“Left or right?” he asked me as we watched the commuter train approach. A group of people nearby moved into position to line up with the door, all likely thinking the same thing: How do I get a seat? “Left,” I said. “These people are going to go right.” He looked at me for a [...]

Have you Liked anything today? A year ago, I wrote about the psychology behind Liking, noting that Liking a status update on Facebook could help reinforce relationships and Liking articles and media on the web could help build online reputations Liking shows that we’re paying attention, and allows us to be recognized as a participant [...]

What story would your medicine cabinet tell about you? Medicine cabinets are amazing spaces. They can contain a multitude of pills, pastes, syrups, and wrappings that we know we can reach for to manage many types of pain, ailments, and illnesses ourselves. They can provide a window into a person’s well-being—really? you’ve never peeked after [...]

Does your local library offer e-books for loan? It might. But if you aren’t sure, you aren’t alone: According to a report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 12% of e-book readers have actually borrowed an e-book from their local library. Why the low percentage given the popularity* of digital readers? The likely [...]

Ed note: A version of this post originally appeared on AiP on Sept. 20th, 2010. While the primary purpose of stamps has been to pre-pay for the transportation and delivery of mail, postage has helped preserve histories around the world. The world’s first postage stamp was the Penny Black invented by Sir Rowland Hill, founder [...]

I started writing AiP in 2009. I was writing for you, Readers, of course. But I was also writing for me. Why? Kate Clancy said it best, Blogging is a selfish endeavor, a desire to be heard. Blogging is insisting you have something to say. Blogging is saying come here, come here and respond and [...]

This post originally appeared on Anthropology in Practice on December 6th, 2010. New Yorkers are hand talkers. We often use gestures to add emphasis to our conversations; from pointing to direct tourists, or waving to demonstrate our exasperation with traffic, drivers, or pedestrians, or trying to interject—because New Yorkers don’t interrupt!—we gesticulate. We’re not the [...]

Ed note – We’re digging in the archives today: This post originally appeared on Anthropology in Practice on June 27th, 2011. “It’s hard for me to say I’m sorry.” Readers may find that the title for this section triggers a certain refrain by Chicago (or BoysIIMen, depending on how old you are). Apologies in advance [...]

Glen Taylor came because he was being plagued by spirits. While his two daughters wandered the stations set up for Identification (ID) Day in the Grand Gallery of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Glen waited in line for Anibal Rodriguez and Nell Murphy, who were staffing the anthropology table. He cradled an ornate [...]

This week you’ll want to be sure you check out: Reporting live from Rome, Katy Myers discusses some of the challenges with excavating inside urn—and what constitutes a person—at Bones Don’t Lie. At Inkfish, Elizabeth Preston makes a connection between naming practices and popular words—like violent weather systems. At Evoanth, Adam Benton delves into what [...]