Personal Dialect Map

Over the past week, my Facebook network has been buzzing with conversations about a new "personal dialect map". This is an online quiz that asks you 25 questions about how you use the English language (e.g., pronunciation, descriptive terms, idioms, etc.) and then uses your answers to create a personal map of what parts of the U.S. you're most similar to (and most unlike). The quiz seems to be incredibly accurate.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the quiz determined that I speak most like someone from ... the San Francisco Bay Area.

My wife grew up in Northern New Jersey, and the quiz determined that she speaks most like someone from ... New Jersey.

The more interesting results came for my 14-year-old daughter and my 12- year-old son (we figured my 8-year-old son was too young to generate valid results). We've moved around a bit, and my kids have been raised in San Francisco, then Northern Virginia (near DC), then Seattle, then South Florida (near Miami), and then/now Atlanta. We were curious what the quiz would say about their dialects.

The quiz determined that Rebecca speaks most like someone from Seattle and that Daniel speaks most like someone from Miami. Interesting. Thinking about this further, we realized that Rebecca spent 5th-7th grades in Seattle and that Daniel spent 6th grade in South Florida. I realize this is only two data points, but ... could it be that Americans today tend to develop their dialects during middle school (i.e., their "tween" years)?

Hmmmmm ....

Guide to International Problem Solving

Given the ongoing frequency of my international travel, I thought this was insightful and funny (if not painfully stereotypical):

Frank Medrano

As part of my ongoing fitness training, I recently started focusing more on "bodyweight exercises". This is where you use only the weight of your own body to provide the resistance in strength training. In other words, no free weights.

While the common thinking is that you cannot build up large defined muscles without free weights, Frank Medrano is proof positive that it IS possible. In fact, some of the stuff this guy can do is simply amazing ... and inspirational.

Pentatonix

I've always been fascinated by a capella music, especially modern versions where vocalists make such incredible sounds using only their voices. Most recently, I've been especially blown away by a young LA-based quintet called Pentatonix. This video is by far their most amazing (and popular) work so far: