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Flashbak
Gods From Space: When London Taxi Diver George King Met Jesus And Other Aliens “Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament” – ‘The Command’...
a year ago
35
a year ago
“Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament” – ‘The Command’ received by George King from space, 1954     On May 8th 1954, London taxi driver George King was doing the household chores when he heard a voice. What came to be known as “The Command”...
Flashbak
Harry Clarke’s 24 Spellbinding Illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination,... By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales...
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919, the work first published in 1902 had already been illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Gustave Doré. Those were tough acts to...
TheCollector
Connecting the Wrong Dots: What Is Apophenia? Apophenia is our tendency to find meaningful connections between unrelated things. Otherwise known...
6 months ago
26
6 months ago
Apophenia is our tendency to find meaningful connections between unrelated things. Otherwise known as patternicity, it is a common phenomenon that highlights our intrinsic need for meaning and order in our lives. Can we dismiss apophenia as a mere cognitive bias, an error of...
TheCollector
What Did People Eat in the Middle Ages? People often have several misconceptions about medieval food. There seems to be a notion that...
2 months ago
22
2 months ago
People often have several misconceptions about medieval food. There seems to be a notion that peasants survived on crusts of stale bread and watered-down ale, while every night the lord of the manor and the kings and emperors around the globe were feasting on rich, expensive...
Classical Wisdom
Marcus Aurelius' Stoic Paradoxes Contradictions that Rewire Us
7 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Should Death Concern Us? How can we deal with the inevitable... before the inevitable deals with us?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Origins of Stoicism
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Myths About the Greek Goddess Artemis Artemis is one of the twelve Olympian gods in Greek myth, the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Unlike her...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Artemis is one of the twelve Olympian gods in Greek myth, the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Unlike her twin brother, Apollo, who represented civilization and order, Artemis represented the untamed wilderness. Depicted as a young maiden, the goddess was very protective of her...
TheCollector
What Role Did the Métis Play in the Depletion of Bison Herds? In the 19th century, the Métis hunted bison for food and economic purposes. The Métis emerged as a...
3 months ago
13
3 months ago
In the 19th century, the Métis hunted bison for food and economic purposes. The Métis emerged as a distinct group, with their own culture, language, and political leaders between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, through the intermarriage of...
TheCollector
6 Terrible Historical Facts About Typhus Epidemic typhus is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humankind, and despite advances in...
4 months ago
41
4 months ago
Epidemic typhus is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humankind, and despite advances in modern medicine, it continues to be a contemporary concern. Often infiltrating human existence hand in hand with disasters such as war and weather phenomena, typhus has demonstrated a...
Global Inequality...
Why not Keynes? Keynes’ uneasy relationship with income distribution
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Addenda: The Provinces This is the second and (in theory) last addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II,...
a year ago
83
a year ago
This is the second and (in theory) last addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV, V, A1). Having discussed how Rome handles those parts of Italy it controls but which were not part of the Roman Republic itself, we now look at how the Romans...
TheCollector
What Is the Book of Hebrews About? Some refer to the Book of Hebrews as the “better book.” It compares the Old Testament ceremonial...
5 months ago
30
5 months ago
Some refer to the Book of Hebrews as the “better book.” It compares the Old Testament ceremonial system and its fulfillment, highlighting how the fulfillment is, in every instance, better than the type that pointed to the antitype. It is arguably the best link between Old...
Flashbak
Hannah Arendt on Jews, Refugees And Suicide, 1943 “The comity of European peoples went to pieces when, and because, it allowed its weakest member to...
2 months ago
25
2 months ago
“The comity of European peoples went to pieces when, and because, it allowed its weakest member to be excluded and persecuted.” – Hannah Arendt, We Refugees, 1943     Hannah Arendt (October 14, 1906–December 4, 1975) was a German Jew who escaped the Holocaust, became an American...
Trying to Understand...
Into the Waste Land Nothing connects.
over a year ago
Open Culture
Dante’s Inferno: A Visitor’s Guide to Hell In most places across the world, speak the name of Dante, and your listeners will think of Inferno....
5 months ago
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5 months ago
In most places across the world, speak the name of Dante, and your listeners will think of Inferno. Since its first publication more than 700 years ago, its depiction of Hell has become influential enough to shape the perceptions of even those who don’t believe that such a place...
Classical Wisdom
How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions Advice from the Ancients
a year ago
TheCollector
Sacred Stones: The Enduring Legacy of Ancient Greek Temples Despite initial impressions, ancient Greek temples were not built to impress 21st-century tourists;...
3 months ago
36
3 months ago
Despite initial impressions, ancient Greek temples were not built to impress 21st-century tourists; they were made to house gods. Although the statues are gone and the ceremonies have long since ended, these places still hold a quiet kind of power. It’s not just the scale of the...
Overcoming Bias
Seek What Outcomes Via Futarchy? There’s an off chance that futarchy might solve cultural drift, if we could show that it works, then...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
There’s an off chance that futarchy might solve cultural drift, if we could show that it works, then get some big place to adopt it, and also get them to set an outcome metric in conflict with civ collapse.
TheCollector
What Does the Old Testament Say About Slavery? Slavery is evil, period! So, does the Bible approve of such a vile practice? Does the Bible condone...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Slavery is evil, period! So, does the Bible approve of such a vile practice? Does the Bible condone kidnapping, human trafficking, forced labor, rape, and the mistreatment of servants, even to the point of taking the life of a slave? Some Southern slave owners in the US from the...
Trying to Understand...
No More Heroes. Pity the nation that needs someone else's.
10 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Britain is institutionally 'anti-racist' The road from Macpherson to Rotherham
7 months ago
Flashbak
Rampant Women On Sex Strike: Aubrey Beardsley’s 8 Erotic Illustrations For Lysistrata, 1896 As for old flames and lovers  they’re none left. And since Milesians went against us, I’ve not seen...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
As for old flames and lovers  they’re none left. And since Milesians went against us, I’ve not seen a decent eight-inch dildo. Yes, it’s just leather, but it helps us out. So would you be willing, if I found a way, to work with me to make this fighting end? – Lysistrata prepares...
Overcoming Bias
Futarchy And Self-Dealing Governance Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity...
6 months ago
40
6 months ago
Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity as a whole.
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Gatsby and the Greek Miracle
4 months ago
Flashbak
Manuel Orazi’s Occultist Magic Calendar Mil DCCCXCVI, 1895 This French occultist calendar illustrated in the Art Nouveau style by Italian artist and designer...
7 months ago
50
7 months ago
This French occultist calendar illustrated in the Art Nouveau style by Italian artist and designer Manuel Orazi (1860 – 1934) was printed in an symbolic edition of 777 copies to commemorate magic for the coming year of 1896. Each double page uses the Christian calendar (name...
TheCollector
What Does the Bible Say about Human Sacrifice? Several passages from the Torah and the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible strongly condemn human...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Several passages from the Torah and the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible strongly condemn human sacrifice. There is no debate about the Bible’s stance on the practice. However, the very fact that the Bible condemns it suggests that the temptation to sacrifice humans was real...
TheCollector
New British Museum Book Celebrates Hiroshige’s Lasting Legacy A new exhibition and publication bring to life the work of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), one of...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
A new exhibition and publication bring to life the work of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), one of Japan’s most popular and prolific artists. Hiroshige: artist of the open road presents a rarely seen range of prints, paintings, books, and sketches. It is the first-ever exhibition...
Open Culture
Watch David Byrne Lead a Massive Choir in Singing David Bowie’s “Heroes” Throughout the years, we’ve featured performances of Choir!Choir!Choir!–a large amateur choir from...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Throughout the years, we’ve featured performances of Choir!Choir!Choir!–a large amateur choir from Toronto that meets weekly and sings their hearts out. You’ve seen them sing Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” (to honor Chris Cornell) and Leonard Cohen’s...
TheCollector
Where Was the Biblical Saba (Land of the Queen of Sheba)? Strap on your metaphorical scuba gear because we’re about to dive into the murky depths of history,...
a month ago
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a month ago
Strap on your metaphorical scuba gear because we’re about to dive into the murky depths of history, myth, and archaeological intrigue surrounding Saba—the golden land of the fabled Queen Makeda. What was Saba really like? How did its people live, and what did its cities look...
Flashbak
A Civil War Vateran Created The Esoteric Fraternity and the Cult of Solar Biology in 1890s ... Some forty miles northeast of Sacramento, north California, off I-80 near the village of Applegate,...
a year ago
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a year ago
Some forty miles northeast of Sacramento, north California, off I-80 near the village of Applegate, is the remains of one of the States’s religious cults: the Esoteric Fraternity. Founded in 1887, the Fraternity was a pioneer in modern astrology, readied its followers to run a...
TheCollector
3 Dark Age Kings of Britain Confirmed by Archaeology Early Dark Age Britain is notorious for being poorly recorded. Most of our information about the era...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Early Dark Age Britain is notorious for being poorly recorded. Most of our information about the era comes from much later records, written centuries after the events they allegedly describe. There is endless debate among scholars, based on the literary evidence, surrounding the...
Dreams of Space -...
Space Ship to the Moon (1952) Happy New Year! A "Space Ship to the Moon" is your present for a new year. I really like the...
8 months ago
24
8 months ago
Happy New Year! A "Space Ship to the Moon" is your present for a new year. I really like the illustrations in this book. The story is OK but the visions of spacecraft, a space station and mining on the Moon are worth seeing. This is a relatively low cost book used so if you like...
TheCollector
The Adventures of Perseus, the Greek Hero Who Defeated Medusa Perseus, the son of Zeus, was abandoned by his grandfather, King Acrisius, due to a dark prophecy....
a month ago
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a month ago
Perseus, the son of Zeus, was abandoned by his grandfather, King Acrisius, due to a dark prophecy. He and his mother, Danae, were saved by a fisherman named Diktys on the island of Seriphos. However, Diktys’s brother, King Polydectes, desired to marry Danae and devised a plan to...
Hidden History
Submarine USS Dolphin The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak...
4 months ago
42
4 months ago
The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak of the Second World War, a typical submarine or u-boat was capable of diving to a maximum depth of round 250 feet. By the time the war ended, advanced models like the...
TheCollector
American Civil War Uniforms: A Visual Journey Uniforms are used for identification as well as to provide a sense of unity during any conflict, and...
4 months ago
24
4 months ago
Uniforms are used for identification as well as to provide a sense of unity during any conflict, and the American Civil War (1861-1865) was no exception. At their most basic level, Civil War uniforms distinguished Union troops from Confederate troops: Union troops wore blue while...
TheCollector
The Battle of Shiloh: A Battle in Two Parts The Battle of Shiloh was a complex two-day struggle in the early Spring of 1862 on the banks of the...
6 months ago
24
6 months ago
The Battle of Shiloh was a complex two-day struggle in the early Spring of 1862 on the banks of the Tennessee River near Savannah, Tennessee, in Hardin County. The movements, engagements, first-hand accounts, and secondary source material have been heavily studied since the...
African History...
a brief note on European and African perspectives in travel literature A Hausa explorer of western Europe.
a year ago
TheCollector
Belief Bias: How Old Beliefs Shape and Determine Your Reasoning? Hidden in every attempt at gaining knowledge is an array of old beliefs ensconced at the corner of...
3 months ago
15
3 months ago
Hidden in every attempt at gaining knowledge is an array of old beliefs ensconced at the corner of your mind, ready to ambush your reasoning at any moment and jump to a conclusion when you least expect it. Belief bias refers to these moments when the old haunts the new, molding...
TheCollector
Who Was Saint John the Baptist? (Bio, Death, Facts) John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was the cousin of Jesus and God tasked him with...
a month ago
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a month ago
John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was the cousin of Jesus and God tasked him with preparing the way for Jesus. But what did that mean? John showed significant insight into who Jesus was and how he would fulfill the Old Testament type of Christ. John lived a simple...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Prometheus and AI?
10 months ago
Flashbak
Vintage T-Shirt Slogans To Offend And Amuse When we first hailed the glorious 1970s T-Shirt, you wrote in wanting to know if those...
a year ago
29
a year ago
When we first hailed the glorious 1970s T-Shirt, you wrote in wanting to know if those iron-on-transfers were still available, like the ones sold in magazines that told us to Nuke the Whales. Retro is all the rage, as is what when Malcolm McLaren was repackaging Chucky Berry on a...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Golden Age of Latin Literature
a year ago
TheCollector
How Long Would It Take for an Ancient Traveler to See All Seven Wonders? If you were an ancient traveler with wanderlust, you could theoretically see all of the ancient...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
If you were an ancient traveler with wanderlust, you could theoretically see all of the ancient wonders of the world if you were in relatively decent physical shape and had access to a boat. Journeying between them would take over two months, maybe more, and take you across long...
TheCollector
Walking Around Vienna: Pro Tips to Understand the City and Its History A walled-in city up until the late 19th century, Vienna has expanded over the last two-plus...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
A walled-in city up until the late 19th century, Vienna has expanded over the last two-plus centuries to include 23 “districts” and to incorporate a variety of foreign influences into its architecture. Historical figures like Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud have their roots here, as...
The Universe of...
Just give the man the fish! Last week I complained about a Math SE pathology in which OP asks a simple question, and instead of...
9 months ago
18
9 months ago
Last week I complained about a Math SE pathology in which OP asks a simple question, and instead of an answer gets an attempt at a socratic dialog. I ended by saying: I have been banging this drum for decades, but I will cut the scroll here. Expect a followup article. Seeing...
Open Culture
Man Ray’s Surrealist Cinema: Watch Four Pioneering Films From the 1920s Man Ray was one of the leading artists of the avant-garde of 1920s and 1930s Paris. A key figure in...
5 months ago
51
5 months ago
Man Ray was one of the leading artists of the avant-garde of 1920s and 1930s Paris. A key figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements, his works spanned various media, including film. He was a leading exponent of the Cinéma Pur, or “Pure Cinema,” which rejected such “bourgeois”...
TheCollector
How the 10 Plagues Humiliated Egypt’s Gods According to the Bible, Egypt had enslaved God’s chosen people for over 400 years. When God ordered...
2 weeks ago
5
2 weeks ago
According to the Bible, Egypt had enslaved God’s chosen people for over 400 years. When God ordered Moses to petition the pharaoh for the release of the Hebrews, he warned the prophet about the difficulty of the task, “But I know that the King of Egypt will not let you go unless...
TheCollector
The Secret Service of Ancient Rome (Frumentarii and Agentes in Rebus) The Roman Empire was vast and may have contained more than 100 million people at its height in the...
4 weeks ago
10
4 weeks ago
The Roman Empire was vast and may have contained more than 100 million people at its height in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. To monitor this expansive territory, enforce policy, exact taxes, and spy on prominent personages, the emperors developed what has been called a “Roman...
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Greek Art Through the Ages
12 months ago