As a firm named after a baseball player and manager, you can imagine that MLB’s Opening Day is a pretty big deal around here. In honor of this young baseball season, we’ve got a few interesting baseball stories plus a couple interesting unrelated items. Swing away The story of jazz and baseball, two of America’s greatest contributions to the world of disposable time, have some common history. The Smithsonian tells the story through some rare footage of Duke Ellington playing ball. Striking decisions MLB umpires…
Read MoreGood luck to all 40,000 of you who are running Monument 10k in the rain tomorrow. Here’s some things to read while you wait for your wave to start. Play ball Here’s a story about how NPR producer Theo Balcomb’s great-great-great-uncle introduced baseball to Japan. The Bourne McAfee USA Today’s Jon Swartz went on the road, and on the run, with John McAfee, the eccentric namesake of the anti-virus software, and it is pretty incredible. What is Jeopardy? Mental Floss (which is like an erudite…
Read MoreAfter an impromptu absence due to some scheduling conflicts, we’re back with another edition of our round-up of the most interesting news we’ve seen this week. Jony Time Whether you use Apple products or not, your world has been greatly affected by the work of Jonathan Ive, from the iconic bubbly iMac to the sleek iPhone in my pocket. If you’re interested in Apple, Ive, or design in-general, this Time piece is a must-read. It’s over Journalists, PR people and other AP Style Guide sticklers…
Read MoreEach week we bring you a few interesting stories we’ve read and discussed around the office this week. We call it the HodgePodge, because we’re clever like that. Parental advisory The Jerky Boys were immature and crude… and they influenced an entire generation of comedy before breaking up in the late ’90s. Can one half of the duo stage a comeback? It figures This photographer creates scenes staring Lego mini-figures and they’re pretty great. About a poster Fifty years later, Vanity Fair takes a look…
Read MoreEach week we bring you interesting stories we’ve read and shared around the office. Today, we have five articles that answer interesting questions. 1 It’s pretty common for people to describe music as a type of language, but what if that gets it backwards? 2 Why is North at the top of maps? 3 What does it take to make a Criterion Collection release? 4 Which sounds tug most at your heartstrings? 5 What’s it like being 93? Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to…
Read MoreI realize you probably won’t have time to read these now that the new season of House of Cards is available, but on the off chance you do, here’s some interesting things we’ve read this week. Who is Arthur Chu? One man recently turned the world of Jeopardy on its head, hunting for Daily Doubles and using game theory in placing if final wagers. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s got some fans of the show so upset, they’re demanding an apology. Legendary Jeopardy…
Read MoreTony’s on vacation, so this week’s HodgePodge is entirely made up of Buzzfeed articles! Okay, not really. Here’s this week’s round-up. The Science of Storytelling According to the Periodic Table of Storytelling, Firefly was great because it followed the story molecule: [LrgMalRcy]—Sbn. Don’t drink the water The Winter Olympics kick off tonight, but ahead of the games, the attending media already has been treated to poisonous water, stray dogs roaming the hotels and framed pictures of Vladimir Putin. Once the smoke clears Few companies could…
Read MoreCongratulations for surviving a frigid January, but before you run off to find a rodent’s shadow, Bill Murray would want you to check out these links. The final frontier Even if you don’t find yourself adrift in space like Sandra Bullock’s character in Gravity, being in space is not kind to your body. High score How, exactly, did Nintendo’s Duck Hunt gun work? Vegas baby! Grantland takes a look at the making of the movie Swingers and it’s so money. LMSTFY Link-shortening service Bitly has…
Read MoreEach week we bring you a round-up of stories we’ve read and discussed around the office this week. Today we’ve got a bunch of stories about how we act online. Your passwords are terrible The annual list of the most popular passwords is out, and “123456” has usurped “password” to top the list. If your favorite password is on this list, change it right now. OK, computer How to date like a mathematician. Facebook deathwatch, part 47 From almost the moment it was founded, people…
Read MoreThis week’s edition brings you stories of new ventures and odd diplomacy, of our changing language and how our reading habits affect us, and of how we see the world. Because language It’s widely accepted that the English language is constantly changing (much to the chagrin of sticklers everywhere), but implicit in that statement is that English is only one language. Really it’s more like a family of languages, all growing and changing at their own pace. Bookish According to a new study, reading a…
Read MoreWelcome back to the HodgePodge, our weekly round-up of interesting stories we’ve read, shared and discussed around the THP offices. Let’s get right to it. Behind the turntable If there’s one thing you’ve been dying to know, it’s the story behind Sir Mix-a-Lot’s hit Baby Got Back. The only failure would be a failure to fail… or something How should you fail? Early and often. Sorry about the weather The polar vortex might put a damper on post-New Year’s gym sign-ups, which could be back…
Read MoreIn this final edition of HodgePodge for 2013, we’ve got Quartz’s favorite charts of 2013, Apple and Facebook’s impressive headquarters, a bit of naysaying about Instagram’s newest feature, a story about what happens to flooded cars and a closer looks at some high-end gift guides. Chart of charts If you love a good chart, check out Quartz’s favorite charts of 2013. Rooftop gardens are big this year When it comes to headquarters buildings, the latest trend in Silicon Valley is to eschew the non-descript office…
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