Monthly Review: April 2011

Monthly Review: April 2011

Highlights: Nyan Cat captivates millions of YouTubers and Vocaloid users; Redditers react to a picture of an abandoned coal mine in Japan, dubs it Anti-Zombie Fortress; Intense debate ensues on the forums as people try to wrap their heads around the dubious implication of the math problem "48÷2(9+3) = x"; Canv.as users poke fun at Mark Zuckerberg's reaction face (played by Jessie Eisenberg) based on a scene from the 2010 drama film The Social Network, spawning a multipane series known as Zuckerberg Note Pass; Arizona's Republican Senator Jon Kyl tries to cover up his statistics gaffe during the budget debate by explaining "it wasn't supposed to be a factual statement," Stephen Colbert launches a tongue-in-cheek smear campaign on Twitter known as #notintendedtobeafactualstatement.

Search Interest

In terms of search interest, Nyan Cat came out on top in comparison to the rest, while the "Hitler House" picture and "Twin Babies Talking" video also experienced a spike in the beginning of April:

Nyan Cat

Nyan Cat is an 8-bit animation depicting a cat with the body of a cherry pop tart flying through outer space. While dada-influenced images like Cat on a Keyboard in Space and Cat Bread have been around for some time, this particular combination of Pop Tart Cat and the Japanese Vocaloid song Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya! has captivated YouTubers and online art communities, spawning dozens of fan illustrations, video remixes and even musical tributes. Must See: Japanese strings tribute / Slipknot + Nyan Cat.

Anti-Zombie Fortress

Anti-Zombie Fortress is the nickname given to an abandoned coal mine in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, mainly due to its unique structural design that can be seen as highly impervious to zombie raids. In similar vein to other conceptual jokes like Rocket Propelled Chainsaw and Chinese Gundam, Reddit's userbase responded with a series of photoshopped images, pointing out structural flaws and sharing their own “anti-zombie” designs, as well as creating replicas of the shaft tower in Minecraft. Must See: Mathematical Analysis / Mobile Zombie Fortress / Minecraft Replica.

48÷2(9+3) = ?

48÷2(9+3) = ? is a math problem that, depending on the order of operations used, leads to two different answers: 2 and 288. The dubious implications of the set-up instantly sparked a heated debate and fueled the trolls on various forums in early April, spawning a number of discussion threads and mash-ups centered around the tricky math problem, as well as a derivative formula known as "6÷2(1+2) = x." Must See: Hitler Reacts to 48÷2(9+3) = ? / Calculators Display Conflicting Solutions / How to Divide by Zero.

Zuckerberg Note Pass

Zuckerberg Note Pass is a multi-pane exploitable series based on the lecture hall scene from the 2010 drama film The Social Network in which the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) opens up a note passed on by another girl in class. The vertical pane begins with the girl giving a look of disgust, the middle panel shows what her note says and ends with Zuckerberg’s solemn reaction. Featuring 3-pane verticals in similar vein to It's a Machine Code comics, the expoitable series was first launched on m00t's new project Canv.as. Must See: Get This Spider Off Me! / Come At Me Bro / Me or Me?.

Not Intended to be a Factual Statement

#NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement is a Twitter hashtag used to preface fabricated statements about Arizona’s Republican Senator Jon Kyl, who made the false claim during the congressional debate on 2011 budget that “well over 90%” of Planned Parenthood’s activity is devoted to performing abortion. In attempt to cover up his oversight, Kyl's spokesperson replied that his quote was “not intended to be a factual statement," which was quickly turned into a trending Twitter hashtag to poke fun at Kyl's gaffe, much thanks to the late-night TV pundit Stephen Colbert. Must See: Colbert's Round-up of Best Jon Kyl Tweets.

Back on the Map

• Charlie Sheen tries to lever his internet fame into a stand-up career with his latest comedy tour "My Violent Torpedo of Truth" across North America.

• “Flight of the Conchords” star Bret McKenzie will join the cast of The Hobbit with his reprisal role as Figwit, the blonde elf in Peter Jackson’s upcoming project. This time, he’s got a real character name: Lindir, an elf of Rivendell.

• YouTube's amateur freestyle sensation Eli Porter made his comeback to the internet hiphop scene with a brand new mixtape available for download and documentary film soon-to-be released.

• On April 14th, 2011, Encyclopedia Dramatica shut down its service to be replaced by Oh Internet, a sanitized version. The original content hosted on ED was made available as a torrent download, and several mirror sites were rapidly established with the aid of Web Ecology Project.

• South Park's season premiere episode featured a parody of The Human Centipede called "HUMANCENTiPAD", where Apple's CEO Steve Jobs reveals a “revolutionary new product" that directly references the imagery from the 2009 horror film.

Past Issues

• KYM Monthly Review – Complete Listing of Past Issues

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