Friday, January 31, 2014
11 Things We No Longer See in Movie Theaters
Before faceless multiplexes became the norm, one could always spot a movie theater in the distance, even if it was your first visit to that town. A large illuminated vertical sign announced the name of the cinema, and the triangular marquee below was lined with tiny blinking light bulbs. Even if the film being shown was a dud, that sign out front just lured you inside.
And that was just one of the trimmings that used to make “going to the movies” an event, a night out on the town. If you remember when an usher would scold you for speaking too loud, or had a grandma who had a full set of china only because she’d faithfully attended weeks of Dish Nights, these 11 artifacts might bring back some fond memories.
Map: 'How Much Snow It Typically Takes to Cancel School in the U.S.'
Weather-related school closings are a constant source of anxiety this time of year. Sometimes the anxiety is generational: "They never canceled school in my day," parents and grandparents complain when a new snow day gets announced. Sometimes it's regional. D.C. isn't as "flinty" as Chicago, President Obama sighed when schools closed during his first winter in the capital. Northerners watched in puzzlement as two inches of snow crippled Atlanta earlier this week.
India and China, Besieged by Air Pollution
Various recent studies and data suggest that air quality in Delhi is worse than in Beijing, though India’s air pollution problems do not get nearly as much attention on the world stage as those of Beijing. One study shows that Indians have the world’s weakest lungs. The World Health Organization says India has the world’s highest rate of death caused by chronic respiratory diseases, and it has more deaths from asthma than any other nation.
The Decline of the American Book Lover
The Pew Research Center reported last week that nearly a quarter of American adults had not read a single book in the past year. As in, they hadn't cracked a paperback, fired up a Kindle, or even hit play on an audiobook while in the car. The number of non-book-readers has nearly tripled since 1978.
11 Things We No Longer See on Airplanes
Traveling by airplane is a lot different than it used to be. And we’re not just talking about the elaborate and cumbersome security restrictions that get added every time some wacko sticks a bomb in his BVDs. There used to be a lot of amenities, but they were gradually eliminated after President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978 and cost-effectiveness suddenly became a corporate concern. Here are 11 things that we never see on most commercial flights today that were common in days of yore.
A Boarding Pass Design That's So Much Better Than What We Have
When rushing around airports, the piece of paper known as a boarding pass is supposed to help get you to Point B. Too bad existing boarding passes come in the strangest standard size and display information that's ridiculously hard to read.
"It was like someone put on a blindfold, drank a fifth of whiskey, spun around 100 times, got kicked in the face by a mule ... and then just started puking numbers and letters onto the boarding pass at random," designer Tyler Thompson in 2010.
These Guys Build the World's Tallest Flagpoles for Authoritarian Regimes
Marc Summers and David Chambers have a pretty unusual job. Together, through their company Trident Support Corporation, they build the world's tallest flagpoles for the authoritarian regimes of Central Asia and the Middle East.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
North Korea: Where Everything's Amazing and Everyone Is Happy
“Welcome to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” our host beamed. The plane had barely landed, and the propaganda had already started. I was officially part of the first tourist delegation to ever visit North Korea for New Year’s. Over the next five days, I’d be under 24-hour surveillance, and I’d be hearing all sorts of interesting “facts.”
“What is the first thing you notice?” my guide asked.
“Ummm…” He didn’t give me time to answer.
“The fresh air. Do you love all the fresh air?!” I sniffed for a second. All I smelled was jet fuel and diesel fumes.
“What is the first thing you notice?” my guide asked.
“Ummm…” He didn’t give me time to answer.
“The fresh air. Do you love all the fresh air?!” I sniffed for a second. All I smelled was jet fuel and diesel fumes.
You Don't Want To Live Next to China's "Bacon Apartment"
Some people hang clothes on their balcony. This resident, it seems, hangs meat. Lots of it.
This is what it’s like to be at war with your body
The compulsion to be free of a limb is no imaginary illness. Meet the man who spent his savings on an amputation—and the surgeon who helped him.
Crane Operator Captures Stunning Photos of Shanghai from Above
Amateur photographer Wei Gensheng has taken advantage of multiple opportunities as a crane operator to capture stunning images of Shanghai from over 2,000 feet above the city. Working on the final construction stages of the Shanghai Tower, said to be the tallest building in China and the second tallest in the entire world, Gensheng has managed to document the surrounding urban landscape from an entirely unique vantage point.
Re-Tasting Food With Miracle Berry Tablets
Recently, on a whim, I ordered some Miracle Berry Tablets from ThinkGeek, while ordering some other items. (Among them were the Nanoblocks that I reviewed recently.) I’d heard about Miracle Berries, and how they were supposed to make lemons taste like candy. I was curious myself, and so bought a pack of ten pills. A serving is only a half pill, so the pack had 20 servings. Enough for me, my family, and a couple of friends, several times over!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)