How ten classic toys were invented

by Stacy Conradt

1. Lincoln Logs were invented by John Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright’s son. The original instructions included a how to construct a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s cabin, but also how to construct Uncle Tom’s cabin.
2. Tinkertoys were invented after a stonemason saw kids being totally entertained by building things with pencils and spools of thread.
3. Hula Hoops have been around forever in various formats, but the “official” Wham-O toy was invented in 1958. The inventors promoted it by going around to various playgrounds and parks giving children samples and showing them how to use it. Something tells me two random men showing up in a park handing out toys wouldn’t go over that well today…

4. Sea Monkeys are real (and that’s what they look like). I always thought they were a scam because I never once saw living Sea Monkeys swimming around in their little plastic home. Not once. They were “invented” in 1957 by Harold von Braunhut, the guy who invented X-Ray specs. They’re really brine shrimp and are ideal for packaging as a toy because they enter a natural state of suspended animation in certain (shippable) environments. When kids release the “monkeys” into the prepared water, they “hatch.” The reason they’re so active (supposedly… I’m still bitter that mine never worked) is because one of the packets you dump into the aquarium contains a type of salt that increases the sexual activity of the little critters. Yep. Think about that the next time your kid is fascinated by Sea Monkeys.

5. Play-Doh was first sold as a wallpaper cleaner. How’s that for weird? You rolled it on the walls to remove coal dust.

6. Troll dolls were created in 1949 by a Danish fisherman who needed a cheap Christmas gift for his daughter because he couldn’t afford to buy anything. He used sheep’s wool for the hair. Thomas Dam’s dolls caught on; thus the original dolls were called Dam Dolls. I got in on the whole troll craze in the early ‘90s; I think they still reside somewhere in my parents’ basement. I remember some of their names… I believe Dud the Surfer was my favorite. That’s not a typo: Dud. Not Dude. He had his own theme song. I’m not entirely sure why I’m sharing this.

7. Slinky was invented by Naval engineer Richard James. He knocked a spring off of a shelf when he was working to develop springs that could keep ship instruments stable in choppy waters. The spring did what a Slinky does… it stepped down to a stack of books, then to the table, and then to the floor, where it righted itself into a cylinder. James knew it would be a great toy, and tests by neighborhood kids proved him right. 
8. LEGO blocks were invented by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a master carpenter who lived in Denmark. The word comes from the Danish words LEg and GOdt, which together means “play well.” They later discovered that in Latin, Lego means “I put together.” 

9. Raggedy Ann and Andy were created by writer and illustrator Johnny Gruelle. Ann was created as a doll in 1915 for Gruelle’s daughter – he reportedly named the doll after two books poems from a James Whitcomb Riley book – “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphan Annie.” Ann inspired Gruelle to write stories about her adventures, and in 1918, Raggedy Ann Stories was released. Her brother, Andy, showed up in 1920. I had a Raggedy Ann doll and she scared the crap out of me. Most dolls did. I had a porcelain doll once and I accidentally broke her arm, and I was convinced that she was going to kill me in the middle of the night for breaking her, so I kept her shut in the closet. To this day I have to have the closet doors closed when I sleep. Have I ever mentioned that my first horror movie was Dolls and I was in third grade? Let the psychoanalysis begin!

10. Sock Monkeys. The sock monkeys that we have come to know and love today – the ones made with Red-Heel socks – are thought to have come about in 1932. The distinctive red heel was given to the socks so customers would know they were getting authentic Rockford socks. When the Nelson Knitting Company discovered that their socks were being used across the country in this arts-and-crafts movement, they won the design patent for the sock monkey pattern and started including it in the packaging of their socks.

Articles such as this can be found at: Mental floss.com

Bye bye march, hello april

woohoo! I finally got a new *inserts name of object here* . Anyways April is aproaching soon. Bye bye March, hello april.

chunky or smooth?

Which one would u prefer and why:

1. smooth peanut butter 
2. chunky peanut butter

half and hour earlier earth hour

Well it's never to late I guess. In keeping with earth hour they decided to have it about half and hour earlier*claps**claps* So punctual. 

To be honest I didn't went earth hour at all. I am so sorry planet earth.

CC,FC,WLOP

chicken chop, fish and chips and a whole lot of peeping(is an inside joke) . Hehe.

video camera in a jap restaurant

Found this on my friend's blog. Find it very interesting.

tata nano

Prices:

RM8,700++(120,000++ rupees) to RM13,000++ (180,000++ rupees)

Comes in three models:

-Basic: no radio, no power steering, no power windows, no aircond.

-Deluxe: has aircond, power steering, power windows, central locking.

-Luxury: has aircond, power steering, power windows, anti-lock braking system.

The cost reduction methods were:

-The Nano’s boot does not open, instead the rear seats can be folded down to access the boot space.

-It has a single windscreen wiper instead of the usual pair.

-Some exterior parts of it are glued together, rather than welded.

I thought proton cars are worst in terms of quality, but guess I am wrong then

More info on the world most cheapest car, go to: Tatamotors

edentulous

The Word of the Day for March 25, 2009 is:

edentulous • \ee-DEN-chuh-luss\ • adjective

: having no teeth : toothless

Example Sentence:

Thanks to improvements in public health and dental care in the 20th century, far fewer Americans are edentulous when they enter their golden years.

Did you know?

"Edentulous" comes to English directly from the Latin word "edentulous," which in turn comes from the Latin prefix "e-," meaning "missing" or "absent," and the Latin root "dent-," meaning "tooth." This root is at work in many familiar English words that relate to teeth, including "dental," "dentist," and "denture." It is also found in "edentate," a less common word that functions as a noun referring to an order of mammals with few or no teeth (e.g. sloths and armadillos), and as an adjective describing such mammals. "Edentate" is also sometimes used as a synonym of "edentulous."

Garfield

cow corporation

TRADITIONAL CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You sell one and bought a baby bull.

Nurse and feed it well;

They mate, your herd multiplies and the economy grows.

You invest & kept the gains into the country reserve,

You sell them and everyone retire on the income.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You mortgage both of them to the bank & obtain investment for two more cows,

Then re-mortgage the investment the four cows for eight cows and continue to do likewise,

The financial market was flooding with mortgages & investments in cow's assets,

No one knows where & who owned the original 2 cow's ...... ?

Then these 2 original cows grew old & eventually died,

You are surprised when there's No Asset to back up the mortgage or repay the loan ???

Finally, You ask the govt to bail out the collapse financial cow's market!

A FRENCH CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You go on strike because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.

You then create clever cow cartoon images called 'Cowkimon' and market them World-Wide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

A BRITISH CORPORATION

You have two cows.

Both are mad.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.

You break for lunch..

A SWISS CORPORATION

You have 5,000 cows and none of which belong to you.

You charge others for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You have 300 people milking them..

You claim full employment and high bovine productivity.

You have the newsman who reported on the numbers arrested.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You worship them.

A SINGAPOREAN CORPORATION

You have two cows,

One "cow-peh" and one "cow-bu".

And last but not least,

A MALAYSIAN CORPORATION

You have two cows.

You signed a 40-year contract to supply milk at RM0.06 per litre.

Then midway through, you raised the price to RM0.60 or you cut the supply.

When the buyer agrees to the new price, you change your mind again and now want RM1.20.

The buyer decided you can keep the milk and they go look for milk that comes from recycled cows or the cow urine instead.

Your two cows retire together with the Prime Minister.

random pictures

ayer keroh toll at *inserts time picture taken here*

Retard???

Bukit Beruang from the view from the hill

licence to cook

I love food. I love to see how food is done and how ingredients are mix together to make a great culinary experience. All this can be done by imaginative and creatives chefs. My favourites are:

Jamie Oliver- I love him for his straightforward dishes which are easy to look at and also deliciously healthy to be eaten. Love especially his shows where he uses fresh vegetables produce from the garden.*Drools*

Rob Rainford- His licence to grill show is to die for. Literally can die seeing his mouthwatering grilled recipes on the show. Marvelous!!!

Rachel Ray-She makes catchphrase such as yummo and the abbreviations EVOO(Extra virgin olive oil) popular.  What I like about her also is her spunkyness on her shows and her easy to cook meals with simple ingredients

Nigella Dawson- Doesn't hold back at all when it comes to her ingredients used in her cooking. Always sinful, always delightful.

Who is your favourite celebrity chef and why?

the kitchen knife

Never underestimate the usage of a kitchen knife. Without it, we will be having a hard time chewing our vegetables and meat. One of the greatest cooking utensils ever created.

6 Used-Car Traps and How to Avoid Them

By Jada A. Graves

1. Bargain-Basement Pricing

You can get a great price on used cars, but beware of deals that seem too good to be true. There could be something seriously wrong with a car that a seller is practically giving away. Check the suggested value on Kelley Blue Book's or NADA's web sites before you begin negotiating and don't be afraid to ask the seller why the car is priced so low. Remember, just because the car is cheap doesn't mean it is a great deal.

2. No Further Inspection Necessary

A certified pre-owned vehicle is more likely to have been inspected than a car that's privately sold. But in both cases, you can protect yourself by having an independent mechanic look over the car. Paying for your own inspection can confirm problems you already knew existed, or bring to light additional issues that give you room to negotiate a better price. Ask the seller if your regular mechanic can give the car a once-over before you agree to purchase. If you're buying a CPO vehicle, ask the dealer if you can speak with the mechanic who performed the inspection.

If in either case you are told this can't be arranged, you should consider walking away from the deal.

3. Missing Paperwork

A private seller that tells you they don't have the title or maintenance records for the vehicle could be trying to keep something from you. Luckily, you don't have to rely on them to be transparent, as long as you have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Web sites like NADA.com or CARFAX can provide a vehicle history report to compare with the information the seller has given you on the life of the car. These reports will also give you an ownership history if you're concerned with how many times the car has changed hands.

4. Not Available for Test Drives

If you can, it's always best to take the car for a spin before agreeing to purchase. Test driving a used car will not only give you a handle on how it drives, but it could alert you to any problems the seller downplayed or didn't mention. If you have time, let a friend drive the car as well -- they might notice something that you don't.

5. Sight-Unseen Transactions

The internet has made it easier to find great deals on a wide selection of used cars. But not all of them are in a location convenient to handle the transaction face-to-face, and there are several things to keep in mind when purchasing a car located elsewhere. First up, never transfer any money to a seller until you have the car and its title in hand. Second, be wary of sales that require more than basic transaction information to complete the sale. Third, only use online escrow accounts that you're familiar with to transfer the money and, if possible, pay in person with cash or a check instead. Fourth, try to negotiate a trial period with the car so that you can return it if you're not satisfied -- and get an agreement in writing.

6. Warranty Fine Print

If warranty coverage is offered with your used car, make sure that you understand the terms. Find out when the coverage began. While some manufacturers' plans begin from the time you purchase the vehicle, others modify the time by the age of your vehicle. If you're buying a car from a private seller, double-check whether their original warranty is transferrable so you can retain coverage. Determine whether your warranty includes maintenance, wear and tear, and roadside assistance. Lastly, ask what dealers (if not all) will honor your warranty coverage.

Original article can be found at: Autos.yahoo.com

match point tennis

If you are a  tennis lover like me, you can give this game a try. It is called match point tennis.

All you have to do is bring your mouse cursor as near as the ball and your player will hit the tennis ball automatically. As for serving, click once to toss and click another time to hit the  teniss ball while its on mid air. Enjoy

Official address for this game: Match point tennis

shopping feedback

I want to show you a a clipping of a shopping survey I did at Mahkota Parade featuring me and kawan-kawan. LoLs

long rally

THAT WAS TOTALLY INSANE!!

acai pill

Please do me a favour by not clicking the link stated above. Say tak nak to acai pill. Say yes to non existing annoying and pointless YM forwarded messages.

some visitation

7th March 2009

Cg's took turn to visit the boys and girls home for a few weeks, and my group in this particular trip was assigned to make a visit to the boys home. The place that we were going to was at Segamat. So without further due, pictures for illustration purposes.

It's quite a mouthfull

Anyways the first big activity was drawing+coloring+explaning your artwork to each other. This was fun as we get to see each other's creativity.

Art in progress

Choosing the proper colors for your artwork

 strewn all over

Pardon my kiddish drawing.

After that Frederick(my caregroup leader),decided to teach the boys some basic on photography.

Teaching in progress

Teaching how to use the macro mode

The result:

Picture 1

Picture 2

While some of the guys are taught the basics of photography, some of the boys are brought to the kitchen to be taught how to make pancakes

Frederick doing wat a chef supposed to do; teach his apprentices

Kelvin is demostrating the way to mix the pancake batter

On of the boys giving it a whisk 

Jou chean and lucius didn't want to miss the cooking action too

the finished cooked pancakes( this was not the final product, cos there were more pancakes at the end)

Not long after that, the boys retired for a few games of Uno Stacko

start the ball rolling

asaph!!! You got owned by the boys

noooooo.......don't fall

look at the concentration on the boy's face

*pancake eating session commence. No picture because was busily eating away the pancakes* 

So after Uno stacko and eating the pancakes, we all decided to chill and camwhore;

*inserts name of album*

Then it is time to go back to Melaka

Cp:GU gu!!! Ga ga!!!*kawaii!!*

Andrew(The head/coordinator) repeatedly told us not to turn into the the highway leading to Kuala Lumpur, but he actually did at the end. Luckily there were no car behind and then he  reverse and head to the highway leading to Johor instead *shakes head*

John asking Jui shan: "WHere is the food ar??".

Highway on the way back

in was fun and a fruitful trip indeed. 

phone lake story

Hari ini merupakan hari yang paling dinanti-nantikan oleh saya. Ini disebabkan oleh satu aktiviti yang akan dilakukan di tasik  dan aktiviti in dinamakan aktiviti berkayak. Apabila masa untuk berkayak telah pun tiba, saya pun berasa sungguh teruja  sekali mendapat peluang yang sebegini untuk berkayak(maklumlah , ini adalah kali pertama saya berkayak). Jadi apabila telah tiba saya pula untuk memijak ke dalam kayak itu, sesuatu yang tidak terduga terjadi iaitu, apabila salah satu  daripada kaki saya berada di dalam kayak itu, saya telah membuatkan kayak itu berada di kedudukan yang begitu jauh daripada saya. Sebelum  sempat saya meletak kaki yang satu lagi itu kedalam kayak, saya sudah berada dalam keadaan yang goyah dan tidak stabil lalu pada masa itu juga saya begitu pasti yang saya akan jatuh ke dalam air dan saya pun jatuh. 

Saya amat bersukur yang air tasik itu tidak tercemar dan berbau. Saya juga amat bersyukur yang kedalaman air tasik itu tidak sampai di leher saya, jikalau tidak saya akan menjadi basah dari kepala sehingga ke kaki saya. Dengan pertolangan orang yang mengendalikan aktiviti-aktiviti di tasik itu saya dapat keluar dengan selamat . Saya amat berterima kasih . 

Saya syaki yang sesuatu yang dahsyat akan berlaku apabila orang di situ menanyakan saya soalan ini, "Adakah anda tertinggal apa-apa benda di dalam poket awak??", dan pada masa itu lah, saya meraba-rabakan poket yang berada di seluar pendek saya. Saya amat terharu apabila saya mendapati  bahawa saya terlupa membawa keluar telefon bimbit daripada seluar saya.  Keadaan ini amat membuatkan saya berase panik.  "Bagaimana dengan orang yang ingin  menghubungi saya untuk sesuatu mesyuarat, untuk pergi makan makanan tengahari, ataupun  ingin memanggil saya kerana ia merupakan satu peristiwa and keadaan yang merupakan keadaan kecemasan. SAya tidak tahulah, apa yang saya tahu adalah saya perlu kan sebuah telefon bimbit yang tidak lagi digunakan yang boleh saya pinjamkan untuk beberapa minggu yang akan datang. SAya perlu juga membawa telefon bimbit kepunyaan saya ke kedai telepon untuk dibaiki, kalau itupun boleh dilakukan.

Jadi pada masa ini, anda boleh  menghantar mesaj dengan menghantar email, ym, msn ataupun di mukabuku(facebook). Harap maaf diatas kesulitan ini.

English translation:

Today is the day that I have waited for so long. This is because of one activity which is called kayaking. When the time arrived for me to go kayaking, I was very excited to have this opportunity to go kayaking(this is my first time that I am kayaking). So when it's time for me to step into the kayak, something unexpected happen. When I put my foot into the boat I actually cause the boat to drif farther away. Even before I put my other foot into the kayak, I was in a very unstable position and at that moment I knew I will be fall into the lake and I did.

I am thankful that the water in the lake is not contaminated and smelly. I am also thankful that the depth of the lake wasn't that deep when I went in, if not I will be wet all over. With the help of the people that is in charge of the activities at the lake there, I manage to get out from the lake safely. I am really thankful.

I suspected something is wrong when one of the person ask me this question,"Did you left anything inside your pocket", it was that time that I panicked and I feel the pockets around my pants. I was overwhelm when I found out that I forgot to take out my handphone from my short pants. This make me a little bit panick. "How are those people that want to contact me for a meeting, for lunch, or they called me because it was an emergancy?

I don't know what to do actually. For now I need borrow someone's used handphone for a couple of weeks. I also need to bring my phone to a shop to be fix, if only that is possible.

So for now, you can leave a message on my email, ym, msn or even in facebook(mukabuku). Sorry for this inconveniences