In the course of a remodel, an architect embedded elaborate puzzles and amazing clues into a New York apartment, and, a year after renovations concluded, started the family that lives there on a quest to decipher the home’s many enigmas.

The co-founder of Flickr is leaving corporate overload Yahoo! to go back to his first love, tinwork. Or something.

They’ve doubled their check-in speed, saved tons of money, eased terminal congestion, and made their customers happier. (via SvN)

A friend recently told me that her experiences at the Johns Hopkins summer program for gifted students strongly impacted her academic development by showing her that its okay to be smart. My time in gifted programs in 4th through 6th grade and in similar programs in junior high were my favorite and most productive years of learning. The idea that everyone should strive for mediocrity is shortsighted and silly. Different people learn in different ways and at different paces, and to eliminate all of these programs in order to focus solely on One Child Left Behind-mandated testing is going to have lasting consequences in a country that is already struggling to keep its prosperity and relevance in a quickly changing world.

A man who killed a police officer whom he thought was a home invader was found not guilty by a Canadian jury yesterday. The police stormed his home at night on suspicion of drug trafficking but did not find enough evidence to charge him.

The Chinatown bus services that travel between Boston, New York, DC, and Philly operate in a world of poverty, violence, and opportunity.

They also point out that street dealing is now virtually obsolete, and the state collects sales tax on each “prescription” filled.

Folk tails set during the rise of the Technological Singularity. Fans of Vernor Vinge take note. Others, be afraid (or at least perplexed).

So forget whatever I said earlier. Also, check out the ghoulish picture.

A good history of the highs and lows of the Democratic primary. Let this, please, be the last word on the matter.

Children who lived in the temporary shelters are at higher risk of severe breathing problems and cancer, thanks to unsafe levels of formaldehyde. FEMA knew about the problem in 2006 but did not begin to move people out of the contaminated trailers until three months ago. Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice. Be it incompetence or malice, people should go to jail.

Wow, xkcd gets New York Times exposure!

I particularly like the ones shot in HDR. And the coal ship next to the golf course.

While spending two years reporting from Iraq, NPR’s Jamie Tarabay found comfort and guidance in the stories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (via my dad)

Matt Bai’s profile delves into McCain’s thinking on the Iraq war, tracing his evolution from post-Vietnam to present. It is a good read and helpful for getting a bead on where McCain really stands after a primary season that saw his tacking right and espousing opinions that don’t become him.

I’ve wanted to visit for a while, now I sort of want to go there for 2 years and get an MBA.

“Pregnancy is as unobtrusive as it is without consequence!”