Ant mogul

Beats getting rich via security-backed mortgages.

Where in the world is Lloyd Mandel?

And who gets to use his name?

Significant Stooge

Curly Joe DeRita didn’t need no stinkin’ popularity. But he was significant.

How to live 200 years

Yeah, the herbs probably helped, but the post-it nails it. Woulda’ been nice if he’d used a condom or two along the way.

Yo-Yo Ma, Eat Your Heart Out

Federico Urian, performance artist. If there were a yo-yo hall of fame, this man would be the first inducted. Worth the read.

The passing of the Slinky mogul

 We lost a lot of giants in 2008. Paul Newman played with race cars but thanks to Ms. James, the rest of us had the Slinky. Toy magnates lead the most interesting lives.

Father of Barbie: The Most Interesting Man in the World. Really.

Forget those Dos Equis commercials, Jack Ryan was the most interesting man in the world. This obit clip goes back so far it pre-dates the Internet. But he’s still in the news–check out this Newsweek article for more on Jack Ryan’s role in inventing Barbie. There’s a Ken joke here somewhere, plus the Gabor connection–but we’ll leave it. No truth to the rumor that he also invented the Easy-Bake Oven and the neutron bomb. (From the Chicago Tribune, Aug. 20, 1991).