Down inside a yacht anchored off an island in the Caribbean, skipper Jason White shows off a state-of-the-art computerized control center. He points out a marine single sideband (SSB) radio, somewhat of a sailing-instrument anachronism amid modern technology like satellite phones and weather faxes. And then he tells me about Herb. Somewhere out there, on the frequency 12359 kilohertz, is a man named Herb who will give any boat a personalized weather forecast upon request. He’s more accurate than any weather service, say the mariners who rely upon his expertise. But very few sailors even know he exists. “He only says it once, and he talks so fast, you have to record it and listen to it later,” says White, holding up a small digital recorder. “I use him all the time. But if you bug him too much, he’ll just ignore you.” Full text of article here.

The second annual International Yo-Yo Open & New York State Yo-Yo Contest describes itself as the world’s largest yo-yo event, attracting a crowd of more than 20,000. Yo-yo stars have flown in from the UK, South America, Japan, and Central Europe and are now mingling about the room, eagerly showing each other tricks. The constant whizzing noise sounds like an assembly of excitable insects. Open yo-yo cases bristle with arsenals of colorful models resting in padded foam. One owner shows off his collection by popping the prized yo-yos in and out of their padded foam as though he’s in an action movie, demonstrating parts of a sniper rifle. Full text of article here.