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5 Questions: Father-ly Advice

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Seller's remorse

Perhaps redaction is just in the air. At work today, a girl brought her pet capuchin to her audition, a charming three year-old named Chanel who promptly attacked the Wite-Out tape; when she left, the office looked like we'd just held a ticker tape parade. It won't be pretty to clean up, but I do appreciate the monkey's joie de vivre in disassembling our instruments of it-never-happened. And then, driving home, NPR was talking about yard sales, and seller's remorse, and of course it was impossible then not... READ ON

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Attack of the killer massive infrastructure failure

Infrastructure didn't do so well this year. It's been falling asleep in class, hanging out with the wrong crowd and not studying at all -- and its report card reflects it. But seriously: ever since the tragic Minnesota bridge collapse and the NYC steam pipe explosion, we've been asking questions about our national infrastructure, trying in vain to predict the next spectacular structural failure. Turns out the American Society of Civil Engineers' Infrastructure Report Card is a fascinating little... READ ON

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How To: Destroy History

Hide It Although widely beloved as a sort of satirical Santa Claus today, any rational look at the biography of Mark Twain would reveal a very different man. The real Mark Twain was more often depressed than jolly, more bitter curmudgeon than wacky old coot. Then there was the atheism, the temper, and, oh yeah, the fact that he spent his later years surrounded by a flock of adoring underage girls. That last bit wasn't as bad as it sounds. The girls were always chaperoned and, apparently, the whole... READ ON
  1. FIND THESE T-SHIRTS AND MORE IN THE STORE!

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Fun Podcast: Coyle and Sharpe

Here's another podcast for your listening pleasure: Coyle and Sharpe: The Imposters (iTunes link). In the 1960's, Jim Coyle and Mal Sharpe played street pranks in San Francisco, recording bogus man-on-the-street interviews and involving passersby in bizarre (and funny) put-ons. For the young-uns among us: it's like a gentler version of Ali G. Coyle is no longer with us, having died in an absurdly improbable manner described on the official Coyle and Sharpe site: "In 1967, Coyle left California to... READ ON

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mental_floss Takes Manhattan

Lots of exciting stuff going on here at mental_floss. Starting next month, I am coming aboard full time. (Well, it's exciting for me, at least.) Because of this, Mangesh and I need a place to congregate. With this post, we are beginning our search for office space in New York City. This is one of those "can't hurt to ask" situations. So, to all our New York readers...got any square feet to spare? We're looking for a space we could share with another creative group. Nothing fancy. Just a place to call... READ ON

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Ten Reasons why Teddy Roosevelt is the Coolest President Ever

Last week, mental_floss asked for input on three possible covers for the upcoming magazine issue. The one featuring president Theodore Roosevelt was the favorite among commenters. I don't know which cover was selected, but it made me think of the many ways Roosevelt stands out in history. Here are just ten, in no particular order. One commenter mentioned that readers of this blog would not know who Teddy R. is. That would surprise me, but maybe this will help you know him a little better. 1.... READ ON

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Tuesday Turnip

It's time for another Tuesday Turnip wherein I type a random phrase and we see what kind of interesting factoids "turn-up." Today I typed in "unprecedented record" unearthing the following The film [Seopyeonje] documented the traditional music of Korea with beautiful scenery and became one of those films that every Korean had to see. Just in Danseong Theater, the film was screened for a record-breaking 196 days, attracting 1,035,000 people and becoming the first film to bring in over one million... READ ON

5 Questions: Over the Hill

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New book discloses objects of import

There's a new book out that may make you feel better about your fierce attachment to that Petoskey stone, cocktail napkin, or bottle cap stowed away somewhere. It's called "Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance," brought to you by Joshua Glenn and Carol Hayes. The team has a fan in the LA Times, who breaks it down thusly: They asked artists, designers, writers and thinkers to contribute photos of their precious belongings and explain their significance. The result is a... READ ON

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