Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

THF MTY Page 6 ■ _l I I J f J M -d m Monday, Feb. 6, 2006 You’re the Web Site, Dog One funny movie-quote post leads to formation of new online community, Internet stardom Jeremy Turnage THE GAMECOCK What is perhaps one of the worst-spoken lines in the history of cinema helped spawn one of the Internet’s most funny Web sites. YTMND.com, an acronym for “You’re the man now, dog,” was started in 2001 by Max Goldberg. He was inspired to create the site after viewing a commercial for “Finding Forrester,” a film starring Sean Connery. Connery plays an aging author who mentors an inner-city teenager. While helping the teen with his writing, Connery shouts “You’re the man now, dog!” Goldberg took this fine, along with a photo of Connery, and created an internet phenomenon. YTMND enjoyed quick success and countless imitators began to pop up, so Goldberg began to host a list of these companion sites. In 2004, the list became so long that Goldberg could not keep up. YTMND allowed anyone to become a member, upload their own sound bites and image files and create their own YTMND. Once the site had a centralized location, its popularity began to soar. Early posts — called YTMNDs — were left unmoderated, and most were highly offensive. Goldberg soon shut down the site, but reopened it in March of 2005 with new features, including 0 n You're the man now dog.com ^ ZD CD QQ Sump ://www.yourethemannowdog.com/ * Q,- 4 Special to THE GAMECOCK Max Goldberg created this Web image in 2001. It proved so popular that he designed an entire site based around it. a system of moderation. The moderation was intended to cut down on offensive contributions and delete the worthless ones. An even more strict moderation system came in October of 2005 that included an age verification system to help keep minors away from adult material. YTMNDs that required age verification system were placed on a separate domain: YTMNSFW.com. Content on this site is deemed “Not Safe For Work.” YTMND.com works off of a basic design. Lists on both sides of the page feature various YTMNDs, t such as the “Top Rated” or “Top Viewed.” The “Up and Coining” YTMNDs are ones that have been voted highly upon within the last few hours. The “Hall of Fame” lists popular YTMNDs that have remained on the “Top 15” list for several weeks. These are often the most highly rated, as well. The forums — where many of the site’s fads have started — have become an important part of the Web site. The site goes through quite a lot of fads, and many of them begin as a funny thought that later becomes a YTMND. Many make imitations or spin-offs out of popular YTMNDs. Darth Vader screaming “No!” from “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” Captain Kirk screaming “KHAN!” from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and Milton Waddams from “Office Space” saying “I believe you have my stapler” have all turned into popular fads for the site. Pop culture icons, such as ones from famous “Saturday Night Live” sketches, also become a part of the site. YTMND.com is growing in popularity, as many other Web sites often link to the funniest YTMND of the day, and some have their funniest image files become YTMNDs. In late 2005, the site saw a complete visual overhaul and received new coding to make things run more smoothly and quickly. January of 2006 saw a war between YTMND and fellow ^ humor site eBaumsworld. com. eBaumsworld hosted an animated file called “Lindsay Lohan doesn’t change facial expressions.” The file is a compilation of several pictures of Lindsay Lohan in various poses. The animation had appeared vTmno • i Police weigh in on student safety issues Authorities offer Carolina OeSanctis THE GAMECOCK Although academics and healthy living are high priorities for the typical college student, remembering to stay safe ranks just as high. The rate of common crimes on college campuses has risen 15 percent over the past five years, according to collegesafe.com. In light of this observation, and because USC is located in an urban area, the Columbia Police Department and the USC Police Department are offering some tips in order to help students stay safe while still enjoying campus life. — Trust your instincts. If a particular situation doesn’t feel right or the circumstances surrounding it seem to be off or sketchy, then go with your gut feeling and just leave. Keeping yourself out of risky situations will help avoid unnecessary temptation. — Avoid shortcuts and isolated areas when walking after dark. Even though a place may seem familiar, appearances are often deceiving at night. Make sure to take the shortest route, but also make sure your route is well-lit to avoid getting lost or worse. -p Never venture Special to THE GAMECOCK Emergency call boxes are located across the USC campus and can be recognized by their red lights. Pressing the button will immediately summon help from the USCPD. through dark or undesirable neighborhoods. As mentioned above, what seems familiar often isn’t. Feeling uncomfortable or unfamiliar puts people in their most vulnerable state. Again, take a better route and walk in groups with people that know the area, or get a ride from a trusted friend. — Don’t walk alone after dark. Travel in groups of three or more and, once again, make sure the route is well-lit and well-traveled. Also keep in mind that Alpha Phi Omega International Service Fraternity offers escort services that can be reached at 777-DUCK. A police escort can be arranged by calling 777-4215. — When traveling in your vehicle, keep windows and doors locked. This step is especially necessary late at night when people are walking the street. This precaution prevents strangers or other unwelcome guests from helping themselves to the passenger seat. — Become familiar with the location of the university’s call boxes. These call boxes are located throughout campus and are visible from the Russell House and beyond. When the emergency button is pressed, help will be immediately dispatched. — Don’t carry large sums of cash. Take only the absolute minimum needed for the night. — Don’t resist a robber, especially if a weapon is involved. The object is to leave the situation unharmed, so cooperation with the individual is important. Don’t try to be a hero. — Get a good description of the attacker and,relocate Recipe of the Day Amy's Triple-Decker ^ Turkey-Bacon Sandwich Provided by: www.krafifoods.com What you need: I 2 slices white bread 1/4 cup mayonnaise 3 lettuce leaves 1 tomato, thinly sliced 3 slices turkey-bacon I # 3 slices cheddar cheese i What to do: J Toast the bread slices. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each slice. Layer bottom slice with lettuce, tomato, turkey-bacon and cheese. Spread another thin layer of mayonnaise on the cheese; repeat layers twice. Top with 1 second slice of bread. Heat in microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until cheese is melted. to a safe area. Reporting and describing the attack will help your case and prevent the same person from making future attacks. To prevent identity theft: — Memorize your social security number and passwords. Don’t carry around documents or slips of paper with this information written on them. If an attack occurs, the mugger will make off with more than just money. — Don’t use your date of birth as a password. — Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately. — Use a firewall program on your computer, especially if it is constantly connected to the Internet. — Check credit card statements every month for suspicious purchases and £ make sure to shred unwanted, pre-approved credit cards, which can be found in the trash and used by anyone. — Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on links from people you don’t know. This precaution will prevent your computer from hosting any unwanted viruses and secure your sensitive information Comments on this stpry? E-mail gamecockfetjtures@gwm.sc.edu t