November 2016 – Page 79

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Amazon / iStock

As a recurring feature, we share some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. These items were the ones that were the most popular with our readers this week, and they’re still available.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers (including Amazon) and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

November 6, 2016 – 9:30am

Amazon Product Id:

B00PLLCAVK

November 6, 2016

English-Yiddish Dictionary Breathes New Life Into a Historic Language

Kirstin Fawcett

filed under: books, linguistics, religion, Words

Image credit:

Indiana University Press

Flip through the Modern English-Yiddish/Yiddish-English Dictionary, published by Uriel Weinreich in 1968, and you’ll notice it’s missing plenty of now-ubiquitous words. You won’t find “email” or “texting,” of course, and certainly not “transgender.” To update a historic tongue for modern speakers, The Times of Israel reports two language lovers have created a new translation resource for all things Yiddish.

Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath and Dr. Paul Glasser teamed up with Indiana University Press and the League for Yiddish to publish the Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary. With 50,000 entries and 33,000 sub-entries, it’s more than twice the length of Weinreich’s dictionary. Even more importantly, it’s the first work in 50 years to breathe new life into a language that experts believe to be around 1100 years old.

Schaechter-Viswanath, a poet and editor, and Glasser, a former dean of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, contributed words to the dictionary, as did their Yiddish-speaking colleagues. The two also relied heavily on notes compiled by Schaechter-Viswanath’s father—noted Yiddish linguist Dr. Mordkhe Schaechter—and borrowed phrases from an old Yiddish thesaurus, European reference books, and French and Russian-Yiddish dictionaries.

As for the dictionary’s brand-new entries, the editors combined already existing Yiddish words into compound words, or canonized unofficial words or slang used among Jews today. For example, email is blitspost, binge watch is shlingen epizodn—literally translated to “wolf down episodes”—and flip-flops is fingershikh, or finger-shoes.

The 2010 census found that only 154,433 Americans still speak Yiddish at home. Still, the dictionary’s initial sales look promising: 1200 copies were published in June, and have since sold out. Another 1000 are currently in the works.

For Schaechter-Viswanath, the work was a labor of love. “I did it for my children, my grandson, my colleagues in the Yiddish world, and myself,” she told The Times of Israel. “Most of all, I did it for my father.”

According to The New York Times, the dictionary’s debut will be officially celebrated at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan on November 13. (Fittingly, the event’s keynote speech and a panel discussion among the dictionary’s editors will be offered in both English and Yiddish.) Tickets are free, and available online.

[h/t The Times of Israel]

November 6, 2016 – 6:00am

November 6, 2016

Watch Computer Pros Get Excited About Windows 95…in 1995

Chris Higgins

filed under: computers, retro, video

Image credit:

Getty Images

In this classic episode of Computer Chronicles, host Stewart Cheifet explores the newly-released Windows 95. He invites Microsoft representatives to walk through new features and show off the groundbreaking operating system. We also get to see some clips of Jay Leno and Bill Gates launching the thing, a detailed discussion of how many megabytes are truly required to run Windows 95, plus lots more mid-90s nostalgia.

I remember the launch of Windows 95, and what a big deal it was for PC users at the time. Looking back on it, this is a valuable historical document. This was a time when “Should I upgrade to Windows 95?” was actually a reasonable question for folks using DOS or Windows 3.1.

Look at that fancy new “Start” button! Those were the days:

My favorite part is the sales pitch around 4:45 trying to sell Windows Plus by showing an awfully ugly desktop customization, and a “pretty good” pinball game. A close second is Jay Leno just past 7:00 making Bill Clinton health care jokes.

November 6, 2016 – 4:00am

November 6, 2016

Video: Can You Solve This River Crossing Puzzle?

Chris Higgins

filed under: puzzle, video

Image credit:

Getty Images

River crossing puzzles are a classic form of logic puzzle. In them, you’re provided with a scenario—some number of entities trying to cross a river using a raft or boat—and a set of constraints (typically, some of the entities might eat each other under certain circumstances).

In the TED-Ed video below, we tackle a variant of the puzzle in which a group totaling six, three lions and three wildebeest, need to cross a river using a raft. Only two animals can go at once. The problem is, if the lions ever outnumber the wildebeest, they’ll eat them. How can they all cross the river?

The larger question of this puzzle is how should we solve such puzzles? In the video, the narrator walks through this solution, but explains how it can be generalized by drawing up decision trees. At each step of the puzzle, you lay out all the possible options, then cross out any that don’t work. As you proceed, the set of possibilities dwindle until you’re left with only a few viable paths.

Here are the conditions for this puzzle (also listed in the video):

1. The raft needs at least one animal to paddle it across the river, and it can hold at most two animals.

2. If the lions ever outnumber the wildebeest on either side of the river (including the animals in the boat if it’s on that side), they’ll eat the wildebeest.

3. The animals can’t just swim across, and there are no tricks; the animals have to use the boat as described.

Tune in to see how it’s done:

For more on this puzzle, check out this TED-Ed page which explains its relationship to the The Missionaries and Cannibals Problem.

November 5, 2016 – 8:00pm

November 5, 2016

A Visit With Doctor Laser: New York’s Resident Holographer

Caitlin Schneider

filed under: interview, photography, science

Image credit:

Tony Wilson

On an unassuming street in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood, a man by the name of Dr. Laser toils away. His given name is Jason Sapan, but when you’re at the helm of the oldest (and possibly only) holography gallery-slash-laboratory in the world, a colorful moniker only seems appropriate.

Laser’s Holographic Studios has been in operation since the later 1970s. Before that it was used for making medical instruments, and before that, was the site of a blacksmith’s forge. As the doctor himself says, his business is a logical tenant in that line of succession: he, like those who came before, specializes in taking objects, making them glow red, and giving them shape. Of course his work is a little bit different. He gives shape to things that aren’t really there.

When you ask Dr. Laser to explain the nuts and bolts of holography, his eyes light up (they do that a lot, actually). “Well grasshopper…” he starts, and from there, you just do your best to keep up. In brief, “a hologram is a recording in light waves of the surface of an object,” but the process of capturing that impression is, of course, a bit more complicated. Luckily, he’s up to the task: “I wanna trip people out,” he says.

The studio itself is pretty much exactly what you’d hope for when seeking out a holographic hotspot—it feels a bit like a real-life wonder emporium, and Laser’s larger-than-life persona only adds to the effect. The walls are lined with various holograms—some from his work with clients like Goodyear, Tag Heuer, and IBM, along with portraits (the one of Andy Warhol, made in 1977, is his favorite) and other holography miscellanea. In the next room, a wall bears the signatures of former visitors like Isaac Asimov and Cher. Downstairs, a cluttered subterranean workspace leads into a dark lab where lasers and light shows abound. If you’re lucky, Dr. Laser might even queue up the Flock of Seagulls music video he was in, which—fun fact—was also the first music video on MTV to use screen credits.

Holographic Studios is open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and tours are available if you want the full, personal experience. And if a trip to New York isn’t in the cards, fear not: you can secure a hologram of your very own in their online store.

All photos by Tony Wilson.

November 5, 2016 – 4:00pm

November 5, 2016

11 Wonderfully Unexpected Doughnut Flavors from Across the Country

Jeff Wells

filed under: Food

Image credit:

Underwest Donuts via Facebook

In recent years, the humble doughnut has become a culinary canvas for all sorts of bold flavor combinations. On National Doughnut Day, we take a look at a few choice selections from around the country.

1. HALVA // UNDERWEST DONUTS

Location: New York City

If you’re visiting Times Square, head west to 12th Avenue, where you’ll find one of the city’s best doughnut shops—inside a car wash, of all places. Underwest, run by a former sous chef, turns out an assortment of thick, rich cake doughnuts, including the Halva, a glazed doughnut topped with the nutty, tahini-based sweetmeat.

2. ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL // FŌNUTS

Location: Los Angeles

Fōnuts is a popular L.A. shop that specializes in baked doughnuts made with all-natural ingredients. And this is its calling card: a delicate, earthy doughnut made with crushed rosemary, olive oil, and a hint of lemon zest. If you can’t make it to southern California, try your hand at the recipe, courtesy of pastry chef Waylynn Lucas.

3. POI GLAZE // KAMEHAMEHA BAKERY

Location: Honolulu

Kamehameha Bakery via Facebook

Bite into this specialty from Kamehameha Bakery and behold a soft, gooey purple cake filling. That comes from poi, a Polynesian staple made from the taro plant, that’s baked into the dough. If you’re in town, go early: The bakery opens in the wee hours and sells out quickly.

4. THE CHARLESTON // GLAZED GOURMET

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

The Charleston, like the city it’s named for, is a southern treat through and through. It’s filled with bourbon cream, covered in a toffee glaze, and topped with crushed pralines.

5. THE DOH-NILLA // PSYCHO DONUTS

Location: San Jose and Campbell, California

Why choose between cookies and doughnuts? The Doh-Nilla, made by the mad scientists at Psycho Donuts, is topped with vanilla frosting and Nilla wafers, and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

6. GOOEY BUTTER // STRANGE DONUTS

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Strange Donuts via Facebook

This is the doughnut version of a St. Louis cake staple, and boy is it a hit at up-and-comer Strange Donuts. Made with cream cheese, vanilla and—you guessed it—butter, the doughnut is super rich and sweet, and appropriately gooey on top.

7. VANILLA PUDDING CURRY NERDS // STREET DONUTS

Location: Seattle

This is just one of many topping combinations visitors to Seattle’s Street Donuts can create. The mobile cart, which appears at locations throughout the city, gives customers a basket of mini doughnuts and lets them go crazy. Other toppings include Nutella, cardamom, chai, bacon, marshmallow fluff, and dulce de leche.

8. THE BOMBSHELL // GLAM DOLL DONUTS

Location: Minneapolis

Glam Doll Donuts via Facebook

Glam Doll bakery likes to spice up traditional doughnuts with bold flavors. Exhibit A: The Bombshell, filled with spiced Mexican chocolate, and topped with a vanilla glaze and cayenne pecans. It’s anything but your usual jelly-filled doughnut.

9. PINEAPPLE BASIL // RISE BISCUITS AND DONUTS

Location: Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Rise Biscuits and Donuts is a small but fast-growing chain that likes to mix in a few tasty experiments with its classic selections. One of its more colorful varieties, the Pineapple Basil, includes a basil cream filling, pineapple glaze, and pistachio topping.

10. THE FREEBIRD // GOURDOUGH’S

Location: Austin, Texas

Gourdough’s via Facebook

Gourdough’s, which serves up doughnuts, doughnut sandwiches, doughnut burgers, and doughnut-based entrees, does not hold back. The Freebird is a testament to that spirit. It’s filled with cheese cake batter and topped with cream cheese, graham cracker crumbles, strawberries, and blackberries.

11. MEMPHIS MAFIA DONUT // VOODOO DONUTS

Location: Portland, Oregon

The lovably odd (and super-popular) Voodoo Donuts has made its name with off-the-wall doughnuts. Embodying the shop’s crude decadence, the Memphis Mafia takes dough made with banana chunks and cinnamon and tops it with peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate frosting, and chocolate chips.

November 5, 2016 – 2:00pm

November 5, 2016

Nathan’s Hot Dogs were originally priced so low…

Nathan’s Hot Dogs were originally priced so low, that customers were hesitant to trust their quality. In response, the founder paid locals to wear white lab coats to fool the public into thinking that doctors from Coney Island Hospital were eating the hot dogs.

November 5, 2016

We spend up to 47 percent of our…

We spend up to 47 percent of our waking lives letting our minds wander.

November 5, 2016

Ailurophobia: The Irrational Fear of Cats

As similar to “allure” as the word looks, Ailurophobia could not be farther from the meaning. Ailurophobia (also known sometimes as felinophobia, gatophobia and elurophobia) is the irrational fear of cats. Big and small cats, black and ginger cats. Cats of all types and traits. It is difficult to say what exactly is the source of such a fear, though some psychologists believe that unlike other phobias, ailurophobia is actually a form of hatred, rather than fear; a level of detestation so great it grows to horror. This is similar to that of phobias of snakes and rats, where initial

The post Ailurophobia: The Irrational Fear of Cats appeared first on Factual Facts.

November 5, 2016

You Need to See This Weekend’s Best Amazon Deals

Smart Shopping Team

filed under: shopping

Image credit:

iStock / Amazon

As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, November 5.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers, including Amazon, and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!