Month: September 2016

Simon, the popular light up memory game from the ’80s, has a pretty simple premise: The computer plays a pattern of lights and sounds, and you replicate them by pushing the right buttons. Such a simple game needs no improvements—or does it? The latest version looks just like Darth Vader and even plays the ominous “Imperial March.”

While Simon is normally round, the new game is shaped like the Sith Lord’s iconic helmet. It’s also completely black until it lights up, so now you also have to remember which buttons are which without the aid of colored buttons. Players will notice that the further along they get, the more of John Williams’ “Imperial March” they get to hear. Darth Vader’s loud breathing can also be detected during gameplay to add an extra layer of stress. 

The game will be available this spring for $25 from Hasbro, so watch your local toy store’s shelves carefully. 

[h/t io9]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

Simon, the popular light up memory game from the ’80s, has a pretty simple premise: The computer plays a pattern of lights and sounds, and you replicate them by pushing the right buttons. Such a simple game needs no improvements—or does it? The latest version looks just like Darth Vader and even plays the ominous “Imperial March.”

While Simon is normally round, the new game is shaped like the Sith Lord’s iconic helmet. It’s also completely black until it lights up, so now you also have to remember which buttons are which without the aid of colored buttons. Players will notice that the further along they get, the more of John Williams’ “Imperial March” they get to hear. Darth Vader’s loud breathing can also be detected during gameplay to add an extra layer of stress. 

The game will be available this spring for $25 from Hasbro, so watch your local toy store’s shelves carefully. 

[h/t io9]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

Lynne Murphy is an American linguist who has been living in the UK for 21 years. For 10 of them she has been writing the blog Separated by a Common Language, detailing the many ways, both subtle and obvious, American and British English part ways. No one is more of an expert on the UK/North America differences, so you can imagine her shock when she realized that all this time, the people around her had a completely different understanding of the word frown. For her, the locus of the frown was the mouth. For the Brits around her, it was not the mouth, but the brow that made the frown.

She discovered this fact through an old blog post by Michael Wagner, a linguistics professor at McGill University, where he tells the story of how he found out that frown meant something different to him (he is British) than to his Canadian friend. They were looking at a piece of abstract art at a museum when his friend asked, “Do you think this is a frown or a moustache?” Wagner was confused because,

Whatever ‘this’ was, it was clearly below the eyes, and also, the facial expression was sad—so how could it be a frown? My understanding of frown was what I later found in Webster’s online dictionary:

1 : an expression of displeasure
2 : a wrinkling of the brow in displeasure or concentration

When I expressed my puzzlement, I learned that frown, in fact, also means the opposite of smile: a downward facing mouth expressing sadness, and that this is in fact the most common/salient meaning of the word, at least to some.

What is a frown? A look of displeasure, made with the eyebrows? Or a sad face, made with downturned mouth? Informal surveys performed by Wagner at the time and then six years later by Murphy both revealed the same result, which can be summed up as “Wait! OMG! THAT’S what you think it means? I had no idea!” And “Oooohhh, so that’s why Americans say ‘turn that frown upside down’!”

So what’s a frown to you? The opposite of a smile or a furrowed forehead of concern?

Check out Wagner’s original post, and read the very interesting ensuing discussion at Separated by a Common Language, which suggests there may be age and regional effects influencing your decision.

Lynne Murphy is an American linguist who has been living in the UK for 21 years. For 10 of them she has been writing the blog Separated by a Common Language, detailing the many ways, both subtle and obvious, American and British English part ways. No one is more of an expert on the UK/North America differences, so you can imagine her shock when she realized that all this time, the people around her had a completely different understanding of the word frown. For her, the locus of the frown was the mouth. For the Brits around her, it was not the mouth, but the brow that made the frown.

She discovered this fact through an old blog post by Michael Wagner, a linguistics professor at McGill University, where he tells the story of how he found out that frown meant something different to him (he is British) than to his Canadian friend. They were looking at a piece of abstract art at a museum when his friend asked, “Do you think this is a frown or a moustache?” Wagner was confused because,

Whatever ‘this’ was, it was clearly below the eyes, and also, the facial expression was sad—so how could it be a frown? My understanding of frown was what I later found in Webster’s online dictionary:

1 : an expression of displeasure
2 : a wrinkling of the brow in displeasure or concentration

When I expressed my puzzlement, I learned that frown, in fact, also means the opposite of smile: a downward facing mouth expressing sadness, and that this is in fact the most common/salient meaning of the word, at least to some.

What is a frown? A look of displeasure, made with the eyebrows? Or a sad face, made with downturned mouth? Informal surveys performed by Wagner at the time and then six years later by Murphy both revealed the same result, which can be summed up as “Wait! OMG! THAT’S what you think it means? I had no idea!” And “Oooohhh, so that’s why Americans say ‘turn that frown upside down’!”

So what’s a frown to you? The opposite of a smile or a furrowed forehead of concern?

Check out Wagner’s original post, and read the very interesting ensuing discussion at Separated by a Common Language, which suggests there may be age and regional effects influencing your decision.

The 34 Spider-Men of the Spider-Verse. That’s a lot of flavors for one superhero!
*
Dolphin Conversation Caught On Tape For First Time. Now if we could only figure out what they were saying to each other.
*
The 10 Most Short-lived Countries. Some were only in existence for a few days.
*
23 Reasons Fluffy Corgis Are A Gift From Dog Heaven. And if you can’t own one, you can enjoy the pictures.
*
The Sweetest Debut: Jessica Luther Takes on College Football and Rape Culture. She talks about her book Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
*
The Age When Having Kids Starts Getting Difficult. I immediately said the toddler and teenage years, but they are talking about getting pregnant.
*
How Boston’s bartenders and barbers helped stop a TB outbreak. And it was only thirty years ago.
*
10 Weird Resuscitation Techniques From 200 Years Ago. Sometimes they just scared you back to life.

The 34 Spider-Men of the Spider-Verse. That’s a lot of flavors for one superhero!
*
Dolphin Conversation Caught On Tape For First Time. Now if we could only figure out what they were saying to each other.
*
The 10 Most Short-lived Countries. Some were only in existence for a few days.
*
23 Reasons Fluffy Corgis Are A Gift From Dog Heaven. And if you can’t own one, you can enjoy the pictures.
*
The Sweetest Debut: Jessica Luther Takes on College Football and Rape Culture. She talks about her book Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
*
The Age When Having Kids Starts Getting Difficult. I immediately said the toddler and teenage years, but they are talking about getting pregnant.
*
How Boston’s bartenders and barbers helped stop a TB outbreak. And it was only thirty years ago.
*
10 Weird Resuscitation Techniques From 200 Years Ago. Sometimes they just scared you back to life.

Keep more of your earnings in your pocket with these sneaky (but totally legit) tax write-offs. Start saving your receipts now so that you don’t have to scramble come April.

1. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES

Many people don’t know that they’re even paying fees because they are automatically deducted from their accounts, and the fee disclosure is rarely obvious to them or to their accountants, says Holly Thomas, a certified financial planner and founder of Tampa-based Holly Thomas LLC. Thomas had a client with a brokerage wrap account who wasn’t aware it had a fee attached to it. When they went back over 10 years of statements, the client realized they had paid more than $20,000 in unnecessary taxes. To find out how much you’re paying in fees, look on the last page of the year-end statement you receive from your brokerage company. 

2. GYM MEMBERSHIP

If a doctor diagnoses you with a specific medical condition, such as obesity, and you’re using a gym membership to treat that illness as recommended by the doctor, then you might qualify for a deduction, says Jonathan Horn, a certified public accountant and senior manager with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. The catch: You can’t have gone to this gym prior to your diagnosis. 

3. MOVING EXPENSES

Moving expenses that aren’t reimbursed by your employer can be deducted by taxpayers if the relocation was the result of a job change. Eligible expenses include moving your items plus travel costs during the actual move, says Eileen Sherr, a certified public accountant and senior manager with AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. 

4. PRE-TAX DAYCARE AND PARKING AT WORK

Transportation benefits such as parking or train tickets can be written off, says April Walker, lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “Also, employer-provided childcare benefits and benefits for educational assistance programs can result in significant savings to employees,” she says.

5. DONATED STOCKS

If you made a pledge to a charitable organization that you need to fulfill by the end of the year, consider whether you’re holding any appreciated securities that you could transfer to the organization, says Henry Grzes, a certified public accountant and lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “As long as you have held the security longer than one year, you are able to deduct the fair market value of the security at the time of transfer without having to come up with the cash to fulfill the pledge,” Grzes says. “And you will not have to pay the capital gains on your individual income tax return.”

6. STUDENT LOANS

You can deduct your student loan interest, says Lawrence Carlton, certified public accountant and tax director with Carlton & Duran in Massachusetts. “Although many folks don’t have the level of deductions necessary to itemize on their tax return, you can still deduct up to $2500 per year of interest expenses on student loans without itemizing,” Carlton says. Even if someone else is making the payments, you can still take the deduction as long as you’re the one who is ultimately liable for paying the loan balance.

7. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

If it’s related to your work, then it’s eligible for a write-off, says Shannon Sullivan, accountant with Manning Silverman and Company.

Keep more of your earnings in your pocket with these sneaky (but totally legit) tax write-offs. Start saving your receipts now so that you don’t have to scramble come April.

1. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES

Many people don’t know that they’re even paying fees because they are automatically deducted from their accounts, and the fee disclosure is rarely obvious to them or to their accountants, says Holly Thomas, a certified financial planner and founder of Tampa-based Holly Thomas LLC. Thomas had a client with a brokerage wrap account who wasn’t aware it had a fee attached to it. When they went back over 10 years of statements, the client realized they had paid more than $20,000 in unnecessary taxes. To find out how much you’re paying in fees, look on the last page of the year-end statement you receive from your brokerage company. 

2. GYM MEMBERSHIP

If a doctor diagnoses you with a specific medical condition, such as obesity, and you’re using a gym membership to treat that illness as recommended by the doctor, then you might qualify for a deduction, says Jonathan Horn, a certified public accountant and senior manager with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. The catch: You can’t have gone to this gym prior to your diagnosis. 

3. MOVING EXPENSES

Moving expenses that aren’t reimbursed by your employer can be deducted by taxpayers if the relocation was the result of a job change. Eligible expenses include moving your items plus travel costs during the actual move, says Eileen Sherr, a certified public accountant and senior manager with AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy Team. 

4. PRE-TAX DAYCARE AND PARKING AT WORK

Transportation benefits such as parking or train tickets can be written off, says April Walker, lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “Also, employer-provided childcare benefits and benefits for educational assistance programs can result in significant savings to employees,” she says.

5. DONATED STOCKS

If you made a pledge to a charitable organization that you need to fulfill by the end of the year, consider whether you’re holding any appreciated securities that you could transfer to the organization, says Henry Grzes, a certified public accountant and lead technical manager with the AICPA Tax Practice & Ethics Team. “As long as you have held the security longer than one year, you are able to deduct the fair market value of the security at the time of transfer without having to come up with the cash to fulfill the pledge,” Grzes says. “And you will not have to pay the capital gains on your individual income tax return.”

6. STUDENT LOANS

You can deduct your student loan interest, says Lawrence Carlton, certified public accountant and tax director with Carlton & Duran in Massachusetts. “Although many folks don’t have the level of deductions necessary to itemize on their tax return, you can still deduct up to $2500 per year of interest expenses on student loans without itemizing,” Carlton says. Even if someone else is making the payments, you can still take the deduction as long as you’re the one who is ultimately liable for paying the loan balance.

7. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

If it’s related to your work, then it’s eligible for a write-off, says Shannon Sullivan, accountant with Manning Silverman and Company.