Becoming a Saint
The curious process of canonization
The process by which Roman Catholicism declares someone to be a saint is full of mystery, especially for non-Catholics. But the path to sainthood is becoming ever easier.
Oxygen Bars
I’ll have an O…Make it a double.
If you want to get rip-roaring sober, head on over to the bar that serves fresh air, in your choice of soothing scents. Is this a healthy alternative or a dangerous fad?
Powder Coating
Paint’s shocking competitor
The brightly colored surfaces of metal objects in your home or office may not have come from paint, but from powder coating, a process based on technology similar to what a photocopier or laser printer uses.
Herrenchiemsee Castle
King Ludwig II’s island retreat
Yet another of the ambitious (and never-finished) castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria is on and island in the Chiemsee lake in Germany. More lavish than Neuschwanstein, it features a dining room with a table that descends into the kitchen below.
New Orleans Cemeteries
Cities of the dead
Caskets buried underground in New Orleans had the nasty habit of floating back up to the surface. So cemeteries were built aboveground, with reusable tombs that act as ovens.
Synesthesia
Making sense of shared senses
People with synesthesia might experience a color when they see a certain number or a taste when they hear a certain sound, among many other overlapping senses.
Bahasa Indonesia
The complex story of a simple language
The official language of Indonesia has been called an artificial language, but that's not quite correct. Nevertheless, it has undergone several significant transformations, some of which were artificially guided.
Sinkholes
Losing ground
Without warning, the ground can open up and swallow your car or your house. In this case, it's not an earthquake that's to blame, and predicting or preparing for such a disaster is almost a lost cause.
The Steadicam
Professional film and video camera operators use a complex mechanical device called a steadicam to keep camera movement totally smooth, even when the photographer is walking, running, or climbing stairs.
Arcosanti
Building a rural city
Architect and artist Paolo Soleri started building a city called Arcosanti in the Arizona desert as an experiment in urban living. With only a tiny fraction built after almost 50 years, the experimental results in some ways speak for themselves.