Sporcle Found Fort Worth Forgettable With Dallas Extremely Unforgettable

Yesterday I blogged about Amazon biospheres and Fort Worth's slow motion bridge construction boondoggle.

Someone named Anonymous then made an interesting comment which led me to some interesting data of the random list sort.....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Amazon Biospheres & Fort Worth Slow Motion Bridge Construction":

Cowtown (Fort Worth) didn't fare well in a list of the most unforgettable U.S. cities.

Dallas did really well placing 4th highest on the list. 

Seattle was 9th highest while Fort Worth was well behind at 45th place. Fort Worth is the 16th largest city and yet only the 45th most well known.

Dallas Ranks Among the Most Unforgettable American Cities

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This listing of America's Unforgettable Cities came from something called Sporcle, which used a highly evolved scientific means to come to its conclusions. Below is a graphic from Sporcle listing the Top 10 Most Unforgettable American Cities.

San Jose, that is a big town in California, fared quite poorly in being memorable.

As Anonymous already told us, Fort Worth also fared quite poorly in being memorable for one of America's higher population towns.

Three paragraphs from the D Magazine Dallas Ranks Among the Most Unforgettable American Cities article about the Sporcle data....

It’s no surprise that when asked to name all 100 cities, most-populous New York was rarely missed. More than 99 percent of users got it. Compare that to poor San Jose, which only 66.6% named, even though it is the 10th-largest in the U.S.

Dallas is golden by comparison. Ours is the 9th-most populous city, but we were named on the fourth-most quizzes, 92.4%. Decades of the Ewing family and America’s Team and (less fortunately) JFK conspiracies have allowed Dallas to burrow deep into the collective consciousness. We’re only beat out by the three-largest U.S. cities, which is nothing to be ashamed about.

But what about our best little suburb sister city to the west? Fort Worth is almost as bad off as San Jose. It’s the 16th-most-populous city, but ranks 45th among those named in quiz responses. Only 59.2% of Sporcle users remembered it.

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I do not know what Fort Worth could do to make itself more memorable and less forgettable. Dallas had its skyline burned into the collective memory of much of the world due to a hit namesake television show. That and one of the world's most infamous crimes took place in Dallas, which also burned the town into the world's collective memory.

Maybe when the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, also known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, is ever completed, Fort Worth will become memorable for its lively waterfront with hordes of beer drinking inner tube floaters floating under three stunning signature bridges recognized the world over.

And a giant Liberty sized statue of J.D. Granger honoring the man who brought world wide recognition to previously un-recognized Fort Worth, Texas.....

Village Creek Was In Flood Mode So I Visited The Trinity River Flooding At River Legacy Park

A year ago, on a Saturday, I would likely have gone hiking the Tandy Hills, or biking Gateway Park, followed by some Town Talk treasure hunting.

Today is Saturday and hiking the Tandy Hills, biking Gateway Park or treasure hunting at Town Talk did not cross my mind.

The hiking or biking would not be doable at either location today due to the recent deluging.

And I have sort of given up on going to Town Talk, what with the treasure hunting turning not so fruitful after a new owner took over.

I have myself a mighty fine time swimming this morning. By the noon time frame I felt like doing some jogging. I figured the Indian Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area might like some company.

That and I needed to go to ALDI.

Well, I got to the VCHNA entry to see the CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING gate blocking entry. I thought that might be the case today, what with that aforementioned recent deluging.

So, I decided to head further east in Arlington, to River Legacy Park, where I found a lot of water creating obstacles and a lot of people making their way around the water obstacles.

Above, that would be the high water of the Trinity River you see behind me. The river level appeared to be rising. I thought this due to seeing no muddy signs of it having retreated from a high mark.

Years ago I biked to the far east end of the River Legacy Park paved trail with the river unexpectedly rapidly rising. By the time I got back to the final bridge crossing, the river had flooded about six inches over the bridge deck. Park workers had blocked entry to the bridge at the exit end.  I told them there were a few people behind me. I asked if it seemed a good idea for me to pedal back and tell them to hurry. I was told that would probably be a good idea. And so I did so.

I wonder if there was anything good to be found at Town Talk today. I think my final straw with Town Talk was when I bought three cases of what I thought was yogurt. Each with coconut. Like peach coconut yogurt, strawberry coconut yogurt, blackberry coconut yogurt. I like coconut and thought this would be some tasty yogurt.

Turns out it was pseudo yogurt made out of coconut milk! Pretty much inedible and thick as a brick, and not in a good Greek yogurt thick way.

Amazon Biospheres & Fort Worth Slow Motion Bridge Construction

I saw that which you see here this morning via the online version of the Seattle Times.

I knew Amazon was expanding its Seattle headquarters in the South Lake Union zone. I did not know Amazon was building a new urban campus in downtown Seattle.

And I definitely did not know that part of this new Amazon campus are structures called "biospheres".

Amazon building a new campus in a downtown zone where there are no undeveloped open spaces had me wondering if eminent domain was abused to acquire land to build this corporate headquarters in the manner eminent domain was abused in Fort Worth so Radio Shack could build a new corporate headquarters that it could not afford.

This new Amazon campus in Seattle appears to be a real big deal. In Fort Worth, way back in November of 2014 a ceremony with a big TNT bang was held in Fort Worth to mark the start of construction of one of America's Biggest Boondoggle's three simple bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

I blogged about this momentous Fort Worth occasion in A Big Boom Begins Boondoggle Bridge Construction Three Months Late.

I wonder if a big bang ceremony took place in Seattle to mark the start of construction of the new Amazon campus?

In Fort Worth a big fuss was made about a year after that TNT explosion marked the start of Boondoggle bridge construction, when wooden V pier forms were finally under construction and visible.

I blogged about the V pier fuss in Beautiful Fort Worth V Piers The Likes Of Which The World Has Never Seen.

I wonder how big a fuss was made in Seattle over seeing these Amazon biospheres rise above the ground? The Amazon biospheres appear to be a bit more remarkable than those Fort Worth's Boondoggle's wooden V pier forms.

I suspect little fuss was made in Seattle over the Amazon biospheres. That town has a lot going on. Like the world's biggest tunnel boring machine, Bertha, is again on the move, about to dig under the downtown skyscrapers.

The new Amazon campus is set to open in 2017.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, digging has yet to begin on the ditch that may eventually cause water to flow under America's Biggest Boondoggle's three simple little bridges, currently set to maybe open in 2018.....

The Texas Hoodoo War Did Not Take Place On The Tandy Hills

A year or two or three ago when artfully assembled stacks of rocks began appearing on the Tandy Hills I took to calling these rock piles Tandy Hills Hoodoos due to their resemblance to natural rock formations in Utah known as Hoodoos.

This morning whilst scrolling through Facebook I came upon that which you see here from the Texas Hill Country Facebook page.

A link to an article about The Hoodoo War of Mason County.

A war over rock formations?

I read the Texas Hill Country article and found nothing that explained why this war was known as The Hoodoo War.

I then Googled "Mason County Hoodoo War" and saw multiple links, one of which was to a Wikipedia article titled Mason County War in which I sort of learned why this was called The Hoodoo War via the following paragraph....

This was the beginning activity of the vigilance committee, or Hoodoos, who used "ambushes and midnight hangings, to get rid of the thieves and outlaws who had been holding a "carnival of lawlessness in Mason County"

So, apparently a vigilance committee is known as Hoodoos. I found no explanation as to why a vigilance committee is known as Hoodoos.

Looking At Stats Takes Me Back Six Years To Arguing About West Texas Wink Sinkholes

I have been doing this blogging thing for almost a decade.

In all that time, til two days ago, I'd never noticed the little More> link at various locations on the Overview page one comes to when going to a specific blog in the Google Blogger platform.

Til looking at this I did not know that a blogging about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup (currently underway) titled At The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Watch Out For Mama's Nursing Baby Rattlers had had a lot of page views.

Then again, I don't actually know if 785 is a lot of page views, or a mediocre number of page views.

Another thing I'd not noticed, or paid attention to, that I noticed the same day I noticed the Overview Stats, was the number of Published comments.

7550.

I don't recollect hitting the publish button on that many comments. Then again, like I said, it's been almost a decade of doing this.

On any given day any one of the almost 7,000 Posts can generate a comment or two.

If I recollect correctly the worst comment frenzy occurred several years ago, triggered by an argument over sinkholes between Gar the Texan and the Queen of Wink. That comment frenzy spun out of control with way too many people named Anonymous commenting.

I'll go see if I can find that sinkhole blogging.

Found it.

Over six years ago, on February 14, 2010, in a blogging titled The Loony Lunar Landscape Of Wink Texas & The Wink Sinkholes Gar the Texan and the Queen of Wink's argumentative passion over sinkholes generated 69 comments.

I can not remember the last time I witnessed an argument between Gar the Texan and the Queen of Wink....

Durango Puerto Rico Has A Nice Ring To It

This morning I told Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, that my mind has changed and I no longer currently planning to leave Texas to return to the Pacific Northwest.

To which Spencer Jack's dad replied....

I suppose you are going to wait until the general election is over to see if your move will be outside the U.S. borders.

Well, I actually had not given much thought to leaving the United States.

I had thought of leaving Texas as sort of returning to the United States.

In recent days leaving Texas and heading west to Arizona seemed like a good idea. My mom and dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law and two of my favorite nephews are in Arizona.

And then today, out of the blue, I was told I could move to a currently unoccupied house in Coamo, Puerto Rico.

This appeals to me.

Mangoes grow in the backyard. Seafood abounds. Caribbean beaches are a short distance south. The entire island of Puerto Rico is about the same size as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

I would need to start yet one more blog,

Durango Puerto Rico. Or maybe just Durango Rico.

I suspect I would have a lot of material to write about.

I must brush up on my Spanish speaking skills....

Exhausted From Too Little Sleep From Too Many Booms & Nightmares Of Dinner Roll Attacks

Even though I am exhausted I managed to go swimming in the rain early this morning.

Excess drippage has the pool almost overflowing.

I have pretty much been awake ever since the thunder began booming sometime around two this morning.

The booming continues. As does the drippage, but not as copiously the last hour or so.

I just found out I am having lunch with Nurse Martha on Friday, across the street from my abode, at the Pizza & Pasta restaurant.

I have not had lunch with Nurse Martha for about a decade, that being a Thanksgiving lunch where Martha's daughter memorably threw a dinner roll at me. I do not remember what I did to provoke the dinner roll attack.

Tonasket's Texas Family Diner Is Open For Business

Aunt Alice, also known as Tootsie Tonasket, lives in her namesake town of Tonasket in Eastern Washington, a short distance south of the Canadian border.

Tonasket is a small town of around a thousand people. A lot of tourists pass through Tonasket.

This morning on Facebook, via Aunt Alice, I saw a new restaurant had opened in Tonasket.

Texas Family Diner.

With the Lone Star state flag and the Alamo.

I must ask Aunt Alice if she knows the story behind the Texas Family Diner. Are the owners transplanted Texans?

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial Board Did Not Recommend Kasich & Sanders

I guess this falls into the category of something I see in a west coast online news source that I would not expect to be seeing in one of my local Texas online new sources, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In this instance it is the Seattle Times recommending voters vote for John Kasich and Bernie Sanders.

I don't remember if I saw who the Star-Telegram endorsed for the recent primary. I'll go see if I can find that information.

Well, near as I can tell the Star-Telegram endorsed Marco Rubio.

I could not find who was endorsed by the Star-Telegram on the Democrat side. I would hazard to guess it was likely Mrs. Clinton.

On the Republican side John Kasich is the only one remaining who seems like a normal person to me, who does not seem to suffer from some mental health issues.

Did Ted Cruz Model For Big Tex Along With Auditioning For The Simpsons?

Earlier this morning I was reading the hard copy version of this week's Dallas Observer, when looking at the cover article about Fair Park in Dallas I looked at the photo you see here of Big Tex and thought he looked uncannily like Ted Cruz.

Big Tex got a makeover a couple years ago after an unfortunate fire incident. Did Ted Cruz model for the makeover?

Speaking of Ted Cruz, and who isn't? That is Ted Cruz at the lower left part of the screen cap from the Dallas Observer.

Ted Cruz at the lower left is a link to an article titled LETTER FROM TEXAS: LISTEN AMERICA, TRUMP IS JUST EMBARRASSING. CRUZ IS SCARY.

There has been so much embarrassing, scary video material with Cruz showing his reptilian-ness. I would have thought those videos would have laughing stocked him long ago. I thought the Cruz audition tape for The Simpsons would have been the end of him, but it was not.

I blogged about the embarrassing Cruz audition for The Simpsons on another of my blogs, with that blogging titled Ted Cruz Unfortunate Embarrassing Audition for The Simpsons.

The embarrassing audition video is watchable on the blog for your viewing enjoyment.