Don't Bogart My Blog: Sunday Best: The apocalypse has arrived

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October 27, 2019

"I don't know anyone who takes Sunday off anymore," writes Margaret Renkl, who in a recent Op-Ed encouraged at least one day of rest out of the seven so many of us spend hustling (she then took her own advice by strolling around Nashville's Radnor Lake). I'll be just a few miles away from that lake this weekend, and while I won't be going as far as to embark on a tech shabbat, I'm unplugging more than usual to fully absorb the sites and sounds (read: ample eateries and honky-tonk music) that Nashville has to offer. But as soon as my plane lands back home, I'm diving headfirst into technologyland by streaming scary movies to get in the Halloween spirit. — Alexandra March

The Apocalypse Has Arrived. Everyone Is Dead, but the Pizza Oven Works.

Illustrations by George Wylesol

"Exquisite perch over smoldering ashes, available for swap or short-term rental: It's just one more reminder that you're living in luxury and everyone else is dead. In the kitchen, Bosch, Viking and the Vitamix Pro Series blender are the brands that will delight your eyes and palate until food runs out. Which it won't!"

The (Nearly) Forgotten Capital of Witch Hunting

Nina Bunjevac

The first map of its kind reveals the places of residence of more than 3,000 people once accused of witchcraft in Scotland. "Popular attitudes have transmuted so much over time that one can now, at least in the West, casually self-identify as a witch. But the terror the two-century-long hunt inflicted on people was widespread and very real."

Forget the Internet of Things. Check Out the Internet of Ghouls.

John F. Malta

"Bluetooth-enabled animatronic saltshakers with built-in EMF meters: Pours rings of salt around your bed at night when it detects spikes in paranormal activity. Available in pairs of two, four and 666."

Ruth Bader Hat Guy? Let Our Algorithm Choose Your Halloween Costume.

"What are you supposed to be?" It's the first question that follows every doorbell ring on Halloween. We gave a list of 7,182 costumes to a machine-learning algorithm last Halloween, and it spun up instant classics like Sexy Banana, Santa Classworth and Strawberry Clown. Let it choose your costume.

Haunted Dorms, Ouija Boards and Brushes With the Supernatural

Natalie Andrewson

If you thought the scariest thing about college is the dreams you still have that it's finals week and you haven't studied, think again. There are specters in some of the country's hallowed halls.

Read the full Opinion report here.

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