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Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake signs meant to guide you to the right freeway. Three classic, favorite 99PI’s completely updated, remixed, and rescored. Razzle Dazzle The post Trompe L’oeil appeared first on 99% Invisible.
9 months ago

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Food Deserts

Woonsocket, Rhode Island was once home to many locally owned and regional grocers. There were small stores such as Fernandes Produce and Big D’s. The city also had supermarkets from classic New England chains like Star Market and Almacs. Over the years, however, the city’s economy took a turn for the worse. Factories closed and

6 days ago 12 votes
Open Borders

A border is an idea so powerful that we never even have to see it to believe it. Or believe in it. Global borders can be sites of peace and conflict, violence and celebration, opportunity and confinement. And borders as they exist today – which is to say, increasingly militarized and clearly defined – are

a week ago 14 votes
The Titanic’s Best Lifeboat

Everyone grows up learning the same story about the RMS Titanic, that when the ship set out on its maiden voyage in 1912, the owners and authorities, confident that the ship was unsinkable, did not require it to carry a full complement of lifeboats. So when the Titanic sank in the frigid waters of the

2 weeks ago 20 votes
Flag Days: The Red, the Black & the Green

After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd last year, tens of thousands of people all over the world took to the streets to protest police violence against Black people. And if you look at images from these marches, you will probably start to notice a common color scheme — one involving a lot

3 weeks ago 15 votes
The Return of Con Law

In President Trump’s first term, Roman Mars treated the U.S. Constitution like a warm blanket, something to turn to for comfort as Trump stomped all over the country’s laws and centuries of precedence. Roman even enlisted his neighbor and constitutional law professor, Elizabeth Joh, to co-host the podcast What Trump Can Teach Us About Con

a month ago 25 votes

More in architecture

Confronting the Reality of Climate Displacement

Planner Hilary Brown on how underpopulated areas across the U.S. could absorb population resettlements resulting from sea-level rise, flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat.

8 hours ago 2 votes
Modern Craftsmanship Meets Family Living in This Rebuilt California Home

What began as a small repair job turned into a complete architectural reinvention. Designed by boutique Northern California firm Medium Plenty, this three-story family home reflects a deep collaboration between the architects and a creative couple with two young kids. Originally initiated to address structural water damage, the project evolved into a fully custom rebuild with one goal: create a “forever home” that balances soulful materials, family life, and refined design.

yesterday 3 votes
Reading List 07/12/2025

25 years of earthquakes, Google’s 2013 efforts to build a phone in the US, bear attacks in Japan, coal seam fires, and more.

2 days ago 5 votes
A Look Inside A Home That Feels Like Living in a Forest Sanctuary

Just off the coast of Seattle, a young family found their rhythm on Orcas Island, a lush, bluffside site in Deer Harbor where the forest meets the horizon. With the help of Syndicate Smith, a Washington-based architecture firm known for its sensitive, site-specific work, they built a grounded retreat that’s both elemental and modern. Designed to be built efficiently by the homeowner himself, a general contractor, this house reflects a deep connection to nature, family, and the quiet rituals of island life.

3 days ago 5 votes
Should the Federal Government Sell Land?

An early version of the US Senate budget bill which passed last week included a provision to sell off between 2 and 3 million acres of federal land in western states, ostensibly to be used for homebuilding.

4 days ago 9 votes