Games & Humor http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1052&ft=1&f=1052 Games, puzzles, and contests plus odd stories from comedy, art, and society. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Fri, 24 May 2013 09:58:24 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Games & Humor http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1052&ft=1&f=1052 Can Anyone Learn To Be A Master Memorizer? Some people can memorize thousands of numbers, the names of dozens of strangers or the precise order of cards in a shuffled deck. Science writer and U.S. Memory Champion Joshua Foer shows how anyone can become a memory virtuoso, including him. Fri, 24 May 2013 09:58:24 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182678715/can-anyone-learn-to-be-a-master-memorizer?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/182678715/can-anyone-learn-to-be-a-master-memorizer?ft=1&f=1052 Some people can memorize thousands of numbers, the names of dozens of strangers or the precise order of cards in a shuffled deck. Science writer and U.S. Memory Champion Joshua Foer shows how anyone can become a memory virtuoso, including him.

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]]> Initial This FWIW, you've probably spent a lot of time on AOL Instant Messenger, or were forced to decipher jargon from a family member who did. This next game is for you. John Chaneski conducts this Ask Me One More final round in which contestants must decode Internet shorthand FTW, from the common (BRB) to the obscure (IANAL). Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679969/initial-this?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679969/initial-this?ft=1&f=1052 FWIW, you've probably spent a lot of time on AOL Instant Messenger, or were forced to decipher jargon from a family member who did. This next game is for you. John Chaneski conducts this Ask Me One More final round in which contestants must decode Internet shorthand FTW, from the common (BRB) to the obscure (IANAL).

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]]> Young Adult Fiction You may have a <em>New York Times</em> brain, but we know you've still got a <em>Scholastic News</em> heart. Ophira Eisenberg feeds some of your favorite childhood books through the Five-Dollar Word Machine for our contestants. Can you figure out the original titles without your thesaurus? Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679957/young-adult-fiction?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679957/young-adult-fiction?ft=1&f=1052 You may have a New York Times brain, but we know you've still got a Scholastic News heart. Ophira Eisenberg feeds some of your favorite childhood books through the Five-Dollar Word Machine for our contestants. Can you figure out the original titles without your thesaurus?

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]]> Celebrity Cross-Breeds Celebrities like to intermingle. This next game imagines some creative combinations of the rich and famous that make "Brangelina" look tame. For example, if you merged the singer of "Candle in the Wind" with the mobster nicknamed the "Dapper Don," you'd get Elton John Gotti. Saturday night's alright for fighting, indeed. Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679959/celebrity-cross-breeds?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679959/celebrity-cross-breeds?ft=1&f=1052 Celebrities like to intermingle. This next game imagines some creative combinations of the rich and famous that make "Brangelina" look tame. For example, if you merged the singer of "Candle in the Wind" with the mobster nicknamed the "Dapper Don," you'd get Elton John Gotti. Saturday night's alright for fighting, indeed.

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]]> Compound Interest Quick, what word goes before the following: man, model, market? If you guessed "super," you may be the exact kind of super-genius who will enjoy this next game, wherein our own John Chaneski challenges contestants to find the common link to create three compound words. Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679961/compound-interest?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679961/compound-interest?ft=1&f=1052 Quick, what word goes before the following: man, model, market? If you guessed "super," you may be the exact kind of super-genius who will enjoy this next game, wherein our own John Chaneski challenges contestants to find the common link to create three compound words.

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]]> We Will Rock You When your house musician has the guitar chops of Brian May and the fourteen-octave vocal range of Freddie Mercury, you can't pass up the opportunity to sneak "We Will Rock You" into the set. We've embedded clues about famous rocks (yes, rocks) in the iconic Queen song, and Jonathan Coulton takes the lead. Plus, a rendition of "We Are The Champions." Fri, 01 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679963/we-will-rock-you?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/170679963/we-will-rock-you?ft=1&f=1052 When your house musician has the guitar chops of Brian May and the fourteen-octave vocal range of Freddie Mercury, you can't pass up the opportunity to sneak "We Will Rock You" into the set. We've embedded clues about famous rocks (yes, rocks) in the iconic Queen song, and Jonathan Coulton takes the lead. Plus, a rendition of "We Are The Champions."

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]]> Rosie Schaap: What Are You Drinking? Everyone has a go-to drink, but only the real heavy-hitters get theirs named after them. (Would Tom Collins have thirsted for his eponymous drink, had he existed?) V.I.P. and bartender Rosie Schaap knows a thing or two about a good cocktail--having clocked over 13,000 hours in bars--so we test her mixological know-how against one of her regulars. Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:40:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/168899091/rosie-schaap-what-are-you-drinking?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/24/168899091/rosie-schaap-what-are-you-drinking?ft=1&f=1052 Everyone has a go-to drink, but only the real heavy-hitters get theirs named after them. (Would Tom Collins have thirsted for his eponymous drink, had he existed?) V.I.P. and bartender Rosie Schaap knows a thing or two about a good cocktail--having clocked over 13,000 hours in bars--so we test her mixological know-how against one of her regulars.

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]]> Sandwich Monday: The Saltwich For this week's Sandwich Monday, we celebrate an expert panel's recommendations about salt intake by taking in as much salt as we can, with The Saltwich. Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/20/185536994/sandwich-monday-the-saltwich?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/20/185536994/sandwich-monday-the-saltwich?ft=1&f=1052 For this week's Sandwich Monday, we celebrate an expert panel's recommendations about salt intake by taking in as much salt as we can, with The Saltwich.

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]]> Mel Brooks: 'I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More' The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS. Mon, 20 May 2013 13:40:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/20/182609040/mel-brooks-i-m-an-egot-so-i-don-t-need-any-more?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/20/182609040/mel-brooks-i-m-an-egot-so-i-don-t-need-any-more?ft=1&f=1052 The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS.

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]]> Put On Your Thinking Hat Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H-A and the second word starts with T. Sun, 19 May 2013 04:28:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/19/185127446/put-on-your-thinking-hat?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/19/185127446/put-on-your-thinking-hat?ft=1&f=1052 Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H-A and the second word starts with T.

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]]> Not My Job: Three Headless Chicken Questions For Alice Cooper We've invited the heavy metal rocker to answer three questions about Mike, a chicken in the 1940s who lost his head and still went on to achieve fame and fortune. Sat, 18 May 2013 00:35:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184566870/not-my-job-three-headless-chicken-questions-for-alice-cooper?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184566870/not-my-job-three-headless-chicken-questions-for-alice-cooper?ft=1&f=1052 We've invited the heavy metal rocker to answer three questions about Mike, a chicken in the 1940s who lost his head and still went on to achieve fame and fortune.

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]]> Sandwich Monday: Tamale Spaceship Now we know why it takes astronauts three hours to get into their spacesuits. Mon, 13 May 2013 16:32:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/13/183646464/sandwich-monday-tamale-spaceship?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/13/183646464/sandwich-monday-tamale-spaceship?ft=1&f=1052 Now we know why it takes astronauts three hours to get into their spacesuits.

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]]> This One Is For You, Ma You are given two words starting with M-A. The answer is a third word that can follow the first one and precede the second one, in each case to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase. Sun, 12 May 2013 05:34:28 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/12/183190628/this-one-is-for-you-ma?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/12/183190628/this-one-is-for-you-ma?ft=1&f=1052 You are given two words starting with M-A. The answer is a third word that can follow the first one and precede the second one, in each case to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase.

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]]> Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Plays Not My Job We use Google to search for just about everything, so we've invited Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt to answer three questions about things that are un-Googleable. Sat, 11 May 2013 01:27:44 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/11/182873683/google-chairman-eric-schmidt-plays-not-my-job?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/11/182873683/google-chairman-eric-schmidt-plays-not-my-job?ft=1&f=1052 We use Google to search for just about everything, so we've invited Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt to answer three questions about things that are un-Googleable.

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]]> Name Brand Names It may take a lifetime to develop your fashion sense, but only a few trendsetters can boast clothing items actually named in their honor. Puzzle Guru Art Chung asks contestants about couture that carries the name of its inventor or inspiration. Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182594022/name-brand-names?ft=1&f=1052 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182594022/name-brand-names?ft=1&f=1052 It may take a lifetime to develop your fashion sense, but only a few trendsetters can boast clothing items actually named in their honor. Puzzle Guru Art Chung asks contestants about couture that carries the name of its inventor or inspiration.

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