Is it possible to have a BrainCrush on an inanimate object? If the object of your intellectual affection is The New York Times, then hell yeah. I’ve subscribed to TNYT for 5 days. Like any new relationship, it’s been a whirlwind rush of emotions. The morning anticipation — has it been delivered yet? Will it [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Benjamin Franklin. The guy was freakin’ ridiculous. He formed the first library in America. Harnessed electricity. Created bifocal lenses. Played the violin, the harp and the guitar. He was an independent printer, successful author, satirist and cartoonist. A volunteer firefighter. The ambassador to France. A fervent abolitionist. Oh, and [...]

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine has become a top contender for the category of Ultimate BrainCrush. Well, if I’m being totally honest, she’s more of a standard-issue “can we go make out now, please?” crush than a BrainCrush, but to avoid turning into a creepy Stalky McStalkerton, let’s go with the BrainCrush classification. [...]

Henry David Thoreau was the ultimate unitasker: a sensible man who completed his work in an uninterrupted fashion…one row of beans at a time. He was a frugal / green / DIY-ing / straight-edge / vegetarian / anarchist / hipster way before skinny jeans and thick-rimmed spectacles hit the scene. He graduated from Harvard University [...]