The New York Subway isn't like this anymore, but the sheer decrepitude and negligence of it in the 80s is always amazing to behold. This video shows a ride to Coney Island in 1987. Londoners like me will sometimes get a bit snooty about this sort of thing, but the London Underground was about as filthy back then. The distinctive manifestation was trash fires rather than free wall art, and the consequences were far worse.
A NYC subway ride to Coney Island in 1987
How tally sticks were used in medieval England
I have to admit, I thought I was up on my dead media, but I didn't really know much about the medieval history of the tally stick, a record-keeping technology that stretches all the way back to the Upper Paleolithic. I love the concept of carving off a piece, or splitting it in half, so… READ THE REST
Japanese whistling arrow not what ashigaru wanted to hear today
This video shows a kabura-ya (鏑矢), a turnip-headed whistling arrow, fired by a master kyudo archer at the Albert Park Sports Stadium in Melbourne on 13 February, 2010. Contrary to my jokey headline, they were used mostly in formal exchanges, as signals, or to carry messages, not as terror weapons like the Aztec Death Whistle. READ THE REST
Casa Susanna was a secret resort for gender non-conformists in the 1960s
In one of those triumphant stories that reaffirms every junk hound's eternal quest for treasures, antiques dealer Robert Swope and his partner Michel Hurst stumbled across a collection of photos at a flea market that revealed an underground community in the Catskills that may have otherwise remained a secret forever. The early '60s photographs featured… READ THE REST
Create, edit, and merge PDF files for $30 with this top-rated PDF editing app
It's among the most popular digital file formats in the world. In fact, its creator Adobe figures there are now over 2.5 trillion PDF documents floating around out there. And at times, it's probably felt like you've had to deal with every single one of them. Make no mistake. PDFs are so common because they're… READ THE REST
This 8-piece Homgeek knife set is the perfect kit for a formative kitchen
Maybe you're moving into a new place and you're ready to start making more than microwave burritos and frozen pizzas for dinner. Or perhaps you know someone striking out on their own and starting up their own first kitchen. In either case, that budding chef needs a quality blade. Or more accurately, they need a… READ THE REST
Protect your posture while gaming with this super comfy massaging chair that's over 30% off
For many, playing video games for hours on end is among the most exhilarating ways to spend an evening. Or a day. Or a weekend. But while hour after hour of roaming the Old West, engaging in space dogfights, or swinging through your virtual city like Spider-Man are incredibly fun, it's only happening in your… READ THE REST