Saturday, June 30, 2012

How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Author: Linda

Writing a persuasive essay is much like preparing for a debate. You need to study your persuasive essay topic from various perspectives, establish your main argument and gather supporting evidence. You also need to know how to write a persuasive essay, namely how to organize parts of the persuasive essay in the way that will work best.

Try the following instructions on how to write a persuasive essay. They are indispensable in writing a well-planned and thoroughly considered persuasive essay.

1.Start with an Impressive Lead-In

The introduction of your persuasive essay is the first words you utter to render the readers to be well-disposed to you. Moreover, it is by the introduction that the reader decides whether to go on reading you essay or leave it in peace. Thus, the introduction of your essay should be attention grabbing and impressive enough to induce the reader to read further on.

Writing a persuasive essay, you need to pay particular attention to the first sentence you are going to write down, namely a lead-in. It is the most important part of the whole persuasive essay, out of which you come out either a winner or a loser.

To write a strong and impressive lead-in, try the following strategies:
7.start with an unusual detail;
8.put a strong statement;
9.quote a famous person;
10.introduce a short and up-to-the-point anecdote;
11.open the essay with a statistic or fact;
12.start with an emphatic rhetorical question;

Before deciding on one of the strategies, try all of them. You will be surprised to find out how different strategies can enrich and smarten up the introduction to your persuasive essay.

After you have put the opening sentence, be sure to introduce a sentence that will show that you see both pros and cons of the subject matter under consideration. Then write a thesis or focus statement, which has to reveal your own point of view. A well-formulated thesis statement is the key to success, as it is the central part of your essay, around which all other parts are organized.

Remember that a good introduction should be brief, concise and end with a closing sentence that will be transitional to the next paragrath.

2.Support Your Thesis in the Body

The body of your persuasive essay is the main part of your writing where you present supporting evidence and elaborate on the reasons you stated previously. The body should be a proof that you have researched and examined your persuasive essay topic and that your arguments are reasonable and reliable.

In order to prove your thesis statement and dispel the opposing arguments, you need to: 1) state the facts of the case; 2) prove your thesis with arguments; and 3) disprove your opponent's arguments in three consecutive steps.

Statement of facts is a non-argumentative presentation of details, summaries and narration concerning the problem discussion. In this part of the body you should present supporting evidence without stating your own point of view and trying to persuade the readers in it.

First, you should remind the readers of some events, provide vivid illustrations that will show the significance of the topic. Statement of facts should be clear, brief, and vivid. If you obscure the facts, you are defeating the purpose. Thus, delete irrelevant information and information which contributes little to the reader's understanding.

After you've introduced some facts, you can get down to proving your thesis with arguments. This should be the longest section and the central part of your persuasive essay. With the readers rendered attentive by the introduction and informed by the statement of fact, you must show why your position concerning the facts should be accepted and believed.

Now comes the time to deny the truth on which the opposing argument is built. Be patient in thinking over the refutation. It is the most difficult stage that needs time, concentration and absorption.

The proven way to hook readers' attention is to leave your strongest argument for last so that to leave them with your best thought.

3.Write a Memorable Conclusion.

Your conclusion should be a "mirror image" of your introduction. It means that you should refresh the reader's memory and remind him of the thesis statement you put in the introduction. It is not a mere waste of time or words, but the best way to convince the reader to take your side.

As well as in writing the introduction, you can try several ways to write a memorable conclusion for your persuasive essay.

Except for restating the introduction, you can summarize the main points to enable the readers to recall the main points of your position.

A nice way to conclude the persuasive essay is to write a personal comment or call for action. It could be: 1) your prediction; 2) a question that will let the readers make their own predictions; 3) your recommendations to solve a problem; 4) a quotation. It's up to you to decide!

The last line of your persuasive essay, that is the "tag line," needs special attention, for it is the second most important line after the lead-in. Thus, it is important that it:
4.renders the readers to be well disposed to you;
5.magnifies your points;
6.puts the readers in the proper mood.

Once you have put the full stop after the "tag line", your work is over. But make sure that the words you have put in your persuasive essay will be "working" long after your readers stop reading it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/how-to-write-a-persuasive-essay-47488.html

About the Author

About the Author:



Linda Correli is a staff writer of Go2Essay.com – custom Essay Writing Help. She specializes in essay writing of argumentative essays, persuasive essays, narrative essays, and descriptive essays.

Social Marketing - 2 Ways To Make It Work For You

Author: Randall Magwood

To get alot of traffic to your website, you will need an effective plan for doing so. Website traffic can be definitely hard to come by, especially if you're operating in a niche that is very competitive. This is one reason why niche marketing is important. In a niche, your conversion rates will go up because you're offering a specialized solution to a small group of people. Because of this, you don't need alot of traffic to make money.

But even so still... if you're operating in a niche or not, you should know that more traffic to your website is definitely something that you should strive for. Some people like to rely solely on paid advertising, but if you're a newbie and you don't know anything about internet marketing... I suggest that you learn how to do free marketing first - just so you won't be dependent on spending money to get traffic.

I think newbies would benefit from doing this. Because as we all know, when your advertising funds are depleted, your traffic stops. But if you can put together a free marketing campaign... traffic will continue to come in - even if you took an entire week off. This is something that I like seeing everyday... along with receiving 100% profits on every sale that I make.

In today's lesson, I want to share with you some of my favorite free methods of getting website traffic. These methods are easy to implement, and are more on the line of the "social marketing" agenda for your internet business. Here's the first social strategy that you can use in your business today:

1) Social networking

You can build a true following with social networking within a matter of weeks. You can meet and connect with prospects online, and interact with these people - who will soon become your customers if you're talking about the right things. You will want to use sites like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and even LinkedIn if you want to build up a large following.

Now you should know that the conversion quality of the people on these social sites aren't exactly phenomenal. The conversion rates are less then what you would get if you paid for the traffic via pay per click, or if you used article marketing or forum marketing to get your traffic. However nevertheless, a free sale is a free sale. You have to make the decision as to whether or not it's critical for you to pursue this marketing avenue.

Here's another social marketing strategy that I like to employ:

2) Social bookmarking

Submitting your content to sites like Digg, Reddit, or Technorati are great ways to get exposure for your website. You will want to make friends on these sites and bookmark some of their content, while they bookmark some of yours. This is truly a matter of friendships working together to make your content seem worthwhile.

If you build up alot of friends and make it onto the home page of the social bookmarking sites, expect to see a HUGE flood of traffic to your website that day. I know of a guy who's site was on the first page of Digg, and he got over 200,000 hits that day. But you should know, that... eventually though he got all this traffic, nobody bought anything.

This is something that you need to be aware of with social bookmarking sites. So it's better to collect leads from the social bookmarking sites, instead of just leading them to your sales letter page.

These 2 social strategies for getting more new traffic are things that you will want to consider in your online business. Find a way to implement them today.

Good luck with using these 2 strategies in your online business today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/social-marketing-2-ways-to-make-it-work-for-you-5896474.html

About the Author

Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He has a website about internet marketing that helps small business owners learn how to market their business online simply and easily. To learn more, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com

Internet Marketing And What It Means For You

Author: Randall Magwood

What\'s your definition of 'internet marketing'? I ask this question because the proper answer to this question should be the catalyst of your online marketing efforts. Many people strive to have success with internet marketing, but unfortunately, their attempts fail them. This is mostly because of the notion that they believe the hype that\'s in the internet marketing world.

If you want to have online business success, you really do need to be a marketing expert. It\'s not enough to just sit back and wait for people to find you. This passive approach to internet marketing won\'t get you anywhere. It\'s in your best interest to learn as much about internet marketing that you possibly can.

But you should know that marketing your products and services online isn\'t a hard thing to do. The bulk of alot of people\'s traffic and sales come from paid advertising. One in particular is pay per click advertising (PPC). The 2 biggest players in the PPC game is Google Adwords and Microsoft Adcenter. Both competitors are good, but you should know that Adwords is still larger.

If you have the funds to run multiple advertising campaigns, I think it will be in your best interest if you put it into use in your business. You can do pay per click, advertising on blogs, advertising on high traffic websites, and even advertising for new affiliates - to promote your latest product for you... on autopilot.

If you can make paid advertising work for you, and make you profitable (or at least break even)... you should continue to use it to the best of your ability. But if you\'ve tried paid advertising in the past and it hasn\'t worked out well for you, then maybe you should try something different.

And when I say 'different', I mean that you should consider using free marketing methods to bring you the traffic and sales that you are looking for. There are all kinds of free marketing techniques that you can use to boost your traffic count and your profit margins simply and easily.

For example, you have social marketing, forum marketing, article marketing, video marketing, podcasts, press releases, blogging, affiliate marketing, classified advertising, and even rss marketing. All of these techniques (and more) can bring you the traffic that paid advertising can bring to you also - but it does take some time and work.

The benefit of paid advertising is that you get to see results quickly. With free marketing, it will take alot of content creation and distribution to see the results that paid advertising can bring. If you\'re short on cash, you more than likely will want to start here. But an upside to it is that you get to earn 100profits on each sale that you get.

Learn more about internet marketing that you possibly can. You will find that it\'s in your best interest to do so, and that you can have the early success in your internet business that you are looking for.

Good luck with marketing your website online today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/internet-marketing-and-what-it-means-for-you-5887317.html

About the Author

Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He has a website about internet marketing that helps small business owners learn how to market their business online simply and easily. To learn more, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com

Mastering Niche Marketing Online

Author: Randall Magwood

What do you know about niche marketing? Have you ever heard of the term before? Niche marketing is a form of internet marketing that is very important. If you\'ve never used niche marketing in your online business before, then now is definitely the time to start using it today.

Niche marketing is the process of going into a large niche, and targeting a smaller group of people to sell to. The purpose of this is to act like a big fish in a small pond. You can find or create a product or solution for these smaller group of people, and price it considerably high.

Also, your conversion rates will increase. Your website visitors will be rabid consumers, and will take a look at any product or service that can help them to solve their problem or achieve their goal. So you can definitely make more money by going into a niche, as opposed to operating against a larger competitor.

Plus, you won\'t wind up spending alot on advertising. Pay per click costs will be low, advertising on niche blogs and websites will come at a low price, and finding lots of affiliates for your product will become easy - and they will come up with alot of new sales for you that you possibly couldn\'t have gotten yourself. So there\'s all kinds of benefits to doing niche marketing.

If you\'re not using niche marketing in your business today, then you\'re missing out on a ton of sales and profits that you could be making. This is something that is very important if you want to achieve the online business success that you dream of. Stick with niche marketing, and you will be good to go.

When marketing any product or service that you have online, you always want to seek out a niche first, and THEN go and find a product for the market. Alot of people start off creating a product, and then try to find someone to sell it to. This is the wrong way to go about things.

Instead, what you want to do is to find a small niche that is anxious and potentially profitable, and then find a product that can suit their needs. This is something that is very important to do, and you will find that you will become more profitable this way. This really just internet marketing 101.

If you don\'t know what kind of niche that you want to start off in, then do a brainstorming session and start searching online for markets that you can enter into. You want these to be low competition markets, and markets that are easy to make money in. With this approach, you\'ll be on your way to internet business success simply and easily.

I hope you\'re able to take a few tips from this lesson here today and use them to earn more money with your website today. Niche marketing is a very simple concept, but is very powerful at the same time also. Without a doubt, this is a great way to start making money online in a short period of time.

Good luck with using niche marketing in your online business today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/mastering-niche-marketing-online-5887319.html

About the Author

Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He has a website about internet marketing that helps small business owners learn how to market their business online simply and easily. To learn more, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com

SEO Techniques To Consider When Marketing Your Website

Author: Randall Magwood

Before you create a website, you have to have your marketing plan down packed, and ready to go. And one element of your marketing plan should be search engine optimization. Search engine optimization (or SEO) is a way to rank high in the search engines and get traffic for free.

Now many people on the internet are using this strategy effectively to make money in their business. So you will have some stiff competition even before you begin marketing... unless you\'ve discovered a niche where you have absolute no competition. But nowadays, finding a niche that isn\'t competitive isn\'t easy to do.

Your best bet is to come up with an aggressive internet marketing strategy that makes SEO the focal point of your campaign. One of the first things that you will want to do is come up with a list of keywords that best matches the theme of your website. Once you\'ve found those keywords, start building articles and content around these keywords, and upload them to your website.

I like doing this with blogs. With a blog, you can notify the search engine services when you have new content, and they will come and visit you and update the search engines with their findings. The only other thing that is similar to this that can get recurring traffic to your website is publishing articles on your website and leading your email subscribers to your articles.

Now with SEO, you have to do more than just write articles. You have to use on-page and off-page factors to help propel your content to the top of the search engine results. One thing that you will want to do is to insert your main keywords into the title and body of your webpage. And it\'s best if you can insert your main keyword at the very beginning of your title.

Doing this is a cinch. To find relevant keywords, all you have to do is go to Google and type in 'Google keyword tool'. There you will find Google\'s free keyword suggestion tool that will help you to find the right keywords for your website. Simply type in the main keyword phrases for your site, and alot of other relevant keywords will show up also.

Now to make this work, you will want to pick the keywords that are relevant, but are low in competition. Take these keywords and start building articles about them. Then upload them onto your website. If there\'s anything that you don\'t want to do, it\'s not to place your business name as the title of each webpage that you have.

Your prospects don\'t care about your business name - they\'re only there to learn more about how they can achieve a goal or solve a problem. So make sure you keep your business name and industry jargon at the very bottom of your webpage... along with the disclaimer and notices there also.

Search engine optimization is a tough topic, but it\'s something that I think you can do to make your website successful. Follow these tips, and you will be good to go.

Good luck with implementing SEO in your business today.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/seo-techniques-to-consider-when-marketing-your-website-5583566.html

About the Author

Randall Magwood is one of the most respected and highly-regarded online marketing experts on the internet. He currently has a free book about internet marketing that helps small business owners market their business online successfully. To learn more and to download this free book, simply visit his website here: http://www.internetmarketing-rules.com

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

How To Get Pregnant: 4 Secrets On How To Get Pregnant Finally Revealed!

Author: Hilary Smith

There isn't anything more precious in this world than a beautiful newborn baby. One of the greatest joys in life comes from being the parent of a healthy baby boy or girl. The deep, emotional bond between mother and child begins in the womb. But not everyone is able to experience this joy in their lives, due to several factors, including age, and ailments like endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and ovarian cysts. If you are experiencing difficulties with getting pregnant, and have considered in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or intra-uterine insemination (IUI), or you taking dangerous fertility drugs, you may be putting your life, as well as the life of your potential child, at risk. The best approach to getting pregnant is always the natural and holistic approach.

But what is the correct way of using a natural and holistic approach in order to get pregnant quickly? Due to my own issues with fertility, I have done extensive research into the various safe and natural methods of getting pregnant. I would like to share with you four of the many secret tips I have learned for getting pregnant.

- I Was Able To Get Pregnant With Natural And Holistic Methods In Less Than 90 Days. If You Too Want To Get Pregnant Like Me Click Here And Find Out More.

Unfortunately, because so many women are desperate to get pregnant, drug and pharmaceutical companies are selling expensive prescription fertility pills in hopes of cashing in on this desperation. And of course many snake oil salesmen have appeared with fraudulent claims of instant fertility cures. These fertility drugs have been proven to lead to an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. The truth of the matter is that infertility is a message telling your body that something is wrong on the inside. Instead of relying on dangerous prescription pills to get pregnant, you should take the route that Mother Nature has provided. There are many different vitamins and minerals you should be taking right now to improve your fertile health, and there are vitamins and minerals that your significant other should be taking as well to help with the process. This includes Vitamin C, which boosts sperm mobility, and zinc, which will maintain his testosterone levels and sperm count.

Avoid Fertility Treatments and Surgeries like the Plague

If you are currently having difficulties getting pregnant, you may believe that you have to resort to expensive and painful medical procedures, such as IVF and IUI. But these types of treatments often do more harm than good, and can lead to some very serious consequences for your child, including increased risk of premature birth and 9 times the risk of developing cerebral palsy. This is why natural methods of getting pregnant are always the safest route, because it increases the chances of your baby being a healthy and vibrant child.

Eat the Best Foods for Fertility and Avoid Foods That Lead to Infertility

As mentioned previously, infertility is a sure-shot sign that there is something wrong on the inside. And of course one of the best means of keeping your internal system in order and more conducive to getting pregnant, is by being selective about what you eat and don't eat. There are many foods that will assist you in your efforts to become pregnant, such as whole grain breads, beans, and full-fat dairy products.  There are also foods and beverages that can decrease your chances of conceiving significantly, in some cases as much as 50%.

Always Use the Holistic Approach

If you notice one thing in common about the other three tips, they involve a strategy for getting pregnant naturally, without the use of medicines, chemicals, or fertility surgery procedures. Your body has been naturally designed to provide the best environment for your baby to grow. Any interference with this system can lead to many problems down the line. While you may be on the hunt for shortcuts, the quickest way to get pregnant is typically the natural way.

Click Here To Find More About Natural And Holistic approach that I took to get pregnant even at the age of 42.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/how-to-get-pregnant-4-secrets-on-how-to-get-pregnant-finally-revealed-1611333.html

About the Author

If you have tried several methods and treatments that do not work, I would suggest you to read my story and find out How I Got Pregnant within 90 days. If You Too Want To Get Pregnant Like Me Click Here And Read More..

How to Wish Happy Birthday in Different Languages

Author: Sean Carter
Whether it's your birthday or the birthday of some one close to you, it'll always be an occasion that remains the reservoir of happy memories, lots of laughter and wholesome family fun! Birthday is one of those occasions where the strong emotional bonds, warmth of heartfelt best wishes go beyond the barrier of language and sincere and cordial birthday wish always becomes successful in conveying with its true glory.
Other than the usual party, celebrations, good food and sparkling birthday gifts, it is a day when the spotlight shines on friends, relatives, parents and cheerful memories. It is the day when the birthday boy or girl is in his or her most emotionally vulnerable state. Feelings, thoughts previously unspoken, may be in fear of denunciation are expressed on this day as it is the perfect occasion to share feelings and emotions along with best wishes.
When it comes to wishing your loved ones on his or her birthday, originality and uniqueness is the key to make your dear one feel surprised and delighted. It's hard to put in to words what you want to express to the birthday boy or girl on that special day, but once you tell them how wonderful you feel on their birthday, the expression on their face with bright smile and cheerful look makes the day all the more special. To brighten up the birthday of your loved onesyou may be finding the right word to express your heartfelt best wishes can be a difficult task, so why don't you go beyond the barrier of language and wish happy birthday in different languages. It's sure to make your friend, relative or whoever is the birthday boy or girl, feel fascinated and really excited at this unique birthday wish. Even if it is the birthday celebration of a little kid, wishing happy birthday in different languages can be a quite an educating way of wishing someone happy birthday. Kids can learn those languages a little and feel fascinated in exploring more, consequently stirring their learning faculty in an indirect way. Here is a list which will help you to wish "Happy Birthday" in different languages of the world. So next time you are at a birthday party you can share the joy and excitement in different languages. It can be an amusing at the same time a unique learning experience for both of you.
Brazil: Parabéns a você! nesta data querida muitas felicidades e muitos anos de vida.
Chinese-Cantonese: Sun Yat Fai Lok!
Chinese-Mandarin: qu ni sheng er kuai le
Croatian: Sretan Rodendan!
Czech: Vsechno nejlepsi k Tvym narozeninam!!
Danish: Tillykke med fodselsdagen!
Dutch: Hartelijk gefeliciteerd! or Van harte gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!
Esperanto: Felichan Naskightagon!
Farsi: Tavalodet Mobarak!
Finnish: Hyvaa syntymapaivaa!
French (Canada): Bonne Fete!
French: Joyeux Anniversaire!
German: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Greek: Eytyxismena Genethlia! or Chronia Pola!
Hawaiian: Hau`oli la hanau!
Hebrew: Yom Huledet Same'ach!
Hungarian: Boldog szuletesnapot! or Isten eltessen!
Italian: Buon Compleanno!
Japanese: Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu!
Russian: S dniom razhdjenia! or Pazdravliayu s dniom razhdjenia!
Spanish: Feliz Cumpleaños!
Swedish: Grattis på födelsedagen
Taiwanese: San leaz quiet lo!
Thai: Suk San Wan Keut!
Ukrainian: Mnohiya lita! or Z dnem narodjennia!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/how-to-wish-happy-birthday-in-different-languages-46741.html
About the Author
Sean Carter writes on holidays, events and celebrations around the world. He also writes on family, relationships, birthdays

Birthday Gift Ideas For Your Boyfriend

Author: Dave Poon

Whether you and your boyfriend have been dating for three months or three years, he deserves to have a wonderful present from you whenever he celebrates his birthday.

Well-thought out gifts are always a great way to show your affection and love for your boyfriend. Some men may not be as open emotionally as women, but your boyfriend surely could not resist giving you a kiss or a hug in exchange of all the time and effort that you put into finding the perfect birthday present for him.

Here are some great and romantic gift ideas to give the most special man in your life on his birthday:

1. Something romantic.

A birthday present does not always have to be something expensive. Be creative in thinking of a romantic birthday gift for your boyfriend. If he has always given you flowers before, why don't you return the favor by giving him a dozen red roses? It will make him remember you as the only girl who ever gave him roses for his birthday.

A little effort would go a long way, too. Cook him his favorite dish and invite him over for a romantic picnic or dinner. Bake him a birthday cake, invite his friends over and surprise him with a birthday party.

Shower him with love notes, or make his entire day special by giving him a different gift in the morning, noon and at night. Be creative in thinking of something fun, romantic and special to give him a birthday that he is not likely to forget.

2. Something that he wants.

If your special someone is into gadgets, give him that game gadget or music player that he is always talking about. If he is a car enthusiast, get him a great car accessory. Or, rent a sports vehicle or his dream car for him to drive on his birthday. Go out and spend a day indulging in the sport that he just loves.

3. Something naughty.

Glow-in-the-dark boxer shorts are a sure-fire way to tickle his fancy. An intimate yet funny gift will remind him of the intimate moments that you shared together as a couple.

4. Something nice and traditional.

A gift basket with all the things that he likes on one delightful package also makes for a great birthday present for your boyfriend's birthday. A basketful of chocolates or wine is a wonderful birthday present.

If he is an executive, get him an expensive tie, cute cuff links or a nice wristwatch. Give him a set of his favorite cologne, perfume and aftershave. If he loves sailing, get him an antique compass that he can use.

5. Something that says "I love you."

You can literally give him an item with the message of how you feel. Give him a keychain for his car and house keys with an engraved message. Even small items like this would make your boyfriend feel special.

Remember that it is not always the cost that counts when giving out presents for your boyfriend on his birthday.

A well-thought out gift that would remind your boyfriend of how special he is to you will send out the right message on his birthday.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/birthday-gift-ideas-for-your-boyfriend-275607.html

About the Author

Dave Poon is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Special Occasions. For more information regarding Boyfriend Birthday Present please drop by at http://www.funbirthdayworld.com/

How To Make A Girl Fall In Love With You

Author: Vlad Karl
Let's get started. Getting a girl of your dreams is much like getting the car of your dream. But unlike a car which you can always bargain for, there is nothing like a 20 percent discount in courting the girl of your dreams, she's so sweet a thing to be discounted, you dearly are in love with her and your feelings for her can only be communicated not by the words of the mouth, but by the words of the heart. Getting the girl actually depends on how big your heart is - faint heart, never won fair lady.

The first dating idea for any man is to make a good impression. In your doing so, you don't have to talk, dress or do the common things that all the Toms do to get a decent girl's attention. Be unique, that's all you need. Be a man of his own style. Dress decently - indecency can make one be mistaken for arrogance; watch your language - obscene language gives the impression of immaturity, being uncultured and cheap; be a man of good habits - don't drink or smoke like any other loser.

How to make her fall in love with you? Take your time. Add some romance to your dating style. When in College I had a crush on the most beautiful lady in our first year lot. Though all senior guys were out to get that girl, I managed to divert her attention from the other guys. I wrote her three letters without disclosing my identity and slid into her room secretly; all I said was 'Yours Secret Admirer.' The first letter contained the meaning of her name, this I got by playing around with the initials of her name to make meaning. The second was a funny message that could only be read backwards and it was all about her physique and her smartness. In the third letter I told the girl to be ready to receive a rose flower from her admirer, but only if she could be kind enough to phone him using a number that I had included in the letter. The girl did phone me that very night, and her first words to me were, "Hallo Secret Admirer." So, the story of our love affair came to be. Later she told me that was so creative of me, no one had approached her in that manner. I made her fall in love with me and made a date in the romantic manner.

Befriending and understanding the girl you are out to get is the next important thing. This is what I also did. You have to understand that as a lady, she loves to be loved, adores to be adored and needs to be needed. This will move you closer to the girl and you'll get to know what she's into, what she likes and dislikes, and what her style is. Love is built upon friendship and it always leaves individuals better off having known each other should they break up. I and my College steady were to break some time later but to date, we are the best of buddies. Be sure that bringing out the selflessness friend in you will make her create room for you in her heart.

A shoulder to lean on and some good friend that she can always turn to is all that a lady wants. Please don't hesitate to be helpful and supportive. Be that friend who rekindles her zeal of hardworking and restoring hope back into her life when she looses hope. This above all other things will make you her daily vitamin simply because you bring out the best in her in terms of personality and character. In you, she'll have found that friend whom she can open up to, share with and advice each other on the rights and wrongs, the dos and don'ts of life. Don't forget to always be there to celebrate the good times, and to lend an ear when the girl needs you to listen as a friend.

Make the girl feel special; because she's someone's friend - your friend, and let her know that she too has touched your life in a unique way like no one else could. Compliment her for her company and for being there when you needed her, when you felt sad and all alone. Show appreciations for the comfort the girl offers you and for making you smile.

In your day to day talks, share your dreams, your world, and every aspect of your life with your girl. Always dream with her, build with her, and always cheer her on and encourage her. Tell your girl how you always think about her even when you try not to think about her. Let the girl know that she's your first thing in the morning and the last thing when you go to bed at night.

Her knowing that you were thinking of her when you slipped beneath the softness of your blanket and gave in to the bliss of sweet dreams, will make her go 'my my' and her heart will sing your name all the year round.

You have to be creative and constructive to keep girl's interest in you so full of life. I remember one time I told my girlfriend to be to imagine we are both deaf and dump. We then sat opposite each other on the table and started sharing our feelings for each other using eyes and hand signs. It turned out to be some fun. There was also this time that we were in the library and we decided we are not going to speak to each other verbal, so I wrote a love note on a paper and passed it across the table to her, she replied and on and on we carried on our love on paper conversation till we almost exhausted a whole rim of paper. At sometime, I noticed that some guys sited with us on the table were enjoying our ordeal than their studies. Such are the things that made the girl embrace my world. I remember her suggesting that we play deaf and dump two years after we broke up, can you imagine that?

Never fail to phone her, even when she least expects it. I once called some girl that I was interested in at four o'clock in the morning. When inquiring of what I was doing up so early, I told her I was in thirteenth heaven, where people think of their loved ones when they can't sleep. Wow! First thing early the next morning, she was at my door with a king-sized hug for me. No matter how many dates you take her, don't make any elbow - exceeding moves after any date, just drop her home and with a friendly handshake, wish her good night. Don't kiss her when she expects you to. Your respect as a gentleman will be earned on how patient you are with her when it comes to such matters as kissing her and accessing her inner graces.

The writing is on the wall that you want her, but you can't have her just yet. Increase your demand. Try to show her that men are also hard to get at times. Make her realize that when she feels a little dizzy, a little tired, a little sad, a little sick, a lot bored and very much cold, she's actually missing vitamin you. By this time, she'll be so much into you and since love is truthful and is characterized by open and honest communication, honestly promise her your everlasting devotion, loyalty, respect, and your unconditional love for a lifetime. Prove to her that you'll always be there for her, to listen and to hold her hand, and that you'll always do your best to make her happy, and feel loved.

Remember, patience is the key to her heart; be like that gardener watching a fruit as it hangs on the tree, day after day admiring it, but, exercising tremendous self-discipline, neither feeling the fruit, nor pinching it, nor testing it to see if it is ready. And then, one day he holds out his hand and the fruit simply drops into it, ripe, warm and eager to be eaten.

The patience and self-control which you practice will make you more attractive and charming. This will qualify you as her daily vitamin and win you that heart hers.

I wish you to meet the girl of your dreams ASAP, make her fall in love with you, and make her feel the happiest girl in the world!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/how-to-make-a-girl-fall-in-love-with-you-16617.html
About the Author
A writer Vlad Karl maintains a dating, friendship and love relationship columns on http://www.meetingland.com

Tips How to View Private Myspace Profiles

Author: PJ

We all notice that if you are a MySpace user, you've come across some profiles that you're dying taboo to view but only to catch out that they're set to private. You realize that the simply way to view their profile is to add them as a friend and hope they accept. Unfortunately, nearly of the time they don't know you and they wont accept your friend request. However, I can show you how to view private profiles on MySpace.

I know personally, I've stumbled upon a profile of someone I thought I recognized. All I need to do is look into some more pictures on their profile to be sure. But when I try to view their MySpace profile, I find it's set to private. Now I see the only way I can view their pictures is to send a friend request to them. But we all know that this can be tiresome and most of the time not work at all. If their profile is set to private, they'll most potentially not add you as a friend.

Private profiles is a great feature on MySpace, however they can be a real annoying when it comes to finding friends that you haven't seen in a long time, or becoming friends with someone that you think look cool.

Fortunately, I came across a site recently in some dark corner of the internet. On this site, you can enter the MySpace user ID and it will return with every picture that user uploaded on their profile, without having to send a friend request or gain access to their private MySpace profile. This is the greatest tool i've found in a long time. Now for all of that have wondered, here is a new way to view Private MySpace profiles. There, you'll find how to view private MySpace profiles.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/tips-how-to-view-private-myspace-profiles-186819.html

About the Author

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Pros and Cons of School Uniforms

Author: Isaac Grauke
We have worked with schools across the United States, and believe us, you are not the only person asking this question! The answers that we have heard from our customers are as varied as our customers are. The debate over school uniforms is complicated, so we've included highlights from both sides for you to consider:
Professional:
Some say that a child in a school uniform is more likely to take school seriously. Putting on the school uniform signals he or she is going to school just like dad dresses up to go to work. Schools report that when students dress in "work clothes" rather than "play clothes" they take a more serious approach to their studies.
Promotes Good Discipline:
Many think that school uniforms help maintain school discipline, decreasing the amount of discipline problems. The argument is that children today are lacking in self-discipline because parents refuse to discipline them. This makes it more difficult on the teacher who has to deal with classes of 25-30 students at a time.
Reduces Fighting and Violence:
Schools report that school uniforms decrease fighting and violence that arrise out of arguments over fashionable clothes. Children invariably tease those who do not have trendy clothes. Those who can't afford name brand clothes are often sensitive about their clothing. Schools struggling with gang problems report that school uniforms help ease tensions.
Distractions:
Many parents believe that students wearing school uniforms look nicer and that a school uniform policy ensures that children will come to school in appropriate clothing, avoiding distractions such as fads considered to be outlandish or overly revealing. Some students have turned school into an unending fashion show. This disctracts from learning, as some kids spend more time focused on thier clothes than on homework.
Values:
School uniforms stress that individuality and self-expression are not determined by designer clothing or the latest fashion fad.
Low Cost:
School uniforms are a bargain. They are becoming far less expensive than many other clothes. Schools argue that school uniforms are economical, especially compared to designer clothing, and parents agree given school uniform durability. They say school uniforms last longer because they are made for repeated wash and wear. Many schools capitalize on this by starting used school uniform stores or swap meets. Parents can get used school uniforms at discount prices, or just use them as hand-me-downs between siblings.
School Spirit:
Some feel wearing a school uniform helps build school spirit. It instills a feeling of belonging. As the Beach Boys said, "Be true to your school." Schools report an increase in school pride.
Individuality:
Supressing individuality is the most commonly cited objection to school uniforms. Educators argue that an academic program encouraging students to pursue individual thought is much more important than what they wear. They inhibit creativity and self-expression, forcing students to conform.
Causes Discipline Problems:
Some students reject any rules. Forcing them to wear school uniforms only aggravates their rebelious spirit. They alter their school uniform by tightening, widening, shortening, or lengthening them, and teachers are given the impossible task of policing the students on a daily basis.
Little or No Relationship to Academics:
Opponents insist that their is no credible evidence that school uniforms improve school discipline or promote higher academic acheivement. The principal argument is that some great students are terrible dressers. Dress does not necessarily improve learning.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/pros-and-cons-of-school-uniforms-182.html
About the Author
Isaac Grauke is manager of sales and marketing for Hall Closet Uniforms and Apparel, http://www.hallclosetuniforms.com

How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested

Author: Tonja Weimer
How can you tell if a guy likes you or is interested? You noticed him when you were standing and talking with a friend. You think he noticed you, but maybe it was your imagination or just wishful thinking. He looked at you at about the same time you saw him. Your eyes met for just a few seconds, and then you looked away. When you looked back up, he was talking with some other people. Was he watching you as you mingled? Or were you making that up? How can you tell if a guy likes you? Why are guys so hard to read?

Here are five signs that he is interested in you too. If any of the following happens, he is probably trying to get close enough to ask you out:

1. He tells someone

Is he interested? He likes you if he tells a mutual friend that he wants to know more about you, or he asks other people who you are and where you\'re from. He is trying to act like he\'s 'just asking' but his questions indicate more than a casual interest. And when he tells someone that he finds you attractive, he probably knows that it will get back to you. He\'s hoping it does.

2. The look

He gives you a look that betrays his calm exterior. Even though he is across the room, 'that look' he has says it all. It is sweeping, from your head to your toes, and then his eyes linger on yours. You think you notice the beginning of a tentative smile.

3. The conversation

Does he like you? When he manages to get close enough to you, to ask you questions, he is interested. He appears to be listening and responds to what you say. He\'s moving in to the ultimate question, which is: 'Are you seeing anyone.' He would only ask this question if he wanted to date you, and he hopes the answer is 'No.' Never ever wear a ring in public. When a guy is across the room, he cannot tell which finger it is on and he may assume incorrectly that you are taken. If he doesn\'t ask you the question of whether or not you are attached, he may ask someone whom you both know.

4. He appears unexpectedly

He likes you a lot if he shows up out of nowhere. He can only do that if he has been asking people about your schedule, or he has been paying attention to where you are going and at what time. His face may turn red when he sees you. A sudden, 'Oh, hi,' is his way of saying, 'I don\'t want to seem obvious, but I am interested in you.' If you feel the same way, do not act shy. Stop and talk to him.

5. EVERYONE likes you

Is he interested? When you are well liked and a happy person, why wouldn\'t he like you? Of course he does. If you don\'t have a great life, however, now is your time to start working on one. Take a look at your career possibilities, body image, future, plans, and resources. You may be naturally talented at something, but it won\'t matter unless you work on your strengths. Misused or unused talents fade away. School and training do not.

These are the five signs that he is interested and he is on the verge of asking you out. Make it easy for him and be friendly. This is where relationships begin.

Do you want to know more secrets about how to attract men? Do you know how to dress, what to say, what to do, and the body language to use when you go out? Do you know the 5 steps to take to meet any guy anywhere? Read on to discover all the secrets to having all the dates you want in How To Attract Men: Secrets Every Woman Should Know
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/how-to-tell-if-a-guy-likes-you-five-signs-hes-interested-320593.html
About the Author
Visit http://www.singlesdatingtips.com for more tips, skills, and insight on dating, relationships, singles, and love. Subscribe to our F*ree Savvy Dating Newsletter from master single\'s coach, life coach, and syndicated columnist, Tonja Weimer. Copyright 2006, Tonja Weimer. (Please note source if reprinting this article.)

Sunday, June 17, 2012

5 Things Jenga Can Teach Us About Structural Engineering

by 

Humans are natural-born structural engineers. If you find that hard to believe, watch a small child play with a set of simple wooden blocks. With no outside instruction -- and through lots of energetic trial and error -- he or she will eventually learn that the most stable way to build upward is to place a horizontal beam across two vertical columns.
The child's intuitive logic is the same that inspired the Mycenaean architects of the 13th century B.C.E. to construct the famous Lion Gate out of two stone columns and a slightly arched beam. It's the same structural savvy that told the ancient Egyptians that if you want to build something tall out of stone, you need to start wide at the base. And it's that same natural-born engineer in all of us that says, "Dude, if you want to win at Jenga, don't leave a single support at the bottom of the tower!"
Jenga is one of the most popular games in the world, third only to Monopoly and Scrabble in the number of units sold [source: Little]. The object of the game is simple: You start with a stack of 54 blocks -- three blocks across, 18 levels high. Each level of blocks should be perpendicular to the level below it. Each player must remove a block from near the bottom of the tower and place it on the top using only one hand at a time. Eventually the tower becomes dangerously unstable. If you're the one who finally knocks it over, you lose.
Jenga was invented by Leslie Scott, a British citizen born and raised in Kenya and Tanzania. (Jenga means "build" in Swahili.) Scott played the game with her family in Africa for years; she eventually left a job with Intel to launch Jenga at a 1983 toy fair, where it became an instant gaming phenomenon [source: Little].
Part of Jenga's charm is its simplicity; nothing but wooden blocks and gravity. But even this simple game can teach us a lot about the more complex world of structural engineering. Buildings, after all, are vulnerable to the same forces that can topple a Jenga tower -- forces like loads, tension, compression, torsion and more. An accidental bump of the game table is an excellent scale version of a catastrophic earthquake.
Let's start our exploration of the structural engineering of Jenga with a look at loads.

5: Loads

One of the most important principles of structural engineering is loading. Have you heard of a load-bearing wall? It's usually an internal wall (like the one that divides your kitchen and living room) that also serves as a column that holds up the second floor or the roof. If you remove a load-bearing wall, the structure might not be able to support its own weight -- and that spells trouble.
In Jenga, no two wooden blocks are cut to exactly the same dimensions, which means that the blocks rest on each other unevenly [source: Smith]. One of the main tricks of Jenga is locating the "loose" pieces, which are easier to remove without disturbing the integrity of the tower. If a piece is loose, then you know it can't be load-bearing.
So what does this teach us about structural engineering? When designing a building, engineers need to consider the load path from the top of the building to the foundation. Each level of the structure needs to support the forces applied downward from the levels above. There are three kinds of loads that occur in a building:
  • Dead loads -- The forces applied by all of the static components of the structure, like beams, columns, rivets, concrete and dry wall.
  • Live loads -- The forces applied by all of the "moving" elements that can affect a structure, including people, furniture, cars, and normal weather events like rainsnow and wind.
  • Dynamic loads -- Dynamic loads are live loads that occur suddenly with great force. Examples are earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and airplane crashes [source: Yes Mag].
Engineers need to do careful calculations to ensure that load-bearing walls, ceilings and roofs can support dead, live and even dynamic loads, particularly when building in seismically active zones.
The next important principle that Jenga teaches about structural engineering is the importance of a foundation.
Just as you need to find the perfect surface on which to play Jenga, structural engineers need to consider the surfaces upon which they choose to build.
Richard Elliott/Getty Images

4: Foundations

Every family has their favorite surface on which to play Jenga. The flimsy card table is out of the question because the slightest bump from an errant elbow will send your tower tumbling. The sturdy kitchen table is a solid choice, because it doesn't rumble around as easily as the card table, but nothing beats a good hardwood floor. You can't knock it sideways, it's pretty darn flat and the only threat to stability is the occasional crawling baby or pet.
Structural engineers must also consider the surface onto which they're building their structure. If you plop a 15-story building onto loose soil, the structure might settle unevenly, causing cracks in the walls or even a collapse. Even if a building is constructed atop solid rock, anearthquake could jostle it sideways, causing it to slide down the street a few feet, crushing anything in its path. That's why all modern buildings, small and tall alike, are built upon foundations.
A foundation serves a couple of key purposes. Firstly, it transfers the load of the structure into the ground. (We talked about loads on the last page.) The taller and heavier a building, the more load is driven downward. If the building sits flat on the surface, then the lowest elements in the structure would have to bear the combined load of everything above them. But with a properly engineered foundation, the load of the entire structure passes through the lowest elements and is dispersed into the earth below.
Foundations also serve the purpose of physically anchoring the structure to the ground. This is a crucial role in very tall buildings. Imagine trying to balance a yard stick on one end. You might be able to pull it off on an extremely flat surface, but even an exhale would topple it over. But what happens if you take the yard stick out back and jam one end into the ground a few inches? Now you can tap it, or even kick it, and it won't tip over. A foundation buries a portion of the building in the ground, giving it increased stability against dynamic load changes.
For tall buildings built on loose soils or sand, engineers drive steel piles deep into the earth until they reach bedrock. Then they build a reinforced concrete foundation around the steel piles to create a firm anchor on which to build.
Next we'll look at what wooden Jenga blocks can teach us about building materials.

3: Tension and Compression

In structural engineering, there are two basic forces at work in any structural element: compression and tension. Compression is the force applied when two objects are pushed together. Think of a stack of heavy stones. The force crushing down on the bottom stone is compression. Tension is the force applied when an object is pulled or stretched. A good example is the surface of a trampoline. When someone jumps down on the trampoline, the material stretches.
Engineers talk about the tensile strength of materials. This is the maximum force that can be applied to a material without pulling it apart. Bundles of steel cables have an incredibly high tensile strength, which is why they're used in the world's longest and heaviest suspension bridges. Even a single steel cable only 1 centimeter in diameter can hold the weight of two full-grown elephants [source: Yes Mag].
Now let's think about a typical structure in Jenga. If you remove the center piece in a row, then you create two simple beam-and-column structures on either side of the tower. A beam laid across two columns experiences both compression and tension at the same time. The weight bearing down on the top of the beam compresses it inward toward the center of the beam. And even though you can't see it with your naked eye, the underside of the beam is being stretched outward.
Imagine if the beam was made of rubber. The weight would stretch it into a "U" shape. That's why rubber makes such a lousy construction material. Structural engineers choose (and sometimes design) materials with the best compression and tension characteristics for the job. Stone is excellent under compression, but remarkably easy to pull apart. That's why a stone arch lasts a lot longer than a stone beam. Reinforced concrete is an ideal building material, because the concrete gives it compression strength and the embedded steel rods give it tensile strength.
Jenga towers don't get tall enough or heavy enough to apply serious compression or tension on the wooden pieces, so there's very little concern of splitting a beam. But in real construction projects, engineers need to carefully consider each element's strengths and weaknesses.
Now we'll explain why it's always better to leave two supports at the bottom of the Jenga tower.
Keeping this teetering tower upright involves a lot more than mere luck.

2: Rotational Force

Experienced Jenga players know that the quickest way to a falling tower is to pull away the two outside pieces of the bottom row, leaving the whole structure balancing on a single narrow wooden block. With only one support at the bottom, every bump and nudge of the tower is magnified, causing it to sway precariously from side to side. But what exactly are the forces that act upon a structure with such a narrow support? And what makes them so dangerous?
Structural engineers don't talk about keeping a building "balanced." They talk about maintaining rotational equilibrium. Imagine a tall building as a long lever arm with the majority of the arm above ground and a smaller section (the foundation) below ground. The point where the building meets the ground is the fulcrum of the lever. Now picture the building tipping slightly to the right or the left. Instead of merely falling over, you can think of it as rotating around the fulcrum. Engineers and physicists have two names for this rotational force: themoment or torque.
A basic tenet of structural engineering is that the longer your lever arm (or the further it is away from the fulcrum), the greater the moment. To decrease the moment of a very tall building, you need to build wide supports. The wider the supports, the lower the moment. To understand this, try standing with your feet spread wide apart and have a friend try to push you over sideways. It requires a lot of force. Put your heels together and try the same thing. Your friend barely has to touch you and you tip right over. A structure with a nice wide base is inherently more stable that a building with a narrow base.
For the last structural engineering lesson learned from Jenga, we'll talk about earthquakes.

1: Earthquake Forces

The tallest Jenga tower on record was 40 levels, reached using the original Jenga set designed by Leslie Scott herself [source: Museum of Childhood]. Most players are lucky if they can get more than 30 levels before the whole thing comes crashing down. The reason the tower becomes increasingly unstable as is grows is due to uneven weight distribution. When too much weight is located at the top of the structure, it begins to act like a reverse pendulum, swaying back and forth on its narrow connection to the earth [source:FEMA]. In Jenga, the result is a two-minute cleanup. In real life, you'd have a catastrophe.
When structural engineers choose to build in a seismically active region, they need to consider the effects of lateral vibrations on their building. When seismic waves ripple through the earth, they jostle buildings both up and down and back and forth. The up and down bumps aren't as dangerous as the lateral movements, which are more likely to lead to collapse [source: Association of Bay Area Governments].
These side-to-side vibrations are experienced differently at different distances from the ground. The higher you travel up a building, the more pronounced the vibrations. When you throw weight into the equation, the effects can be disastrous. According to the seminal text, "Why Buildings Fall Down," earthquake forcesgrow in proportion to the weight of the structure and the square of its height [source: Levy].
A top-heavy structure vibrates with a much longer period -- the time it takes to cycle through one complete vibration -- than a bottom-heavy building. A longer period also means a larger physical displacement. Take the example of a two-story building. When an earthquake strikes, the building sways 2 inches (51 millimeters) off center. When you add weight to the top of the same building (even if it's something simple like a heavy tiled roof), the sway increases to 3 inches (76 millimeters) off center [source: Association of Bay Area Governments].
We hope you've learned a few things about why buildings fall -- and what you can do to finally beat your sister at Jenga. For lots more information about family games and everyday science, jump over to the links on the next page.
Roos, Dave.  "5 Things Jenga Can Teach Us About Structural Engineering"  13 September 2011.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/5-things-jenga-teaches-structural-engineering.htm>  17 June 2012.


10 Silly Inventions That Became Wildly Famous

by 

Human ingenuity is limitless. The list of creative and brilliant inventors throughout human history is long and each story is fascinating. Some have achieved legendary status. People like Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Alexander Graham Bell helped shape our world through inventiveness. There are other stories about inventors who, working independently, created inventions nearly identical to one another at around the same time. Did Philo Farnsworth or Vladimir Zworykin invent the first electronic television? Legally, the honor goes to Farnsworth but the debate continues to this day.
But there are other inventions that don't have quite the same impact on our way of life. Some of these inventions may seem unusual or even ridiculous. Many fade into obscurity almost immediately after they appear. A few have lasting power and succeed despite -- or perhaps even because of -- the ridicule they receive from the public.
In this article, we'll look at 10 inventions that either were dismissed or embraced as being silly that ended up becoming famous.

10: Silly Putty

Our first entry was a mistake and owes its origins to a very serious matter. In 1943, General Electric engineer James Wright was working on developing synthetic rubber. As World War II raged, the Allied countries faced shortages of rubber from natural sources. Wright's experiments resulted in something that wasn't nearly as useful as rubber but would become a popular toy: Silly Putty.
Wright made Silly Putty from silicone oil and boric acid. He dropped some and saw it bounce. Over the next two years, General Electric sent samples of Wright's putty to other engineers but no one could figure out a way to use it in a practical application. By 1949, a toy shop owner got her hands on the stuff and immediately saw that it could be used for entertainment rather than industry.
Silly Putty didn't become immediately popular. A marketing consultant sunk money into it and nearly wentbankrupt before a newspaper story in 1950 created a huge demand for the product. It's been available ever since, bouncing on floors and picking up newsprint for decades. Silly Putty falls into the category of serendipitous brilliance -- also known as the happy accident.
Suzanne Somers helped propel ThighMaster into legend.
Jeff Katz/Liaison/Getty Images

9: ThighMaster

How can some padded metal tubing, bent into loops and hinged in the middle, create a craze? It helps if you have an infomercial starring Suzanne Somers using the product. That product is the ThighMaster, a piece of exercise equipment that first gained popularity in the early 1990s. You can still purchase one today -- there are even some variations and knock-offs on the market.
How does it work? It's a form of resistance training that'll give yourmuscles a workout if you use it properly. If your goal is to lose weight you'll need to vary your workout -- the ThighMaster system can help you tone muscle but isn't as effective at burning fat. And you might want to exercise with your ThighMaster behind closed doors -- it tends to look a little silly.




Ron Popeil invented and sells dozens of wild, wacky and silly inventions.
AP Photo/Reed Saxon

8: Pocket Fisherman

Centuries from now when people talk about the great minds that shaped the 20th century, it would be a shame if they left out Ron Popeil. Popeil is a salesman extraordinaire, peddling some of the oddest wares ever seen on a television screen. Whether it was the Veg-O-Matic cutting board or the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler, Popeil tempted and tickled his audiences with silly inventions of debatable usefulness.
Picking one invention from Popeil's contributions was difficult but the Pocket Fisherman makes a strong case. It's still available for purchase today. As the name implies, it's a compact fishing rod. A compartment in the handle holds hooks, sinkers and other small gear. It can fold up to fit into small compartments and yes, if your pockets are a little on the large side, it'll even fit in there, too.
Like many of Popeil's inventions, the pocket fisherman seems to solve a problem you didn't know you had. But the product has its share of devoted fans who swear by its portability and usefulness.
Furby prepares to address a stately crowd. Hopefully, it was in English and not Furbish.
Peter Kramer/Getty Images

7: Furbies

Do you want a pet but you're not ready for the full responsibility of caring for a living, breathing creature? Then perhaps a virtual pet is a good choice for you. The virtual pet craze launched in the United States when the Japanese Tamagotchi digital pets filtered into toy stores. But things really got crazy when the Furby launched in 1998.
The run on Furby toys reminded old timers of the days when parents stormed shops in search of Cabbage Patch Kids back in the early 1980s. Everyone had to have one. And what were they? The Furby was an electronic toy that would initially speak its own language but gradually learn English as you interacted with it. It could also converse with other Furby toys and used motion sensors to detect when it was being touched or moved around.
Eventually, some enterprising hackers skinned and gutted Furbies to find out what makes them tick. With a few tweaks of the microprocessor that powers a Furby's electronic brain, hackers found they could expand the vocabulary or give it voice-recording capabilities.
The Shake Weight claims to improve upon dumbbells like these by adding a spring into the mix.
Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Thinkstock

6: Shake Weight

Sometimes, infomercials take on a life of their own. Without infomercials, many of the products in this list may never have achieved fame or infamy. The Shake Weight might just fall into that category. We'll never know if this odd piece ofexercise equipment would have achieved fame without an infomercial but there's no question that advertising for the Shake Weight made it famous.
The Shake Weight consists of a handle and two weights -- but it's no dumbbell. The weights attach to the ends of the central handle via springs. You hold the handle in the center and shake it to get a workout. According to the advertisement, following the suggested workout for six minutes is equivalent to working out with normal weights for five times the routine running time. The original Shake Weight was 2.5 pounds (1.13 kilograms) -- a model for men weighs twice as much.
The Shake Weight gained fame beyond its own infomercial. It appeared in parodies on "Saturday Night Live" and on stage at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Whether you call it fame or infamy, the Shake Weight's notoriety is greater than most other exercise products on the market.
The Roomba is a vacuum cleaner robot from a company that designs some serious hardware.
Courtesy iRobot

5: Roomba

Silly is a subjective term. Not everyone thinks iRobot'srobotic vacuum cleaner is particularly silly. But when Roomba first hit the market some people laughed. A robotic disk that rolled around, bumping into things and vacuuming the floor didn't match up to the image of a bionic butler.
But the Roomba has stuck around and met with success. The engineers behind iRobot have an impressive background. They've developed robots for space exploration and defense projects. Their creations have saved lives and advanced science. It's clear the engineers at iRobot know their robotics.
The company launched the Roomba in 2002. The robot received lots of attention from the press. Today, iRobot offers other robots to help with keeping your house in shape, including the Scooba robot that mops floors and the Looj robot that cleans gutters. These robots help owners save time and effort by performing routine cleaning jobs. And they don't have any feelings so it's OK if you want to laugh at them.
With a BeDazzler, you can spruce up your clothes with as many rhinestones as you can get your hands on.
Comstock/Thinkstock

4: BeDazzler

Want to spruce up your wardrobe? Need to add some zing with bling? Then it's time to bedazzle! The BeDazzler comes to us courtesy of a Ron Popeil protégé. The inventor's name is Herman Brickman. His device lets you add some sparkle to your life by setting rhinestones into fabric. The BeDazzler resembles a manual stapler. You insert a setting and stone in the device, position the fabric just right and press down to set your stones.
The BeDazzler is still on the market. It's also the punchline to many jokes about fashion in the 1980s. Perhaps some people got a bit carried away with their newfound ability to add pizzazz to their clothing. But the device gave people the opportunity to customize clothing in a relatively easy way.
The BeDazzler is so famous that it appeared in Donald Trump's reality show "The Apprentice." That's a pretty exclusive club!

3: The Hula Chair

Wow, and you thought the Shake Weight had a weird advertising campaign. The Hula Chair and its imitators have a motorized seat that moves in a circular motion as you sit on it. According to vendors, the chair is meant to help you develop stronger abdominal muscles while simultaneously giving you an invigorating massage in the process. The commercials for the product show people performing normal activities, including office work, while sitting on a moving chair.
Whether or not the Hula Chair delivers any benefit to people trying to tone their tummies is a matter of debate. Reviews for the device point out that it's not easy to sit on a moving chair and behave as if nothing unusual is going on. According to MSNBC.com fitness correspondent Jay Blahnik, the chair won't make you shed unwanted inches around your waist [source: Does it Work]. It might make you a big hit at parties, however.

2: The Flowbee

There's an old riddle that asks how you can always tell who the town barber is. The answer is that you find the person with the worst haircut in town, because the barber would either have to perform it on him- or herself or get someone less capable at cutting hair to give it a shot. The Flowbee is an invention that promised to turn you into an expert barber even if you're performing a haircut on yourself.
The invention combines electric shears with a vacuum cleaner. Invented by Rick Hunts, the device pulls your hair through suction and trims it with recessed blades. The vacuum collects all the trimmings so you don't have to worry about a mess. The extensions allow you to cut hair to lengths of just a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) all the way up to 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) with quarter-inch increments in between.
It's not exactly a trip to the beauty parlor, but the Flowbee creates an easy way to cut hair. And the commercials are a hoot, too!
What's more fashionable than an animal print Snuggie?
Marc Stamas/Getty Images

1: The Snuggie

If there were the equivalent of an Academy Award for silly inventions it would have to go to the Snuggie. How do you improve upon the basic invention of a blanket, which is literally just a length of cloth? The Snuggie did it by adding sleeves. No longer would you have to make a choice between reading a book and being warm and snuggly under a blanket. The Snuggie would allow you to do both!
The Snuggie isn't the only sleeved blanket on the market. In fact, it wasn't even the first! Both the Freedom Blanket and the Slanket hit the scene before the smaller, less expensive Snuggie. But the Snuggie had an ad campaign that propelled it into the limelight.
It's easy to dismiss the Snuggie as a goofy novelty item. It became a popular punchline for television show hosts like Ellen DeGeneres and Jon Stewart. But what may have first began modestly as a series of gag gifts between friends has evolved into a viable business. In fact, there are members of the HowStuffWorks.com editorial staff who are proud owners of Snuggies.
Whether you're a fan of the original blue, green, pink or purple Snuggies or prefer the daring skull-and-crossbones or monkey designs, there's a Snuggie out there just waiting to keep you warm. Silly? Sure! But you can't deny it's a success!
Strickland, Jonathan.  "10 Silly Inventions That Became Wildly Famous"  25 January 2011.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/10-silly-inventions-that-became-wildly-famous.htm>  17 June 2012.