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Bridge has an IOC-recognized federation without being an Olympic event
The World Bridge Federation appears among organizations recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Recognition and inclusion in the Games are separate…
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The silent way gamers roast their teammates
A teammate misses a play, and someone answers with a pointed in-game emote or a string of pings instead of a sentence. Those gestures make blame visible to…
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A dance lift is upper-body training disguised as choreography
Researchers analyzing ballet and contemporary performances counted lifts and movements in which dancers supported their own weight. Contemporary performances…
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Why 45s were made for hit singles
RCA Victor introduced the 7-inch, 45-rpm record in 1949 to compete with the LP; each side held one song, and the cheap, durable discs quickly became jukebox…
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Friends almost took place in a diner
NBC worried a coffeehouse would feel too trendy for middle America and suggested a diner instead. The creators kept the coffeehouse setting.
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Why speaking is faster than typing
Most people can speak faster than they can type, and speech-to-text can capture spoken words quickly. Yet many still peck out emails at a keyboard to avoid…
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Some individuals genuinely believe they steer their fate
Some people feel that their choices can meaningfully steer what happens next; psychologists call this an internal sense of control. It can make effort feel…
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Survivor tests every challenge before contestants
Production assistants run through each physical challenge before contestants do, checking that it is possible and safe. They test the obstacles before the…
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Method acting originating from a strict Russian teacher
In the early 1900s, Konstantin Stanislavski developed a system that asked performers to draw on real emotional memories to create convincing feelings onstage.
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Movie magic often starts with PVC pipes
Because props only need to look convincing and give actors something to grab or lean on, crews can build elaborate-looking thrones and weapons from cheap PVC…
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Spreader bars lift long cargo onto trailers
A spreader bar keeps lifting slings apart, so they pull upward instead of squeezing long cargo inward. It’s the difference between hoisting a load and giving…
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Train Simulator sells a hobby's worth of optional track
Its add-on catalog includes separate routes, locomotives, and scenarios accumulated over many years. Buying everything treats a specialist hobby like a…
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Neo Geo brought arcade hardware into the living room
The home console used the same internals as the arcade system, so its games could run without compromises such as dropped frames.
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A video game helps a man catch a cold
In Elite Beat Agents, tapping along to Avril Lavigne helps a man catch a cold so he can stay home with his family.
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Conestoga wagons featured curved floors to secure cargo
The wagon's floor curved upward at the ends, helping keep cargo from sliding out when the road tilted. Conestoga freight got a built-in scoop, because gravity…
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Evil twins are a massive soap opera crutch
An evil twin gives soap-opera writers a ready-made source of conflict: the same actor can return as a look-alike villain without adding another character to…
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Legoland glues its giant Lego models together
Staff glue the bricks together because visitors might otherwise pull the giant models apart.
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Survivor put a $5 million price on breaking confidentiality
When CBS countersued contestant Stacey Stillman in 2001, it said the contestants' agreements carried that penalty. Keeping the outcome secret wasn't merely a…
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Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,000 to reunite
On a 1976 SNL broadcast, Michaels jokingly offered $3,000 total, or $750 each. Lennon and McCartney were watching together in New York and considered going to…
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Victorians spent Christmas telling ghost stories
Families gathered around the fireplace to tell grim tales of the undead, sometimes frightening children as part of the holiday tradition.
Discover moreA singer's instrument is tissue that has to keep vibrating
The vocal folds open and close as air passes through them, while the throat and mouth shape the sound. Long performances place repeated demands on that…
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Polling rates dictate how often mice report positions
Polling rate is how often a mouse reports its position to the computer. A higher rate sends updates more frequently, helping the cursor track fast movements…
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Tetractys formations build triangles using exactly ten dots
Its four rows contain one, two, three, and four dots, a pattern early mathematical thinkers treated as a model of the whole.
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Government borrowing prevents all private sector investment
When the government borrows heavily, it competes with businesses for money investors could lend. That can leave companies with fewer loans available to expand.
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