The 2017 Good Gift Games
Our resident board-game expert picks the best new games released this year.
Matthew Baldwin
The 2016 Good Gift Games
Board games are always the answer. After a dinner party, when conversation dwindles. At family gatherings, when politics loom. When you want to give a good gift, but aren't sure where to start. Begin here, with 10 of the best from 2016.
The 2015 Good Gift Games
Give someone the right board game, and you're offering easy access to endless fun. Choose incorrectly, and you're giving misery in a box. Start here instead, with the best board games of 2015.
The 2014 Good Gift Games
Board games are a gift that keeps on giving—the best of the bunch provide hours of fun for years on end. But when a new crop of great games arrives every year, how can you choose? This is how.
2013 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Which is just as well, because she wouldn't have liked the gift you bought for her at the last minute. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
The 2013 Good Gift Games
During holiday family get-togethers, don't risk bringing up a topic everyone's hoping to avoid. Instead, bring a board game and circumvent all conversation. Here are 10 of the best from 2013.
2012 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the house still no presents were purchased—again, you're a louse. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
The 2012 Good Gift Games
Oh look, it's the holidays and time to interact with humans again. Thankfully, there are board games to facilitate or replace conversation. Here are 10 of the year's best to get you started.
How to Not Kill a Cyclist
A plea for safety from cyclists to motorists.
H.P. Lovecraft, Author, Is Dead
Today marks the 75th anniversary of H.P. Lovecraft's death. From Stephen King's It to “The Call of Cthulhu,” a survey of the 20th century's greatest horror writer's afterlife of influence.
The 2011 Good Gift Games
The problem with a trip down memory lane is that it might strand you in Candyland. Here are 10 new games well worth remembering.
PAX Primer
Every year, tens of thousands of gamers descend on Seattle to attend a convention that began as a webcomic, and has grown into the epicenter of gaming culture. An account from this year's event, which encompassed nearly every imaginable game genre—and a few never before imagined.
You Will Soon Receive Great Knowledge
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week, we crack open one of the mysteries of the universe: How do fortune cookies work?
2010 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
You made your list, you checked it twice, then you waited until the last minute to do any of your shopping. Ideas for gifts for everyone on your list, whether they want them or not.
The 2010 Good Gift Games
Presenting the year's best board games, all of which must be easy to learn, quick to play, and exciting for non-gamers.
Animated Films for Grown-Ups
Anyone who's seen Princess Mononoke knows animated films can hold their own with their live-action counterparts. For those who still think cartoons are for kids, here are 15 reasons why you're wrong.
2009 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's that time of year again--actually, it's way past that time of year. And again, you still haven't done your holiday shopping.
The 2009 Good Gift Games
This holiday season, your loved ones could play Operation: "Death Panel" Edition, or you could give them a game where somebody besides the government wins.
Adventure Capital
It's risky business, this adventuring, and best not undertaken by those bereft of bravery or collateral.
A Stroll Down First Avenue
Matthew Baldwin and photographer Caitlin Burke take a jaunt along downtown Seattle’s main artery.
Autistic Trekdom
In the latest Star Trek movie, Gene Roddenberry's message of diversity takes on new relevance as more people are diagnosed with Autism.
Mindfuck Movies
Some movies inform. Some movies entertain. And some pry open your skull and punch you in the brain.
2008 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's a holiday tradition: You're giftless mere hours until Christmas, and it's printouts and January ETAs for the unlucky few on your list. Gift ideas for the eternally belated.
The 2008 Good Gift Games
This holiday season, rather than hock what's left of your 401(k) for Starbucks gift cards, gather friends and family around a cozy, non-energy-dependent board game.
***Spoilers*** ***Spoilers*** ***Spoilers***
Spoilers online and IRL are plentiful, rendering those who wish to remain unaware on high alert at all times. A look at the many ways spoilers spoil everything (spoilers ahead).
Re: Cephalopod
Now that Congress has approved domestic wire-tapping, no one can prevent the U.S. from becoming a surveillance state. No one, that is, except for cathym17@zipmail.com.
A Survivor's Journal
America weathered Y2K, Viagra junk mails, and Web 2.0. But will it survive the next technological crisis threatening civilization?
And Great Lyrics Quiz Rock Roll The
You may rock the karaoke, you may even have impressed the judges on American Idol, but you don't know lyrics until you've seen them in alphabetical order.
Deified and Demagogued
Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, passed away this week. A gaming enthusiast remembers how the discovery of a game opened a new world of imagination and fun.
The Third-Inning Blooper Reel
Contract disputes, managerial changes, players testifying on Capitol Hill about steroid use: With only a month until spring training, baseball didn’t get much of a rest this off-season.
2007 Holiday—uh—Christmas Survival Guide for Slackers—uh—Cultural Warriors
Talented gift-givers put time and thought into selecting presents for their loved ones. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
The 2007 Good Gift Games
As long as you've got two to four friends, that's all you need for a fun afternoon of playing board games. Oh, except for a board game that's actually fun. Presenting this year's crop of games even sore losers will enjoy.
What's the Point of Giving Thanks?
Thanksgiving is upon us, and while what we're thankful for is up to each of us, the reasons we feel so appreciative are unclear.
America’s Next Top Model Democracy
The winning country receives billions in government contracts and becomes the show's next host. Who will it be?
One-Hit Wonders
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we help a reader who wants to know: What's a superhero worth these days, anyway?
Web Noir
When writing for online magazines, crime doesn't always pay--but it can earn you a fashionable T-shirt. Investigating the current era of crime fiction on the web and the magazines that are making new voices heard.
The Purgegate Primer
In December eight U.S. Attorneys were dismissed; now Congress wants to find out why. There may be a scandal brewing, but the details are still murky.
Every Dog Has Its Day
Around the world, human-canine relationships vary, and sometimes it's difficult to tell which species is dominant. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, our writer met dogs of a different breed.
2006 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's always better to give than to receive--at least that's what your loved ones say, just as they're about to open another present from you.
The 2006 Good Gift Games
Around the holidays there are always two to four players within earshot. Every year dozens of board games are marketed into existence, but some are so fun they stand alone.
Mock the Vote
A month after we asked our readers to create and photograph political campaign signs of their own making, here are our favorites. We announce the winners of our Encyclopedia Brown for District Attorney contest.
Encyclopedia Brown for District Attorney
Every October, placards touting candidates you've never heard of litter yards and medians across the nation. Our writer creates his own campaign signs, and invites you to do the same for our Election Day photo gallery.
Betting Wrong
Session after session, congressional battles have us rooting for one side or the other. But it's not easy to tell who the good (and bad) guys are. A theory by way of He-Man and the Masters of the United States Congress.
Seattle
The Pacific Northwest stands tall when it comes to preservation and natural beauty--so why were New Englanders called in to design the Emerald City's parks?
Files Are Not for Sharing
Preschoolers today know that hands are not for hitting and words are not for hurting. But learning about ethics doesn’t stop there. An illustrated primer for everyone still unclear on the rights and wrongs of intellectual property.
In Praise of Loopholes
There's something to be said for working smarter, and not harder, and humans have been looking for--and finding--loopholes to enable it for centuries.
Panning the Gold
Just because a film wins awards doesn't mean the critics liked it. In fact, they frequently said it was trash—before the statue arrived. From 2006, highlights of scorn levied at eight years of Oscar winners.
Hard Case Crime
Judging a book by its cover is usually a recipe for mistaken impressions, but one glance at a Hard Case Crime novel and you know exactly what you're getting: guns, grifters, gumshoes, and gams. The publisher trades exclusively in hardboiled crime, and its titles include reprints of classic
2005 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
You made your list, checked it twice, and still haven't bought a single gift. With just over 48 hours to go, it's gift cards or IOUs--or these suggestions for the presents nobody will forget, no matter how much holiday cheer they down.
The 2005 Good Gift Games
Being with friends and loved ones is what makes the holidays special--and once you're fed up with that, it's time to humiliate them over a board game. Here are this year's best tabletop entertainments.
Lone Star Statements
The praise of professional critics hardly matters to the book-reviewing readers at Amazon.com. A compilation of the best of the worst... about the best.
Doukutsu Monogatari
I rarely play computer games, and Doukutsu Monogatari is the reason. It seemed a like a harmless and fairly uninteresting diversion when I started, but that was before I spent weeks glued to my PC during every available moment. An old-school sidescrolling platformer, reminiscent of Nintendo games such as Castlevania,
Endgame
Thirty-two hours in a van, scavenging for clues and solving puzzles--that's "the Game," a battle of smarts and endurance, and the competition is beyond fierce. Part three: Plowing through the final competitions and racing to the finish.
The Game Is Afoot
Thirty-two hours in a van, scavenging for clues and solving puzzles--that's "the Game," a battle of smarts and endurance, and the competition is beyond fierce. Part two: Cracking codes and scaring the locals.
The Pre-Game Show
Thirty-two hours in a van, scavenging for clues and solving puzzles--that's "the Game," a battle of smarts and endurance, and the competition is beyond fierce. Part one: Wooing the judges and preparing to be crushed.
Eyezmaze.com
Though Eyezmaze.com features only a handful of Flash games, the few it contains can keep you occupied for weeks. Countless hours of productivity have vanished into the pit of Tontie, Hatch is as addicting as it is infuriating, and the creator has just released a new version of his
Battlestar Galactica
And so the learner becomes the master. In 1978 the original Battlestar Galactica was one of many space operas riding the coattails of Star Wars' success; in 2003 the Sci-Fi Channel aired a three-hour "reimagined" Battlestar Galactica mini-series with more drama, excitement, and pathos than all three
Stumbleupon
Few browser toolbars are as fun as Stumbleupon. When installed the service puts a few icons on your browser, including a thumbs up, a thumbs down, and a button labeled "Stumble"; click the latter and you'll be taken to a web site randomly selected from the
Darth Vader Made Me Cry
From the first moment you see Darth Vader choke that rebel fighter, you know he's evil. The helmet, the cape, the breathing? Evil, evil, evil.
A Run Around Lake Union
The best jogging routes are those that give you something to run from. And turf-fighting waterfowl, mysterious tech-gang tags, and head-scratching public art should do the trick. Matthew Baldwin takes us along his daily jog around Seattle’s Lake Union. Photographs by Kate Bicket.
Hero of the Year
Reality television has been popular for a lot longer than you might think, and it’s only going to get bigger. Once we get rid of the news networks and install an awards show, that is. Our writer broadcasts a signal from the Wellys.
Pledge of Allegiance
It’s pledge drive season again! And this time everybody’s getting in on the action. Matthew Baldwin sneaks into the studio and watches as those Social Security reforms take on an entirely different medium.
Trials and Tribulations
How do you tell a judicial buff that the real-life courtroom is more Night Court than Perry Mason? Send him to jury duty twice in two years, that’s how. Matthew Baldwin gets his civic duty on.
2004 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Every year you show up with a stack of giftcards from Rite-Aid. And every year your family roasts your chestnuts for waiting until the last minute to do your shopping. This year will be different.
The 2004 Good Gift Games Guide
The last time you played a board game you got the Adam's apple caught in the funny-bone slot and then you couldn't pass GO or collect $200. These days, however, board games are a lot more enticing and fun.
Tricks of the Trade
For every occupation, there is a catalog of secrets only its employees know—such as how waiters with heavy platters know to look straight ahead, and never down. Armed with a bag of reader mail, we unfurl a whole lot more true insider knowledge.
The LiveJournal of Zachary Marsh
An awfully different young man graduates from high school and quickly learns more than he bargained about snack foods, ducks, and a secret family history.
Ego Trip
There are many adventures to be found off the beaten path, and some may involve minstrels. Former Peace Corps volunteer and sometime hero Matthew Baldwin recalls a day-long hike in Bolivia.
Coming This November
The presidential race is heating up. And at this point, it's anybody's game. So, who will be ready to take the oath, and who will be sent home in disgrace? Here's preview of what we can expect this fall.
Pizza Party USA
Every four years at the end of February, we've got that extra day. Is it special? Well maybe it should be.
IKEA
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we show you how to survive the five treacherous worlds of IKEA. Don't forget your REKYL!
2003 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Last year you did all your shopping on the drive to grandmother's house, but this year you've got a chance to make good.
Life in the Fishbowl
It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes an American to teach him how to armpit-fart. Former Peace Corps Volunteer and temporary Bolivian celebrity Matthew Baldwin remembers his days in-country.
The Matrwich
The Bush administration’s decisions and policies have often confounded even its closest allies—are they living in a different world than the rest of us? MATTHEW BALDWIN suspects a trip down a certain rabbit hole may turn up some answers.
Rob Cockerham
The bastard child of Mr. Wizard and Amy Sedaris, online provacateur ROB COCKERHAM talks about busting Herbalife, Bounty towels, and spending $25,000 at Safeway.
Strangers in the Night
Since the great Columbia University scandal of 1984, paranormal investigations have had a bad rap in the United States, at least on the East coast. Seattle writer MATTHEW BALDWIN joins up with A.G.H.O.S.T. for a night of spirit seeking.
Fuego! Fuego!
The Peace Corps has ambitious goals for its programs and participants, though setting a pueblo on fire isn’t one of them. Former Corps member Matthew Baldwin recounts the early days in San Pedro, Bolivia, before his infamy.
Neocons, Midwives, and Me
After Ozzfest and Gigli, Howard Dean was the show to see this summer. Ace reporter Matthew ‘Punch’ Baldwin attended a rally with two friends who, for very different reasons, want Dean to win the primary.
Defenestrate Your Résumé!
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we explain how to impress any HR department with a top-notch résumé.
Copyrights and Wrongs
Despite its grumblings (and litigation) to the contrary, the entertainment industry benefits from copyright expiration: Take, for instance, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Schrödinger's Iraq
Philosophy, Iraq, mice? President Bush made some very strange comments in a press conference.
Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Don't know what to get your (sorta) loved ones for the holidays? Well, there's always powdered urine.
Requiem for Boddy
A somber moment, remembering a departed friend. Reflecting on a life of wartime heroics, stateside baronism, and missed opportunities, Matthew Baldwin takes the podium and says a few words.
This…Is SNN!
Welcome to a special broadcast of SNN, the Simplified News Network, where you get the news after you already understood it. Understand? Matthew Baldwin reports from the set.
This Is the [Best]...Article...of the Summer!
Ever been suspect of the reviews that accompany movie ad posters? You probably have good reason. A look at the true origins of those reviews.