erniesmith's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

erniesmith

Founder of the Tedium newsletter and ShortFormBlog

http://tedium.co

2015
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The Libertarian Economic Theory That Might Be Secretly Driving Pokémon Go

This is not about catching them all.

The First Hollywood Film to Imagine a Fictional President Was Some Weird Propaganda

Funded, incidentally, by William Randolph Hearst.

The Surprisingly Resilient History of IGA, Which Gave Small Towns Groceries

You've probably been to one.

The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio

Chicago, for one, has a semi-secret FM station.

A Brief History of the White House, as Portrayed by Hollywood

Independence Day wasn't the first, of course.

The Strange History of Microfilm, Which Will Be With Us for Centuries

From carrier pigeons to comic books.

The Weird Logic Behind Yard Signs in Politics

If they aren't very effective, why are they so ubiquitous?

How Unions and Regulators Made Clothing Tags an Annoying Fact of Life

A brief history.

How the Family Who Got Rich with Hot Pockets Is Giving Away Their Fortune

It's a lot of money.

A Short History of Rakes, and Why You Should Think Twice About Using Them

They've evolved through the years.

The History of GeoWorks, Microsoft Windows' Upstart '90s Competitor

AOL's also involved.

The Controversial History of Letterboxing for Movies on Your TV

It's been a long struggle.

When America's Most Notorious Lobbyist Produced a Dolph Lundgren Film

Jack Abramoff and the story of Red Scorpion.

How the Commodore Amiga Powered Your Cable System in the '90s

The life and death of the Prevue channel, which showed you what to watch.

How Breakfast Cereal Evolves Across Borders

Take Canada's "meal replacement in a bowl," for example.

A Brief History of Rock Stars Destroying Guitars

From Pete Townshend to Caleb Followill.

crime and punishment

The Rise of Police Tape, And Why We Ignore Warning Signs

From cigarette packaging to wet-floor cautions, warnings have become pervasive.

Thomas Jefferson's Dream to Rid the Oceans of Salt

A massive new industry in modern times, desalination has a long history.

The Forgotten History of the CD-ROM Magazine

For a time in the 1990s, some publishers thought they were the future.

February 29, 2016

The Curious Reasons Why Barber Shops Don't Take Credit Cards

February 22, 2016

Where Do the Streets Have No Name? Everywhere, in America

A road by any other name.

In Greenland, A Popular Record is Owned by 1 Out of Every 12 People

February 8, 2016

How Dollar Stores Were Planted in the South and Bloomed Around the U.S.

January 25, 2016

The Anonymous Voices Behind Your Favorite TV Theme Songs

January 18, 2016