"The longer poles recruit the abdominal and upper body muscles, " says Jonathan Chang, a clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Southern California in Alhambra, Calif.

WSJ: For Skiers Looking for More Cardio: Skating on Snow

Off the top of my head: Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Franzen, Chang-rae Lee, Mary Karr, Mary Gaitskill, Edwidge Danticat, Edmund White, and about a hundred others.

NEWYORKER: Gary Shteyngart

The fabric Jonathan Engel and Chang Liu have produced has a similar strength to nylon and can conduct electricity thanks to the way it is formed by interlocking rings and rectangles of about 500 microns in width.

CNN: Future dress code: Very smart