Oregon Was Founded As a Racist Utopia

When Oregon was granted statehood in 1859, it was the only state in the Union admitted with a constitution that forbade black people from living, working, or owning property there. It was illegal for black people even to move to the state until 1926. Oregon's founding is part of the forgotten history of racism in the American west.

The Computer Simulation That Almost Started World War III

Remember the 1983 movie WarGames? The film is about a computer "game" with the potential to start thermonuclear war. But strangely this scenario is more truth than fiction. Because in 1979 programmers at NORAD almost started World War III when they accidentally ran a computer simulation of a Soviet attack.

The Dymaxion

Incredible Hubble Space Telescope fly-through of the Gum Nebula

Expoxy Coated The Garage

I Bought One

Metal Detecting Part 2

Time To Replace The Carpet

Brown Death: A History of Poop As a Weapon

Check it out.

Meanwhile in Chile

Why The Design Of Aluminum Cans Is Utterly Brilliant

Insecto Cantina!

The Fascinating, Never-Ending Job of Painting the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is under attack. Corrosive salt air, roadway contaminants, age, UV rays—all these things are trying to turn the majestic span into a pitted skeleton.

Luckily the bridge has a powerful ally: an elite squad of painters, numbering just a few dozen. These busy operatives scurry up, down, and around the span on a never-ending quest to keep it protected and looking sharp.

INTERRUPT

Cinnamon: Harvesting Cassia in the Jungles of Sumatra

Some Recent Food Shots