When Life Moves From 'Plan A' to 'Plan B'

A special report on This American Life follows the lives of several people currently living what they unequivocally call "Plan B." Host Ira Glass expounds ...

High-Tech Security Robot Falls down Stairs and into Fountain

One of the internet's more recent victims of notoriety was not a person, animal, or airline—but rather a security robot.

The K5 Autonomous Data Machine—which ...

Poet Langston Hughes on Broken Dreams

In the 1920s a young African American writer moved into New York City to join what became known as the Harlem Renaissance, an explosion of creativity ...

The Worst Mother's Day Gifts and Cards

According to a British survey, 40 percent of moms have received an unwanted Mother's Day gift, but most of them were too polite to complain. Here's ...

Man Wins Butter Substitute Lawsuit Against Dunkin' Donuts

Good news, butter-lovers: If you visit your local Dunkin' Donuts and receive a butter substitute instead of real butter, you might get some money. Jan ...

Happiness Obsession Has Failed To Deliver On Its Promise

In the late eighties and early nineties, there were several hundred studies about happiness published each year; by 2014, there were over 10,000 per year. ...

Latino Christian Laments Lack of American Friendships

"In Mexico they wanted to be my friends because they wanted to do missions to me, but when I moved to the United States no one wanted to be my friend." ...

David Brooks on 'The Structure of Gratitude'

In his article "The Structure of Gratitude," New York Times columnist David Brooks notes what he's learning about thankfulness:

I'm sometimes grumpier ...

Scientist Explains His Atheism 'Conversion' Story

In his book The Big Picture, physicist Sean Carroll lays out his vision for what he calls "poetic naturalism"—a view of the world that has no use ...

Professor Loses Manuscript in Hurricane

Kris Lackey thought he had hurricane-proofed his manuscripts. An English professor at the University of New Orleans, he had saved his fiction and papers ...