q10

List

The Quick 10: 10 Interesting Conversation Hearts

I know lots of people think they’re chalky and taste like nothing, but I adore Conversation Hearts. Love them or loathe them, you’re no doubt familiar with the usual syrupy sayings like “Kiss Me” and “U R Sweet,” but there have been some decidedly more interesting imprints on those hearts over the years. Here are a few of them. 1. “Forks.” Before you start wondering why Necco has decided to pay tribute to utensils, you should know that this one is from the Twilight-themed Conversation... READ ON

List

The Quick 9: Nine Underwhelming Super Bowl Performances

A lot of people are pretty unimpressed with the Black Eyed Peas after their halftime performance yesterday. Whether you were horrified by the out-of-tune warbling or not, you have to admit that the production was at least interesting, which is more than you can say for some of the old halftime performances. Here's what happened - until 1992, the Super Bowl halftime show really wasn't much to write home about. There were lots of Up With People performances, marching bands doing formations you could see... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Versions of Corporate Monopoly (the board game, not the business tactic)

You can find just about any version of Monopoly you want these days - in fact, you can even buy a blank and make your own. Most sports teams seem to have gotten in on the never-ending game, and even pop culture icons like the Beatles, Mario, and the Muppets have special editions. Those kind of make sense, but I find it hard to picture a happy family pulling "Heinz Monopoly" out of the closet for game night. Obviously someone's buying them, though - here are 10 Monopoly versions based on companies. 1.... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: The Surprisingly Sordid History of the OED (and other facts)

In February 1884, the first volume - A through Ant - of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. It's been one of the most widely used dictionaries ever since, and it's certainly the largest (Guinness says so). You might think the creation of such a benign publication would be fairly drama-free, but that's not the case. Here are a few of the spicier facts about the OED (and a few that aren't). 1. OED co-creator Frederick Furnivall had habit that was rather unhelpful - he tended to start fights with... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Facts About Green Bay, AKA the Toilet Paper Capital of the World

Fair is fair - we couldn't pay a virtual visit to Steel City without also roadtripping to Titletown, USA, now could we? So today I'm continuing my quest to help Super Bowl party attendees who aren't necessarily football fans find other inroads to the game day conversation. 1. The Green Bay the city is named after is part of Lake Michigan; it's separated from the rest of the lake by a bit of land called the Door Peninsula. It was originally called Baie des Puants, "Bay of the Stinkers," because the... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Unusual Super Bowl Side Bets

I’m really only interested in football games when a) it's the Iowa State Cyclones or b) I’m participating in the physical_floss Fantasy Football league, getting embarrassed by Jason Plautz two years in a row. But I’m still interested in the Super Bowl as an event. There are the commercials, of course, but I also get a kick out of the prop bets - side bets made on everything from how long it will take to sing the National Anthem to whether the superstitious QB changes gloves at halftime. Here are... READ ON

List

The Quick 9: 9 Awkward Places to Get Served

Getting served with divorce papers or lawsuits is never fun, but let's face it - opening your front door and accepting an envelope is a lot less embarrassing than dealing with someone running out and handing you a sheaf of paper in front of your adoring fans at Wrigley Field. Here are 10 less-than-ideal places to get served. 1. On a baseball field. Satchel Paige’s wife served with divorce papers while he was walking onto the field during a game at Wrigley Field. Satchel ended up paying his wife just... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Weird Tax Deductions Other People Got Away With (But You Probably Won't)

With tax season upon us, I bet many of you are scrambling to get paperwork together (I am). Here are a few deductions you may want to consider while you're scrounging for crumpled receipts. They've worked at least once, although we can't guarantee they'll work again... 1. Fancy dresses… but only if they're so tight you can't sit in them. Celebrity Dinah Shore claimed some formal dresses on her tax return, and, as you might suspect, the IRS immediately cried foul. Dinah explained that the frocks... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: 10 Last Suppers

We've talked about famous last words before, but how about famous last foods? Some of these soon-to-be-deceased got to choose and others had no idea they were about to munch their last morsels. See what they swallowed, then think about what you'd pick if you knew death was coming. Let us know in the comments. 1. Julia Child. Julia requested French onion soup made from her own recipe shortly before she died of kidney failure in 2004.2. Abraham Lincoln is said to have enjoyed a Good Friday dinner at the... READ ON

List

The Quick 10: A Bunch of Belushi

If John Belushi hadn’t overdosed in 1982, he would have been 63 today. To pay homage to one of the funniest comedians ever, here's a video Quick 10 of some of Belushi's greatest moments. 1. Samurai Delicatessen, my personal favorite. 2. As the Incredible Hulk. 3. John imitates Joe... READ ON