Articles Written By Joshua Allen
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Op-Ed
Two Minutes and 42 Seconds in Heaven
How many horn solos does it take to kill a perfect pop song? Applying science and taste to determine the exact best length—down to the second—for the platonic song.
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The Non-Expert
Haircuts
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we give you the skinny on some of the best tress-work we’ve sported in the past, all relevant details included.
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Stories
TiVo’d
Technology can be a scary thing, in the wrong hands. Luckily, there’s help. A visit with an analyst about a personal video problem.
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Behind the Scenes
Plan 63
With its credibility in the weeds, the White House must find a way to restore its public image before the next election. A privileged glimpse into what’s being planned.
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Opinions
I Live in a Motel
Travelers know what to expect from a motel: not much, besides pornography. When our writer is forced to live in one for a month, he finds a bit more to appreciate.
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Personalities
Josh’s Creepily Prescient Oscar Picks
It’s Oscar time again. But before you drop your paycheck in the office pool on who will snag Best Supporting Whatever, peruse these dead-on predictions for the winners.
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Stories
Mix Tape for Dead Girl
Writing a eulogy once involved hours of revising and a good thesaurus.
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Stories
Customer Serviced
The holidays are approaching, and mail-order is king. Gifts, however, are no good unless there’s someone to take your order. Our writer reports from a call center at one of America’s largest retailers.
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Stories
Friends’ Bands I Have Known
For two years, you thought your college roommate’s band was going to hit the big time. Then you were sober again.
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Behind the Scenes
The Harry Potter Nimbus 2000
The hottest new toy is the Harry Potter Nimbus 2000, a vibrating broom proving popular with lots of little girls. An inside look at its insidious development.
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Personalities
The Alaina Rautio Interview
A controlled rainstorm, dolls that come to life, an accidental fire. Joshua Allen talks with architect Alaina Rautio about a house she built in a bottle in Portland, Maine.
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Behind the Scenes
Operation Fish From Hell
The U.S. has many problems right now, but its deadliest threat can grow to three feet long: the Chinese Snakehead. Our reporter goes deep undercover to get the government’s reaction to a meat-eating snake.