It’s one of the most recognizable characters in TV history, but do you know the real name behind Bart Simpson? Nancy Cartwright has given voice to the precocious boy in the long-running television series but she’s also a philanthropist, producer and author. Cartwright may have spent 23 years on the longest-running scripted television series, but her personal story is as compelling as her career.

The newest craze in music is one of the oldest. Groups like Sweet By and By and artists like Ricky Skaggs are bringing bluegrass to a new audience. But its true roots lie with the common folks, like Johnny Adams, who fell so in love with the mandolin that he now makes his own! (click here to watch the video version of this story)

It may be music to your ears but it’s actually fuel for your brain. Many studies concur — one of the best ways to exercise your brain is by learning to play a musical instrument. As you’ll see, you don’t have to be Mozart to be the maestro of your mind! (click here to watch the video version of this story)

Are you more like Homer Simpson or Spock? Before you answer, see why author Dan Ariely says that irrational behavior can actually be a positive thing, despite the fact that we’ve been taught all our lives to make smart, rational decisions. Ariely, a professor of “behavioral economics” and the author of “The Upside of Irrationality,” says that some of the nicest things we do, from returning favors to financial choices and more, only work because we act against the more rational instinct.

He could read this paragraph in a matter of seconds, and a novel in minutes. Howard Berg has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest reader, and he clocks in at 80 pages a minute! Not only does he speed read, Berg says he understands and comprehends everything he sees. And he’s passing it on, helping students learn to study more efficiently and creating a formula to help others learn from his techniques.

It’s a fact we’re all facing — as we get older, we have to say goodbye to more and more loved ones. But it turns out that death may not be as final as some of us think. Is it possible to communicate with the other side by tapping into our own psychic selves? Psychic Medium John Edward says that the thing that we’re all really pursuing in life is balance, so he does what he can to help people stop worrying about their loved ones who have passed, and find peace.