video games The Japanese version of MARIO KART 64 included Mario-brand cigarettes and Yoshi-brand motor oil Thom Dunn
Entertainment First look: Super Nintendo World brings video game magic to Universal Orlando Ruben Bolling
Innovation How rivalry between two Japanese companies in the 1950s led to the world's best pencils Ellsworth Toohey
optical illusions Mind-bending visual trick by Japanese psychologist: is it yellow or white? Mark Frauenfelder
safety hazards Horrific Anime Expo crowd looks like disaster waiting to happen: "If there is a fire … we are all dying" (video) Carla Sinclair
communal condiments Two pranksters ain't laughing after dipping their chopsticks where they didn't belong Carla Sinclair