Games & Humor

Steve Buscemi poses for photographers during the A Good Job: Stories Of THe FDNY New York premiere on Sept. 4, 2014 in New York City.

Arts

Not My Job: Actor Steve Buscemi Gets Quizzed On Government Jobs

10:48am May 09, 2015

Buscemi wasn't always a famous actor. He was once just a young man taking the civil service test. If things had gone differently, he could have had a career in any number of exciting government jobs.

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Are You Sick, And Sick Of Hearing 'Everything Happens For A Reason'?

3:24pm May 08, 2015

by Ina Jaffe

Afraid of saying the wrong thing to someone with a serious illness? Now there are "empathy cards" that make fun of those well-meaning but tasteless remarks.

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Ellen McLain (standing fourth from left) and John Lowrie (standing in center) are unlikely celebrities in gaming culture. But they are the voices behind some of the video game world's most popular characters.

Arts

The Unlikely Stars Of Americans' Favorite Video Games

11:14am May 08, 2015

by Ashley Gross

More than a third of Americans play video games three or more hours a week. Part of the appeal is the richly developed characters in the games.

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Economy

Casinos Bet On Change After Younger Players Ignore 'Boring' Slot Machines

8:28am May 08, 2015

by David Kestenbaum

When young people go to casinos, they aren't playing slot machines. Our Planet Money team talks to a man who thinks he can make slot machines that younger people will want to play.

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Because of the limited structural integrity of The Saltwich, Robert had to employ the Butterfly Grip in 2013.

Arts

Sandwich Monday: We're Full

3:18pm May 06, 2015

by Ian Chillag

The Sandwich Monday team says "See you later." Then we say, "Are you gonna eat that?"

Jeopardy Know-it-All Ken Jennings reveals how losing to a supercomputer crushed his pride.

Arts

What Does Losing To A Computer Tell Us About Pride?

4:22pm May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Ken Jennings has made a career of being the know-it-all. But then he challenged a supercomputer, Watson — and lost. Jennings explains how it felt to have a computer beat him and crush his pride.

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"To me what's exciting is the answers that math can get you to." - Randall Munroe

Science

Can Math Answer Absurd Questions?

11:00am May 05, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

When Randall Munroe volunteered to teach physics to high schoolers, his textbook approach to teaching the subject fell flat. Then he realized a way to get the kids excited about math -- Star Wars.

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SwiftKey analyzed more than a billion pieces of emoji data, organized by language and country. The poop emoji was most popular in Canada.

Canadians Love Poop, Americans Love Pizza: How Emojis Fare Worldwide

6:20pm May 04, 2015

by NPR Staff

A study analyzes more than a billion pieces of emoji data across 16 languages and regions to gauge how different nations communicate. Most emojis sent are happy faces and other positive symbols.

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Arts

A Puzzle With Everything, Including The Kitchen Sink

2:09pm May 04, 2015

by Will Shortz

Each word provided is an anagram of something you might see in a kitchen. For example, "skin" is an anagram of "sink."

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Artist Jonathan Adler attends NYC Bing redesign panel featuring Jonathan Adler and David Bromstad on Sept. 17, 2013 in New York City.

Arts

Not My Job: Designer Jonathan Adler Gets Quizzed On New Coke

10:05am May 04, 2015

Thirty years ago the Coca-Cola company introduced New Coke, which is legendary as both the most disastrous and most successful product launches of all time.

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