(This
was supposedly the final original-formula Spark before I moved on to
other duties, though I managed to keep going for another five months
until the Grim Reaper came a-knockin'. I'm ignoring updating the links in this
one because almost all of them led to Spark pieces that have long since
vanished into the ether.)
Today we take a moment to say goodbye.
Since February of 2005, The Spark has (mostly) been here five days a week,
bringing you -- our thousands of loyal readers -- the odd,
the unusual, and the just plain interesting.
But, as times change, so must The Spark. Now, we're not going away
altogether; we're just changing our mission to help you better find the
resources for the things you want to know about.
Over the last five years, over fifty Yahoo!s, past and present, have offered their expertise to
entertain and enlighten you. As part of our farewell, we asked some of those
writers to stroll down memory lane and mention some of their favorite Sparks
of years past.
Mitzi: I'm
partial to "Smile! You're on Candid
Camera," because I used to love the
show as a kid and it's kind of a forerunner of reality shows. "Burns Night"
was my first crack at writing a poem for the Spark, and "The Cottingley Fairies" -- just because I love fairies.
Amy: I enjoyed
the hunt: Digging about on the Internet looking for quirky, engaging content
about something of interest to me. There was always something new to be
learned -- and usually a moment (moments) of incredulity. I got to write
about things I legitimately cared about ("Wheelin' to Work") as well as things I just found flat-out amusing
(and which allowed for a bit of childish humor), like "Happy __________ Month." What can I say? The Spark was fun, attracted a
special (cool, radicular) group of people, and gave me a chance to get
published by a major internet company. Not too shabby, eh?
Liz G.: I've
enjoyed writing about odd and obscure stuff. I never would have guessed I'd have an excuse to
write about balloon animals, nudity,
shaving, or even fertility in Russia -- for work! The Spark has also allowed me to champion
causes, and to learn a thing
or two.
It's been a blast.
Mike: As an
original member of the "On the Web"/The Spark team, and the first
and longtime "image editor," I have seen this little engine here,
grow and change in every way. But the best thing about working on The Spark
is that I developed some halfway decent writing skills. I produced a few
pieces that I'm fairly fond of (and also had a blast researching and writing)
such as: My "TV Themes" piece (not to mention its two sequels), Superhero Fashion, a "Big Lebowski"
piece (as The Dude), My Favorite Christmas
Things, even the Olsen Twins (which a fellow Spark writer never let me live down), and
one of my early pieces, the wonderful Wilhelm Scream -- the sound that I will never forget or miss in a movie,
as it now stands out like Keanu Reeves's bad acting. I have also enjoyed several of my colleagues'
pieces as well, but I’d rather just talk about me. ;-)
Heather S.: It's been
a fun year and a half writing for The Spark. Although I've written about some
rather unusual topics, my favorite article has to be the one about food porn.
It might have been all those highly enticing photos of gourmet meals, or the
fact that I was really hungry while I was writing it, but it was a great deal
of fun to write. All hail The Spark!
Michelle: The Spark
let me (get paid to) research micronations, chest hair fashion, sleeveface,
buzzards, and lolcats.
I got to write about things near and dear to me, like procrastination, board games, accordions, roller skating, treasure hunts, swearing,
and hating clowns. I spent a surprising amount of time writing about fruitcakes,
pirates,
Halloween,
and crafts, and I got to stir up arguments about caffeine, waiting tables, and vegetarian Thanksgiving
meals. I wrote
and punctuated badly, using fake words, and sometimes in verse. Everyone should have this much fun at work! Goodbye,
Spark, old buddy.
Dave: There are
probably too many pieces to mention. I was particularly fond of the Tarzan
piece, the Spark written entirely in limerick form,
and I was more than happy to recap my appearance on Jeopardy. I was always good for snark, and was really proud when I
was accused of being un-American for slamming the odious Miley Cyrus,
but I also took potshots at the "Batman" TV show, toy safety,
and the whole town of Branson, Missouri.
I could mention the Tunguska Event, the 1918 Flu Epidemic, failed assassins, the peccadilloes of Supreme Court justices, and the history of bananas, but I think I'll go with Godzilla and my salute to Vin Scully as my legacy pieces.
So that's it. We are outta here. We'll be back soon with an all-new Spark,
but the old order has changed.
Speaking personally, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed over the last
half-decade, the writers and editors (particularly Lisa, Heather, and Michelle), and also all the folks who (unknowingly) lent us links
and images. We couldn't have done it without them.
Most of all, I'd like to thank you, our loyal readers, for sticking with us
and giving us the chance to share a few minutes of cool stuff with you every
day.
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