Portland, Oregon has long had a Weather Ball -- a series of lights that tell you, in rough terms, a weather forecast. It's located downtown, on top of a building. From many locations in Portland you can spot the ball and get a general sense of upcoming weather. In Portland, the lights are coded like so (thanks to Lyza Gardner for the explanation): It can tell you one of six things, that is: 1. It's going to get hotter (steady red) 2. It's going to get colder (steady white) 3. It's going to... READ ON

The road trip is a staple of American culture, inspiring films, books, and even albums. At some point in our lives, most of us will pack our belongings in the trunk and head off on a new adventure via road. The last time I took a major road trip was in 2000, when I traveled from Charleston, WV to Portland, OR -- a journey that Google Maps now tells me is 2,548 miles, or about 1 day, 13 hours straight through. (I took five days to do it, as I'm a wimp.) In those days I didn't have Google Maps to guide... READ ON

Having a pleasant Wednesday afternoon? Prepare to get sad! Wikipedia has an excellent article on lost work, explained thusly: "a document or literary work produced some time in the past of which no surviving copies are known to exist. Works may be lost to history either through the destruction of the original manuscript, or through the non-survival of any copies of the work." It's a staggering list, but for your reading convenience I've gone ahead and collected some of the most depressing items... READ ON

A few days ago, I woke to find my pipes frozen. The outdoor temperature was in the single digits, and the house temperature hovered in the 50s all day. The next day was warmer, but an ice storm soon followed. I made myself feel better by looking up the coldest places in the world. International... READ ON