Smart News Arts & Culture

“Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”

Insult Your Foes Like a Montague

Armstrong riding in 2002

Lance Armstrong Surrenders Against Doping Charges and Will be Banned for Life

Armstrong announced that he would no longer fight the doping charges against him. His surrender marks an end not just to his battles, but to his career

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How to Learn a Language Nobody Speaks

After hundreds of years, and multiple attempts to develop a universal language the same problem still remains: no one wants to learn it

In Vietnam, Rhino Horn is the Drug of Choice at both Parties and Hospitals

A report issued by TRAFFIC issues the latest depressing statistics surrounding the epidemic-proportion illegal rhino horn trade in South Africa and Asia

A wanna-be ninja

Meet Jinichi Kawakami, Japan’s Last Ninja

This 63-year old engineer, is probably Japan's last true ninja

The King himself, promoting “Jailhouse Rock”

Elvis Died 35 Years Ago and the Fans Still Can’t Help Falling in Love With Him

The King is dead. Long live the King

Imagine going from the podium, to the pickle aisle.

After London Many Olympians Find Real Life Hard to Swallow

You're not the only one with post Olympics blues, athletes have it way worse

Julia Child Loved Science but Would Hate Today’s Food

It's her birthday today, and while the master chef loved science she would have hated today's laboratory produced food

Google Earth Probably Didn’t Just Find New Pyramids

Amateur archaeologist claims to have found lost pyramids using Google Earth. Real archaeologists are skeptical

Happy Birthday to Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense

The master helped director shape both modern cinema, and the minds of a generation

How Many Stops Have You Made on the National Parks Subway?

The Sierra Club presented a fictional subway map of the U.S. National Parks and is challenging green commuters to see how many stops they can hit

Celebrating 80 Years of LEGO

Children and hobbyists rejoice - today is Lego's 80th birthday

Shannon Eastin is not in this picture, but she might be soon.

Meet the First Woman to Referee an NFL Game

Shannon Eastin, the first woman to ever referee an NFL game, got her stripes last night.

How Olympic Bodies Have Changed Over Time

From 1929 to now, how do former Olympic champions compare to today's athletes?

Faces created using Phil McCarthy’s Pareidoloop.

Facial Recognition Software Makes Art from Random Noise

An interactive infographic tracks the flow of small and light arms and ammunition around the world.

In 2010 $600 Million in Guns and Ammo Were Exported from the US

In 2010, $607 million dollars worth of small and light arms left the United States, headed to buyers around the world

In Step With Income Inequality, US Cities More Geographically Segregated than Ever

Residential segregation has increased by income in 27 out of 30 of America's metropolises, and in some cases translates to shorter lives in poorer areas

A Vietnamese man lovingly gazes at his dog, Op-kun (front). Two days later, Op-kun was snatched up by a restaurant thief and never seen again.

Vietnam’s Dogs are Both Humans’ Best Friends and Snacks

In Vietnam, dog lovers had best keep their pooches behind high, locked fences if they don't want their pets to wind up boiled in a pot

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Yesterday Was National Orgasm Day and You Missed It

Did you celebrate? If not, you'll just have to celebrate twice next year

Gore Vidal: Left in 1948 (Image: Library of Congress) Right, in 2008

Read a 2007 Essay in Smithsonian by Gore Vidal, Last Writer of His Kind

Why more writers should be as fearless, and as prickly as Vidal

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