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The code on your restaurant menu grew out of a car-factory problem.
The code on your restaurant menu grew out of a car-factory problem. Denso's engineers needed to track more production information than ordinary barcodes could…
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Doing nothing can feel more innocent than causing the same harm.
Doing nothing can feel more innocent than causing the same harm. In studies of omission bias, people can judge harmful action more harshly than harmful…
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Spirit Airlines aggressively revolutionized the aviation economy by actively making the flight experience as miserable as legally possible, unbundling every single basic amenity…
Spirit Airlines aggressively revolutionized the aviation economy by actively making the flight experience as miserable as legally possible, unbundling every…
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A smooth flight can still need a fastened seat belt.
A smooth flight can still need a fastened seat belt. Turbulence can occur in apparently clear air, without a visible storm to warn passengers. A sudden change…
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Uber started with black cars, not bargain rides.
Uber started with black cars, not bargain rides. Its early San Francisco service connected customers with professionally driven black cars through a phone…
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Ireland's GDP jumped without households getting a quarter richer.
Ireland's GDP jumped without households getting a quarter richer. The initially reported 26.3% growth for 2015 reflected major changes involving multinational…
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Dowsing with a crystal pendulum over a map to locate lost objects or answer yes-or-no questions from the universe is a staple of mystical practices, relying heavily on the belief…
Dowsing with a crystal pendulum over a map to locate lost objects or answer yes-or-no questions from the universe is a staple of mystical practices, relying…
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Red Bull built a spectacle far larger than its can.
Red Bull built a spectacle far larger than its can. Sports teams, events, and media give audiences reasons to encounter the brand when they are not shopping…
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The hashtag began on Twitter as a user's organizing suggestion.
The hashtag began on Twitter as a user's organizing suggestion. In August 2007, Chris Messina proposed putting # before a group name to gather related…
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LEGO's crucial breakthrough was hidden underneath the brick.
LEGO's crucial breakthrough was hidden underneath the brick. Adding tubes beneath the studs improved the grip between pieces, helping models hold together…
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Ryan Gosling was famously offered a highly lucrative spot in the wildly successful nineties boy band the Backstreet Boys long before he ever became an Academy Award-nominated prestige actor.
Ryan Gosling was famously offered a highly lucrative spot in the wildly successful nineties boy band the Backstreet Boys long before he ever became an Academy…
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Skyrim's treasure foxes emerged from a navigation shortcut.
Skyrim's treasure foxes emerged from a navigation shortcut. Developer Joel Burgess explained that fleeing foxes sought routes across the game's navigation…
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Early electric vibrators were sold as household health gadgets.
Early electric vibrators were sold as household health gadgets. Catalogs marketed vibrating massagers for aches and general well-being, putting electrical…
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The Sun rings with waves that help scientists study its hidden interior.
The Sun rings with waves that help scientists study its hidden interior. Hot solar material carries pressure waves, and their patterns reveal conditions…
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Clerks originally ended by killing Dante.
Clerks originally ended by killing Dante. Kevin Smith filmed a robbery that abruptly turned the convenience-store comedy into a tragedy. After advice from…
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Costa Rica turned a military barracks into its national museum.
Costa Rica turned a military barracks into its national museum. José Figueres marked the army's abolition at Bellavista barracks in 1948, and the 1949…
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Despite the absolutely massive, highly visible explosion of cosmic meme accounts and spiritual wellness influencers on social media, consistent polling shows that only roughly…
Despite the absolutely massive, highly visible explosion of cosmic meme accounts and spiritual wellness influencers on social media, consistent polling shows…
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Casino Royale crashed an Aston Martin into a world record.
Casino Royale crashed an Aston Martin into a world record. Stunt driver Adam Kirley's car rolled seven times during the crash scene, setting a Guinness record…
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Marilyn Manson's stage name joins glamour to murder.
Marilyn Manson's stage name joins glamour to murder. Brian Warner combined Marilyn Monroe's first name with Charles Manson's surname. The name puts an adored…
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Traveling to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere is theoretically a much shorter journey than driving across a large terrestrial state, meaning you could technically reach the…
Traveling to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere is theoretically a much shorter journey than driving across a large terrestrial state, meaning you could…
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Twitch Plays Pokemon was a chaotic social experiment in 2014 where millions of internet users typed inputs into a chat room to collectively control a single game of Pokemon Red.
Twitch Plays Pokemon was a chaotic social experiment in 2014 where millions of internet users typed inputs into a chat room to collectively control a single…
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An influencer's crowd can be bought without buying an audience.
An influencer's crowd can be bought without buying an audience. Fake followers and automated engagement inflate the numbers that advertisers use to judge…
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The Vandals took Rome's treasures without needing to burn it down.
The Vandals took Rome's treasures without needing to burn it down. In 455, Gaiseric's forces plundered the city and carried off wealth and captives. Accounts…
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Your old Nokia was texting you in Morse code.
Your old Nokia was texting you in Morse code. The familiar SMS alert spells S-M-S: three short signals, two long ones, then three short ones. A routine phone…
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