Science & Space

Rockets, engines, weather and the way things work, explained for the curious and not the specialist.

Stop saying "we should get together" and pick a Tuesday

After forty, friendships don't die from fights. They die from scheduling. A standing weekly night fixes the one problem you actually have.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Skip the Bucket and Grow Your Potatoes in a Bag

Bed, bag or bucket? One clearly wins, one is a trap, and the timing matters more than the container. What it costs and what goes wrong.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20266 min

The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

Our grandparents didn't get through the 1930s on grit alone. They had a system: the garden, the sewing box and the family next door.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Recipes6 min read

Big-Batch Chili for Twelve, Finished in the Oven

Tripling a chili for four in one pot is how you burn the bottom. Brown in batches, finish it at 300 degrees and make it the day before.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20266 min

Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

The Homestead Act's paperwork was easy. Staying alive on the claim was the hard part, and at the end your neighbors had to vouch for you.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideFoodWes Dunbar30 Sept 20266 min

Run a chili cook-off the guy with the most friends can't rig

Blind cups, a real score sheet, one breaker you'll definitely trip, and a trophy people will actually fight over next year.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Plant Paste Tomatoes If You Actually Want Sauce

Most homemade sauce fails in March, when you buy the wrong seeds. Pick the right variety and the timing, and one August afternoon fills your freezer.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

From the Plow to the Combine, One Broken Bottleneck at a Time

For most of history a farm was only as big as one family could harvest. How a blacksmith, a Virginian, and a few stubborn tinkerers changed that.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideCivicsJosh Halloran26 Sept 20267 min

Your First Amendment Gets Tested at a Folding Table

Speech, religion and assembly rarely get defended at the Supreme Court. They get defended at the three-minute podium, the permit office and the zoning board.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Plant by Your Frost Date, Not Your Zone

Your zone tells you what survives winter. Your frost date tells you when to plant. Most first-year gardeners mix them up and lose a flat of tomatoes.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

Baseball's Birth Story Was Made Up, and the Real One Is Better

A commission handed America a tidy origin myth in 1907. The true history has clerks, prisoners, a paid shortstop and a man who refused to swing back.

BRO TakeSurvival & Self-DefenseDean Shaw26 Sept 20266 min

Your Right to Bear Arms Is a Promise to Your Family

The Constitution protects your right to defend your home. It doesn't train you, store the gun, or make the plan. That part is on you.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Your Soil Needs a Test and Compost, Not Another Bag of Fertilizer

Most yellow leaves aren't hungry plants. They're a soil problem nobody tested for. A cheap lab test and an inch of compost fix more than any bag will.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.