Puzzle for the day

[Fallacies]

Close, but no cigar. You're thinking along the right path, but along the wrong lines.

[Brian]

A modern invention thought by a female character in a certain popular anime series to be a major triumph of science, and commonly thought representative of the western world.

I'm not trying to be overly nit-picky, but ... erm ... this one's kinda vague.  I'd have taken several stabs at guessing, but honestly, I asked a friend for help, and he told me, "You could replace every single noun in that sentence with the word "thing" and it would not get significantly more ambiguous."

I don't entirely agree, but I'm drawing a complete blank, and there's an awful lot of anime out there I may/may not have watched.  An intrepid puzzle-solver will realize that google may have answers for many of these questions ... but not that one.

:/

[Zenthor]

A modern invention thought by a female character in a certain popular anime series to be a major triumph of science, and commonly thought representative of the western world.

"You could replace every single noun in that sentence with the word "thing" and it would not get significantly more ambiguous."

"A modern thing thought by a female thing in a certain popular thing to be a major thing of thing, and commonly thought thing of the western thing."?

[Edward]

What do these have in common?

They were invented by Americans.

[Fallacies]

A key phrase from the original sentence can be Googled along with another word to produce the invention I'm looking for -- as a first search result, even. The solutions of the individual lines have a far more specific relationship than the fact that they were invented by Americans.

[Edward]

Well, more than one were invented in New Jersey, but they weren't all invented there.

[Fallacies]

Rakhal can do the honors for point awarding ... or not. The solution is below:

***

The malleable variant of the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust.

Malleable iron, created by Seth Boyden.

A type of film made of an early commercial plastic.

Celluloid film, created by John W. Hyatt.

A class of seacraft which has been the subject of several films about the Cold War.

The modern combat submarine, created by John Holland.

The black you step on when you cross the street.

Asphalt pavement (at least, the American variety).

A modern invention thought by a female character in a certain popular anime series to be a major triumph of science, and commonly thought representative of the western world.

The keyphrase was "triumph of science," and the other query word was "anime." Using these as search terms produces a quote by Misato, from Evangelion. The invention is the air conditioner, created by Willis H. Carrier. The phrase "representative of the western world" is from Wikipedia.

A type of quality cosmetic powder with assorted medicinal uses, including employment as an absorbant, and in baby care or foot care.

Talcum powder in a container, created by Gerhard Mennen.

What do these have in common?

All of the above are inventions or innovations developed and introduced to the United States within the vicinity of Newark, New Jersey.

***

http://www.thirteen.org/newark/history2.html

Newark's industrial boom attracted enterprising inventors like Thomas Edison, who created the ticker tape machine while in Newark. Seth Boyden invented the process for making patent leather and malleable iron, in addition to developing a hat-forming machine and an inexpensive process for manufacturing sheet iron. John W. Hyatt developed celluloid (for camera film), which he went into the business of selling with his brothers in 1872. D. Edward Weston's Weston Electrical Instrument Company created the Weston standard cell, the first accurate portable voltmeters and ammeters, the first portable lightmeter, and many other electrical developments. Such developments helped the city enter early into the manufacture of plastics, electrical goods, and chemicals.

---

http://www.nynjbaykeeper.org/sitefiles/PRFS_CulturalHist.pdf

[The Passaic River in Newark, NJ] baptized the Holland submarine (first operational modern combat submarine) and its factories built the Curtiss-Wright engine for Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Lewis, allowing America to dominate the seven seas and the air.

---

http://www.hotmix.org/history.php

In 1870, a Belgian chemist named Edmund J. DeSmedt laid the first true asphalt pavement in this country, a sand mix in front of the City Hall in Newark, New .Jersey.  DeSmedt's design was patterned after a natural asphalt pavement placed on a French highway in 1852.

---

http://www.time.com/time/time100/profile/carrier.html

"Would you like to write about Willis H. Carrier?"
"And who the hell might he be?"
"Man who invented air conditioning."

1922 - First centrifugal refrigerating machine unveiled in Newark, N.J.

---

http://www.bottlebooks.com/questions/August2000/august_2000_questions_ask_digger.htm

The Gerard Mennen Chemical Company of Newark, NJ (now a part of Colgate-Palmolive) first gained prominence with its Borated Talcum Toilet Powder. They were in business at least as early as the 1890s and are still in business today. They found their niche in child care and baby products and expanded into other toiletries.

***

This puzzle is not as obscure as it seems. A Google for [asphalt "talcum powder" celluloid "air conditioner"] gives only one search result:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=asphalt+%22talcum+powder%22+celluloid+%22air+conditioner%22&btnG=Search

This page includes the following lines:

# The first celluloid was developed in Newark, in 1870, by John Wesley Hyatt.
# The first use of asphalt for street paving was in Newark, in 1870.
# The first air conditioner was developed in Newark in 1922 by Willis Haviland Carrier.
# The first talcum powder was developed in Newark by Gerhard Mennen.

[Zenthor]

After reading all that, I can come to only one conclusion.

You are thoroughly insane and in desperate need of a hobby.

[Ranma_007]

I agree.

[Rakhal]

Looks like a cookie for Edward. Congrats!

Prince Herb: 45 + 5 muffins
Halbarad: 36 + 3 muffins
Getzeye: 39
Edward: 18 + 2 muffins
Kpjam: 9
Caliban: 7 + 1 muffin
Fallacies: 5 + 1 cheesecake
KLSymph: 3 + 1 muffin + 1 cheesecake
Kwok: 7
Ragnar: 6
Baka-ken: 5
The Panda: 5
Jon: 3 + 1 muffin
Carthrat: 4
Onigiri: 4
Rezantis: 4
Anastasia: 3
Asrana: 3
Bean Bandit: 2
Brian: 2
Merc: 2
Shuten: 2
Xaldaran: 1 muffin
Bjorn: 1
Itarien: 1
Pahan: 1
Sunhawk: 1

[Rakhal]

And for todays puzzle...

What three words, formed from different arrangements of the same seven letters, can be used to complete the sentences below?

The couple planned a _______ dinner for their wedding. The ingenious person in charge _______ such an interesting menu and table decorations that the guests _______ with great pleasure.

[Prince Herb]

catered, created and reacted

[Rakhal]

Another fine cookie has been disbursed!

Prince Herb: 46 + 5 muffins
Halbarad: 36 + 3 muffins
Getzeye: 39
Edward: 18 + 2 muffins
Kpjam: 9
Caliban: 7 + 1 muffin
Fallacies: 5 + 1 cheesecake
KLSymph: 3 + 1 muffin + 1 cheesecake
Kwok: 7
Ragnar: 6
Baka-ken: 5
The Panda: 5
Jon: 3 + 1 muffin
Carthrat: 4
Onigiri: 4
Rezantis: 4
Anastasia: 3
Asrana: 3
Bean Bandit: 2
Brian: 2
Merc: 2
Shuten: 2
Xaldaran: 1 muffin
Bjorn: 1
Itarien: 1
Pahan: 1
Sunhawk: 1

[Rakhal]

Three sets of twins can eat 12 candy bars in 30 minutes. At the same rate, how long would it take two sets of triplets to eat 24 candy bars?

[Calorn]

60 minutes.