The original story is one I saved last fall and fell in love with: An adventure race team encounters a dog, feeds him a meatball, and he tags along for the remaining legs of a grueling race. Continue reading
Category Archives: Required Reading
How music can help a workout
I’ve read various anecdotal things over the years about how music can help you with pacing and so forth when you’re working out, but Buzzfeed (of all places) has an interesting piece that covers other aspects worth keeping in mind. Continue reading
Great picks from The Littlest Winslow
This post is nothing more than a shameless plug for my friend and old college colleague Nick at The Littlest Winslow, who’s been mentioned here more than once in terms of music selections to which he’s introduced me. (He was the lead inspiration for the Music Other People Like series you find here as well.) Continue reading
If a computer handled redistricting
Every 10 years, when census numbers get updated and shifts are required to ensure “equal representation,” complaints of gerrymandering and district tampering inevitably arise, as humans try to cope with a variety of variables that can lead to all sorts of accusations of favoritism or marginalism. Continue reading
The clever design of ‘Threes,’ and what could’ve been
I wrote here previously about the amazingly simple yet addictive game called “Threes,” which started out on iOS but ultimately made its way to Android, but not before a clone called “2048” went nuts on the platform. Continue reading
Was leaded gasoline responsible for a surge in crime?
A major spike in crime took place as the 20th century progressed, but then as the century wound down crime statistics declined just as fast as they grew. What’s the reason for this? While many theories have been proposed, a fascinating BBC article talks about whether the use of lead as an additive in gasoline was a major culprit. Continue reading
Fitting a city into a ‘healthy’ county
Fairfield County, because of its size, proximity to New York, and its diversity, many times finds its residents categorized broadly when the details aren’t nearly as black and white. A recent example was a fitness study that categorized the fittest regions. Continue reading
New book promises to teach NYC etiquette
New York is a place like no other, and as such there’s different rules by which one should abide. I for one get really cranky when I get stuck behind slow walkers playing with their cellphones on the sidewalk, or a group of people four across keeping me from getting around them. Actually, I’d just prefer if I could sweep the sidewalks of people altogether sometimes, but that’s not practical. Instead, I pray people read books like the NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette. Continue reading
New York City, before and after
New York as a city has certainly evolved, even has it retains much of the charm over the years that’s made it a place people have yearned to arrive at and thrive. A Huffington Post article, however, shows some of the inevitable change that happens when smaller businesses get replaced with larger ones, as the city ever changes, in a piece highlighting photos taken by James and Karla Murray for a new book, “STORE FRONT.” Continue reading
Those crazy hipsters and their… monocles?
As if the skinny jeans and beard transplants weren’t enough, now comes word, from The New York Times no less, that monocles are making a comeback. Guys, the Times is ON IT, and it’s those crazy hipsters again that are leading the trend, according to the Grey Lady. Continue reading