Games + Leisure

Melinda Gates Plays Not My Job

By editor • Jan 23, 2013

Back in the early 1990s, Melinda French was a rising star at a software company when the boss asked her out on a date. This was complicated because he was her boss, and frankly, he was kind of a nerd. But they fell in love and got married, and decided to raise a family, retire from the business, and in their spare time give away more money to charity than anyone else in the history of the world.

The Names Of The Game

By editor • Jan 23, 2013

On-air challenge: You will be given the first names of two famous people, past or present. The first person's last name, when you drop the initial letter, becomes the second person's last name. For example, given "Harold" and "Kingsley," the answer would be "Harold Ramis" and "Kingsley Amis."

Last week's challenge: Think of two familiar, unhyphenated, eight-letter words that contain the letters A, B, C, D, E and F, plus two others, in any order. What words are these?

Answer: feedback; boldface

Scrambling To Ring In The New Year

By Will Shortz • Jan 8, 2013

On-air challenge: This week's puzzle celebrates ringing in the new year. Take the letters Y-E-A-R. Add one letter and scramble to make a new word that answers the clue. For example, by adding the letter B to Y-E-A-R, with the clue "maker of aspirin," the answer would be "Bayer."

FDA Releases Rules To Strengthen Safety Of Food Supply

By editor • Jan 4, 2013

UPDATED: 4:50 p.m. Looking for a little weekend reading? The Food and Drug Administration has just the thing. On Friday, the agency released two proposed rules designed to boost the safety of the nation's food supply, encompassing hundreds of pages.

Sir Peter Westmacott Plays Not My Job

By editor • Jan 2, 2013

This segment was originally broadcast on Aug. 24, 2012.

We do what damage we can on this show, but it's not often we get the chance to cause a real international incident. So we're very excited that Sir Peter Westmacott, Great Britain's ambassador to the U.S., has agreed to play our game called "No homework, extended naps and eight hours of recess!"

If You Didn't Know, Now You Know

By Will Shortz • Jan 2, 2013

On-air challenge: This week is the annual "new names in the news" quiz. You're given some names that you probably never heard of before 2012, but who made news during the past 12 months. You say who they are. These names were compiled with the help of Kathie Baker and Tim Goodman, who were players on previous year-end quizzes.

Is That A Dancer Or A Traffic Cop? Wait, He's Both

By editor • Dec 26, 2012

Christmas means time for family, presents, cookies and of course, holiday traffic. All over the country, traffic cops are working overtime to keep the roads safe for last-minute shoppers.

For nearly 30 years, Tony Lepore has worked as one of those cops in Providence, R.I. But he doesn't just beckon, wave and blow a whistle; he dances — and he's got some serious moves.

Actor And Comedian Fred Armisen Plays Not My Job

By editor • Dec 26, 2012

Fred Armisen is a cast member on Saturday Night Live, a star and writer of Portlandia on IFC, a former drummer in a bunch of punk rock bands, and for a while, the world's preeminent Barack Obama imitator.

Unwrap 'Christmas' For Your Gift

By Will Shortz • Dec 26, 2012

On-air challenge: Every answer is a word that can be formed from the letters of "Christmas." You'll be given two words as clues. The first one can precede the answer word, and the second one can follow it — in each case to complete a compound word or familiar two-word phrase. For example, given "forward" and "madness," the answer would be "march" (as in "forward march" and "March Madness").

No Orcs Allowed: Hobbit House Brings Middle-Earth To Pa.

By editor • Dec 17, 2012

In rural Chester County, Pa., about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, thick fog swirls around the trunks of knotty trees. This piece of 18th-century farmland could, by all outward appearances, be one of the misty forests of Middle Earth, the setting of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings fantasy novels.

Sticking With The Sunshine State

By Will Shortz • Dec 17, 2012

On-air challenge: Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with "F" and the second word starts with "LA."

Last week's challenge: Name a major U.S. city in two words. Take the first letter of the first word and the first two letters of the second word, and they will spell the standard three-letter abbreviation for the state the city is in. What city is it?

Answer: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Winner: Mark Sobolik of Newburg, Ore.

Mansfield Ghost Hunt Hosted by the OPDA

By Justin O'Riley • Dec 16, 2012

My name is Justin O'Riley. I've had many occupations, but currently I'm a hosptial security dispatcher, an OSU student, and a WCBE intern. I'm also part of the Ohio Paranormal Detective Agency (OPDA).

I didn't believe in the paranormal until later in life, and I remain fairly skeptical of simple “ghost stories” and “urban legends.” My partners include my brother Josh and his best friend Sean, who are both sheriff deputies that bring a healthy dose of skepticism as well as professional investigative methods. There are several other law enforcement officers in our group, with me being one of the exceptions. The OPDA has conducted dozens of investigations, which developed a good reputation for us that led to an invitation from the Psychic/Paranormal Conference of Mid-Ohio to speak and host a hunt for novice ghost hunters. This all took place at Mansfield in early October.

What To Do When The Bus Doesn't Come And You Want To Scream. An Experiment

By editor • Dec 7, 2012

We're in Milan. We're not happy. We're waiting for a bus that doesn't seem to come. Then we see this:

Three different sized sheets of bubble wrap, sized for how long you expect to wait: a little square for three minutes, bigger for five minutes, biggest for 10 — and the sign on top says: "Antistress For Free!!"

Everyone knows what to do. First, you calculate.

Then you choose.

Then you forget all about the bus and spend the time happily popping polyethylene-wrapped air bubbles.

Kirby's Dream Land Game Review

By Justin O'Riley • Oct 25, 2012

When it comes to video game mascots, there is no other company that has as many recognizable names as Nintendo: Donkey Kong, Super Mario, Link from the Legend of Zelda series, Samus Aran from the Metroid series, and many others. However, the common link that all these characters have is that they’ve been around since the early days of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). One of Nintendo’s most prominent mascots today, Kirby, got his humble start on an early Game Boy game known as Kirby’s Dream Land.

6 New Video Games That Will Get You Hooked

By editor • Oct 22, 2012

Video game makers are rolling out their new titles — with a wide range of creativity and style — just in time for the holiday shopping season. Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, shares his list of video games you should keep your eye on:

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