I've been saving the good ones from February, so here we go! There are definitely more than in January. All of the answers are below all of the questions. :)
- Feb. 2 : Polygraph (T/F): Halfpipe, slopestyle, and boardercross are all competitive skateboarding events. (I got it right but it was a semi-guess)
- Feb. 3 : zelpuz (scramble): OUR CD STANK (hint: movie melodies) (got it)
- Feb. 4 : starstruck (guess the celebrity): Wayne, man of mystery, green ogre. (got it)
- Feb. 5 : punch list: How many of the ten federally recognized holidays in the United States can you name? (I came up with ten but only nine were correct)
- Feb. 11 : starstruck: Fordham, Malcolm, gangster. (didn't get it)
- Feb. 12 : blankout (fill in the blanks): _N_E U_ _ _ _ _I_E (hint: before ever after) (totally got it in like a second)
- Feb. 16 : zelpuz: HE GETS GOING ON WAR (hint: wig wearer) (didn't get it)
- Feb. 17 : Matchbatch: Match Marmaduke, Snoopy, Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Spuds Mackenzie with collie, German shepherd, bull terrier, beagle, and Great Dane. Answer below. (got them all with one left that just matched in the end!)
- Feb. 18 : translator: identify the following hairstyles: nectar collectors' family home; Confederate general's palindromic nickname; plot turn on the Riviera. (got the first and third ones right away, was stumped on the second)
- Feb. 19 : polygraph : Identical Twins have the same fingerprints. (got it)
- Feb. 23 : blankout : _U_ _ L_ C_ _ (hint: well-toned wheels) (got it)
- Feb. 24 : odd couple (pick the two that don't belong): tulip, amaryllis, sunflower, nasturtium, garlic (hint: bulbs) (yeah, nope. didn't get it)
- Feb. 26 : selectaquest (multiple choice): Who was the first woman to appear on a US postage stamp? Susan B. Anthony, Betsy Ross, Martha Washington, Queen Isabella of Spain. (got it)
*Answers*
Feb 2: False. They're all snowboarding events. Halfpipes so appear in skateboarding and in-line skating competitions, though.
Feb. 3: Soundtrack
Feb. 4: Mike Myers (starred in Wayne's World in 1992, the Austin Powers movies, and the Shrek films)
Feb. 5 : New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. (I had Flag Day instead of Columbus Day)
Feb. 11 : Denzel Washington (graduated from Fordham University, starred in Malcolm X and American Gangster
Feb. 12: Once Upon a Time
Feb. 16: George Washington
Feb. 17: Match Marmaduke - Great Dane, Snoopy - beagle, Rin Tin Tin - German Shepherd, Lassie - collie, and Spuds Mackenzie- bull terrier. (Spuds is the one I had to leave until the end)
Feb. 18: beehive; bob; French twist (I'm guessing bob comes in with Robert E. Lee, but I was too busy thinking of better nicknames, like"The Marble Man" and "Old Flintlock" and "Stonewall"
Feb. 19: False. similar, but not identical.
Feb. 23: muscle car. after getting it, the hint made me giggle.
Feb. 24: sunflower and nasturtium (they grow from seeds)
Feb. 26: Queen Isabella of Spain (the stamp was part of a series printed in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Google Reader
Continuing in the Friday series on websites and webtools that I love, and fittingly to go with RSS feeds, may I introduce... Google Reader!
Google Reader is a Google tool, obviously. Like I briefly mentioned last week, its basically used to capture all the new stuff on blogs and bring it to you, so you don't have to visit a bunch of websites every day, just to check if there's anything new. You have to have a Google Account to user Reader, but if you don't have one, get one. It's free. It's easy. It's great. And you get the use of a ton of tools (omg, Google Docs, I love thee).
Something to beware: not every website or publisher sends full articles to readers. Sometimes they only send headlines or a few sentences, and to read the rest you have to click on the title and be directed to the website.
To search for new stuff to add, you can try publications (like "New York Times") or authors (think "Dear Abby"), or even topics (play reviews, parenting, new movies). You can preview the subscription by reading previous posts, and decide to either click "subscribe" or "no, thanks." After you start using Google Reader often, it'll suggest things you may be interested in.
You can organize things with labeled folders.
You can "star" favorite things for keeps or to read later.
You can SHARE your favorites automatically.
When you become really advanced, there is a huge list of shortcut keys that can be used.
Now, I probably have very different interests than some of you, but if you're looking for some starter suggestions on things to read, here's what I subscribe to...
Theatre. Should've guessed. There are a TON of things you could subscribe to in that arena, but I don't want to spend 8 hours a day reading play reviews, so I limit myself to seven subscriptions. Broadway Scores and Sheet Music is seriously a feed that gives you links to download these items. Fascinating. I also have New York Theatre and The New York Times Theater section.
Board Gaming. Yep, it's a big hobby of mine, and I subscribe to nine blogs that write about it.
Yehuda and Boardgame News are my favorites.
Disney. I read eight Disney feeds. Jim Hill Media and Magical Mountain Disney News are great.
Education. Only four subscriptions, and of course one of them is The Chronicle. Another is hilarious yet still covers breaking news, DetentionSlip.
Zune. It's my mp3 player of choice, and I follow nine writers to find out the latest software and free downloads. The downside is that they all post multiple times per day, so I read very little other than articles that are of extreme interest, so I won't recommend any.
Local Stuff. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I subscribe to stuff around here, mostly to find out what's going on, what bands are coming to town, and what free stuff there is to do. I would highly suggest finding similar subscriptions for where you live. If you happen to be a local reader, I suggest Fun Things to do in the Bay Area, and Outdoors in the Bay Area.
I also read six blogs about Facebook, because I like to be current on all of the evolution of the site. And a bunch of other, non-grouped things, which I won't bore you with, because those are probably uninteresting to most, LoL.
If you use a Reader, what do you subscribe to?
Google Reader is a Google tool, obviously. Like I briefly mentioned last week, its basically used to capture all the new stuff on blogs and bring it to you, so you don't have to visit a bunch of websites every day, just to check if there's anything new. You have to have a Google Account to user Reader, but if you don't have one, get one. It's free. It's easy. It's great. And you get the use of a ton of tools (omg, Google Docs, I love thee).
Something to beware: not every website or publisher sends full articles to readers. Sometimes they only send headlines or a few sentences, and to read the rest you have to click on the title and be directed to the website.
To search for new stuff to add, you can try publications (like "New York Times") or authors (think "Dear Abby"), or even topics (play reviews, parenting, new movies). You can preview the subscription by reading previous posts, and decide to either click "subscribe" or "no, thanks." After you start using Google Reader often, it'll suggest things you may be interested in.
You can organize things with labeled folders.
You can "star" favorite things for keeps or to read later.
You can SHARE your favorites automatically.
When you become really advanced, there is a huge list of shortcut keys that can be used.
Now, I probably have very different interests than some of you, but if you're looking for some starter suggestions on things to read, here's what I subscribe to...
Theatre. Should've guessed. There are a TON of things you could subscribe to in that arena, but I don't want to spend 8 hours a day reading play reviews, so I limit myself to seven subscriptions. Broadway Scores and Sheet Music is seriously a feed that gives you links to download these items. Fascinating. I also have New York Theatre and The New York Times Theater section.
Board Gaming. Yep, it's a big hobby of mine, and I subscribe to nine blogs that write about it.
Yehuda and Boardgame News are my favorites.
Disney. I read eight Disney feeds. Jim Hill Media and Magical Mountain Disney News are great.
Education. Only four subscriptions, and of course one of them is The Chronicle. Another is hilarious yet still covers breaking news, DetentionSlip.
Zune. It's my mp3 player of choice, and I follow nine writers to find out the latest software and free downloads. The downside is that they all post multiple times per day, so I read very little other than articles that are of extreme interest, so I won't recommend any.
Local Stuff. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I subscribe to stuff around here, mostly to find out what's going on, what bands are coming to town, and what free stuff there is to do. I would highly suggest finding similar subscriptions for where you live. If you happen to be a local reader, I suggest Fun Things to do in the Bay Area, and Outdoors in the Bay Area.
I also read six blogs about Facebook, because I like to be current on all of the evolution of the site. And a bunch of other, non-grouped things, which I won't bore you with, because those are probably uninteresting to most, LoL.
If you use a Reader, what do you subscribe to?
Friday, February 20, 2009
That orange RSS button on the left
So, as you may have noticed, the dates of the posts are back, but the timestamps seem to be permanently lost, for no apparent reason. But oh well, dates are good enough for me. It's Friday, so another webtool is being featured.
It recently came to my attention that there are a lot of people who read blogs, but do not know what an RSS is. So, since I have had one on my blog for a while now, I figured it would be appropriate for me to explain it.
Now, even I had ten blogs I was reading daily before I jumped on the RSS Bandwagon. I had them all bookmarked in a folder, and every morning I'd click on each one to see if there was a new post. I was skeptical of the "Google Reader" that my husband uses for no good reason. So, after many arguments, he finally convinced me to give it a try. Needless to say, it became another addiction, much like Twitter. Basically, you either go through and click on a "subscribe" button in each blog you read, or if you choose to use Google Reader (there are others out there), just put in the web addresses of the blog homepages and it'll figure it out. Then, you can put them in categories (I have one for Friends and Family blogs, another for Disney blogs, one for Board Game blogs, and a few others) if you want. But, it'll go through and update immediately when someone posts. That way, you can read blogs like you read email in Outlook... meaning you don't have to hunt for it, you just check and see if there's any there or not.
Using that little orange button to subscribe just makes it easier for you to stay updated with my (or other) posts. You don't have to be very tech-savvy to start it up, and after you input a few websites, it will even begin to start suggesting similar ones you might want to follow.
Only about 10% of internet users subscribe to RSS feeds, even though it is FREE. So, I encourage you to give it a shot and subscribe to my blog. It'll help me see if anyone still reads this, since comments have gone few and far between, and I don't have a "hit counter," although I should probably consider adding one. I also added a poll to the left to try and generate some readers through giving them the power to choose topics, so we'll see how many votes that gets in the next month as well. My other blog also has a RSS option, so if you read that one too, hit that up.
It recently came to my attention that there are a lot of people who read blogs, but do not know what an RSS is. So, since I have had one on my blog for a while now, I figured it would be appropriate for me to explain it.
Now, even I had ten blogs I was reading daily before I jumped on the RSS Bandwagon. I had them all bookmarked in a folder, and every morning I'd click on each one to see if there was a new post. I was skeptical of the "Google Reader" that my husband uses for no good reason. So, after many arguments, he finally convinced me to give it a try. Needless to say, it became another addiction, much like Twitter. Basically, you either go through and click on a "subscribe" button in each blog you read, or if you choose to use Google Reader (there are others out there), just put in the web addresses of the blog homepages and it'll figure it out. Then, you can put them in categories (I have one for Friends and Family blogs, another for Disney blogs, one for Board Game blogs, and a few others) if you want. But, it'll go through and update immediately when someone posts. That way, you can read blogs like you read email in Outlook... meaning you don't have to hunt for it, you just check and see if there's any there or not.
Using that little orange button to subscribe just makes it easier for you to stay updated with my (or other) posts. You don't have to be very tech-savvy to start it up, and after you input a few websites, it will even begin to start suggesting similar ones you might want to follow.
Only about 10% of internet users subscribe to RSS feeds, even though it is FREE. So, I encourage you to give it a shot and subscribe to my blog. It'll help me see if anyone still reads this, since comments have gone few and far between, and I don't have a "hit counter," although I should probably consider adding one. I also added a poll to the left to try and generate some readers through giving them the power to choose topics, so we'll see how many votes that gets in the next month as well. My other blog also has a RSS option, so if you read that one too, hit that up.
Friday, February 13, 2009
As you may have noticed, all of the date/timestamps on my blogs have disappeared. I don't know why, and I can't figure out how to get them back. They're still checked correctly in my settings/layout, so no idea. I'll get my husband to look at the html later and see if he can figure it out.
Anyway, on to today's topic. It's Twitter.
Twitter is yet another social networking tool. But it's pretty streamlined. No lists of favorite movies or birthdays to remember. Your profile is pretty much your name, location, a pic, a website, and a sentence about yourself. What it is that you frequently update is your status. It defaults by suggesting you write about "what you're doing" but many people add in links to news articles, write about songs on the radio or books that they're reading, or quotes that they've heard. You can follow certain people so that their updates (known as tweets) show up on your page (think Facebook's old-school wall). The catch? you only have 140 characters. :)
Your username gets an '@' in front of it, and that's how people refer to you. For instance, I'm @AmyKB. When you write a tweet and want to reference someone, using the @ will make it act as a reply to that person. So you can respond to tweets this way, or even through direct message (which don't go out to everyone like the @ messages do).
There are a ton of applications to make it more user-friendly, for your iphone or firefox, and you can even update via text message from your cell phone. You can link them, as my twitter status shows up here on my blog (and on my other blog) and my facebook. Lots of famous people are on twitter, including the Dalai Lama (@OHHDLInfo). I've found a bunch of friends to follow, as well as people I admire (like those who are developers of my favorite online game). You can also find people tweeting about a specific topic, marked by hashes, like #election or #SF (for San Francisco).
It's not something for everyone, and if you stop paying attention to it, you could quite possibly forget about it and that'll be it. My husband has been on it for probably close to a year by now, and I joined up last summer, just before "conference season." I would totally recommend it to anyone. If you haven't heard of it, I'm not sure what rock you've been under. We're already at the point where there are regional "tweet-ups" and "twestivals" (of which there was one in Mountain View just last night, and one in Charlotte last week), and it is doing a fair job of taking over some attention from various organizations. Several universities and even some K-12 schools have implemented Twitter for various purposes. It's pretty awesome when you think about it that way.
it's twitter.com if you want to check it out!
Anyway, on to today's topic. It's Twitter.
Twitter is yet another social networking tool. But it's pretty streamlined. No lists of favorite movies or birthdays to remember. Your profile is pretty much your name, location, a pic, a website, and a sentence about yourself. What it is that you frequently update is your status. It defaults by suggesting you write about "what you're doing" but many people add in links to news articles, write about songs on the radio or books that they're reading, or quotes that they've heard. You can follow certain people so that their updates (known as tweets) show up on your page (think Facebook's old-school wall). The catch? you only have 140 characters. :)
Your username gets an '@' in front of it, and that's how people refer to you. For instance, I'm @AmyKB. When you write a tweet and want to reference someone, using the @ will make it act as a reply to that person. So you can respond to tweets this way, or even through direct message (which don't go out to everyone like the @ messages do).
There are a ton of applications to make it more user-friendly, for your iphone or firefox, and you can even update via text message from your cell phone. You can link them, as my twitter status shows up here on my blog (and on my other blog) and my facebook. Lots of famous people are on twitter, including the Dalai Lama (@OHHDLInfo). I've found a bunch of friends to follow, as well as people I admire (like those who are developers of my favorite online game). You can also find people tweeting about a specific topic, marked by hashes, like #election or #SF (for San Francisco).
It's not something for everyone, and if you stop paying attention to it, you could quite possibly forget about it and that'll be it. My husband has been on it for probably close to a year by now, and I joined up last summer, just before "conference season." I would totally recommend it to anyone. If you haven't heard of it, I'm not sure what rock you've been under. We're already at the point where there are regional "tweet-ups" and "twestivals" (of which there was one in Mountain View just last night, and one in Charlotte last week), and it is doing a fair job of taking over some attention from various organizations. Several universities and even some K-12 schools have implemented Twitter for various purposes. It's pretty awesome when you think about it that way.
it's twitter.com if you want to check it out!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My Little Pony
Nope, not an entry about the television show or the movies. Instead, this is about modified ponies. I've seen many over the years, but I recently stumbled upon a whole collection online, and several of them are adorable and creative. I found them here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marikasurinen/sets/72157611336529762/). And you can read more about the artist here (http://www.marikasurinen.com/index.html).
I'm going to showcase just four, since they are my favorites. If you have a few minutes, you should pop over and look at the sculptor's site... the ponies are for sale!
This one is kinda obvious. It's Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. I think the detail on him is incredible. I'm not sure if the pony's mane and tail were dyed black or if this pony originally had black hair, but I love how it has been made all dreadlocky, and the beads in the mane are fantastic! The bandana is perfectly placed, and the extra eye makeup totally captures Jack Sparrow.
This one is a little more abstract, in that I do not think it is meant to impersonate any singular character, but instead is more of a harlequin appearance. The ruffles make me giggle, and the preciseness of the diamond design is gorgeous. I am curious as to the material used to create the "joker hat" since I do not have any recollection of ponies wearing hats, so I don't think it is just a re-paint of a MLP original. I also question what I would have done with the tail in this case, as I think it might have looked better braided or something. But, given there are only two colors, a braid would be uneven, so perhaps a fishtail style would be appropriate. But, that's a tight look, and I kinda believe the pony is more romantic than that.
Elvis Pony. This is a pretty impressive hairstyle for a My Little Pony, I am astounded at how the height of the coif was achieved. I am also intrigued by the decision to use a unicorn Pony. Sure, Elvis was a King, so the golden horn makes some sense. Now, let's talk about the costuming! This is fabulous! I'm not sure if it is a molded solid or if it's been sewn, but either way, the rhinestones have definitely been individually placed, and that takes some skill. (Flashback to individually gluing crystals onto vases for a bridal shower one time...) I especially love the tiny gold chains that are on the hem of the jacket and the slit in the pants. I imagine that doing a work like this requires a lot more research than Jack Sparrow (or the Sally below), since Elvis did have more than one outfit, and choosing one to replicate must have been a challenge in itself.
The last MLP I have picked to showcase today is a replica of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is one character that I do not think I would have chosen to replicate, because of the complexity of her look in the film. I have seen it done several times in Halloween costumes, with very mixed results. This pony, however, does a lovely job of capturing Sally's innocence as well as the detail in her outfit. Making the hair very wispy is a key to the look, and I think that the pose of the pony is important in this choice as well. If I still collected the Ponies (which I gave up when I moved to Florida in 1993), I would probably buy this one in a heartbeat. I just love the uniqueness to it.
I'm going to showcase just four, since they are my favorites. If you have a few minutes, you should pop over and look at the sculptor's site... the ponies are for sale!
This one is kinda obvious. It's Captain Jack Sparrow from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. I think the detail on him is incredible. I'm not sure if the pony's mane and tail were dyed black or if this pony originally had black hair, but I love how it has been made all dreadlocky, and the beads in the mane are fantastic! The bandana is perfectly placed, and the extra eye makeup totally captures Jack Sparrow.
This one is a little more abstract, in that I do not think it is meant to impersonate any singular character, but instead is more of a harlequin appearance. The ruffles make me giggle, and the preciseness of the diamond design is gorgeous. I am curious as to the material used to create the "joker hat" since I do not have any recollection of ponies wearing hats, so I don't think it is just a re-paint of a MLP original. I also question what I would have done with the tail in this case, as I think it might have looked better braided or something. But, given there are only two colors, a braid would be uneven, so perhaps a fishtail style would be appropriate. But, that's a tight look, and I kinda believe the pony is more romantic than that.
Elvis Pony. This is a pretty impressive hairstyle for a My Little Pony, I am astounded at how the height of the coif was achieved. I am also intrigued by the decision to use a unicorn Pony. Sure, Elvis was a King, so the golden horn makes some sense. Now, let's talk about the costuming! This is fabulous! I'm not sure if it is a molded solid or if it's been sewn, but either way, the rhinestones have definitely been individually placed, and that takes some skill. (Flashback to individually gluing crystals onto vases for a bridal shower one time...) I especially love the tiny gold chains that are on the hem of the jacket and the slit in the pants. I imagine that doing a work like this requires a lot more research than Jack Sparrow (or the Sally below), since Elvis did have more than one outfit, and choosing one to replicate must have been a challenge in itself.
The last MLP I have picked to showcase today is a replica of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is one character that I do not think I would have chosen to replicate, because of the complexity of her look in the film. I have seen it done several times in Halloween costumes, with very mixed results. This pony, however, does a lovely job of capturing Sally's innocence as well as the detail in her outfit. Making the hair very wispy is a key to the look, and I think that the pose of the pony is important in this choice as well. If I still collected the Ponies (which I gave up when I moved to Florida in 1993), I would probably buy this one in a heartbeat. I just love the uniqueness to it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Why is it?
I received an email from one of my aunts not too long ago. There were twenty or so statements in the email, making fun of how cause and effect works sometimes, and other questions about how the world works. Here I will reproduce a few, because I could use another laugh. I'll also include my thoughts on them, however inaccurate they may be.
- Why do we press harder on the remote control buttons even when we know the batteries are almost dead? (I've never seen this or thought of doing it. strange)
- Why do banks charge a fee for "insufficient funds" when they already know you don't have enough money? (this is really funny, and really true. of course, since they had to loan you some, they want extra back. but it's still funny!)
- How come someone will believe it when you say there are four billion stars, but they feel the need to check to see if the fresh paint is really still wet? (for me, it depends on the color of the paint. if it's pretty - like turquoise - I want to touch it. done deal)
- Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard? (this is a fact that some people don't know, apparently... not all ethnicities grow facial/body hair. I had a friend who was part Native American, he didn't shave for the first time until his third year of college!)
- Whose idea was it to put an 's' in the word "lisp?" (I have no idea, but it makes me think of the Brady Bunch episode where Cindy does tongue twisters, LoL)
- If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes? (another fact that some people just don't know... the way evolution works: not every animal has the same need to evolve, based on their environments and various other factors. So some apes evolved, while others did not, as there was no biological need)
- How come bubbles in the bath are always white, regardless of what color bubblebath you use? (... I didn't realize that bubblebath was more than one color. Apparently I'm too old to remember and too young to know)
- Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with the hope that something new to eat has materialized? (I've wondered this myself, and here are my thoughts... it depends on how hungry you are. The hungrier I get, the more willing I am to eat something that's not "first choice." So, while the fridge offered me nothing an hour ago, I might be desperate enough to eat something that's in there now)
- Why do people keep trying to run over a piece of string with a vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, and examine it, THEN put it back down so the vacuum cleaner has one more chance? (I've never heard of something so absurd. anyone every witnessed someone doing this??)
- How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures? (not really something that I've ever taken the time to ponder, and I don't really want to think about it now, either)
- Why do we press harder on the remote control buttons even when we know the batteries are almost dead? (I've never seen this or thought of doing it. strange)
- Why do banks charge a fee for "insufficient funds" when they already know you don't have enough money? (this is really funny, and really true. of course, since they had to loan you some, they want extra back. but it's still funny!)
- How come someone will believe it when you say there are four billion stars, but they feel the need to check to see if the fresh paint is really still wet? (for me, it depends on the color of the paint. if it's pretty - like turquoise - I want to touch it. done deal)
- Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard? (this is a fact that some people don't know, apparently... not all ethnicities grow facial/body hair. I had a friend who was part Native American, he didn't shave for the first time until his third year of college!)
- Whose idea was it to put an 's' in the word "lisp?" (I have no idea, but it makes me think of the Brady Bunch episode where Cindy does tongue twisters, LoL)
- If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes? (another fact that some people just don't know... the way evolution works: not every animal has the same need to evolve, based on their environments and various other factors. So some apes evolved, while others did not, as there was no biological need)
- How come bubbles in the bath are always white, regardless of what color bubblebath you use? (... I didn't realize that bubblebath was more than one color. Apparently I'm too old to remember and too young to know)
- Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with the hope that something new to eat has materialized? (I've wondered this myself, and here are my thoughts... it depends on how hungry you are. The hungrier I get, the more willing I am to eat something that's not "first choice." So, while the fridge offered me nothing an hour ago, I might be desperate enough to eat something that's in there now)
- Why do people keep trying to run over a piece of string with a vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, and examine it, THEN put it back down so the vacuum cleaner has one more chance? (I've never heard of something so absurd. anyone every witnessed someone doing this??)
- How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures? (not really something that I've ever taken the time to ponder, and I don't really want to think about it now, either)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Cranium Calendar, Volume I
For Christmas, my in-laws gave me one of those page-a-day calendars (among other things, like the most FABULOUS carry-on luggage EVER!), where each day there's a new Cranium puzzle. I love that they understand my passion for board games (particularly Cranium), and since I've never seen a calendar like this one before, I was beyond excited! Well, we shipped all of our things before the New Year, and they only arrived a few days ago, so I needed to catch up on a some puzzles. I find them so intriguing that I'll share a few, and I'll probably continue to do so every month or something.
Jan. 1st : It was a Polygraph question (very easy), but the fact on the back was something I didn't know... Flamingos actually get their pink hue from pigments in the crustaceans that they eat! That's why they're born grey and slowly acquire their color!
Jan. 7th : Identify the following morning rituals (answers at bottom of entry).
- ingest elixir of burnt beans
- scour masticators
- stand beneath aqueous drizzle
- manually align follicle growth
I got them all, but the second one stumped me for a few seconds.
Jan. 12th : It was a Selectaquest asking who the god of wine is in Greco-Roman mythology (Mercury, Heracles, Bacchus, and Cupid were the options). While I knew the answer was Bacchus, the tidbit on the back mentions that in addition to Dionysus and Bacchus, this lively god was also known as Liber (hadn't heard that before!)
Jan. 17/18th: What respective cities do Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man protect? (I didn't know Superman, but got the other two! answers below)
Jan. 22nd: Pick the two things that don't belong: Flying Cloud, Travelpod, Bambi, Safari, Wind Dancer. (Hint: Airstream trailer models. answer below)
Jan. 27th: Match the words with the singers. Words: koo-koo-ka-choo; be-bop-a-lu-she-bop; sockitome; awop-bop-a-loo-bop. Singers: Cyndi Lauper; Little Richard; Simon and Garfunkel; Aretha Franklin. process of elimination helped me out, LoL. (answers below)
Jan. 28th: similar to Jan. 7th's entry, it's a Translator. the four thing are nursery items.
- quadrupedal surface of transformation
- linearly vacillating position on board of directors
- nonhuman life forms fed beyond satiety
Jan. 29th: It was a simple Selectaquest, but through it I discovered that the World Series was first televised in 1947 (Yankees beat the Dodgers).
Answers:
Jan 7th : drink coffee, brush teeth, shower, comb hair
Jan. 17/18th: Metropolis; Gotham City; New York City
Jan. 22nd: Travelpod and Wind Dancer. (The first Airstream trailer, introduced in 1936, was called the Clipper. In 2007, a 1963 Bambi Travel Trailer was acquired by NYC's MOMA and displayed in the lobby)
Jan 27th: koo-koo = Simon & Garfunkel (Mrs. Robinson) be-bop = Cyndi Lauper (She-Bop) sock = Aretha Franlin (Respect) awop-bop = Little Richard (Tutti Frutti)
Jan. 28th: changing table, rocking chair, stuffed animals
Jan. 1st : It was a Polygraph question (very easy), but the fact on the back was something I didn't know... Flamingos actually get their pink hue from pigments in the crustaceans that they eat! That's why they're born grey and slowly acquire their color!
Jan. 7th : Identify the following morning rituals (answers at bottom of entry).
- ingest elixir of burnt beans
- scour masticators
- stand beneath aqueous drizzle
- manually align follicle growth
I got them all, but the second one stumped me for a few seconds.
Jan. 12th : It was a Selectaquest asking who the god of wine is in Greco-Roman mythology (Mercury, Heracles, Bacchus, and Cupid were the options). While I knew the answer was Bacchus, the tidbit on the back mentions that in addition to Dionysus and Bacchus, this lively god was also known as Liber (hadn't heard that before!)
Jan. 17/18th: What respective cities do Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man protect? (I didn't know Superman, but got the other two! answers below)
Jan. 22nd: Pick the two things that don't belong: Flying Cloud, Travelpod, Bambi, Safari, Wind Dancer. (Hint: Airstream trailer models. answer below)
Jan. 27th: Match the words with the singers. Words: koo-koo-ka-choo; be-bop-a-lu-she-bop; sockitome; awop-bop-a-loo-bop. Singers: Cyndi Lauper; Little Richard; Simon and Garfunkel; Aretha Franklin. process of elimination helped me out, LoL. (answers below)
Jan. 28th: similar to Jan. 7th's entry, it's a Translator. the four thing are nursery items.
- quadrupedal surface of transformation
- linearly vacillating position on board of directors
- nonhuman life forms fed beyond satiety
Jan. 29th: It was a simple Selectaquest, but through it I discovered that the World Series was first televised in 1947 (Yankees beat the Dodgers).
Answers:
Jan 7th : drink coffee, brush teeth, shower, comb hair
Jan. 17/18th: Metropolis; Gotham City; New York City
Jan. 22nd: Travelpod and Wind Dancer. (The first Airstream trailer, introduced in 1936, was called the Clipper. In 2007, a 1963 Bambi Travel Trailer was acquired by NYC's MOMA and displayed in the lobby)
Jan 27th: koo-koo = Simon & Garfunkel (Mrs. Robinson) be-bop = Cyndi Lauper (She-Bop) sock = Aretha Franlin (Respect) awop-bop = Little Richard (Tutti Frutti)
Jan. 28th: changing table, rocking chair, stuffed animals
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)