At one point during our DC visit, we ended up riding a bus instead of the child-preferred Metro. The bus was hot, crowded and a bit stinky. Multiple languages whispered in cell phones or to seatmates. A familiar game sound across the aisle made Doug’s head spin and in a millisecond, a dozen people on a bus were discussing Angry Birds. It united people who were more diverse than an old Benetton ad. Every last one of them smiled and talked excitedly about a game that is loved by even the five-year-old member of our family.

The next day, I watched a heated political conversation on Twitter become a love-fest between cons and libs as they tweeted about green pigs and yellow birds. Walking through the DC airport, I weaved in and out of Angry Bird sound effects coming from every direction.

I think that someone should nominate Angry Birds for a Nobel prize. It seems to have a bonding effect on people that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Angry Birds is an instant community builder. At the same time, someone needs to form an Angry Birds political party. They can lobby for things people want, like Angry Birds reacting appropriately to a phone being tilted.