For the fifth year in the Bay Area, Maker Faire welcomes thousands of makers of all ages who show us the amazing things they make. Makers are enthusiasts who love… Read the rest of the article: A Maker Faire Preview

DATELINE TOONTOWN. President-elect Bam Bam has announced a slate of Cabinet appointments, declaring that "this new generation of leadership" will mix a few popular characters from the past along with… Read the rest of the article: The Cartoon Cabinet

As we're approaching the end of what is a nice four-day holiday break for some of us, I want to talk about getting back to work. This will also be… Read the rest of the article: The Work Week Ahead

The holiday season brings back memories of toy trains running under the Christmas tree. My father built a six-foot-long platform for an American Flyer train set that was mine and… Read the rest of the article: Trains on the Brain

Every professional performer always does the same thing at exactly the same moment in every show they do. What I like are things that are different every time. That's why… Read the rest of the article: Why Homebrew is Better

With the Thanksgiving turkey behind us, here's something else you don't eat regularly: meaty balls. Check out The Testicle Cookbook: Cooking with Balls by Serbian chef, Ljubomir Erovic. This multimedia… Read the rest of the article: The Gonad Gourmet

In what may be the only appropriate use for a Christmas lawn decoration, a Sacramento man grabbed a large candy-cane on his lawn and used it to beat a drunken… Read the rest of the article: Large Candy Cane Used To Beat Threatening Neighbor

Earlier in the fall, I had the opportunity to visit Douglas Repetto in his office at Columbia University in New York. The founder of Dorkbot and organizer of ArtBots, Doug… Read the rest of the article: Douglas Repetto's Squirrel Cages

I've been listening to the audiobook, Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, which has the additional benefit of being read by the author. Obama's baritone has become a familiar… Read the rest of the article: Obama's Voices

Ilan Schifter, a recent graduate of NYU's ITP, came up with a inflatable game-space for toddlers called ToddlePuff. Here's how Ilan describes it: ToddlePuff is an inflated interface that incorporates… Read the rest of the article: Toddlepuff Game

Mark posted on Boing-Boing last year this article on Fake News that I wrote, which examined the retail numbers cited by the National Retail Federation about sales over Thanksgiving, and… Read the rest of the article: Freakin' Friday's Silver Lining

Pilgrim's blog — 1623. [I may not here omite how, notwithstand all their great paines and industrie, and the great hops of a large cropp, the Lord seemed to blast,… Read the rest of the article: "A fruitfull and liberall harvest"

Today I was reminded of the TV series "The Name of the Game", which ran from 1968 to 1971. A bit unconventional for its time, the show was smart, cool,… Read the rest of the article: The Name of the Game

Nearly everyone knows the pomegranate, although it's probably more common on the West Coast. Its unusually tangy seeds seem designed for mindless, time-passing enjoyment. Pick up a pomegranate and pick… Read the rest of the article: Pick A Pomegranate

Quince is an oddly shaped fruit with a subtle, distinct fragrance. It's not something to eat like a pear but it looks like a knobby version of one. Quince needs… Read the rest of the article: The Mighty Quince

The current economic collapse is a difficult story for TV. It's a peculiar period in between an election and an inauguration. This most important story, this great-or-not-so great depression, is… Read the rest of the article: Why CNN Struggles to Cover The Economic Panic

According to an article in New Scientist, global climate warming may actually suppress plagues of locusts. One less thing to worry about, eh? Zhibin Zhang of the Chinese Academy of… Read the rest of the article: Locusts Like It Cool

Please allow me to sing the praises of persimmons. Bright orange persimmons are about the last fruit to ripen in the fall. There are two main types of persimmons, and… Read the rest of the article: Permission for Persimmons, please

In anticipation of the great food holiday of Thanksgiving, I'm going to post several food-related items. I'm not necessarily suggesting these items for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner but they all… Read the rest of the article: Ah, Horseradish!

Many collectors are makers, restoring the items they collect to working condition. Jack Judson created his own private museum, the Magic Lantern Castle Museum in San Antonio, TX. The magic… Read the rest of the article: Magic Lantern Castle Museum