# So has the SDMB ever been the origin of a broader cultural phenomena? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647 "2013-12-18T14:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/1 "2013-12-18T14:42:15Z")
There have been numerous things discussed here that have become legend on this site, but has there ever been anything that originated on this site, that has become a broader cultural phenomena, meme, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/2 "2013-12-18T14:56:16Z")
This thread apparently got a lot of attention outside the Board: \*\* If LotR Had Been Written By Someone Else!? \*\* [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=138905](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=138905) > **[Google](https://www.google.com/#q=+If+LotR+Had+Been+Written+By+Someone+Else!%3F+)** > > Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/3 "2013-12-18T15:05:05Z")
The sdmb Celebrity Death Pool was mentioned on some TV show ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/4 "2013-12-18T15:10:54Z")
_The_ SDMB celebrity death pool was specifically mentioned, or just _a_ celebrity death pool? Because I don’t think that’s unique to the SDMB and I don’t think it was invented here. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/5 "2013-12-18T15:15:28Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > The sdmb Celebrity Death Pool was mentioned on some TV show I highly doubt that since death pools predate the internet by many years. Nothing of note has germinated here. The LoTR thread mentioned above was the thing that got the most notice since it was mentioned on slashdot but it’s not like it had any kind if cultural significance to the point that people outside of here are familiar with it. The so called BobDucca Breaking Bad theory got some attention too but he has always said that he first read it elsewhere. Some claim that Guadere’s Law is used elsewhere but it’s not commonly known by any definition and is predated by quite some time by Muprhy’s Law. If you’re looking for a catchphrase or meme that started here that is commonly used elsewhere, you will come up empty handed. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/6 "2013-12-18T15:27:48Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Some claim that Guadere’s Law is used elsewhere but it’s not commonly known by any definition and is predated by quite some time by Muprhy’s Law. Yeah, Gaudere’s Law was the only one I thought of that might be known/used outside the SDMB, but apparently it’s better known by other names. [pet peeve] By the way, “phenomena” is plural; it’d be “a broader cultural phenomen **on**.” [/pet peeve] ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/7 "2013-12-18T15:44:02Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > The sdmb Celebrity Death Pool was mentioned on some TV show > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > _The_ SDMB celebrity death pool was specifically mentioned, or just _a_ celebrity death pool? Because I don’t think that’s unique to the SDMB and I don’t think it was invented here. > [@hajario](#): > > I highly doubt that since death pools predate the internet by many years. You’re correct that we didn’t invent the idea. But it was this specific death pool that got mentioned. The guy even read posts from the thread on the air. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/8 "2013-12-18T16:01:36Z")
Well, I wouldn’t call that a “broader cultural phenomena”, it’s just being mentioned on a local news report before clips of a squirrel riding waterskis. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/9 "2013-12-18T16:10:11Z")
Despite the implication at the Mythbuster’s exhibit at the museum, the airplane on a treadmill did not start with them - it started here. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/10 "2013-12-18T16:13:47Z")
[The Horror of Blimps](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+horror+of+blimps&oq=the+horror+of+blimps&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5086j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8) was written by our very own Scylla and posted here. It got picked up all over the place and is still being linked to and copied to other sites over 10 years later. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/11 "2013-12-18T16:13:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Some claim that Guadere’s Law is used elsewhere but it’s not commonly known by any definition and is predated by quite some time by Muprhy’s Law. Did you do this on purpose or is this simply another manifestation of the law? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/12 "2013-12-18T16:34:22Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Despite the implication at the Mythbuster’s exhibit at the museum, the airplane on a treadmill did not start with them - it started here. According to the [earliest Cecil column I could find](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2638/an-airplane-taxies-in-one-direction-on-a-moving-conveyor-belt-going-the-opposite-direction-can-the-plane-take-off) on the airplane treadmill question, it had been “popping up all over the net.” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/13 "2013-12-18T17:04:30Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Did you do this on purpose or is this simply another manifestation of the law? 😃 The misspelled version is what is defined similarly to Guadere’s. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/14 "2013-12-18T17:19:18Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > [The Horror of Blimps](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+horror+of+blimps&oq=the+horror+of+blimps&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5086j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8) was written by our very own Scylla and posted here. It got picked up all over the place and is still being linked to and copied to other sites over 10 years later. Very true but still doesn’t meet the criterion in the OP. It was a great piece that did get copied elsewhere but it’s not all that well known. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/15 "2013-12-18T17:33:55Z")
Who’s **Guadere** , and what does that person have to do with the Straight Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/16 "2013-12-18T17:37:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Who’s **Guadere** , and what does that person have to do with the Straight Dope? **Guadere** is a moderator on the Strait Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/17 "2013-12-18T17:49:43Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The misspelled version is what is defined similarly to Guadere’s. But it is supposed to be Muphry’s Law. 😉 Edit: and, assuming that wasn’t yet another whoosh, it’s **Gaudere**. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/18 "2013-12-18T19:56:51Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > But it is supposed to be Muphry’s Law. 😉 > > Edit: and, assuming that wasn’t yet another whoosh, it’s **Gaudere**. Haha. I wish I was that clever. It was Whatever’s Law for real. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/19 "2013-12-19T02:55:00Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Well, I wouldn’t call that a “broader cultural phenomena”, it’s just being mentioned on a local news report before **clips of a squirrel riding waterskis.** Ooh I love those! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647/20 "2013-12-19T03:02:00Z")
It’s kind of surprising that it hasn’t happened considering how much Google loves this site. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-has-the-sdmb-ever-been-the-origin-of-a-broader-cultural-phenomena/676647.md?page=2)