Ritual, Process, and Social Interaction: The World’s Oldest Surviving Video Rental Store
A visit to the world’s longest running video rental store and a lesson about the value of inconvenience.
What’s Old is New Again: The Lost Art of Typewriting
The novelty of using a typewriter and the value in slowing down.
AI Upscales 1896 Movie to High Definition
Artificial intelligence tools are used on a historical piece of footage to great effect.
Guest Post — Everything* You Ever Wanted to Know about Conference Proceedings But Were Afraid to Ask
Alex Birukou from Springer Nature offers an overview of Conference Proceedings publication, and how they straddle the line between journals and books.
Biology’s Impact on Counting Words
A short video about the words we use for counting and how biology influences both language and math.
A Rare Shared Cultural Experience and the Value of Inconvenience
When was the last time everyone you knew experienced the same piece of culture at the same time? Is the age of shared cultural experiences over?
The Tyranny of Unintended Consequences: Richard Poynder on Open Access and the Open Access Movement
A recent opinion paper by Richard Poynder @rickypo offers analysis and prognostication with regard to the current state and future prospects of #openaccess and the open access movement.
Guest Post — Dard Hunter and the Last Real Book: A Cri de Coeur
Tony Sanfilippo looks at the historical books of Dard Hunter and the future of printed works in an increasingly digital and consolidated world.
Pencil Making
How do they get the lead in the pencil? All will be revealed in today’s video.
A Historical Look At Vaccine Skepticism
The Washington Post looks at the long history of vaccine skepticism.
The Most Popular Social Media Networks Over Time
A look at the most popular social media networks by users over time.
50 Years Later, What Neil Armstrong Saw Out His Window
A simulation of what Neil Armstrong saw as he guided the lunar module in for a landing made via NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.
Happy Fourth of July
We’re off for the US Independence Day holiday. Celebrate with the Staple Singers.
Peer Review Week Is Five!
The fifth annual Peer Review Week will take place from September 16-20, 2019. In this post, co-founder Alice Meadows reflects on its history and achievements, and looks forward to this year’s celebrations.
Apple’s Vision of the Future (from 1987)
A look back at a glorious Apple promotional video from 1987, as the company predicted a rosy future while just on the edge of its darkest period.