“It has taken me three years to decide on the scent because I really like BO and I think it’s sexy. I wanted to figure out a way to make it palatable to everybody. I was like, ‘How do you get BO in a bottle and make an atomiser of it?’

“Then it was all about trying to capture the sense of naughtiness in a bottle that it would be good for a man and a woman.”

[via DigitalSpy]

If you’ve glanced at my bio page, you may have noticed the origins of this blog’s name:

As for the name sturtle, it comes from a saying/read that was popularized by my friend Zod: “You’re so nelly, you put an ‘s’ in ‘turtle’.” Of course, the only way to carry out such a grammatic endeavor without sounding like you’re from Upper Slovenia is to put the “s” at the beginning of the word: ergo, “sturtle”. I know, it doesn’t sound particularly funny, but when pronounced with over-the-top sibilance a la Charles Nelson Reilly (sssssssssturtle!), it’s pretty freakin’ amusing.

So basically, I thought “sturtle” was a made-up word, nonsensical. But I was wrong. (Not for the first time.) On the Isle of Wight, “sturtle” apparently means “to frighten”. Which amuses and pleases me, although I am not nearly as frightening as I would like. Have a listen:

But really, I don’t care about all that. I just want to peek in people’s windows.

[via TechCrunch]

Yes, the Hall and Oates song, but as lip-synched by high schoolers who weren’t even eye-twinkles when the song debuted. And filmed BACKWARDS. And therefore, lip-synched BACKWARDS. My high school was not this awesome.

 [via Towleroad]

People in sunny, outdoorsy states — Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida — say they’re the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why. 

A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks generally have reason to feel fine. 

The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing things like climate, crime rates, air quality and schools. 

The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives….

Ranking No. 1 in happiness was Louisiana, home of Dixieland music and Cajun/Creole cooking.

[Economist Andrew J. Oswald] urged a bit of caution in that ranking, however, noting that part of the happiness survey occurred before Hurricane Katrina struck the state, and part of it took place later. Nevertheless, he said, “We have no explicit reason to think there is a problem” with the ranking.

Rounding out the happy five were Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.

At the other end of the scale, last in happiness — is New York state.

[full story at NOLA.com]

Anyone who’s ever mimicked the French or the Germans or the Italians or any other foreign-speaking folk knows there are certain sounds that characterize other languages. So, for example, you may not be able to understand Italian, but you certainly have a feel for its cadence and the clusters of consonants and vowels that typify it. (And, if you’re Peter Griffin, you can try your hand at faking it.)

I’ve often wondered how English — specifically American English — sounds to others around the world. Over the years, I’ve asked some of my foreign friends, but none have been able to explain it to me. Adriano Celentano, however, manages pretty well, in this song of utter gibberish: