Super Bowl

The Northeast Is a Mess Because It’s Running Out of Salt

The Northeast may have had its fun mocking the South’s recent descent into chaos in the face of snow, but now it’s our turn to fall apart. This newest storm has shut down I-84—one of the region’s biggest highways—and crippled countless other roads. The culprit? We’re running out of salt. Beginning last night, snow has…

How the Super Bowl failed its transit-riding attendees, an L.A. museum that collects houses, and why Monarch butterflies are dying (spoiler: because of us). Plus a McDonald’s in Queens, Millennials in St. Louis, and biking in Las Vegas. It’s time for your weekly Urban Reads. What was promoted as the “Mass Transit Super Bowl” was…

Every Super Bowl Tech Ad, Ranked

Unlike recent years, 2014 saw some Super Bowl ads for tech companies that were actually… good? Inconceivable! We’ve gathered them all here, in easily processed ranking form. As always, all rankings are totally subjective and legally binding. 15. Sprint – “Sprint Framily Plan – Band” This is the exact same as Sprint’s previous Framily Plan…

It Took More Than Just iPhones to Shoot Apple’s New Ad

With Macintosh turning 30 this year, you’d think Apple would go big. Maybe they’d spring for another Super Bowl commercial like the 1984 ad that changed the way the world thinks about computers. Nah… they just made an Apple promo reel that was shot entirely on iPhones—with a little help, of course. Don’t get me…

The Best (and Worst) Super Bowl Ads of 2014

Last night advertisers of all brands and commodities shelled out millions to get their ads in the coveted Super Bowl commercial break. So what did these million dollar spots produce? A whole lotta 80s nostalgia and a few tears. Here’s our list of the best and worst commercials from the 2014 Super Bowl. Personally, I…

One Boob Built YouTube: How Nipplegate Changed the Way We Share Video

Think about it this way: If Justin Timberlake hadn’t partially exposed one of Janet Jackson’s nipples during that fateful Super Bowl halftime show, you wouldn’t be able to watch all the nipples you’d like on your computer today. Ten years ago, Timberlake’s promise to “have you naked by the end of this song” as he…

What time is the Super Bowl? It’s not just a question being typed into search engines by millions of Americans right this moment, it’s also one of the “most legendary acts of SEO trolling ever.” [The Atlantic]

How Are You Watching the Super Bowl?

Many of us will probably be watching today’s game the way it was meant to be enjoyed: On an old-fashioned television with a bucket of hot wings in our laps. But this is the third Super Bowl that doesn’t require cord cutters to bum a seat on our friend’s nasty ass couch. What’s your plan?…

Apple Is Probably Going to Run a Sequel to its “1984” Ad Today

30 years ago. The Los Angeles Raiders are slaughtering the Washington Redskins at halftime. You decide it’s time for a refill on your Crystal Light. You’re headed to the kitchen when something stops you in your tracks—a chick with a Brigitte Nielsen haircut and a hammer, running towards you. Yes, indeed: The “1984” commercial that…

The Super Bowl XLVIII seen from space

This image by the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 shows the current state of the MetLife Stadium, in the Meadowlands, the site for the Super Bowl XLVIII: “A crust of snow, ice, and salt make the surrounding parking lots appear gray.” In its first 47 years, the Super Bowl has always been played…

3 Ways to Chill Your Canned Beverages Before Kickoff

This is a Public Service Announcement: If you have warm beer (or may be receiving warm beer during the game today), you should read this post we originally ran two years ago. Method number one is simple and it’s the absolute best practical solution. Method number two works pretty well, too, but not as well.…

Which State Will Be Drinking the Most Beer Today?

Americans have already spent an estimated $1 billion stockpiling beer for today’s game. But who’s drinking the most? This series of interactive maps by Esri tabulates crucial data for your Super Bowl Sunday, including which cities have hosted the most Super Bowls and where people are most likely to be spending their hard-earned cash on…

A football field compared to the International Space Station

This graphic by NASA shows the ISS compared to a football field. They’re more or less the same size: A football field is 360 by 160 foot. The space station is 356 by 239 feet. Another comparison: The United States spends about $10 billion per year in the NFL and about $3 billion in the…

How To Deep Fry Without A Deep Fryer (And Make 5 Super Bowl Treats)

For a lot of us, just thinking about the Super Bowl elicits a craving for deep-fried goodness. If you’re without a dedicated fryer, don’t fear. Modernist Cuisine at Home will show you how to achieve the same effect with a handful of conventional kitchen tools you just might have lying around. Modernist Cuisine at Home,…

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen sure do know how to football

As someone whose attitudes towards NFL matchups could best be described as something between indifferent and aggressively indifferent, I can say with all authority that this is the greatest Super Bowl themed photo ever taken. (Seriously, though – it’s got to be up there, right?) [Via PatStew]

The Perfect Alcoholic Pairings For Your Super Bowl Sunday Junk Food

Hey, football fans! Super Bowl Sunday is on the horizon—which, for many of us, means a day of eating garbage and tossing back drinks. But don’t do it all willy-nilly. Like a sommelier at Guy Fieri’s restaurant, we’ve got the perfect drinks to complement your disgusting food choices. It’s Friday afternoon, you’ve made it through…

Richard Sherman Gives the Best Twitter Advice You’ll Ever Get

Richard Sherman is a very talented football player, and I, like many of you, have become a fan. It’s clear that in the post-NFC championship days, he’s emerged as a divisive character. No matter your opinion, when it comes to Twitter he has some very sage advice. From a post he wrote earlier this week…

A Walk Though NYC’s Insane Super Bowl Boulevard

The stretch of Broadway that runs through Midtown Manhattan is always an overwhelming sensory experience—but, this week, it’s even more intense. A thirteen-block stretch of the street has been transformed into a crazy Super Bowl mega-event. We checked it out so you wouldn’t have to. The converted Super Bowl version of Broadway begins right outside…

How the Super Bowl Turned the NYC Macy’s Building Into a Massive Screen

There’s endless Super Bowl hoopla happening in New York right now, what with the big game just days away. But you might miss one of the coolest if you don’t look up: The projection-mapping specialists Moment Factory have turned the grand Herald Square facade of Macy’s into an orgy of light. It’s incredible. Here’s how…

Were Footballs Ever Really Made of Pigskin?

These days, footballs are typically made from cowhide or vulcanized rubber, making their nickname “pigskins” somewhat ironic. Football fans often perpetuate the idea that footballs used to be made of pigskin, which is how they got their nickname, but it turns out this isn’t the case. In fact, “pigskins” were originally made out of animal…