Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

Think of the biggest, hugest, most insane number you can imagine. Got it? OK, now add one to it. The amazing thing about numbers is that they never stop. There’s always a bigger number.

For years I assumed that “zillion” was actually a real number, something that came along when you hit one-thousand trillion. How wrong I was. Apologies if you find this to be old news, but zillion doesn’t exist. It’s just a made-up word. Of course there are bigger numbers after trillion, but what do we call them?

I came across a personal blog from Jim Loy, who helpfully explains the order of big numbers. Here’s how it goes: hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, trillions, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion, and so on and so forth. By the time you get to centillion, you’re talking about a number with 303 zeros after it.

But getting back to made up words. This is one of my favorite pastimes, and after looking around the Web I see that I’m not alone. For anyone who enjoys coining nonsensical words and phrases and then feigning shock when people have no idea what you’re talking about, check out this list of ‘words’ from fans of author Jasper Fforde. Some personal favorites: Gruntled (the opposite of being disgruntled), puffalope (a padded envelope), and sploop (the flat, rounded corner that’s created when one drops a bar of soap in the shower).

Got some favorite made up words of your own? Sound off in the comments.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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We’ve teamed up with Yahoo! News again to bring you another great interview. In this Newsmakers series we asked Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a question from our community. See the winning question!

Asked by Joann Detmer:

With all the good you do and all the complexity in your life, can you share any tips for organizing and prioritizing your activities for maximizing efficiency?

Click here to see Melinda Gates’ response

Our Yahoo! News Team has interviewed some very important individuals — the newsmakers. Check out some past interviews with Vice President Joe Biden, Laura Bush, Bill Clinton and much more.

Thanks for participating!

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Ever felt like you needed an afternoon nap? Most people believe naps are for preventing babies and small children from being cranky. But catching a few ZZZs can really benefit adults too.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, a study indicated that those who took a nap before taking a test scored higher than those who did not take a nap. If this is true, then we’d better stop neglecting our beauty rest!

So whether it’s a traditional nap or just a “let-me-close-my-eyes-for-a-second” nap, both can be helpful when it comes to learning new things.

But what else can make us smarter? We searched the site for some questions from our community and here’s what we found:

If you listen to classical music while sleeping, will it make you smarter?

Does doing sports/physical activity make you academically smarter?

Does knitting make you smarter?

The Ultimate: Does Yahoo! Answers make you smarter?

So you tell us! Does napping make YOU smarter?

Thanks for reading,

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Hey Guys,

Consider, if you will, the Ouija board. This game, in which players have their mystical questions answered via an indicator that spells words, has been freaking people out for decades. Some may still well wonder how the darn thing works. Here’s the skinny…

At the risk of taking the fun out of sleepover parties and amateur séances, there is really nothing magical or supernatural about Ouija boards. Its simply a case of people, working together, to subconsciously get an answer that they want to see. Experts call this the ideomotor effect (when a person makes physical movements at an unconscious level).

Ask Yahoo! covered this topic several years ago. During my research I came across an interesting way to prove that the Ouija board phenomenon is all in the mind of the player. Simply have everyone keep their eyes closed the next time they play. Odds are quite good that the words formed won’t make any sense. Something like:

Question: “Great Aunt Mildred, where did you bury your secret fortune?”

Answer: “Gvuyhotsxbloq”

Maybe that’s why so many players stick with yes or no questions…

Thanks for reading,

Mike

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When you share your thoughts on Yahoo!, you have the potential to reach more than half a billion people around the globe. Together, you can share stories, exchange ideas, and even change the world, but it’s important to know how to share safely online.

As our latest example of How Good Grows on Yahoo!, we’re encouraging you to share what matters to you, safely. We’ll be posting questions over the next few months to give you the opportunity to share your answers with the Yahoo! community.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, join us in kicking off the program by telling the world about a woman (across the globe, across the room, or across the ages) who amazes you.  Share your thoughts at howgoodgrows.safely.yahoo.com, and see what people around the world are saying. Then keep coming back to the site to see other women who’ve made their mark.

Question: Which woman do you admire the most and why?

International Women’s Day is just one opportunity you’ll have to share safely. Keep your eyes open for more opportunities to share:

• Mother’s Day (May 8th)
• Memorial Day (May 30th)
• International Children’s Day (June 1st)

Join us in sharing what’s important to you. Spread the word, and watch How Good Grows on Yahoo!.

-Yahoo! for Good Team

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