Some nicknames are obvious. Michael leads to Mike, Nathan leads to Nate, Katherine leads to Kate. Others, however, are a bit mysterious. Take Richard, for example. How in the heck did that moniker produce “Dick” as a popular nickname? And what about Jack (Jonathan), Hank (Henry), and Sally (Sarah)? Believe it or not, there’s a method to the madness. Here’s what I found out.

The Straight Dope explains that Dick became a nickname for Richard during the Middle Ages. In those days, abbreviations were common in names. (“Ric” for Richard, for example.) Eventually, Ric became Rick and rhyming nicknames evolved from that. Hence, Dick, as well as Hick. This also explains “Bob” from Robert, “Bill” from William, “Ted” from Eddie, etc.

My grandfather was named John, and I never understood why everybody called him Jack. An article from Associated Content explains that “during medieval times, the name John was altered slightly in the Germanic tongues to Jankin or Jackin. Out of that, we get the nickname Jack.” The same basic premise is true of Henry becoming Hank.

Of course, women can also have non-obvious nicknames. My wife’s grandmother was named Sarah, but she always went by Sally. The piece from Associated Content theorizes that this may have come from a mispronunciation way back in history. The nickname may have been “based on the medieval English attempt to pronounce the Norman trilled “r.” Apparently it can sound like an “l.” And out of that, a nickname was born

Those are just a few famous nicknames. What are some other unusual ones? Got any examples? And, even better, got any answers? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Mike (short of Michael)

Photo by Sister72

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and, depending on your relationship status, you’re either: booking a romantic dinner for two, or, picking out your favorite all-black ensemble for the dreaded day.

This year, why not celebrate Valentine’s Day with Yahoo! Answers by creating the ultimate Answers Valentine! But here’s the twist: we know that for many of you, Valentine’s Day isn’t all roses and chocolates, so here’s the challenge.

We want you to submit EITHER your sweetest Valentine or, the best anti-Valentine you can come up with.

REMEMBER, your Valentine must still follow the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines and the Yahoo! Terms of Service, so don’t: rant, use hate speech, use suggestive language, be offensive, or say anything that might not be appropriate for anyone under the age of 13. If you wouldn’t show it to your grandma, don’t post it here.

Since we know Valentine’s day is often a crafty holiday, we’ve again, partnered with our friends over at Flickr to create an Answers Flickr pool where you can upload your Valentine.

If you choose to upload an image, please do not upload photographs of yourself: instead, please download the Yamster –  Sites like Picnick have again, provided holiday scenes and smooches appropriate for Valentine’s day, but feel free to search the web for more!

You’re not limited to using just the Yamster, but please remember, no photographs of people or body parts will be permitted.

Not feeling crafty? Don’t worry– we’ve posted an open question here where you can share your plans for February 14th with us. If you’re feeling creative, post your  favorite love poems, sonnets, or, anti-Valentine’s day card messages below.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t delay, as all submissions are due by February 10^th at 12 Noon. We’ll review all submissions and will select winners based on creativity, and dedication, so be sure to put your heart into it! Winners will be posted by the end of the day on Friday, February 12 and will receive bonus points on Yahoo! Answers.

Good luck!

With income taxes just around the corner, many Americans will be cutting a check to Uncle Sam. But do folks really have to use an actual check? According to an old urban legend, official checks aren’t technically necessary for taxes or anything else for that matter. The story goes that a person can actually write a check on any old piece of scrap paper, provided it has the correct information on it. Is this true or just a vicious rumor designed to put the mighty check industry out of business? Here’s the scoop…

Cecil Adams of the always entertaining “Straight Dope” column writes that this is one urban legend that is largely true. A person can, in fact, write a check (aka a “negotiable instrument”) on nearly anything you can imagine. Cocktail napkins? Sure. A t-shirt? Yep. A concrete block? Amazingly, yes. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be accepted. As Mr. Adams points out, the trick is getting the other person to take the check.

You see, in order for a check to be legal, it has to have your name, signature, the amount it’s for, the name of your bank, the payee, and your address. I had always thought it needed to have your account number as well, but apparently not. So long as your DIY check has all that, it’s legal. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean a store keeper is going to accept it as payment. You may have a hard time convincing your corner market that the “check” you wrote on the back of an old pizza box is legit.

And, it’s worth noting that just because it’s possible to write a check on a paper towel or a pair of old undies doesn’t mean it’s advised. As Bankrate.com points out, folks who send such comedic checks to the IRS “might as well request an annual audit for life.” Nobody wants that.

These days, I find myself using checks less and less and online billpay more and more. Do you guys still write checks on a regular basis? Do you think they’ll eventually become totally extinct? What about cash? Are we really moving toward a completely plastic economy? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Photo by Dave_B_

Ah. Awards season. It’s the only time of the year when we can get away with mercilessly critiquing celebrities judgment in fashion, dates, and decorum. With each award show comes the inevitable lists of the best and worst dressed in addition to the lists of stars that collected awards throughout the evening.

But here at Yahoo! Answers we think that a room full of celebrities shouldn’t decide whether or not another room full of celebrities deserves even more awards. Instead, we think YOU, the community should decide who the award goes to!

But that got us thinking- with the Academy Award nominations coming out tomorrow, how does one get nominated for an Oscar?

In short: according to “Rule Two” of the Academy  you must be nominated by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and, your film must have premiered between January 1^st and December 31^st of Los Angeles County, California to qualify.

While the Oscars has a long history,  it hasn’t always been as glamorous as it is today- the first Academy Awards drew just 270 people and cost just $5 to attend. Oh what a difference 81 years and a bit of celebrity glitz and glamour makes.

But before the nominees are announced at 5:30am on Tuesday, feel free to speculate on the nominees in the comments section below. Once the official nominees have been announced, we’ll update this post with a link to the list.

UPDATE: and the nominees have been announced! Stop by Yahoo! Movies for the full list.

Here are a few categories to get you started:

• Best supporting actor
• Best supporting actress
• Best actor
• Best actress
• Best director
• Best picture
• Best original score
• Best song
• Best visual effects

Photo by chrisjohnbeckett

At the start of the year, many people often think about getting things in shape: their homes, their bodies, but they don’t stop to think about getting their computers in shape. While online safety and virus protection should be thought about year round, this is a great time to take a quick refresher course on some of the common online threats that you may (or may not) encounter while surfing the net.

Online and within the news you’ve likely heard of some of the most common terms (malware, spam, viruses, and Trojans), but may not have known what they are, or, how to protect yourself or your computer from them. We’ve pulled together a quick resource guide outlining the who’s who, and where to go for more information. But when online, some of the most important things to remember are:

• Don’t trust pop-ups; things pretending to be virus checkers may actually be viruses (more on that later)
• You don’t have to understand a lot about online security to protect against the most common online threats. Keep your computer up to date and be suspicious about the sites you visit- employ the same skills you do in real life as you do online: don’t give out your personal information to strangers, and don’t trust something because it “sort of” looks official. And remember to trust your instincts: if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

What’s malware?
Malware is software that does something you don’t want done, usually installed without your permission. It includes viruses, worms and Trojans.

What is spam?
Spam is/can be: the repeated postings of the same content; off topic banter/answers/comments; links to commercial sites or merchandise; in general, unsolicited, unwanted or irrelevant messages, links or postings. You may run into it in your inbox, on message boards, in comments sections, etc. Basically, anywhere that someone can enter or submit text is susceptible to spam.

What is phishing?
This is any attempt to steal your account information. Phishers set up fake web sites that look like those of trusted companies to trick you into disclosing your account information. These pages can look nearly identical to the real thing, so it can be hard to tell that you are on a phony site.

Most commonly, you’ll see these as emails asking for the password to your bank account, your Yahoo! email account (urging you to send your account information or else your account will be terminated), or your credit card information. If you run into a phishing email on Yahoo!, please do report it to us!

Remember to never click on links in emails, no matter how official they look. Use bookmarks or physically type the site name in.

To protect yourself further, set a sign-in seal and don’t give out your Yahoo! password on your computer unless you see your sign-in seal (for more information on this, go here. This helps you know when you’re on a phishing page, or when you’re on a legitimate Yahoo! login page.

Yahoo! Security Center

At http://security.yahoo.com/ you can assess your PC’s exposure to online threats, including malware, viruses, and an assortment of other online risks. Additionally, you can also learn about:

• Protecting your PC
• Protecting your online privacy
• Protecting your children online at Yahoo! Safely
• Getting rid of pop-ups, viruses, adware, or spyware
• And much more!

How to help protect your machine

Be sure that your computer has antivirus software installed and that its virus definitions are up-to-date- many computers do not, and this leaves them open to many malware attacks. Programs like Norton Anti-Virus or http://www.malwarebytes.org/ will help protect and prevent future attacks.

If you see a pop-up, close it promptly, without clicking on anything inside the window (buttons inside the window may download software, no matter what the label on them says, even if it’s “No”, or “Cancel”). Click the close button on the window frame (the “x” in the upper right on a Windows machine, the red button in the upper left on a Mac).

If that doesn’t work use “Ctrl + F4″ on Windows or “Shift + Cmd + W” on an Apple machine to close the window. Worst case, kill the browser with the Task Manager on Windows or Force Quit on a Mac, and if you can’t do that, reboot the machine. (Be sure to save your work in other programs!)

Then run a virus-scan using an anti-virus program to check for any malware remnants.

At the end of the day, it’s up to YOU to help keep your online experience safe—keep your software up-to-date and be cautious about giving out information, including passwords.

Photo by inka7791

Welcome to week two of the Yahoo! Answers “Get Fit Program.” Last week we told you how you can meet other people looking to share fitness ideas in a Yahoo! Group called “Get Fit, Stay Healthy,” shared some practical exercise tips for corporate employees, and provided a few tips on how to shed excess pounds to tone up your muscles.

This week, our fitness pros, Joanne and Joan from Plus One Health Management have picked a few more questions to answer from the community—you can find their answers below.

Question: “I need help with eating healthy at school when all they sell is cheese fries and pizza!” – Danni

Answer: I can understand your frustration, if you are trying to eat healthy but the healthy options are limited.  You may want to bring your lunch to school, to avoid temptation, and to be prepared.  You can also talk with the foodservice provider to suggest healthier options.  Healthy foods that cafeteria providers sometimes have include sandwiches, yogurt, fruit, baked chicken or fish, and pasta with veggies. Good luck! Also remember that if you are limited on food and have to eat pizza, you can try walking around your school campus with friends to ensure that you’re including a healthy activity with your lunch.

Question: What’s the best way to stretch before working out? – Chris

Answer: Prior to a workout, a warm-up that includes dynamic stretching should be performed. Dynamic stretching involves performing low-intensity movements similar to your workout activity. For example, squats help to get the muscles warm for any type of lower body activity. Static stretching (stretch and hold) is the most beneficial if it is performed after a workout. Not sure what the difference is between dynamic or static stretching is? Check out the definition from our pros, here.

Question: Are there any standing up ab exercises you could do, say, in the shower or waiting in line (that might be awkward)? – Hah.

Answer: Wow you’re really thinking! However, I don’t recommend exercising in the shower as you could slip and injure yourself. Instead, when you’re safe and dry, try standing up tall and tighten your abs. Practice good posture, suck in your abs and maintain normal breathing—all of these things will help you maintain a tight core and help work your abs.

Question from Shine: How do I start exercising when I’m already out of shape?

Start slowly, but make it count—don’t overdo it. Progress quickly,  keep it up, and read this article for even more tips from Shine.

Check back next week for even more tips from our fitness gurus as they answer even more of your health and fitness questions!

When I was going to school, gum was strictly forbidden. If a teacher saw you chewing a piece, it was the fourth grade equivalent of a capital crime. In order to avoid being caught, many a kid swallowed the gum (aka “the evidence”). I never did, because I had heard horror stories around the playground. Swallow a piece of gum, the legend went, and it was in your stomach for ten years.

True or false? There are a number of sites dedicated to answering this very question. KidsHealth.org explains that while a person’s stomach “can’t break down a piece of gum the same way it breaks down other food, your digestive system can move it along through normal intestinal activity.” In other words, it’s not gonna stick around for ten years. It’ll be gone just as soon as you, well, you know.

That said, there are extreme cases. For example, if a person were to swallow a tremendous number of pieces of gum, he or she might have some problems with their digestive tract. But that’s obviously a rare situation. As KidsHealth.org puts it, “swallowing an occasional piece of gum is harmless.”

The urban legend experts at Snopes.com confirm this, saying that once gum goes down the gullet, “it’s no more remarkable in that respect than anything else we swallow.” Snopes theorizes that the misinformation may have started due to gum being often referred to as “indigestible.” That’s misleading. While the stomach doesn’t really break down the gum, it exits the body at the same rate as anything else.

So, it turns out the sages of the playground had it wrong. Wonder if they were lying about not sticking my tongue to a frozen flagpole, too…

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Photo by be OH be

Last weekend the movie “The Lovely Bones” opened nationwide in the United States. The movie, based on the novel by Alice Sebold is just one of many book-to-film adaptations to come for 2010.

Also on the docket for 2010 is Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland; The Twilight Saga: Eclipse; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I.

With so many popular novels being converted into what will surely be popular films, we wondered: what are some of your favorite (and, conversely, least favorite) film adaptations of literary classics? And, is it true that the book is always better than the movie, or, are there any versions of the movie that are actually better than the book?

Be sure to tell us in the comments section below!

The best inventions are the simple ones. Or at least the ones that appear to be simple, the ones that make you think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” So, let’s say you come up with an awesome invention that will make you a zillion dollars. You’re gonna have to patent it, right? How in the heck do you do that? Here’s the scoop.

I did quick Yahoo! Search on “how to get a patent” and was immediately greeted with a slew of results. The first result comes from the good ol’ United States government’s patent and trademark office. The site gives would-be Thomas Edisons all the information they need to protect their million dollar ideas.

But before you send in your application, you may want to learn what a patent is. Generally speaking, a patent gives the holder the right to “exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling” the invention. A patent doesn’t give the holder the right to create anything; instead it denies others the right to copy the invention for a certain amount of time.

Patents are often confused with trademarks and copyrights, but the three are actually quite different. Patents are usually issued for physical inventions or ideas. A trademark, meanwhile, “is a word, name, symbol, or device that is used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from the goods of others.” Think: Nike’s “swoosh.” Unlike a patent, a trademark doesn’t prevent another company from making a similar product.

Finally, there are copyrights. There are commonly seen on music, books, and games. In the Patent Office’s words: “Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of ‘original works of authorship’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished.” This is what prevents everyone in the world from publishing their own copies of Harry Potter books.

Still want to patent an invention? Here’s a link to all the forms you’ll need. But keep in mind, the process can be complicated. If you’re serious about it, you may want to consult with lawyer who specializes in this sort of thing.

Got your own opinion on the greatest invention of all time? If you ask me, it’s pretty hard to top the wheel, but I think indoor plumbing might be a close second. Third place: the hot shower.

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Last week we asked the Yahoo! Answers community, “How can Yahoo! Answers help you meet your fitness goals in 2010?” – after reviewing your questions, we brought them to our fitness gurus, Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty  who work with Plus One Heath Management.

As promised, over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting Joan and Joanne’s answers to some of your health and fitness questions here, to help inspire you to meet your fitness goals for 2010. So let’s get started!

Question: “Can you help hook us up with a diet/exercise buddy where we can commiserate or compare and help keep other on track?” – Love Life

Answer: You bet! We know that part of what makes losing weight tough is feeling like you’re on your own. To help you feel like you’re a little less “on your own” we’ve set up a Yahoo! Group called “Get fit, Stay Healthy!” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getfitstayhealthy) for anyone looking to find a buddy, share their story, or share weight-loss tips.

Please remember this group is NOT open to spam or marketing, so please don’t join it looking to promote your acai-berry shakes, or your weight loss pills. We’ll also cross-post our fitness tips there each week, as well as fitness and health tips from the health editors over at Shine. We hope to see you all there!

Question: “What are some practical fitness options for corporate employees? Some of those guys spend up to 10 hours in their offices. People are designed to be active, but sometimes our jobs make that impossible for us. We aren’t a country of farm and factory workers anymore. We sit in offices and stare at computer screens. What are some easy ways to step back from the desk and get active, even if we have to do it at home?” – Austin D

Answer: Office workers have to work a little harder to burn calories because of the hours of sedentary living. To counteract this, you can try: walking or exercising during lunch breaks, stretching at your desk, workout before or after work. Or, better yet, have meetings while you walk.

An easy solution when your in the office is to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and park as far away from the building as you can—that way you’ll have to walk clear across the parking lot to get to your car in the morning and the evening.

When you get home from work, play with your kids outdoors to cut down on TV time and make exercise a family activity. All of these things can help make corporate employees more active (and productive!) both at home and in the office.

Question: “i was just about to ask this question: i am not muscular. i need biceps and a six pack. should i exercise every day? what should i do? i love yahoo answers. i find everything i need on here. thanks yahoo!”  — wil

Answer: Thanks for the kudos. For us to see those muscles, you have to work off excess body fat and then have muscles to show! Think healthy eating, cardio, and weights! For a few easy and quick workouts, check out this article from Shine.

For more tips and tricks, and to see what questions our fitness gurus answer next, be sure to check back here next week!