Stories by Krystal D'Costa

What a ubiquitous appliance reveals about us

Things have been quiet on the Green Thumbery series because I’ve been watching my plants anxiously. The lengthy winter we experienced has made for a sluggish start and it was touch-and-go for a few weeks.

When you woke up this morning, did you reach for your cell phone? Was it right next to the bed? Or under your pillow? Did you use it as an alarm clock?

Last week I was interviewed by Renee Masur of Sokanu as part of the “True Calling” series, which looks at people who have found careers (allegedly) doing things they love.

The refrigerator gives us a claimable space that serves as a center in our home. In fact, if you were spend 10 minutes anywhere in someone's home, I'd argue that the refrigerator would probably tell you the most about that person.

In offices throughout the United States, workers are anxiously looking to the coming of Friday. For many of you—myself included—Monday meant a return to the office and a reinvestment in wage/paid labor. By this point in the week, you've hopefully hit your stride and are comfortably settled in your work week rhythms, and you're probably looking forward to the weekend. But between the two of us, how engaged are you actually with your tasks? How attuned are you to the overall culture of the company? If you had to make the assessment for yourself, what would your response be?

This article is a part of the Green Thumbery series, where everyday gardening meets history and science.

The growing popularity of online dating The dating scene has been changing over the last decade. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, approximately 6% of Internet users who are in a marriage or other committed relationship met online, compared to 3% who reported this in 2005.

This article is a part of the Green Thumbery series, where everyday gardening meets history and science.

April Fools’ Day is not unique to Western cultures. People all over the world and all throughout history have celebrated the coming of Spring with festivals of deception and lightheartedness.

April Fools’ Day is not unique to Western cultures. People all over the world and all throughout history have celebrated the coming of Spring with festivals of deception and lightheartedness.

This article is a part of the Green Thumbery series, where everyday gardening meets history and science.

Did you take public transportation today? And where did you sit? Did you take the seat on the end? What about your phone at work? Did it actually ring today?

Work-life balance seems increasingly to be an antiquated idea. Instead, we're looking at a seamless merger of work and life. Are you finding that 9-to-5 workday bleeds beyond eight hours? How are you finding balance when the new normal seems to be integration?

Chain letters hit the right chord of shock, or trigger the right degree of anxiety, which prompts the reader to share the stories or information they contain. To this end, chain letters are actually really well suited to social media because so little effort on the part of the reader is required to pass them on. And the transparency offered by sharing or liking adds a degree of authenticity that is necessary to their survival.

When the temperature drops during the winter months, it’s not uncommon to see articles about how to help the homeless. These articles also highlight a large segment of homeless people who turn down help to avoid having to spend the night in a shelter, where they worry their safety and well-being will be compromised in the company of strangers. Where do these people actually go in the face of extreme elements?

Haven’t had enough of ghosts and ghouls yet? Here are some favorites from Anthropology in Practice: Why are we afraid of clowns? Tricksters have a reputation for being bawdy, antisocial, and clever.

I’m a fan of scary stories. With a few hours to spare, I’ll gladly spend them with Richard Matheson or Shirley Jackson. If I don’t have a few hours to spare, I’ll pass the time with whatever horror movie I can find playing in the background while I work.

On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone claims to be a little Irish. But did you know there’s a strong Irish influence on the traditions that surround our favorite costumed holiday?

Jerry was driving home late one night when he saw a young lady waiting by a bus stop. He stopped his car and told her that he didn’t think the buses were running so late at night and offered her a ride.

Brevity may be the soul of wit, but what does wit matter if no one’s listening? On Twitter the potential exists for many people to listen even if they aren’t connected.

Just because the online science community is falling apart does not mean that anthropology and science have stopped happening in the real world.

In 2010 one of the questions sports organizations were wrestling with was whether they should allow their players to tweet. That question is far from defined, but it’s becoming clear that social media has an important role to play within the sport community.

Do you have a friend who has sworn off Facebook? Not taking a break, but someone who has completely severed ties with the online social networking platform and the connections it houses?