Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

As a kid I spent an inordinate amount of time playing with action figures. G.I. Joe, Star Wars, He-Man–if it was a plastic guy based on a TV show or movie, I was all over it. One question that always struck me–why are they called “action figures,” when, really, they’re just dolls? Who came up with the idea of naming ‘em something different?

After a bit of research, I learned that a very clever marketing expert came up with the term in 1964. HeroToys.com explains that Hasbro wanted to release three toys based on the famed “G.I. Joe” comic strip. The folks at the toy company came up with “action figures,” because “they figured it would make the toys much more appealing to young boys.”

The phrase itself was coined by toy designer Stan Weston. The Island of Lost Toys writes that Weston approached Hasbro in 1963 “with the idea of a pose-able military action figure, as a tie-in to ‘The Lieutenant,’ a television series produced by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.” The TV show didn’t last, but the G.I. Joe action figure “was a hit.”

Comic Book Bin offers an exhaustive and entertaining history of the G.I. Joe action figure. Originally, the toy “was conceived as a military man with different names for each branch of the armed services.” The Navy guy was to be named Skip, the soldier Rocky, and the Air Force pilot was to be named Ace. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, and the ad agency advised the toy company to go with one name for everybody. After seeing a late night showing of “The Story of G.I. Joe,” starring Robert Mitchum, they settled on the now familiar name. Apparently trademarks were less of an issue back then.

Today, action figures are hugely popular with boys and girls (and adults). You can find figures on everybody from Sigmund Freud to Boba Fett. But, it all started with one patriotic guy named Joe.
What are your thoughts on the line between action figures and dolls? Is an action figure simply a doll for boys or do you have a better definition? Please leave your comments below, and include links if you have ‘em.

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The migration to the new Yahoo! profile platform is almost complete for Answers, and we understand some of you are concerned about certain changes.  Rest assured – your feedback is very important to us as we are always working on improvements. We’d like to address some of the issues you have raised over the past weeks.

What if I want a different image for Answers?

Remember, you can change your profile image whenever you want. Feel free to post a different profile picture so you don’t feel like you are always displaying the same image. Also, don’t forget you can also use an Avatar on Answers. We have many cool Avatars that can be personalized to reflect your individuality (check them out here: http://avatars.yahoo.com). As we mentioned before, if you have been displaying an Avatar on Answers, both your Avatar and nickname will continue to remain the same.

What about resizing my image?

You’ve also probably noticed images have to be cropped in the new profile platform. If you’re worried about losing part of your image, consider choosing one with a large background. This way, the square cropping required on your Yahoo! profile will have a minimal effect.

In other words, the same image I display on Answers will also appear in places like Flickr?

Your universal profile on Yahoo! is gradually being rolled out in phases, so there are currently a few properties (including Flickr, MyBlogLog, and Messenger) that do not use profiles at this time.  The profiles team is working closely with each of the other Yahoo! properties to create a smooth transition to the new profiles service. We know that you value your experiences on Yahoo! and want to make sure that the integrity of these sites (and your membership) is maintained, which is why this process has been done gradually instead of all at once.

Please continue to share your constructive feedback with us, as we know the best way to improve these services is with your help.

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Photo by libraryman
Spring has officially sprung! In our house, the celebration of spring includes opening up the windows to let in fresh air, switching out the winter clothes for the summer clothes, and — the least glamorous tradition — spring-cleaning. Did I just hear you groan? Before you assume that I’m a neat freak on par with those “How Clean Is Your House?” ladies — I’m not. Starting the spring with a clean house just seems appropriate for the season of rebirth.  After all, it’s easier to keep an already-clean house tidy.

But let’s face it: When the sun is shining, I would rather be doing pretty much anything else than cleaning indoors. Since I don’t like cleaning (but do like living in a clean environment), I have devised a few ways of making the whole process more manageable, and a little less tedious:

I’ve swapped my commercial cleaning products for homemade solutions . I’ve found that simple household items like vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia  are very effective in place of their more-expensive commercial counterparts. For example, cleaning my windows with ammonia and newspaper gets them cleaner and less streaky than Windex ever has! With homemade concoctions, it is incredibly important to follow the directions carefully. After all, chemistry is not for wimps.  The “chemical” smells that come with cleaning products — homemade or otherwise — are unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous, so I open all the windows to maximize ventilation.

In our house we start the spring-cleaning process by dividing up the chores based on preference. While I may not love scrubbing floors, I loathe dusting; the chores get divided up on that basis. I put this to-do list someplace where it will be visible, along with a red pen for crossing off completed tasks. Is there anything more satisfying than proof of a task completed? Pardon my wistful sighs; I love lists. And pens.

Next we schedule the chores from our lists into manageable time frames. (Doing a marathon house-cleaning session may be effective, but can also cause serious burnout. Setting reasonable expectations when approaching large tasks is key — that way you can feel good about what you have accomplished, rather than disappointed in all the tasks yet to be done. We crank up the tunes and set forth working on our ascribed tasks. Sure, spring-cleaning takes a week or so from start to finish, but over the course of that week the house gets progressively cleaner.

What are your spring-cleaning tips and tricks?

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Hey Guys,

It wasn’t so long ago that people had to go inside the bank in order to withdraw money. And if the bank wasn’t open, which was often the case, you were up a creek without a twenty. Of course, ATMs changed all that. I stumbled upon an old question on Yahoo! Answers that sought information on the inventor of the cash machine. Here’s what I learned…

I suspected the ATM was created during the ’80s, but according to an article from the BBC, the modern ATM was actually invented back in the ’60s by a Briton named John Shepherd-Barron. Mr. Shepherd-Barron was apparently inspired while taking a bath. “It struck me there must be a way I could get my own money, anywhere in the world or the UK. I hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, but replacing chocolate with cash.”

The machine predated plastic cards, so in order to withdraw cash, customers had to use checks “that were impregnated with carbon 14.” The maximum withdrawal was a modest £10, and the first ATMs had their share of problems. Still the banks took to them right away. Eventually so did their customers.

The BBC goes on to note that the first ATM was also responsible for another invention that we all use about 100 times every day: the four digit PIN. Mr. Shepherd-Barron’s wife convinced him that most people could only remember a four digit number, so that became the industry standard (he originally wanted a six-digit PIN).

ATM Marketplace hosts a copy of a speech Mr. Shepherd-Barron gave, in which he describes the process of inventing the cash dispenser. You can also listen to an NPR interview with the famed inventor here.

Today, there are about 1.6 million ATMs worldwide. But it all started with a guy who simply wanted to access his cash as easily as he could a chocolate bar. Pretty cool, huh?

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Photo by basykes
My husband came home from work on Friday with a bag of friendship bread starter and a sheet of paper with some instructions and a recipe. He was happily explaining the process to me and said that everyone was doing it where he works. I could see from the look on his face that he assumed I would be ecstatic to add another task to my list of things to do in my vast and seemingly endless spare time.

I stared at the yeasty bag of slime in horror. My husband doesn’t remember this, but many years ago, a coworker gave me some friendship starter–and it was a monster that soon took over my life. I made the first batch and packaged up some starter for my own friends. What a great idea! I made a second batch–nice! On my third batch I started becoming anxious–did I stir the bowl today? Was it day six? Did I need to add sugar, flour, and milk today? Do I have any more friends to give this mess to? I can’t just dump it down the drain–what a waste! I wonder if our mail carrier would like some?

Finally, I found myself holding my bowl of the food equivalent of Star Trek’s tribbles over the sink–hovering over the gaping hole of the garbage disposal. Should I keep it going or just end it now? I faced the bubbling batter and won. I rinsed the remains down the drain with a sigh of relief and swore to myself that never again would I be caught up in the friendship bread obsession.

I gingerly took the toxic bag from my husband’s hand and tossed it in the bin.

Have you ever been caught up in a friendship bread loop or something similar? Please provide all the gory details.

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