Over at LIFE, our pal Ben Cosgrove presents a gallery of "Spooky Old Magician Posters" from the early 20th century. The illustration and design of these is, well, magical. It's no wonder that these posters are highly valuable. The art also reminds me that I have a brand new magic history book in my teetering reading queue and it looks terrific: Jim Steinmeyer's "The Last Greatest Magician in the World" tells the tale of Howard Thurston (1869-1936) and his rivalry with Houdini!
The ostrich analogy is real. Nobody should be sticking their head in the sand to escape unpleasant truths. And one such unpleasant reality is that for all their functionality, headphones can be incredibly dangerous. An overwhelming 96 percent of Americans say it's dangerous to wear headphones or earbuds when driving. That number remains high for… READ THE REST
John Hinkle of Peoria, Illinois, grew up bowling with his dad. Hinkle went on to win two NCAA bowling championships in college. But his most recent perfect 300 game was He used a bowling ball that was filled with his father's ashes. From CIProud.com: Hinkle bowls two-handed. To do that legally, a bowler can't have… READ THE REST
After several years of the Internet's help, the Library of Congress has narrowed down its collection of 800 photographs of mystery people from the entertainment industry down to less than 30. They've just posted some of the toughest remaining. My favorites are above and below. Who the hell are these people? If you know, post… READ THE REST
Students and staff at Stanford University, the University of California, the University of Colorado, and other institutions were warned to be on alert after a widespread security breach compromised personal data files during a nationwide cyberattack on the schools' computer systems. Meanwhile, someone is selling personal information on 21 million users of the mobile parking… READ THE REST
The difficulties of pandemic life have brought some unexpected consequences over the past year. With some transportation options closed and everyone mostly stuck in their houses, people got stir crazy for an alternative — and bicycle sales surged nationwide. Unfortunately, that wave of new bike riders brought an all too expected result: a corresponding surge in… READ THE REST
An extra power bank or charging hub that keeps your smartphone or tablet powered up in a pinch is always a great idea. But those batteries will only handle the needs of your small electronics. They aren't really built for those heavy-duty power tasks that you might encounter. You know…like when your car battery is… READ THE REST