"When I get a taxi for the 15-minute ride from my office to the airport, I have two choices. I can hail a cab on the street, and pay a metered fare for the 4.6-mile trip. Or I can walk to the local Marriott and pay a fixed fee of $31.50.
Truthfully, I'm always a lot happier paying the fixed fee. I'm happier even though it probably costs more in the end. (A congestion-free trip on the meter comes out to about $26.) Sitting in a cab watching the meter tick up wrenches my gut: Every eighth of a mile, there goes another 45 cents-tick ... tick ... tick."
...this provides interesting context for a math problem using linear equations. When is it worth it to pay the fixed fare vs. paying the per 1/8th of a mile rate?
You could "3-Act" this scenario pretty easily:
-Take a short video of a taxi fare display clicking upwards. Ask students to give you the first questions that come to mind. When the students ask for it, provide them with a photo of the rate schedule on the side of the taxi and your destination address.
"As brilliant reader John D. asked, how many miles does Mario have to travel before he finally gets to Princess Peach?"
This could be a great lesson starter for ratio, proportion, and estimation. Show your students one of the levels, ask them to predict, and then have the students create a process in order to answer the question. Reveal the article after students have made their calculations.
Using this article and the tools listed (http://mentalfloss.com/article/56120/how-far-does-mario-have-run-and-swim-super-mario-bros) as the basis for the lesson:
How far does Mario travel in this speedrun?
Calculate the proportion of the game that this speedrun completes and leaves incomplete.
Based on the time it takes for this speedrun, what's the fastest that you could beat Mario if you completed EVERY level.