Yesterday I had 32 visitors to the blog! Thanks to everyone who checked it out.

I was reading an article here at Wired about a website called CommonCensus.org, where people enter their own perceptions of their region. For instance, where I live, the city that influences me most is of course Syracuse. But there has to be a boundary between the spheres of influence of say, Albany and Syracuse. And between Albany and New York City. This particluar boundary of influence is interesting because it would be the perceived boundary between “Downstate” and “Upstate” New York.

The same article mentioned another website that I found even more interesting - Pop vs. Soda. It wasn’t until college that I first heard the term “pop” used for soda. I heard it from a friend who grew up in Oregon - which by the way is Ore-a-gun, not Ore-a-gone. This survey has asked over 200,000 people what they call carbonated soft drinks, and that information has been plotted onto a map of the United States. You can also look up statistical data for every county in all 50 states. I was REALLY surprised at the results! The entire western tip of New York State uses the term Pop, and that extends all the way to the west coast. And the south uses the term Coke for all soft drinks! Only New England and the Southwest use the term Soda. Anyway, you should check it out, it’s really interesting! What do you call carbonated soft drinks? When did you first learn that people had other names for it?