When a TV cowboy appeared on a lunchbox
A TV cowboy appeared on the 1950 Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox. A favourite character became another reason to choose the container that carried lunch.
Lifestyle
Flat pasta that changes shape as it cooks
Surface grooves make pasta change shape as it cooks. The 2021 morphing-pasta research explored a way to reduce packing space.
The 1858 date on Mason jars marks a patent, not manufacture
The 1858 inscription on Mason jars refers to a patent. It also appeared on later production, so the date alone cannot establish a jar’s age.
The bendy straw began with a daughter’s milkshake
Watching his daughter struggle with a milkshake led Friedman to corrugate a paper straw. His first customer for the flexible version was a hospital.
Brompton, a bicycle built around a compact fold
Fold the rear wheel under, then bring in the front and handlebar sections. Brompton turns a bicycle into a compact package for the space it needs after the ride.
What happens when a drinks can photographs the Sun for six months?
Photographic paper inside a pinhole camera can capture the Sun’s changing seasonal paths in one image.
Why use a red flashlight when looking at the stars?
Once your eyes have adapted to darkness, keeping light dim and directed only where it is needed matters.
Gardens of the past survive in catalogs that sold their seeds
The Smithsonian’s seed and nursery catalogs offer clues to the flowers and vegetables people could choose, and the qualities sellers emphasized.
Sashiko: the people behind each stitch
Atsushi Futatsuya shares sashiko through the people and culture behind the patterns. We look at the rhythm of stitching and the process of making together.
How the octagonal Moka Express makes coffee
The Moka Express combines a lower water chamber, a coffee basket and an upper collector. We look at the flow of water and the daily routine behind a design dating to 1933.
Sugru: adhesive you can shape by hand
Sugru is moulded by hand before it cures into silicone rubber. Beyond bonding a gap, it lets people add a small shape a familiar object needs.
The Whole Neighborhood Is Looking for Santa. Don’t Tell the Kids.
A notice at a Korean apartment complex mixes Chinese characters, English and numbers. Adults encoded a call for Santa volunteers to keep the preparations secret from children.