Clear Answers for Common Questions
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What is Spackle®?
Spackle® is a product which is designed to fill holes and cracks in walls before painting or papering. The act of applying this material to these surfaces is sometimes called “spackling,” and numerous companies sell their own versions as “spackling paste.” Most hardware and construction stores carry it in ...
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What is Pergo®?
Pergo® is a brand of laminate flooring from Sweden. Many consumers associate the Pergo® company with laminate flooring, since it was the first to introduce the concept to the United States, and some people also perceive Pergo® branded flooring as high quality. This company has such a ...
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What is TiVo®?
TiVo® is becoming a familiar word in many households in the US, Canada, UK, Taiwan, and Mexico. Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay, who incorporated their company Teleworld, Inc. in 1997, designed it. It combines both hardware and software features that expand the ability of the television consumer to record ...
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What is a Segway®?
A Segway® Personal Transporter, also called a Ginger or Personal Transport (PT,) is a two-wheeled transportation device related to a scooter. Pioneered in 2001, the Segway® is the invention of American entrepreneur Dean Kamen, also known for his work on all-terrain electric wheelchairs. Some experts believe ...
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What are Wii Points®?
Wii Points® are a type of virtual currency used to purchase items for a Wii™ gaming system. They can be bought on physical gift cards or online directly via the Wii™ console. Users can redeem the points for older games, including classics from Nintendo®, Coleco® ...
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What is an Alphasmart®?
The AlphaSmart® is a durable word processing keyboard that is powered by a battery with a very long life. Production of these keyboards, made by AlphaSmart, Inc., is owned by the company Renaissance Learning, Inc. AlphaSmarts® are mainly used in schools for students who have dysgraphia (trouble producing ...
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What is a Snorkel® Stove?
A Snorkel® stove is a wood burning stove which is designed to be immersed entirely in water. The stove is designed for use in hot tubs, to heat water efficiently without the use of gas or electricity. The Snorkel® stove is manufactured by the Snorkel Stove Company, which also manufactures ...
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What are the Different Types of CompactFlash® Cards?
CompactFlash® cards, also known as CF cards, are a type of removable storage that led to much greater versatility in electronics. SanDisk® first introduced CompactFlash® cards in 1994. Up until then, the only data storage devices commonly available were floppy disks, which were much larger, had moving ...
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How is the Nintendo Wii® Different Than Other Gaming Systems?
The Nintendo Wii®, which was officially launched into most markets in 2006 is decidedly different from other gaming systems. While many people point to its wireless controller as its major feature of difference, this is really only the beginning, and it’s not the first game console to offer ...
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What is Santoprene®?
As one of the best examples of thermoplastic rubber on the market today, Santoprene® is used in a number of applications. It is a thermoplastic compound that is processed in much the same way as any type of plastic. The difference is that Santoprene® possesses the same levels ...
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What are Crocs™?
Though first a shortened version of the word crocodiles, the word "crocs" is also the name of a brand of shoes. The shoes, made by Crocs™ Footwear, have nothing whatsoever to do with the reptile. They are lightweight, functional, yet fashionable shoes designed primarily as beachwear. Crocs™ became ...
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What is Sucanat™?
Sucanat™ is a minimally refined form of cane sugar. Some cooks use Sucanat™ in lieu of more refined forms of sugar because they believe it is healthier, or because they prefer the flavor. It is readily available at many markets and health food stores in packages which vary widely in ...
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What is Broccoflower™?
Broccoflower™ (pronounced “BRAHK-uh-flower”) is the trademark name owned by California growers Tanimura & Antle, used exclusively for their version of green cauliflower, a cauliflower-broccoli cross. Tanimura & Antle’s Broccoflower™, grown and sold by other growers as simply “green cauliflower,” bears the assets of both of its ...
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What is WD-40®?
WD-40® was created in 1953 by three technicians at the Rocket Chemical Company in San Diego. They were working on a way to protect missile parts by creating a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser. The "WD" in the product name indicates that it is a water displacement ...
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What is Tellme®?
The use of Internet and telephone technology has become something that many people rely on every day. Using these services can take many forms, calling directory assistance for a phone number, using Google to locate the restaurants in a neighborhood, and even using the yellow pages to find information about ...
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What are Webkinz®?
Webkinz® are real-world stuffed animals that integrate into an online virtual environment by use of a unique ID included with each animal. The owner of the toy logs in to their account on the Webkinz® website, and enters the new animal code. This brings a virtual version ...
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What is a Toughbook®?
The Toughbook® is a brand of laptop produced by Matsushita Electric Industrial, a company based in Japan. Many fans of the Toughbook® are more familiar with the Panasonic brand name which the laptop is typically sold under. As the name implies, this laptop is designed for seriously hard ...
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What is Joomla™?
Joomla™ is a free content management system used to create websites. Joomla™ allows web designers to construct sites by combining modules, and requires no knowledge of programming to use. Joomla™'s framework is written in PHP, as are the modules used to customize websites. There is a ...
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What is DirecTV™ Internet?
DirecTV™ Internet is a service from the DirecTV™ satellite company in addition to its standard satellite television service. This service is usually offered one of two ways: Either it is through partnership with another company or available through the satellite dish. This is a relatively new feature offered ...
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What is Retin-A®?
Retin-A® is a brand name for creams or gels that contain tretinoin topical, a derivative of vitamin A, as an active ingredient to treat acne. Tretinoin topical is available with a prescription under additional brand names such as Altinac, Avita, Renova, and Tretin-X. A less-potent version ...
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What is Lipozene®?
Lipozene® is a medication that is utilized to assist people with weight loss. Considered to be one of the several drugs that function as a fat burner, Lipozene® is advertised as being a completely natural drug alternative that can help with obesity issues without causing a wide range ...
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What is a Vitaball®?
Convincing children to take vitamins regularly can be quite a challenge for parents, especially if the children find some vitamins difficult to swallow or dislike the aftertaste of chewable vitamins. One approach to making vitamins more appealing to children was a vitamin gumball marketed as a Vitaball®, which has ...
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What is Thermage®?
Thermage® is a cosmetic procedure using radio frequency to treat wrinkled or sun-damaged skin without damaging the outer layer of skin. In the procedure, the skin's surface is showered with intense radio wave pulses of heat, causing collagen to react by thickening, which in turn smooths out ...
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What are Mentastics®?
Mentastics® are a series of gentle, playful exercises which are a crucial part of the Trager Approach® to body therapy, a type of bodywork which has been practiced since the 1920s. The Trager Approach® aims to release deep-seated patterns in the client, with practitioners showing their clients how to ...
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What is Gyrokenesis®?
Gyrokenesis® is an exercise modality which is intended to compliment other types of exercise to build a strong, healthy body. It is related to Gyrotonics®, which uses specialized equipment and individualized sessions, and is sometimes also compared to Pilates. The main intent of Gyrokenesis® is opening and ...
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What is LAP-BAND® Surgery?
For people who want to take off 100 pounds (about 45 kg) or more and for those who may need to augment their own will power after many attempts to lose weight, LAP-BAND® surgery has exploded as a popular option. The procedure takes its name from a medical ...
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What is Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®?
Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy® is a holistic healing method that uses trigger point therapy to relieve pain and muscle spasms while improving circulation. It was developed by fitness activist Bonnie Prudden in the late 1970s after she used touch on a woman who had received myofascial trigger point injection therapy ...
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What is LYRICA®?
LYRICA®, which is called pregabalin in its generic form, is an anti-epileptic medication. It is used to control seizure activity. It may also be prescribed for the treatment of fibromyalgia. In some cases, it is even prescribed for the treatment of pain caused by such problems as herpes ...
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What is Rogaine&Reg?
Rogaine® is the patented name for a generic medication called minoxidil, and was initially developed as a drug to reduce high blood pressure. During the testing phase of Rogaine® as a blood pressure medication, many people taking the drug experienced some regrowth of hair. This information was exciting, since it ...
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What is Tiger Balm®?
Tiger Balm® is an ointment that is designed to treat muscle aches and pains. Applying it creates a feeling of heat in the muscle, encouraging it to relax and easing pain. The ingredients are also supposed to help promote rapid healing. The Tiger Balm® company manufactures a large ...
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What is an Ambu® Bag?
An Ambu® bag is a piece of medical equipment which is used to help patients who cannot breathe on their own. The official name for this type of equipment is a Bag Valve Mask or BVM, but most medical personnel know these masks as Ambu® bags in a ...
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What is the Ingham Method®?
The Ingham Method® is a common form of reflexology that is practiced around the world. Reflexology is a way of stimulating reflex areas, or parts of the body where nerve endings are bundled, most popularly the hands, feet or ears. The practice of reflexology involves applying pressure to these ...
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What is the History of Listerine&Reg?
The history of Listerine® is quite fascinating, chronicling the shifts which a product undergoes along its way to becoming famous. Listerine® has been used historically for all sorts of things, from cleaning floors to treating gonorrhea; it wasn't until the 1970s that Listerine® came to be ...
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What are the Risks of Using Botox®?
Many people use Botox® to eliminate or reduce facial wrinkles. Like any medical treatment, using Botox® has risks, and a responsible doctor will discuss these risks with a patient before embarking on a course of Botox® injections. If you are thinking about using Botox®, you should ...
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What are Weight Watcher POINTS®?
Weight Watcher POINTS® are a food intake tracking system used by the weight loss organization of Weight Watchers®. Weight Watchers® was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1963 by Jean Nidetch and is now located in over 20 countries in the world. Members of Weight Watchers® ...
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What is Epi Info™?
Epi-Info™ is a software suite developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. This software package allows people to track, report, and study emerging epidemics as well as past outbreaks of disease. The introduction of Epi-Info™ to the toolbox of epidemiologists ...
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What is Sculptra™?
Sculptra™ is an injectable facial filler product that was primarily developed to help people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who suffer from lipoatrophy — the break down and deterioration of body fat causing such things as deep lines, sunken cheeks, or indentations in the limbs or buttocks. It is ...
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What is Balloon Sinuplasty?
Balloon Sinuplasty is a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) cleared technique used by doctors to help sufferers of sinusitis. Sinusitis is a very common problem that affects around 37 million Americans each year. Sinusitis is an infection or inflammation of the passages that drain each of the sinuses around the ...
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What is Okazaki Long-Life Massage™?
Okazaki Long-Life Massage™ is a massage technique that focuses on whole-body health in order to achieve desired results. The technique is actually a combination of many different techniques, some of which are well known and some of which are new for this particular brand of massage. The ...
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What is Floam®?
If your old modeling clay is losing its edge, try Floam®. Floam® is a water-soluble molding material that consists of polystyrene beads. The word Floam® is a registered trademark of SAS Incorporated. However, there are several companies who make a similar molding clay and call it ...
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What is Lycra®?
Lycra® is a type of stretch fiber, or spandex, that is a registered trademark of Invista, formerly DuPont. It is the most recognized and popular brand of spandex throughout the world, and many designers and clothing manufacturers use Lycra® in their products. Lycra® is used in fabric blends including cotton ...
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What is Tencel®?
Tencel® is the registered trade name for a type of lyocell, a biodegradable material made from wood pulp cellulose. Fabric sold under the this brand specifically is manufactured by Lenzing AG. This material started to grow in popularity in the late 1990s and is now used in a variety ...
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What is Gore-Tex®?
Gore-Tex® is an award-winning textile product that is a registered trademark of W.L. Gore & Associates, a company specializing in creative technologies. A particularly durable type of fabric, it is both waterproof and windproof and employs technology that is geared toward comfort as well. Fabrics made from ...
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What are Sunprints®?
Sunprints® are cyanotypes which are produced by exposing light sensitive paper to ultraviolet light such as that produced by the sun. Sunprints® are merely one among many photographic printing processes, and the concept is very old, since only the most basic of equipment is required to make a ...
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What is the Latte Factor®?
The Latte Factor® is a euphemistic label for all that extra money we spend daily on nonessentials such as candy, bottled water, doughnuts, muffins, soda, cigarettes, magazines, newspapers, and yes, lattes. Author and financial advisor David Bach coined the term to reference the inordinate amount of money people waste ...
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How does a Xerox® Copier Work?
A Xerox® copier, generically known as a photocopier, essentially works on the principles of static electricity. Electrical charges can be either positive or negative, which is somewhat similar to the poles of magnets. The negative end of a magnet will stick instantly to the positive end of another magnet ...
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What is a Herculiner®?
The Herculiner® is a sturdy bed liner that is used to protect truck beds. Unlike solid prefab liners that are slipped into place and secures, the Herculiner® is actually a kit that makes it possible to spread a protecting compound over the floor and sides of the truck ...
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What is an Ecopreneur®?
Ecopreneur®, a term trademarked by Ecopreneur®, LLC, is a portmanteau of “ecological” and “entrepreneur.” An Ecoprenuer® is an entrepreneur who is focused on ecologically-friendly issues and causes, attempting to do business in a way which benefits the environment. The trademarked term can refer to people who ...
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What is Monopoly®?
Monopoly® is a board game which is produced by Parker Brothers, a game company currently owned by Hasbro. In the game, players use dice to move around a board, landing on property which they have the option to purchase and develop. If land is already owned, players must pay ...
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What are Tinkertoys®?
Along with Erector Sets®, Legos®, Lincoln Logs® and K’NEX®, Tinkertoys® are a type of building toy on the Toy Industry Association’s list called “Century of Toys” — the 100 tops toys of the twentieth century. Created in 1913, the same year as Erector Sets®, Tinkertoys® was invented by ...
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What is a Wiffle® Ball?
The Wiffle® ball is the core piece of equipment used in a popular backyard game played in America and several other countries. Wiffle® balls are typically white and have a pattern of eight oblong holes at the top, while the bottom half is solid. They are made from ...
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What is a CamelBak®?
As outdoor activities such as mountain biking and motocross increased in popularity, the need for better methods of hydrating became necessary. Because both types of rider need to keep their hands on the handlebars as much as possible for optimal control of their respective cycles, getting to water bottles without ...
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What is an Erector Set®?
Along with Tinkertoys®, Legos®, Lincoln Logs®, and K’NEX®, the Erector Set® is a type of building toy on the Toy Industry Association’s list of the 100 tops toys of the twentieth century called “Century of Toys.” Created in 1913, the same year as Tinkertoys®, the Erector Set® was ...
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What is Punk Rock Yoga®?
Punk Rock Yoga® is a copyrighted yoga philosophy created in 2003 by Kimberlee Jensen Stedl. Jensen Stedl, an instructor based in Seattle, Washington, started the class to provide an alternative, individualistic approach to yoga that removes some of the rigidity and utilizes live music and unusual classroom spaces. Drawing ...
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What is Snuba®?
Snuba® is a term that is derived from the combination of snorkel and scuba, and relates to a particular approach to underwater swimming. Just as with many forms of underwater activity, Snuba® diving involves the use of a diving mask, swim fins, and the use of air tanks ...
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What is Curves®?
Curves® is a fitness center, a workout idea and a franchise of small health clubs mainly geared toward women that was founded by Diane and Gary Heavin in 1992. Franchising the company, so people could buy their own Curves® location, began in 1995. The first Curves® gym ...
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What is Pokeno®?
Pokeno® is a game that is a combination of poker and keno, though it is pretty much like playing bingo with standard playing cards. It consists of game cards similar to bingo cards that feature pictures of various playing cards. In the basic game, there are five squares across ...
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What is Gyrokinesis®?
Gyrokinesis® is an exercise movement developed by Juliu Horvath, a professional dancer who developed a system of exercises that helped repair injuries he had sustained as a dancer. Gyrokinesis® is an exercise system based on fluid movements that offer similar physical benefits of yoga, dance, and swimming, though it is ...
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What is Tattoo Goo®?
Tattoo Goo® is a tattoo aftercare product which is designed to promote healing of new tattoos and to keep older tattoos staying fresh, crisp, and clear. This product is only one among a broad assortment of products formulated specifically for tattoos, but it has acquired a favorable reputation among ...
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What is Ohashiatsu®?
Ohashiatsu® is a therapeutic practice that is related to Shiatsu massage but includes exercise, self-improvement and meditation. It is said to strengthen the body, correct posture and improve the mind. Operating on the principal that the Ki (energy) can be regenerated and rebalanced to give the practitioner a ...
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What are Yoga Toes®?
Yoga toes are a toe separation device that are somewhat similar in design to the foam toe separators that are used when you get a pedicure. Instead of using foam for construction, yoga toes are made of plastic and gel, and can be worn while you’re relaxing, watching TV ...
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What is Lupron Depot®?
Lupron Depot® (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension) is a synthetic derivative of the naturally occurring gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Specifically, it is a nonapeptide analog of this tropic hormone, which makes it more potent than the hormone in its natural state. In therapeutic doses, its mechanism of action is to ...
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What is a Pop Tart®?
A Pop Tart® is a brand of fruit filled pastries sold by the Kellogg Company. A Pop Tart® is flat and rectangular, roughly 3 inches by 5 inches (7 cm by 13 cm). Each Pop Tart® consists of a shell of dough with a sugary filling ...
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What is a Thermos®?
Popular among campers, kids, and many employees who take lunches to work, the thermos is a simple device that is a vacuum flask that helps to maintain the temperature of the liquid stored within the container. More properly known as a Dewar’s flask, the thermos is actually a brand ...
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What is Vegenaise®?
Vegenaise®, pronounced either Vegan-naise or with a soft g sound like vegetable, is a vegan spread similar in taste to mayonnaise. Mayonnaise requires eggs, so the company Follow Your Heart® created a new name for this mayonnaise substitute. With four different types available, Vegenaise® isn’t ...
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What is a Crock-Pot®?
A slow-cooker, or Crock-Pot®, is a fairly recent innovation in the cooking world. These electric cookers substitute for cast iron Dutch ovens, in that they can cook foods slowly, at lower temperatures. However, the advantage of a Crock-Pot® is that it can maintain a steady ...
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What are Pop Rocks®?
Pop Rocks®, called Space Dust in the United Kingdom, is a very unique carbonated candy. The popularity of Pop Rocks® has gone through highs and lows, depending on popular opinion, marketing, and urban legends. In 1956, William A. Mitchell, a chemist with General Foods, patented the idea of ...
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What is a Microplane Grater?
A Microplane® grater is a kitchen tool developed by the Microplane Company, based in the United States. The design was introduced in the mid 1990s, and several other companies followed suit with similar concepts, since it was such as hit with cooks. There are a number of uses for a ...
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What is Boggle®?
Boggle® is a word game developed in 1972 by Alan Turoff. It was first marketed by Parker Brothers, which is now a subsidiary of the Hasbro Company. The game appeals to many, and is excellent for play on family game night, or in large groups. Boggle® is especially ...
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What is Legoland®?
Legoland® is a group of Lego® themed adventure parks. There are currently four Legoland® parks around the world: Legoland® Billund, in the Lego® company's home country of Denmark, along with Legoland® Deutschland in Germany, Legoland® Windsor in England, and Legoland® California ...
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What is Technicolor®?
Technicolor® is a patented process for creating vivid color films from what is essentially black and white film stock by combining two or three separate strips of exposed film tinted with special dyes. This is a very labor-intensive and expensive process which produces hyper-realistic colors best suited ...
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What is Etch a Sketch®?
The Etch A Sketch® is a closed drawing system that allows people to create art without the need for any other supplies such as paper, pencils, crayons, paints, pastels, or pens, and without any need for either preparation or clean up. The system grew out of an idea that André ...
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What are Dippin' Dots®?
Dippin' Dots® is an ice cream novelty created by flash freezing ice cream with liquid nitrogen through a proprietary process. The end result is a number of small pellet-shaped "dots" of ice cream which can be scooped into a serving bowl and eaten with a spoon or poured ...
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In Cooking, what is SPAM®?
SPAM® is a type of processed meat manufactured by the Hormel Foods Corporation, which would prefer to see it referred to not as Spam, but as SPAM®, since genericizing the name results in trademark dilution. The meat is sometimes confused with unwanted email, which is referred to as ...
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What is Checkmate®?
Checkmate® is a pheromone-based insecticide made by the company Suterra®. It is used to impair the breeding cycle of the light brown apple moth. In 2007, Checkmate® came to the attention of many, especially those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, when some of ...
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What is Voice of America®?
The Voice of America® (VOA) is a broadcast radio station funded through the United States government. It broadcasts programs internationally in over 40 languages to provide news and information about the United States to people living outside of the country. In addition to news programming, the station also offers ...
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What is the GED®?
GED® stands for General Education Development, and is a battery of five tests that when passed stand as equivalent to a high school diploma. It is often referred to as the General Education Diploma, or the General Education Degree, as in the sentence, “I got my GED.” This is inaccurate ...
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What is Yupo®?
Yupo® is a type of synthetic paper made from polypropylene by the Yupo company. The paper has distinct advantages and disadvantages when compared with conventional tree-based paper. The company has worked on synthetic paper products since the 1970s. Yupo® can be ordered directly through the company, or ...
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What is Black Jack® Gum?
Black Jack® gum is a type of licorice flavored gum which has a long and illustrious history in the United States. Many people view Black Jack® gum with nostalgia, and candy fiends have been known to go to great lengths to seek it out. Unfortunately for fans of ...
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What is Starbury™?
Starbury™ is a brand name for athletic shoes and sports apparel and was developed using the term “star” and the last name Marbury. The idea behind it was inspired by Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks. The NBA star wanted underprivileged kids to also enjoy high quality basketball ...
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What is the TOEFL®?
The Test of English as a Foreign Language™ (TOEFL®) has been administered to non-native speakers of English since 1964. It is designed to measure English proficiency to determine whether or not a student will be able to succeed at the college level. Many educational institutions in English ...
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What is LexisNexis®?
LexisNexis® is an extensive database of legal documents and archives of publications in periodicals like journals, magazines, and newspapers. This massive archive of searchable content is used by people in a wide variety of fields all over the world. In order to access LexisNexis®, people must pay subscription ...
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What are Z-Coil® Shoes?
Z-coiL® shoes are a specific brand and style of shoe that features a giant coil or spring on the heel and is designed to reduce joint and other impact pain people suffer from walking, running, and other movement-related activities. The most basic model looks something like a ...
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What is a Slinky®?
Invented by naval engineer Richard James in 1943, and reaching the market in 1945, the Slinky® is one of those toys that went beyond fad and proved its staying power. At the time of the invention, James was working for the Cramp Shipyard in Philadelphia. In pursuit of a spring ...
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What are Caboodles®?
Caboodles® are brand-name organization tools. These boxes became wildly popular in the United States in the 1980s. The original design was a plastic, loaf shaped box that operated much like a fishing tackle box or a toolbox. Typically, young girls used them to store their treasures. These organizers ...
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What is a WAG Bag®?
For anyone who enjoys spending weekends in the great outdoors, taking along a WAG bag® or two is an excellent idea. More properly known as a waste alleviation and gelling bag, the purpose of the device is to provide a sanitary way to dispose of human waste when there ...
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What is a Lite Brite®?
Combine a light box with colored plastic pegs and a pegboard and the result is Lite Brite®, a creative toy first introduced by the Hasbro toy company in 1967. For a generation of post-Baby Boom children, Lite Brite® was a welcome addition to other electrified toys such ...
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What are Cabbage Patch Kids®?
Cabbage Patch Kids® are the design of Xavier Roberts, who first created cloth dolls with uniquely dented faces for sale at craft shows and fairs. Toy manufacturer Coleco quickly noticed their appeal, and the toys underwent some slight changes before being sold to the general public in 1983. The principal ...
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What is a Furby®?
The Furby® is an electronic toy created by Tiger Electronics in 1998. The toy was produced until 2000, and in that time became one of the most popular toys of the era. It was an extremely popular example of home animatronics, building on the earlier popularity of toys such ...
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What is Tactel®?
If you’re searching for clothing that combines comfort, easy maintenance, and pleasing aesthetics, items made from Tactel® may be a good choice. This versatile nylon fabric can be found in clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. In fact, Tactel® is rapidly becoming a viable alternative to cotton ...
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What is a Hula-Hoop®?
Hula-Hoop® is a trademark toy of the California-based Wham-O company—also the makers of Frisbee®, Superball®, Hacky Sack®, and Slip 'N Slide — who introduced the Hula-Hoop® to the market in 1958. The Hula-Hoop® was developed by Wham-O ...
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What are Garbage Pail Kids®?
In 1985, the Topps Chewing Gum Company began producing trading cards called the Garbage Pail Kids® that parodied the Cabbage Patch Kids®. Rather than the 1930s baby book names such as Fritz and Anne that were used for the Cabbage Patch Kids®, the Garbage Pail Kids® ...
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What are Lincoln Logs®?
Although there are many toys that encourage children to explore and grow by building-blocks, Legos®, and K’NEX®, for example — Lincoln Logs® have the distinction of having been designed by an architect as well as a toy designer, John Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright. After the ...
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What is a ThighMaster®?
The Thighmaster® is perhaps better known as an iconic piece of 1990s culture, and one of the products that launched the infomercial than it is as a piece of exercise equipment. Heavily marketed in the early 90s, oddly enough by Joshua Reynolds, heir to the JP Reynolds tobacco company ...
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What is Winsor Pilates®?
Winsor Pilates® is a form of Pilates developed by Mari Winsor and marketed by the Guthy-Renker Corporation. It builds on the techniques taught in Pilates with the intent of strengthening the core of the body while also sculpting and toning. Advertisements for Winsor Pilates® often tout its ...
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What are Dots®?
Dots® are gumdrop candies manufactured by Tootsie Roll Industries, a large American candy company that produces a broad assortment of candies. Many people consider them to be an old-fashioned candy, since they have been around since the 1940s, and some people have fond memories of eating them in ...
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What is Red Bull®?
As one of the most popular energy drinks on the market today, Red Bull® is said to have it all. Considered to be an excellent blend of vitamins and minerals that help individuals to perk up and get on with the day, Red Bull® is enjoyed by people ...
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What are Neccos®?
Necco Wafers or Neccos® are a type of lozenge candy manufactured by the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO), which lends its name to its flagship wafers. This candy is readily available at most markets and candy stores, and many people have very fond memories of Neccos® from their ...
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What is Chex Mix®?
Chex Mix® is a combination of Chex® cereals and a variety of other snack foods. Depending on the Chex Mix® flavor or recipe, you can find pretzels, popcorn, chocolate pieces, or peanuts, just to name a few. Once all the foods are combined there is usually a ...
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What is a GrāPple®?
The Grāpple® is pronounced like the words gray and pull. It is essentially an apple that tastes like a grape. To achieve the Grāpple's® grape taste, a Fuji apple is infused with artificial grape flavoring. The infusion process, which is not closely defined by Grāpple® producers, involves injecting grape ...
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What are Pixy Stix®?
Many generations of people have fond memories of an extremely sweet and sour powdered candy known as Pixy Stix®. Pixy Stix® are packaged in straw-like paper wrappers which are torn open to allow the powder to be consumed directly. Some people may remember a much larger version called Giant ...
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What is Cheez Whiz®?
Cheez Whiz®, that icon of the midnight snacking world, is actually considered a "processed cheese sauce" by its creator, Kraft Foods. Kraft Foods introduced the product in 1952, although its popular predecessor, a thicker processed cheese food called Velveeta®, had been on store shelves since the 1920s. While ...
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What is Kamut® Grain?
Kamut® grain is an ancient grain, and a close relative to durum wheat. It is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional wheat sources because it is considered nutritionally superior to many other forms of wheat. Research suggests that Kamut® grain may first have been grown in ...
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What is Miracle Whip®?
Miracle Whip® is a condiment manufactured by Kraft Foods. It can be used both as a salad dressing and a sandwich spread, like its closely related cousin, mayonnaise. The two foods are closely related enough to be topics of acrimony, as many people have a strong preference for one ...
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What Is Old Bay® Seasoning?
Old Bay® Seasoning is a spice mix made by McCormick and Company, a Maryland based company which makes a wide range of herbs, spices, and blends. The mix has proved to be quite popular, especially along the Eastern seaboard of the United States, where it is paired with crab ...
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What is Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray® Soda?
Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray® soda has its admirers and detractors. Much speculation surrounds the invention of this soda, which in its infancy was a mix of sugar, carbonated water, celery seed extract, and a few other flavors. Today the drink has gone the way of most sodas by ...
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Why is SPAM® so Popular in Hawaii?
The visitor to Hawaii may be surprised or perplexed by why SPAM® is popular in Hawaii. You’ll find it in restaurants all over, and stacked high in local grocery stores. It makes its way into Asian cuisine, is served in sandwiches, and may be stir-fried with a variety ...
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Is the Formula for Coca-Cola® the Same in All Countries?
Coca-Cola® is an internationally recognized drink, popular in many countries throughout the world. The company that produces the soft drink has an interesting way of distributing it around the world, which many people may not realize. You don’t get exactly the same Coke® in India that ...
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What are Zotz®?
Zotz® are hard candies that have a unique powder filling that causes them to fizz when bitten into. The fizzy center of Zotz® candies also is quite sour, making the experience of eating one exciting, to say the least. These candies can sometimes be hard to find, but ...
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What is Nutella®?
Nutella® is an Italian made hazelnut and chocolate spread for bread, or for use in desserts, which was created by Pietro Ferrero in the 1940s. Ferraro also formed Ferrero, Inc., which makes other well-known products like Rocher® chocolates and Tic Tacs®. At first, though, Nutella® ...
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What is a David Austin Rose®?
David Austin Roses® are hybrid varieties created by English horticulturist David Austin. Since the 1960s, Austin has worked to create species of roses that combine the best elements of ancient varieties with the innovations of new roses. While not truly recognized by English or American authorities as a separate ...