Perhaps, it's from having watched so much Transformers growing up, but I love things that double as other things. I love Ben Franklin's rocking chair that simultaneously churned butter as you rocked, the ice cooler on wheels that you can drive around, and even that new-fangled hot tub that doubles as a time machine (kidding). So, it's no wonder I like this motorcycle side car, featured in an old issue of Modern... READ ON
While I've blogged about StoryCorps (and my total admiration for the project) several times before, I've been hesitant to post this video because my wife is one of its producers. (She's also one of the editors on their new bestseller Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps being promoted at the end.) But as an animation fan, this is one of the most beautiful pieces I've seen in a while. The Rauch brothers have done a gorgeous job using audio from a real-life StoryCorps interview between a mother and... READ ON
Last month, Jason and I started a side project called Watercooler Ammo. It's a fun newsletter that comes out every Monday-Thursday, and it features one bit of perfectly curated, smile-inducing trivia. If you're not a subscriber, you can sign up here to try it out (you'll like it!). But if you need more convincing, these are just a few of the great stories you've been missing out on: Long Live the (Part-Time) King! Up until a few months ago, Peggielene Bartels was a secretary living alone in a... READ ON
Our good friend Alex at Neatorama just spent a year building the Neatoshop-- an online outlet filled with strange and hilarious gifts. It looks beautiful, and it's already become my go-to store for personalized bobble head dolls, condiment guns (how else am I going to shoot mustard onto my veggie dog?), and my personal favorite, Handerpants. Check it out here when you get a... READ ON
This week Jason and I started a new, Monday-Thursday newsletter called Watercooler Ammo. The idea is to send readers one super fun bit of trivia, a photo that makes us laugh, or a nerdy, whimsical link, that you can pass on to friends. This week's series included all sorts of fun topics: How an embarrassing Hello Kitty patch helped keep Thai cops in line, the time the Army Corps of Engineers stopped the Niagara falls from flowing, why cell phones might help cure Alzheimer's, and much more.... READ ON
That's right! The Ninth Annual 10 Issue is out on newsstands today. And not only is it filled with incredible 10 Lists (10 Provocative Questions About Raising Chickens... Answered!, 10 Prostitutes Who Changed the World, 10 Things You Don't Know about Afghanistan), but the magazine has a whole new look thanks to our incredible designers Winslow and Terri. If you want to scope out the full contents, we've posted the TOC here. Or, to see the magazine in its full glory, go ahead and subscribe. Don't... READ ON
Ready for another sneak peek from the all-new 10 Issue? This one comes straight from our piece 10 Amazing Ways Video Games Can Change Your Life. The stories in the piece are pretty incredible-- from doctors who play video games and why they make better surgeons to people who've used video games to fall in love. But perhaps the strangest story to me was the one below, about how video games can help line your wallet. They Can Make You Crazy Rich There's money to be made playing video games. In the late... READ ON
If you're looking for some great facts on foods, the new 10 Issue (which hits bookstores this Tuesday!) has you covered. From a hilarious food fight between San Francisco and Los Angeles over the origin of the Fortune Cookie, to why Ray Kroc had no faith in the Egg McMuffin, we've got all sorts of great stories. But perhaps one of my favorites was this little known gem about Rice-A-Roni's origins: The Not-So Frisco Treat? If you watched daytime television in the 1980s, you know that Rice-a-Roni is... READ ON
Of course our new 10 Issue (which hits newsstands on Tuesday!) isn't just filled with lists like 10 Provocative Questions about Chickens and 10 Ridiculous Feats of Literature. It also tackles some of the biggest questions ever asked by mankind. Important things, like: How much water can a ten gallon hat really hold? Alas, the ten gallon hat falls 86 percent short of its promise. The average Stetson only holds about three quarts of water, even when filled all the way up to its brim. But in all likelihood,... READ ON
Our ninth annual 10 Issue hits newsstands next Tuesday, and to celebrate we'll be previewing it here all week. One piece that truly makes me smile is the "10 Ridiculous Feats of Literature" list by Mark Juddery. Instead of judging works based on their artistic merit, we had Mark rank them by degree of difficulty. Here's just one of the entries he covered: The Story That Will Never Be an E-Book: Gadsby by Ernest Vincent Wright Some might call Gadsby a "love" story. But Ernest Vincent Wright... READ ON
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Fatherly Advice
5 Questions: Nervous "Rex"
How Many Vice Presidents Can You Name in 10 Minutes?
When her husband was president, Julia Tyler used the title "Mrs. Presidentress."
