They were not striving to become professional dancers, but rather wanted a fun way to get in shape with simple moves that they could follow.

FORBES: Step 2 for a Successful Startup: Identify, Utilize, and Develop your Talents or Skills

The principle behind Lords reform is simple and right: those who shape the laws of the land should be chosen by voters.

ECONOMIST: Constitutional reform: Lording it | The

The concept is amazingly simple: A polymer scaffold is designed in the shape of, say, an individual's liver.

FORBES: Plastic Man

Alex (his name supposedly an acronym for Avian Learning Experiment) eventually learned the names of about 50 objects, knew the numerals from one to six, could perform simple addition and used categories such as similarity and difference, shape, colour and material.

ECONOMIST: Alex the African Grey

Most are simple designs, essentially a pen with a rubber tip that mimics the conductive property and shape of a fingertip. (Steer clear of styluses with fine, hard plastic tips, which are designed for older gadgets like the PalmPilot and won't work with today's touch screens).

WSJ: The Pen Is Mightier Than the Swipe

While you may be tempted by that triptych depicting "The Night Before Christmas, " for beginners, it's best to start small with simple, deeply carved molds, which are more forgiving for clumsy hands and yield specimens that hold their shape well while baking.

WSJ: Wunderbar Christmas Cookies

Until then, there are simple at-home exercises that perfumers and other professional "smellers" recommend to keep the sense of smell in shape.

WSJ: How to Sharpen Your Sense of Smell