As we gird for travel and holiday season, here’s an item to heed: Some airlines will be charging for carry-on luggage. Meanwhile, charges for checked baggage are already common these days, and they are reportedly going up in some cases. Everybody likes holiday surprises, of...

When I heard that crews are being trained to fly to Mars, and that there was some monkey-business involved, I thought my application to NASA had finally been accepted. I started packing my bags immediately. Even those of you who haven’t been accepted to astronaut school know the...

You might think that I squander my time sitting in a beach chair, not thinking about anything at all, and just eating cheeseburgers all day long. But that’s not entirely true. Sometimes I eat doughnuts instead. And on very rare occasions, I do think about something. So here’s a...

It’s not too early to start laying plans for next year. With that in mind, I’m looking for another hobby. Chinese has proven too difficult for my feeble mind. Astronomy is a time-sucking black hole that pulls all the hours from my schedule. See? Finding a wholesome hobby isn’t...