Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Korean paper craft Hanji is heavily treated to resist water
Made from mulberry bark and repeatedly pounded, Hanji was durable enough to cover floors and seal windows, as well as withstand exposure to the elements.
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Yelp forced restaurant owners to beg patrons for good stars
Yelp gave angry diners a public megaphone, making even a complaint about a cold bowl of soup feel like a threat to a restaurant's livelihood.
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A student sold a million pixels instead of one ad space
Alex Tew's Million Dollar Homepage divided a webpage into purchasable blocks priced at a dollar per pixel. Buyers received a tiny piece of a shared online…
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Shuudan Koudou is a synchronized walking performance
Some routines send as many as 50 people briskly past one another without a collision.
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Build-A-Bear gives a stuffed toy a heart and a birth certificate
Customers choose a small heart to place inside their toy during the stuffing process, then name the finished animal and receive its birth certificate. The…
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DashCon tried to compensate attendees with more ball-pit time
The 2014 fan convention became notorious after money problems and canceled plans. An offer of an extra hour in its small ball pit became the image people…
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Glasgow's chocolate fantasy arrived as a nearly empty warehouse
The 2024 Willy's Chocolate Experience used elaborate promotional images and charged up to £35 a ticket. Families instead found sparse props, actors…
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Webkinz once had virtual hyperinflation
Webkinz’s in-game economy became so inflated that kids encountered digital price hikes while playing with their virtual pets.
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Blu-ray discs use a hard anti-scratch coating
Blu-ray data sits closer to the disc's surface than data on older discs, so a resilient clear coating helps keep small scuffs from damaging it.
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Jegi-chagi involves keeping a paper wrapped coin in the air
Players keep a paper-wrapped coin aloft by kicking it with the sides of their feet.
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Japanese Daruma dolls are sold with blank eyes to set goals
You paint one eye when you set a goal and the other when you achieve it, leaving the blank-eyed doll to watch over your progress.
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Mehndi applies temporary henna tattoos for celebrations
In South Asia, artists apply crushed henna leaves in elaborate patterns on hands and feet; the stain can last about two weeks before fading.
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Japanese game Otedama is played by juggling small beanbags
Players juggle small fabric pouches filled with dried beans while singing specific rhymes, turning the game into a rhythmic flurry of flying beanbags.
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Go board game pieces are placed strictly on intersections
Unlike checkers, Go stones sit on the intersections, leaving the squares between them empty.
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Batik fabric dyeing uses wax to resist color absorption
Indonesian batik artists draw patterns in hot wax before dyeing the fabric. The wax shields those areas from the dye, leaving the pattern intact while the…
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Why slot machines have cherries and melons
Early slot machines used fruit symbols to sidestep anti-gambling laws by posing as vending machines. Cherries and melons represented the flavors of chewing…
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The hidden machinery controlling water rides
Submerged conveyor belts and water pumps control the raft’s speed and rotation, making the ride feel unruly while keeping it carefully managed.
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Japanese footwear Geta elevates the wearer far above mud
Their wooden blocks lift the wearer about two inches above the ground, helping keep robes out of street mud but making each step a balancing act.
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Indian kite fighters use strings coated with glass
In Indian kite fighting, competitors coat kite strings with glue and finely crushed glass to help sever rivals’ lines.
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Escape rooms began as a Japanese experiment
A Japanese publication adapted digital point-and-click puzzle adventures into a physical room, helping spark the escape-room trend.
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Arabic calligraphy stretches words to fit geometric shapes
Calligraphers stretch, compress, and intertwine Arabic letters to fill shapes such as circles, turning words into intricate designs that can be harder to read.
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A matcha whisk starts as one piece of bamboo
A maker cuts and splits the end into fine curved tines while leaving them joined at the handle. Different styles use different tine counts. The delicate whisk…
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Persian miniature paintings avoid linear perspective
Instead of shrinking distant objects, Persian miniatures often stack figures and buildings so details remain visible throughout the scene.
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Japanese Kadomatsu decorations are placed strictly outdoors
They are meant to guide visiting spirits to the home at New Year.
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