WE ALL GOT COLD FEET
Has The Last Human Trekked To The North Pole?
Thinning Arctic ice and lack of air support force an end to expeditions this year — and maybe forever.
C-SWEET
Jony Ive Named Apple’s Chief Design Officer
In the newly created position, Ive will “focus entirely on current design projects, new ideas and future initiatives,” according to a statement by Apple.
NO REST OR PEACE
B.B. King's Daughters Allege He Was Poisoned By Assistant And Business Manager
Two B.B. King heirs who've been most outspoken about the blues legend's care in his final days are accusing King's two closest aides of poisoning him, but the attorney for King's estate is calling the claims ridiculous.
HE'S GREAT AT H-O-R-S-E
James Harden Casually Hits A Shot From 85 Feet, Without Jumping
The shot came just after the buzzer and didn't count, but man is this impressive.
SMOKES THE COMPETITION
The Engineer Making Meat Tastier
It is a problem that has taxed the finest minds for generations — what’s the best way to smoke meat?
SOLE MEN
The Incredible True Story Of The Christian Foot Fetishists Who Stole 10,000 Dirty Socks
“They were everywhere and anywhere,” a police officer later testified. “They were all over the furniture, hanging from lampshades and even in the microwave, frying pan and cooker. It was like there had been an explosion in a sock factory and socks had blown all over the place.”
WHEELIE COOL
The Way They Park Bicycles In Japan Is Awesome
Forget chaining your ride to a parking meter. This intricate underground system puts all of that to shame.
MAKES LIKE A TREE
The Inflatable Plane That Would Float Like A Leaf Through Venus’s Atmosphere
Venus is our nearest neighbor, and although the surface is an unimaginable hellscape, 50 kilometers up, the weather’s downright pleasant, even if the air isn’t very breathable. But before we ship off colonists to live in a cloud city, there’s a lot we need to learn about the Venusian skies.
WATER STILL TROUBLED
Art Garfunkel On Paul Simon: 'I Created A Monster'
Forty-five years after Simon & Garfunkel split up, the singer is still consumed with bitterness.
JOKE INFRASTRUCTURE
The Fictional Bridges That Became Real
In Spijkenisse, in the Netherlands, are a set of small bridges that most of Europe should recognize instantly: because they're the fictional ones from their banknotes, made real as a wonderful piece of public art and infrastructure.
A NEU! SOUND
The History Of The Misunderstood Genre Of Krautrock
From the ashes of World War II arose one of the most original and influential movements in musical history, Krautrock. A generation of German musicians embraced their country's cultural blank slate and a new technological future; deconstructing pop music and spawning some of today's best electronic, Hop Hop, and experimental rock and roll.
AIR BEAR
The International Mystery Of The Beaumont Bear
How exciting and how terribly, terribly British: the dashing airman in his Spitfire, his lucky teddy at his side as he strafes the Huns in the deadly skies over southern England. All of it verifiably true, except for the line about Beaumont being a celebrated pilot. And the identity of the pilot in the photo. And oh, yes — the bit about the teddy bear.
IF HE ONLY HAD A HEART
Lion Climbs A Tree To Escape A Herd Of Angry Buffalo In Kenya
Unfortunately for the lion, the herd was not ready to give up and waited for the animal to fall.
CATCHING MORE FLIES WITH POISONED HONEY
The New Dictators Rule By Velvet Fist
The “soft” dictators concentrate power, stifling opposition and eliminating checks and balances, while using hardly any violence.
IDLE CHATTER
Why Mobile Calls Are Still Subpar, And How That’s Changing
Wireless companies and a few ambitious startups are racing to make your cell-phone calls better.
THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS
When A Soldier's Life Ends, The Job Of Another Soldier Begins
Army Master Sgt. Anthony Link had served as an Army Casualty Notification Officer many times before, informing several families that a loved one had been killed in action. But each experience brings new challenges, Links says. New sorrows.
IN CASE YOU WERE WORRIED FOR TIME WARNER
Charter Nears Deal To Buy Time Warner Cable For $55.1 Billion
Charter Communications Inc. is near an agreement to buy Time Warner Cable Inc. for about $55.1 billion in cash and stock, according to people familiar with the matter. Charter will pay about $195 a share — 14 percent above Time Warner Cable’s closing price on May 22 — with $100 in cash and the rest in its own stock, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are confidential.
HOW HE LIVED THROUGH HIS THIRD ACT
The Author Of 'A Beautiful Mind' On The Life And Death Of John Nash
"Nash’s story is one for the ages and I think it had these extreme lows and extreme highs. It was a very romantic and dramatic story with a lot of tragedy," Nash's biographer Sylvia Nasar told me. "It shouldn’t have ended the way it did, but it’s not the end that’s going to be remembered."
NSFL
Scientifically Accurate 'Catdog' Is Gross As Heck
ADHD's "Scientifically Accurate" series has never been easy to look at, but their take on "Catdog" makes us never want to own a pet ever again.
AT LEAST 10 THREATS MADE TODAY
Air France Flight Gets Military Jet Escort To NYC After Chemical Weapon Threat
A series of anonymous telephone threats against commercial airliners Monday, possibly from the same source, prompted searches of at least two planes at Kennedy Airport and nearly interrupted a third flight from England, authorities said.
WHERE'D IT GO
Watch Nela Zisser Demolish A Massive Burrito At Under A Pound Per Minute
It's like a magic trick: even though we know where the burrito went, we're still not sure how it got there that quickly.
TO BE ANNOUNCED TUESDAY
Cleveland Reaches Settlement With Justice Department Over Police Conduct
The city of Cleveland has reached a settlement with the Justice Department over what federal authorities said was a pattern of unconstitutional policing and excessive use of force, people briefed on the case said Monday.
HIS KINGDOM AND A HORSE
A Man Of Modesty, Turkmenistan President Gets A Giant Gilded Statue
On Monday, the isolated central Asian country unveiled a grandiose gold-leafed statue of president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov carrying a dove and riding atop a horse.
PEOPLE NOT WEARING A TRENCH COAT
Being 5'9'' Doesn't Stop This Guy From Dunking Over A Dude Sitting On Another Dude's Shoulders
Ilya Kroshka, a 20-year-old Ukrainian man, shows off his skills and proves once and for all that white men can jump.
GRIM DISCOVERIES
Malaysia Finds Mass Graves Of Suspected Trafficking Victims
Malaysian authorities said Sunday that they have discovered a series of graves in at least 17 abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar have been held.
PROJECT EXODUS
Our Backup Planet
What’s behind the dream of colonizing Mars?
ADULT CONTENT
An Interview With The Grapefruit Blowjob Lady
Adult entertainment star Kimberly Kane sets out to meet sex educator Auntie Angel after learning about her viral video featuring the "grapefruit blowjob method." Kim meets Angel at a grocery store in Downtown LA, where Kim tags along as Angel picks up supplies for a sex class she has later that day.
DRUG PROBLEMS
We Need Antibiotics. They’re Not Profitable To Make. Who Pays?
Within the slow-brewing crisis of antibiotic resistance there are a lot of failures. But an important and little-discussed part of the problem is that, once resistance undermines the action of some antibiotics, there are few other drugs to resort to.
THE WRITE STUFF
Ninety-Nine Bottles Of Pee On The Wall
Everyone says they’ve got a book inside, but hundreds of people actually write them — and are preyed upon by scam artists. The greatest story of literary vigilantism ever told.
AN INSTITUTION, ILLUSTRATED
A Statistical Analysis Of The New Yorker Cartoons
Yes, someone did this.
'IN SHORT, NO'
Does Terrorism Work?
Rebel groups that employ terror in civil wars seldom win or gain concessions — but they tend to prolong conflicts, a new paper finds.
TO ALL YOU FROODS OUT THERE
Happy Towel Day From The International Space Station!
ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti reads from Douglas Adam’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” for towel day from the European laboratory Columbus on the International Space Station.
IT'S ONE YOU'VE HEARD OF
George R.R. Martin Reveals Which Religion Inspired That 'Game Of Thrones' Cult
The nefarious Faith Militant (a.k.a. The Sparrows) in HBO’s "Game of Thrones" has a rather well-known inspiration.
EXPLAINING THE CHARGES
How Batteries Work
Batteries are a triumph of science — they allow smartphones and other technologies to exist without anchoring us to an infernal tangle of power cables. Yet even the best batteries will diminish daily, slowly losing capacity until they finally die. Why does this happen, and how do our batteries even store so much charge in the first place? Adam Jacobson gives the basics on batteries.
SPRING BREAAAAK
Welcome To Iceland, Enjoy A Refreshing Bottle Of Snow
Never trust someone in Iceland who says it's "a little windy."
WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEKEND
Stop Buying Expensive Wine, And Other News
Cheap wine is all you need, dogs have been our friends longer than we thought and this whirlpool is very hungry.
IT'S NOT RUDE
These Portraits Of Wounded Vets Are Meant To Be Stared At
It's impolite to stare. But when it comes to severely injured soldiers, maybe we don't look enough; or maybe we'd rather not see wounded veterans at all.
'LIKE A VULCAN BOMBER'
British Poo-Powered Bus Sets Speed Record
The UK's premier poo-powered bus, the "Bus Hound," has broken the land speed record for a regular service bus.
BLAME CANADA
How An Agricultural Weed Came To Symbolize Memorial Day
It was a poem by a Canadian soldier that helped turn an agricultural weed into a symbol inexorably tied to Memorial Day in the United States and to various other days of remembrance for fallen soldiers elsewhere in the world.
VALLEYGAG
In Busy Silicon Valley, Protein Powder Is In Demand
“It just removes food completely from my morning equation up until about 7 p.m.”
NEVER LOOK AT PANS THE SAME
The Only Thing You'll See In This Video Is Some Really Beautiful Choreography
We don't know who AXYZM are, but if this is supposed to be their resume we can assume they'll be getting quite a bit of work in the near future.
ART IS PAIN
Shot In The Name Of Art
This short documentary celebrates the late conceptual artist Chris Burden’s landmark work “Shoot,” in which a friend shot him in the arm.
CAN'T YOU SEE?
Your New Bionic Lenses Are BS
A British Columbia doctor claims to have invented a bionic lens that gives you three times better vision than 20/20. Meet the latest entry into the realm of health care magical realism.
'OPERATING AFTER REVOCATION' IS THE CHARGE
Bomb Squad Destroys Pressure Cooker Found In Vehicle Parked Near US Capitol
A US Capitol police spokeswoman said a bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker that was found in an unattended vehicle on Sunday. The vehicle was parked on the National Mall near the US Capitol; the vehicle’s owner was found and arrested.
BEAN NICE KNOWING YOU
Saving Coffee From Extinction
Two billion cups of coffee are drunk around the world every day and 25 million families rely on growing coffee for a living. Over the past 15 years, consumption of the drink has risen by 43% — but researchers are warning that the world's most popular coffee, Arabica, is under threat.
FRUIT JUICED
Pineapple Excess
A guide to the piña colada, the sweetest, silliest drink of summer.
SUB-PRIME MINISTER
Ehud Olmert, Israeli Ex-PM, Is Sentenced To 8 Months In Jail
Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who was forced out of office amid allegations of corruption, was sentenced on Monday to eight months in jail for fraud and breach of trust in a case involving an American businessman.
THREAT NOT YET GONE
Rivers Still Flooded In Texas And Oklahoma; 3 Dead After Record Rains
A day after record-setting rains left three people dead and washed away hundreds of homes in Texas and Oklahoma, the heavens are easing up. But that doesn't mean the threat is gone.
A HELFPUL POINTER
Never Wonder What Side Your Gas Tank Is On Again
I’ve been driving around this earth for 15 years and no one ever told me about this one key feature of the car interface.
TODAY IN CORPORATE COMEUPPANCE
Amazon Starts Paying Taxes In Europe
Amazon.com Inc has started booking revenue from retail sales in individual European countries, instead of channeling all sales through low-tax Luxembourg, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
HOT HEADED
Infections Might Make You Dumber
A new study shows that those who have been hospitalized for infections have slightly lower IQs than average.
STARS, THEY'RE JUST LIKE US
A Chat With A Chill Astronomer
Being the big, bright, volatile and self-destructive balls of gas they are, stars aren’t really just like us. Or — wait a minute.
TESTING TEACHER'S PATIENCE
Weathering This Year’s Testing Season
Everyone has an opinion on standardized testing. Here’s what it feels like on the ground — and how teachers are learning to cope.
THE SCARS OF YOUTH
Uriah Hall Was Bullied So Badly, He Considered Killing Himself
"Many years before I was a world class professional fighter, I was just a kid who didn’t fit in — and that made me a prime target."
THAT'S A PADDLING
Ping Pong Goes From Basement To Big Business With Hipster Help
Long a mainstay of garages, basements and dives, the game is springing up at high-end bars, restaurants and hotels around the world.
DEEP THOUGHT
Neuroscientists Are Making An Artificial Brain For Everyone
"I’m fairly new to San Francisco, so I’m still building my mental database of restaurants I like. But this weekend, I know exactly where I’m heading to for dinner: Nick’s Crispy Tacos. Then, when I get home, I’m kicking back to a documentary I’ve never heard of, a Mongolian drama called The Cave of the Yellow Dog."
DON'T HORSE AROUND
A Bullshitter's Guide To Polo
As Britain's annual royal charity match approaches, pro polo player Charlie Wood gives his tips on how to blend in with the polo elite: what to wear, what Spanish swearwords to use, and how to impress your date.
DOOR-TO-DOOR DECEPTION
How The Gay Rights Canvassing Study Fell Apart
The public unraveling of one of last year’s highest impact studies, “When contact changes minds: An experiment on transmission of support for gay equality” (Science, December 2014), began the way that many posts for the science watchdog blog Retraction Watch do: Its editor, Ivan Oransky, was mentioned in a tweet.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
Researchers Say Testosterone Rules For Women Athletes Are Unfair
"Imagine being a woman your whole life, and all of a sudden, you're told that even though you still are, and you have all the legal documents, you can't compete as a woman anymore."
NOTHING TO SEE IN THIS GENOME
So You’re Related To Charlemagne? You And Every Other Living European…
The advent of cheap genetic sequencing has given birth to a burgeoning ancestry industry. But before you pay to spit in a tube, here are a few facts for free.
KEEP YOUR HANDS UP AND YOUR WAIST MOVING
Hula-Hooping Shadow Boxer Provides The Entertainment NASCAR Races Sorely Lack
The cars zipping by do provide a great backdrop though.
