U.S. Air Force warns UFO enthusiasts against storming Area 51

Jokesters and serious Area 51 raiders would be met with military force.

Image source: Pixabay
  • Facebook joke event to "raid Area 51" has already gained 1,000,000 "going" attendees.
  • The U.S. Air Force has issued an official warning to potential "raiders."
  • If anyone actually tries to storm an American military base, the use of deadly force is authorized.
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Politics & Current Affairs

Reactionaries love it, but country music has a progressive heart

Country music deserves better cultural ambassadors.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When Donald Trump took the first international trip of his presidency to Saudi Arabia in May 2017, another US icon also travelled along as part of the celebration of the alliance between these two countries: the country-music star Toby Keith.

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Culture & Religion

A map of America’s most famous – and infamous – people

The 'People Map of the United States' zooms in on America's obsession with celebrity

Image: The Pudding
  • Replace city names with those of their most famous residents and you get a peculiar map of America's obsession with celebrity.
  • The multitalented Dwayne Johnson, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dominate the West Coast.
  • If you seek fame, become an actor, musician or athlete rather than a politician, entrepreneur or scientist.
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Strange Maps

Take a pause to let your mind work

Why the culture that destroyed attention spans is now turning to podcasts.

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  • Taking a pause after consuming a piece of art or media is essential to our memory, emotions, and intellectual digestion, says writer, director and podcaster John Cameron Mitchell.
  • We live in an age full of influencers and YouTube personalities, but fewer narrative powerhouses. Storytelling takes time, skill, and requires us to make space to gather our thoughts.
  • Podcasts are a storytelling rebellion against so-called ADHD culture. If the internet ruined our attention spans, can the single-sense format of podcasts bring it back?
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Videos

Behold, the '70s sci-fi book series that popularized the Illuminati conspiracy

Modern notions about the Illuminati are the result of a satirical cult-classic book.

Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
  • The historical Illuminati was a failed 18th century Bavarian secret society.
  • Current Illuminati conspiracies stem from a satirical '70s counterculture book.
  • Authors Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's intent was to sow chaotic disinformation just for the satire.
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Culture & Religion