This guy collects Do Not Disturb signs from Hotels around the World

Don’t I always say you can find absolutely anything on the internet? Well, I said it to someone recently. Anyhoo, I came across a collection of “Do Not Disturb” signs from hotels around the world and as far as hotel collectibles go, the doorknob signs seem to have gone largely unnoticed, despite being pretty interesting design-wise.…

Meet the Paper Bag Baron of East London

Paul Gardner; the man, the myth, the London legend. If you ever have the pleasure of purchasing a paper bag from Paul, count yourself lucky. Like his shop, Paul and his family of ‘market sundriesmen’ are a longstanding East End institution. For over four generations, the Gardner’s have been servicing scales, stocking bags of all…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 669)

1. Vintage ephemera from the Talking Board Historical Society Time to get your boards out. More imagery here. 2. More museums should do this A 10-millionth visitor to the Rijksmuseum of Netherlands was allowed to spend the night at Rembrandt’s painting “Night Watch” with a bottle of wine and dinner. Found on Gentleman Jungle. 3.…

Greetings, from North America’s Uranium Ghost Towns

North America has its own Chernobyl(s). There are gold rush ghost towns, and then there are uranium ghosting towns; settlements which grew out of the “uranium fever” of the first part of the 20th century and testaments to an era when fear of nuclear war led to an unprecedented rush for a previously low-value mineral. But…

Poke around the Psychedelic Fortress of a Self-Made Saint

Venturing down an unassuming gravel road grown over with grass in rural Marion County, Georgia, you’re met by a huge pair of piercing blue eyes. Look around, and you’re met by many more sets of eyes staring out from intense faces emblazoned with vivid reds, greens and yellows, adorned in geometric patterns and spiritual symbols.…

The Beauty Who Created the Beast

Of the six original Universal Monsters, none is so ubiquitous and iconic as the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film, released in 1954, still screens regularly at theatres dedicated to classic cinema. What few knew until recently however, is that the credit for the Creature’s iconic design was cruelly stolen from one of the…

From the Beatles to Britney Spears, a History of Hidden Messages in Songs

The history of backmasking goes back to the early 20th century with occultist Aleister Crowley, who in his 1913 book Magick, suggested thinking backward by “external means,” such as listening to a phonographic record in reverse. It started as a fun urban legend. Musicians recorded secret messages backwards, inserting them into their songs. The Beatles…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 668)

1. A 1930s flying boat that launched mid air from another flying boat on transatlantic flights More about The Short Mayo composite by the Short Brothers found on Wikipedia. 2. Since 1970, he has created Dwelling places for an imaginary civilization of “Little People” Since 1970, Charles Simonds has created Dwelling places for an imaginary…

The Unexpected Relevance of Medieval Monsters

Monsters once lived at the heart of pop culture, albeit during what was arguably the weirdest time to be alive: the Middle Ages. In intrepid, faraway lands you’d find them: neckless men with their faces in their stomachs – known as “blemmyae” – or yet another being, known as a “panotti”, with ears big enough…

The Enchanted Cities Hiding Inside Theatres

For some lucky theatregoers, a trip to see the latest B-Movie at their local picture house also means a trip across space and time. It’s all thanks to the atmospheric movie palaces and theatres of the early 20th century, whose construction brought veritable mini-cities, from old Spanish streets to lost temples of Ancient Egypt, into…