This videofrom the Smithsonian's terrific website blew my mind, and I expect it will blow yours, too. I don't want to reveal too much, so let me just say that what I thought were basic facts about some of history's best-known characters, including Lady Godiva and the Vikings, are a total crock! The brisk video features witty narration and some fun animation. So… Read More >>

Steven Spielberg's first theatrical movie was 1974's The Sugarland Express, although plenty of people credit the 1971 made-for-TV Duel as his true feature debut. But what about the movies he directed when he was 14?

The wonderful website Open Culturehas unearthed a couple of these, plus some footage of Spielberg and his dad talking about the films. The first one is a war movie with young Steve, as he billed himself then, enlisting the aid of his school buddies to act the roles of the battling armies. It contains some of the most creative death scenes you'll ever see: nobody dies…

The second is sort of a precursor to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with a rather eerie visitation from outer space. The footage unfortunately leaves us hanging: what happens to that poor child reaching out in the final scene? Well, one thing is for sure: the director had a decent future ahead of him.

Watch now: Steven Spielberg’s Debut: Two Films He Directed as a Teenager »

Every year, visitors from around the world migrate to South Dakota's Custer State Park to witness 1,000 buffalo rumble across the plains in an annual "Buffalo Roundup." Check out these great photosfrom this year's event. The pastoral images left me wishing for a home (or at least, a vacation) where these iconic American creatures roam. Created nearly 50 years ago… Read More >>

If you like the three Cs—coffee, cars, and comedians—Jerry Seinfeld's got the web show for you: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. As you might imagine by the title, each episode revolves around Jerry Seinfeld and a comedian in a car on their way to get coffee. His guests so far include Michael Richards, Colin Quinn, and Alec Baldwin, who takes the time to rag on growing upas part of the… Read More >>

If your workday is anything like mine, you're reading nonstop—online news, email, text messages, memos, books—and sometimes the ol' eyes need a break, a burst of color. Enter these three image-based websites: 1. KoalasToTheMax.com: Feeling creative? Visit this site and a large colored circle will appear on your screen. Move your cursor over the circle and it divides… Read More >>

Food addiction is a hot—and controversial—topic in the weight loss and brain science communities these days. While some experts reject the idea that food can be addictive like alcohol or cigarettes, Tara Parker-Pope recently shared in her New York Times columnsome of the fascinating science behind the notion that food addiction is very real. A study of children at the… Read More >>

You do it mindlessly. Check in here, tag your friend in a post there, read this, click on that. What you may not realize is that everything you see, say and share on social media mecca Facebook creates a paperless trail that tracks your interests and behaviors. The result: Over-sharing without your knowledge. To make users more aware of their habits, the Read More >>

I'll admit it: Dogs are my weakness. It wasn't always this way. But  I have a boy who needed a dog. So, about three years ago, we went on Petfinder and brought one home from a shelter. Okay, first there were several years of pleading and cajoling. The point is, it wasn't mydog. Ha! Fast forward: There are people in my home who contend that said dog is  my… Read More >>

  I didn't want to interrupt the power of these images with words until after you had seen them all. If these six pictures of Taylor Morris and his girlfriend Danielle don't personify the idea of unstoppable, I don't know what could. When I stumbled upon "A Love Story in 22 Pictures"on BuzzFeed, I was struck by sadness and left with hope… Read More >>

Take Your Daughter to Work Day is especially cool when your dad is Stanley Kubrick. Vivian, Kubrick's then-17-year-old daughter, wandered around the set of The Shining where she got chummy with Jack Nicholson and meandered through the iconic hedge maze. She did all of this, of course, with a camera in her hand. In her documentary(which features her commentary), Vivian shows… Read More >>