WEBSITE: Word Bubbles Game

Facebook blocked at work? Getting sick of Solitaire? Then mark today as one of the best Fridays of your life! Luminosity has a game that will eat up hours and hours of your time in a blink while improving your word skills! Word Bubbles is an addicting vocabulary game in which the player is given three letters that conceivably begin many words.

Players earn points by completing as many words as possible using these three starting letters as possible in the alotted time. Points are awarded for the number of letters in each word and when a number "bubble" reaches the surface and pops, that score is cashed out. The more bubbles the player can "pop," the better the score. Each complete game goes for three rounds for a total score.

Plurals, past tense and action verbs, and making adjectives are great ways to get the most out of one stem. For example, if the game gives you P-A-R as the starting letters and you come up with "party," you could also score big with "parties," "partied," and "partier."

Game on!

Sergio del Limonar

WEBSITE: Rotten Tomatoes

A few weeks back, we ZONINO!ed the blockbuster film, Inception. I had gone to see it with a few friends and upon exiting the theater in unanimous agreement that it was indeed a great movie, we began to discuss why some people might have not liked it. Other than being out-right stupid or having ADD and, therefore, not "getting it," we could not come up with a viable reason. Later, I popped on one of my favorite research/reference websites, Rotten Tomatoes, to discover the reason for myself and realized, that this site has never made a ZONINO! appearance and definitely should have. Drum roll...

Rotten Tomatoes is a site that combines the reviews of the major film critics from all of the major and reputable journals, newspapers, and magazines, and puts them all in one place. The site also assigns a general score to each review. Obviously some publications assign a letter grade, some use a star system - some with varying number of celestial symbols - while others do a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down approach. The site manages to find a happy medium to summarize them all. Also, for quick reference, next to each reviewers' stub, there is a splatted green blob or a ripe red fruit, symbolizing the website's overall take on the critic's review.

This is a good site to bookmark and check out before heading out when you don't know what to see. The site also boasts trailers of upcoming films as well as fun lists and movie trivia. And of course its good when you can't figure out how someone could dislike a movie too!

Sergio del Limónar

WORD: callithump

How can you not love this word?!? Callithump is a noun referring to a loud and boisterous gathering or celebration. The word is a bastardization of "gallithumpian," which was a person who disturbed Parliamentary elections in 18th Century England, according to the good folks at Wordsmith.org.

The callithump outside the stadium after the championship game was deafening!

When the professor announced that the final exam would be canceled, a callithump erupted from the lecture hall.

Sergio del Limonar

WORD: maffick

This seems appropriate for a Saturday...or at least your Friday night.

This verb means literally, according to Wordsmith.org, "to celebrate boisterously." Derived from a small town in South Africa called Mafikeng where British troops were blockaded in 1899 and 1900. When they were ultimately "freed," London collectively celebrated.

After their last final exam, the university students were found all along frat row mafficking before they went home for the summer.

Sergio del Limonar

MOVIE: Academy Awards VICTORIES

Our mothers have always cautioned us about tooting our horns, but we never listened. So today, the day after the biggest night in motion pictures, The 82nd Academy Awards, as the stars themselves are undoubtedly waking up with a monster hangover or just heading to bed, we say "told ya so" about the movies we ZONINO!ed long long ago. We're all winners on Oscar night!

Precious - We actually first profiled this film about an abused girl from Harlem just trying to find someone that actually loves her back in May of 2009 ...when we saw the preview! It made our Year In Review Top 5 List as well. The movie was up for several awards last night but walked away with a huge and deserved win for Mo'Nique in the Best Supporting Actress category.

The Hurt Locker - Back in September we told you about this film centered around the dangerous lives of the soldiers involved with deactivating bombs. The story told about those in the military bomb disposal team is both timely and touching, as well as Oscar gold. The film took several technical and writing categories as well as bringing in the big prizes of Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow (the first for a woman) and Best Picture.

Avatar - The ground-breaking film - both technologically and financially at the box office - about the conflict between humans and natives on a new planet, which was featured here in January, might not have taken home any of the big prizes, but it still coveted its share of statuettes. It was not a good year to be another movie in any of the technical categories this year as James Cameron's epic won Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

Also nominated but,unfortunately, leaving empty handed last night were ZONINO!ed performances by Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman for Invictus and the Science Fiction film about alien apartheid, District 9. If you haven't seen any of these films yet, you need to put them on your list immediately!

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: RunPee.com

I have a problem almost every time I go to the movie theatre: I order too much to drink and then I spend half the movie squirming in my seat trying to put the least amount of pressure on my bladder. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't order the Super Grande Liter-O-Cola size cup and I do make a ladies' room pit stop before entering the theatre. Even with a medium Coke, I still end up needing to dash to the bathroom sometime mid-film and end up missing something good!

Thankfully, I now have help. RunPee.com has a description of entire movies and the best times to take that desperate bathroom break. For example, yesterday I ZONINO!ed Invictus. During that film, the website tells me that at :56 minutes into the movie once François tells his team "Times are changing, we need to change with them," I have four minutes to relieve myself without missing anything too vital. It then tells me what I will miss in a brief synopsis. There are also four other choice moments in the movie that are optimal for running and peeing.

Now, I know most people don't bother memorizing these types of things before going to a movie. You'd probably end up ruining the movie for yourself in the process. However, the site works with your Blackberry and there is an iPhone application as well. I know the dancing popcorn and soda at the beginning of the previews says to turn off your phone, I think this is an acceptable excuse, don't you?

Buzzy

WORD: castigate

Last weekend while watching the Super Bowl someone accidentally sat on the remote, inadvertently causing the television to become bilingual and give us the play-by-play in Spanish. While we were attempting to remedy the situation, the announcer used the Spanish word "castigo," which means "punishment" during a particularly brutal tackle.

The English word castigate clearly has similar origins.* The verb is used to describe the severe reprimand or punishment of someone or something. If you're boss or significant other just chewed you out for the last half hour, saying you were castigated sounds way better than simply "getting yelled at."

Fred was going to castigate that mutt; after a year of obedience school Spot was still chewing up the sofa cushions when no one was home!

Knowing her mother was already going to castigate her for sneaking out her bedroom window past curfew, Lydia decided to continue partying even after the sun rose.

*The good folks at Dictionary.com have informed me that both words come from the Latin word "castigatus" which is derived from two other Latin words together referring to "making someone pure by correcting or reproving them." Who'd a thunk it?!?!

Sergio del Limonar

WEBSITE: Everyday Loopholes

When I was little, my dad had a big do-it-yourself book called something along the lines of "How To Fix Just About Anything". He would pull it out whenever there was an issue with the furnace, a leaky pipe under the sink, or the air conditioner that he didn't immediately know how to solve.

I have no idea what happened to that book, but it certainly solved a lot of problems around our house back in the day. Somehow I don't think it would do us a lot of good now though, in the technology saturated era we live. I also don't think it included any helpful advice on dating, consumerism, or transportation.

That's why we need websites like Everyday Loopholes to get us through or help us avoid the pitfalls that so often cause things to not go smoothly in the 21st century.

Take, for example, this tidbit about renting a car abroad:

"Think like a local citizen when traveling abroad and save lots of money in the process. For example, when traveling to Spain, don't use www.hertz.com , use www.hertz.es , and save significant Euros."

Or this piece of advice about city driving:

"Have your spouse drive the car registered in your name and you drive their car. If a traffic camera takes a picture of a man driving a car registered in a woman's name (or vice versa), they send a "nomination" instead of a ticket."

Take a few minutes to peruse the site; you never know what you might learn or, better yet, use! If you have a secret tip you don't mind giving up to the masses, submit it for the rest of us. Happy loophole jumping!!!

Sergio del Limonar

WEBSITE: Smugopedia

"Smugopedia is a collection of slightly controversial opinions about a variety of subjects. We offer you the chance to buy a fleeting sense of self-satisfaction at the small cost of alienating your friends and loved ones."

So introduces Smugopedia, a website that offers people the chance to be anonymous pompous egomaniacs online. Postings range from literature, to politics, to sports, to food, and music, but all are guaranteed to be arrogant in the best possible way.

An example of a food-related posting (on the pretentious sushi, nonetheless) reads:

"It's only worth bothering with sushi if you're going to go to the Tokyo Fish Market. Nothing else is really fresh enough to capture the perfect simplicity of toro or uni."

Another, inspired by some stuck-up travel states:

"Everyone goes to the French Riviera. The Italian Riviera is just as lovely, and so much more exclusive."

Memorize a couple of these and you'll be well on your way to being the ass of the party!

Sergio del Limonar

WEBSITE: Charity Navigator

With the recent tragedy in Haiti and the plethora of relief organizations and charity drives popping up to "help" in the crisis, it's often difficult to know which are legitimate and which are less so. Personally, if I donate a certain amount of food or money to an organization to benefit a particular cause, I would like to think that close to 100% of my contribution is going to the people or situation that needs it. Unfortunately, misappropriation of fund and resources is often a problem in these situations.

The website Charity Navigator is here to help. Along with a rating system, Top 10 Lists, articles, and "hot topics," the site keeps readers up to date on developing crisis and causes around the globe. Bookmark this one for your research needs the next time you desire to give to those in need.

Sergio del Limonar

WORD: lacuna

Like a void, a hollow, or vacuous space, a lucuna is a noun describing an empty space or a gap in some sequence.

As the detective looked over his notes once again, he realized the key to solving this mystery was in the vacuna of minutes preceding midnight.


It was either Bobby's wild imagination, a vacuna in his judgment, or both, that might have explained why jumped off the garage roof with a towel around his neck like a cape.

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: SignUpGenius

So, you know who's going to your party, thanks to some online invitation you sent out, but what if you need more information? What if this party is a potluck? Your party would be over before it began if too many people brought hamburger buns and there was not one dish of potato salad! What to do?!?!

Head on over to SignUpGenius, a site devoted to helping you organize your next function, when all of the organizing doesn't fall on the organizer! Coordinating rides for the kids' basketball team or desserts for the PTA fundraiser? Send out an easy to use form to all members and watch how a carpool or brownie catastrophe can be avoided!

The site also allows for automated email reminders to be sent to members, as well as a nifty “swapping” feature for schedule changes. The organizer can take a break and let the program work its own magic, holding everyone responsible and accountable for the activity's success!

Sergio del Limónar

YOUTUBE: Future of Laptops

Remember watching The Jetson's cartoon growing up? I always loved the absurdness of George, not flying his car to work, but getting there and having the thing fold up into a briefcase.

Well, we're not to the era of the origami-car yet, but it does look like some other semi-bulky conveniences are become more compactable. The Rolltop computer, a laptop that folds and rolls up into a tube-like shape appears to be on the horizon.

The video is dated back in September so, by technological standards, this is probably old news, but until I actually start spotting them out on the street, my ignorant self is going to pretend its cutting edge! Come to think of it, maybe I have seen them...?

Sergio del Limonar

WORD: Precatory

Try and use this one today! Precatory is an adjective referring to the request of something. It is derived from the Latin "precari" which means "to pray."

All of the laws Senator Cawshaus backs are precatory and have little mandate.

A precatory memo about skipping the usual lunch hour sent from the head of the company was met with mixed emotions by the employees.

Sergio del Limonar

WORD: inveterate

According to the Random House Dictionary, the adjective inveterate is used to describe something or someone who is "settled or confirmed in a habit" or is "firmly established by long continuance."

At the loss of his poker hand and with a causual inveterate movement, the gambler reached for his inside coat pocket where his cigarettes used to be, despite the fact that the pocket was empty and he hadn't smoked in five years.

The elderly Japanese woman inveterately began removing her shoes upon entering the house even though no one else was doing so.

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: Free Documentaries

Remember when you saw Supersize Me and didn't eat a fast food hamburger for a week (although you swore it would be "never")? Our how you were convinced that all skeet shooters were one hair pin away from wreaking havoc on you and your family at the mall or school after seeing Bowling For Columbine ?

Documentaries can be fascinating looks into other view points vastly different from our own or giant pieces of propaganda meant to mess with our own moral consciousness. However you want to view them, now you can...for free! FreeDocumentaries has over 100 titles - many blockbuster hits - covering various interest areas. Although most are political or historical in nature the science nerd and travel buff will also be satisfied with the selection available. And for being free, who can complain!?!

Now, go watch "Supermarket Secrets" and swear you'll visit your local farmer's market more...until next week.

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: GoJane

I love the holidays! The lights, the food, the music, the spirit...I just can't get enough! The one thing I have a love/hate relationship with is my social events calendar. I love getting together with family, friends, and colleagues for this party, or that dinner, or some snappy cocktail hour as much as the next gal, but I find that I'm running out of things to wear!

Now, I don't need a closet full of new outfits, just something to make them look new and different. A friend turned me on to GOJane, a clothing and accessories online store with amazing deals. This is also a prime spot to pick up all those stocking stuffers for your girlfriends!

Just in time for the four New Years bashes you've got to make an appearance at, right?!?

Buzzy

WEB: Etymology Dictionary

Did you know that the word "knuckle" comes from the late 14 century and is derived from the Germanic word "knokel" meaning "finger joint"?

Or how about that the word "pimp" most likely came from from the modern French word "pimper" meaning "to dress elegantly" and was first used in its current context in 1607?

The website, Online Etymology Dictionary is a treasure trove* of information for both the know it all, the Trivial Pursuit junky, and those of us who are just curious from time to time. The next time someone asks, "I wonder where that word comes from?" you can tell them!

Sergio del Limonar

*The word "treasure" is derived from the the old French word "tresor" of the same meaning and was first used in the mid-12th century. The expression "treasure trove" was first used in 1888.

WORD: Pogrom

I'm reading a fantastic book by Michael Chabon at the moment that will no doubt become a ZONINO! one day. Chabon is a genius with words and wordplay so I expect to find several gems of the etymologic sort whilst enjoying this novel.

Today I came across the noun "pogrom" which I had never encountered before. It means, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, "an organized, often officially encouraged, massacre or persecution of a minority group." The entry goes on to state that it most often refers to the persecution of Jewish peoples.

Unlike most of the other WORD entries, this is not one I would try to insert into my daily ramblings, but I feel its a word one should have shoved in the back drawer of one's brain for when smarty-pants writers like Chabon throw it out, you can keep pace.

Sergio del Limonar

WEB: Racialicious

Diversity.

The word is thrown around a lot. What it means to one might mean something completely different to someone else. The fact is though, that we, the people of this planet, are diverse. We are diverse in appearance, language, beliefs, heritage, culture, music, dance, food, dress, everything! And this diversity is becoming increasingly more, excuse the overuse of the word in this post, diverse as the world becomes a smaller place.

The blog Racialicious is a sort of watchdog group that both celebrates victories for us a human race and calls foul on people, organizations, and events that run aground on these same issues. Intelligently written and researched, each post gives a fascinating and insightful look at different perspectives on the idea of "race."

A recent analysis of the CNN series "Latino in America" was widely criticized by the site for promoting stereotypes and not following through with many promises the program made in it's outset. Another interesting recurring feature on the blog in the discussion of race, racial archetypes, and importance of certain characters on television and in movies.

Whether one agrees with the points of views of the various bloggers, it is a freshing taste of different opinions on topics that I know I often don't think about; I do now. Bookmark this site immediately!

Sergio del Limonar