The Olympic torch did not burn properly during the opening ceremony, an ice-making machine broke down as did several buses, and unseasonably mild weather caused events to be postponed.

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Many Alaskans revel in the biting air and the pure white of the winter landscape, not to mention the skiing, ice-climbing and snow machine-riding.

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And the ice machine was exciting -- and the vending machine, I was really excited about that.

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However, they became convinced that their customers would love their hard ice cream much more in its softer, just- made incarnation, freshly decanted from the ice cream machine.

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Nor is it as granulated or icy as granite, the Italian, semi-frozen flavored ice that can be made without an ice cream machine.

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Who, for example, can name the inventor of the hair-dryer (Chester Beach), the electric washing machine (Alva Fisher) or the ice lolly (Frank Epperson)?

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