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10 Unusual Playgrounds From Around the World

Playgrounds have come a long way since the early days of hot, steel slides and open-backed infant swings. Safety is a big issue on today's playgrounds, but so is imagination and ingenuity. Take a look at some of the many unusually cool designs popping up around the world. And if you have a favorite we left off the list (which could easily have been twice as long), be sure to tell us about it in the comments. 1. Nishi-Rokugo - Tokyo,... READ ON

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The Medical Credentials of 7 Famous Doctors

Slate's recent shocking revelations about rapper-turned-psychologist Dr. Roxanne effectively knocked the wind out of one of this year's feel-good stories. And while we never really pictured, say, Dr. J performing major surgery, the piece did make us wonder about the credentials of some other famous "doctors." 1. Dr. Roxanne... READ ON

Article

The Late Movies: Mel Brooks

Each year, the Kennedy Center honors a group of legendary performers who have contributed to the arts.Â This morning, they announced that Mel Brooks would join Robert DeNiro and Bruce Springsteen, among others, in the 2009 class.Â For tonight's Late Movies, here are a few clips of Mel Brooks, who brought us such classics as The Producers, Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. Here is a clip of Mel on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson telling a story of meeting Cary... READ ON

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11 Colleges That Changed Their Mascots

With college football season starting up, we thought it might be interesting to take a look back at a few colleges who have changed their nicknames or mascots. Here are a few squads that have changed mascots, either because of controversy or the emergence of a better... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Printer Smashing

Did anyone see Extract this weekend? I'm going this week, and if it's even a quarter as good as Office Space, I'll be happy. I'm a big Mike Judge fan, and his brutally realistic portrayal of the soul-sucking hell that is the office cubicle makes that flick one of my all-time favorites. In honor of that classic, I offer several fans' attempts to duplicate one of the best scenes...smashing the printer. (Might want to turn the volume down a smidge...a little NSFW—but if you're still at work at... READ ON

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9 Spiders and the Stars They Were Named For

When I read that a new spider species was named Heteropoda davidbowie in honor of David Bowie, it reminded me of several other celebrities whose names were enshrined in taxonomy because there are so many new spiders being discovered as distinct species. With a little digging, even more star spiders turned up! 1. David... READ ON

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Reading up on The Boss: The Springsteen Special Collection

It shouldn't be a big surprise to you guys—or anyone stuck driving with me—that I'm a Bruce Springsteen fan (exhibits A, B and C, and stay tuned for my special Boss Birthday Blowout next month). So imagine my excitement when I discovered that the Asbury Park Public Library houses the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection, possibly the world's largest special collection devoted to the Boss and his bands. (Also imagine my embarrassment at discovering this only in the last year. Superfan... READ ON

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A Brief History of Closed Captioning

Whether you've encountered its unmistakable white text on black background at the gym, in a bar, or on the couch, you're familiar with closed captioning. Here's a brief history of the technology that has provided a (mostly accurate) transcript of television programming for nearly 40 years. Television captioning begins "“ with Julia... READ ON

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The Quick 10: 10 First Lady Fashion Faux Pas

Michelle Obama is both lauded and disparaged for her fashion choices, especially her recent decision to wear (gasp) shorts while riding Air Force One. But she's hardly the first to choose outfits a little outside of the norm for a First Lady. Here are 10 FLOTUSes (FLOTI?) before her who shocked the nation with their fashion faux pas"¦ or were they just fashion forward? 1. Frances Cleveland was much younger than her Presidential husband "“ 27 years younger, to be exact. So, it makes... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Roomba Rides

Labor Day Weekend is upon us. You're going away, but the carpets aren't going to clean themselves. Better leave the Roomba on... Clean carpets and entertainment for your... READ ON