My NYTIIH Score, Year Two

harrisj@nimblecode.com (Jacob Harris) — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:05:00 -0800

It’s that time of the year again, when the air gets a certain crispness, snatches of holiday song fill the air, and everybody communes with their friends and family, joined in warmth by their shared commitment to one thing: figuring out their New York Times Year In Ideas Hipness score. For those of you who missed this last year, I’ve started the personal tradition of reading through the New York Times Magazine’s annual Year In Ideas issue and tabulating how many of the collected phenomena I had known about beforehand. This is no mere game; a sufficiently high score is the only thing that allows me to still bask in the comfort of being “with it”, so please appreciate the seriousness of this moment.

I’ve been a bit late coming to the game this year (it’s been a really busy December), but now is the moment of truth and a big game day question: Now that I actually work at the Times, how will that affect my score? On the one hand, I am that much closer to the elitist, liberal, intellectual mindset the Times is so renowned for, so that should conceivably help my score. But – and I am painfully aware of the irony here – I find myself with so much less time to read the news these days now that I’m actually working for it, which might detract from my score.

If you’ve never read the Year in Ideas issue, give it a gander and see how much you recognize. I’m sure there will be some things you recognize a little, some you’ve known for years (as the picture shows, I’m very aware that shipping containers explain everything), and some things that will completely surprise you. And if you’re feeling competitive, tally up your score and see how intellectually hip you are. My results follow:

The Aerotropolis	The New Inequality
Air-Index Impressionism	Olfactory Cuisine
The Ambient Walkman	Paternity Confidence
The Ballot That Is Also a Lottery Ticket	Phantom Pianists
The Beer-Gut Flask	Psychological Neoteny
Bicycle Helmets Put You at Risk	Publication Probity
Big Urbanism	Redefining Torture
The Boomerang Drone	The Return of the Corporate State
Cohabitation Is Bad for Women’s Health	Reverse Graffiti
The Comb That Listens	The Robot Fielder
Creative Shrinkage	Rods From God
Digital Maoism	Sailing an Oil Tanker
The Diplomat-Parking-Violation Corruption Index	Salt That Doesn’t Stick
The Drivable One-Man Blimp	Shipping Containers Explain Everything
The E. Coli Wipe	Smart Elevators
Empty-Stomach Intelligence	The Social-Cue Reader
Energy-Harvesting Floors	Sousveillance
The Eyes of Honesty	Speed-Reducing Art
The Fashion Czar	Spit Art
For-Profit Philanthropy	Sporno
The Gyroball	Straw That Saves Lives
The Hidden-Fee Economy	Taxing Virtual Economies
Homophily	Techno Fashion
Human-Chimp Hybrids	The Tongue Sucker
The Humane Flophouse	Trash-Talk Exegesis
Hyperopia	Tushology
Indie Sitcoms	Unscratchable Paint
Jujitsu Advertising	The Visage Problem
The Lady Macbeth Effect	Voting-Booth Feng Shui
Literary Spam	Walk-In Health Care
Low Starting Prices Lead to High Auction Sales	Web-Based Microfinancing
Misery Chic	The Wheelchair Car
Money-Circulation Science	Wine That Ages Instantly
The Myth of ‘the Southern Strategy’	Workplace Rumors Are True
Narcissistic Celebrities	Yodeling Is Universal
N.C.A.A. Psyop	The YouTube Referee Indictment
Negativity Friendships	The Ziggurat of Zealotry

There you have it. A total score of 46 out of 74, for a NYTYIIH score of 55.4%! Given the wide-ranging scope of ideas, this might seem decent enough, except last year I scored an impressive 65.38%. Oh the humanity! I guess I’m now longer the idea hipster/coolhunter I thought I was. But can you do better?

Nimble Code: My NYTIIH Score, Year Two

My NYTIIH Score, Year Two