I'm stunned that a movie star on his publicity tour for a new film would be so honest: << Ben Affleck and Matt Damon turned up to promote their own Netflix movie, The Rip. They don’t take long to open up about the distinctive challenges of working for that platform in this era. Damon mentions […]

This is a typo in the lede or the math is wrong, right? They forgot a decimal point, and turned 3.39 million into 339 million! 7.92 million births minus 11.31 million deaths / = decrease of 3.39 million Otherwise, China went through something in 2025 equal […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#grief #philosophy #mystic #switzerland #quote #quotes #quotation #depression #genius

Say what you will about current pop culture, but the turnaround time on low-effort cash grabs is much quicker now than it used to be. Remember Paula Abdul's massive debut in 1988, Forever Your Girl? ... and the fourth (!) #1 single off that album was […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

A hundred years ago, people who collected #books would hire artists to design personalized bookplates (stickers). Most just say "Ex Libris [name]" in a fancy font, but some are more creative: 🧵 1) "Terrible love brings rot and sadness to everything." 2) […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#scottadams #dilbert #dilbertcreator

#quote #quotes #ushistory #diversity #socialdemocracy #antiracist #thurgoodmarshall

I've been writing online since 1995. This is, inexplicably, one of the most popular things that I have ever posted. The WWW works in weird and wonderful ways. https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/grilled-cheese-without-the-grill.html

Okay I am FASCINATED by this ad & announcement from the 1870s I mean, Satan taking a keg – into hell – is just a throwaway background detail "At J. W. Tufts' arctic pavilion... may be seen the largest and most magnificent soda water apparatus in the world […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

I see the Bruins are doing their bit to diversify the sport, with today's fan giveaway #hockey #bostonbruins #boston #nhl

Dennis Lehane, whose best known books like Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River are set in #boston, expertly described local tone and humor: "I was in Miami for graduate school, and I remember worrying that I was losing the Boston voice. Right? So I went back home and I ran into a guy and I said […]

"With what this chart teaches even may the fallen go — through the macabre reaches of Edgar Allan Poe" In 2020, Brendan Lorber created this map of Night's Plutonian Shore, the Purloined Letter, the Kingdom by the Sea, and a bunch of places I had to look up […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

#ancienthistory #historymemes

Duelling monkeys. psalter and hours, Ghent ca. 1315-1325. Baltimore, Walters Art Museum, W.82, fol. 205v. #medieval #medievalart

Singapore, 2009 I guess graffiti is tolerated in the skate park, at least? from the National Library Digital Collection, Lily Wong #photo #skateboarding #singapore #2000s

This is the gold standard for about-the-author photos

The dog is NOT a book's best friend! Free Library of Philadelphia poster, 1930s. Artist: Katherine Milhous Or, as Groucho Marx didn't really say: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." #dogs #books #library […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

from Africa, to the slave ship, to the river boats, to the big city, to the jazz clubs "The Evolution of Swing" by Raymond Steth, Works Progress Administration artist c.1940 #jazz #swingmusic #swingdancing #ushistory #blackartists #musichistory #blackhistory #1940s #americanart

Sorry to anyone who might disagree, but https://thisissand.com/ is a delight #starwars #fun

"The Philosopher" beer advertisement American Beer Company Boston, Mass. c.1880 #beer #boston #massachusetts #oldadvertisements

It's a tiny comfort to know the current struggle with housing supply and landlords has happened before. Rebecca Rogers died in Kent, UK in 1688. Of all the things about Rebecca's life that could serve as her epitaph, she (or her family) chose to carve this on the gravestone: "A house she hath […]

Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall concession workers ratified a new contract with Aramark! They had been without a contract from the end of 2024 until yesterday. Full details are not released yet. But it sounds like the employees got more stable hours, increases in wages/commissions, and better […]

detail from "Pineapple, Corn, and Peppers," in Die Pflanze in Kunst und Gewerbe, vol. 2 (1886) h/t @oldbookillustrations #illustration #mesoamerica #mesoamerican #lithographs #latinamerica #german #19thc #c19th #plants #oldbook #pineapple #paprika #maize #corn

I got to read about a dozen nonfiction #books in 2025, and here are the best few (if anyone is looking for ideas): 1) Big Hair and Plastic Grass: a funky ride through baseball and America in the swinging '70s by Dan Epstein Seriously, this book made me prouder to be American. And it's […]

I know #gerontocracy is the rule rather than exception in the U.S., but oh my, the #LDS Church is extreme. They make the Catholic hierarchy look like a K-pop fan club: - LDS President Russell M. Nelson died a few months ago at 101 - he was succeeded by the […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

playground comebacks of the 18th century #epigrams #poetry #alexanderpope #quote #quotes #quotation

[test post] #penguinmoscowunicycle2025

Do content warnings prevent hashtags (below the "Show more" line) from working? In other words, will my CW'd post still show up in the feeds of people who follow the hashtag, but don't follow me? #askmastodon #fedihelp

[CW: ad for human "exhibit” in the 1800s; it's as racist as you'd expect] The "Aztec children," who were in fact Salvadoran adults with microcephaly, were exhibited in Boston at least twice: 1850 and 1862. I'm not sure who the African woman who toured with […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Whatever "it" is, someone in Japan has taken it to the next level #whoa #textiles

"The cultural foundations of America" by Allan Crite, 1968. - The Spaniard - The Indian - The African - The English Crite was an artist and working draftsman in the South End of Boston, active from the 1930s-1970s. He mentored other Black artists in the city […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

FYI... #llamas #alpacas #ruminants #trivia #til #wool

Data visualization from the American Civil War, featuring ... Illiterate White Adults! Miles of Canals! Postage Collected! Enrolled Militia! and of course, Bushel-Measure Products. "Comparison of Products, Population, and Resources of the Free and Slave […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

Here are the names of the neo-Nazis who rallied at a Little Rock civil rights site on Saturday Only one of them was actually from Arkansas https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2025/12/12/here-are-the-names-of-the-neo-nazis-who-rallied-at-a-little-rock-civil-rights-site-on-saturday #arkansas […]

Best seven consecutive movies as a director - Rob Reiner vs. Steven Spielberg. (star ratings are mine/irrefutable) RR: 1. This is Spinal Tap ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 2. The Sure Thing ⭐⭐⭐ 3. Stand By Me ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4. The Princess Bride ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5. When Harry Met Sally ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6. Misery ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7. A Few Good Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ SS: 1 […]

Cormac, keeping the group chat light, as usual #quote #quotes #quotation #cormacmccarthy #existentialism #maps #americanliterature

source https://www.boston.com/culture/celebs/2025/12/11/conan-obrien-says-jason-bateman-killed-his-parents-and-will-strike-again/ #grief #death #darkhumor #comedy #quote #quotes #quotation

Unexpected tourism ads of the early 20th century: Ketchum, Idaho promotes its "progressive" image, with a sweaty shirtless man on skis and visit Chicago – for the beaches, naturally #idaho #ketchum #chicago #illinois #travelposter #TravelArt #posters […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

leaflet for a new play in Boston, c.1890 The "Museum" was a theater on Tremont Street. I can't find a date for this production, but they were in business from 1841-1903. More illustrations from the playbill are here […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

souvenir from the 10th Annual Convention of Matchcover Collectors, in 1950 The convention lasted three days! They clearly had lots to discuss 😆 21st century geek/fan culture is fine; but I feel like this is the type of social life that has been lost. Yet […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

A lost art: crate labels for fruit & veg companies You've gotta stand out somehow, so these brands each tried something different from the usual scenes of sunlit lemon groves. All are from California in the early 1940s, most likely before US entry into World […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

I know retro nostalgia follows a certain generational pattern; so it'll be a few more years before the early '00s are appreciated / imitated as a distinct era in fashion and pop culture. Anyway here are the Black Eyed Peas and Christina Aguilera taking a […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

"During the neo-Assyrian empire (8th–7th century BC), the ritual of the šar pūhi, or “substitute king,” was a common practice for protecting the ruler from angry gods during both solar and lunar eclipses, which court astronomers of the period could calculate […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

An English complainer wrote about his northern neighbors in 1523 "O ye wretched Scottes, Ye puaunt pyspottes, It shal be your lottes To be knytte up with knottes Of halters and ropes About your traytours throtes." ... it goes on for 500 lines […]

TIL that the U.S. Congress hasn't approved a Letter of Marque - which allows (specific) citizens to do piracy on the high seas - since 1815. But Congress still has that power, under Article I, Sec. 8. #voteblue in 2026 🏴‍☠️ (yes, I'm aware the US gov is unlawfully blowing up Venezuelan ships […]

the Hei-Tiki card from Wills's (UK) 1923 "Lucky Charms" series, ostensibly from the Maori In the late 19th / early 20th century, tobacco companies often included collectible cards in each pack; usually themed around pop culture or sports. #tiki #tobacco #UK […] [Original post on hear-me.social]

[CW: partial nudity, art related to slavery] "Voodoo Coming into Haiti" by Richard A. Loederer, c.1940 Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist #voodoo #vodou #greatdepression #1930s #1940s #haiti #religion #christianity #africa #engraving #woodcut

Langston Hughes and Eartha Kitt National Memorial Bookstore, Harlem NY, 1956 #oldphoto #1950s #harlem #americanauthors #blackauthors #bookstore #nyc #langstonhughes #earthakitt #newyork

It's a very good thing these guys don't sound super capable of ... anything 😬 I'm surprised the Justice Department could spare a little time from harassing the president's personal enemies to file these charges. "Weisenburg in August 2024 enrolled in the North Texas Fire Academy in Rockwall […]