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Can Video Games Actually Help You Learn a Language?
You have been studying a language for six months. You can introduce yourself, order coffee, count to 100, and ask where the bathroom is. Then you start a video game in that language. A character runs toward you and shouts something urgent. A timer appears. Three unfamiliar buttons flash on the screen. Somewhere nearby, a […] More
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15 Things Society Forgot How to Repair
There was a time when buying something was only the beginning of your relationship with it. A radio stopped working, so someone opened it. A shoe wore through, so someone replaced the sole. A chair became loose, so someone tightened the joints. A toaster broke, and instead of holding a small funeral beside the trash […] More
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in Fail, Internet Finds, Stories10 Times the Internet Turned a Joke Into a “True” Story
The internet is very good at preserving information. Unfortunately, it is also very good at removing the part that says, “This is a joke.” A satirical article leaves its original website and appears as a screenshot. A parody headline loses its logo. Someone repeats an April Fools’ joke without mentioning the date. A strange video […] More
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Why Esperanto Still Exists in the Age of Translation Apps
You are standing in a train station in another country. A sign contains six paragraphs of important information. You point your phone at it, and within seconds the words appear in English. Problem solved. So why would anyone still learn Esperanto? Esperanto was created in 1887 to help people from different language communities communicate through […] More
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in Stories12 Jobs That Exist Only Because Modern Life Is So Complicated
Modern life is supposed to be convenient. You tap a screen, and food appears at your door. You click a button, and money travels across the world. You upload a photograph, and it lives somewhere in “the cloud.” You buy a refrigerator, and it asks for your Wi-Fi password. But convenience has a secret. Every […] More
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7 Famous “Time Travelers” Who Were Definitely Not From the Future
The internet loves a time traveler. Someone appears in an old photograph wearing suspiciously modern clothes. A man turns a tiny investment into hundreds of millions of dollars. A stranger arrives with identification from another century. A mysterious online poster claims to know exactly how the world will end. Add dramatic music, a few slowly […] More
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13 Reasons Lino the Gorilla and Friends Is the Weirdly Cozy Post-Apocalyptic Comic You Did Not Know You Needed
Most post-apocalyptic stories begin with a ruined city, a desperate survivor, and an extremely serious speech about humanity’s final days. Lino the Gorilla and Friends Volume 1: All the Humans Are Dead begins with something much stranger: The humans are gone. The animals remain. And apparently, it is time to throw a party. Written by […] More
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in Video Games10 Video Games You Can Play in Esperanto
So, you are learning Esperanto. You have studied vocabulary. You have practiced the accusative. You may have confidently said Saluton! to someone who did not understand why you were speaking an international constructed language to them in the grocery store. Now you want to do something more exciting than another worksheet. Good news: you can […] More
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in How To7 Cozy Farmhouse DIY Projects That Look Expensive but Cost Less Than $50
You want your home to feel like a peaceful country cottage. Unfortunately, your decorating budget says, “Here is $34 and a coupon.” The good news is that cozy farmhouse style does not require a complete renovation, a barn, or an emotionally supportive trip to an expensive home-decor store. With unfinished wood, neutral fabric, thrifted frames, […] More