Archive for October, 2011
Lauren Myracle Handles National Book Awards Kerfuffle Like a Class Act
by Tracy V. Wilson | October 19, 2011
I’ve been following this week’s kerfuffle over the young adult National Book Award nominee list in a state of baffled amazement. If you haven’t heard about it, Linda Holmes has a good overview over at NPR’s Monkey See blog. But, long story short, Lauren Myracle’s book, “Shine,” was included among the National Book Awards’ nominees, but the judges apparently meant to nominate Franny Billingsley’s book, “Chime.” After some back-and-forth, Myracle has withdrawn her book from the running — it was either that, or have the nomination stripped from her.
Blow Your Mind: The Creepy Cool World of Imaginary Friends
by Robert Lamb | October 18, 2011
Why do small children chat with invisible friends? No, they’re not conversing with ghosts or hosting tea parties for demonic spirits. As it turns out, those creepy cool encounters with unreal beings is just a part of how the human brain works. Think of it as a socialization simulator. And guess what? Even the average adult brain engages in something very similar: social surrogacy. How many of your close friends are fictional?
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 7, The Tyranny of Accessible Celebrities
by Tracy V. Wilson | October 18, 2011
You don’t have to read the tabloids to keep up with celebrities anymore! There are Facebooks and Twitters and all kinds of other things to let you, yes you, see into the inner lives of the famous people of your choosing. It’s easy to start feeling like your favorite celebrities are your friends. We caution against that. Here are the names we dropped.
Now I’m not going to necessarily advocate the stance that a vacation must follow a rigorous itinerary — we stayed at a fancy resort for three days during our vacation largely lounging at the beach and the pool, after all, and it was fantastically relaxing to just kick back and not have to follow any schedule apart from that which our own levels of laziness dictated — but there is something to be said for doing some mapping out in advance. More after the jump.
Some stuff I’ve learned recently is as follows:
There is at least an unwritten policy of FEMA called the Waffle House index, which uses whether Waffle Houses in an area are open to determine the level of impact a disaster had on that area. The logic goes that since Waffle Houses are open 24 hours a day every day of the year, if one is closed then an area must be in pretty bad shape. Either the water’s too high for the employees to reach it or the employees are all dead. In either case, the area around the Waffle House could use assistance.
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 6, When Pop Culture Doesn’t Pop
by Tracy V. Wilson | October 14, 2011
There are those things everyone else loves, but we … don’t. Or I don’t. Or Holly doesn’t. For whatever reason. Sometimes we don’t even know why. Here are all the gauntlets we threw down. You’ll have to listen to find out who hated what (and some of this we don’t even hate). Here’s a link to the episode on iTunes.
While doing this podcast, Rachel and I got lots of inside info from our site director Tracy Wilson who lived in Asheville for many years. So we thought it would be fun to list her favorite places to eat and visit here. To Eat Laughing Seed, a vegetarian restaurant that has been around since 1991. [...]
PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 5, An Embarrassment of Riches
by Holly Frey | October 14, 2011
What lucky ducks we are to have so many things to entertain us. I think we both felt a little guilty about categorizing this as a problem. Once we got past that feeling that we’re horrible people, here’s what we talked about.
Leaf Peepr, the Leaf Peeping App
by Amanda Arnold | October 13, 2011
A few Octobers ago, I ate no fewer than 50 boiled peanuts on the ride up to the North Georgia mountains in hopes of seeing yellow and red leaves, and arrived to a sad, leaf-free trail. But that was then and this is now — when there’s a leaf peeping app called “Foliage Leaf Peepr” right there on your phone.
Lip-locked and Love-locked on a Bridge in Europe
by Amanda Arnold | October 11, 2011
I’ll tell you who isn’t afraid of commitment: the Hohenzollernbruecke bridge in Cologne, Germany. The bridge was reconstructed after it was bombed during World War II, and since then it’s been padlocked with the immortal love of thousands of couples from around the world, according to SFGate. Just look at all these “love locks”!
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Have a Coke and a Smile
- The Latest in Frugal Lodging: Camping in Somebody Else’s Backyard
- The Painted Beauties of Bucovina
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Space Music: DJ Food and ‘The Search Engine’
- Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Hug it Out
- Space Music: Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Film Music Video in Orbit
Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
- Amazing Medical Conditions: Maple Syrup Urine Disorder
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
- Tips for Using Bluetooth in the Car
How-to Stuff
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
- How to Know When It’s Time for a New Pet
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 36: Now Available in 3-D
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 35: Let’s do brunch!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 34: Play it again, Sam
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics

