By John Asante

Remember all those times that mother dearest would tell you to "put down the controller, step away from the TV, go outside, and run around," like a cop controlling the living room? Maybe that's just me -- Donkey Kong consumed my life in the seventh grade. But if you've ever been engrossed in an RPGs, a first-person shooter, or anything starring Super Mario, you've probably heard endless not-so-positive comments on playing video games for hours on end. Well, avid gamers, your day has come -- if you own a Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo of America and the American Heart Association have joined forces to both inform people about the benefits of physical activity and help them find fun ways to become or stay physically active.

The relationship focuses on Nintendo's active-play video game products, including Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort and the Wii console itself. The boxes for each of these products will carry the American Heart Association brand to get people thinking about physically active play. The brand serves as a chance to remind people about the benefits of a healthy approach to living and how active-play video games can be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. Look for the iconic American Heart Association brand the next time you visit your local retailer, and start incorporating active-play video games into your selections.

According to Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, nearly 70 percent of Americans not getting the recommended levels of physical activity each week. With over 22 million Wii Fit sets sold to date, the next generation console known for helping patients recover from strokes and surgery -- a system known as Wiihabilitation -- hopes to promote general health awareness among the usual couch potatoes. Play on, player.

If you're interested in the partnership, click here.

Today's New York Times points out that after the demise of the great Gourmet magazine, there was an expectation that all those fans would go...well, somewhere. They didn't.

When Gourmet was closed, observers expected an industry food fight. Bon Appetit's circulation was forecast to bloom as it absorbed former readers of Gourmet, and other magazines began eyeing Gourmet's list of more than 900,000 subscribers.

Though Gourmet was not thick with ad pages, its advertisers were expected to jump to competing high-end food magazines, like Food & Wine, Saveur and Bon Appetit.

Half a year after Gourmet's final issue, in November, the Gourmet readership and ad base seem to have largely vanished.

Where did they go? I love my Cook's Illustrated, but I do still mourn Gourmet. It makes me wonder, though, whatever happened to the Domino subscribers? Because I sure didn't get excited about Architectural Digest.

We're losing some of our favorite TV shows this year: Lost, Law & Order, FlashForward, 24, among others. One thing you can count on, is a lousy send-off. Few shows -- from The Sopranos to Seinfeld to Roseanne -- manage to wrap up story lines and leave viewers feeling satisfied.

Matthew Gilbert, in the Boston Globe argues that part of the problem is that "often, no one wants to say goodbye -- not the writers and producers, not the actors, not the viewers." And so, most series finales get botched:

The botches take different forms. Finales rely too heavily on sappy emotions ("Friends''), stupid twists ("Roseanne,'' "Will & Grace''), pointless irresolution ("Quantum Leap''), unnecessary deaths ("Alias''), or messy evasions ("The X-Files,'' "Twin Peaks''). In 1997, the "Roseanne'' finale set a new low for it-was-all-a-dreamism by revealing that much of the series had been Roseanne's fictional writings. Besides being a tedious rehash of the series, the "Seinfeld'' finale put off viewers by turning the beloved characters into criminals. We knew George, Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer were self-absorbed and petty, but they didn't deserve jail time.

Did any shows sign-off particularly well? Did any completely blow it?

By John Asante

As I type this post, I'm simultaneously reading The Slatest -- Slate.com's morning, noon, and night rundown of the top news stories. And what do I spot in the brief on the fate of Richard Blumenthal's career? An incorrect spelling of the state of Connecticut in the first line (although I'm sure it'll be corrected by the time you check it out...). Will I trust the online magazine less for placing the first "t" before the "i"? Probably not.

But it got me thinking -- people care a lot about typos. A quick search on Flick for the picture above brought up over 8,700 results (and no, I didn't transpose the numbers). In a piece for the Weekly Standard, author Joseph Epstein asks the question, "Why do people take such pleasure in discovering typographical errors--typos, in the trade term--especially in putatively august publications?":

My own pleasure in discovering typos is, alas, less than complete because of the typos readers have found -- and too often reported to me -- in my own published scribblings. I am less than a demon proofreader, especially of my own writing. I have published books with smaller publishing companies in which I found it necessary to hire a professional proofreader to go over my galley or page proofs. This, though, didn't ensure the books in question were typo-free. Few things are more demoralizing than a letter from a reader, even a friendly reader, who, after praising you, notes: "By the way, on page 273, where I think you meant the word content the word context appears. I mention this, not in a spirit of gotcha, but so that you can correct it for the second edition of your fine book."

Is Epstein excusing the copy editors and proofreaders of the 21st Century for the occasional extra "0" in a statistic or misplaced apostrophe? Not quite...

There's no precise way of knowing, of course, but it often seems there are more typos today than ever before. Books published several decades ago had a feeling of solidity, of permanence about them that didn't allow for typos and other editorial slovenliness ... The secret of excellent proofreading is caring intensely about getting things right and loathing error with an intensity that perhaps only fascism or an alimony-collecting ex-wife deserves. Such people appear to have departed the earth, and don't figure soon to return.

Grammar Nazis and spell checkers -- I'm on my A-game. Trust me.

By Gwen Outen

Changing Health Coverage
As the new health care law takes effect it means big changes to the way many Americans buy insurance, who's covered, and what your policy will pay for. While the law will eventually affect almost everyone, many companies have already updated their policies. Young people and older adults, particularly those on Medicare, will see some of the law's most immediate effects. If you're a member of one of those groups, or are a parent or caregiver, you likely have a few questions, from, "how does the law affect me," to, "so what should I do now?" Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News and the Wall Street Journal's Janet Adamy answer questions about what the new health care law means for young adults, seniors, and their parents and caregivers.

Cyclists vs. Drivers
Last month, transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced he wants to make cycling as important as driving. But, anyone who's pedaled a two-wheeler through rush hour traffic knows that the relationship between cyclists and motorists is tense, at best. And the cyclists who weave in and out of traffic or blow through red lights deserve as much of the blame as the drivers who make sudden turns or open their doors without looking. This Friday is "Bike to Work Day", and Loren Mooney of Bicycling Magazine about the conflicts between bicycles and cars, and how to make room for both on the roads.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali On Her Journey From Islam To America
Ayaan Hirsi Ali wants to reclaim Islam from within. She was born in Somalia, escaped an arranged marriage and fled to the Netherlands where she became a critic of repression in Islamic societies and won election to the Dutch Parliament. In 2004, Ayaan Hirsi Ali collaborated with film maker Theo Van Gogh on a controversial movie called Submission, which focused on the oppression of women in conservative Islamic cultures. Hirsi Ali talks about her new memoir Nomad, where she continues her story as she leaves Holland for the U.S. in search of a new beginning while reconciling with the complex traditions of her Islamic upbringing.

TV Upfronts and Fall Schedule Changes
This week, television networks announce their brand-new lineups at the upfront presentation -- the period where advertisers can buy commercial time before the season begins. And after a year of disappointing ad sales, more viewer losses, and the Conan/Leno combustion over at NBC, the networks have got a lot to sell. Eric Deggans, TV and media critic for the St. Petersburg Times, talks about what the networks are doing to prevent more losses, and what's in store for the new television season.

As anyone who uses the site knows, it can be really, really hard to secure your Facebook profile, and constant changes make it a constant challenge. Reclaim Privacy is a new tool that claims it helps you scan and protect your profile, without "seeing" or preying on the data -- your private information. I can't vouch for it, or recommend it any official way, so if you want, check it out for yourself. I will say I tried it, and it worked very quickly, pinpointed exactly where I had gaps in my settings, and helped me fix them. However, I have no way of knowing right now if it stole all my information, distributed it far and wide, and somehow promised my unborn children to the pimps on K Street (interpret that how you will).

Have you tried it? Did it work for you, and does it feel legit?

More than many, I'm guided by my stomach. So Saveur's treatment of the Greek financial crisis really appeals to me: Greek Macaroni and Cheese. Their take -- "studded with spinach, topped with feta cheese, and infused with a hint of cinnamon" comes from a recipe by New York City chef Michael Psilakis.

So here's the challenge: What should we be cooking for our shows this week? Securing the border obviously calls for some sort of Tex-Mex -- or Ariz-Mex (Zona-Mex? I think I saw that at the mall once) treatment. Supreme Court decisions about prison sentences? Try Orange Is The New Black author and former inmate Piper Kerman's Prison Cheesecake. The possibilities for this are endless! Thanks, Saveur, for the inspiration!

by Barrie Hardymon

I moved into a new house a couple weeks ago -- it's a bona fide house, complete with semi-functional showerheads and creaky staircase. It's wonderful, a big old project that will take us years to complete, and honestly, I have a problem almost every day that I have to go to the web to solve. Web searches from this weekend include:

electrical outlet help

front loader smell

removing splinter

peonies flopping over

cheap vacations

One constant source of anxiety and frantic web searching: my new appliances (Some, not so new.). I know that people sing the praises of front loading washers, but me? I am not singing. However, thanks to my new domestic partner, THE INTERNET, I'm beginning to show it who's boss. Many web searches later, I've found that there are certain things you must do with a front loader: keep it open, clean the gasket, and maybe most important, use less detergent. That last advice? Goes for practically everything in your house... according to the New York Times.

The No. 1 sin, according to repair people and appliance experts, seems to be adding too much soap to washing machines or dishwashers.

"Nobody thinks they use too much soap," said Vernon Schmidt, who has been a repairman for almost 35 years and is the author of a self-published book, "Appliance Handbook for Women: Simple Enough Even a Man Can Understand." But apparently most of us are in denial.

Washing machines and dishwashers are made to use far less water now than older models and, therefore, need less soap. And detergents have also become increasingly concentrated. So a little goes a long way.

Ah, internet. Thanks, again! Want to have a romantic dinner in my empty dining room?

By Gwen Outen

Securing the Border
The U.S. government spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Secure Border Initiative and a fence along the roughly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and federal agencies have increased criminal prosecutions of illegal immigrants. Yet, illegal border crossings continue. Proponents of Arizona's controversial illegal immigration law often complain that they had to act because the Federal government isn't doing enough to secure the border. NPR correspondent Ted Robbins and Edward Alden of The Council on Foreign Relations talk about the challenges of securing the border.

Can We Negotiate With The Taliban?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai pressed President Obama last week to move forward with a plan to reconcile with some Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. But while President Obama has indicated that negotiating with some elements of the Taliban may be necessary, New Yorker staff writer Steve Coll argues that the Obama administration lacks a coherent political strategy in Afghanistan, and its often contradictory approach and internal ambivalence about the Taliban's place in Afghan politics makes any lasting peace a tall order. Coll talks about the challenges of negotiating with the Taliban, and what options might yield results.

Supreme Court Rules on 'Dangerous' Sex Offenders
The Supreme Court today ruled on two controversial cases. The first, a 7-2 decision that federal officials can indefinitely hold inmates considered "sexually dangerous" even after their prison terms are complete. The second, a 5-4 split ruling that juveniles can not be sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole, if they have not killed anyone. Guests talk with host Neal Conan about the cases and what the high court's decisions mean.

Iron Man Deux
Iron Man II hit movie theatres a week ago, and the sequel to the hugely popular story of Tony Stark continues to dominate at the box office. NPR's comic book blogger Glen Weldon gives his review, and tells us if the movie satisfies both newbies to the genre, and longtime fans of the Marvel comic book.

The Facebook privacy flap got louder this week. We talked with Farhad Manjoo, the Slate.com tech columnist, about the sites recent privacy changes, and whether or not people would be closing down their accounts in droves. Since our interview, he's talked with a Facebook spokesperson and done a bit more research and come to the conclusion that most people will fall in line with the new changes, but Facebook definitely has some explaining to do:

While Zuckerberg is spot-on when it comes to the Web's macro, share-more trends, he's gotten all of the little things wrong. Facebook could and should do a lot better on privacy. In particular, I'd urge it to introduce preset privacy levels. You should be able to go to your privacy settings and see one big dial that lets you choose one of five levels between "private" and "public." This setting would govern your entire profile; the more public you set the dial, the more you'll share with more people. By default, the dial would be somewhere in the middle, but you'd be able to shift it up or down at any time. You'd still be able to adjust more specific controls-you could set your profile to "public" but allow only close friends to see pictures of your kid-but few of us would ever need to.

Read the whole column, "Can We Get Some Privacy?" at slate.com.

Ok, so the title of this post is a bit misleading. I have been a waiter, but it was at a Mexican restaurant that was destined to fail. For the true, former in-house server of cocktails, you can turn to my colleague Barrie Hardymon. In any case, I do empathize with the servers who have to deal with the Assumers... the Ice Queens (and Kings)... and, of course, Harry Houdinis while balancing martinis and gin and tonics on a tray.

And I certainly can't take credit for these catchy titles for rabble rousers in the local bars across the land. Sarah Venture, a cocktail waitress at a music venue/bar in Phoenix meticulously recorded notes on her subjects, er, customers, and compiled a priceless list of the cast of characters she meets on a nightly basis.

She came up with nineteen interesting types of people, but I'll share a few right now:

Tricky McPlastic: When asked whether he'll be paying with cash, this customer says yes. But when I come back with a tray full of drinks, the customer will hand me a credit card and say, "Is this okay?" Well, it would have been okay if you had told me five minutes ago. Now, it's actually a huge pain in the ass. You may not know this, but I already paid the bar -- in cash -- for your drink. See, I'm allotted money at the beginning of the night with which I buy drinks from the bar, getting reimbursed by you. But I can't tell you that because then I look like the difficult one. You just wasted five minutes of my life, a**hole.

Ms. Mute: When someone -- even a lowly waitress! -- looks at you and asks you a question, the polite thing to do is answer. Sometimes, when a waitress asks a couple whether they want a drink, one person (usually the woman) won't answer. Not only will Ms. Mute not answer, she won't even look her waitress in the eye. Ms. Mute will usually tell the person she's with what she wants to drink. That person (usually the boyfriend or husband) will relay the information to the waitress. The worst? When there's a factual question to be answered by the waitress.

Waitress: Hi, there! Can I get you two anything to drink?

Woman (to man): Do they have margaritas?

Man (to waitress): Do you have margaritas?

Waitress: Yes.

Woman (to man): I'll have a margarita then.

Man (to waitress): She'll have a margarita.

Annoyed waitress (to Woman): Do you want salt on it?

Woman (without making eye contact) nods without saying anything.

I've actually had similar exchanges. On multiple occasions. Despite the bad rep that waitresses get, we're not all like the ones who wait on George Clooney or Tiger Woods. We're not checking out your guy. We're not flirting with him. We're just trying to do our job and be friendly. Sometimes that requires smiling. So sorry.

Click here for the rest... Grabby Paws.

Among my many complaints about Avatar (I HATED it) was its length. Not only did it subject me to a bunch of special effects strung together by a barely evident plot and mortifying dialogue -- it did it for OVER TWO HOURS. (Two hours and forty two minutes!! Seriously!)

Remember when Jurassic Park III came out and all the reviewers commented on how short it was? (Elvis Mitchell called it "lean.") There was this collective sigh of relief -- "oh finally, a movie that doesn't require a bathroom break."

In today's Wall Street Journal, Eric Felton, who is a jazz singer and trombonist by trade, made the case for brevity, and extended it to music and literature as well.

Film critic Roger Ebert's mantra is that, "No good film is too long; no bad film is short enough." Perhaps it's a comment on the quality of today's pictures that most feel about two hours too long.

The same principle applies with books and music. There is so much to read, so much to hear, that it almost feels impertinent when an author takes up more than his share of one's time. I expect a book to justify every page it goes beyond number 250, which is the limit of my indulgence. I'm with Teddy Roosevelt, who wrote to a friend that he did "not feel like reading books that are too long or too serious unless they are also very interesting."

The desire for more concise literature and entertainment isn't just a function of our hyperactive, Internet-accelerated age. A century-and-a-half ago, French writer Paul Lacroix (who went by the nom de plume, Bibliophile Jacob) noted that,"We are all frightened by long books," and he singled out histories as the worst offenders.

No, Monsieur Lacroix, it is not the histories! It is the self-indulgent blockbusters that are, these days, the worst. Like, Avatar! (No, really, I hated that movie.)

By Gwen Outen

Changes in Military Culture
As military operations continue in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has implemented a number of changes that affect the operation and the culture of the military. Last month, the Navy announced it will integrate women into submarine duty by 2012. The news comes on the heels of a smoking ban on subs, also announced last month, that's set to take effect by the end of the year. Meanwhile, modern weapons are changing the culture of the Air Force. Instead of flying F-16s in war zones, more pilots are assigned to "drone jock" duty -- flying unmanned aircraft and drones in war zones, from a desert location in Nevada. Guest host Jennifer Ludden looks at some of the recent changes in the military and what that means for its culture.

Why The Oil Leak Isn't So Bad
Hundreds and thousands of gallons of crude oil continue to leak every day into the Gulf of Mexico. Businesses, politicians and environmentalists fear the worst, and are fighting to prevent an environmental catastrophe. But, former Washington Post reporter Ken Ringle points out in a commentary for the Nieman Watchdog that very little has hit shore, and much of the oil could evaporate while sea water breaks up even more of the spill. The leak is a calamity, he agrees, but may prove to be far less of a disaster than expected. Ringle explains why he believes the BP oil spill isn't the apocalypse.

Can Placebos Cure?
Placebos, or sugar pills, are one of the building blocks of good science, and for decades they've played a major role in medical experiments and drug trials. And in some cases--for instance, pain, nausea, depression and Parkinson's disease--placebos work as well as or even better than the real thing. Guests talk about the placebo effect, why it's changing over time, and whether the power of placebo can be harnessed and turned into real treatment.

Karzai Comes To Washington
After several months of strained relations with the Obama Administration, Afghan President Hamid Karzai received the red carpet treatment in Washington this week. While Karzai and administration officials have put their sometimes harsh public exchanges behind them, tensions remain over widespread corruption in the Afghan government, Karzai's efforts to reconcile with Afghani militants, and persistent civilian casualties in the continuing war in Afghanistan. NPR's Jackie Northam explains what's ahead for U.S.-Afghan relations, and looks ahead at the pending U.S. military offensive in Kandahar.

By Sarah Handel

Once my fiance and I make it official, we're taking off for three fabulous, long weeks in a foreign land. He has already begun to make noises about "packing light" and "maybe not taking too much stuff" so we'll be nimble as we travel. The last time I went on a trip that long, I took a huge suitcase and a sizeable carry-on. We were staying in one location the whole time, so I didn't see a strong argument to edit. This trip, however, I've taken it into consideration.

And then I saw The New York Times' "10 Days In A Carry-On" feature. LA-based flight attendant Heather Poole knows how to pack a rollie bag. I've always heard that rolling clothes conserves space, but she got all of this into her carry-on:

Three pairs of shorts, three pairs of dress pants, one skirt, three pairs of casual pants or jeans, three nightgowns, three bathing suits, one sarong, three lightweight sweaters, four dresses, 10 casual shirts, six dress shirts, a clutch, toiletries and two pairs of shoes.

And she zipped it shut easily. She looks to be of average (petite, but not wildly so) size, and we'll be packing for warmer climates as well... I'm starting to believe I can make this happen. So to all of you boarding planes for getaways, long or short, take a look at her tutorial... And avoid checked-bag fees!

*OK, no promises on that number. I multiplied the shorts, dress pants, skirt, pants, sweaters and shirts to come up with that, but I think that means you're wearing shorts and a skirt and no top sometimes, or whatever. But you get the point -- lots of options in one little bag!

I couldn't think of a better title than that -- because it is the title of Stephen Hawking's Daily Mail article. And he is really going to tell you how to build a time machine! And you are going to need a wormhole, btw.

It is absolutely worth reading because it says as much about Hawking as it does about the space/time continuum. After describing himself as a "dreamer" because cannot move, Hawking makes the case for his own interest in bending time:

Time travel was once considered scientific heresy. I used to avoid talking about it for fear of being labelled a crank. But these days I'm not so cautious. In fact, I'm more like the people who built Stonehenge. I'm obsessed by time. If I had a time machine I'd visit Marilyn Monroe in her prime or drop in on Galileo as he turned his telescope to the heavens. Perhaps I'd even travel to the end of the universe to find out how our whole cosmic story ends.

Hawking has always seemed one of the world's more personable geniuses. It's charming to read a scientist letting his mind run -- and this article, wormholes et al, confirms he is a man of big dreams, as well as a hefty brain.