I complete meals, naps and my mail rounds, A&W. Merit badges are for Scouts, not burros.

The Boy Scouts of America and Edison Nation challenge you to get inventing in 2012.

Check out this video for all the details:

Here how it works:

• Inventors submit their ideas by Monday, May 7, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
• For kids 7-21 years old.
• Edison Nation will select winning inventors and invest up to $1 million to develop the selected ideas and help bring them to market.
• Selected ideas will receive a $2,500 minimum advance on 20 years percentage of sales. Plus, Edison Nation will split the royalties 50-50 with inventors on the products they select.
• Selected inventors will be named the “inventor” on any issued patents and will have an opportunity to appear on the award-winning Everyday Edisons television series on PBS.
• It’s $25 to submit an idea (or $10 for current BSA members).
• Ideas should be “well-communicated” and include sketches, images, or other media to support them.

Click here to get started.

Talking about work makes me sleepy, Sam. Keep plugging away at your goal, and you’ll reach it. The main thing is to have a great Scouting experience.

We enjoyed this quick video showing a very talented ballboy, catching a tennis ball during a tennis match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Aussie Open Wednesday. Sweet grab!

Hmmm, disappearing magazines. Perhaps you should start a file for the magazines and put each issue away when you’ve finished reading it, Anthony. That way you’ll always know where they are.

Games Guru: I’m guessing you mean multipliers. Here are the codes:

Invincibility: QQWC6B
Score x2: 74YKR7
Score x6: XK9ANE
Score x8: HUFV2H
Score x10: H8X69Y

A little research tells us that the dormouse species is mostly found in Europe, and is known for spending long periods of time hibernating. What they aren’t known for is snoring, but the video below shows a hibernating dormouse doing just that. He is really out!

They were headed somewhere off the beaten path: McGregor Smith Scout Reservation in Inverness, Fla,. from which they could explore the surrounding rivers by airboat, and snorkel and scuba dive with exotic manatees.

The water might have made their pictures a bit fuzzy, but you can still get the idea that it was an amazing experience.

For more on McGregor Smith, go to their Facebook page.

Well, I certainly never forgot to turn in a book report, Michael. I don’t believe I ever wrote one, though. Getting grounded wouldn’t be a punishment for me—no work and more time to eat and sleep.

This extreme, danger-seeking expert biker rides on a skinny and snowy mountain ridge in Colorado. The result is a truly jaw-dropping video, filmed with a helmet-mounted camera.

Ever wondered what it’s like to get major air on a skateboard? Here’s one more helmet-mounted video, showing a professional skateboarder preparing for the X Games.

Q. When I get a new traditional lock-blade knife, it often messes up within the first hour. When I close it, the blade flips in and out and will not completely shut. Why isn’t it working?

A. Without seeing your knife first-hand it’s tough for me to say what’s wrong with it. My guess is that the knife itself wasn’t all that well-made in the first place. I understand that price is usually a concern for most of us, that’s why I’m happy there are knives out there like the SOG AutoClip Mini [$23; sogknives.com]. I’ve field-tested this simple, affordable lock-back knife with its 2.86-inch stainless-steel blade for months and can say it’s well-made and works perfectly. You can also find several other affordable lock-back options from Buck Knives and Gerber. Good luck!

NFL BLITZ EA for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network; Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. Gameplay: 8.5 Graphics: 7.0 Sound: 9.0 Replay Value: 8.3 Overall Score: 8.3 Pros: Over-the-top gaming, strong online mode, players catch fire. Cons: Graphics are on the weak side, needs bigger playbook, “hard mode” isn’t difficult enough.

But football isn’t quite over: The Super Bowl is right around the corner.

So the time might be right for this truly over-the-top arcade game.

NFL Blitz is a cartoon-ish, downloadable tidbit featuring crushing hits on defense and amazing 50-yard throws. Add the sometimes-hilarious comments from the color guys in the booth and strong online play. The result is a game that’s really hard to put down.

If Madden is the lengthy mega-meal for fans of sports videogames, NFL Blitz is the quick dessert. You don’t have many plays to choose from, just 9 on defense and 17 on offense. There’s no create-a-player. There’s no draft. There are only 7 players on each side of field.

WHAT YOU GET

But what you get (as you do with NBA Jam) are wacky players that get so hot when you’re on a roll, they give off flames. You’ll play the Blitz Gauntlet, a ladder of teams, over and over until you play all NFL clubs. And you’ll encounter some surprises. These include some fantasy squads – bosses like gladiators, peg-leg pirates and smiling hot dogs in a bun.

I find that playing on Hard Mode is the best way to go after getting your feet wet on Easy Mode. Otherwise, there’s very little challenge. After you defeat the fantasy teams mentioned above, you can play as them, too. Just key in their special codes at the beginning of each game.

On offense, winning is often about looking down the field to find an open player and pressing buttons to throw the ball at the right time. But there is some wiggle room as far as creativity during plays goes. On offense, you can leap high over the pack or spin like a dervish. You can even give the tackler the stiff arm. With a satisfying “ding,” down he goes. His bell has been rung!

The comedic announcers are also essential to the kooky mayhem. Sometimes they wish they were more famous so they could be in a bigger game like Madden. Sometimes they say silly things like “in the end zone like a mobile phone!” They seem to like corn dogs a lot, too. And they get as excited as fans. You never see them, but you imagine they’re shaking with glee as they call the action on the field.

ONLINE WITH BLITZ BUCKS

The makers of NFL Blitz really want you to play online, so they’re offering Blitz Bucks to entice you. Win online and you’re rewarded with fake money that helps you get cool things like Big Head Mode when you play. Plus, you get Blitz Bucks if you’re the player who presses the taunt buttons the most.

Blitz Bucks are also essential for creating your Blitz Elite League. These card packs full of players require strategizing if you want a balanced team. Or you might choose to buy some powerups like an Earthquake, which shakes the field, possibly causing a fumble.

I’ve rarely had as much quick fun online with a sports game than I’ve had with NFL Blitz. While there’s the occasional lag during plays, I quickly was matched up with three other people to play in co-op mode, two for each team. Whoever my partner was, he knew the game as well as I did.

Yet the real key is on defense. Take control of a player and constantly try to sack the opposing quarterback. The same goes for blocking a punt or a field goal. That’s the way to winning online – and offline, too. Also, you can try to time your interceptions. The game makers say that if you’re near the ball and press the top controller button at either one-third, one-half or two-thirds of a second after a pass, your defenseman will catch the quarterback’s throw. That’s hard to time, so just try for an interception without thinking too hard about it.

THE BAD AND THE GOOD

There are things that I don’t like, however. Every player seems to have the same physical attributes, so they look nothing like the real-life players. So quarterback Eli Manning looks just as muscular as defenseman Justin Tuck. And while they often throw tantrums, when you check out their faces, there’s no emotion whatsoever.

Still, the old NFL Blitz used to sell for around $40 when you bought it in the store. The downloadable version is about $15. It’s completely worth the price of admission for access to one of the more clownish, cartoon-ish, generally super-fun games out there today.

My corral isn’t exactly a social hot spot, Logan. The Boss is always doing the same (picky and a bit demanding). The question is: Where is The Boss?

I wouldn’t feel like myself without my sweater, Cristian.

Oh, you know, Micah, Boss things: Look over Pedro’s shoulder, tell Pedro to tote the mailbag, chase Pedro out of the cantina, wake up Pedro, bark at Pedro. He puts out a great magazine every month, though, so I guess he does a lot of other things besides keeping me on task.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the February 2012 issue of Boys’ Life magazine. Remember, many articles are exclusive to the printed magazine and are not available online.

To subscribe to Boys’ Life magazine, please visit http://boyslife.org/subscribe.

WHITEOUT

Montana Scouts know that wintertime is the right time to explore one of America’s busiest national parks.

SLEEP RIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT

Here are some great sleeping bags for every kind of sleeper.

KNOCK ‘EM DOWN

Here’s how demolition pros take down an old building.

BL WORKSHOP: MAKE A FLASHLIGHT HOLSTER

Don’t be left in the dark. This leather holster keeps your flashlight handy.

LOST AND FOUND IN THE BLACK HOLE

FICTION. Poor Darin. Everything he touches just disappears. But he’s about to learn to care about things — or lose them forever!

SCOUTING AROUND

Part of cultural awareness is attempting to understand how people with disabilities face obstacles that able-bodied people never even think about.

• Visit the Scouting Around blog

WINTER WARRIORS

Scouts in Minot, N.D., know plenty about winter camping. They experience it much of the year.

MODERN-DAY SHIPWRECK EXPLORERS

It takes a high-tech team of experts to find historic shipwrecks deep under the sea.

ALL THE MARBLES

Earn your Marbles belt loop — and have tons of fun — by playing a marbles game called ringer.

LET’S LOOK AT ARCHERY

Read it! Color it! Get it all in this special Cub Scout section.

Click here to see all the links featured in the February issue of Boys’ Life!

Look for the regular score of comics, jokes, games, Scouts in Action, Tradin’ Post and more! Only in the February issue of Boys’ Life!

• The Wacky Adventures of Pedro

• Pee Wee Harris Looks at Hobbies

If you’re on the bench, at least you have a good seat for the game, Zachary. But you’ll never know unless you try.

Your eyes didn’t deceive you, that really is a crow sledding down a rooftop using a jar lid!

Click here for a more detailed explanation of what this crow may be doing.

Think that bird is smart? Check out this parrot named Einstein!

The BSA and Edison Nation would like to hear from you.

The Boy Scouts of America Innovation Challenge will take one such idea and spend up to $1 million to see that the product is eventually available on store shelves. And as the inventor, you’ll get paid, too.

Get more details here.

You’re making me blush, Jacob (even though I don’t turn red). And I’ll keep the crack about you-know-who confidential.

Q. I have been reading Boys’ Life longer than most Scouts, but I saw the question about “I have a 20 degree bag…but still cold.” His problem might be that he is going to bed in the clothes that he has been wearing all day. Your body sweats, even in the coldest weather, and that moisture will keep you cold even in the warmest sleeping bag. My advice is to change into fresh dry clothes, at a minimum, change into dry socks and long johns. Try it. Dry means warm.

A. Listen here, Dan, you’re supposed to ask me a question. And I’m supposed to answer it! Are you trying to take over my job?! Just kidding. Seriously Dan, your advice to change into fresh, dry clothes before crawling into your sleeping bag for the night is spot on. Plus, it’ll help keep your sleeping bag from smelling like a sweaty locker room!

You know, Elizabeth, I actually am a beast. I’ll show this to the Boss just to watch him turn funny colors (he thinks he gives me too much hay as it is).

This time-lapse video from photographer Nate Bolt is made from a series of photos, taken every two minutes during a flight from California to France. The result is a cool-looking flight video unlike anything you have seen before.

Games Guru: I really don’t know what the weird letters mean. But here are your codes:

- KMRWLSS – Show Enemies on Minimap

- HJEKTPU – Unlock Kruncha

- TSDYHBZ – Unlock Spaceman

- YUXUZF – 80000 Studs

- Change the calendar to December 12-24 to unlock Santa Claus

How do you win in this game? Any tips?

Games Guru: You need patience and strategy to win at Ninjago. Here’s some help!

– You start each level with a limited number of bricks, so create the most important buildings and units first.

– Towers can be upgraded as well as units. This will improve range and damage against passing foes.

– Use more than one builder at a time to increase the speed of construction of buildings and units.

– Press the X button to flip the top and bottom screens, and use the stylus to move the box around the minimap.

– Look for red bricks and minikits in missions to unlock characters and codes.

– Building a brick bank near brick piles will reduce the amount of time your builders take to return bricks.

– Increase the duration for which spells are performed with this code: PYHEESD

So awesome, in fact, that you have to plan your trip really, really early. The Florida high-adventure base is now accepting entires for the 2013 season. In other words, not this summer, but next summer.

While reservations for 2012 are still accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, you might have more luck planning in advance for 2013.

The Capital Area Council has posted some useful Sea Base tips on its website.

To access the Sea Base registration system, click here.

Gee, thanks, Jeremy. I drop the mail all the time when I get excited. It’s just one of those things that endears me to The Boss.

Wonder no more, Talon, and felicidades on your buena experiencia en Colorado.

This super high-speed video shows what human eyes normally don’t get the chance to witness. Watch as these sparrows tussle while trying to eat from a bird feeder.

Here are more high-speed animal videos:

News & Notes

• The International Quidditch Association

Guy Gear Update: Sleep Right, Sleep Tight

• Kelty Cosmic Down 20 sleeping bag
• Cub Scout Lightweight Bag
• Coleman Adjustable Comfort Sleeping Bag
• REI Lumen 25 sleeping bag
• The North Face Aleutian sleeping bag
• Big Agnes Haybro 15 sleeping bag
• Mountainsmith Kenosha 20 Degree sleeping bag
• BSA Mountaineer sleeping bag

Scouting Around

• Get started on your PALA Challenge to get fit
• Register for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree
• Learn how to earn your congressional award

All the Marbles

• Learn more about Cub Scouts and the rules of marbles

Winter Warriors

• How to help Scouts in Minot, N.D., recover from flood damage

Modern-Day Shipwreck Explorers

• Visit Odyssey Marine Exploration’s virtual museum
• Details about Odyssey’s discoveries and lots of great pictures
• Read “Atlas of Shipwrecks & Treasure” and other books

Fitness First

• Learn how to do more basic workouts

Hobby Hows

• “Who Do You Think You Are? Be a Family Tree Detective” by Dan Waddell

Games

• Video games on the Kindle Fire

Exciting news today from Major League Soccer and the Boy Scouts of America. They’re forming an alliance!

At the start of the 2012 MLS season on March 10, Scouts across the nation will receive special opportunities at MLS games. Sixteen of the league’s 19 teams play in the United States, so no matter where you call home, there’s an MLS match happening near you.

Scouts will be provided access to MLS players and coaches, for one-of-a-kind programming just for Scouts. Future plans include an opportunity for Scouts to conduct community service projects and be selected for in-game ceremonies at MLS stadiums, for “Scout Nights”  and for local MLS players to lead discussions with Scouts on topics such as fitness and leadership.

The American teams are: Chicago Fire, Chivas USA (Los Angeles), Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, and Sporting Kansas City.

(The photo above shows Kansas City Scouts with the top two picks of the 2012 MLS Draft. January 12, 2012)

Check out this video of the top MLS plays from 2011.

What’s going on in this picture? What is this dog doing and what is he thinking?

If you can think of a funny caption for this photo, just post it in the comment form at the bottom of this page. After we approve it, your funny caption will be on this page for everyone to read.

Thanks to “Chris” for this great photo. Have you taken a funny photo? Send it to us.

Click here to write captions for more funny photos.

Games Guru: Here’s how to get in some really nice Mario Kart-type racing.

– Winning grand prix circuits unlocks additional circuits, tracks and characters. Each character has unique powers, so you’re bound to find a fave that fits your skill level and style of play.

– Each character has a Light and Heavy kart, and you can unlock more karts by breaking track records in time trials. Light karts have better acceleration and handling and faster defensive charge rates, but they are slower. Heavy karts are fast and have better offensive charge rates, but they have slower acceleration and are harder to handle.

– Every track has lots of Omni-Nodes — those glowing badges that look like Ben’s Omnitrix. Drive through one and get a special alien power to boost speed or attack and slow down opponents.

– Each character has an offensive power that blasts racers and hazards out of the way. Perform stunts to charge up your offensive power. Doing different stunts one after another gives you a combo bonus and charges your shield faster.

– Every character also has a defensive shield to block most attacks and prevent damage from some hazards. Drifting charges your defensive power.

– If you’re falling behind, driving through a pick-up might give you an Ultimate Omni-Node. When activated, it maxes out your speed and power for a short time, letting you gain on opponents and blow them off the track.

P.S. I don’t want a hybrid.

A. I think you should go with a mountain bike. Road bikes don’t do so well on rough roads, but the suspension on most mountain bikes will help swallow up the uncomfortable bumps and holes. Since it sounds like you will mostly be riding on the road, instead of knobby tires consider getting semi-slick mountain tires, which have a smoother (and faster) tread for road riding.

The inventions that have changed our lives in the last 20 years will look vastly different in the next 20.

That’s what the ExploraVision contest is all about. Team up with 1-3 of your buddies, do some research on current technology (using the Internet, of course!), and think about how that technology could change in the next 20 years.

You could win money to put toward a college education and a trip to Washington, D.C., for an awards weekend.

Go to the ExploraVision website for more information.

Warning! You shouldn’t to drop your iPad from a high place. That’s what the folks from G-Form, a company known creating extreme electronics cases, are for. They sent an iPad, attached to a balloon, to the edge of space (more than 100,000 feet high) and waited for the magic to happen.

The video shows the iPad’s journey up, and its eventual fall back to Earth. The most amazing part is that it is still working after the THUD!

This time-lapse video takes you on a majestic tour of the world in just a few minutes. 17 countries were filmed over the course of 343 days, by a world traveler.

Have you ever been to one of places mentioned in the video above?

At the Great Lakes Council‘s Fort Pontiac in Lake Orion, Mich., Scouts can spend their camp time doing pioneer skills training, including blacksmithing, woodworking with only hand tools, bead working and clothes making. In other words, you’re learning skills that settlers from the 1700s needed to survive.

The fort features a kitchen, dining shelter and three craft buildings. Scouts can earn the Fort Pontiac Challenge Patch by meeting requirements in four pioneer skills: blacksmithing, woodworking, cooking and life skills.

For more information, go to the Fort Pontiac home page, or the Fort Pontiac Facebook page.

Take a look at this pet squirrel (that’s right, someone has a squirrel as a pet) painting with watercolors.

Do you have an unusual pet? Comment below with your odd pet.

Games Guru: I’m not sure where you are, but did you get the horn from Bakkara? That allows you to break through walls. You can find Bakkara past the cave area.

Games Guru: It depends on what system you’re playing. Here are codes for the PC version:

1. Activate Ability To Put Portals Anywhere – Type: sv_portal_placement_never_fail # (1 or 0)

2. Activates Ability To Fly and Pass Through Walls – Type: noclip

3. Change Game Speed – Type: host_timescale # (default=1) [0.1 = 10% of original game speed, 2 = twice the original game speed, etc.]

4. Change Gravity Effects – Type: sv_gravity # (600=normal)

Do you enjoy shooting stars? Then tonight may be a good night to break out the telescope.

2012′s first – and maybe best — meteor shower will light up the sky later this evening and into the early morning hours on Wednesday, as a strong display of Quadrantid meteors will dance across the night-time sky.

While the Quadrantids are typically unpredictable, NASA experts are predicting this year could be the most visually impressive show in a decade.

They also performed an important service project with the National Park Service.

The troop’s mission was to identify and eradicate the Japanese Black Pine, an invasive tree species that has grown so aggressively in the area that it’s competing with the native American Pitch Pine for space along the ocean dunes.

The Scouts cut down invasive trees, removed all of the pinecones from the branches and hauled the trees to the beach. There, the branches were disposed of and the pine combs incinerated to prevent the species from spreading.

The Scouts also found time for some fun. They backpacked more than 2 miles along the Atlantic Ocean and camped on the sandy beach.

Q. Hello Gear Guy, My friends wear Under Armour with shorts and a T-shirt and say they are warm when it is 30 degrees out. Meanwhile I’m freezing with long johns and my uniform and a jacket on! I was considering buying Under Armour. They give me a choice of silk or polyester, which one keeps me warmer? Do you have suggestions of any other products besides Under Armour?

A. Yo Alex! I’d bet your “warm-blooded” friends might be talking up their warmth a little bit — makes them feel cooler, I guess. That said, a good base layer is indeed the key to keeping warm outdoors. If I were you, I would stick with polyester base layers rather than silk. Sure, silk will keep you warm, but it’s more expensive and usually harder to care for (some require hand-washing!). Most importantly, it’s not quite as quick to dry as polyester and slower to wick sweat away from your body. That makes polyester a better choice for a guy like you who is likely really active when you’re outdoors. While Under Armour does make nice base layers, there are plenty of other very good options out there. One of the most affordable yet high-performance base layers I know of is L.L. Bean’s Polartec Power Dry Base Layer, Midweight Crew top and pants ($35 each; llbean.com). Brands like Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, REI and Cabela’s also carry similar products.

Win a copy of “Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders,” by Kevin Sylvester. This book hits stores in January, and we want to put a copy in the hands of one lucky reader this New Year. Just answer one simple question by 5 p.m. (EST), Monday, Jan. 2. We’ll pick one random winner from among the entries.

The question: Which football player was featured in the sports section of the January 1990 issue of Boys’ Life magazine? Click here to enter our Wayback Machine and browse old issues to find the answer. Use the form below to submit your answer. Get searching, and good luck!

UPDATE: Congratulations to our winner Caleb! Keep reading for information on future giveaways.

For years, residents of a village called Romankneh have walked a half-mile to a pond several times a day to get water. The pond, which provided water for things like drinking, bathing, washing, brushing teeth and cooking, was contaminated and unhealthy.

So Ryan Collins and Cody Bosarge traveled to Africa with other volunteers to build a well that provides the village’s 250 residents with fresh water.

Watch the video below to see how they did it.