To an adolescent, there is nothing in the world more embarrassing than a parent.

As a professional journalist, I have always been fascinated by people who appear to have even more spare time than I do.

But the feeling I have, you know, is that I'll never come close to reading all, or even a thousandth- a billionth- of the books I'd probably love if I ever got to them.

If for some reason you are unsure where to go, all you have to do is stand there looking lost, and within seconds a helpful New Yorker will approach to see if you have any "spare" change.

Roy Blount, who is the funniest person I know, journeys deep into the dark heart of humor and brings back a wonderfully insightful, superbly crafted song of the soul that had me laughing and crying too

Hardware: This is the part of the computer that stops working when you spill beer on it.

Someone was tapping on the window.