is universally used in baking and warm drinks, making it synonymous with coziness.
3 Baked Cookies Sugar Cookies - evokes childhood memories of holiday baking and family gatherings.
4 Gingerbread
5 Hot Cocoa / Peppermint
Runners-up and Honorable Mentions - Roaring Fire / Woodsmoke, Clove and Orange, and Frankincense & Myrrh (Highly popular for a more sophisticated, spiritual, or ancient holiday scent profile.)
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Someone asked on Reddit: What are you supposed to say when you’re occupying a bathroom stall, and someone knocks on the door?
From the comments…
Occupied. (or like Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Occupodoooo.)
Seat’s taken.
Come back with a warrant.
Dave’s not here, man
Thank God you're here! I need someone to hold my hand; this is a tough one.
I think I got this, I'll holler if I need any help.
There are lots of TV/Movie answers. I am the Great Cornholio! Bring me TP for my bunghole, I haven't a square to spare, and "What is your name? What is your quest? What is your favorite color?"
Did you bring snacks?
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The Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year is....Rage Bait. It's the winner of a shortlist choice of three. Aura farming and Biohack were the others.
Defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content”.
First used in 2022 in conjunction with drivers.
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Ranker.com is asking you to rank The Coolest Fictional Objects You Most Want To Own.
1. Cloak of Invisibility from Harry Potter
2. Star Trek's Transporter
3. Lightsaber from Star Wars
4. Aladdin's Lamp
5. The DeLorean (time machine) from Back to the Future
6. The Batmobile
7. The Tardis from Doctor Who
8. H.G. Wells' Time Machine
9. Hoverboard from Back to the Future
10. Green Lantern's Ring
11. Hermione's Bag from Harry Potter
12. Starship Enterprise (really..kinda big)
13. Web Shooters like Spiderman
14. Holodeck from Star Trek
15. Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who
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The "Clean Girl" aesthetic (minimal makeup, slicked-back bun, perfect hydration) is being rejected by Gen Z in favor of more dramatic, maximalist, and individualized styles, like Coquettecore (hyper-feminine, ribbons, lace) or Grunge Revival. The message is: being "perfect" is boring.
Another trend is "GrandpaCore" and the Return of Vintage Tech
This trend celebrates the comfy, practical, and slightly outdated aesthetic of an old-school grandpa. It includes wearing practical clothes (cardigans, loose trousers, vests) and using vintage technology like wired headphones, flip phones, and dedicated digital cameras. It's a rejection of sleek, expensive modernity.
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Doctors in India took 90 minutes to remove a toothbrush from the throat of a man who claimed he accidentally swallowed it. The 40-year-old businessman said he was vigorously cleaning his tongue when he suddenly swallowed the toothbrush and couldn’t cough it up.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - The First Text Message Turns 33 today. 1992, the very first SMS text message was sent by 22-year-old engineer Neil Papworth. He sent it from a computer to a mobile phone, and because it was December, the message simply read: "Merry Christmas."
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