In the early 1950s, more than 40,000 motels dotted the American landscape. But by the late 20th century, most had closed or fallen into disrepair. Why did so many vanish?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbkCvXLgYYE&t=1s
I barely remembered Agnew, or at least I was vague on the details of his story. So I really appreciated Rachel Maddow's _Bagman_, which was about his rise, decline, and fall.
TIL Analog photography is making a major comeback, much like vinyl has been in the music industry, with some popular SLR film cameras seeing prices rocket up 80% in recent years. https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2022/06/22/film-photographys-resurgence-is-leading-to-huge-price-increases
Scientists have developed a new method of providing information on 3D-printed foods, by printing a QR code within the food itself. Doing so doesn't affect the taste or outward appearance of the food, nor does it require the use of any labels. https://newatlas.com/3d-printing/interiqr-3d-printed-qr-code-food/
One of my favorite blogs to follow is "Awful Library Books". I used to work in a library every summer for YEARS and I really miss those times.
Awful Library Books is a site by Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner who are public librarians in Michigan that have worked together since 1998. They post about some of the funny, terrible, and fun library books they come across or others submit.
There are some true gems on this website. It's a fun rabbit hole to tumble down.
"While the dominant image of the pinup model might be Blonde beauties who prevailed in the 50s, the actual history of the pinup model is much older and more diverse than we realize."
https://www.messynessychic.com/2022/10/13/pinups-colorful-unseen-past/
"Hannalee said she might have gotten a bit obsessed." Ya think?
Not that I mind.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/17/1129434696/2-california-bakers-create-a-life-sized-han-solo-out-of-bread
In case you're looking for an affordable stocking-stuffer gift for a serious espresso fiend or home barista... well, I liked this WDT gizmo. #coffee
Cameron’s World is a “web collage” of text and images pulled from archived GeoCities ites. https://www.cameronsworld.net
I can't say this surprises me. https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/17/23408443/kanye-west-ye-parler-free-speech-social-media-platform
A universal connectivity standard, Matter is designed to make smart home devices simpler. By giving your door lock and light bulb a way to talk directly to each other, either over Wi-Fi or a newer protocol called Thread, Matter should make the smart home faster and more responsive. https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/4/23386883/matter-smart-home-standard-apple-google-launch
"Merriam Webster recently added 370 words to the dictionary. Here’s a quiz about some of our new favorites."
(I got 12 out of 16.)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/new-words-2022
Q: "In Detroit Michigan, they're handing out car stickers saying, 'Stamp Out The Beatles.'"
PAUL: "Yeah well... first of all, we're bringing out a Stamp Out Detroit campaign."
http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1964.0207.beatles.html
In an effort to win them over after such a bad first impression, Schafer decided to write his covering letter in the form of a text adventure game. https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/say-yes-i-need-a-job
Colonies and Colonization: A (Lengthy) SF Recommendations List
This would be a good reading list for an SF book club! https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/uuwrln/colonies_and_colonization_a_lengthy/
After 17 years of reporting on the API economy, ProgrammableWeb is shutting down on October 31st.
https://www.programmableweb.com/news/programmableweb-being-retired/brief/2022/10/10
Oklahoma's puzzling, paranormal mystery
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20221006-route-66s-glowing-mystery-orb
Writer. Editor. Baseball. Cats. Chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.