LAS VEGAS – Jamie Tyler was stressed. He had just endured a half-hour slog through airport security and needed some relief. Many travelers in this situation might have headed for the nearest bar or popped an aspirin. But Tyler grabbed a triangular piece of gadgetry from his bag and held it to his forehead. As […]

“Get high.” The words on a sidewalk sign in downtown Portland 18 months ago attracted a lot of attention from pro-marijuana types. But social artist Michael Libby’s nearby installation and related activities were not about pot or advocacy, despite the setting in a mini-park frequented by addicts at certain times of day. Between 1992 and […]

Kristen Wight’s cookies had become so legendary among family, friends and co-workers that on many occasions she’d been urged to venture into her own business to bake wonderful confections for more to enjoy. So she did just that. “Last Christmas, I surprised them all!” she explained. “I wrapped my cookies up with clear-foil bags, including […]

Excitement is about to settle in. It’s time to plant the tomato seeds in their little peat pots and plan what I hope will be another successful gardening year. Right now, my four, 4-foot-by-35-foot beds are sleeping, as is the rest of the garden. Not all of last season’s debris has been cleaned up, but […]

Every culture has its artists and artistry. Thanks to the Maine Arts Commission, three Somali Bantu artists in Lewiston recently received grants to mentor others in their art and thereby pass along the tradition to future generations. Each of the three artists is unique, with a different set of skills and perspective to offer their […]

Every new technology comes with accompanying fears about how its use will “change” (read: harm) our brains. But no social network has been as widely derided, demonized or scaremongered as Twitter, the short-form messaging service that turned 10 on Monday. Time dubbed it “the crack” of Internet addiction a mere year after it launched in […]

What’s better than an online personality test? An online cat personality test. Researchers in Australia are now administering them, and they’ve found something interesting: Cats are not too different from us. Many psychologists subscribe to the theory that all people have five broad personality traits, known as the “Big Five”: extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, […]

Recent online special guests included local caterer Vered Guttman. Here are edited excerpts from that chat. Recipes whose names are capitalized can be found in our Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes. Q. What foods can be stored without harm in the cupboard over the stove? The lower cupboard shelf is 30 inches above the stove top […]