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Mainstream bookstores return nearly half of their inventory
Bookstores can return unsold hardcovers to publishers for full credit, and up to 40 percent of printed books are shipped back.
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Flippin, Arkansas got its name from a family, not an exclamation
The name traces to Thomas H. Flippin, who arrived from Tennessee in 1837, and the area's earlier name, Flippin Barrens. The settlement later shifted toward…
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Why PC builders hide every cable
They tuck power cords into a compartment behind the motherboard so the front viewing window stays clear. It can take hours of cable routing to get that clean…
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Price floors mandate that things stay annoyingly expensive
Set a legal minimum price above what buyers are willing to pay, and sellers can be left with goods they can’t sell. They’re not allowed to cut the price to…
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No Name, Colorado, has a No Name Lane
The community near Glenwood Springs sits beside No Name Creek and has its own No Name exit on Interstate 70. Local archives show the name predates the highway…
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Cyberpunk's Ukrainian translation exceeded a million words
CD Projekt Red said adapting the base game and Phantom Liberty took more than a year and involved dialogue, interface text, and other writing. Translating a…
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There really is a town called Okay, Oklahoma
Read as an address, the name identifies a town. Read aloud as a reaction, it sounds like somebody giving the entire state a mildly approving review. The joke…
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A radio contest renamed a New Mexico town
In 1950, Hot Springs adopted the name Truth or Consequences after the radio program offered publicity to a town willing to do so. The promotion ended, but the…
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How a rip current pulls swimmers out to sea
As water piles up near the beach, it funnels back out through a gap in the breaking waves. That channel is a rip current: think river heading offshore, not a…
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Laughter can push air out faster than you expect
Researchers measuring people during laughter found rapid, repeated expiratory efforts and a marked fall in lung volume. The familiar ha-ha-ha is built from…
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Why ambidextrous brains may be built differently
Hand preference is one sign of how the brain divides work between its hemispheres. For many people, some tasks are more strongly specialized on one side; in…
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Enneagram originally mapped spiritual processes
The nine-pointed diagram was first used to map spiritual development and the evolution of consciousness, before it became a popular personality-typing tool.
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Panentheism places reality inside the absolute
Unlike pantheism, which identifies God with the universe, panentheism holds that the universe exists within a greater absolute.
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Greasy Corner Arkansas sounds thoroughly unappealing
The name brings to mind the smell of an unwashed deep fryer.
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Why flashlights always die at the worst moment
Even futuristic gear seems to run on bargain-bin batteries: the flashlight flickers out in a dark room, then magically recharges while you stumble around.
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The Stanley Parable rewards five years away from the game
The original game's Go Outside achievement asks you not to play for five years. It turns the usual achievement logic upside down: progress comes from leaving…
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An author can earn royalties without receiving another check
A publisher's advance is paid against future royalties. Sales first earn down that advance; additional royalty payments start after it earns out. A book can…
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Metal Gear Solid 4 can turn a gaming session into movie night
Guinness recognizes a cutscene sequence running for more than an hour. Several scenes play together, carrying the story through an extended stretch when the…
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Why big publishers steer clear of poetry
Major publishers often avoid poetry because they see it as a poor commercial bet. Many poets turn to small independent presses or self-publishing to get their…
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Radiation gave some dark fungi a growth boost in the lab
A 2007 study found enhanced growth in certain melanin-containing fungi exposed to ionizing radiation, alongside changes in the pigment's electronic…
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The auction where the winner pays the runner-up's price
Everyone submits one secret bid, but the winner pays the second-highest bid—not their own. That odd rule is meant to make bidders state what the item is…
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Mustard gas can injure you before it starts to hurt
Sulfur mustard damages cells soon after contact, while pain and obvious burns may take hours to develop. That delay is part of what makes the blister agent…
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Why print dictionaries lag behind slang
Print lexicographers may wait years for evidence that a slang term is used across multiple regions before adding it to a dictionary. That slow process can…
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Valve's boss has made his email address unusually public
Gabe Newell has repeatedly invited players to email him directly and has personally answered some messages. A public inbox creates a rare route around the…
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