Senses Issue by HIP 2B2

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November 2010/Issue 35

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the senses issue

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how your body makes sense of the world

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• What’s inside a touch screen? • How do bats see in the dark? • Can your nose make you rich?

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IMAGES: jan ras, Jacques Stander; FLICKR/phoney nickle. Cover photography: jan ras

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Managing editor Lindy-Joy Dennis | Copy editor Sally Rutherford | Publisher Helena Gavera | Educational consultants Wordwise | Magazine published on behalf of BSquare Communications (Pty) Ltd by New Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd New Media House, 19 Bree Street, Cape Town, 8001; Tel 021 417 1111; Fax 021 417 1112 Advertising Head office Cape Town 021 417 1111 | National advertising director Aileen O’Brien 021 417 1228; aileen.obrien@newmediapub.co.za Digital editor Jill Cicero, 8 Ink Media | Digital publisher Gillian Loos, 8 Ink Media | bsquare communications (Pty) ltd HIP2B2 General manager Cathryn Treasure production & circulation Production manager Shirley Quinlan | Circulation manager Neilton Adams 021 417 1214 | Reproduction New Media Repro | Printing Paarl Media, Paarl | For all New Business enquiries contact Bridget McCarney at 021 417 1111 | Finance manager Mark Oaten | Editorial director Adelle Horler | Creative director Crispian Brown | Production director Lucrezia Wolfaardt | Executive directors Editorial development director Irna van Zyl | Business development director John Psillos | Managing director Bridget McCarney | While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information, neither the editor, publisher nor New Media Publishing can be held liable for any inaccuracies, injury or damages that ABC 98 542 may arise.

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RA CAME TE ONw we A L O CHOCdering hommy dWon e our yu a behin mad r? Watch ideo at cove cenes v .com. the-s .hip2b2 www

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We read people

comm unity of

hip: Yo ur new smart new s, you s: From Go r views ogle boxes ...... 4 to Lego bu ildings ...... ... 6 what’s inside: A cellp hone’s touch screen ... ...... 8 Amazing animals and their supersonic senses .......... 10 . 16 help............ n a c s e s n e our s sk ater? Y t s e b e h t anna be Pullout: W mentary: How t Choc-u he s

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Find crazy facts at the bottom of every page: Your sense of smell is 10 000 times more sensitive than your sense of taste.

IMAGE: flickr/ sam cockem

We asked you to design a cover for this issue on Facebook, our website and on MXit, and here are some of the entries. From the top: Covers by Wian Venter (Durbanville High School, Cape Town), Nyiko Knowledge (Riverlea Secondary School, Jo’burg) and Geraldene Coutts (pre-school teacher, Durban). To comment on these covers or to design your own, hit www.hip2b2.com and join the THINK.crew.

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mad e .......... 18 w a e r l k i f i n g m o t o hai : Fr s t r c -eatin a g (Yuk!) .... 20 ing y f e d 22 . d feel your way n . a ser . a . . e n to success . l, h se mel s , s see , e se t n e s s r i s s a a e d b h o rs lose t Am Ta rand s: .. 28 B r u pping ...... o h O s s : e s y r sen 0 da Take you : e l ........... 3 y a e t r s o t m r a d r Sm sic an vies, mu 32 o M : e r ri .......... tu a f a s le z pop cul a puz rs: Take e t s u b brain

YOU EMAILED YOUR SPACE

From: Sihle Cindi, 14, Pretoria Subject: Latest inventions Greetings, I am Sihle Cindi, a South African inventor! Earlier this year, I emailed you to tell you about my nonfuel car, but problems came up so I postponed and redesigned it. Meanwhile, I am inventing new things, including a steam cooker that cooks faster than a stove and uses the same amount of electricity as a kettle. More is coming, but that’s it for now. Nothing is impossible with me. Thanks for your email, Sihle! Your steam cooker sounds really cool … Join the THINK.crew at www.hip2b2.com and tell us how it works. – Janna

Dear HIP2B2

We are a group of Grade 9 students at Harvest Christi an School in Port Elizabeth, and we think your mag is the bomb!!!!!!!!!! You asked what readers have been up to, so we decided to tell you about our second-term Science pro ject. We learned about Newton ’s Laws in Physics and dec ided to put our knowledge to the test by building our own model rockets. We made the bodies and eng ines in Science class, then took a class trip to a farm to launch them. Here’s a pic from the day. From Rachael, Kristen, Sol , Kendal, Liz, Veronica, Bru nna, Matt and all the rest of the Grade 9 Science students. > To view a video of the launch day, hit www.hip2 b2.com.

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Have you been wondering where our TV show has gone? We’ve got all sorts of plans, so watch this space and we’ll let you know when we get a new TV show.

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Jill’s Jabber

On MXit

It’s summertime!

School is almost out and you’ll have some time to yourself in the weeks ahead. I’d love to know what your plans are. Will you be going away for the holidays? Are you involved in a community project? Do you have a holiday job? Email me at jill@hip2b2.com and tell me what you’re up to. Make sure you get your daily dose of HIP2B2 by heading to www.hip2b2.com. Ever wondered what a microbiologist gets up to? Visit our careers section to find out! – Jill, Online Ed. Ey jill durng thz holidays im heading down 2 durban 2 experience the vibe of da coast nd im gna hve fun even if its 4 3 days only lol – Dannyboy Kgantso

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FACT FILE: The smallest muscle in your body is in your ear. It’s called the stapedius and it measures only 1,27 mm in length.

YOU TYPED Web contributions from the THINK.crew

Why do birds move in unison?

images: flickr/john watson; flickr/coxy; flickr/amelie; BA photographs by Jacques stander

By EmoCat

Animals – be they honeybees, fish, ants or birds – often move together and seem to make decisions at a moment’s notice, a phenomenon that has puzzled many researchers. According to lifeslittlemysteries.com, V-shaped formations help birds conserve energy, since each bird flies slightly ahead of the other, so there is less wind resistance. To keep things fair, birds take turns being in the front, with each bird moving to the back when it gets tired. This V-formation also enhances communication and coordination within the flock, allowing birds to improve orientation and follow their route more directly. So, birds of a feather really do flock and fly together! for us like Wanna write .hip2b2.com w w w it EmoCat? H e THINK.crew. and join th

YOU won! In our May issue, we challenged you to make your own HIP2B2 magazine. Tebello Nyapotse and Millicint Seseane (Harmony High, Virginia) blew us away with their entry (sent in by their teacher, Anchen van der Walt) … and won a computer for their classroom, a subscription to this magazine for every classmate and a HIP2B2 hamper. Hit www.hip2b2.com to see their awesome mag and some other fantastic entries.

BRAND AMBASSADOR NEWS As they prepare for their last year of school, we asked a few Grade 11 Brand Ambassadors what they’ve learned from Do you know who won HIP2B2 … iTHINK? Were you at one limit if there of the events? Hit www. the sky’s the ing is ‘Don’t tell me th hip2b2.com to find out No n. oo m on the what happened, or share are footprints s iu or et Pr dt ghar your experiences. impossible.’ Re

iTHINK

‘You may not be able to change the world today … but you can change YOUR world ever y day.’ Chelsea Tucker ‘Together we CAN make the difference.’ Chantél Schoeman

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Neil Cullen Visi0n will be the gr8est... Then when eskom fails agen, il be able to watch hip2b2 on an0ther tv... In an0ther province...

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On 16 September, Free State Brand Ambassador Zandile held a tree-planting day at her school. The Principal was so impressed he decided to make it a yearly activity. So from next year, each grade at Harmony High will plant a tree and look after it throughout the year. Way to go, Zandile!

Pass it on! Help us spread the word of HIP2B2! Write your name and email below, then pass this issue on to at least four friends, who must read it and add their details. Cut this out and fax it to 021 970 1003, post it to HIP2B2, PO Box 440, Green Point, Cape Town, 8051 or email your list to thinkoutloud@hip2b2.com, and you could each win a subscription to this magazine! Name:....................................................................... Email:....................................................................... Name:....................................................................... Email:....................................................................... Name:....................................................................... Email:....................................................................... Name:....................................................................... Email:....................................................................... Name:....................................................................... Email:.......................................................................

The largest muscle in the human body is the gluteus maximus, which is in your butt (and no, we’re not saying you have a big bum).

our wired world

smart news How well do you know your hand?

Fixing the world one piece of Lego at a time

So you know your schoolwork like the back of your hand, do you? Well, according to new research, that just means you know where it is, but you’re not so hot on the details. In a recent study, volunteers were asked to hide their hands under a board and then use a stick to point to their fingertips and knuckles. Weirdly, the volunteers thought their fingers were 5–35% shorter than they were, while they thought their hands were 6–7% wider. What’s up with that? Well, researchers think this occurs because our mind sees areas that are more sensitive to touch (like your palms and fingertips) as bigger than less sensitive areas (like the middle of each finger). Crazy!

OBAL WHALES FIGHT GITLH THEIR BUTTS WARMING … W a good

Since 2007, German artist Jan Vormann has wandered around the world, fixing cracks in buildings with Lego. That’s right, Lego. Vormann started an organisation called the Dispatchwork Project, getting volunteers from all over to help make the world a more colourful place. If you’d like to be the first person to do this in Africa, check out www.dispatchwork.info. Or to see what else Lego can do, head on over to the University of the Western Cape on 6 November, for the FIRST LEGO League Robotics tournament.

FAST FACT

Sperm whales use their senses to hunt giant squid, which can be 13 metres long! To see the hunt in action, hit http://tinyurl. com/whalevssquid.

LOOK MA, NO FUEL

Never mind walking on sunshine … ’round here, we drive on the stuff. About a month ago, car fans from all ove r the world came to compete in the SA Solar Challenge, an eco-race that gets teams to drive sola r-powered cars around Sou th Africa. This year, a team from Pretoria set two records for our country: the longest ove rall distance travelled by a local team (1 845,4 km), and the longest distance travelle d in one stretch by a local team (125 km).

ed it would be scientists decid n. A few years ago, st into the ocea ounts of iron du am ge tle hu lit p e m or du m idea to ow, and the n helps algae gr Why? Because iro the more carbon ea are in the oc n, e er th ts an pl n gree the atmosphere. ey’ll suck out of th ) O (C long before e id ox 2 di up with this idea e m ca ly al tu ac whales dive deep But whales nt study, sperm ce re a the to g in rd for air, bringing we did. Acco en they come up Th . ey w do they get pr ho h t ric Bu . nrface and eat iro element to the su lp the algae dies so it can he it out of their bo their poo. in : l way, of course grow? The natura out ab e as le ales re ocean, sperm wh n tons io ill m 0 40 In the southern trapping over , ar ye r pe n iro t 50 000 kg of e out only abou since they breath or (F . od go of carbon. And of lot WWF released its , they’re doing a 160 million tons ad our last issue re , 2010 Living Planet Report fo in oec e or m om.) in October, describing how at www.hip2b2.c

our choices are affecting the Earth’s ability to survive and support life. Read it at www.wwf.org.za.

FACT FILE: Due to the expansion of metal when it’s warm, the Eiffel Tower is about 15 cm taller in mid-summer than in mid-winter.

ANTS VERSUS ELEPHANTS No gravity, no power You have to be really tough if you want to get sent into outer space. But it seems that astronauts aren’t quite so tough when they get back to planet Earth. See, living in space isn’t easy – new research shows that astronauts aboard the International Space Station for 180 days lose up to 40% of their strength. That’s like a 30- to 50-yearold’s muscles shrinking to those of an 80-year-old. Eish.

Elephants have been known to uproot trees or strip them bare for a quick meal. So Kenya’s whistling thorn acacia trees have the ideal defence: ants. These trees provide ants with homes and food. In return, the ants attack any creature that threatens their house. But can teeny ants really help? Yes, say Kenyan researchers, who tested the ants’ protective power by driving them out of some of their trees. A year later, all the antless trees had much more damage than ant-filled ones. So how do the bugs fight such huge beasts? They bite and sting the thinnest layers of skin, the eyes and inside the trunks. The giants can’t fight the tiny ants, so they hit the road ASAP. Just proves you don’t have to be big to be great.

This could really screw up our plans to send people to other planets: NASA estimates it would take at least 10 months for a manned mission to reach Mars and they would then be too weak to accomplish much there. But don’t worry – NASA and

BY Nicklaus Kruger; images: flickr/tim bayman; nasaimages.org; flickr/arno mein; SA Solar Challenge/Nikki Brand

ESA (the European Space Agency) are working on it.

THE SCIENCE OF SNACKING It’s lunchtime, you’re starving and you don’t have a clue what’s in the fridge. So you look inside and all that’s left is some jam, carrots and eggs. What do you do? Designer Ashley Legg’s Smart Fridge concept could save you, thanks to three simple functions (in addition to, you know, refrigerating stuff). Firstly, there’s a touch-screen panel on the door that lets you record what you put in and take out, so you’ll always know what’s in there. Secondly, the fridge can use this info to give you recipe ideas – so unless you have some really weird stuff in there, you’re bound to get a meal. Thirdly, it can deliver step-by-step instructions to guide you through the cooking process. Jamie Oliver, eat your heart out.

Google invades TV Is there anything Google can’t do? They’ve taken over the world of online search, plus they’ve got Gmail, instant messaging, street maps, Google Books, Google Documents and a cellphone-operating system called Android. They’re even in the dictionary! And now they’re bringing us Google TV. GTV will be available on three devices – a Sony HDTV, a Blu-Ray player and a Logitech set-top box that connects to your non-Google TV set. As well as regular television, GTV will give you access to the internet at the push of a button and convert ordinary web videos to full-screen versions. Google cofounder Sergey Brin And the coolest recently discovered he has a 50% part? You can use chance of developing Parkinson’s any Android-powered disease. But he’s not giving up – he’s smartphone as a getting lots of exercise, drinking lots remote control. of green tea, and investing millions of Don’t believe us? dollars in Parkinson’s research Just Google it …

did you know

(it pays to be a billionaire sometimes).

Chameleons don’t change colour for camouflage purposes – the colour of a chameleon actually depends on its emotional state.

Printed cover

Conductive layer (2) Resistive layer (3)

Microdot spacers (5)

Glass substrate Liquid crystal display (LCD)

Flat cables, which transfer information

Cellphone housing and components

To download a digital version of this page, go to www.hip2b2.com.

a cellphone’s touch screen? Buttons are so last century … these days cellphones need only a screen, and all you need to do is touch it and it’ll do whatever you want (except perhaps give you the exam answers). Most touch-screen cellphones use one of two types of technology: resistive, which means the screen picks up the pressure of your finger, or capacitive, which means the screen has an electrical field on its surface, and this gets changed when someone touches it. We decided to deconstruct the Samsung Star, to see how its touch screen works. This cellphone uses a simple but

smart resistive system. Beneath the cellphone’s protective PET film (1), there is a conductive layer (2)and a resistive layer (3), separated by an air gap (4). This air gap is held open by microdot spacers (5). When you touch the screen, the surface is pressed down and the conductive and resistive layers touch each other, closing an electrical circuit. The cellphone’s computer can tell exactly where the two layers touched. Then all it needs to do is carry out whatever function was displayed on the screen at that position.

Resistive touch screen PET film (1) Conductive layer (2) Air gap (4) Glass substrate Microdot spacers (5) Resistive layer (3)

Did you know? The first touch screen was invented way back in 1971. Bet they didn’t know it would become so popular in about 40 years time …

FACT FILE: iPhone screens have a special oleophobic coating that prevents fingerprints. ‘Oleophobic’ means ‘afraid of oil’ in Greek.

illustration and text: bruce farthing

deconstruction

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic film (1)

I can hear low so with my fe unds … et!

es p to four tim I can see u an humans. better th

Senses ways dolphins make sense of their world

• Super-sight

Dolphins’ eyes can see extremely well, whether they’re cruising through dark water or coming up to the bright surface for air. Here’s how they work: • Their eyes don’t have to work together. Each one can move upwards and sideways on its own. • A special, curved lens and cornea (which is a thin layer behind the lens) make sure that light rays are bent just right for sharp focus when dolphins jump into the air. • In dim light, a layer of reflective cells, almost like a mirror, behind the retina reflects scattered light back onto the retina a second time.

sight 10

Listen to some cool dolphin sounds at http://tinyurl.com/ dolphinsounds.

Super

5 I use s bugs w ound to catc ithout lookingh .

do you speak dolphin?

FACT FILE: Owls can rotate their heads through 270 degrees – so good luck sneaking up on one.

BY Linda Pretorius; photographs: flickr/mrs gemsotone;; flickr/marco belluci; flickr/guido appenzeller; flickr/john haslam; Flickr/Longhorndave

Animal wonders

scent receptors. I have 200 million five million. ve ha s an Hum

Animals can see things we can’t. They can hear things we can’t. They can even smell things we can’t. Let’s step into their world ...

There are nearly 100 000 km of

Humans can’t hear anything above 20 kilohertz (kHz) –hit www.hip2b2.com to find out if you can hear this high sound – but dolphins can hear crazily high-pitched sounds (anything between 1 kHz and 150 kHz). But hang on, where are their ears? Well, they don’t have external ones like ours. Instead, they have fatty tissue in their lower jaw, which directs sound waves to the middle and inner ear. From there, the nerve that carries the signal to the brain is almost twice as thick as ours, which helps get messages processed in a flash.

• good taste

Although we don’t know much about dolphins’ sense of taste, we know they have taste buds on their tongues, just like humans. They can pick out sweet, sour, bitter and, yup, salty.

taste

echolocation

hearing

• Amazing ears

• seeing sounds • Touchy-feely

Dolphins have gazillions of touch receptors in their skin and are especially sensitive to water movements close to their heads, flippers and genitals. Dolphin calves (babies) also have whisker-like hairs around their mouths, which help with touch when they’re young. They lose these whiskers after nursing.

touch

blood vessels in the human body – enough to go around the world 2,5 times.

Dolphins can also ‘see’ with their ears. They make high-pitched click sounds, which bounce off any object that’s close to them and come back to their ears as an echo. The echoes are used to create a sound map of their surroundings. This is called echolocation – Turn the page to see how it works …

Got a cool fact for us? Email thinkoutloud@hip2b2.com.

Echolo-what?!

Have you heard about the WOWee? It’s a portable speaker with a difference – the perfect prize for music lovers! Hit www.hip2b2.com to find out how you can win one!

So how does echolocation work? Well, imagine you’re standing at the edge of a canyon. You shout ‘Hello!’ and after a short while you hear an echo. The sound has bounced off the other edge of the canyon and back into your ears. This is exactly how animals like dolphins and bats find their way in the dark. They send out high-pitched squeaks or clicks and if there’s something in their way, the sound will bounce off the object and return to the animals’ ears. Because they know how fast a sound wave travels – in water or in the air – they can work out how far away the object is just by measuring how long it took to hear the echo. Their brain just does this stuff automatically – they don’t even need to write the calculations down!

But what about direction? These animals can also use time differences to tell the direction an echo is coming from: if both ears hear the echo at the same time, the object is straight ahead; if the echo reaches the left ear first, it’s on the left; if it reaches the right ear first, it’s on the right. Sneaky … High frequency sounds work best for echolocation. The higher the sound, the shorter its wavelength. And the shorter the wavelength, the smaller the object that can be detected – which is really handy when you’re looking for a tiny fish or mosquito to munch.

photographs: flickr/jessicajil

Higher frequency shorter wavelength

Lower frequency longer wavelength

talk to us

What animal’s senses impress you the most and why? Tell us by contributing to the THINK.tank on www.hip2b2.com.

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN

After feasting on insects all night, a bat flies back into its cave, with the wall straight ahead. The bat sends out a squeak and hears the echo after 55 milliseconds. How far is it from the cave wall? Remember that sound travels at 343 m/s in air.

SOLUTION: Aha, we’re not going to make it that easy ... Hold this up to the mirror to see the answer. If you’re not sure how we got to this answer, hit www.hip2b2.com.

9.43 m

FACT FILE: Pele, who is widely regarded as the best soccer player of all time, is actually named Edson Arantes do Nascimento.

The nose that knows

Scientists think dogs are at least 100 000 times better at sniffing out things than we are. They have almost 200 million scent receptors, while we’ve only got five million. But the area in their brains dedicated to smell analysis is also almost 40 times bigger than the area in our brains. Spot’s wet nose is key to his sense of smell. When he sniffs, any scent molecules in the air attach to his snout and dissolve in the mucus lining his nose. This helps him smell stuff at much lower concentrations than we can. Dogs need only five footsteps to follow a human odour (smell) trail. Scientists asked someone to walk forward on a line of loose carpet squares, placing only one footstep per square. Dogs brought in to the trail at right angles could correctly sniff out its direction when there were five squares or more. The scientists then removed some of the squares. With only three squares left, the dogs couldn’t pick up the scent.

Good vibrations With such huge ears, you’d think elephants wouldn’t need help hearing stuff. But scientists recently showed that these creatures use their feet to pick up sounds of 20 Hz or lower – which we can barely hear. Elephants make rumbling sounds of very low frequencies when they’re alarmed. The vibrations travel along the ground and warn others of the danger. Scientists think elephants have sensitive nerve endings in their feet to pick up these vibrations.

There’s good reason why someone with sharp eyes is said to have eagle eyes. Because eagles really do have sharp eyes. Some eagles can see up to four times better than humans, which means that what we can see at five metres, eagles can see at 20 metres. Of course it helps to have almost five times as many lightsensitive cells in the eye as we do. Eagles also have two areas for sharp focus in each eye, while humans have only one. And as if that’s not enough, eagles’ eyes can pick out five basic colours, while our eyes can only see three – red, green and blue (the rest are just a combination of these A supertaster is someone who three). finds tastes especially strong.

Are you a supertaster?

Research shows that roughly one in four people is a supertaster and these people often don’t like food that’s too bitter (like coffee), too spicy (like chilli) or too extreme in any way. It all depends on the number of taste buds you have on your tongue … do this test to find out if you fit the profile.

• food colouring • cotton buds • reinforcement •

rings for holepunched paper magnifying glass

Nontaster

Stick out your tongue and dab some food colouring on the tip using a cotton bud.

Normal taster

Stick the reinforcement ring on the coloured part of your tongue (near the tip).

Supertaster

Share your results and pictures with us by contributing to the THINK.tank on www.hip2b2.com!

Place the magnifying glass over your tongue and count the pink spots inside the ring (these are your taste buds, which don’t absorb the dye). If you have over 30, you’re probably a supertaster; if you have 15 to 30, you’re likely a ‘normal’ taster, and if you have fewer than 15, chances are you’re a nontaster, which just means that you prefer stronger flavours (like very salty or spicy foods).

FACT FILE: Humans have as many hairs per square centimetre as chimpanzees do, but most of our hair is too fine to be seen.

photographs: flickr/guido appenzeller; flickr/jon hurd;flickr/partick garvery

did you know?

Eagle eyes

Your friends love toasted sandwiches. They eat them in the quad where you practise. When you inhale, the cheeseand-tomato molecules come in with the air and dissolve in the watery mucus lining your nose. At the roof of your nose, a patch of receptor cells pick up the scent and send signals to your brain. Mmmmm. Smells good!

Smells good

You need to keep your eyes wide open if you want to conquer the ramps. But how does sight work? Well, imagine you’re approaching a ramp. Light reflects off it and hits a layer at the back of your eye, called the retina. The retina contains thousands of cells and inside these cells are light-sensitive pigments (dyes). When light hits the dyes, their structure changes, causing a signal to zip all the way along the optic nerve to your brain. The brain combines all the signals and tells you to prepare for take-off!

LOOK OUT

n e. De It sou balanc acs called u o y help h sac two s ar are saccule. Eac gooey each e d by ich n vered ls, wh ricle a the ut hair cells co e tiny crysta d. This ar ea ns contai ide the goo u tilt your h telling s o n y rs, I . a n whe he h i stuff eways and bends t id s e slid goo (called n the g.’ pulls o n: ‘I’m tiltin three loops he spin. 0, rai ndle t sa your b you do a 36 you ha also contain is lp n e e h ) th d Wh ls t n a u a n ca –b uid rcular ith liq gooey stuff he liquid in w d e semici ll t re , op is fi head, u spin nd mo Each lo hair cells a stals. As yo ion to your f t y o cr rec bunch n’t contain site di es e oppo he hairs. o h ng’), d t o n i o g spinni ing t flows ’m d n ‘I s ( e p b o n i the lo yes o and ur bra your e the go t to yo ld pulling nfo gets sen signals from uscles (‘Ho m d t n s a This i ines it with ng’) dy mu spinni comb our bo which verything is ide what y (‘E o dec ht!’) t ight. Phew! on tig pr stay u do to

ncuet ydour ears a l a b y Sta ds strange, b ep inside

You need lots of energy to skate and bananas are great fuel-food. When you bite into the fruit, it releases chemicals, which dissolve in your saliva. This flows into your taste buds – cup-shaped groups of cells on your tongue – and triggers a signal to your brain, telling you what you’re tasting.

CHOW DOWN

oss You’re about to skate acr you car a a parking lot when g. rnin wa a ts didn’t notice hoo your into el trav ves The sound wa m. dru ear r you on h ear and pus chain The eardrum pushes on a t ins of bones, which push aga r you of a membrane at the top lled d-fi flui , cochlea (a curled-up the tube with tiny hairs along h on pus es bon the bottom). When ve wa a d sen y the e, this membran a, hle coc the in d flui down the s sends wiggling the tiny hairs. Thi y nerve a signal along your auditor … l to your brain. Close cal

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Imagine yo skater in to u’re the best be able to p wn. You wouldn’t ull any wasn’t for y our senses tricks if it .. and we’re n ot just talk . ing about the b asic five.

Email: thinkoutloud @hip2b2.com

Visit our website: www.hip2b2.com

KNOW YOUR BODY

Your five basic sens es tell you what’s going on aro und you. But your body also knows where every part of it is in relation to every other part. Th is ‘sense of self’ is called propri oception, and it’s what allow s you to touch your nose while ke eping your eyes closed (go on , try it …). Sensors called pro prioceptors are found in your mu scles, tendons and joints . They send info to your brain wh enever you move, so your brain can help you hold up your pa nts while you spin through the air .

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d against the When your finger scrape sent signals wall, your pain receptors triggered a to your spinal cord, which pull your hand reflex action to make you o travelled up away. But the message als ld form a to your brain, so you cou eful next time. memory and be more car

six for cold and one for heat.

200 for pain, 15 for pressure,

222 receptors:

You scraped your fing still a wall this morning and it’s square stinging a little. On every have about you centimetre of your skin,

BE CAREFUerL!as you passed

By Linda Pretorius; iillustration: Gary Bottger/sparx Media

? late come from y o c o h c s e o d all Where elp prove it’s re h e c n ie c s n a And c found out ... e W ? u o y r fo good

Chocolate bars don’t grow on trees. But the cocoa beans they’re made of do. Cocoa trees grow in hot, dry climates and are known to botanists and people who speak Latin as Theobroma cacao (‘Theobroma’ is Latin for ‘food of the gods’ … and we totally agree). Each tree produces big, dark pods that are about as long as your school ruler, and inside them you’ll find 20 to 60 seeds, or beans. Each bean contains a fat called cocoa butter, and when you crack a pod open, the precious seeds are clumped together to look like a white mielie.

Is chocolate really bad for you?

FAST FACT

About two thirds of the world’s cocoa is made in West Africa, with about 43% coming from Cote d’Ivoire.

Not necessarily. But don’t raid the chocolate tin just yet. According to scientific research, only dark chocolate has been shown to have health benefits, and even then, you shouldn’t have too much. Dark chocolate contains high levels of cocoa, and the more cocoa there is in a slab, the more antioxidants it contains. These chemicals help to keep your heart healthy, giving you a very good reason to treat yourself every now and then. Of course, the stuff is still high in fat, so don’t overdo it, okay?

By Will Sinclair (with the help of huguenot fine chocolates); images: flickr/timothy takemoto; flickr/everjean; jan ras

the tasty truth

FACT FILE: Food tastes boring without your sense of smell. Don’t believe us? Block your nose and try to taste which jellybean flavour is

y r t a n e m u The yummy history

People in Mesoamerica (the area that stretches from Mexico to the Amazon jungles) have been making chocolate for centuries. The ancient Aztecs who lived there used to make a cocoa drink called xocolatl, which meant ‘bitter water’ in their Nahuatl language. When the Spanish conquered the Aztec lands in the 1500s, they brought cocoa beans back to Europe … and the drink became hugely popular there.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist and his son found a way to extract cocoa butter from cocoa beans. By removing the cocoa butter, the cocoa powder became much less bitter and more awesome to drink. About 20 years later, an English company thought of mixing the cocoa butter back into the cocoa powder, adding sugar and creating a paste. This paste became the world’s first dark chocolate bar. Thirty years later, a Swiss guy named Daniel Peters (or a guy called Henri Nestlé,

depending which books you read) added milk powder to make the first milk chocolate. Fast-forward another 100 years or so and you’ll have reached the time when Bar One was born. Bet you didn’t know where it was created, though … right here in South Africa! Do you know where

HOW CHOCOLATE IS MADE The secret to making great chocolate lies in those little beans … and in what gets done with them. Let’s follow the process, all the way from the cocoa trees in West Africa to the slab you’ve got stashed in your bag.

Cocoa pods are cut down from the tree with a knife or by prodding the really ripe ones with a stick until they fall off. The pods are cut open and the beans and their surrounding pulp are taken out and put in piles to ferment. Then the beans are left in the sun for about a week to dry.

which.

The dried beans are cleaned and roasted. Then the shells are removed and the nib (that’s the part inside the cocoa bean) is taken out and ground down into a powder.

The cocoa powder is liquefied to create cocoa mass or cocoa liquor (which isn’t alcoholic). The cocoa butter is then extracted from the cocoa mass.

This is the fun part. Depending on what type of chocolate is required, the chocolate maker has three different options: For DARK CHOCOLATE (the superbitter stuff), you mix sugar, cocoa butter and cocoa powder. For MILK CHOCOLATE (the normal, lightbrown chocolate), you mix sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, milk powder and vanilla. For WHITE CHOCOLATE you leave out the cocoa powder, and simply mix sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder and vanilla.

your taste buds for bitter foods are? Hit www.hip2b2. com to find out why things taste different according to where they touch your tongue! Now take a look at the wrapping on the chocolate bar in your school bag – any ingredients other than the ones we’ve listed here (like vegetable fat, emulsifiers or flavourants) are really just there to bulk the stuff up or change the flavour or texture.

Your heart pumps an average of 5 litres of blood a minute (though this can rise to 30 litres a minute with heavy exercise).

CRAZY CASES

SENSE-DE acts These baffling feats made no sense to scientists – never mind the crazy people who did them!

ACT

WALKING ON FIRE … WITHOUT FEELING IT!

ACT

RUBIK’S CUBE

WHEN? Since, like, forever SOLVED … WITHOUT SIGHT! WHEN? 16 April 2005 WHERE? Kalahari Desert WHERE? California Institute of Technology WHO DID IT? !Kung shamans WHO DID IT? Leyan Lo, 19 years old WHAT HAPPENED? These tribal healers have been seen WHAT HAPPENED? Leyan solved the Rubik’s Cube in two minutes and walking over hot coals without getting burnt or hurt. But you 41,54 seconds. Nothing weird about that … except he did it blindfolded. don’t have to be a healer to do it – firewalking workshops are HUH?!? BUT HOW? Leyan claims he studied the cube (in less offered in South Africa, and kids as young as 10 can take part. than a minute) before memorising the solution. Then he HUH?!? BUT HOW? Some scientists say the coals aren’t hot put on the blindfold and solved the puzzle faster enough … but they probably don’t get invited to many than you can read this page! braais. Other scientists (who know their boerewors from We use our myth SINCE THEN Lo beat his own record twice within a year their coleslaw) say it has to do with the Leidenfrost buster to find out if (taking his time down to 1:28.82), but that time has been Effect – which is when sweat or water on the soles of blind people can hear beaten 12 times since then, with the current blindfolded your feet creates a thin layer that protects you from better than the rest record – set by Chinese toymaker Haiyan Zhuang – being the heat. This is also why you’re able to rub spit onto of us! Head to a ridiculous 30,04 seconds. Freaky stuff. your fingers and then put out a candle. www.hip2b2.com NEED PROOF? Watch Zhaung crack the cube in 45 seconds NEED PROOF? See the Leidenfrost Effect in action at to find out! at http://youtu.be/8uBVLwtpIvw. http://youtu.be/wV7g8L633Sg.

FACT FILE: The part of your brain that processes smells is directly linked to the part that handles emotions and memories. That’s why the

DEFYING

DID YOU KNOW?

By Will Sinclair; iillustrations: Rob hoper/flaming pencil

ACT

EATING HAIR … WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT THE TASTE!

WHEN? November 2007 WHERE? Chicago WHO DID IT? Unnamed woman, 18 years old WHAT HAPPENED? A woman lost her appetite, was constantly vomiting, and had lost 18 kg in five months. When her doctors took a closer look, they found a 4,5 kg hairball in her stomach! HUH?!? BUT HOW? The woman suffered from a condition called trichophagia, which made her eat her own hair. Eugh. It’s a form of the disorder called pica, which causes people to eat chalk, coins, soap, paper, sand and other gross stuff that doesn’t go on sandwiches. SINCE THEN She’s stopped eating her hair. Phew! NEED PROOF? To read the doctors’ report, and to see the nastiest picture of a giant hairball ever, check out http://tinyurl.com/hairhorror.

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN

How many possible positions can the corner pieces of a Rubik’s Cube be in? Well, because it’s a cube, it has eight corners. The first corner can take any of the eight corner pieces, but after you place one of those, the second corner can only have seven, and so on until only one piece is left for the eighth corner. So the answer is 8 x 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 40 320.

smell of sunscreen can remind you of a summer holiday you took five years ago.

ACT

Ever wondered why the water on South Africa’s east coast is warm while the west coast is ice-cold? It’s all got to do with ocean currents. The east coast gets its water from a toasty, tropical region near Madagascar, while the west coast has its icy water piped in all the way from Antarctica.

SWIMMIN WITHOUT F G IN ICE-COLD WATE EELIN R… WHEN? 2 7 Novemb G IT!

er 2003 WHERE? Ta ble Bay, C ape Town WHO DID IT? Sarah Kay, 12 ye WHAT HA ars old PPENED? Sarah was freeeeeezi se en swimm ng waters ing in the off the Ca temperatu pe coast, re is 10 to w h e re the 14°C. But the averag here’s the e core tem w e ird part: p erature of is 37°C, a a human b nd if it dro o d p y s below 35° hypotherm C, it can c ia – which a u se le a damage, b ds to shiv ering, tiss rain dama ue ge and som But someh etimes eve ow Sarah n death. was fine. HUH?!? B UT HOW? Exercise – – helps to like active keep the b swimming lood circu temperatu lating and re up whe th e body re it needs to SINCE THE be. N In 2004 , 1 0-year-old Aditya Rau swimmer t swam fro m Three A Island to B nchor Bay loubergstra to Robben nd in six h minutes. S ours and 4 ome dared 2 evils have to swim n even been ear the No known rth Pole! NEED PRO OF? They didn’t catc camera, b h Sarah Ka ut check o y on u t this vide 57,5 metr o of a man es under a swimming sh e et of ice. B http://tin yurl.com/ rrrrrrrrr! crazyicem an.

A soccer player runs about 10 km during a match.

careers

It makes sense to do what you enjoy. Pick your favourite job and see, hear, smell, taste and feel your way to success!

If you’re interested in the way eyes work, then you may enjoy being an optometrist. Optometrists help people to see better, whether it’s through spectacles, contact lenses or eye exercises.

Subjects you need You’ll need at least 50% in Maths and Physical Science, but the better you do, the better your chances. Some institutions also require English and Life Sciences. What to study Either a B.Optom degree (four years), or an N.Dip (diploma) in Optometry through the Technikon Witwatersrand (three years), followed by the B.Tech in Optometry (another year).

If you love talking and listening and you want to help people, then you may want to be a speech therapist or an audiologist. As a speech therapist, you’ll help those with speaking problems like stuttering. As an a audiologist, you’ll test people’s hearing, fit hearing aids and give therapy to patients with hearing problems.

Subjects you need Maths, Physical Science and Life Sciences are recommended. This field is very competitive and only high marks will get you in.

sight vs site

What to study A four-year Bachelor’s Have you considered degree, which is offered by the faculty ophthalmology as a career? of Arts or Medicine (depending on the Head to the careers section university). You can do it at the following on www.hip2b2.com where universities: Pretoria, Wits, Durban-Westville, we chat to a real-life Cape Town and Stellenbosch. ophthalmologist.

Did you know?

A ‘master perfumer’ can identify 1 500 to 2 000 smells

FACT FILE: Did you know that your senses can help you make money? Shops, for example, often use the smell of vanilla to get people to

If you can imagine the smell of a bubblegum slush puppy without even being near it, you probably have a great sense of smell and would be a great fragrance and flavour maker. These guys mix essential oils to make perfumes and come up with new food flavours.

If you like helping old ladies cross the road or teaching children to tie their shoelaces, then you already do what occupational therapists get paid to do! After an injury, people often need to relearn how to walk or complete simple tasks – that would be your job. If you prefer giving massages and learning about the body, you should look into physiotherapy. These people often work with dancers and athletes.

Subjects you need At least 50% in Maths and Physical Science. It is very competitive, so the higher your marks, the better your chances.

Subjects you need You need to do really well in Maths and Physical Science. Life Sciences also helps.

What to study At least a BSc in Biochemistry and

What to study A B.Occupational Therapy

Chemistry. To be involved in cutting-edge scientific research, you’ll need an Honours, Masters and PhD.

or B.Sc. (Occupational Therapy) degree; or a B.Sc. in Physiotherapy or B.Physiotherapy degree.

by michelle ainslie; images: flickr/ logan ingalls; flickr/us army africa; flickr/woodley; flickr/stuart heath; flickr/uberto pink; flickr/aiden jones

Fast fact:

When Jamie Oliver was in school, the other boys thought cooking was for girls. But Jamie didn’t care – he was already earning enough cash to buy the coolest takkies in town.

If you can easily tell the difference between tastes and textures, then maybe you should become a chef or food technologist. You can even create new foods – like William Kellogg, who created Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1906.

Subjects you need You’ll need at least 70% in Physical Science and Maths to become a food technologist, and although you don’t need specific subjects to be a chef, Maths will help you work out ingredient amounts, cooking temperatures and volumes. To test your skills, see if you can work this out: You add 200 g of sugar to 1 litre (1 000 ml) water. How much liquid do you have? (1 g sugar = 1,25 ml). What to study Visit www.saafost.org.za for info on food technology and www.southafricanfoodies.co.za to find out about South Africa’s chef schools.

Crazy sensory careers Frog licking

Some frogs have poisonous stuff on their skins to make predators spit them out. The poison often tastes bitter and that’s why Valerie Clark – a researcher who is studying frogs’ chemical defenses – wanders around the jungle licking frogs. If a frog has a bitter taste, Valerie knows it’s worth taking to her lab. WARNING: don’t try this at home – some froggy toxins are fatal, so you need to know which frogs shouldn’t be licked!

t?! a h w do y e h T

Sting and tell

An entomologist (someone who studies insects) named Justin Schmidt wanted to figure out which bees, wasps, hornets and ants had the most painful sting or bite. So he let 78 critters bite him and rated the pain from 0 to 4. The worst: the bullet ant, whose bite has been compared to a gunshot wound!

come inside and buy things. Estate agents also sometimes fry bacon or onions to make a home smell nice on a show day. Sneaky ...

deaf&Blind What would life be like if you couldn’t see or hear? Two Brand Ambassadors tried it out for one day.

TRY IT OUT

What would life be like if you couldn’t see or hear? Two Brand Ambassadors tried it out for a day ...

Inter view

Elsabè Döman (35)

photos: jacques stander; flickr/arjan veen

SA’s first deaf church minister I went into this thinking, ‘Oh, cool, I get protection from my sister’s less-than-amateur shower singing’, but little did I know what it actually entailed … 9:00 The earplugs are in. This isn’t so bad as I now have complete silence and can concentrate. I use the time to lounge around and doodle on my history textbook. 10:00 There’s only so much ninja-like concentration I can handle before I get fidgety. My accounting project sits on my desk. I decide to use my newfound stealth skills to tackle this assignment. 12:00 Three hours since I put the earplugs in, and I’m getting quite annoyed. I’ve finished my project and have no clue what to do. 14:00 My first interaction as a deaf person! My mother and I try (and fail) to have a conversation using only hand signals. We end up writing notes to each other.

15:00 Were you born with your I’m dragged out to the Spar. disability or did it occur As embarrassed and nervous during your lifetime? as I am to walk around the My parents are both deaf south of Jo’burg with one and I was born deaf, as were less sense, I’m curious my siblings. My mother’s family was born to know how it’ll affect 100% deaf and my father’s family 50%. me. I don’t seem to How have you overcome being deaf? get super-abilities I can’t answer this, because being deaf vadia like in that movie is normal to me and my family. I am proud o o C d a Fua Daredevil, but my of my family and of being deaf. other senses do What motivated you to work so hard? seem to take the I never expected to become a minister or place of my hearing. to further my studies. Because my Hearing would still be great – family is deaf, no one went to I think I just upset the teller by college or university. But I realised ue sc re e th to Science live to not answering her questions. God had a plan for me. Now I can e hav ’t don you s, day These se sen 17:00 teach deaf people in their language r you e los you if nce in sile ific 3 … 2 … 1 … I can hear! and show them we can educate ent sci of hearing. Thanks to ctly What I thought ourselves. It is not impossible. exa d tan research, we unders d ate cre e I’m not going to tell you how What advice would you give to hav and , how the ear works r. this changed my life or how easy young people with disabilities? hea you p hel hearing aids to r ake we I thought it would be. Yes, it was You can grow and it’s never to late s get g rin hea s Everyone’ y ma difficult, but at the end of the to learn. Deaf people should be you y wh t’s tha and , with age ind beh day I could take out the earplugs able to stand on their own feet aid g rin hea a d ice not have and get on with my life. For deaf and not only rely on other people. models e som But . ear a’s ndp Gra see n eve people, the trial never ends, and A lack of communication is no n’t are so small you would lly cia spe we’ll never know what it’s like to excuse. I did it and so can they. are s them – the latest one . ear ’s son truly have a disability. per a ide ulded to fit ins

FACT FILE: Sound waves travel four times as fast in water as in air.

Silenetss witn

Got a fact to share? Mail it to us at thinkoutloud@hip2b2.com.

Darelin M okwena

I always knew about ‘Blue Monday’ and ‘Black Friday’ … Then HIP2B2 introduced ‘Blind Sunday’ to my vocabulary list. Here’s what happened. 09:00 I take a last (‘illegal’) peek at my surroundings and put my eye pads on. Suddenly, I’m left with only the natural sensitivity on! to light our eyes have when go rs ke in bl The they’re closed. I can easily move around my room, as this was the last room I saw. The rest of the house is left to visual memory. Uh oh. 10:00 I meant to choose what I wanted to wear before I put the blindfold on, but I forgot. I swing my cupboard doors open and stand there, waiting for that ‘Aha!’ moment to arrive. It doesn’t. So I call for help and rely on my friend to make me look presentable.

Science to the re scue

If your sight’s not so great, you can get glasses, contact len ses or even eye-laser surgery to help you to see more clearly. If you’re totally blind , technology is available to help yo u too. One solution was created right here in SA by Louis van Biljon , a 2008 HIP2B2 Bran d Ambassador. Louis invented ‘Eyes for th e Blind’, an infrared box that gets strapped to a blind person’s body and warns him or he r when an obstacle’s ahead. Check it out at www.hip2b2.com .

11:00 I fumble around in search of breakfast. In the kitchen, I realise two things: 1. Although I know where the food is, I can’t tell the difference between products that are packaged using similar materials (eg, cardboard boxes). 2. I can’t tell how much food I want. Once again, I must ask other people. 12:00 Just survived a shopping trip. Here is my ‘Official Guide to Sightless Shopping’: First: pay attention to the ‘feeling’ of your surroundings (eg, soft, varying textures = clothing store). Second: the atmosphere of the store gives a clue as to what it is (vibrant atmosphere, people bustling past with trolleys = grocery store). Third: smells can help you navigate a store (while walking in a pharmacy, a sweet scent assaulted my nose and I knew immediately I was in the fragrance aisle).

13:00 Lunch! I’m led to the table and given a ‘guided tour’ of my place setting. Amazingly, I manage to polish off a plate of food and dessert without causing too much damage. 15:00 I can’t read a word or operate devices. I think I can find my way around the house until I walk (face first) into a wall. 16:00 My eye pads come off and I greet the world with a heart full of appreciation for sight. What I thought Although this has taught me to savour food and to use creativity to link images to sounds, I’m relieved to regain my sight. I’m also pleased to gain an understanding of the struggles blind people face.

WANNA try stuff like this?

If you’d like to try things out like Fuaad and Darelin did, email us at thinkoutloud@ hip2b2.com and we’ll get you involved.

and earns a salary. s without sight … et sk Inter vieaw ba s ve ea W ) nda Els (21 the ages of

tween hear. Worcester be be able to speak or to t no am very happy in I . 18 d an it five or did ? do u yo do Were you born blind rk wo id a salary. t Wha my job and I am pa lifetime? ich hold wh , ets sk occur during your ba e you give av uld we I What advice wo baby and xt I was a premature that you can put ne o have r wh pe pa le, to young peop en in the e for messages. on I got too much oxyg ph ur yo to ? disabilities t me blind. incubator, which lef u will I’ve been in this job If you help others yo e om erc ov u yo ve . ha w ars ye . And if Ho for three be helped in return ing the this disability? yth I went to you have faith, an my life ol ho I have been blind all Sc r Pionie is possible. ything so I do not know an Blind in the for rse be wo else. I think it would

FACT FILE: Camels don’t store any water in their humps – they actually store fat, which they can draw on when food is scarce.

photos: jacques stander; flickr/dullhunk

TRY IT OUT

y a d n u S Blind

fashion & accessories

Now wave your sweets

These yummy rainbowcoloured, handmade sweets come in a painted tin can created by a local artist. So while you treat your tongue to some vanilla-flavoured sweets, you can check out the awesome artwork.

http://africanmusicstore.co.za

smart style Our senses went shopping for the coolest stuff in town. Here’s what they found . . .

Big (Blue) ideas

chocolate mouse

This slab of chocolate won’t make you fat … but it won’t taste good, so don’t eat it, okay? Because it’s actually a computer mouse. It’s compatible with a Mac or a PC, and it even comes with a USB port. Its choc-slab design also makes it easy to carry and store.*

As you can see, we’re loving the stuff from a shop called Big Blue. But it’s not just the products that make this shop cool. It’s also the smart people who started the business. More than 20 years ago, two South African guys got tired of the corporate world and opened a stall at a flea market. Today, they’ve got 21 shops in Cape Town, Jo’burg and Pretoria. Their advice to you: ‘If you’re lucky enough to know what you want to do, stick to it, don’t give up and it will work out.’

www.bigblue.co.za

Is that a cow on your feet?

Reebok’s shaggy-looking, fluffy-feeling Gremlins Geezmo Pump sneakers are modelled after a 1984 horror movie called The Gremlins. But there’s nothing scary about this funny, funky footwear – in fact, we think they should’ve been named after a feel-good film. www.shelflife.co.za

Feeling cool Nike’s retro wind runner sports jacket was originally made for runners. But somehow, thanks to hip-hop stars, it made its way into fashion. It’s really lightweight, and the nylon fabric lining will keep you cool even when bustin’ a move. www.shelflife.co.za

FACT FILE: Just before the Soccer World Cup of ’66, the trophy was stolen. There was a ransom demand, an investigation, a car chase, and

Finger music

Let your fingers do the jamming on this electric finger-drum set. It has a record button, a play-back button and some prerecorded background beats so you can make your own music just by tapping your fingers.*

Bendi board

This silicone Bendi board makes typing fun, because it’s – you guessed it – bendy and it feels rubbery to the touch. Not only does it come in funky designs, but it also comes with its own USB port adapter to suit any computer. Plus after you finish your typing, you can roll it up to save storage space.*

Lick your lips wanna win a chocolate mouse and a bendi board?

BY Lindi miti; images: Shavan Rahim

Have you seen a gadget that is smart and stylish? Hit www.hip2b2. com, join the THINK.crew and tell us about it/upload a photo, and you could win the mouse and keyboard above!

It may look like ice cream and it may smell like ice cream but it doesn’t taste like ice cream. Why? Because these cute little tubs contain ice cream-flavoured lip balm. Scoop a little onto your lips to keep them soft and supercomfy.*

finally the trophy was retrieved by a dog.

Smelly candles Check out the noughts and crosses and squiggles on these crazy floating candles. Made in SA and decorated in lots of bright colours, they’ll fill your room with a pretty glow and the sweet scent of vanilla. Mmmmmm.

WAKE UP! This cute mini-alarm clock comes in a range of crazy colours … but besides looking bright next to your bedside lamp, its function is to ring your brains out so you don’t wake up late for school.*

http://africanmusicstore.co.za

Seeing in pink Not only do these funky sunglasses have UV protection to keep your eyes safe from the sun, but they also have raindrop disco balls that look like bling earrings for those party nights with friends. How’s that for divalicious?*

It would take just over a million mosquitoes to drain the blood from the average human body.

FACT FILE: A Russian billionaire paid $1 000 000 to appear in the music video to Lady Gaga’s song, Alejandro. He’s the stern-looking I actually did audition for Idols. Long ago. I was forced into it. I was going to sing ‘Stuck In The Middle’ by Stealers Wheel, but the judges thought it was too old and told me to ‘Get with it’.

If you auditioned for Idols, what song would you sing?

This is our first album as Evolver One (we released two albums as Evolver). We drew inspiration from two bands we’ve been listening to a lot: The Killers and Muse. The sound is fresh – we’ve mixed electronic synth sounds with rock guitars.

Describe your latest album.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve

Favourite SA band?

conditions on page 1.

win

There’s a whole bunch, but two ever eaten? spring to mind: Wresterlish A dish I tried at China City in – they mixed our album Jo’burg. It was a biltong-type and they’re really thing mixed with chicken To win a copy of cool – and Crash Car beaks and tongues. Evolver One’s new CD, Burn – I love the Disgusting. It smelt like SMS ‘HIP’ followed by way they write and an animal that had died ‘Evolver’ to 32976. R1/SMS. Terms and construct songs. a million years ago.

‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. I love the way it’s so stripped down – no drums, just Uncle Johnny on the piano. And, of course, the meaning is beautiful …

So someone suggested I sing Blue’s version of ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’. The audition was horrible – I was exhausted, I’d been waiting all day, I hadn’t eaten and was about to pass out from hunger.

What song do you wish you’d written?

We chatted to lead singer Pete Pote about the band’s new album, auditioning for Idols and the weirdest thing he’s ever eaten.

Evolver One

questions for

summertime 26% 22% Sweet, sing-along rap tunes Guest performances Lupe Fiasco, 19% Quirky hip-hop beats (Eminem, Bruno Mars, TI and Hayley Williams of Paramore) 7% RnB rhythms 3% ’80s guitars 11% Instruments (piano, trumpet and French horn) 5% Reggae jams played by Bobby Ray Emo vibes Simmons Jr (aka B.O.B) % 7

What to expect from B.O.B’s latest album:

The Adventures of Bobby Ray

music

music, games, movies, books

POPCULTURE

guy wearing all the black leather. d at game to review, I realise When thinking about wh the h wit good at keeping up that I haven’t been very low thanks to my alarmingly d, tea recent releases. Ins of box ol’ brought out the bank account balance, I t. My journey through my pas rs yea m video games fro ted a classic and very underra old games brought me to . res game: Impossible Creatu combination a it’s 3, 200 in ed eas Rel and everything n of imagination, exploratio real life but can’t. in do you wished you could to genetically I mean, who doesn’t want and then res atu cre combine any two ding? Even bid r you do to m command the long ago, for its though 2003 is not that lliant and the time the graphics are bri either. storyline is not half bad strategy game is Impossible Creatures a Command and or s similar to Age of Empire out and buy if go to one Conquer. Definitely you are a strategy gamer. 0 Rating: A whopping 9/1

or Reviewer: Brand Ambassad

res Impossible Creatu ad Fua Coovadia

probably the most fun car game I have ever played. Fil led with fast-paced effects and mind-blowing cars, it’s pretty addictive and quite challenging. You tak e the role of an expe rienced stunt driver who is competi ng in a reality show wh ere drivers go up against one an other and race throu gh an explosive set. Extremely excit ing, whether you’re into cars or not; this game is awesom e and gets an A+ fro m me!!

Split Second

REVIEWER: Brand Ambassador Nich olas Rawhani Split Second is

A kettle full of hot water weighs more than the same kettle with the same amount of cold water.

Rating: 7/10

more does a movie need?

plans and a good storyline … What

Action, drama, love, humour, clever

as the series, it didn’t fall far short.

to say The A-Team movie is as good

mess it up. Although it is impossible

with the storyline just enough not to

Joe Carnahan, managed to interfere

their parts convincingly. The director,

cast perfectly and the actors played

Murdock back on the screen. The roles were

Faceman, BA and

great to see Hannibal,

was superexcited. It was

the movie was released I

A-Team series and when

I grew up watching the

Grade 11 St Alban’s College

Reviewer: Jacques Basson,

The A-Team

movies

books

: ere y Reviewer ind reall ered if th scious m ver wond n e o u c o r y u e o ‘the Hav werful h means r how po us (whic u q u! Linda to life? O E o f y o r o fo book The Ta e n e th h t s T ? ju is ’) is ersonal of horses , more p w e n he a d balance fin e more s aimed to wever th o r. h , h s t e Kohanov h rs o taug e ain her h ore they m e th way to tr , m e d with th rs and journeye as mento s e rs o h r a whole e h to h d it W opene s a w e h g. guides, s y of livin d and wa new worl

anov Linda KohWest y b s u u q E a The Tao ofBrand Ambassador Jessic might just be more

s e m a g

4 X 4 Challenge

Bushwhackbrainwhack LEAPS

FROM HERE TO THERE By changi

& BOUNDS

debeest. nt is half as fast as a wil At top speed, an elepha nt. pha as fast as an ele A meerkat is two thirds as a meerkat. t fas as ce A hyena is twi e? So which statement is tru eest. f the top speed of a wildeb hal ch rea can at erk me A) A ed. spe top s na’ 75% of a hye B) An elephant can reach greater than that of 25% is ed spe top s C) A hyena’ an elephant.

ng one letter at a time, how many step s it takes you to see turn:

‘BUSH’ into ‘CA MP’

When you’ve fo un it, together with d a solution, email yo grade and scho ur full name, ol hip2b2.com an to thinkoutloud@ d if the fewest step your solution has s, own copy of th you’ll win your very e brand new, ju stlaunched Wii Pa rty!

S WA H I N G LI S H

ahili. l’ in Sw e v a r ‘t s ords do an fari’ me nglish w a E ‘s n d a r o ic r Af guage? The w ahili lan se South w e S h t e f h t o Which es from also com i-peri k in h t u r yo 2 pe ANSWERS 1 giraffe ungalow b 4 i 3 khak

There’s a going on puzzle safari Can you s in your brain. pot the a nswers?

Off the beaten track

Figure out the ideal safari route around the game reserve by creating a path that links to both ends of of the given clue in orange. The number in each block tells you how many of its four sides are enclosed by path lines. HINT: The route joins up in the end.

0 1 3 2 2 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 2 1 2 0 0 2 2 2 1 3 2 2 3 1 1 3 1 3 2 3 2 2 2 1 0 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 3 1 1 2 1 3 2 1 0 0 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 0 2 3 2 3 2 2 0 0 2 3 2 1 3

Leaps and bounds: B. You’ll have to set up some equations to work this out! Swahinglish: Peri-peri – in Mozambique, the Swahili word was used to refer to ‘pepper’. From here to there: Yeah right … like we’d give you the answer that easily. Go on, work it out!; To get the answers to Off the beaten track and 4 x 4 Challenge hit www.hip2b2.com.

FACT FILE: The fastest punch in the world belongs to the mantis shrimp, which has been known to punch through aquarium glass.

By Ellen Cameron-Williger; Iimages: flickr/guud grf; flickr/njambi ndiba; flickr/donna sutton

brain busters

Complete this grid using the numbers 1 to 9. The small number in the top left corner of each coloured area is the sum of the numbers in that area, and the numbers on the sides of the grid are the sum totals for each row and column. The numbers in each row, column and shaded area must be unique (in other words, 3 + 4 + 1 + 3 can’t be a solution, as 3 is used twice).