January 2018
January 16, 2018
Fragrance-coded card catalog
In 1974, the public library in Upper Arlington, Ohio added scratch-and-sniff scents to its card catalog. They called it the "Stick Your Nose in the Card Catalogue" program.The idea was that the card in the catalog would have a scent, and then the book on the shelf would have a matching scent. So you could find your books by smell. There were about 60 scents in total, including apple, chocolate, garlic, lemon, roses, root beer, leather, pizza, orange, strawberry, candles, pine, cheddar cheese, clover, and smoke.
I was curious what became of the scented catalog, so I emailed the library and asked. The reply came just a few minutes later:
And they also emailed me a news clipping about the catalog (in extended, below) from the local Upper Arlington paper.
The Vernon Daily Record - Feb 9, 1975
San Antonio Express - Apr 11, 1976
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 16, 2018 -
Comments (9)
Category: Libraries, 1970s, Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
The Candy Tangerine Man
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 16, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Stereotypes and Cliches, Exploitation and Grindhouse, 1970s
January 15, 2018
Ronald’s no protester
But I wonder how Ronald ever got targeted by the selective service system if he hadn't registered yet.
Press and Sun Bulletin - Mar 13, 1968
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 15, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Military, War, 1960s
Follies of the Madmen #347
Wait for the radioactive soap traces.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 15, 2018 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, 1950s
January 14, 2018
Breadwoman
Breadwoman is a character who wears rags and a loaf of bread on her head while she dances to electronic music. She was created in the mid-1980s by performance artist Anna Homler, apparently having emerged from Homler's "background as an anthropologist and her inexplicable desire to wear bread." Although Breadwoman's mask was originally a hollowed-out loaf of bread, it's now made out of latex.More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 14, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, Performance Art
Cool Breeze
"Cool Breeze is cold business!"
Extra points for the lead actor's extra-juicy name: Thalmus Rasulala.
Wikipedia entry.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 14, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Crime, Movies, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1970s
January 13, 2018
Buttless Jeans
The new look in jeans from UK fashion brand The Ragged Priest. Cost: $125. Underwear not included.More info: Yahoo! Lifestyle
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 13, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Fashion, Denim
The Vidiot
No relevance at all to today's lifestyles.
The artist's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 13, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Music, Avant Garde, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1950s
January 12, 2018
Static Copyrighted
From a recent New Yorker article:White noise is generally defined by hazy and inharmonious hissing—it’s noise-eating noise, anti-noise, a way of drowning out other sounds. Per a BBC report, the claimants accusing Tomczak of infringement included companies who peddle white-noise recordings as sleep therapy. It turns out that his nondescript hissing mirrored their nondescript hissing.
The white noise in question:
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 12, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Follies of the Madmen #346
I was unaware that mermaids were lured by cigar smoke.
Full ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 12, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Cryptozoology, Tobacco and Smoking, 1940s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
