# The U.S. according to personal ads **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159 "2011-06-20T14:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/1 "2011-06-20T14:58:29Z")
A person (with, apparently, way too much time on his hands), pulled personal ad descriptions with their location, then mapped the info two ways. [A more perfect union](http://perfect.lukedubois.com/) First, he picked certain keywords and colored the U.S. based on the frequency of the keyword (divided by congressional districts). Then he took each state map, and replaced most of the city names with the most common word from the personal ads in that city. He also did this for some cities, down to the neighborhood level. Amusing things I’ve found - Fort Worth is “Loving” while Dallas is “Symphony” Also, Salt Lake City is “Mormon” (which is obvious), but right below SLC is “Flaming” And in NYC, you can tell where the ethnic neighborhoods are. His state/city interface doesn’t work worth anything, but you can look at the actual jpegs. On the left side, at the very bottom of the second box, you might be able to see the text. I can’t on IE, but I could on Firefox. However, I know where it is, so I click on the debris at the very bottom of the box. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/2 "2011-06-20T17:05:14Z")
When I click on your link, I see a very pretty fuschia map of the US - is there supposed to be something else there? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/3 "2011-06-20T17:53:41Z")
The words A MORE PERFECT UNION R. LUKE DUBOIS NATIONAL MAPS STATE AND CITY MAPS ESSAY PRESS [lukedubois.com](http://lukedubois.com) > **[Home - bitforms gallery - 20 years](https://bitforms.art/)** > > bitforms gallery represents established, mid-career, and emerging artists critically engaged with new technologies. The gallery’s program offers an incisive perspective on the fields of digital, internet, time-based, and new media art forms. are links. Still, it’s not a user friendly site at all. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/4 "2011-06-20T18:30:34Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > When I click on your link, I see a very pretty fuschia map of the US - is there supposed to be something else there? Yes, click on National maps. Pretty interesting… I think I will have to puzzle over it a bit before commenting. My towns word was somewhere between pooch and pepsi. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/5 "2011-06-20T19:31:10Z")
I noticed the anal map seems to have a lot of brown in it. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/6 "2011-06-20T19:44:24Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > When I click on your link, I see a very pretty fuschia map of the US - is there supposed to be something else there? There should be a scroll bar to the right of that map (not, of course, all the way to the right, that would be too obvious). Oddly enough, I can’t get to the site from work anymore. It appears to be blocked. I was able to get to it last Friday. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/7 "2011-06-20T21:24:33Z")
Ah, okay, I clicked on the links - still not making much sense to me. Sorry, I think this site is a fail. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/8 "2011-06-20T21:57:28Z")
I kind of like what he’s trying to do here, but his red/blue/violet color scale is awful and incomprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/9 "2011-06-20T22:03:53Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > I kind of like what he’s trying to do here, but his red/blue/violet color scale is awful and incomprehensible. Agreed. I like most of those colors by themselves, but all together like that makes me vaguely nauseous. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/10 "2011-06-20T22:52:32Z")
Petersburg, VA’s word is “Nigeria.” Heh. And Annandale’s is “Spy.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/11 "2011-06-20T22:57:57Z")
I have to click “Download full map” in the bottom left of each page to view it separately. Hometown: Bilingual Current city: Gambling Other places I’ve lived: Disintegrated, profuse, effete… Some of the weird ones seem to be things like local business names. And of course the sex ones. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/12 "2011-06-21T04:31:31Z")
Some weird things going on… Conservative Dictatorship Stabber :eek: Racist Abusing Binoculars (??) Roadway Dialysis What some odd folks! ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/13 "2011-06-21T12:52:43Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I have to click “Download full map” in the bottom left of each page to view it separately. That’s pretty much what I have to do. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Some of the weird ones seem to be things like local business names. And of course the sex ones. In Texas and a couple of others, there are also the religious ones. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/14 "2011-06-21T16:02:56Z")
I want to see the map of “Living life to its fullest”. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/15 "2011-06-21T17:47:07Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > Some weird things going on.. > > Conservative > Dictatorship > Stabber :eek: > Racist > Abusing > Binoculars (??) > Roadway > Dialysis > > What some odd folks! The north side of the Twin Cities has murder. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-u-s-according-to-personal-ads/586159/16 "2011-06-21T23:44:44Z")
At least I can direct link to specific state maps. [Utah & Colorado](http://music.columbia.edu/~luke/perfect/jpg/09UTCO.jpg) Check out the small road at the very top of Utah