Abstract: A competitive solitaire game is played using a crazy-stud poker deck and scoring, and allows an inexperienced player an opportunity to win. Each hand begins by dealing pairs of cards into three columns, one face up, and one face down, for the house, and pairs of face up into three columns for the player. The player selects a column to discard from both hands. Next, a pair is added to each column, one face up, and one face down, for the house, and a pair to each column, face up, for the player. The player again selects a pair to discard from both hands. Finally, a pair is dealt to the house and to the player, face up, and the remaining six cards in each hand are scored. To win, the player must win a number N hands before the house wins a number M hands.

Abstract: A method of playing an improved version of stud poker is disclosed wherein from two to eight players can play the present invention. A fully shuffled 52 card deck of cards is used wherein 14 cards of the deck have wild cards variations printed thereon these selected cards. To start playing the game of the invention each player is dealt one card face down and one card face up. High card passes, bets or calls. The third card is dealt face up and high face up hand passes, bets or calls. A fourth card is now dealt and again the high displayed face up hand either passes, bets or calls. The fifth card is now dealt face up and the sixth card is dealt face down. Final betting is now made by the high cards displayed face up. The face down cards are then turned face up and all hands are evaluated so as to produce the winner. The 14 wild variation cards are what make the method of playing the present crazy stud poker invention an improvement over any other stud poker card game.

Abstract: A bolster has an axial compressibility profile chosen so that lumbar pain can be relieved when the user places the bolster under his or her spine and rolls from a softer portion of the bolster to a firmer portion of it. A preferred bolster comprises a tubular outer portion formed from a resilient closed-cell polymeric foam material such as polyurethane. This outer tubular portion serves to cushion the user and prevent discomfort. The bolster has a relatively rigid portion at one or both ends, and a transition portion between the rigid end and a softer portion some distance from the end.

Abstract: A precision molded electrical discharge machining electrode is made by shaping a preform from granules of carbon and granules of a refractory material selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, carbides thereof, and stoichiometric and hyperstoichiometric carbides of the other elements of the groups IVB, VB, and VIB of the Periodic Table of the Elements, the carbon and refractory granules being interconnected in the form of a skeleton at their contiguous points of contact, and infiltrating the preform with copper, silver, or alloys containing those metals.

Abstract: A precision molded electrical discharge machining electrode is made by shaping a preform from granules of carbon and granules of a refractory material selected from the group consisting of tungsten, molybdenum, carbides thereof, and stoichiometric and hyperstoichiometric carbides of the other elements of the groups IVB, VB, and VIB of the Periodic Table of the Elements, the carbon and refractory granules being interconnected in the form of a skeleton at their contiguous points of contact, and infiltrating the preform with copper, silver, or alloys containing those metals.

Abstract: A process for providing a thermal insulating cover of discrete particles for a container of fluids involves forming a plurality of hollow interior, discrete, ceramic particles, firing the particles at a temperature of at least 350.degree. C and then covering the heated liquid with at least a 1/8 inch thick layer of the fired particles. A potentially improved ceramic thermal insulating particle is also described and contains a hollow interior with a plurality of partitions.