World Hum's Seven Wonders

IT reported on the New Seven Wonders of the World contest months ago—at least that's our excuse for not covering the announcement of the winners on their clever declaration date: 07/07/07. We were a bit disappointed the Acropolis didn't win a spot among the seven, but cheered a little on the inside when we saw the Colosseum on the list—IT's predisposed to ancient, crumbling structures.

Thoughtful and enviably well-written, our fave blog World Hum deftly responded to the contest with their own list of wonders, which they chose specifically to demonstrate how the planet is shrinking and cultures are colliding. Their wonder list includes contemporary, not timeless, places, people, and phenomena such as the California roll, Dubai, a wildly eclectic and multilingual musician named Manu Chao, Google Earth, the long-awaited Northwest Passage (caused by melting ice!), and that place we all inhabit when we fly: "Airworld." You can enjoy the rest of their thought-provoking picks on their website, and unlike the New 7 Wonders Foundation, World Hum allows you to add your own suggestions for free. IT's suggestion? Emily's honest (and frightening) response to seeing the Doge's Palace in Venice for the first time: "Wow, this looks just like the Venetian in Las Vegas!"