Blog Posts by Mike Smith

It's all about retro reboots these days -- and it's no different with board games. Topping Hasbro’s 2013 calendar are streamlined, stripped-down, and simplified versions of three of its most celebrated classics: Yahtzee, Jenga, and Monopoly. But are they really better, or just different? Here’s how the new hotness matches up to the tried-and-true versions.

It isn't faster than a speeding bullet, nor is it more powerful than a locomotive. But it can leap tall buildings in a single bound...if you throw it at the ground hard enough.

No, not Superman, but the Super Ball. Sold by the fantastically named Wham-O corporation (who also brought you Hula Hoops, Hacky Sacks, and Silly String), millions of the surprisingly springy spheres have thrilled countless children and adults with their high-flying antics.

But what on earth makes them so incredibly bouncy? Turns out the answer is all in the rubber.

Ever wonder how your favorite game got its name?

If your favorite game is Monopoly or Candyland, we’re guessing probably not. But many classic names have more interesting origins. Ancient Persian kings, boating, interracial marriages: it’s all here.

A Game for Someone (Credit: Jason Rohrer/Polygon)Video game fans are used to hot games being delayed, sometimes for months or even years at a time.

But a board game that scooped a major award at the recent Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco presents them with a wait that even the most patient of gamers will have trouble standing: almost three thousand years.

Cross with crosswords? Sick of Sudoku? Say hello to your next airplane addiction.

It's called “KenKen” -- Japanese for “wisdom squared” -- and it’s the smartest pencil-and-paper puzzler since Sudoku itself. It even promises to sharpen up your math skills.

Created in 2004 by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, KenKen was popularized in the United States by New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, who was introduced to the game when agent and toy industry legend Bob Fuhrer called and asked him to try out a new puzzle.

Dan Feyer is a crosswords king (Credit: Don Christensen, Courtesy of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament)“Spinning wheel operator.”

“Poetic time of day.”

“Drop down?”

Any guesses? If you went for “HAMPSTER,” “EEN,” and “MOLT,” respectively, you might have what it takes to enter next year’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. This year’s model wrapped up Sunday in Brooklyn, New York City.

But be forewarned: even if you make it past the first cut, chances are you’ll eventually fall to Dan Feyer. The New York City resident is a crossword beast, this year beating back a strongly-favored challenger in the form of California native Anne Erdmann to take home his fourth straight trophy and a hefty $5,000 first-place prize.

Robocop (Credit: MGM)Wish you had your own personal robot housemaid? Hope you like your roomba, because George Jetson’s Rosie the Robot has yet to hit the mass market.

But while robots might not be doing our laundry and keeping the kids in line just yet, they’re already among us -- and outperforming us in a worrying number of areas. Are you ready to feel obsolete? Read on to meet a few robots make us soft, fleshy humans look positively outdated.

PowerUp 3.0 (Credit:Tailor Toys)Bored with the traditional paper airplane? Debuting later this year is a new product that’ll give your folded creations a literal boost.

It’s called the PowerUp 3.0, and it’s an elegantly engineered device that turns any paper airplane -- absolutely any paper airplane -- into a motorized, iPhone-controlled, technological wonder.