The Vanishing Act Normal evening routine: Your sister goes to her room, closes the door, and falls asleep. Normal, that is, until you never see her again. New fiction by Kevin Fanning, illustrated by Josh Allen.

The Non-Expert: Roommate Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week Andrew Womack shows a reader how to get even the most troublesome of roommates to move out.

Bend Me, Shape Me Producing music from printers, hacking Speak ‘n’ Spells for backing vocals—it’s not trendy garage band style, but then, it’s not exactly rock and roll. A look into the engrossing world of circuit bending.

A Chosen Christmas Gentiles avoid guilt all year round—that is, until Christmas, when familial anxiety is at its peak. So don’t drown your sorrows in another mug of eggnog; Claudia Brown has tips for how she and her Jewish brethren might help those who are freaking out this holiday season.