How well do you know 80s and 90s movies? Here's a fun alphabet quiz, courtesy of UK designer Stephen Wildish. (Note: Unfortunately, the answers are not yet posted on his site.)
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 25:
Name an occupation in nine letters. It's an entertainer of sorts — an unusual and uncommon but well-known sort of entertainer. Drop the third letter of the name, and read the result backward. You'll get two four-letter words that are exact opposites. What are they?
Take a look back at how the world searched in 2011. It's sort of a Google ad, but an interesting one nonetheless. > Explore more of the Google Zeitgeist 2011
Answer: ANTELOPE (change O to H, rearrange) → ELEPHANT
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 18:
Take the word "at." Put a man's first name on each side of it, and say the word out loud. Phonetically, you'll get a word that describes a growing part of our country. What is it?
Answer: Baroque (style of music) → bar-b-que (cooking style)
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 11:
Think of an animal whose name contains an O. Change the O to an H, and rearrange the result to name another animal. What animals are these?
“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” the company explained.
“Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”
From apparel to cosmetics to interior design, we can expect to see the hue everywhere in the coming year.
Artist Miguel Endara creates magnificent works of art; it just takes a really good ink pen and a whole lot of patience. Like way more patience than you'll ever have. Watch:
Detroit's own College for Creative Studies (CCS) recently launched a new ad campaign in the style of anti-drug PSAs. It's very, well, creative. Take a look:
ter·gi·ver·sate
Pronunciation: tur-JI-ver-seyt
Part of speech: verb
Etymology: Latin tergiversātus (past participle of tergiversārī to turn one's back), equivalent to tergi- (combining form of tergum back) + versātus, past participle of versāre, frequentative of vertere to turn
Date: 1645–55
Meaning: to change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.
"We're taking a stand on this choice," said Jay Schwartz, Dictionary.com's Head of Content. "We think that it's immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much."
Like many, I'm unfamiliar with the word "tergiversate," and thus I find it an interesting choice. With so many options, I imagine it would be difficult to come to a consensus on just one word. In fact, I wonder how many times the lexicographers tergiversated their final selection prior to announcing the official winner.
Answer: There are multiple answers to this challenge, including: blare → blasé, charm → chasm, gents → genus, kilns → kilos, mints → minus, torts → torus, etc.
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Dec. 4:
Name a style of music. Change the middle letter to a B, and you'll name a style of cooking. What are the style of music and the style of cooking? (There are several ways to spell the cooking style, but the answer is one of them.)
Leftover pizza is never as good as when it was first delivered/served. The crust has a tendency to be soggy, unless you've got time to waste reheating it in the oven.
Chef John of Food Wishes has found a quicker "magic" method to restoring leftover pizza crust to crispy. I haven't tried it yet, but it definitely looks promising.
Imagine what would it be like to wake up in Van Gogh's masterpiece Bedroom In Arles. Watch as filmmaker Grant Woolard finds himself walking through 25 famous works of art. How many do you recognize?
Answer: MAYO (food item) → "YO, MAMA" (saying) → YO-YO MA (person's name)
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 27:
Think of a common five-letter word in one syllable. Change the fourth letter to the next letter of the alphabet, and you'll get a common word in two syllables, also in five letters. What words are these?
Some of the wittiest most insightful content comes from bloggers doing it because they want to, not because of money and fame. That is all the more reason to give something back.
You may have noticed that I'm a blogger. And I'd also love to get paid. If you've enjoyed visiting Jenny's Noodle, please feel free to click the PayPal link on the sidebar to your right.
Answer: 101 (the next number is a series of numbers, in ascending order, that can be represented in Roman numerals by two characters).
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 20:
Name a food item. Divide this word in half. Take the second half followed by the first half twice, and you'll get a familiar saying. If you take the second half twice, followed by the first half, you'll name a well-known person. What are the food item, saying, and person's name?
"Un for all and all for Un." Tomorrow is the unofficial day to cleanse yourself of unnecessary Facebook "friends." Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 is National UnFriend Day.
Now in it's second year, the annual observance was created by late night's Jimmy Kimmel. And if you watch the video, he provides a handy-dandy checklist/point system to help you figure out who to cut virtual ties with tomorrow.
I prefer a military plate, however if you don't mind the flavors of Thanksgiving all mushing together, the innovative Thanksgiving Plate Cakelettes look fun to try.
The cakelettes may also be paired with another recipe that I'd like to sample, Candied Yam Tartlettes. Mmmmm...
By now you probably realize that today is the rare date 11-11-11. And you probably know that it's Veterans Day. But you may not know that today is also Corduroy Appreciation Day.
Says who? The Corduroy Appreciation Club. Yes, it exists. But why did they choose to celebrate on 11-11-11? Because the elevens comprising this date most closely resemble the texture of Corduroy fabric.
Another point of interest is the CAC’s main public symbol, the whale. Whale is a homonym of wale, which is the name for the raised portion of Corduroy—the fabric's most
distinctive trait.
Answer: PATTI LABELLE (singer) - P, I (first name) and L, E (last name) → AT&T (company) + A BELL(logo)
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Nov. 6:
Take 15 coins. Arrange them in an equilateral triangle with one coin at the top, two coins touching below, three coins below that, then four, then five. Remove the three coins at the corners so you're left with 12 coins. Using the centers of the 12 coins as points, how many equilateral triangles can you find by joining points with lines?
Today, Nov. 2, 2011 (or 11022011), is a special date—a palindrome.
A palindrome is a word, line, verse, number, sentence or series of symbols reading the same backward as forward. You know, phrases like "a man a plan a canal panama," or your friend "bob."
According to a university professor who studies the phenomena, "After 2011, there will be one more year in this (21st) century containing two palindrome dates. That will be 2021, with palindrome dates Jan. 20, 2021 (1202021) and Dec. 2, 2021 (12022021)."
Answer: PIER ONE (retail store chain) → PIONEER (electronics manufacturer)
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 30:
Name a well-known singer. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's first name and you'll get the letters of a well-known company. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's last name, and you'll identify the logo that the company is classically known for. Who is the singer and what's the company?
"There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself — not just sometimes but always. When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in ... Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have."
The Phantom Tollbooth was first released on this day in 1961, and fifty years later, the popular children's book has never gone out of print. Written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, the classic story is still on bookshelves in libraries throughout the world — as long as they still exist!
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 23:
Think of a two-word name of a nationally known chain of retail stores. Insert the second word of the name into the exact middle of the first. The result will spell the name of a well-known electronics manufacturer. What are these names?
A 10 year forensic investigation by Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith concludes that artist Vincent van Gogh(March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) may not have committed suicide. In their new book "Van Gogh: The Life" in bookstores this Tuesday, the authors speculate that the Dutch post-Impressionist painter may have actually been murdered, challenging over 120 years of art history. This fascinating new theory was outlined on Sunday evening's "60 Minutes." Watch:
Challenge: Create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself.
Rule: Use only the graphic elements of the letters without adding outside parts.
After seeing the examples in the video, you may be inspired to think of others—I sure am! As they say, the dictionary is filled with thousands of fun visual puzzles just waiting to be solved. Visit www.wordasimage.com to submit your solutions.
Answer: "CANCER," one of the 12 astrological signs → "DANCER," one of Santa Claus' nine reindeer
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 16:
Think of a familiar two-word rhyming phrase that starts with the letter F, like "fat cat." Change the F to a G and you'll get another familiar two-word rhyming phrase. What are these phrases?
A new version of Steel Magnolias is reportedly being made...
And now a remake is in the works with a notable twist: the all-white cast will be replaced with an all-black cast.
The Lifetime movie is to be produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the duo responsible for the new "Footloose" remake that opens Friday, who are busy reaching out to some of the top black actresses in Hollywood.
So this is the brilliant idea of those responsible for the unnecessary new Footloose movie—yep, it's all making sense now. I'm all about a good weekend marathon of made-for-TV movies, but in this case, there's no reason to mess with the original. Hopefully it won't turn into another Queen Latifah's Barbershop of awfulness.
I can hear old Ouiser Boudreaux now: "I don't see movies 'cause they're trash."
I have just a couple of questions: First of all, how does the pen not run out of ink? And secondly, how is his hand/arm still able to function with such precision? Watch:
"Can I tell you?" Aunt Sandy's Halloween costumes are ridiculousover the top legendary. This year, for no apparent reason, you can vote for your favorite look from years past. There are 12 costumes to choose from and you can vote up to 10 times per day. Because you've got time to waste, no?
And don't forget to join Sandra Lee for Cocktail Time (and cooking perhaps?) as "Sandra's Halloween Wonderland" premieres on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. ET/PT. Will the tablescape include special place settings for Kimber and Brycer? I'll be tuning in to find out.
Steamy Scenes of Pasta: A look at tabletop food cinematography — the art of making the food in restaurant, beer and snack commercials appear drop-dead gorgeous.
I would love to be a food stylist, especially on this shoot.
Answer: Entrée "LAMB" into dessert "CAKE" → "CLAMBAKE"
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 9:
Name something that is part of a group of twelve. Change the first letter to the next letter of the alphabet to name something that is part of a group of nine. What are these things?
Sunday evening will be curmudgeon Andy Rooney's last appearance on "60 Minutes."
Rooney began his run on "60 Minutes" in July 1978 with an essay about the reporting of automobile fatalities on the Independence Day weekend. He became a regular feature that fall, alternating weeks with the dueling James J. Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander before getting the end slot all to himself in the fall of 1979. In Rooney's first full season as the "60 Minutes" commentator, the broadcast was the number one program for the first time.
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Oct. 2:
Think of a common one-word entrée and dessert. When you insert the name of the entrée into the dessert's name, it will read as a certain meal. Name the entrée, dessert, and meal.
I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the event. And luckily, I accepted.
Hundreds of local creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, geeks, designers, thinkers and doers gathered together for a day, seeking to receive inspiration from the various guest lecturers.
TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a global nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TEDxDetroit was the third annual conference to take place in the city.
We are the X. The multipliers. The catalysts. The connectors. The amplifiers. We challenge the status quo. We come together to collaborate, to share fresh ideas and to find inspiration. We are optimistic about our future. We believe Detroit's best days lie ahead. We are the people who are making it happen. We believe that is an idea worth spreading.
If you've never been to TED, it's definitely something to experience.
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Sept. 25:
Think of a ten-letter occupation ending in "er." The first four letters can be rearranged to spell something that person would study, and the next four letters can be rearranged to spell something else that person would study. What is the occupation?
"As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.” ―JIM HENSON
Saturday would have been the 75th birthday of the prolific American puppeteer Jim Henson (Sept. 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990).
From Sesame Street to The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, Henson created dozens of characters beloved by children - and adults alike - all throughout the world.
In honor of this momentous occasion, the Jim Henson Company and Google have partnered to create an interactive home page Doodle. Here's a bit of the explanation behind the inspiration:
The Alphabet 2 is a creative video wherein "each character visually represents the meaning of the word itself. Playing with different techniques and materials into little and big spaces, but always focusing on Helvetica font's proportions."
In this case, I happen to have a fondness for the letter P.
Credit: Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records via Telegraph
The Telegraph has published an interesting collection of photos from the new Guinness World Records for 2012. Highlights include: the world's largest collection of 'Do Not Disturb' signs, the largest playable violin and the longest hair. And there's my favorite one:
Largest pizza commercially available (pictured above): On the menu at Big Mama's and Papa's Pizzeria in Los Angeles, California, USA, is an enormous 4 ft 6 in square pizza. Retailing at $199.99 plus tax, this mammoth meal can feed up to 100 people and can be ordered for delivery – as long as you give the pizzeria 24 hours' notice.
Here's one possible solution to the Sept. 4 NPR Sunday Puzzle (a creative two-week challenge):
Answer: "Did I cite operas I'd revere? Verdi's are poetic. I did!"
NPR Sunday Puzzle for Sept. 18:
Take the name of a well-known university in two words. Switch two letters in the respective words; that is, take a letter from the first word, put it in place of a letter in the second word, and put that letter where the first letter was. The result will name something you might take on a camping trip. What are the names of the university and the camping item?
ShareThis
| Posted
December 29, 2011
at
8:47 PM
"We're taking a stand on this choice," said Jay Schwartz, Dictionary.com's Head of Content. "We think that it's immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much." 
