It’s the subgenre that won’t die: in the movies, hardened cops are forever being teamed up with unconventional, patience-testing partners in what studios seem to feel certain is a sure-fire recipe for comedy gold. While these movies might still get laughs today, I doubt it’s the kind of laughs the writers were hoping for. You be the judge!

Theodore Rex
Whoopi Goldberg is a superstar cop who teams up with a dinosaur. I’m not sure which sounds more implausible.

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It’s an all-new 5-day trivia hunt,
with an all-new set of puzzles, prizes, and collaborators!

In addition to the usual $100 and $50 gift certificates to our store for the first place winner and the random winner, we’ll be giving away THREE 4GB flash drives, courtesy of our friends over @reddit.com. And these aren’t just any old flash drives. They just might be the coolest, geekiest drives in the history of the world! (The alien paid me to say that, btw.) Everyone and anyone who submits answers this month, right or wrong, will be entered into a drawing to win one of the three. We’ll pluck winners at random, so even the first place winner has a chance at scoring one of these babies. And even if you don’t win, you should still pick up a few, as they make great gifts. Honestly. Go check them out right this way, and be sure to make the reddit alien a part of every day. If you’re not a Fan of our Facebook page , be sure to add us so we can keep you updated, and you can get in on some pretty nifty clues throughout the week.

If you’re new to our five-day hunt, you can read up on our Rules page here. It’s going to take some time to get those final answers in, so it’s never too late to start if you’re just hitting this hunt today. If you missed Day 1, you can find that here and Day 2 is right here, Day 3 down yonder, and finally, Day 4 is right here.

So are you ready for your final challenge? Click on through to get your Hunt On!

_Flossers: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out covert items at fast food chains around the country. Be warned, this mission includes very real dangers such as hardening arteries and skyrocketing cholesterol. But we know you won’t let us down. We’ve compiled a list to get you started.

1. In-N-Out Burger’s “secret menu” isn’t so secret these days – in fact, they’ve posted it on their website. But in case you’re not in the habit of surfing fast food sites, here’s the skinny on the rather un-skinny items: ordering something “Animal Style” at In-N-Out means you’re going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it’s sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. “Protein Style” is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you’re ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. It doesn’t stop there – one gluttonous patron requested a 100×100 at an Las Vegas store a couple of years ago. One item not listed on the website secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun.

2. If you’re at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don’t worry – there’s a tiny option for you. It’s the Short size, and they don’t advertise it. It’s like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you’re scrounging for change and don’t have enough for a tall… not that that has ever happened to me.

3. It’s a good thing we don’t have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-inspired smoothies. Because it’s considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn’t officially list these on their in-store menus, but Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company’s headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, Chocolate-covered strawberries, and Now and Later.

4. Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination – they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos. Some stores are testing out quesadillas as a regular menu item, however, so maybe someday soon you won’t need a super-secret handshake to order one. (more…)

Last week, after I found a five-dollar bill (for the second time in four days), I asked you guys for help spending it. After 111 suggestions, and after conferring with my jury of interns, here are my three favorite suggestions:

1. An Older Five-Dollar Bill

Suggested By: Thomasl714

Almost three years ago, I wrote about the credit card minimum-purchase requirement at my local Hallmark. With my anniversary, my wife’s birthday and Leif Erikson Day all on the horizon, I’ll surely find myself back there in search of greeting cards, and odds are I won’t have the necessary cash. When I’m told I need to throw in a Marmaduke snow globe if I want to use my Visa, I can whip out a Confederate five and see what happens.

2. Invisible Spray for Your Car

Suggested by: C.A.
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You know that Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are Democrats, and Ronald Reagan and the Bushes are Republicans. But how well do you know the party affiliations of presidents who were dead long before you were born?

Take the Quiz: Who Were The Whigs?

I used to live in SoHo, in a pre-war (Civil War!) basement apt. One day I was patching a hole in the wall when I found this penny from 1832. I felt like I’d taken a trip in a time machine, back to when Andrew Jackson was re-elected president, when the Greek War of Independence ended. It was a real special kind of feeling.

What’s the oldest thing you’ve ever found? How’d you find it?

Have you ever watched a film in an IMAX dome theater and wished you could have something like that at home? Only not so big? Meet TOOB.

TOOB is a personal immersive omni-directional digital screen that allows a person a full range of visual experiences, without compromising media formats.

I believe they are trying to say it’s like an Omni-IMAX dome, just smaller to fit in your home, so you’ll have to sit closer. The dome is 3×6 foot for your home theater, and there is a 8×16 foot inflatable version you can rent for parties and public screenings. You can use any home theater projector to send images from a DVD player, game console, or any image source to a special mirror that comes with the TOOB. The company will also sell you a surround sound speaker system and projector if you need them.

T.O.O.B. LLC, the company that produces the TOOB, was founded by Alexander Marten McDonnell, a former animator for Dreamworks who wanted an immersive entertainment center for his home. Having to create one led to the creation of a company to sell them. I would guess that any videos of the TOOB in action are but a limited taste of what the experience really is.

The home version will cost you $1,440 without the projector or DVD player. It takes about a month to get it to you. Rental rates for the inflatable giant dome are by inquiry, available only in California. Is this something you really need? No. If it’s something you want and can afford (and have the room for), by all means enjoy it and tell the rest of us how well it works. Oh, TOOB stands “think out of the box”.

It’s time for the weekly reminder of our Twitter account’s existence. Amazing Facts, plus occasional insight into the casting of Intel commercials.

I’m still fine-tuning my Logic Puzzle capabilities, and I think today’s Brain Game is a step forward in difficulty. I’d appreciate comments in that regard; and please be kind but honest. Here we go:

This past weekend, five close friends – Jill, Mark, Phil, Reed, and Sara – met at an Italian restaurant for dinner. Each ordered a different dish – Lasagna, Macaroni, Pizza, Rotini, and Spaghetti. All of them cleaned their plates.

Based on the following clues, can you determine which diner ordered which dish? Good luck!

1. Jill and Mark both considered the rotini before changing their minds. One of them ordered the spaghetti instead; the other did NOT order the lasagna.

2. The name of Phil’s dish, unlike the names of either of the two women’s dishes, ended with the letter “a.”

3. Exactly two members of the group ordered dishes with names that began with the same letter as their first names.

Why Craigslist Is Such a Mess. When you are the 800-pound gorilla, you don’t have to always look your best, and that’s part of the charm.
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Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens are a refreshing sight for sore eyes in an urban setting. Kind of like walking through the produce aisle when the mist jets come on.
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Generations Reference Manual (actually a chart). I declare this to be 90% accurate, at least for Baby Boomers.
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The Iraqi who saved Norway from oil. Take it from me, this story of a man who risked everything for his family is way more interesting than the title would suggest. (via Metafilter)
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Kids and Food Coloring. Don’t turn your back on either of them for a minute!
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Can you name the top 20 countries that use the internet the most? In four minutes? I named 17, but would’ve gotten 19 if I could spell better.
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The highs and lows of being a young man. This was just as valid 30 years ago when I was that age, right down to The Doors.
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Eight (and a half) People Whose Jobs Actually Killed Them. I would call it a list of nine, but since there are no mathematicians listed, I guess it’s OK.