What is the most useless technology ever invented?

 I take attendance by having the students answer a question (previously 2019).

What is the most useless technology ever invented?

By popular vote, the general category "social media" is the winner (6 votes). Some people voted more narrowly tiktok (4 votes) and snapchat (2 votes) were singled out for specific contempt. Other physical debris got votes: electric toothbrush (3 votes), smartwatches (2 votes), and furby (1 vote).

Some votes went to other things, some explicable and some not:

• bombs :(
• nukes :/
• shoes
• chat GPT trying to identify word count
• everything
• it's hard to tell
• none :(
• sundials
• wheel

I think the "everything" and the "none" person should compare notes.

This post's theme word is Momus (n), "a carping critic" (the Greek god of censure!). The tech journalist was a Momus at the product launch.

What is your favorite fruit?

 I take attendance by having the students answer a question (previously 2017).

What is your favorite fruit?

• watermelon (x7)
• mango (x6)
• apple (x2)
• grapes (x2)
• raspberries (x2)
• pears
• bananas
• pineapple
• peach
• clementine
• strawberry
• blueberry
• orange

I'm surprised that watermelon surpassed mango, the previous champion.

This post's theme word is tergiversate (v), "to evade, to equivocate; to change one's loyalties." The student population tergiversated between large, sweet, round fruits.

Quoth the raven

 I take attendance by having the students answer a question (previously 2016, 2017).

Quoth the raven:

• nevermore
• caw caw caw
• IDK
• ??
• [checkmark]
• I don't know any ravens
• no clue
• !
• what is that
• no
• shishkabob
• type type
• moo
• French poetry is better
• no clue
• What does the fox say?
• I don't know
• Nevermore, lest I shuffle off this mortal coil and land in a bowl of soup

I think that the "?" and "IDK" votes swept this time, maybe the reference isn't popular enough amongst The Youths Nowadays.

This post's theme word is nuciform (adj), "like a nut." There are many bird techniques for obtaining food from nuciform prisons.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

 I take attendance by having the students answer a question. Previously 2016, 2017, 2019.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

Some students answered numerically:

• -2
• -1
• 1
• at least 1
• 2+1
• 3.141592
• pi
• 5
• 6
• 100g
• [illegible, but it looked like numbers?]

Some students answered with qualitative descriptions of the quantity of wood:

1. not much (x2)
2. not much, he's nashed
3. some (x2)
4. enough
5. lots
6. depends on the tree species
7. as much as it could
8. as much as it wants
9. as much as a woodchuck could!
10. as long as its hungry

Some students replied to my question with an answer designed to make me stop asking:

• no idea
• I don't know (x3)
• when a woodchuck chucks
• if a wood chuck could chuck wood (x2)
• chuck

The "most pragmatic" award goes to:

• depends if a woodchuck could chuck wood

The "most enigmatic award goes to:

• would?

This post's theme word is alible (adj), "nutritious; nourishing." Wood is not considered alible for most students in my class.

What is your dream vacation for spring break?

 I take attendance by having students answer a question.

What is your dream vacation for spring break?

Actual places that are reachable with a 1-week break from classes:

• Ireland
• Bahamas
• Ibiza
• Italy
• Greece
• Japan
• Tahiti
• Hawaii
• Brazil
• Switzerland
• Europe
• London
• Barcelona

Trips that sound cool:

• cool hike
• home
• Death Valley, where I'm going :)
• bed

Infeasible:

• travel to Uranus

This post's theme word is anfractuous (adj), "full of twists and turns". May your travel wanderings be full of anfractuous adventure.