Boredom: A Lively History

Peter Toohey, a professor of classics at the University of Calgary, believes the subject of boredom deserves more attention. Reading this Boring Article to find out why.

Shipping Container Overboard!

Every year an estimated 10,000 intermodal shipping containers fall off ships and are lost at sea. A group of marine scientists based in the San Francisco Bay Area are attempting to draw attention to this largely unknown problem.

Alexandra Robbins on Quirk Theory

In today's Failure Interview, Alexandra Robbins explains quirk theory - and why high school outcasts are likely to surpass their "popular" classmates in terms of real-world success.

The Longevity Diet

It's a "diet" that appeals mostly to males, weight loss is "an unfortunate consequence," and scientific research suggests it might allow humans to live 120 years or longer. In today's Failure Interview, Brian Delaney, the president of Calorie Restriction Society International (and co-author of "The Longevity Diet"), explains why he's been on the diet for 20 years, and the main challenges to limiting oneself to 1,500 or so calories a day.

Joshua Kendall interview

In "The Forgotten Founding Father," a new biography of Noah Webster Jr., Joshua Kendall seeks to rehabilitate the "incredible shrinking reputation" of his subject. In today's Failure Interview, Kendall paints a well-rounded portrait of Webster, one that includes his remarkable successes (including "the Harry Potter of its day"), and notable failures (a translation of the Bible and an expurgated anthology of English poetry, to name two).

Wreckers on display at the Intl. Museum of Towing and Recovery

Above: A Holmes 485 wrecker, bolted-on to the back of a 1913 Locomobile.



Above: A Diamond T military wrecker utilized in Europe during World War II.

Read more about the International Towing and Recovery Museum and Hall of Fame.

The International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum

A one-of-a-kind museum and hall of fame in Chattanooga preserves the history of an industry entirely dependent on failure.

Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs

High gas prices are likely here to stay, and suburbanites need to make changes. In her new book 'Surviving the Apocalypse in the Suburbs,' author/blogger Wendy Brown asks us to imagine a reinvention of suburbia.

Obama Bin Laden headline fail

The above FOX News image has emerged as the most well-known headline fail announcing the news of Osama bin Laden's death. Of course, FOX is no stranger to chyron fails, especially when the Middle East or geography are involved. Which perhaps explains why FOX sometimes gets the geography of the Middle East completely wrong.

The Perfect Nazi

In "The Perfect Nazi," BBC commissioning editor Martin Davidson tells the world a dark family secret — that his German grandfather was a dyed-in-the-wool Nazi, an SA Sturmführer, and a captain in Heinrich Himmler’s SS — and finds it a liberating experience. In the following interview, Davidson discusses his memories of his grandfather, his family’s response to the book, and why he characterizes Bruno Langbehn as the Perfect Nazi.

Photos from inside Cheve, the deepest cave in North America

Just released in paperback: James M. Tabor's best-seller "Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth." (Special thanks to Mr. Tabor for providing Failure with the photos included here.) For more on the book and the race to discover the Mount Everest of caves, read To the Supercave (Failure magazine, July 2010).

Above: Bart Hogan, 3,000 feet deep in Cheve’s vast Low Rider Parkway. Though impressive, the Parkway is not especially huge by Cheve standards. Photo © 2010 by Kenneth Davis.

Bill Stone, leader of the expeditions into Cheve cave. Photo © 2010 by Bill Stone.

Marcus Preissner rappels a section of Angel Falls, at a depth of 1,100 feet in Cheve Cave. Redirectionals pull the rope away from plunging water. Photo copyright © 2010 by Kenneth Davis.

Photos from inside Krubera cave

Krubera (KRU-bera) cave is located within the Arabika Massif in the western Caucasus Mountains, in a region of Abkhazia in southeastern Republic of Georgia.

The above photo shows Gennady Samokhin (in red) returning from an abortive dive into Krubera’s Siphon 2, August 2004.

To read about Alexander Klimchouk and the race to discover the Mount Everest of caves, see To the Supercave (Failure magazine, July 2010).

Above: Denis Kurta dropping into Krubera’s 500-foot deep Grand Cascade. Photo ©2010 Alexander Klimchouk and the Call of the Abyss Project.

Today: 30th anniversary of the near assassination of Ronald Reagan

Today -- March 30, 2011 -- marks the 30th anniversary of John Hinckley Jr.’s attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life, which, as it turns out, set the stage for a politically successful presidency. In the new book "Rawhide Down," Washington Post reporter Del Quentin Wilber delivers a minute-by-minute account of the events of that memorable day. Failure has just posted a Q&A with Wilber.

The Longevity Project

“The Longevity Project” answers the question of who lives longest — and why. And make no mistake, after you’re through reading the book, you’ll no doubt recognize the “pathways” to a longer, healthier life, even if you’re not on one of those paths.

James S. Robbins on 'This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive

James S. Robbins explains why the legacy of the Tet Offensive makes it difficult for the United States to defeat unconventional enemies, and how U.S. leadership can avoid acting in ways our enemies want and expect.

Charlie Sheen always good for a quote at DreamMasheen

Charlie Sheen: In his own words at DreamMasheen.

50 Jobs in 50 States

Failure interviews USC grad Daniel Seddiqui (author of the forthcoming book "50 Jobs in 50 States"), on how he turned a failed job search into opportunity.

Caltech basketball team beats Occidental, breaks 310-game losing streak

Read about the game on the Failure site (with video of the celebration).

Or check out Failure magazine's feature on the history of Caltech's basketball program.

Remote Area Medical in Nashville

This past weekend, Remote Area Medical (a non-profit that offers free medical care at clinics in the Third World and the United States) came to Nashville, Tennessee. Truth be told, the event was a sad commentary on what we value (and don't value) here in the U.S. The school where the clinic was held (McGavock High School in east Nashville) is kinda run-down, and the cinderblock walls give its halls a prison-like feel. (Did I mention that the Nashville Metro Police Department has an office in the school?)

Of course, education isn't the only thing that we fail to make a priority here in the U.S. We don't do enough to make sure our populace has access to affordable health care, hence the desperate need for an organization like Remote Area Medical.

Below are a handful of photographs that Failure magazine took during the Nashville clinic. Pictured above is Stan Brock, founder of RAM. Or read Failure's feature about RAM.

Fire on the Horizon

Curious about the little-understood culture of offshore oil drilling? Read Failure magazine's interview of John Konrad, founder of gCaptain and author of the forthcoming book Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster.