Pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, oh my! The history of pickling foods dates back to ancient Mesopotamia and features cameos from Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. Who knew this sour treat had such an impressive journey? [Mental Floss]
From the hundreds of books I’ve read in the past few decades, The Lord of the Rings is the one I’ve read the most. Among the characters from Tolkien’s wonderful universe, none is as mysterious as Tom Bombadil. In this video from Nerd of the Rings, host and Tolkien nerd Matt Graf explores five interesting […]
Here is a compilation of some of the best and words in existence! I especially like the word “sehnsucht”, meaning “the inconsolable longing in the human heart for we know not what”; a yearning for a far, familiar, non-earthly land one can identify as one’s home. [Via the Defunct “The Meta Picture”]
https://youtu.be/x3YkkmMxjV0 Here’s the original Muppet performance (in best quality) of “Mah-Na, Mah-Na” (or “Mah Nà Mah Nà”, composed by Piero Umiliani, the song first written for use in the Italian film “Sweden – Heaven and Hell”). This performance first aired on Episode #14 of Sesame Street, which premiered on Thursday, November 29th 1969. (three days […]
On May 25, 1977, a pop culture phenomenon was born. After months of hype, a movie called Star Wars hit theaters. But what was it really like seeing the film back in 1977? We’ve gathered accounts from filmmakers, journalists, and fans to take us back to a galaxy far, far away. While it took a […]
Here’s a rather creepy (in a good way) parody ad featuring a deepfaked Willie Nelson for a fake supermarket store called Omega Mart which, in truth, is a new immersive art installation in Las Vegas from Meow Wolf. For those interested, Omega Mart combines elements from a theme park, a virtual reality game, an art […]
On the dusty roads of a small village, a traveling salesman was having difficulty selling his wares. As he wandered the outskirts of town in the hopes of finding some new customers, he heard a high-pitched yelp coming from the edge of the forest. Following the screams to their source, he discovered a trapped tanuki. […]
Tolkien is widely regarded as the most influential author on the fantasy genre… period. But one of the less-discussed aspects of his work is the way Tolkien used constructed language in his writing. Nowadays authors are constantly making up words and languages for the worlds they build, but Tolkien was unique in that he constructed […]
https://youtu.be/bzDtmMXJ1B4 Listen to J.R.R. Tolkien being interviewed by BBC producer Denys Gueroult in 1964. A fascinating look into Middle Earth and the mind of one of the greatest fantasy writer of all time. [Sidh]
From Star Trek’s Klingon to The Dothraki language from Game of Thrones, here r 25 fictional languages you can learn to speak right now, with some being composed of over 3,000 words! [Source: Rayburn Tours]