Knead for Naught
After decades of perfecting a homemade bread recipe, a single experiment transforms a home cook into an artisan.
howto
A collection of 37 issues
Bang for Your Buck
Two dozen people—a banker, a sex worker, a pastor, “the World’s First Publicly Traded Person”—tell us the best way to invest a single dollar.
Brief Interviews With Very Small Publishers
Magazine publishing is a dark art. But the world of niche publishing—people who create magazines for necrophiliacs or donkey hobbyists, or for those of us who like to ride really small trains—features its own requirements.
The Window Cleaner
Dirt is difficult to see on glass. That’s why so many people don't bother to hire a professional for the job—they just can’t see what’s wrong.
Dressed to Kill
Real-life villains to inspire costumes, including the conquistador so horrible the king of Spain made it a crime to say his name.
How to Make Celebrities Fall in Love With You
If you tell Johnny Depp he’s hideous looking, he’ll think you’re the first person he’s met who sees past his physical appearance—and other lessons.
How to Do Astrology
Those who can’t do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we divine meaning from the heavenly bodies.
How to Perform Acupuncture
Those who can't do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we try our hand at needlework.
How to Become a Playwright
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we attempt to help a young thespian realize his misinformed dreams.
How to Play Magic: The Gathering
Those who can't do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we learn lands, creatures, and spells from Magic great Jon Finkel.
How to Hunt
Those who can't do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we get licensed, wake up very early, and track turkeys in the woods.
How to Buy a Car
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we demonstrate to a wary customer how best to maneuver the purchase of a new car, while keeping accidental singes to a minimum.
How to Survive a Crush
Two decades after high school days spent yearning to be a part of the “in” crowd, our writer confronts her former dream date, now a best-selling author, and her former self.
How to Trade Options
From our series where the clueless apprentice with the experts, we trade at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and try to keep up with the buying and selling of educated speculation.
Does He Love You?
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. Following our popular guide regarding girls, how to know if the ideal man digs you or not.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate Family
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. We step in with some last-minute advice for a reader confused by a Christmas party conundrum: Do friends and family mix?
How to Go Caroling
'Tis the season to be jolly, all over the cul-de-sac, on your neighbors' porches, against your neighbors' most fervent holiday wishes.
How to Embalm a Body
Those who can't do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we visited a funeral home in New Jersey to learn, hands-on, how to prepare someone for an eternal rest.
How to Make Friends and Poke People
Facebook is old news for the sub-30 set, but plenty of their elders are tuning in, logging on, and tossing cows.
How to Say I Love You
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we pull out all the stops to help a reader say "I love you," in precisely 100 different ways.
How to Blow Glass
Those who can’t do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we visit a glass-blowing studio in Brooklyn.
How to Give a Tattoo
Those who can't do, learn. In this installment of our series in which the clueless apprentice with the experts, we pick up a long-sought skill from Brooklyn tattoo artist Duke Riley--who also plays canvas.
How to Hang a Cabinet
Nothing satisifies quite like home improvement, especially after you've ripped the wall out of your bathroom. A short guide to avoiding complete catastrophe.
How to Defuse an Atomic Bomb
What a tangled web we weave.
Does She Love You?
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything, even the oldest questions. Such as, how can you tell if a girl loves you or not?
Dreams and How to Dress for Them
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we help analyze your dreams, or maybe just his own, and offer a handy chart that tells you what to wear depending on the temperature. Yes: "handy."
How to Walk in New York
Walk or don't walk? In New York, there is rarely a choice. The ground rules for how you should maneuver the pavement, always showing your best side under special circumstances, and what to do when sidewalk rage hits.
How to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner
You’ve got less than two days to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Is the menu set? Do you have a cooking timetable ready? Uh oh. Sage advice for those whose stuffing isn’t quite ready for prime time.
Part IV, Wedding Tips
Will custom-printed cocktail napkins take this celebration to the next level? No one cares.
How to Carve a Pumpkin
It's nearly Halloween, time for ghosts, treats, and hours of time invested in what invariably winds up splattered down your block. Yes: the season-o-Jack. Here's how to cut your gourd.
How to Road Trip
Driving at least once from Connecticut to California should be required for all Americans, but how to survive the trip is less understood. Timeless advice for a tiring journey.
How to Write a Thank-You Note
“Sincerely, Help?” Having trouble finding the right words to thank cousin Sal for that mango slicer? How to write the perfect, honest thank-you note every time.
Part III, Wedding Party Responsibilities
The bride and groom just spent hours arguing over Dad’s new wife and whether she gets to sit at the head table. Now is not the time to piss them off. How the wedding party can stay in good graces.
Part II, 10 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage Proposal
You've got one chance here, don't flub it. The warning label for your proposal.
Part I, 15 Fights to Have Before You Get Engaged
If you're the couple that never fights, now's your chance. Vent now, or forever hold your peace.
How to Survive a Deathbed
It’s not SARS, and you’re sure it’s something worse. Even though they say it’s just a cold, you’ve already resigned yourself to death’s icy grip. Ways to make the wait a little more worthwhile.
How to Get Promoted
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we lead a primer on how to get promoted. With a rocket-cycle and everything.