tedium
Why Men Get More Lint in Their Belly Buttons Than Women
Also: a very brief history of navel-gazing.
Articles by Ernie Smith
90
Stories
Stories shared by this traveler.
television
When Networks Aired Their Failed TV Pilots in the Middle of the Summer
A lot of bad television has been made throughout history.
tedium
From Tufting to Jingles, the Evolution of Modern Carpet
It goes back thousands of years.
food
The Long, Unusual History of the Pickled Cucumber
Pickles.
technology
The Quiet Failure of Sony’s Giant Cassette Tape
Meet the Elcaset.
technology
How Pleather Saved the DuPont Company—And Some Cows, Too
It's been around for decades.
technology
The Video Game That Promised to Contain 52 Video Games And Failed Miserably
Action 52 wasn't great.
technology
The Unlikely Italian Roots and Curious Afterlives of Power Wheels
They've been around for decades.
farms
The Long, Politically Fraught History of Seeds in the U.S.
We’ve come a long way from the government giving away free seeds.
technology
How Xerox Invented the Copier and Artists Pushed It To Its Limits
The Xerox machine was a piece of technology that seemed to come out of nowhere.
food
A Brief History of the Cheese Curl, Junk Food’s Happiest Accident
It's more or less repurposed horse feed.
toys
How G.I. Joe Inspired a Movement to Ban War Toys
Sometimes a toy isn't just a toy.
television
The Long, Weird Transition from Analog to Digital Television
Remember rabbit ears?
31 days of halloween
The Surprising Success of Halloween Pop-Up Stores
The seasonal stores are not just recession-proof—they flourish when strip malls are bare.
science
The Worst-Tasting Flavor in the World Was Accidentally Discovered in a Lab
You've probably never tasted Bitrex, but it's all over your home.
animals
How Meat Science (And Marketing) Gave the World the Flat Iron Steak
It was only recently popularized.
water
Why Making a Better Umbrella Is Way Harder Than It Seems
Their design hasn't changed in a very long time.
news
The Screw Heads That Tried, But Failed, to Topple Phillips
The history of the screw is long and surprisingly weird.
tedium
From Waxed Canvas To Movie Screens, the History of the Air Mattress
They've never been particularly reliable.
colleges
A Brief History of the College Textbook Pricing Racket
Its past, present, and future.
shops
Branded Newsstands, Bad Nachos, and the Evolution of Airport Retail
Why are so many airport shops named after news networks?
literature
The Linguistic Turf Wars Over the Singular 'They'
It could be close to mainstream acceptance.
film
The Slow Demise of Asbestos, the Carcinogen That Gave 'The Wizard of Oz' Snow
It took awhile.
