Fat « Object Lessons
Public enemy. Crucial macronutrient. Health risk. Punchline. Moneymaker. Epidemic. Sexual fetish. Moral failing. Necessary bodily organ. Conveyor of flavor. Freak-show spectacle. Never mind the stereotype, fat is never sedentary: its definitions, identities, and…
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“The Persian *Mâr-Nâmeh* or, The Book for Taking Omens from Snakes” (1892) — The Public Domain Review
Despite its strangeness (or, perhaps, because of it), the Marnameh remains, centuries on, a largely forgotten and esoteric text. Even as a work of literature, it can “lay no claim…
Read more »Fake « Object Lessons
The electric candle and plastic flower, faux fur, artificial sweeteners and meat analogues, Elvis impersonators, prosthetics. Imitation this, false that. Humans have been replacing and improving upon genuine articles…
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Photographs of Atlantic City Sand Sculpture (ca. 1880–1920)
Photographs from when Atlantic City beaches featured artists ornately sculpting sand. Source link
Read more »Doctor « Object Lessons
A 3-year-old asks her physician father about his job, and his inability to relay a succinct and accurate answer inspires a critical look at the profession of modern…
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Artificial Intelligence: Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge
Centuries before Neo instantly mastered Kung Fu in The Matrix, medieval scholars found a shortcut to years of difficult study: a magical manuscript that promised to fast-track advanced learning. Anne…
Read more »Bicycle « Object Lessons
Bicycles promise safe, low-cost, environmentally-friendly transportation for billions of people. But the bicycle can only be understood in relation to transit infrastructure and spatial planning. Jonathan Maskit looks at bicycles as…
Read more »Pill « Object Lessons
“You are what you eat.” Never is this truer than when we take medications-from beta blockers and aspirin to Viagra and epidurals-especially psychotropic pills that transform our…
Read more »Potato « Object Lessons
Baked potatoes, Bombay potatoes, pommes frites . . . everyone eats potatoes, but what do they mean? To the United Nations they mean global food security (potatoes…
Read more »The Day Containers Beat Break-Bulk
At first glance, the topic looks settled, familiar, and almost too ordinary to deserve analysis. This article examines the day containers beat break-bulk through materials, standards, habits, and incentives rather…
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