Dictionary Corner – Cryptozoology

Cryptozoology – The search for and study of animals whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Loch Ness monster and the yeti.

In fact did you know there’s a Cryptozoological Museum?

The mission of the museum is to share items cryptozoologically collected, since 1960, by Loren Coleman and gathered from other donators to his collection.

They even have a cryptozoological map of the Monsters in America. Check out the monsters living in your state.

Watch out, watch out...there be monsters about...
Watch out, watch out…there be monsters about…

Loren Coleman, author/co-author/contributor of over 100 books, is someone you’ve seen in Bigfoot and cryptozoology documentaries and reality television programs, since 1969. This museum is his legacy, and was founded in 2003. For more on the history of the Museum, click here.

Here in Florida we have the Skunk Ape. It’s also known as the swamp ape, stink ape, Florida Bigfoot, myakka ape, swampsquatch, and myakka skunk ape. It is a hominid cryptid said to inhabit the U.S. states of Florida, North Carolina, and Arkansas, although reports from Florida are more common.

Let me know if you spot any of these monsters. In the meantime, I’ll keep a lookout for the Skunk Ape…


Did you miss last week’s Dictionary Corner – Hump Day – why not check it out here


 

 

Dictionary Corner – Hump Day

There are so many words to learn, understand and discover as well as some interesting new phrases that have cropped up over the years.

Welcome to Dictionary Corner

For example: What on earth does Hump Day mean?

I guess a Camel would be happy to celebrate Hump Day on any day of the week!
I guess a Camel would be happy to celebrate Hump Day on any day of the week!

Does it mean – Grab your camels by the hump? Is Quasimodo in town and which day? What is going on with this hump? I see this phrase on forums and it seems to pop up more and more in general chats!

Hump Day actually refers to the middle of the week, and specifically, Wednesday. It has become a popular phrase, implying that you have to get “over the hump” before you can anticipate the weekend.

So next time it’s the middle of the week, see if you can drop the phrase somewhere in the conversation and see what reaction you get. At least if they look at you with a puzzled face, you can wow them with your new found knowledge or just direct them here to get the lowdown 🙂


To help you get the most of your Hump Day why not check out my regular Wisdom Wednesday articles – the posts that speak for themselves.

 

Talk! Speech Synthesizer for iOS

The Talk! Speech Synthesizer App for iOS is a lot of fun. Add some fun phrases or words that you like to say a lot and let your device speak for you.

How it works?

Enter Any Phrase You Like!
Enter Any Phrase You Like!

Open the app on either your iPhone or iPad and tap the + sign to add a new phrase. Once it’s been stored just tap the phrase and your iOS will begin to speak your phrase back to you. Keep adding as many phrases as you like.

You can also change the language and hear your phrase in your particular dialect or try some out just for fun. Select from British, American, Australian, German, South African, Irish to name but a few and choose whether you would like a male or female voice.

Add lots of phrases and speak to your friends via the Talk! Synthesizer.
Add lots of phrases and speak to your friends via the Talk! Synthesizer.

There’s also an option to change pitch and speed rate so you can play around with a high or low voice and make the voice speak really fast or ultra slow.

The app is currently available for iPhone but you can supersize it to fit the iPad screen for now. There are plans to release an iPad interface as well as iCloud integration to make it easier to share your phrases across multiple devices.

You can download Talk! Speech Synthesizer on the App Store. Check it out today and enjoy!

Download On The App Store
Download On The App Store