The New and Improved SAT
Some new SAT adjustments will make the test that tormented you in high school a little less traumatic for today’s teenagers.
Author: Uncle John
Impossible Questions: “La Cocina” Edition
Think you know the answer to this question? Think you can get it? Good luck…and come back tomorrow to see if you’re right.
What’s the most popular Mexican food item in the United States?
Splitting California Into Six States
California, California, California, California, California, California Dreamin’! California is a large, varied state, with vast cultural and geographic differences across its many regions. We already told you about the charge for one section to split off into its own state. One man has another ideas: six states.
Spring Forward, Fall Back: Daylight Saving Time Facts
Have you adjusted to Daylight Saving Time (not “Savings”) yet? Here are some facts about why we change our clocks each March, and then change them back again in November.
- Benjamin Franklin invented Daylight Saving Time…as a joke. While living in France in 1784, he published a satirical essay called “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light,” which suggested changing the clocks to provide more daylight hours.
6 Weird Celebrity Barbies
Mattel has produced thousands of different Barbie dolls over the past six decades, including these bizarre ones based on real people.
Farrah Fawcett (2011)
Not just a doll of the Charlie’s Angels star, it’s a doll that re-creates exactly Fawcett’s iconic 1970s swimsuit poster. The doll is posed with one knee up and includes the poster’s backdrop, too.
AUJA – Tony’s Tony and Oscar’s Oscar
Only one person named Oscar has ever won an Academy Award, nicknamed “Oscar” by an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences librarian who remarked that the bald statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar.
Fake-or-Fact Friday: The “Yellow King” Edition
Two of these news stories are real. One isn’t. Can you tell which? “Urine” luck, because the answer is at the end.
Remembering the Alamo
On this day in 1836, the Battle of the Alamo ended. Here are some little-known facts about one of the most famous and important battles in history.
A Weird App: Toilets-for-Rent with Airpnp
There’s an app you can use locate and rent other people’s homes for a few nights when they’re not occupied…but what if you only need a very particular part of that house, and for, oh, 10, maybe 15 minutes, at the most? Introducing Airpnp, a web-based app that allows users to find a clean bathroom in a private residence where they can confidently do their business.
Impossible Questions: ‘70s Flashback Edition – The Answer
Did you figure out the answer to this week’s “Impossible Question”? Read on to see if you were right.
When did the 8-track tape really die? (It’s harder than you think)
Joby Ogwyn to Jump off Mount Everest
Joby Ogwyn is a just a normal guy…who enjoys extreme skydiving and speed-mountain climbing. This May, he plans to jump off the top of Mt. Everest and fly to the ground in a specially-designed nylon wingsuit.
Impossible Questions: ‘70s Flashback Edition
Think you know the answer to this question? It’s harder than you think. Come back tomorrow to see if you’re right.
A Brief History of First Ladies on Sitcoms
In 2009, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to sit down for a TV talk show interview, on The Tonight Show. Big deal. First Ladies of the United States have been showing up on TV for years—and on sitcoms to boot.
Quokka: The Cutest—And Happiest—Animal on Earth
As far as cuteness is concerned, cats rule the internet. But a little Australian creature could give kitties a run for their money. Have a look at a quokka. These cat-sized marsupials can primarily be found on the islands and national parks near Perth, Australia. Sure enough, they’re pretty friendly and cheerful.
Meet the Wellesley Sleepwalker
Meet “Sleepwalker,” the latest thing to roll out of the studio of Tony Matelli. The New York artist created the eerily lifelike sculpture for an exhibition at Wellesley College’s Davis Art Museum. Sleepwalker is more than a little unsettling, clad only in a pair of underwear and with his arms outstretched, as if sleepwalking.
AUJA – Why are weathermen called meteorologists?
Like the names of many scientific disciplines, “meteorologist” comes from Ancient Greek. The study of weather study kept the name meteorology, and now means a study of the atmosphere, weather, and climate.
Ski Beautiful Pee Mountain
Those weird side-by-side toilets in Sochi aren’t the only convergence of bathroom news and winter sports to make headlines. In Arizona, you can ski on snow made from pee.
Fact-or-Fake Friday: Gross Animal News Edition
What follows are three weird news stories involving animals. However, only two are real, and the other one we made up. Can you spot the fake? Check your answer at the end.
