The coolest word ever.

Vuvuzela.  Right now, I think it's safe to say that this is the buzzword (pardon the pun).  This year's World Cup has a different sound all thanks to the roar of thousands of these plastic horns, ringing in at a deafening 127 decibels. 

Its sound has been described as a "hive of killer bees" or "goats on the way to get slaughtered".  If you happen to have grown accustomed to the drone of these horns while watching football, you can now continue to destroy your hearing by listening to Vuvuzela FM.

For some reason, these horns fascinate me.  It seems as if everyone watching the games in the stadium has one, and I am a sucker for the latest craze. 

Think of all the amazing things you could do with such a unique, obnoxious sound.  Getting my sister out of bed would be 500 times more entertaining, and it would be a hit at the cottage, annoying all the neighbours and scaring away bears.  Forget foghorns when you are stranded in the middle of your lake with no gas; foghorns run out of juice and are costly... vuvuzelas are louder and sure to get the attention of people.

But what is the origin of this remarkable plastic instrument?  The vuvuzela (or vuvuzela-like instrument) originated in Mexican sports stadiums in the 1970s, but was made of tin.  Imagine having a vuvuzela at a bull-fighting match... the bull would either become more enraged or be seduced... who knows it might be reminiscent of a weird mating call.  The vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s, and a plastic version didn't come around until 2001. 

I'm going to order my vuvuzela from Amazon.com tonight... I can't wait to blow this horn.