Although the approaches vary, most invisibility technology techniques bend light around objects so that the objects can no longer be seen. The technology isn’t exactly new, but it is in more or less constant flux, with the latest innovations in material design and application occurring relatively frequently. Nevertheless, serious challenges remain, and much of the
Month: August 2022
Now more than ever, an overwhelming amount of music is available to listen to and enjoy. From pop artists dropping albums at a moment’s notice to bedroom troubadours self-releasing their recordings on Soundcloud to the glut of mixtapes, soundtracks, and singles hitting Spotify every Friday, listeners aren’t short of material to make their way through.
Few things are as tragic as a parent losing a child. Kids represent everything good and hopeful about society and the future as families cherish the innocence and exploration of childhood. But sadly, some children are ripped from that stage too early. These ten young people met tragic ends they didn’t deserve. And decades later,
Quick service restaurant (QSR) is an industry term for chain restaurants that prioritize speed and low cost as their selling points. We in the real world know them as something else: fast food. Not only that, but we also associate them with other, less flattering characteristics like low quality, unhealthy options, and a last resort.
Movies bring people together, whether good or bad. One of the things I like about movies is that they can transport you anywhere. A great film can make you laugh or cry and even change your perspective. Many of the movies on this list may make you cry or laugh, but not for the right
When you hear the word “grandma,” what image comes to mind? Perhaps you envision a silver-haired woman with glasses adorned with pearls, a knit cardigan, and orthopedic shoes sitting in a rocking chair enjoying that day’s newspaper. As a society, we have been given the impression that elderly women (and men alike) are frail, fragile
The world has gone absolutely crazy for superheroes. There are tons of superhero movies in production and an endless supply of comic books as a ground zero source of inspiration. The comic industry has tried to capitalize on the success of heroes such as Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman, but the results are not always
As the title of one book famously proclaimed, everybody poops. That truism really is remarkable to think about. There is one experience shared by every person on Earth, and most people would rather dismiss or ignore it. That is unfair. A few trips to the bathroom were literal pit stops in history. The following list
Roland Barthes’s essay “The Death of the Author” (1967) makes a compelling argument against books being defined by the intentions of the author in favor of the personal interpretation of the reader. Occasionally though, there are reader interpretations that are way off base and even seem to be at odds with the point of the
Ever scroll around on the Internet only to come across a fact or story that you know will stay in your head for many days to come? For instance, did you know that the average person walks past at least 36 murderers in their lifetime? Read on for some more things you never wanted to
Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park came out in 1993 and was an immediate success. On its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, it raked in over $47 million, which went a long way to covering its budget of $60 million. If the scientists who cloned the dinosaurs had had a more limited amount of
Full disclosure—my husband claims that I don’t listen to him. He’ll assert he’s told me something when I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It reached such a point that I even went to the doctor and had my hearing tested. My doctor informed me that despite my advancing years and
The global video game market is worth around $196 billion annually and will continue to expand by more than 12% yearly. That’s a tremendous amount of money and represents nearly twice as much revenue as music streaming. With so much cash sloshing around, it’s no surprise that there’s a lot of competition. With video games,
The subject of visual effects in movies often comes up nowadays in the context of complaints and for an understandable reason. We’ve gotten used to CGI and 3D graphics so much that their blatant inclusion can often feel cheap. VFX artists themselves often believe that the sign of a job well done is when people
Most of us are quite happy to assume that people are people, cats are cats, and rocks are rocks. There is a clear difference between us, animals, and inanimate objects. But for some, the distinction is not so clear-cut. Objectophilia—a romantic or sexual attraction to objects—covers many attitudes. At one extreme are people who believe
Many locations around the world are home to mysterious legends, tales of ghosts, and even sightings of UFOs. However, New York’s Hudson Valley is undoubtedly one location that contains these strange accounts in abundance. And what’s more, these range from sightings of UFOs to Bigfoot and even the existence of ancient portals. Here are ten
With the cost of living increasing, choosing to share an apartment or home with roommates may seem like the most economical option, as these types of agreements are based on the premise that each person will pay a much smaller share of the expenses. However, choosing this option often proves difficult and can come with
Among the pop, dance, and rap tunes of the past year, viewers of MTV may have noticed a slightly different beat in the download charts. “Running Up That Hill” was originally released in 1985 by Kate Bush. Newly popularized through its inclusion on Netflix’s Stranger Things, it reentered the charts and cast a retrospective look
William Howard Hughes Jr. had a successful career in the Air Force in the 1980s. Already a captain by his early 30s, he was on the fast track to a stellar service career after he’d been with the outfit for much of his adult life. Known for hard work and dependability, he was being promoted
Many caverns are known for their crystal pools, majestic rock formations, winding corridors, and enchanting “rooms.” Millions of men, women, and children throughout the world tour such caves, admiring and learning about the hidden wonders of these subterranean worlds. However, not all caverns are used to showcase such marvels or educate the public. The ones
You don’t need a lot of money to scare someone, but you do need a lot of money to make a film. Today your average run-of-the-mill studio productions will typically cost millions if not tens of millions of dollars, and even B-movies will often put studios back a few hundred thousand. Horror films have built
Stupid concepts, stupid costumes, stupid contestants. TV game shows are often guilty of more than one of these inane infractions. Save for reality shows (and perhaps cable “news”), no genre of television has contributed to the dumbing down of culture more. And while there are certainly a few great ones—Jeopardy first and foremost—there are many,
We have all heard about people setting world records all over the globe, whether it’s the world’s longest fingernails, longest beard, or even the world’s fattest cat, but did you know that there are world records for the world’s largest yo-yo or the world’s largest cake pop? The first edition of The Guinness Book of
For many people, going out to eat at a restaurant is a treat. Whether it’s to meet up with friends over a burger and fries or enjoy a quiet romantic meal with your significant other, it’s generally a positive experience. So the last thing one would think to find in a restaurant is a bunch
We only have one planet (for now), and until we find a way to inhabit another, we have to make do with what we have and protect it as much as we can. But what if our only habitat and some of those sharing it with us are actively conspiring against the majority of us
Research shows that people believe in conspiracy theories for many reasons, but the authors of “The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories” separate these causes into three groups of heightened motives: “epistemic, existential, and social.” Epistemic motives arise from conspiracy theorists’ need for causal explanations. This helps them to understand the world, slake their curiosity, and alleviate
Beginning roughly around 1967, Hollywood began changing its order of operations, focusing more on films that favored younger audiences and were more directly in response to popular culture. And while there are many names that have become synonymous with what came to be known as the “New Hollywood,” stories of this era tend to forget
Writing a successful book is complicated! Even with hours (and years) of work, a book may not come out exactly right. Art is very subjective, after all. Therefore, many artists and authors experience great failures throughout their careers. This is true for even the most famous and successful writers of our time. These failed books
No matter whether you’re looking for a morning pick-me-up such as a Caffè Americano, latte, an iced cold brew coffee or espresso, or perhaps looking for a cold drink on a warm day such as a refresher or Frappuccino, with over 34,000 Starbucks stores worldwide, you’re sure to find one close by that can accommodate
Over a couple of glasses of wine, a friend recently revealed that she suffers from what surely is called penguinophobia—the fear of penguins. She theorized that perhaps she was traumatized as a child by Danny DeVito’s iconic portrayal of the villain Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin, in the Batman movie. She went on to say