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Are there any common household items or products that you think are designed incredibly poorly? in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I have to chime in here, as it's a subject close to my heart. The old Pyrex measuring cups don't do this. I went out of my way to buy some on eBay. I can't imagine why they redesigned like this, but there's a lot of things I can't imagine.

YSK someone created a site to endlessly scroll Wikipedia in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

It will remain a mystery

YSK someone created a site to endlessly scroll Wikipedia in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I love this, but is anyone else having trouble with the css/text? Chrome seems to dim the images, but the white text is unreadable on all the images for firefox. Doesn't work on Safari at all.

TIL of the Business Plot, a conspiracy to overthrow the presidency of FDR and install a fascist dictatorship in 1933 in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I remember learning about this as a kid from, of all places, a 1976 detective show called City of Angels (starring Wayne Rogers). Ten-year-old me thought it was so cool they would even broach such a topic on TV. As ways to become radicalised go ...

TIL about Real Tennis, the thousand-year-old precursor to tennis. “If you wanted to design a game that was going to put people off from playing it, you would probably design a real tennis court.” in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This Video (French) says it's a thousand years old, but that seems not to be the case, more like like 4-500 years.

I think the NYT is mistaken, as here's an engraving of «jeu de paume» from the 16th C

TIL about Real Tennis, the thousand-year-old precursor to tennis. “If you wanted to design a game that was going to put people off from playing it, you would probably design a real tennis court.” in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (2 children)

According to the very long and exhaustive wiki

"The term real was first used by journalists in the early 20th century as a retronym to distinguish the ancient game from modern lawn tennis", and, is it happens, 'It is also known as court tennis in the United States, royal tennis in England and Australia, and courte-paume in France."

I think the kings were pissed when they started playing tennis outside. "That's not real tennis", they probably said.

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TIL about Real Tennis, the thousand-year-old precursor to tennis. “If you wanted to design a game that was going to put people off from playing it, you would probably design a real tennis court.” (www.youtube.com)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink

I was watching The Seven Percent Solution (Nicol Williamson is a swell Sherlock Holmes) wherein Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) is challenged to a 'duel' of tennis. The match takes place in a black, blue, uneven and totally enclosed space. Like tennis, but with incomprensible rules and instant win spots to hit along the court. I looked it up, and it's called 'real tennis'. Still played today, and way cooler than tennis. 'Real' tennis. Don't know what to call it anymore.

Here's an archive article from the NYT - https://archive.is/IoXWx

Here are the rules - https://www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/play

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TIL: That from 1866 to 1984, Paris had a pneumatic tube postal service! (www.messynessychic.com)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

20 comments fedilink

I was reading A Coffin for Dimitrios (great book), and found a character saying "send me a pneumatique when you get to Paris." And in fact, there was a series of pneumatic tubes to speed the mail in Paris for over 100 years. Thought it was cool. Here's the wiki as well.

Donald Trump is the Tyrant George Washington Feared in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

https://archive.is/rEQMr

Stand together in c/[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I think that's a still from Green Room, a very good and very disturbing film with none other than Sir Patrick Stewart as a Nazi/replacement theory Svengali-type character. The joke being the band in the movie is booked unaware into a straight up nazi punk club, and end up singing that song. Things develop from there. I hope I got that right, but that's my memory.