News archives offer a rich historical record. But if the reader or the journalist wants to learn about a new topic with a traditional search engine, they must enter a query and begin reading or skimming old articles one-by-one, slowly piecing together an intricate web of people, organizations, events, places, topics, concepts, and social forces that make up "the news." We propose Rookie, which began as an attempt to build a useful tool for journalists. With Rookie, a user's query generates an interactive timeline, a list of important related subjects, and a summary of matching articles -- all displayed together as a collection of interactive linked views. Users click and drag along the timeline to select certain date ranges, automatically regenerating the summary and subject list at interactive speed.

Imagine this basic plot of a satisfactory sports movie: Rookie quarterback is told he'll never be as successful in the pros as he was in college--not just because he's a rookie, but because he's not a quarterback in the first place. Does our hero give up on his dream of being an NFL quarterback? No, because this is a sports movie. He works hard, smiles a lot, makes it onto the field a handful of times per game, and gains fans in the City of Brotherly Love. And then, with his team down 20-3 and on the verge of its fourth loss in a row, he gets his shot.

Just in time for the start of the playoffs, the NFL has released a new skill for Amazon Alexa devices. "A Rookie's Guide to the NFL" will guide fans and folks who are new to the game through the 2019 postseason, with information about teams, rules, positions, players, equipment, formations and more. The skill is the NFL's first venture into apps with voice-enabled features and is available through the Alexa Skills Store starting today. To use the Rookie's Guide to the NFL, you'll have to download and enable the skill through your Alexa app. That will make it available through any of your Alexa devices.

Dec 22, 2018; Carson, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa (99) looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at StubHub Center. You don't know a lateral from a screen pass or the difference between a tight end and wide receiver. And what the heck does "three men in a box," "RPO" "nickel defense" or the "coffin corner" mean? Your significant other is fixated on watching the NFL playoffs that kick off this weekend. And if you're going to spend any meaningful time with your honey, then you best watch, too.