OT: Improve your vocab with free rice.

[mysticmoon]

I stumbled on this site this evening. It's a vocabulary quiz that donates rice for every correct answer. Personally, I think they're a bit skimpy on the rice, but still, it's fun. Here's a link: http://www.freerice.com/

And of course, if anyone wanted to write a poem, it'd be OT then...

 

[foehn2]

Sorry, seems like some sort of scam, to me. Better, would be, if they put two grains of rice on a chess board for every correct answer, and then doubled it, for the next question.

Let's see, what is 2^64?

Oh, and isn't a piccolo some variety of pickle?

I stumbled on this site this evening. It's a vocabulary quiz that donates rice for every correct answer. Personally, I think they're a bit skimpy on the rice, but still, it's fun. Here's a link: http://www.freerice.com/

And of course, if anyone wanted to write a poem, it'd be OT then...

 

[Angeline]

Sorry, seems like some sort of scam, to me. Better, would be, if they put two grains of rice on a chess board for every correct answer, and then doubled it, for the next question.

Let's see, what is 2^64?

Oh, and isn't a piccolo some variety of pickle?

How is it a scam? They're not asking for money or anything (are they?). Poetry.com is a scam. This place just seems to be trying to raise awareness to me. Maybe I'm missing something...

I agree that one grain a word seems awful skimpy though.

 

[Liar]

It's 10 grains per word.

What's a "lariat"?

 

[champagne1982]

It's 10 grains per word.

What's a "lariat"?

The rope used to tie a lassoo.

 

[unpredictablebijou]

I thought it was the adjectival form of "lair".

It's the piece of equipment used by Third Eye Sadie, Cowgrrl Prophet, to restrain overenthusiastic Irish boys.

bj

 

[foehn2]

lol, that's funny, bijou.

the etymology, i think comes from "la riata," which means, in Spanish, "the rope".

As to why it sounds like a "scam" ... well, how many starving kids does a few grains of rice feed?

 

[champagne1982]

lol, that's funny, bijou.

the etymology, i think comes from "la riata," which means, in Spanish, "the rope".

As to why it sounds like a "scam" ... well, how many starving kids does a few grains of rice feed?

A few grains of rice... If you were to answer 200 definitions correctly, you'd donate about one ounce of uncooked long grain rice, or one quarter cup. That would be enough to feed one child lunch. If you do this every day, for a year, you'd have fed 365 children lunch or one child for three months. I'm not saying it would satisfy all nutritional needs, but when you think that there are famines in this world and children are starving, your 200 correct definitions (no one said you can't look up the words before you answer) hurt no one.

 

[foehn2]

A few grains of rice... If you were to answer 200 definitions correctly, you'd donate about one ounce of uncooked long grain rice, or one quarter cup. That would be enough to feed one child lunch. If you do this every day, for a year, you'd have fed 365 children lunch or one child for three months. I'm not saying it would satisfy all nutritional needs, but when you think that there are famines in this world and children are starving, your 200 correct definitions (no one said you can't look up the words before you answer) hurt no one.

Ok, I investigated the site a little more carefully, and I suppose it's on the "up-and-up." However, it still seems a trifle screwy to me. I have nothing against building vocabulary, nothing against advertising, and most certainly nothing against feeding hungry kids. But I'd rather make a wheelbarrow full of money over and above what I think I need to survive, and then turn it into 50 truck-loads of wheat, rice, fish, or any number of things that poverty-stricken or underprivileged people need in order to have a better life.

It's not a bad thought, I suppose. Seems to be legitimate, on the surface, but how does one really know? I just think there are other venues for giving, that I would trust, more.

But "scam" was possibly the wrong use of a word (speaking of vocabulary).

I just felt, on a brief inspection, that it seemed like one of those idiotic things that people do to each other sometimes, just to get a kick out of seeing how willingly we waste our time. You know, like chain letters.

In any case, if you put 2 grains of rice on the first square of a chess board, and double the amount every next square, one would end up with enough rice to practically inundate all of humanity.

Not a big deal: I think funny. *smile*

 

[Angeline]

Ok, I investigated the site a little more carefully, and I suppose it's on the "up-and-up." However, it still seems a trifle screwy to me. I have nothing against building vocabulary, nothing against advertising, and most certainly nothing against feeding hungry kids. But I'd rather make a wheelbarrow full of money over and above what I think I need to survive, and then turn it into 50 truck-loads of wheat, rice, fish, or any number of things that poverty-stricken or underprivileged people need in order to have a better life.

It's not a bad thought, I suppose. Seems to be legitimate, on the surface, but how does one really know? I just think there are other venues for giving, that I would trust, more.

But "scam" was possibly the wrong use of a word (speaking of vocabulary).

I just felt, on a brief inspection, that it seemed like one of those idiotic things that people do to each other sometimes, just to get a kick out of seeing how willingly we waste our time. You know, like chain letters.

In any case, if you put 2 grains of rice on the first square of a chess board, and double the amount every next square, one would end up with enough rice to practically inundate all of humanity.

Not a big deal: I think funny. *smile*

It's silly to give so little for each question. I can't imagine that they have so much traffic at the site that it adds up fast.

The vocabulary questions are hard though! I used to develop the verbal sections of the SAT, and we'd work with dictionaries for days at a time, so I'm used to looking up weird, esoteric words, but these are much harder than anything we'd use (on the GRE either, for that matter). I got up to vocabulary level 45 though before I started getting them wrong. Mom would be proud lol.

 

[champagne1982]

It's silly to give so little for each question. I can't imagine that they have so much traffic at the site that it adds up fast.

The vocabulary questions are hard though! I used to develop the verbal sections of the SAT, and we'd work with dictionaries for days at a time, so I'm used to looking up weird, esoteric words, but these are much harder than anything we'd use (on the GRE either, for that matter). I got up to vocabulary level 45 though before I started getting them wrong. Mom would be proud lol.

I got to 46 before I started using google. Most times the word defs would be right in the little blurb on the google index and I didn't need to click or open another ding dong page. It took me no real time at all to donate 820 grains.

There are a lot of people visiting that site. If they actually live up to their promise, I'm betting they wind up contributing a couple of pounds a day. As far as wasting time goes, how much have we spent just sitting here reading and responding to each other, when we could be defining words?

 

[Angeline]

I got to 46 before I started using google. Most times the word defs would be right in the little blurb on the google index and I didn't need to click or open another ding dong page. It took me no real time at all to donate 820 grains.

There are a lot of people visiting that site. If they actually live up to their promise, I'm betting they wind up contributing a couple of pounds a day. As far as wasting time goes, how much have we spent just sitting here reading and responding to each other, when we could be defining words?

At least these vocabulary questions are a challenge. My mother used to get me a subscription to Reader's Digest every year (in spite of me telling her I'd really rather have New Yorker, lol). Their vocabulary test (It Pays to Increase Your Word Power) is embarrassingly easy. Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, anyone?

 

[champagne1982]

At least these vocabulary questions are a challenge. My mother used to get me a subscription to Reader's Digest every year (in spite of me telling her I'd really rather have New Yorker, lol). Their vocabulary test (It Pays to Increase Your Word Power) is embarrassingly easy. Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle, anyone?

She was likely thinking Schiesse on the New Yorker! I can get 12 issues of Reader's Digest, with those lovely Life's Like That stories every month and those schmecks at the other one, even their cartoons don't make me laugh!

eta: except this one, it makes me laugh everytime...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/champagne1982/nyrlovebirds.gif
Of course I love you. I'm programmed to love you. I'm a goddamned lovebird..."​

 

[Angeline]

She was likely thinking Schiesse on the New Yorker! I can get 12 issues of Reader's Digest, with those lovely Life's Like That stories every month and those schmecks at the other one, even their cartoons don't make me laugh!

eta: except this one, it makes me laugh everytime...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/champagne1982/nyrlovebirds.gif
Of course I love you. I'm programmed to love you. I'm a goddamned lovebird..."​

This one is my all-time favorite. It's New Yorkistan.

http://www.magazine.org/Editorial/40-40-covers/14.jpg

 

[WickedEve]

I stopped at level 40 when I got tempted to go to dictionary.com
Someone is eating rice tonight.
I'm trying again tomorrow!

 

[LeBroz]

It's silly to give so little for each question. I can't imagine that they have so much traffic at the site that it adds up fast.

The vocabulary questions are hard though! I used to develop the verbal sections of the SAT, and we'd work with dictionaries for days at a time, so I'm used to looking up weird, esoteric words, but these are much harder than anything we'd use (on the GRE either, for that matter). I got up to vocabulary level 45 though before I started getting them wrong. Mom would be proud lol.

For the skeptics out there, the thing's for real.

Caught the story on tonight's CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Site's been at it for about six weeks and, thanks to its sponsors/advertisers, they've made several hundred thousand dollars and are already shipping thousands of tons of food aid. Looks like win/win all round.

.
.

 

[champagne1982]

This one is my all-time favorite. It's New Yorkistan.

LOL @ the khouks, just a bit south of botoxia and outer perturbia...