The Crafty Puzzles Company: 12/23/13

Monday, 23 December 2013

The Hokey Pokey was inspired by Canadian miners on drugs. Check this out.

We all know the song, and we all know the lyrics. There’s the thing about your left arm, it goes in, it comes out, you repeat, there’s a bit of business with a funny name and a turn around, and that’s basically what it is all about.

However, the history of the song itself is anything but simple. There are many theories of how this song was born, today we’ll focus in one, and it has to do with cocaine.

According to the Kennedy family, the unusual title has to do with cocaine taken by the miners in Canada to cheer themselves up in the harsh environment where they were prospecting. The song was originally called “Cokey Pokey” but for obvious reasons the name had to be changed.

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3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-hokey-pokey-was-inspired-by.html

Today's Daily Brain Teaser (Dec 24, 2013)

The Vowel-less Knights #1

For those of you who never played Might and Magic (a computer game), the Vowel-less Knights would always say something without vowels. It was up to you, the player, to figure out what they were saying. In their tradition, what are these famous quotes?

1) Spk sftl nd crr bg stck.

2) gv hm th whl nn yrds!

3) Nvr hv s fw gvn s mch fr s mn.

Check Braingle.com for the answer.

Today's Daily Trivia Quiz (Dec 24, 2013)

Song: "Mr. Brightside"

See how well you know this song by The Killers.

Take the Quiz at Braingle.com

Creativity : Engineering Challenge : Kite

Engineering challenges are fun activities that are frequently assigned to students in physics or engineering classes, but they can easily be used outside of these venues. An engineering challenge usually has a simple goal and some rules about what sorts of materials you are allowed to use. These are great ways to get people thinking creatively and to foster teamwork and competition. Try an engineering challenge at a birthday party, office outing, scout meeting, or any other gathering where you want to have fun and exercise your creativity.

The objective in the Kite challenge is to construct a kite out of a sheet of paper, plastic drinking straws and tape. The winning kite will be the one to reach the highest altitude with a fixed length of string. If you don't have a windy place nearby, you can allow the contestants to run with the kite to simulate wind. To measure altitude, a simple angle altimeter can be purchased at many hobby stores, or you can create your own with a protractor, string and a small weight.

Memory : Review

No matter how well you learn something, if you never access that information you will probably forget it. If you want to remember something, you need to review it from time to time to keep it fresh in your mind.

Review can also be very helpful immediately after learning something, because it can help solidify the important facts and make it easier for the brain to identify what to remember. You can use this to your advantage by making sure that you set aside some time at the end of a study session to review what you have learned. Just going over the main facts in your mind will be very helpful. You might also consider doing this after a class lecture. Take a few minutes to review your notes and go over the instructor's main points.

Vocabulary : Word of the Day : Adumbrate

ad-um-brate

verb :: To suggest or disclose partially.

"The suspect matches the description adumbrated by the two witnesses."

The word bonfire has a much more morbid meaning than you think.

A bonfire or balefire is a large controlled outdoor fire made from bales of straw or wood. The word is believed to come from "bone fire".

In the time of the Celts, there were midsummer festivals where animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits.

Bonfires were also used for rituals. The idea was that the fire would purify. It was used to consecrate things, or people, that are to make them sacred, in some way.

In ancient times, cattle were important symbols of wealth and status. Such cattle were led through the smoke of a bonfire.

Couples who were to be wed on May Day would leap through the flames of the bonfire to seal their vows. Coals from a bonfire would be taken home to light the fires in family hearths. This practice was thought to bring good fortune.

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3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-word-bonfire-has-much-more-morbid.html

Does a scorpion surrounded by fire really sting itself to death? Find out here.

The belief that scorpions commit suicide by stinging themselves to death when surrounded by fire or alcohol is untrue. Infact, Scorpions cannot accidentally kill themselves. Their venom has no effect on the scorpion or any other scorpion of the same family.

The venom has no effect on the scorpion itself, nor on any member of the same species unless the venom is injected directly into the scorpion's nerve ganglion.

The misconception may derive from the fact that scorpions are poikilotherms (cold-blooded): When exposed to intense heat their metabolic processes malfunction.

This causes the scorpion to spasm wildly and this spasming may appear as if the scorpion is stinging itself.

It is also untrue that alcohol will cause scorpions to sting themselves to death.

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3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/does-scorpion-surrounded-by-fire-really.html

There was another guy who wanted to be known as "Buffalo Bill." The way they settled it was pretty deadly.

William Frederick Cody (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill) was an American soldier, bison hunter and showman.

Cody had documented serviceas a soldier during the Civil War and as Chief of Scouts for the Third Cavalry during the Plains Wars.

He claimed to have had many jobs, including as a trapper, bullwhacker, "Fifty-Niner" in Colorado, a Pony Express rider in 1860, wagon master, stagecoach driver, and a hotel manager, but historians have had difficulty documenting them, and he may have fabricated some for publicity.

He got his nickname after the American Civil War when he had a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat. Cody is purported to have killed 4,282 American bison in eighteen months.

Cody and William Comstock competed in a buffalo-shooting match over the exclusive right to use the name, which Cody won by killing 68 bison to Comstock's 48.

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3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/there-was-another-guy-who-wanted-to-be.html

Joyriding, Saudi Arabian Style

via WINNING AT EVERYTHING http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/winningateverything/~3/5ARxByDXy_0/20893

3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/joyriding-saudi-arabian-style.html

Bubble wrap's original intended use will surprise you.

In 1957, inventors Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes attempted to create a 3D wallpaper.

Unfortunately, the wallpaper didn't catch on but the men realized that it was useful for packing delicate items for shipping!

The success and popularity of bubble wrap has gotten so large that the last Monday of every January is dubbed "Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day".

Toy company Bandai even created a virtual bubble wrap popping toy called "Mugen Puchipuchi" and a version was created for the Wii!

Do you like popping bubble wrap? What's your favorite thing to do with it? Tell us in the comments!

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3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/bubble-wrap-original-intended-use-will.html

Do you know how many mammals have gone extinct thanks to humans?

Hunting plays a role in the extinction, by means of hunting for food or sport.

This includes poaching animals, which is extremely illegal. We also contribute to the problem by destroying natural habitats through deforestation and construction work.

Some of the animals we've killed out of existence are the river dolphin, some species of wallaby, many species of rats and mice, some bat species, certain species of tigers and wolves!

All in all. we've contributed to the extinction of almost 100 mammals!

(Source)

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Eight Wheel Drive

via You Drive What http://youdrivewhat.com/eight-wheel-drive/

3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/eight-wheel-drive.html

Human hair is amazingly strong. A full head of hair can support 2 of these massive animals.

Dr. Frederic Leroy of L'Oral research thinks really highly of hair.

In his research he has found that a single strand of hair can hold about 100g (3oz) of weight.

However, most people grow about 150,000 strands on their head.

According to Dr. Leroy, if we harnessed the strength of those strands, we'd be able to support 12 tonnes, which is 2 elephant's worth!

Pound per pound, the Dr. Says, it's not as strong as steel, but it's more like aluminium or Kevlar. Read more about hair here.

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Show ‘em how it’s done

via WINNING AT EVERYTHING http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/winningateverything/~3/b6wjCbxSFdE/20887

3d wooden brain teasers for you to try from Net Sauce http://netsauce.blogspot.com/2013/12/show-em-how-its-done.html

Illustration: Hobbit Facebook Headers

Hobbit-themed Facebook Headers by Otis Frampton

Otis Frampton, who is best known for his work on popular web series such as Stan’s Rants and How It Should Have Ended, has released a series of Tolkien-themed Facebook cover pictures for the express purpose of being used by the general public as avatars and Facebook covers. The only thing he asks in exchange is that people who use the banners on their Facebook profiles give him proper credit in the description of the picture.