Recreation
Leisure activities, including sports, travel, entertainment and hobbies
To new friends and old
Why are there so few rules or instructions? It's all part of the plan
October 09, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Where Travelers Go to Pay Their Respects
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is not a fun place to go, yet tourists flock here, and to
other somber sites around the world
October 09, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Are You an Expert? If Not, Forget the 4-Hour Work Week
The seemingly too-good-to-be-true 4-hour workweek has a few glaring caveats
October 05, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Curiouser and Curiouser
The fourth puzzle is now unlocked. Have at it!
October 05, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Skydiver Plans to Break the Sound Barrier by Jumping From 120,000 Feet
Carried aloft by a giant helium balloon, Felix Baumgartner will free-fall from the stratosphere
October 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
The Moment of Clarity
Some good news and some bad news from the Puzzle Master
October 04, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Zoom Around This Detailed Map of the Ancient World
Now, you can zoom around this huge, detailed map of the ancient world labeled with cities from all sorts of archaeological records, classical text references and European imagery
October 04, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Trail Continues!
Here are a few (non-spoiler!) answers to questions we've received from a bunch of solvers
October 03, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Snakes: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly
With venom so potent it can kill a person in just 30 minutes, the black mamba is a snake to avoid—while others are worth learning about before you cast your judgment
October 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
All the Insane Australian Fruit You Can Eat
What the heck are black sapotes, carambolas and pomelo fruits?
October 02, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
Don’t give up!
To those of you who feel sure that your password is right but have been foiled by the website, I say: look closer--especially if you're using a digital version of the magazine!
October 02, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
The Game’s Afoot!
The next stage of the Great American History Puzzle is unlocked and ready for you to start working on it!
October 01, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Health Hazards of the Traveler
Russian scientist Leonid Rogozov was the only doctor within 1,000 miles when, in 1961, he was struck by appendicitis in Antarctica. Fortunately, he had Novocain and a scalpel
September 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Regular Referees Are Back So We Can Start Hating Them Again
The regular N.F.L. referees have reached a deal and will return to officiating American's favorite contact sport
September 28, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Right Dashboard Font Could Make Driving Safer
MIT’s AgeLab (better known for their age empathy suit) worked with text and graphic company Monotype Imaging to figure out what worked and what didn’t when it comes to fonts used in car displays, like GPS
September 27, 2012 |
By Mary Beth Griggs
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Went on His Own Adventures—to the Arctic
When he was a 20-year-old medical student, Conan Doyle became the ship’s surgeon on board a whaling ship, the Hope
September 27, 2012 |
By Mary Beth Griggs
Great American Puzzle Update: Solving a Sticky Question
A subscriber wondered if the mailing label that is printed on the mailed copies of Smithsonian magazine would interfere with his solving the Great American Puzzle
September 27, 2012 |
By Ken Jennings
Even Close Subspecies of Migrating Birds Can’t Agree on the Best Route
Scientists in British Columbia attached tiny ‘backpacks’ to birds and mapped their winter migration from Canada to Central America and back again
September 26, 2012 |
By Mary Beth Griggs
How Bad Is Air Travel for the Environment?
A large passenger jet may consume five gallons of fuel per mile traveled. Is it possible, then, that planes are more efficient than cars?
September 26, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Sao Paulo Traffic Jams Extend 112 Miles, On Average
With so much time spent in cars, it’s inevitable that life events like meeting your future spouse occur there, too
September 25, 2012 |
By Mary Beth Griggs
