From a scholarly perspective, "boredom is a gold mine, " says Mark Fenske, a neuroscientist and researcher at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

WSJ: Interesting Fact: There's a Yawning Need for Boring Professors

Chile has held ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the mine collapse that left 33 men trapped for 69 days.

BBC: Chile marks year since mine collapse

"Operations are running normally, people are at work, " Randgold Chief Executive Mark Bristow said from his Loulo mine, 215 miles west of Bamako.

WSJ: Libya Spillover Leads to Mali Coup