It has also given us the ability to have our questions answered by total strangers, anywhere, at any time. Any question. Taking a quick glance at Wiki Answers gives us a few ideas of how far we’ve progressed with the most magnificent tool of the this past century.

Here are some of the best unanswered questions.

The offhanded elegance of this question is what strikes me the most.

I can’t help but imagine what situation one might find himself in which this would be a problem. A dark alley, man walks up with a trenchcoat: “Yo, yo over here man.” Opens the coat to display dingy vials of Big Red Soda … a dark room with rotting hard wood floors and a few bean bag chairs spilling their white pellets … Where does one get this much Big Red Soda? And how does one come to the conclusion that this might be a problem? I want to meet this man. I want to shake his hand. I want to take his blood-sugar levels.

That really depends on its genetic make-up and molecular structure. So … umm … no, just … no. If it were, it’d be in stores next to the fat-free lard. I think Big Red Soda is though, so you can have a go at that if you find the right dark alley.

Healthy lung cancer can run at least five miles in the snow along Lake Michigan. Disease lung cancer is a much bigger fan of smoking, drinking and chugging down Big Red Soda.

This guy’s got a night planned ahead of him. Apparently, everyone is out to push their stomach linings and kidney prowess to the limit. I wonder if this is the same dude whose trying to overdose on Big Red. The best advice I have is don’t eat it in powdered form. That could get messy.

This one isn’t particularly funny in and of itself. But take a closer look at the category it’s under. “Death and dying.” This takes emo to a new level.

It means that wasn’t regular tea.

Not if she wants to avoid being struck by lightning. I mean, I suppose she can … but will she? That seems to be the more pertinent question for this poster to be asking.

Eleanor Roosevelt.

Oh, that’s perfectly natural. Especially if you are overdosing on powered gelatin, Big Red Soda and gluten-free gluten (I think they call that one “rice”). Or actually swallowing magnets. I wonder how long this poor poster waited for an answer before seeing a doctor or taking some pepto.

Yes. With questions like these being asked from all corners of the States, sure. It’s perfectly normal. In fact, I think I’d be confused if you weren’t walking around with a headache. That’s just the feeling of your brain knocking against your skull.

Ahh, the Internet.

It has the power to bring us together in ways we never before thought possible. Of course, it has amazing benefits as well. The amount of information at our fingertips … the ability to connect with one another … the endless hours of entertainment … the easiest way to find out what time the game is on (and who won) … the shopping … the fill in here makes the Internet truly a goldmine, just waiting to be completely discovered. And it will spread like wildfire.

Once something is on the Internet, the whole world can see it. Can learn from it. Can absorb it.

So dig in. Anything you could want is there.

First, these two apps turn your computer and headphones into your own beat lab. Satisfy your inner music producer with iNudge and this drum kit.

Need some ambient noise to drown our your weekend-ready coworkers? Start any of these YouTube videos at any time, play them together, alone or in any order, and you get a harmonious mix that won’t distract you.

Every wonder if  Raclette, Duddleswell or Pressato were names of fonts or names of cheeses? Well… okay, you may not have wondered about that. But when you start playing Cheese or Font? you’ll realize how little you know about cheese… and fonts.

A little Chicago spotlight–  The Oprah Show took the flash mob phenomenon, inspired by this viral video, and of course, Oprah-fied it and took it up a notch. They taught the whole audience of 21,000 a dance to the Black Eyed Peas’ performance of “I Gotta Feelin’” at the first episode of her 24th season. Just check it out. It’s happy.

We love what this interactive agency is doing to sell their t-shirts. Adds a little something to the usual online shopping experience.

Ever think that maybe the research you’re doing on the web might be more fun if everything was written LIKE KANYE WEST TYPED IT?!?!?!!!! Well, now’s your chance to find out.

All of these apps share something that makes them viral–  they strike a communal chord. Whether it’s humor, joy, or curiosity, something integral in all of these appeals to a shared experience. You almost like it  more when you pass it on and that person feels the same emotion. Keep that in mind when constructing your own attempts at viral fame. And  if those don’t keep you busy for the rest of the day, we don’t know what will.

Quizzes: Tools for Building a Community Around Your Website

I am a bit of a procrastinator. I also really like answering questions about myself. (Yea, I’m honest!) And, guess what, I’m not the only sometimes-distracted narcissist on the web. When used properly, online quizzes are rewarding marketing tools that will increase your site’s interactivity and traffic.

Anybody that spends any amount of time on Facebook knows that the personality quiz is a trend that is here to stay. They just don’t get old. As much fun as graphing-calculator-required exams were in college, with a few mouse clicks, I’d rather determine “How many kids will [I] have?”, and finally find out “What type of Vitamin Water [I am]” during my down-time.

The world wide web can seem like an ever-expanding assembly of strangers—quizzes, silly or serious, tell me who I am, and then let me post a link telling everyone else who I am, too. An article from the Search Engine Journal explains that well-designed quizzes, suited to your brand and your consumer are “a great way to engage your visitors (most people will take the quiz, thus [spending] more time on your site and will be more willing to browse it further).” And, because they are “eagerly shared” (people like sharing their personality with online friends they have never meant in real life), a user will link his quiz results to each of his social media outlets, drawing more even people to your site.

Companies like Avon have already discovered how to “generate quizzes that are tied to their web site’s topic.” Thanks to their “What Skin Type are you?” questionnaire, I realized that I am, apparently, not taking proper care of my sensitive eye area, and Avon has just the cream to correct my negligence. Thank goodness! A quiz may be purely entertainment, informative, or both; its fun-factor is not diminished by it’s interactive marketing possibilities.

So by now, you’ve probably seen this video, which recently exploded across the internet. Maybe it’s the catchy Chris Brown song, or the joyful wedding party, or just the general gutsiness it would take to do this that makes the video so addictive– whatever it is, it’s already gotten almost 2 million views on YouTube. Here at Ocean, our office has been bumping to “Forever” all day.

The “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” is the first and only video posted by Jill and Kevin, a couple from Minnesota. And that may just be the reason behind it becoming such a viral hit. It feels real, genuine and legitimate, and not like content created by a marketing company and planted on YouTube to drive traffic to a website or spread brand awareness. People love to share it, the defining characteristic of a viral success, because it comes from other people just like them, who were looking to share a moment of their life. If you are trying to create a viral smash hit, remembering the importance of the urge to share and emulating Jill and Kevin in their genuiness would probably take you a long way toward success.

Who benefits from this kind of viral video, though? Clearly, Jill and Kevin weren’t pushing any agenda with their wedding day stunt, but just expressing their personality and sharing it with friends. This time, Chris Brown may actually be the winner. According to The Idolater, his song “Forever,” is “currently No. 45 on the iTunes Store’s singles chart, and No. 41 on the corresponding chart at Amazon MP3.” Around a year after this song made it’s original pop chart splash, that’s a big deal. It also makes us agree with The Idolator writers–  maybe Chris Brown should send Jill and Kevin a wedding present for the free press. You know, something nicer than a breadmaker.