Rick Casson isn’t your typical airplane pilot. A student at the University of Saskatchewan and president of the U of S Aerodesign Team, Rick’s not actually behind the stick, and his flying machines are decidedly smaller than the real thing—less than fifteen pounds and remote-controlled, to be...
In the 1970s former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan shared a bizarre idea about how to gauge the state of the economy: the Men’s Underwear Index. Due to underwear’s position as a clothing staple, his theory went, men purchase freshies pretty regularly when money is flowing....
It doesn’t help the turtles of Jekyll island that the highest point—and thus prime nesting ground—is atop a high-traffic causeway. Just ask Ray Emerson, a volunteer at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and guardian angel to the hundreds of nesting terrapins on the island. Since 2012, Ray’s...
A mix of clichéd metaphors and hyperbolic buzzwords such as “mission critical” and “scalability,” the ubiquitousness of office clichés will make you feel like you’re taking crazy pills. Because if you work in an office long enough you know this seemingly innocuous jargon is actually loaded in hilarious subtext. This week in Office...
Tim Paul grew up racing. While the rest of us were still playing with matchbox cars, nine-year old Tim was speeding a go-kart around a dirt track outside of New York City. Working his way up the ladder from sprint cars to midgets, and all the way...
There’s nothing like breaking nearly every bone in your body to inspire a new business idea. After a fall that left him with 15 broken bones and skull fractures, Larsen Jay swore the get-well bouquets he received helped him heal faster. Leaving behind a job as a...
Most people don’t give bugs a second thought—other than to swat them away with a rolled-up newspaper. But for Riley Tedrow, an entomologist at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, thinking about bugs is his life’s work. One insect in particular fascinates him—the praying mantis, or the sucker with the...
When we’re at the office, we basically speak our own language. A mix of clichéd metaphors and hyperbolic buzzwords such as “mission critical” and “scaleability,” the ubiquitousness of which will make you feel like you’re taking crazy pills. Because if you work in an office long enough you know this seemingly innocuous office jargon is...
With the help of master artisans from the African country of Namibia, twin brothers Chris and Doug Akin have started the Base Project, an eco-friendly fashion brand that brings locally sourced bracelets, cuffs and hand-sewn bags to the U.S. They’re giving back, too, by re-investing their profits in Namibian humanitarian...
Frank Verga can make iron bend to his will. Of course, he does so with the help of a massive fire, which burns at temperatures approaching 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — as hot as lava. A working blacksmith who also teaches his trade at the American College of...
When President Obama recently called to remove tax breaks from 529 college savings plans, he was loudly booed, Snoopy-at-Christmas-pageant-style. Not a big surprise considering that a college education—whether our own or our children’s—is pretty much the new mortgage. For instance, a traditional four-year college can run anywhere...
With a chisel in one hand and an oar in the other, Roman Horoszewski combines his two passions: woodcarving and rowing. A former competitive rower, Roman now cuts through wood instead of water, constructing custom pieces for clients and auctioning off other examples of his handiwork to...